Family Talk

Original Post Date: September 18th, 2006


The other day my son asked me if I’d buy freezesicles.

Now, you may have no idea what he’s talking about, but I do. Freezesicles are freeze pops, the frozen treat where you have to snip off the plastic top, bite the flavored ice, then suck the melted juice from the bottom? No nutritional value whatsoever, but tasty (my favorite is the green). He loves them.

But the word “freezesicles” got me thinking about how many words and phrases we use in our family no one else would have a clue about. Our own family vocabulary, if you will.

Off the top of my head, I can only think of a few, but I’m sure there’s more. It’s early, people. Work with me.

Nubbies.
Nubbies are bunnies in our family. I have no idea how this started, or why, but we rarely call bunnies by any other name.

Tut-tut.
It’s our phrase for a stormy/rainy sky. I can’t say we made this one up—it came straight from a Winnie the Pooh movie (‘Tut-tut, looks like rain”) when my daughter was little. But it stuck. Here in Cincinnati today? It’s very tut-tut.

Chop-chop.
This one may not be all that unique. It basically means hurry the heck up. (I just used this one on my daughter, who’s notoriously pokey in the morning, which reminded me of its existence.)

Folding beds.
My kids don’t make their beds, they “fold” their beds. Unusual, right? This one goes back years and years ago to when we lived in a one bedroom apartment with our son (just had one at the time). My husband and I gave the bedroom to the baby, and we slept on a fold-out couch in the living room. As part of our routine, every morning my son and I would fold up the bed, part game, part trying to get the housework done with a toddler underfoot. Then he’d ask to fold his bed, too, and we’d go in and make his bed. The tradition was born. All three of my kids “fold” their beds, and I’m kind of wondering if they’ll outgrow saying it eventually. And kind of hoping they don’t.

I know mine can’t be the only family with its own one-of-a-kind vocab words. Care to share yours?

If She Was Dead, Julie Andrews Would Roll In Her Grave

Original post date: December 18, 2006

A Few of Heather’s Favorite Things

Cozy warm slippers
And springtime sun showers
Whipped cream on cocoa
And Vermont wild flowers
Hummingbirds so fast you barely see wings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cold Dr Peppers
And rain on hot pavement
Winter’s first snowfall
And a newborn’s sweet scent
Neutrogena mascara, to my lashes it clings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Hot apple pie with vanilla ice cream
The soothing sound of a burbling stream
Smelling grape hyacinth in the spring
These are a few of my favorite things.

When my head aches
When my mood swings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.

All right, everyone, what are your favorite things? Bonus points for rhyming!

~heather

Can’t Think of a Clever Title

Original post date: March 5th, 2007

Seems the older I get I’m noticing I’m becoming more mellow about some things, yet less tolerant of others.

For example, grocery stores—always a source of agitation for me. Slow bag packers get on my last nerve. Also, inevitably, my cleansers end up mixed in with my produce, and my meat with my fruit, so I think they may be trying to poison me and my family. Their behavior is probably revenge for me asking for paper bags, the bane of all baggers. Vengeful little buggers. However, I have infinite patience while waiting in the grocery store checkout line. Where it would have once bothered me that no new checkouts were being opened, or that people were sneaking into the 15 item or less line with 54 things—I’m fine now. Go figure.

My radio is starting to annoy me, too. I’m what one might call an eclectic listener. I have stations programmed for pop rock, country, oldies, easy listening. I flip until something strikes my fancy. I’ve noticed a trend lately of my pop rock stations playing country. Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, The Wreckers, and Keith Urban mixed in with The Fray, The Killers, Kelly Clarkson, and Five for Fighting. What gives? Is pop so desperate for good music they’re borrowing from country? I’m not sure, but it bugs me. Completely irrational since I love country music, too, but there it is.

There’s nothing more annoying than calling a Big Business and getting endless directions for their voicemail system. Just the other day I was on the phone, lost in Press 1s, Press 2s when the voice asked me if I’d like to take a survey of their system! Before I’d even resolved what I’d called about. Grr.

