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Weddings, Mr. T, and Cheese- How's That for a Hodgepodge?

Lower Alabama Caviar

This recipe is from LuLu's restaurant, the famous one owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister Lucy. I risked my life and went undercover, broke in to the restaurant at night and stole it from their computer. I barely survived because they had this mean Rottweiler that bit a chunk out of my leg, but I guess that satisfied him so he stopped attacking me and I dragged myself out to my car. I had to patch up my leg myself because at a hospital I would only have been questioned and then promptly arrested. Unless I pulled a Jack Bauer and hit my doctor with a syringe full of something that would knock him out and I could steal his clothes and sneak out of the hospital, hijack a Suburban and arrive safely at home in time to feed the kids breakfast. So really, ya'll enjoy. ( I only put that ya'll in there because this is LOWER ALABAMA caviar.) Normally I would say you guys.

This recipe is a crowd pleasah.

Dressing:
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar (this is always a great start in my book)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (that's EVOO for you Rachael Ray fans)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Dip:
4 (15 oz) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar; cover tightly and shake vigorously to dissolve sugar. Set aside. Rinse and drain peas well, place in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and dressing. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or saltine crackers.

This can also be used as a garnish over everything from broiled fish to enchiladas. (So says the Mobile Press Register Food Guy) I am inclined to believe him.

It is a wonderful, refreshing dip for summertime. Enjoy!

Inside my head

August 1
Naptime.
My mind is racing, cluttered with so many thoughts, wishes, lists, ideas and hopes.
-Sweep the floor, it is bad.
-Those **&%#@ ants are back!
Ok I want to spend time with God. My chair awaits.
-Remember to call Katie.
-Ask Jay, don't forget to ask Jay about Sat. night.
-Diapers; add diapers to the list. And eggs.
-I wonder if Jen emailed me back.
-Laundry in the washer. Need to put it in dryer.
Then the phone rings. 25 minutes gone, chatting with mom. It was needed, but my chair is still empty.
Oh! I need to upload those photos Cary sent from the cruise. It can wait. But I really want to see the pictures!
I sit down, my mind has a hard time slowing down. Have I become ADD? No, I am a mom and wife and daughter and sister-in-law and friend and neighbor and housekeeper and cook and yet I am me. I want to write poetry and paint the chair for the bathroom and hang the old window somewhere ummm, and write a book when I get a chance. And what's for dinner and dang, I forgot to get someone to sub for me in the nursery Sunday! 1st of the month...pay mortgage.

Back to Spurgeon. He challenges me to glean from God's word-to feast on the meaty promises that satisfy-to be quenched and full.

"Our Master's field is very rich; behold the handfuls. See, there they lie before thee, poor timid believer! Gather them up, make them thine own, for Jesus bids thee take them. Be not afraid, only believe! Grasp these sweet promises, thresh them out by meditation and feed on them with joy."

This is my soul's need. Open the word. Open it. My mind has settled. I'm in. I'm there and I'm focused. The monitor speaks. The boy is awake. The boy is ready for his "nack." Ok Lord, we'll try again tomorrow. Oh, but your sweetness did invade my soul and I will greet my son with your kiss.

Swimming Lessons

One of our fun activities this summer has been swim lessons for Ruthie. The lessons were at the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center (ATC) in Mobile, which is conveniently located for us, and fun because of the helicopters and airplanes landing and taking off nearby- a 20 month old boy's dream. (You can see the HH-65 "Dolphin" in the bottom picture.) In retrospect I would have had Mac in lessons too, but I didn't think it would work out to do both of them back to back. Ruthie cried at the beginning of each lesson for the first couple of weeks, but then she really looked forward to it. She loved her teacher Miss Autumn, and she really has become more comfortable in the water. They learned how to safety-slide in, float, "crab crawl" around the edge of the pool, and even backstroke and freestyle swimming. I think she could swim on her own, but she still freaks out about it and starts going under. One-on-one intense lessons would probably do the trick. I'm sad the lessons are over, and we'll definitely do it again next summer.

The Portrait

This is the amazing portrait I commissioned my friend Amy Oaks Bailey to do last year, based on a picture I took, and now it is done and I love it! Check out her blog for her comments on doing the portrait. Amy is so talented, and her heart for the glory of God in what she does is very inspiring to me. Thank you so much Amy!

Bucket List

Who needs a pool when you have a 5 gallon bucket?

Dream come true

I love hammocks. I have always wanted my very own and now I have one! It was my 30th bday present from Jay, and I am so happy about it. I love the carefree, laidbackness of the simple little woven rope strung between two trees. I like the airiness of it, the instant feeling of relaxation. Hammocks embody relaxation to me. When I saw the three trees in a row in our backyard, when I first looked at the house, it instantly said "hammock location" to me. And in fact, two of the three worked perfectly. One of my roommates when I lived in Prague once told me, "Merrill, you know how to chill." I thought that was hilarious, but it is true, to a fault. So all you tempest-tossed hand-wringers, come on over and we can chill- I'll provide the sweet-tea, and God will make the breeze.

