candle lanterns

Last night, the kids and I had the funnest time in the front yard. There were a few neighbor kids over as well. I had seen in magazines these jam jar candle holders that you rig up with wire make handles to hang them outside in the evening in the summer. I tried it--put blue sand in and yellow candles, nailed them up above the porch. But the wind, though slight, kept blowing them out! So I got my quart canning jars and put the yellow candles in them and put them on the ground of the porch. They stayed lit and looked so cool! We then took the hanging ones down, and put some on a low brick wall and a few on the picket fence. And for some reason, they stayed lit there, for the most part. Mucho ambiente!

It looked like a stage on the porch, and the kids were being very entertaining--dancing, somersaulting, cartwheeling, showing off! I discovered I can still do a decent hand stand! We had popcorn and koolaid, and then me, the kids, and one neighbor girl slept right in the front yard where we had been hanging out with our blankets and pillows! It was like 11:45 when we went to sleep! The neighbor's kitten slept with us all night, which was so sweet! My lower back and hips were not amused by the hard ground. I had to put a pillow under by hips and change positions often. It's so neat sleeping outside--going to sleep with the stars over head, waking up often cuz you're cold and sore, watching the sun rise on another beautiful day!

Going to see cousin Stephanie, who's living in Seattle, and her mom, Aunt Linda, today at the fam's. The kids will be able to swim again.

No bids on my ebay stuff yet. I dreamed that I had one bid--a green number one--and I was so happy! I also dreamt of a very loud blimp, and the sky being filled with hot air balloons!

I successfully listed 7 clothing items on ebay today! What a victory! It took me forever to figure out how! Now if just one thing sells in the 7 days I will have them listed, that would be just fantastic!
Been having beautiful 85 degree weather. Went swimming at Grandma's house yesterday. She made a nice lunch for me and the kids and my friend Andrea and her kids. I would have loved to have splashed around in the pool just like a kid, but I don't have a bathing suit...I haven't replaced the last one that got ruined by paint somehow.

Don't try this at home

Anyone heard of a box oven? I had read about one, and Zach was itching for a project yesterday. I told him how to look up instructions on the internet, and he found some. It turns out they were lame instructions, cuz he didn't have success with his biscuits! The plan was to take a good sized box, line it and cover it with foil, and do the same with the door. Then you make a "shelf" poking through the side with a coat hanger. You put a pie tin of hot coals on the top shelf. Each briquette is worth 45 degrees. Then your food goes on the bottom. He used duct to make the box with--heavy duty foil and duct tape. The article didn't specify what kind of tape, and I thought "duck tape,"as I used to call it, was the obvious choice. It melted, though, and his biscuits fell in the oven! Argh! A priceless comment when we were looking at the article, though: Zach was so excited, he thought he'd be able to start a restaurant! HA HA HA! He said it with triumph, like he was already thinking of spending his riches.

Go figure--William has been quite cute and good for days. We must have had his evil twin on Saturday.

Getting closer on my ebay venture (grins nervously, crosses fingers)! I went to Goodwill a few days ago, and found some great clothes for me and the kids, and 7 items I'm going to try to sell. I stuck with cute, name brand stuff, mostly. I took pics of all of it--outside in the bright sun--so you can actually see it. Then, yesterday, I got as far as listing one item, but then I got hung up on packaging and shipping details. So I spent HOURS poring over the forums at ebay getting questions answered. I also talked to a gal my mom knows who has been ebaying for 5 years. She was very helpful. Have my digital scale, my boxes, my tips, my pics, my accounts...I just need to get some bubble wrap or peanuts and some padded envelopes, and then get all my stuff listed! I'm excited by this challenge--it's gonna be such a huge rush if I sell one thing!

PTL--not been bothered by insomnia since I last complained about it--I feel the prayers of someone--is that you ,Mom? :)

Crazy cats and dumb criminals

William is playing outside this morning. Just a minute ago, he opened the front door so he could say, "Go ou-yide...yay!!" Then he shut the door again! (Ou-yide is "outside.") A little while before that, when I was doing sit-ups, our cat, Max, who had been bathing himself next to me, decided that watching me exercise made him feel nippy. So he lunged toward me, took a bite of my arm, and then, having got that off his chest and not feeling guilty at all, went back to lounging on the rug, as if nothing had just happened. It didn't really hurt, but it was surprising and funny.
Last night, Zach was leaning out our windowless window upstairs, looking at Max, when Max decided to try the same song and dance on Zach. But he actually bit him as hard as he could, Zach says, and then Zach bonked his head and scraped his arm pit trying to back away! When he told me I actually laughed really hard--you had to be there.