Yet, I’ve become completely fine with traffic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about it. But I no longer get cranky if my drive time is slowed ten or fifteen minutes. If I’m stuck longer than an hour, it might be a different story, though.

I’m good with slow servers at restaurants and tellers at banks (except for drive-thru). I’m okay with fast food places getting my order wrong—as long as they fix it. I’m also okay with the doctor’s office asking for my insurance card and info every time I go in despite the fact that I seem to be there every week. And stores like Best Buy that try to sell you everything and their grandmother in the checkout lane? I’m fine with them too, though I think those cashiers must hear that spiel in their sleep.

Bad drivers still bug me to no end, but as long as there isn’t country on my pop station at the time, I’m okay with it.

One day I’m aiming for completely mellow, but I have a feeling the grocery store will always push me over the edge…

~heather

It Was Bound To Happen

Original post date: May 14, 2007

I went to a chick flick movie yesterday.

That’s not so surprising. Well, I suppose it might be considering the last time I saw a movie at the theater was last summer. But I digress…

What was really surprising was that I went to the movie with my daughter.

It hits hard that she’s getting old enough to see a chick flick. There are additional clues, as well. There are more hair products in the bathroom than usual; the shoe shelf in the garage is overflowing with sandals and cute flip-flops that don’t belong to me; I often borrow nail polish from her extensive collection; she can watch—and follow along with the trials and tribulations of the models on America’s Next Top Model, while offering up valuable but snarky comments (i.e. “she needs her eyebrows done”); and the most eye-opening clue: my husband, aka Laundry Man, keeps confusing my shirts for hers, hers for mine, and I have the feeling our pants aren’t far behind. My daughter and I now automatically go through our piles, pulling out what does not belong to us, and meet in the hallway for a quick exchange.

My little one is growing up.

Sigh, sniff, and hooray! In that order.

It’s was a fun Mother’s Day, shopping at the bookstore with her (she bought “Princess on the Brink,” “The Lightning Thief,” and “Best Friends for Never, A Clique Novel”) for which she paid for on her own, pulling her wallet from the cute purse she now carries. (I bought “Little Men” by Louisa May Alcott, because I’m on a “Little Women” kick at the moment.) Then we were off to the movies to see “Waitress,” which we both really enjoyed, though my daughter told me next time we go to see a chick flick, we bring tissues.

She’s wise beyond her years.

I really hope we make days like we had yesterday more common around here, and not just reserved for Mother’s Day and the like. We’ll start next weekend, when we trek off to see the new Shrek movie, though I suspect we’ll have a couple of “our boys” with us as well.

I’ll still pack the tissues.

~heather

Picture of the Day

"Little Lamb Hydrangea"

And friend (you have to look really closely --you can click to enlarge).

Is It Wrong...

That there are certain recycling items I hate cleaning out? When faced with having to wash out one of these plastic items, it's like I have that cliched image of the devil on one shoulder, an angel on the other. The devilish side whispers for me just to throw out the peanut butter tub. Ditto with the mayonnaise and the salad dressing containers. But the angelic side whispers about saving the planet and protecting the environment.

In the end, the angel always wins. But I can't say I'm too happy about it.

A Rant and A Rave Wednesday

Rant:

What's with the new Liberty Mutual commercials featuring the family down on their luck? I *think* they're supposed to make us trust LM as an insurance company, but they're just plain depressing (dad facing a job loss, what to do with an aging grandpa, etc). Ugh. If you want to be depressed, you can see one of the commercials here.

Rave:

This one's for my trumpet playing daughter, who picked up a flute for the first time in her life two days ago and now can play Three Blind Mice and Hot Cross Buns. A rave for her for trying something new--and succeeding.

Spotlight On...

Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham.

I was a bit confuzzled at first because this is a fiction book, yet the author's name is the same as the main character's... But after a little research on the Internet, and if I believe what I read, then the author's name is a pen name for someone who wishes to remain anonymous.