The Cruise- Top Ten Reasons to go on one when you turn 30

10. Two words- colon cleanse- oh, and free medical care including cow-sized shots of phenergan, ahhhh, no bueno.

9. Sleeping in -in a stateroom the size of a closet with 3 friends. Roomies again!

8. Laying in the sun on deck as the ship sails through the Gulf.

7. No prices on the dinner menu! Ordering two appetizers!

6. Coming back to the room after dinner to find towel animals and chocolates in the room.

5. Sunset up on deck, wind in your face, delicioso.

4. Snorkeling in the beautiful waters off Cozumel, Mexico, with guides Pancho and Nacho, que?

3. Red jeeps in Mexico are muy bueno.

2. Stamp in passport, lots of memories packed into 3 1/2 days.

1. Unhurried time, conversation, laughter, with four dear friends- priceless.

I hear ya James

Oh, Mexico
It sounds so sweet with the sun sinking low
Moon's so bright like to light up the night
Make everything all right


Oh, Mexico
I never really been but I'd sure like to go
Oh, Mexico
I guess I'll have to go now

Scene at Chick-Er-Ays (Chic-Fil-A)

We are sitting at a table, eating quietly. There's a mom with three children at the table beside us. Ruthie looks at me, sort of puzzled, exasperated, and says,
"I don't know why I keep looking at that boy!"

He is an adorable boy- probably 7 years old, blond hair, blue eyes, long lashes. I hadn't noticed him. But apparently, my 3 YEAR OLD DID! She was so precious in her innocent confusion.

Hummus Among Us

I saw this recipe in my local newspaper and just had to try it because I love hummus. This is a really delicious variation that is wonderful with a Mexican/Southwestern meal.

Black Bean Lime Hummus

2 cloves garlic
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 T lime juice
1/2 t salt
1/2 c olive oil
3/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

Place garlic in a food processor and process until minced, about 10 seconds. Add beans, lime juice, and salt and process into a puree. With processor running, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until mixture thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Add cilantro and pulse approx. 10 seconds. Serve it up, amigos!

The recipe actually says to serve with banana chips(?!) which I don't love, so I used regular tortilla chips.

Ruthie the Rembrandt

Here is one of the finest examples of Ruthie's latest artwork. I love that she can now draw what she imagines, and every day she suprises me with her skill. This picture features Ruthie, the purple figure, with blue eyes, very long hair, and some princess shoes. To her right is Mackiedoo (or Mac as he is commonly known), and they each have a sun over their heads. There's a rainbow on the right, and she wrote her "name" under her self-portrait. It is such a happy little picture!

Just (Don't) Do It

(Cheryl, my bro Alan, and me)

So it's Memorial Day weekend and I am registered for the Gate-to-Gate Run on Eglin Air Force Base near Niceville, FL. I planned to walk it with my sister-in-law Cheryl, who is 29 weeks pregnant (due in August). In the frenzy of packing for the weekend and my usual forgetfulness, I forgot to bring my running shoes. This has happened before and I just borrowed a pair of old Nikes Cheryl keeps at my parents' house. They are a little snug, and a little crusty, but I was just going to be walking, so no problem. No problem until about a mile into the walk, as Cheryl and I were approaching the War Veterans' Memorial where all the race participants place a red carnation to honor the fallen. I felt something blow in my right shoe. I looked down and with every step I took, little flakes of styrofoam were trailing behind me. This was not good. Cheryl was laughing, but I could feel further disaster just a few steps away. As I walked, the entire sole of the shoe detached, and the little "gel pad" was hanging by a dry-rotted glue strand. I limped over to the conveniently located fire-truck medics, slightly embarassed, but overwhelmingly amused. Their concerned looks turned to, well, amused looks, and they gave me tape for my detached right shoe, and my left shoe which was headed in the same direction. They had no duct tape, which greatly diminished my confidence in the NWFL fire departments. Duct tape could have kept me going for the whole 8 kilometers. Medical tape lasted about 1/8 of a mile, and the blow out was complete. Cheryl and I left the racecourse, because she had to go to the bathroom anyway. You know I would have continued on my barefeet, shredded by asphalt, determined to finish the race. Like in a movie. But she had to go to the bathroom, and I couldn't abandon her. I thought I could just pretend I had finished but I got called out by an older lady at the port-o-potties, " hey, why aren't you sweating?" (this was about 30 minutes into the race, 100% humidity, pushing 90 degrees). So I told her I am Asian and I don't have many sweat glands. Then came the truth of how my pregnant sister-in-law made me borrow dry-rotted size 6 1/2 Nikes and I walked them to pieces.

relentless broom

Prothalamium

Come, all you who are not satisfied
as ruler in a lone, wallpapered room
full of mute birds, and flowers that falsely bloom,
and closets choked with dreams that long ago died!

Come, let us sweep the old streets-like a bride:
sweep out dead leaves with a relentless broom;
prepare for Spring, as though he were our groom
for whose light footstep eagerly we bide.

We'll sweep out shadows, where the rats long fed;
sweep out our shame-and in its place we'll make
a bower for love, a splendid marriage-bed
fragrant with flowers aquiver for the Spring.
And when he comes, our murdered dreams shall wake;
and when he comes, all the mute birds shall sing.

-Aaron Kramer


This is a wonderful poem full of redemptive imagery and such hope- such hope! I love what reading this does to my soul. (The title means "a song in celebration of a marriage.") Come! Sweep out the shadows!