Yesterday, we got up too late to go to church, which I regret. Maybe we all needed some antisocial recovery time from our driving nightmare with Will. I played the piano a lot. Chris barbecued a beef brisket. I bought corned beef brisket by mistake, instead of just beef brisket, but he soaked it in water for awhile to help get some salt out (don't know how much that really helped), used the spices as a rub, and barbecued it with low heat over a pan of water. It's moist, salty, and tastes like pastrami. The kids and I played badminton in the yard after dinner. It was really fun--there was continuous trash talking and occasional good volleys. With the remnants of the barbecue, we burned a little wood and sat around the fire for awhile.

DUMB CRIMINAL: I read a story in our newspaper last week about an older man who had health problems and heavy medical debt. He was stressed out about it and wanted some relief--like the government taking care of him. His brilliant scheme: shoot his friendly mailman of 20 years so he could go to jail! DUHHHHHHHHH!!!!! He just calmly shot the man 6 times, then calmly got in his car and drove away so he could turn himself in. The mailman looked like the nicest guy, and was flabbergasted. (Yes, he survived 6 shots to the abdomen. He can't digest food on his own now or produce insulin.) Mailman said, "If he wanted to commit a felony, why didn't he just brandish a gun in a bank instead of shooting his mailman!?" Poor guy!

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME: Another dopey thing another older man did, for real. He left his keys in his still running car. His solution? Use the vacuum cleaner to "siphon out the gas so it would stop running!!!" Well, a spark was created, and he got 1st and 2nd degree burns!! Der!

A joke that Cliff Owen told us recently: This man found an old lamp, which, when rubbed, brought forth a genie. "You may have one wish, so pick wisely." "I want to go to Hawaii, but I really don't like to fly. Could you create a road from here to there for me?" "Awwww, that's too hard; couldn't you come up with an easier request?" "Ok, how 'bout if you give me the wisdom to understand my wife?" pause............"You want 5 lanes or 6?"

Quote from George Bernard Shaw: We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.

Yesterday we did the Sternwheeler cruise with brunch, on--is it the Columbia River? It is in Oregon, a long drive away, and very beautiful. The weather was fine, the food was good, the captain looked just like a captain with his white full beard. He commented throughout our 2 hour ride on the history of the area and other facts. There were what looked kind of like odd docks at certain intervals on the river, and he said they were used by 4 Indian tribes for fishing! On our way into the parking lot, and Indian(I think) was selling salmon out of his pickup!

I had to borrow a diaper from a mother of a 1-year old, because I neglected to bring diapers on board! When your toddler's poopy on a boat, dipes in the car won't help. And I just couldn't grin and bear it for the whole time. Our waitress, who was fabulous, was kind enough to ask the mother. I was working up the courage, but my mom mentioned it, and she secured one for me in nothing flat! PTL!

The drive home, William did not fall asleep. It was honest to God such a nightmare, I really don't want to relive it. He cried and yelled and fussed and moaned and whined enough that I would have been exhausted enough for deep sleep if I had done a fraction of that myself. We didn't know where his pacifiers were, so he was without that very important, calming, crutch. At 2 and a half, you think he should be done, right? Bad timing for weaning him off that. He is not very sensitive or responsive to yelling or even physical pain like the other 3 were. I have a completely different kid this time--goody--I "finally" got one of those "strong-willed" kids that you have to read books about to know how to handle. Nothing I said or did would shut him up. So, finally, I had to just let him keep yelling, "Momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma," to infinity and beyond. I was sitting next to him cuz I though it would help. My blood pressure was very high. I was staring at the road ahead and not moving--just enduring. I couldn't talk to anyone. My ears were turning warm and red with anger and stress and suffering. He finally got sick of being ignored and wanted comfort, which I gave him, and then he wanted to yell again about the injustice of driving for hours. Finally, after a flare prayer, I said very businesslike and purposefully, "ARE YOU GOING TO STOP YELLING??!! IT'S GETTING REALLY OLD!!!! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!!" That actually sunk in for a minute, and when he tried being a jerk again, I said something very similar. He then clung to my arm for a few minutes and fell asleep. Can you say ARGHHHHH!!!! (Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, as Dory would say.)