Whew. Now that I've gotten that out of the way. Holly's Inbox is an enormous work of women's fiction. It's 665 pages long, but don't let that scare you as I think most of the pages were taken up by formatting. See, Holly's Inbox is all in email format. We meet Holly, her crazy friends, her coworkers, her parents, her hilarious grandmother all through email communications.

Have to admit it took me a bit to get into this book. It's a little slow going at first, but quickly makes up for it as layers are revealed. It's set in the UK and has a bit of that Sophie Kinsella / Bridget Jones flavor.

If you're looking for a fun chick-lit book for those long summer days, you might want to give this one a try. For more info, check out the book's website: www.hollysinbox.com.

Rules To Live By

One of the few reality shows I don't watch is TLC's 18 Kids and Counting, featuring the Duggar family. I've seen the family on the Today show before, so I knew who they were, but never tuned in on TLC.

Yesterday, as I was checking email, I saw AOL had a piece on Michelle Duggar's parenting tips. Well, as I'm not one to pass up a parenting tip (are we ever too old for them?) I clicked on the story.

While I didn't need the potty training tips anymore (thank heavens), there were these five rules that the family lives by. The rules struck a chord with me.

1. Always use soft words, even when you don't feel well.
2. Always display kind actions, even if you have been mistreated.
3. Show joyful attitudes even when no one is looking.
4. Have sincere motives with no thought of self-gain.
5. Never let the sun go down on your wrath; don't go to bed angry or guilty.

Personally, I need to work on number 5. I'm horrible at that. And number 3 too. Who can't use more joy in their lives? Anyway, I'm sharing with hopes they might strike a chord with someone else, too... And maybe, MAYBE, I should tune in one night. Just as, you know, a thank you.

Picture of the Day

"Odometer"

Might be time to think about getting a new car.

Looking Forward

I'm making the final plans for the family vacation. We leave on July 4th (also my son's birthday, but he very graciously agreed to celebrate early) and fly into Burlington, Vermont. We'll drive over to Stowe where we'll stay at our favorite resort (not as fancy as it sounds) for a few days. We'll hike, shop, hike, eat lots, maybe see a movie, swim... Ahhh.

Every year we hike another big peak in Vermont. We've done Mansfield, Killington, Camel's Hump, Mt. Abraham, Mt. Hunger, General Stark, and Mt. Worcester (my husband and son have also done Mt. Ellen). Not sure which one(s) we'll be doing this year yet. I just know I'll be sore for days after hiking up the mountain (and down, ow, my knees!) --but the view from the top of these mountains makes it SO worth it.

After four days in Stowe, we'll pop into the rental car and drive 6 hours to Bar Harbor, Maine. We're really looking forward to seeing Acadia National Park--I hear it's stunning. It's our first trip to Maine so not sure what to expect in terms of weather in Bar Harbor or restaurants and things like that, but it's a huge tourist town so I'm thinking we really can't go wrong.

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to getting away--just a change of pace, a change of scenery. It'll be nice.

Of course, I'm really hoping to be done with revisions on Truly, Madly before we leave...which means I should get to work!

A Rant and A Rave Wednesday

Rant:

What have the makers of cereal done? Why can't we get into the boxes or the bags inside without a major fight and the use of some scissors, teeth, or sharp knife? Is it the economy? Have they switched the glue on us? I've heard of child-proofing, but this may be taking things too far.


Rave:

It's so rare that a doctor's office will go above and beyond for you. It was a nice surprise to get a note from my daughter's oral surgeon (she had to have four teeth extracted) that they were going to contact our insurance company about not paying a certain fee (we'd just been planning to pay it!). So, a rave to that office. Thank you.

Spotlight On...

Bobbie Faye's Very (very, very, very) Bad Day by Toni McGee Causey.

Having a crummy day? This book is for you. Has a little bit of everything--humor, mystery, romance. It came out in 2007 (I'm a little behind in my reading), and I couldn't be happier that there are now other Bobbi Faye books out there. Must. Find. Them. Too fun for words.

I Know How To Pick Them

Last night my daughter and I ventured north to downtown Dayton, a new area for us. We were going to the Schuster Center to see the Broadway tour of Legally Blonde, The Musical.