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Haircuts Part Deux

My children were getting a bit scruffy so it was time for a trip to a professional. I cut Mac's hair several months ago and sort of just hacked it down a little. Today my professional finally got the job done well, even though Mac was literally kicking and screaming. Ruthie was wonderful, the exact opposite of her brother. I think they both look great- but so grown up! Where have my babies gone?

There is Definitely no Kudzu in Montana

The trip to Montana came about because Jay's work was sending him there. Jay thought it would be a great opportunity to fly me up with him, especially since it was the week after our anniversary. It was really a wonderful trip, and the longest I've been away from the kids since they were both born. It was strange at first, and it took me a day or so to loosen up and sort of detox from mommy mode. Jay and I talked about how it was so strange to be by ourselves, together, for days. We really are rarely together at all, not to mention together by ourselves. Once the kids came along life shifted to family time. We do go on dates, but that's maybe a couple of hours a month, and time advances and you realize you haven't spent quality time together for a long time. So needless to say our six days was refreshing and just fun.



Where the heck we were: We flew in to Missoula, MT, and drove through mountain passes down to the tiny river town of Salmon, Idaho. We didn't do anything in Salmon besides Jay's work, and once that was done we drove up to Kalispell, Montana, which is about 30 minutes from Glacier National Park, our main destination.



Weather or not: It was cold in Montana. They were having the coldest spring in 11 years. It was in the 30s in the daytime our first days, then gradually warmed up to the 50s! It snowed on us several times, and there was significant snowpack up in the mountains. Glacier was mostly closed, which was a big disappointment, even though we figured it would be limited access when we researched the trip. The trails were several feet under snow, and the famous, historic "Going-to-the-Sun Road" was mostly closed to traffic. This road has spectacular views, and killer switchbacks- one lady we talked to had been to Denali and she said the views in Glacier are way more breathtaking. What we could see was amazing- I have missed the sight and smells of mountains. The limited access was really torture; it was sort of like being stuck in an airport in Italy, staring sadly out the windows, dreaming of Gondola rides and red wine. We just kept saying, "we've got to come back...we've got to come back." But I'm very glad I got to have even a small taste of Glacier.



Wildlife count: I wanted to see a marmot, which is my favorite furry woodland creature of the mountains, but alas, they were probably still hibernating. In Glacier we saw a baby chipmunk, various songbirds, fish in glacier-fed Lake McDonald, and a bald eagle. Later, on our drive back to Missoula we stopped at the National Bison Range and saw bison, antelope, white-tail deer (including a Bambi hiding in a thicket), meadowlarks, ducks, and various other birds. The Bison Range was really interesting- it is a big habitat that you drive through and see what you can see, including lots of bison poo. Sort of like Jurassic Park but less Parkey and without man-eating dinos or any dinos actually. I learned some really fun facts about bison. Like the fact that they're not buffalo. Nope. File that away Jeopardy hopefuls. And a bison's tail is his or her warning flag system. If his tail is down, he's a happy bison. If his tail is sort of peaking up a little, he's getting a little ticked off. If his tail is sticking straight up, he is about to rip you limb from limb so run, you idiot! Why are you standing outside your motor vehicle? Run!



Food- we ate at some great little local places, any of which I recommend. Moose's Saloon in Kalispell is really great- it's a bar basically, sorry, a saloon with those swinging doors that you walk in and the tinkly piano stops, and everyone stares, and someone tips his hat and says "you're not from around here are ya?" The floors are covered in sawdust, and the walls are marked and carved by anyone and everyone, plus they serve great pizza, and a local beer, Moose Drool. It is a dark, malty beer that I'd give 2 stars on my new Merrill's Beer Rating Scale of America and Beyond (the cure for what ale's you). We also ate at a steak house that served spaghetti with their steaks. Weird. The steaks were good eats, but not so the spaghetti. The bacon in Montana is thick cut, by the way, in case you desire a BLT while there. It will break your jaw, so be careful. Jay's new obsession: Huckleberry pies and cobblers. His fave was a huckleberry-peach pie. They like huckleberries out there in Montana.



Things we should have done while there- visit LoLo Hot Springs. I just like to say LoLo. I've always wanted to go soak in a hot spring, but one that is out in the woods, not a pool that's sourced by a hot spring. So we opted out. We also should have eaten at Taco John's- apparently Montana's hottest taco fast food place.



Favorite new friend: Vicki, our friendly GPS lady in our rental car (we named her because we became so close). She really helped us out, but she did get a little pushy sometimes, even obsessive, asking us to "please return to the highlighted route" over and over again when we really did know where we were going. Jay and I thought it might help if she knew our names and if she cussed sometimes. Then we would have listened.





Road Tripping Fun: I already mentioned the National Bison Range, which was an unexpected treat, an unplanned stop on our road trippinness. Another place we visited that was unplanned and that I absolutely loved was the tiny town called Essex, Montana, home of the Isaak Walton Inn. This little town borders Glacier, and it is actually a railroad depot and a stop on the Amtrak line. The Inn was built in 1939, and has a wonderful cafe with delicious food, including Huckleberry Cobbler. I loved this place because of the history of the railroads, and the general quaintness of it all. They have several cabooses that they have turned into snug little cabins for guests, which is a clever use of the old train cars, I think. We also stopped at the Hungry Horse Dam, which is on the way up to Glacier. It was alot of dam fun. It was on a Saturday so everything was closed which was too dam bad. We couldn't get any dam souvenirs. Dam.