I'm cuckoo for bubble shakes!

It's 9:19 A.M., and it's going to be another perfect day, it looks like. I just sat down with my coffee. William is watching Kratt's Kreatures, girls are at summer school. This may be the last day for them.
I had the worst time sleeping last night, and I'm not amused. What is up with this 2 week insomnia I've had? I used to be able to sleep like a baby within 10 minutes! Now I'm wide awake, wide awake, wide awake till early in the morning, just thinking...about too many things. I think I fell into an anxiety rut that I need to find my way out of. So, last night, at like 2:00 in the morning, I took a blanket out in the back yard, lay on the grass, looked at the full moon, and enjoyed the fresh air. I almost could have slept right there, but then the neighbor's darn dogs started barking incessantly. I was gratified when one actually responded to my, "Cashmere!! Shut up!!"
Yesterday, I spent ALL day heavy cleaning. You know how you can get away with being a slacker for quite awhile, and then when company's coming, you have the extreme fear of God about not letting that slacker trait show? My friend from church, Andrea Betterhomesand gardens, and her 2 children are going to stop by on Friday. We will then all go to Point Defiance Park for a picnic. Oh, and on the way, stop at Wendy's Vietnamese restaurant at Freighthouse Square for bubble shakes. They are my favorite drinks--the'yre fruit smoothies with these chewy tapioca balls at the bottom, and you suck on it with a large, colored straw. The balls are marble sized, and they are the consistency of chewier than usual gummy bears. I always get mango. When I'm having a really bad day, I sometimes take my black thundercloud and whoever is handy and buy me some mango happiness. Last night at dinner time, I made peach raspberry smoothies from frozen fruit. Usually I add sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg, but it doesn't taste quite like I want. Last night I found 2 much better additions: rum extract and almond flavoring! Yummy! And don't skimp on the sugar, either. So yesterday was heavy cleaning and rearranging and adding items of decor. I spent several, like 3 hours, in the kitchen alone. And I didn't even get to the bathroom or mop the wood floor! But it does look better. Oh, and I didn't even get to the upstairs. The 3 older ones had to clean their own rooms.
The day before yesterday, I spent ALL day researching ebay and how to become a seller. It's been in the back of my mind for a long time, and I've thought and prayed about it. I finally took the plunge. I ordered a digital scale and some free post office boxes. I have some decent clothes lying around I want to try to sell. I set up an ebay store, and took several pictures. I got id verified...now I'm waiting for my stuff to come. I plan to try to find good quality, name brand clothes at the thrift store, and try to make a profit off them. I'm pretty nervous. Anyone out there ever sold on ebay?

Quote for the day: Try to see who your child is and love what their talents are.

Well, the need to finish painting the picket fence has really been nagging me. Maybe I'll get to that today. Will I get on my treadmill or do medical transcription course? Those last 2 get squeezed out of my day way too often. Argh.
Saturday, my family and mom, dad, and Kristi are going down south on a brunch boat ride. My dad's idea it was. He and my mom have been before. What's the boat? Something old-fashioned like a steam ship or something. Already planning on having diversions in the van for William--lollipops, books, sedatives, duct tape. :) Hoping it will go well. We don't travel very far any more, so it will be a neat adventure, Lord willing.