I'm embarrassed to report that our streak of picking the creepiest parking garage around continues (first started in Columbus last year). I *thought* I was pulling into the "Arts" parking garage, but somehow missed it (in all its well-lighted, well-secured, uncreepy glory). Instead, I pulled up at a parking garage with an innocuous "Event Parking" sign in front. When the man didn't have change for a $20 should have been my first warning. The second? When he had to hand-crank open the gate. The third? The complete emptiness of the garage. As in, cue the Psycho music, call in Jack Bauer, start running for your life kind of empty.

I ignored all instincts of going to find somewhere else to park, and my daughter and I hightailed it to the elevator, which was only slightly less terrifying than the stairs. As for location, we did well. Less than a block from the theater, and there were lots of people coming from the Arts garage (I swear they were silently taunting us), so the icky factor quickly faded--until the performance (it was really great--the UPS guy totally stole the show) ended and we had to head back to the garage. Cue Jaws music.

We saw an older couple headed the same way and pretty much latched on to them. By now it's late, it's dark, and our dimly lit garage looked scarier than ever. The first bit of panic was that the elevator bay was now locked. The second? We'd have to take the stairs. We tried not to look in the corners. Once we reached our floor (we pretty much ran up those steps), and the door was unlocked (alleluia!), we hightailed to our car, which was thankfully still there and intact. In total there were six cars parked there. I guess everyone else knew better.

As we pulled out, toward the dark crumbling, twisted ramp (shudder), we couldn't help but notice some of the other theater goers running toward their cars.

So glad we weren't the only ones.

And when we go back (Phantom of the Opera is coming next year), I can tell you where we won't park.

Live and learn, right?

Picture of the Day

"Snack"

And yes, I can attest to the fact that they are flaming hot.

Revisions

I've been hard at work revising the second book in the Lucy series, which is now officially titled: Truly, Madly: A Lucy Valentine Novel. Usually I love revisions but these are going slower than I'd like, but they are getting done (whew!).

In my free time (hah!) I'm working on a new book (women's fiction with a touch of mystery). I've completed the first three chapters but now am dreading writing the synopsis. For me a book really doesn't come together until it's written, so writing a synop when I only have three chapters on paper is a little daunting and not at all likely to resemble the final product. I so admire authors who can stick to an outline, plot point by plot point.

As for the thriller I'd been writing, it's still hanging around. I've put it aside for now because it's just not flowing for me, but I love the story and have a feeling I'll be going back to it.

Too many stories, so little time!

A Rant and A Rave Wednesday

Back in December, I posted my original Rant and Rave over at the Cozy Chicks. Since I'm pretty much always ranting and sometimes raving, I'm going to continue the tradition here on Wednesdays.

Rant:

Um, is it ironic when calling a business to be put on hold and forced to listen to a taped message about how important my call is and then continue to wait and be told that my customer satisfaction is of utmost importance? I think it might qualify as ironic. And my satisfaction? Let's just say that business lost a potential customer.

Rave:

Top Chef is back with Top Chef Masters! No, it's not quite the same, but it's June and all the other reality TV truly stinks (you know which shows I'm talking about). Top Chef Masters pits famous chefs (some of whom have been guest judges) against each other for charity. Too much fun seeing the masters make newbie mistakes (freezing ingredients instead of refrigerating) and crack under pressure. And too, too sweet to see them judged themselves by food critics and other foodie professionals. Downside? No Padma or Tom. But I'll still be be watching tonight.

Spotlight On...

Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz.

I love these books. The somewhat manic tone, the footnotes, the humor. They're just fun and always make me laugh. A good thing, I think.

Here's the official product description from Amazon:

Private investigator Isabel Spellman is back on the case and back on the couch -- in court-ordered therapy after getting a little too close to her previous subject.