Wow, I said alot, but there was alot to be said. The trip was very good. I now declare Montana as a delightful place to visit if you ever get the chance. (For those of you don't habla, Montana is Spanish for Mountain.)

There is no Kudzu in Montana

Well, race fans, I am finally over my springtime maladies- the final healing came on a trip to Montana! Ahhh, Rocky Mountain high! And then surgery. Last Friday I had tubes put in both of my malfunctioning ears. I know what everyone is thinking. Tubes? How old is Merrill now? Don't 2 year olds get tubes? Yes. I was waiting to be wheeled in to surgery and there were two small children waiting on either side of me. Little Bobby, Little Timmy, their mommys, and me and my mommy. (Jay claims he couldn't take off work for my surgery. Or maybe he was trying to make me feel younger with my 30th birthday swiftly approaching.) We watched Diego: Animal Rescuer together. We sang the theme song together. At least we can all hear better now. But really, my problems since February have been from some unknown allergy (the tests for normal stuff came back negative), or so my ENT says. I have never experienced anything this long or miserable. Congestion, Coughing, Bronchitis, Hearing Loss, Torn Intercostal Muscle from Coughing, Three rounds of Antibiotics, Bottles and Bottles of Medicines, Steroid shots, X-Rays and Headaches. What a saga. I really went through some low, low days. In general I don't like taking medicine, and I have really taken for granted the fact that I have always had short illnesses and colds. A week, maybe, and I bounce back. This time there was no bouncing. Besides bouncing back to the doctor because I was worse. I come out of this so thankful for how God made our bodies to heal, and how he has given our generation great medical knowledge to fight things that need fighting. I am also thankful that my only symptom from antibiotic withdrawal was a rash, and it wasn't even itchy.

One thing that made me laugh during all this, and on the day when laughing was excruciating due to my torn muscle- you know all the warning labels and side-effect labels the pharmacy slaps on prescriptions? I was prescribed some steroids and Jay and I were joking about how it would make me really strong for a couple days-. We thought the sticker they could stick on there could say: "may cause super-human strength."

In other news, all those who eagerly read about the Cimarron Club closing its doors....the Cimarron was torn down a couple weeks ago. Bulldozed- and I got to see part of it in progress. I was as excited as my children, who are huge bulldozer fans. So I guess Old Shell and Cody is one step closer to a Walgreens or a Baptist church. They also tore down that seafood shop beside the Cimarron that had been overtaken by Kudzu approximately 4.5 years ago. Kudzu is sort of like denial, it just covers stuff up so you can ignore it without really getting rid of it.

There is no kudzu in Montana. (This is my segue to the trip to Montana, about which I will write in the days to follow.)

The excuse

I have been sick for a long time. I am getting better.

Eat your heart out, Aunt Jemima!

So the toddler love-affair with the Alaga (Alabama-made syrup brand) syrup bear continues from sibling to sibling. The first two pictures are Ruthie at 13 months, lovin the bear. The second two are little Mac, 15 months old, lovin the bear. How sweet!

Happy Easter!

Check out my Slide Show!

Here I sit, feeling the cool spring breeze wafting in my window and I feel new life return to my body and the cobwebs dissipate. I have been fighting various and sundry ailments and I feel like Theoden, King on his throne, all bound up and weak and cobwebby and I need a friendly yet fierce wizard to work magic on me knarly self. I wish I could be ready for the "big run" that I've been registered for since September which is happening this Saturday, but I think it will be more of an amble down azalea adorned avenues. I don't know if I have allergies, or if the Lord is teaching me to not take getting well for granted, but I have a chest cold that won't quit. I finally went to the doctor two weeks ago and he said "bronchitis." I think part of it is that with children there's little rest to be found when I'm sick. So then the stomach virus struck on Friday and my intestines may never be the same. I long for a big ole greasy pizza, but for now I eat rice and bananas and applesauce. I can see how when I am sick or in a difficult time I really get bogged down and think it will last forever and that things will never return to normal. I forget what it was like to be normal and have energy and have my body function correctly. I think of people with chronic pain and illnesses and I really wonder how they do it.



So I will backtrack a little and put a few pictures of one of my favorite events in Mobile, The Festival of Flowers. It is a wonderful festival with flowers from around the world, and landscapes that inspire. Ruthie really enjoyed the festival, even though she sort of withdraws into herself and doesn't want to be in any pictures. She loved sitting on the John Deere tractors they had tastefully displayed, and she was obsessed with the various water-features. She was in awe of the Azalea Trail Maids and asked me if she could have a dress like theirs.