The Weekend News Update

Dinner at the Melting Pot was amazing. We were in a quiet, dark corner booth--very private--with a candle on the table. We started off with a cheese fondue. They put all the ingredients into the metal pot right in front of us, and the "burner" was built into the table in between us! Once all the ingredients were hot enough and melted together, we dipped bread cubes, apple pieces, and fresh veggies with long pronged forks! Then there was delicious salads, and after that, the entree. The entree we had was like 4 different meats, cut into cubes--there was duck(!), pork, chicken, beef, and prawns. (Okay, 5 meats.) We got to pick the broth we wanted it to cook in. There was also mushrooms and red potato pieces to be boiled along with the meat. They gave us a whole bunch of little containers of sauces. It was delightful. I came ravenous, and left stuffed for the rest of the evening. We had Boston Cream Pie that my Mom made when we got back to her house to pick up the kids. It was pretty late by that time. I had hardly any appetite to appreciate the cake at all there, but I REALLY enjoyed it as a breakfast of champions on Sunday morning.
Sunday I taught my 2-4 year old class. They do not have attention spans at all, really. You can't teach them the story of Noah, for example. I had to get their attention with skittles, and round up the stragglers who would rather play than be at the table. So I got in a few words edgewise to my glazed-eyed tots about Noah and rainbows. Then we made rainbows on blue cardstock with glued on cottonballs and skittles for the rainbow. (You know--"Taste the Rainbow.") Yes, they did consume quite a few skittles, but it kept them at the table for a goodly amount of time! When the plate of skittles was too far away, they'd just calmly pick the gluey ones off their paper and eat those! When the parents came to pick up the kids, William took several still wet rainbow papers and dumped all the gluey candy on the floor. Of course all the kids dove for them!
After church, we all went to my friend Andrea and Matt Eldridge's lovely home in South Hill for a meal. Her house, inside and out, should be in some magazine. It's large, and everything is amazing about it. She made us a very nice barbecued lunch and a yummy cake. The kids played on the trampoline and in the sprinkler. William was ready for a nap after church, so he was way beyond Mr. Nice Guy all afternoon in the hot sun at their house. He shrieked quite a bit, which was not cool.
We just took it easy in the evening. Chris made us a casual, late dinner. I checked out the new piano book Kristi gave me for my birthday. This morning, Monday, my girls prolonged my birthday even longer by both giving me bouquets of flowers from the yard and homemade cards! It's pretty dang warm today, even in the morning. TTFN!

Have you kung-fued your chameleon today?

GOD'S GIFT TO THE BLOG WORLD IS BACK, MY LOYAL CONSTITUENTS! Okay, sorry, I don't know where that came from. I'M KIDDING!!!!!!! REALLY!! I just really, really had to burst out with something very, very ridiculous. I feel better now. It's late, and it's Friday, and I guess I'm not quite myself... My family will verify that I like to burst out with craziness sometimes. And I have passed this on to the next generation, as well. Okay, yes, Chris has added to the goofiness in the gene pool, too. Sometimes, out of the blue, Zach will bust out with a perfect rendition of a chameleon walk. They take these funny jerky steps and Zach does it very convincingly cuz he's tall and lean. From him we also got "DueKLAKideez!" It's just something you shout out when you're feeling zesty. However, I use the word fairly often in place of "thingamajig." Zoe gave us "Dance hand, dance hand," which is accompanied by appropriate hand movements. From their cousin Jed we have borrowed "Want nums!!" (Nums being victuals.) At dinner time, you will probably hear me say to the kids, "Everybody wash your fat hands, time for nums!" "NAKES!!" has been shouted for years when we see a slippery toddler escaping from the tub and running around the house. Yeah, we often get goofy and physical. We show affection by sometimes biting or scaring or grabbing on the back of the neck. Kicking and fake kung fu moves abound. I personally like to punch and jab and do "roundhouse kicks" while shouting "Tae Kwon Do! Ju Jit siu! Karate! You kill my father, prepare to die!!"


Zach, Jessica, and zoe slept over at Grandma's house last night, and almost managed to consume all her pop and ice cream and go in and out of the pool 59 times in one day! So I got to sleep in this morning, and it was just William and me. I even got to study my medical transcription for a spell. And guess what fascinating tidbit I gleaned for you? You know how when you're dropping off to sleep and you suddenly jerk for no reason, and it wakes you and is pretty annoying? That actually has a name--myoclonus!
In the morning, my Pop is going to bring over a truck load of soil for my new raised bed. Chris built it for me recently, because I asked him very nicely, with a cherry on top. :) He did a great job--you can always count on him doing it right and well and sturdily. So, it's a long cedar raised bed right against the chain link fence. It's been empty for a few weeks now, but tomorrow there will be shoveling and dirty fingernails! Yay! I will transplant my 3 blueberry plants from the lawn into the bed. Eventually, I'll buy a few more. And I'll put some other veggies in, too. I'm not sure what my best choices are mid-July--seeds or starts--but I guess I'll figure it out. Chris and I are going out to dinner for my birthday after that. The parents will watch the kids again! :) Yay! We're going to check out this place in downtown Tacoma called The Melting Pot. It's a fondue restaurant, of all things! Some people might remember when fondue was quite popular YEARS ago! Hopefully it'll be a good choice. Some of Chris's co-workers have been there and liked it. The waterfront is close by, which makes for a nice walk. (Thank you for the nice card, Aunt Ellie. Them were nice words! :)
p.s. Did I ever mention that Zach has a replacement for his rat that died? It's a lizard he caught. We buy it crickets at the Tropical Fish Import store. It has shed its skin twice! Yes, Zach can imitate this lizard, too. He showed me how it acts when it's on the hot sidewalk!