As the book opens, Izzy is on hiatus from Spellman Inc. But when her boss, Milo, simultaneously cuts her bartending hours and introduces her to a "friend" looking for a private eye, Izzy reluctantly finds herself with a new client. She assures herself that the case -- a suspicious husband who wants his wife tailed -- will be short and sweet, and will involve nothing more than the most boring of PI rituals: surveillance. But with each passing hour, Izzy finds herself with more questions than hard evidence.

Meanwhile, Spellmania continues. Izzy's brother, David, the family's most upright member, has adopted an uncharacteristically unkempt appearance and attitude toward work, life, and Izzy. And their wayward youngest sister, Rae, a historic academic underachiever, aces the PSATs and subsequently offends her study partner and object of obsession, Detective Henry Stone, to the point of excommunication. The only unsurprising behavior comes from her parents, whose visits to Milo's bar amount to thinly veiled surveillance and artful attempts (read: blackmail) at getting Izzy to return to the Spellman Inc. fold.

As the case of the wayward wife continues to vex her, Izzy's personal life -- and mental health -- seem to be disintegrating. Facing a housing crisis, she can't sleep, she can't remember where she parked her car, and, despite her shrinks' persistence, she can't seem to break through in her appointments. She certainly can't explain why she forgets dates with her lawyer's grandson, or fails to interpret the come-ons issued in an Irish brogue by Milo's new bartender. Nor can she explain exactly how she feels about Detective Henry Stone and his plans to move in with his new Assistant DA girlfriend...

Filled with the signature side-splitting Spellman antics, Revenge of the Spellmans is an ingenious, hilarious, and disarmingly tender installment in the Spellman series.

Slacker

I've been a total and complete slacker where this blog is concerned. I have all kinds of excuses--some real, some fictional. All are excellent, but I'll spare you.

It's a foggy, damp morning here and as I look out the window all I can see are dozens of cobwebs on the grass, little puffs of webby white dotting the green landscape.

I never really stopped and thought about how many spiders and other assorted insects might live in the grass until this morning, and now I'm rather regretting it as I have a serious case of the heebie-jeebies and am doubting I'll ever sit on the lawn again.

It's almost worth a call to the local exterminator except for a) I can only shudder in horror at what exterminating nearly 1/2 an acre would cost, and b) I'm pretty sure spiders are good for the environment (as much as I hate to admit that), and I wouldn't want to be responsible for throwing our fragile ecosystem out of whack.

As long as the creepy crawlies stay outside, I guess I can deal with it--to a certain extent. Ants and aphids (shudder) are still on my hit list--I've been known to wield a can of Raid like a pro, and there's technique in not breathing in the aphid spray... No slacking there.

So much for that ecosystem, huh? I have no excuse for that...


~heather


PS: I went online looking for cobwebs in the grass that looked like my yard, but found none, so actually ventured outside to take some pics. As soon as I stepped out the door onto the front porch I was wrapped in cobwebs (ick, ick, ick!). I think it was spider Mardi Gras last night. Sheesh.

Food Fiction Contest

I'm passing this along from the wonderful Food Fiction duo of Jessica Conant-Park and Michele Scott. There's still time to enter (and fabulous prizes to be had, if I do say so myself)!

***
This month, Heather Webber is giving away a signed copy of Trouble in Spades and a signed ARC (advance reader copy) of Digging Up Trouble.


To enter: Send us an E-MAIL (foodfiction AT gmail DOT com) by June 1st with the subject line MAY CONTEST and tell us about your favorite salad/salad dressing. We want to hear what you like! Recipes are welcome!


As usual, the grand prize winner will be chosen at random, but Michele and Jess love a good salad and might dole out a few bonus prizes...(we both ran out of books to give as bonuses last month, but we'll get our hands on more copies soon!)


RULES: One entry per person and U.S. mailing addresses only, please. Please include your mailing address so we can send you your prize! You will be signed up for our guest authors' newsletter (if any) and the the Food Fiction newsletter, if not already. (You can always opt out!) By entering the contest, you give us permission to post your first name, last initial, and state if you are a winner. We may also post your recipe in our newsletter or the Food Fiction site (crediting you, of course!) if you are a winner.

***