I can go back further to our Valentine cookie fest, and even further to our fun trip to Montgomery. We visited Jay's parents and got to go to the Zoo. It was a beautiful day, and unbeknownst to us it was a special day at the Zoo, "animal enrichment" or some such thing. This meant it was very full of people as well as animals, and they ate like animals and we had to wait an hour for a couple hot dogs and some nachos. That was the low point, but we endured and even got to see the lion enrichment while we waited. Basically, they put a zebra made of plastic buckets filled with "lion treats" inside their enclosure to see how the lions would respond. The theory is that animals need exposure to different materials and textures and forms, to enrich their lives and give them excitement and variety. I think it mainly annoyed the lioness, who toyed with it half-heartedly and the male, if interviewed would probably have said, "Whatever; if it's not bleeding or able to be mauled, I am not interested. Enrichment my arse." We also had a close up view of the giraffes eating some acacia branches. I liked seeing the baby elephant, and I wanted a closer perusal of the pygmy hippos (how cool are pygmy hippos!) but they were sacked out on the grass far away from my view. In general I don't like zoos, they make me sad for the animals whom I feel should be free! free! to roam and poop and kill things, but it is fun to see them up close, especially for children. The saddest animal were the bears. They just seemed lethargic and melancholy. They just sat there by their nice waterfall and one would let out a growly-moan now and again and dip his big paw in the water like he really didn't care about life.



I did learn one interesting animal fact: there is no such thing as a black panther- they are just jaguars or leopards with a gene that makes them produce more melanin, hence the all-black coat. In some cases you can see the differentiation between the dark spots and the darker pigmented areas around. Interesting, huh? I liked this Zoo, despite my general anti-Zoo bias. It was really well planned and landscaped and the habitats were large and seemed like they were true to the animals' real habitats in the wild. My wee ones really enjoyed it, especially the train ride (well, except Mac's tunnel panic). Ruthie's favorite was the snakes! (Sorry JuJu!)

La La La La

and I don't know why I want that laptop, since I am at home mostly, and we have a perfectly competent computer (even though it does need some RAM). I usually don't crave technology toys and such (we are totally ipodless in our family), but that little skinny mac is attractive to me. Maybe it really is the song. I think if I have that laptop it will make me happy and I will never not smile again. Ever. I will sing La La La La all day long.

La La La La

I love the new commercial for that really thin Mac. The song just makes me so happy. I found the lady that sings it, Yael Naim- there is a great video on YouTube (just google it, people-I couldn't copy the address for some reason). I downloaded the song and now I want the laptop for Christmas. (loud laughter, no- really really loud laughter here)

Misadventures Unlimited

Remind me never to take my children to a professional photographer again. Or if I do go, to drink a Dr. Pepper and smoke marijuana beforehand. (Joking about the Mary J. Juana) My children do not do well. Ruthie refused to smile. It was like she and the photographer were having a stare off. She kept wanting me in the picture, and so Ms. Photographer humored her with a lovely shot including me with yoga pants and day old smeary mascara. I think I'll order that one for sure. Mac smiled plenty, but would not stay in the proper picture-taking area, and tried to stay glued to my leg most of the time. He was mainly interested in the goldfish I used to get him to sit still. I think that kind lady let out a sigh of relief when we left. We tried to turn the day around by getting ChickerAys as Ruthie calls Chick-Fil-A, and eating at the park, but a cold front had come through while I was fighting for smiles, and we were not dressed appropriately. And it was trying to rain, so we went home and took long naps. That is the way to turn a day around. Or a week.

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Closer to Turpen-Fine

This past Saturday night Jay and I went to a really great concert. I was trying to think of a concert to pretend to have been to that would solidify our 80s hairband follower status, like Cinderella, because my last concert post was about the Poison concert last summer. But I think most of those bands have run out of hairspray and can't tour anymore. This concert I picked, and it was one of my favorites ever. It was the Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlile. Most people have heard of the Indigo Girls, but Brandi Carlile is an up and coming artist from Seattle. I was probably more excited about her, since I've been hearing her on my favorite local station (92 Zew) and I immediately loved her voice and the impressive lyrics she writes. I have lots of fun Indigo Girl memories from college, mainly roadtripping-top-of-the-lungs sing alongs accompanied by crazy hand motions while pondering the meaning of life kind of things. I'd love to be able to transport you to the concert to see and hear and feel what it felt like, but I think it is hard to do. I will tell you what I saw- a beautiful old theatre, redone like new, shiny and grand. I saw Brandi Carlile, about the size of a Barbie on the stage as I looked down, down-with skinny leg jeans and pale barefeet sticking out, one turning in awkwardly like a little girl, tapping to the music. There was a cello player whose deep resonant playing added the soulful background the the acoustic guitars. I saw Brandi leaning in to the microphone and filling the theatre with her amazing tone and range. I saw the Indigo Girls play, singing their philosopher songs and inviting the crowd to sing along. I heard a guy behind me scream out "Galileo!" every time they paused between songs. I heard amazing two-part and three-part harmony(when they called Ms Carlile back out to sing with them), and the rollicking strains of the accordion as the Indigo Girls sang into the night.

*One interesting note- we barely made it in time for the concert because the #$*&*% Mardi Gras parades were rolling and we got stuck on the wrong side of one and had to follow it forever.