Well, it's been a few days, and I need to freshen up my blog! I don't really have anything fabulous I've been dying to record...It's a beautiful morning. Zach's outside doing his math. After that he'll do language. We're keeping up with these two "R's." Will is looking at his new Nemo sticker book. He's obsessed with Nemo. The stickers are reusable, and to him, every single character from that movie is "Nemo," the shark, Dory, etc. He's over by the couch chatting with the sticker book, saying "Nemo" this and that over and over and over again. In about a second I'm going to get up for some Advil. Down the street there is some jackhammering going on by some city crews. This is punctuated by William's rather regular, dry cough. It sounds like a fake cough. Argh! The girls are at summer school. They both had field trips to the Tacoma Art Museum this week, where they did some neat art projects.
Last night, Zach went to Royal Rangers at church, and Jessie went to Stars. Zoe was pretty sick with a sore throat, so she didn't go. Jessie's group had a cooking contest where they had to bring something they made. We made a fabulous little concoction that won Grand Prize! She was hoping she'd win, and she was so proud she did! I remember when I was few years younger than her in school, and there was this coloring contest--just on coloring book pages. Well, I got either first or second place, or else I tied with this other boy, and boy was that a heady victory for a young'un! :) So what we made was something I had seen in Family Fun magazine awhile back when I was waiting for my oil to be changed. You make these edible snails--the body is a small pickle. The "shell" is tortilla, cream cheese, and lunch meat, rolled up, then sliced. You then toothpick it to the pickle. The antennae were green onions that were inserted into little slits. Adorable!
Last night, I slept on the couch, because at 12:30, I was still too wakeful for our warm, upstairs room. If you turn on the fan above the bed you get a breeze, but it's loud. I got this new coffee from Costco, and it definitely has way more caffeine than the last kind. It's keeping me wakeful too long when I drink if after dinner as usual. Must adjust. So, I'm trying to sleep on the couch with the front door ajar for some cool breeze. I turned off the front porch light. It's 1:15, and I'm finally feeling sleepy enough to really go night night, when I heard, distinctly, our front picket gate latch shut! Well, I had already shut it when I got home from work, as always. I heard no footsteps on the gravel or the grass or the front walk. The neighbors dogs didn't bark, and when I grabbed my glasses and looked out front, I saw nothing. My heart was beating soooo hard! A few minutes later, our cat came out to the front door and sat on the front mat and very placidly sat there viewing his domain. I don't know what the deal was--it was not a windy night. But I prayed for safety and SLEEP and finally did get it. I don't care one bit for night noises, especially in the midst of reading a very gripping, sometimes scary book. (The Living Blood by Tananarive Due, a sequel to My Soul to Keep--excellent books!)
Anyhoo, I need to get going--errands and cleaning and watering and showering.
Don't touch that dial! We'll be right back after these messages!

A little joke I actually remembered

Our pastor told this joke on Sunday:
A little boy had just been put to bed by his dad. A few minutes later, he called out, "Dad, can I have a drink of water? " Dad-"No, son, I asked you if you wanted any and you said no. You've lost your chance, now go to sleep." A few minutes later, the boy calls out again, "Dad, I'm really thirsty--can't you bring me a glass of water?" Dad-"Son, I said NO! Don't ask me again!" The persistent lad..."PLEASE, Dad!!" Dad-"No means no! Ask again and I will come in there and give you a spank!!" Silence for a moment. Then, "When you come in to spank me, could you bring me a glass of water?"

This is Jessie's self-portrait. It's her best yet! 

"Betsy,did you hear about that study where they found that people who had more friends and who spent more time with them tended to live longer!" 

"I just need some alone time...in my box." 

"I'm such a big boy I can't stand up for my pictures!" 

Yesterday, dinner "snuck" up on me, as it does sometimes. It was a warm day and a busy one. I need to have dinner ready about 5:30. At 3:30 I was trying to figure out what to make. I threw 2 chickens in to roast, thinking ahead to sandwiches, but what to serve with them? Well, I found a neat recipe in the newspaper, of all places. It actually calls for cut up chicken, but I left that out this time. I'm not sure this was the family's favorite--it was a bit different for all, but I enjoyed the change for my tastebuds. I think you could also try cracked wheat in place of couscous for a nuttier, chewier sensation.