*The one baby in the entire theatre sat beside me. Ironic to say the least. When I see babies out that late I usually jump to judgment..." I can't believe that mom has her baby out this late!" But you know, I don't know their situation-maybe their child care fell through, or they coundn't afford to pay someone etc etc. The benefit of the doubt is a good thing. Especially when the doubt comes to sit beside you and claps and smiles and is generally a sweet baby.

I'm joining the disgruntled party

"I voted" said the sticker on my shirt. This is really the first time I almost didn't vote. When I filled in my little bubble I noticed there was one labeled "uncommitted." I contemplated that, but figured, hey, I drove here to the polls and I might as well vote for someone. I am not a huge follower of political things, but I do usually find a candidate that aligns with what I believe, and one that I can vote for with confidence. This year, and I know it is just the primary, not so. I struggle between idealism voting- voting for that unknown guy who has no chance whatsoever; and strategic voting- voting for someone just because it is against someone else, or just voting for "the lesser of two weevils" (to quote Captain Aubrey in Master and Commander). I think the two weevils is what it will come down to on that Tuesday in November.

Sense and Sensibility

Last weekend was a busy weekend, with Ruthie's 3rd birthday party and our 2nd annual Military Mardi Gras Ball that night. First of all, I can't believe Ruthie is three. That seems so old to me. My baby girl has certainly been replaced by a precocious little girl who wants to do everything by herself. If you ask Ruth what her favorite movie is she says "and Sensibility," or Sense and Sensibility- the adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. I love this. And it happened, not by my indoctrination but because she happened to wake up from a nap and come upon me watching the movie and she saw a baby, and that was it. She was hooked. Now she sits and watches parts of it, and knows the characters by name. I had to introduce Pride and Prejudice (the 2 hour version) because I was becoming weary of the Dashwoods, and probably reciting scenes in my sleep. Now we have "dance parties" or "balls" and she is Lizzie and I am Mr. Darcy or Jane. I love that she is able to sit and watch these movies (not in their entirety in one sitting, by any means) because they are such wonderful character studies and full of history and culture. Not that there is anything wrong with "Finding Nemo" or any Disney movies, but there is much to be said for an early introduction to classic literature, even in the form of a movie. Ruth is already a bibliophile, and I think her favorite movies are a reflection of that love.

Pinelands Nursery

My brother Alan's Nursery's website is up and running. I think it looks great. I think my brother is great. Sort of like frosted flakes.

Local Landmark Closes

It appears on my latest drive-bys that the doors of the already abandoned looking Cimarron Club have closed for good. The rusty marquee is gone- the one that usually spelled out the exciting happenings like "Sexy Back Contest Tonight" or "com hav a drink with us" (I think they ran out of e's.) This club on the "Forgotten Corner of Mobile" has been a landmark for years and years. Mainly as the shadiest-looking-crusty-broken-window bar in the city. It says "members only" on the doors, and that has always made me wonder about what it would take to become a member of the Cimarron Club. Anyway, I imagined what they would put on the marquee if they had announced their closing like in You've Got Mail, when the landmark children's bookstore closed after 50 years- here is what I've come up with:

After (number) years and too many bloody drunken brawls

and police interventions to count

we are closing our doors

Maybe they'll put a Walgreens here

Thanks for being a part of our lives

A hodges family Christmas

Here is the annual family picture. If you didn't get one it's because I ran out.
Romping with Daddy. I love matching jammies.
Mac, sorely tempted.
Our little Christmas angel.

We had a lovely Christmas/New Year. Here are some memorable things about it.

1. We were in our home for Christmas morning. It was very sweet and relaxing. Jay's mom and step-dad came Christmas Eve (JuJu and PawPaw were like Santa in their Tahoe, loaded down with presents for all the grandkids, blowing in from way up north Montgomery) and we all had chili and opened presents along with Jay's brother and family. Ruthie got to feed her baby cousin a bottle- she was in heaven.
2. I cooked my first turkey. He was an 18 pounder. He went down without a fight. We loved the leftovers.
3. Our tree didn't fall over this year. It leaned slightly to starboard, but it stayed up.
4. We went to my family for New Years and had greens and black-eyed peas and Jay and I got to go out on New Year's Eve with my brother and sis-in-law without kids!
5. We got to see our friends Craig and Cary Perry and meet their baby Seth. He is precious. It's always hard to catch up in two hours or less, but you get what you can and just be so happy we have heaven.
6. Ruthie is obsessed with Baby Jesus. She loves him and looks for him everywhere. She has seen his star in the east and has come to worship him. Her favorite Christmas carol was The Little Drummer Boy. She can sing the whole thing including each and every pa rum pum pum pum.
7. Mac was obsessed with the little green ball ornaments on the table right behind the couch. He would stand up on the couch, grab one, and try to run around the house with one in his mouth. Don't worry- he never made it very far. He had very good self-control with the tree. He would stand staring up at it and talk to it alot though.
8. Rootie got an umbrella (she walks around saying "tut, tut it looks like rain!" like Christopher Robin.)
9. The almost best moment of the whole month was when Jay almost sprayed the new shaving cream I got him all over his body because he thought it was body spray. The conversation-
Jay: You must really like how this smells (shaving cream poised to "spray")
Me: (back turned) I don't really know about how it smells, but it's supposed to be good for your skin.
Jay freezes. He reads the label. He starts laughing.
Jay: I thought it was body spray or something!
Me: Oh if only I hadn't answered!
Oh well.

Well so that is that

Well so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes-
Some have got broken-and carrying them up to the attic.
The holly and mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school. There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed up, for the rest of the week-
Not that we have much appetite, having drank such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted-quite unsuccessfully-
To love all our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep his word for long.

-W. H. Auden

First Haircuts

The time finally came for two scraggly children to go get hair cuts. Ruth almost made it to her third birthday, and I'm sorry I didn't get a good "before picture" to show how long her hair was. The one my mom took shows a very nervous Ruthie watching Mac undergo his ordeal. Her hair had been up on top of her head in a bun which is why it looks so rough. That picture makes me laugh. Her hair was pretty, but it was just getting too long, and she would cry every time we combed it out after a bath, so I was fed up with it. Mac's was cute, in a boyish scruffy way, but it was time for him too. He pitched quite the fit, and I guess now the hairdresser is second only to the doctor's office for torture level for Mackiedoo.

Check out my Slide Show!

Check out my Slide Show!

Tales of a 1-year old

Apparently November has been "no blogging for Merrill month." Oh well. There ARE better things to be doing with my time. Like taking a shower. Hmmmm. Or taking a nap. Hmmmm. Sad that there must be a trade off in life nowadays. Stinky Merrill, or Blogging Merrill. Grumpy Merrill, or Blogging Merrill. Ok, that will do- I always find it odd to refer to myself in the third person.

The main event this month was Mac's first birthday. It was fun watching him destroy his first cupcake, and he did seem to enjoy the presents and of course, having family and friends there to let him know something exciting was going on.

The day after Mac's party we had a real scare when he somehow opened a bottle of nail polish and brushed it in his eye and mouth. Jay flushed it out while I was on the phone with Poison Control, and he suffered no ill-effects. Really, by the grace of God. We could look back and see his hand in the way it all played out. The rest of the day was just sweet family time, as something like this puts things into perspective. Even though it might not sound like a big deal, it really was in the midst of it. Every day I take things for granted, like my children's health, eyesight, ability to walk, even their little lives. So this day we put on more cabinet locks and humbly thanked the Lord for his hand in our lives.

Here are some fun facts about little Mac:
Weight: 18 lbs 5 oz
Hair: light brown and scruffy
Favorite thing to do: pull out all the wipes from the wipes container and distribute them around the room, then put one in mouth and carry it around like a puppy
Other favorite things to do: growl and wrestle, and pat people on the back, dance, romp with sister and Daddy
Teeth: he's getting 4 front uppers all at once, he likes to get them brushed too (he has three front bottom teeth already)
Walking: He is starting to branch out from the couch and wall more and more, but usually like he's running, and then he falls
Words: I swear he has said, Daisy (my parents black lab) and bootie (as in shake your)-this is learned from big sis; of course he says mama
Favorite foods: black eyed peas, deli turkey slices, cheese, ravioli
Hates: going to the doctor, what a fit!
Favorite toys: dino blankie to sleep with, and he loves his new Tonka walk-behind truck, and my cell phone
Bathtime fun: sitting under the faucet, trying to catch the water

Mac is such a delightful baby boy. I literally kiss his face off every day, and I love his huge grin and playful spirit. He is such a gift to our family.

November is...

National Novel Writing Month: go to their website all ye scribblers and pound out a novel in thirty days.

Hot in South Alabama: today's high, 80 degrees. It makes me ill to hear my air conditioner come on. Good thing I didn't put my tank tops away.

My son's birth month! I simply cannot believe he will be a year old this month. This is also my nephew Alee's birthday month. He was born a day before Mac. (In case you didn't notice, I now have a niece named Alli and a nephew named Alee. Three cheers for gender neutral names.)

My parent's anniversary month. Way to go parentals. I can never remember how many years. I think 35 years.

My blogiversary. Two years and still typee -type- typing. I'd like to thank God, and Dell.....

Thanksgiving! One of my favorite holidays. I love turkey and stuffing and cranberries and green bean casserole. I think I could eat my body weight in green bean casserole. Jay likes green bean casserole. This is a good thing.

Time change I think it might be this weekend. I don't like the Daylight savings thing now that I have kids. It is sort of like jet lag, but you don't go anywhere.

Noviembre in espanol.

Eleventh month in the year.

Christmas Season at Wal-Mart. Hark the Herald, baby! Thanksgiving is definitely November's ugly step-child in the retail world.

The End of Hurricane Season! This is only sad for the Weather Channel people. I think they go into a "tropical depression" until June comes back around. What will they do without the chance to chase after a tropical storm in their Gore-Tex windbreakers with the wind and rain thrashing them around as they holler into their huge microphones and try to hold their hoods on with great effort but little effect? What will Jim Cantore do if he's not able to stand on a beach and talk with great intensity about the cone of uncertainty and storm surge and whether or not you have batteries and drinking water? I for one am glad to see the season go, and thank the Lord he spared the Gulf Coast for another year.

Did I miss anything?