COUSCOUS, CHICKEN, AND ARTICHOKE SALAD

Yield: 6 servings

2 (6-0z) jars marinated artichoke hearts
4 cups cooked and cooled couscous, orzo, or other small pasta (I used one small box)
2 cups coarsely chopped, cooked chicken
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, divided
salt, pepper
2 T freshly grated parmesan
cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, for garnish

Drain artichoke hearts, reserving marinade. Coarsely chop artichoke hearts. In a large bowl, stir together couscous, artichoke hearts, artichoke marinade, chicken, green onions, parsley, 3 T pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently but thoroughly. Sprinkle with remaining 1 T pine nuts and Parmesan; garnish with whole or slivered tomatoes.

Donuts in the barbecue and burning bushes, oh my!

Well, it's Tuesday morning, and my vacation is over; I went back to work last night. We went camping at Silver Springs Thursday through Sunday. It took about an hour to get to this old growth forest of red cedars, hemlocks, and such. It was a quiet place and the weather was like 55 degrees a lot of the time. I didn't bring a stinking coat so I wore the same 2 sweatshirts for the whole time. It was actually a beautiful, warm sunny morning on our last day! There was a beautiful little creek behind our site, and a short walk away was the White River. Jessie fell in the creek and came back soaked and bedraggled. She wasn't hurt, but we were all sorry to have not seen it. We lucked out with our camping neighbors. First, there was a little girl for the girls to play with. When she left, another family came with 2 boys about Zach's age. Zach found 2 frogs--he has amazing creature finding prowess. Something to try: after frying bacon, use the grease to fry up some of those canned biscuits. I actually ended up having to split them cuz they were so thick, but it is really good!
Chris bought a dutch oven a few years ago, and neither of us realized the proper way to season and keep the thing up. So a few days before we left, I actually spent hours on the internet researching how to restore this rusty, caked and baked little pot. First I tried boiling water in it on the stovetop and scrubbing it out whilst hot. That helped a little. But then, after hemming and hawing, I finally got the courage to try the next step: getting medieval. I started some briquettes in the barbecue and put the oven in the refiner's fire upside down for about an hour. I used a copper(?) wire brush I found and scrubbed the dickens out of it--messy, but it worked! So then I greased it with shortening, put it back in the fire for it's all-important seasoning. And it worked! I was SO proud of myself and my proper, greasy, black pot! Then I actually made a batch of donuts in the barbecue! It was like an episode of Colonial House. Anybody see that and love it and tape it, too? I heated up a a bunch of oil to a hot temp and made donuts in my own back yard. It was cool. So this prep work was done so Chris could do his camping spesheeality--chili . Even though I failed to bring chili powder or anything at all with spice (der!), even bland food tastes fabulous when you're oot and aboot in God's creation, eh?
The fourth of July was perfect warm weather. The Tall Ships at the Tacoma waterfront was on its last day, so we drove over there to catch a glimpse of some of the beatiful schooners. For a price, we could have seen more, but camping cleaned us out. We didn't buy any fireworks this year, but our neighbors all seemed to have filled up their flatbeds with them. There was racket into the wee hours. One of my fancy grasses in the corner of the front yard actually caught fire! It was spectacularly frightening and flabbergasting. When I went out there, the neighbor was already dowsing it with his hose, thank God...same neighbor whose fault it was, I was told...but anyway...yes, fireworks in Tacoma are illegal, and yes, lots of people still light them. There are lots of booths of them all over--the Indians sell a lot of them. And yes, you hear sirens throughout the evening!
I made mint chocolate chip ice cream in the ice cream maker, and it was scrumptious. Dinner came from Fine Cooking magazine, my favorite. Chris slowly grilled some boneless, skinless chicken breasts with barbecue sauce on the barbee. Then I lightly toasted some focaccia bread and caramelized a ton of onions. You slice the chicken in strips and make a sandwich with the chicken, onions, sundried tomatoes, mayo, and fresh spinach or arugula. Try it--you'll love it!
The girls are really enjoying summer school. I caught the last few minutes of Jessie's class. They had talked about some principles of portrait painting and been taught about Frida Kahlo. Jessie's homework was to do a self-portrait.