Reformation Day

sola scriptura
sola fide
sola gratia
solus Christus
soli Deo gloria

Scripture alone
faith alone
grace alone
Christ alone
glory to God alone

Rocktober

October has been a good month for us. I always mean to keep up better, but sometimes I get tired of just posting what we do. I like more variety, but then sometimes my creativity is staunched by, say, exhaustion, excessive vomiting, or laziness. I do want to mention some of the exciting things that have happened this month.

1. My niece Alli was born on October 12. She is a precious thing, and I am so glad to welcome her to our world. She weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz. and was 19 inches long. Alli has lots of dark hair, and I can't wait to hold her again. (We've been fighting colds and didn't want to get her sick.) Congrats to Greg, Kelli, and Jackson!

2. Our cat, Wally reappeared after a month and a half of being dead. Really, I thought he was a goner. I was away the night he came back and when Jay told me I was completely astounded. I just kept saying, "no way." Well, it was a miracle in my book. Ruthie was so excited.

3. That same night we had two weed-eaters, a blower, and a circular saw stolen from our garage. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. So much for lawn maintenance. We have learned to keep our garage door shut. We had several things stolen at our old house, so this is not new, but we were sort of naive in thinking we were in a "safer" neighborhood. (Not that that was an issue in our decision to move at all.)

4. The day at the beach. It was wonderful. It brought back all those lazy carefree days of my youth that I spent on Navarre Beach. It brought back the day Jay proposed on the beach, and the times my brother and I drove down to the beach when a hurricane was coming to see what it was like. I have grown up on some beach or other, so I feel the pull, and I love " going down to the sea again." This day the butterflies were flying all about, stopping by on their way down to South America. They were delightful, especially for Ruthie and my niece Annabelle, who loves butterflies.

5. The trip to Meridian, MS. My aunt, uncle, and two cousins live in Meridian, and it is one of the dearest places to my heart because I spent time there every summer with Nanny, who passed away several years ago. I wrote about it the last time we went which was March of 2006 (I think). It was a fun, nostalgic trip including a fall festival (where I won brownies in the cake walk), a ride on the famous 1890s carousel, a visit to the train station (where my grandfather has a brick to commemorate his time working for the railroad), my cousin's daughter's soccer game, eating out at the Fish Camp on the Chunky River, and much good conversation and laughter with my family. My brother and I also found the "Monkey Tree" where we used to climb with my cousin Lang. It is a huge wisteria, the biggest one I have ever seen, growing up and around two large magnolias. We would ride our bikes there, after stopping by the corner gas station to drink an IBC root beer on the curb, and climb all around in the twisty vine.

Conversation with a 30 Year Old Husband

I think I was talking about how much I love quiche, and how it would be really good for breakfast sometime. Jay does not like quiche. Thus began one of our strangest, almost fighting conversations about a food item made of eggs and cheese and flaky crust; and maybe in a vegetarian version broccoli, or in a meat-eater version, bacon or crabmeat. Simple elements, but they combine and threaten to tear families apart.

(As best I can remember it, the conversation went as follows)

J: I can't stand quiche.
M: I don't see how you don't like it, it's made of eggs, cheese and it could be bacon. You love those things. Especially bacon.
J: I just don't like it. The consistency is weird.
M: I don't think you've ever had a good quiche, like this one I love at the Cafe that has crabmeat in it. Don't you think you'd like that?
J: I doubt it. Quiche is not good.
M: Well, maybe I'll take you there and you can try it.
J: I don't like quiche. I had quiche at the Blue Bistro and I didn't like it. You would probably consider it a really good quiche.
M: I don't understand why you don't like it!
J: I just don't. I've never liked it, and I don't want to try it again.
M: I love quiche. I think you are ridiculous.
J: No, and why are we arguing about this. You're getting mad.
M: I am not mad, I'm just frustrated because you hate quiche. And I love it. I want to make quiche sometime but I know you won't eat it and that frustrates me.
J: Well, I just don't like quiche.
M: (internal groan) Arrrrgggh.

By this time we were astounded at the ridiculosity of what we just talked about for 5 minutes. And the word "quiche" was starting to sound really funny. Like if you say the word "fork" over and over and over, it becomes strange, perhaps the strangest word you've ever heard and you end up in laughter over the English language and it's peculiarities.

We had quiche one night soon after this conversation, only because we had some frozen appetizer quiches left over from a baby shower and we had no other good option for dinner. And Jay tried them. And he didn't like them. (Sam I am?)

Check out my Slide Show!

Happy Birthday, Jen!

The stomach virus of death descended upon our family last week, so it was especially good to get out of the house and celebrate my friend Jen's birthday on Saturday. We went to the Cornfield Maze at the Alabama/Mississippi line. Ruthie was very excited about being in Mississippi because she knows it on the map. I think when we told her we crossed into Miss. she thought she would see the little shape of the state like on the map placemat. It was a beautiful evening to be out in the country, and I loved the wildflowers and the hay-ride, things that made me FEEL like it was fall, even though the weather says otherwise. Ruthie loved the cow train, which she rode with me and Jen, and I was again struck by how much Ruth has grown up- sitting there so calmly by herself, just enjoying herself. Jen has grown up alot too...I remember when she was just 20! (har har har) We never thought we'd be 29, but time goes by so quickly. So happy 29th, Jen, and I hope this year coming up holds wonderful things for you!