(Due) Dates

I knew this day would come. Truthfully it doesn't feel that different from yesterday, I just have this reoccurring "Oh yeah," that pops into my head every now and then. I'm thrilled to be pregnant again, and wouldn't change the past, I don't think, but loosing that baby last June was hard and thinking on how things would be different today is a little deflating.

Winter Walk

I've been sorely out of practice taking pictures lately and used our walk this morning to scratch the old itchy trigger finger.

Simple Green Machine

Last night we went out for D's birthday to an Italian restaurant that shall remain anonymous. We met up with D's sister's family, ordered our food & drinks and chatted over our salads as we waited for our meal to come. Our waitress was friendly and competent, but then it happened. A glass of red wine was ordered, she brought it to our table and hastily set it down...and it spilled...all over me. I will remind you, the reader; I am pregnant and as it happened the only one at the table not drinking red wine (aside from the children). And I got the better part of an entire glass of wine in my lap. Let me also remind you that I am of the thriftier sort and have only at this point seen fit to purchase 2 pair of maternity pants this pregnancy, bringing my total to 3. 3 pair of pants that I fit into. And now 1 was soaked in wine...red wine.

Our waitress was appropriately apologetic, and immediately offered the assistance of the manager, who was additionally concerned and apologetic. She offered me a dishcloth soaked on seltzer water, the promise that the restaurant would cover any dry cleaning the incident required and in the end took $50 off our bill for the mishap. Kudos, we will be coming back.

So we arrive home, and I get to thinking about Simple Green. I love Simple Green; non-toxic and biodegradable, it's never let me down. I've even removed tree sap from clothing with the stuff for heavens sake. I changed into cozy pj's (after sitting in wet clothes for over an hour I was freezing) and sprayed the dickens out of my pants and brand new sweater I had just received for Christmas. I let them soak for an hour, then dumped them in the washer with warm water and detergent. Ran a cycle, and then repeated. Folks there is neary a trace of purple to be seen! I'm so happy!

New Kinda Moo

With all the hub-bub over plastic and a drive to reduce waste and support local vendors I decided to give Golden Glen Creamery our patronage for a while and see how it goes. This super local company sells their hormone-free non-homogenized white and chocolate (cream top) milk in retro glass bottles, and farm fresh butter and cheeses to make your mouth water (In Washington State only). Their top notch products can be found at PCC and Whole Foods. There is a $1.85 deposit on all the glassware (which is re-payed upon return), so once you've made your initial investment the cost is arguably reasonable.

Yes We Can!

Happy Inauguration Day!

Yes We Can by artist Antar Dayal is the latest release from the Artists for Obama series. In Antar's words, “I am honored to support Barack Obama’s history-making presidential bid through one of his many visionary platforms, including recognizing the importance of art in America. My artwork is inspired by his words, wisdom, accomplishments, and expression of our hopes and dreams for a better America. Our world is facing seemingly insurmountable economic and environmental challenges. It is a rare occurrence to behold a leader like Barack Obama who understands what America must do in order to reclaim itself on the world stage. As a first generation immigrant, I have confidence that America can collectively overcome these challenges under Obama’s presidency. YES WE CAN!”

Tale of Despereaux

Did anyone else see this film and leave with a quizzical grimace on their face? I mean the animation was sweet, and the story for the most part was engaging, but the story's conflict's were all tied up in a neat little bow all in the span of 3 minutes.

The End.

hmmm...

Yard Work

The last month or so of rain, snow and wind has left our yard in total disarray. The pine needles have almost completely blanketed our lawn, a gi-normous branch snapped off with the weight of the snow, and pine cones and moldy leaves are in a ferocious number! It's been bothering me since we returned from our long vacation and today's the day I will be able to again look at our property with a little pride; as much as you possibly can in this dead and wet time of the year (I almost wish we had a bit of a snow blanket to cover the mess).


Now that D's record is pretty much wrapped up I can finally put him to work around the house, E's the perfect age to really help out, and I can safely say that my energy level has returned and my back is feeling better.


We trimmed, chopped, raked, hauled, mowed and piled and I'm beginning to feel a bit of relief from all our hard work. We still have plenty to do, but it's a start.

"Do You See What I See?"

(profile)

We had our 20 week ultrasound today; It's a Boy! D and E joined me in the room with the technician and we got to peek at all his tiny little parts. It's so emotional to see a little spine and tiny fingers flexing and waving (and not hard at all to tell his gender!). He was so active and appeared to be really healthy and growing right on schedule.

(feet)

Hot Diggity Dog

I love hitting the open-air farmer's markets, and just had to take the loop when we were down in Ballard this weekend. It was very chilly and damp, but a hot dog with lots of mustard fixes just about anything.

A Few Blogger Books

For those that followed their mornings last year; The 3191 Year of Mornings is available.

For those of you that love Orangette's blog as much as I do, her book will be available in March, pre-order it!

Children's Film Festival

For those of us with kiddos in the Greater Seattle Area and would like to bolster an already growing interest in the world of film; on your mark, get set, GO!

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Copyright © 2009 - Journal Newspapers

Later this month, movie-loving kids and their parents have a festival that’s just for them, as Children’s Film Festival Seattle returns for its fourth annual extravaganza.

Hosted by the Northwest Film Forum at their fortified compound on Capitol Hill, the festival will run from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1 and feature over 80 films from 25 countries.

“It’s an international collection of the best of children’s films worldwide,” said Elizabeth Shepard, the festival’s director.

The films that are chosen for the festival are aimed at children, but the festival organizers are very aware that parents will be in the theater too. Shepard said that children’s movies can occasionally be “a painful experience” for parents, and that they have kept that in mind when selecting their films.

“One of our big points here is that we want to show films that are appealing to the entire family, that will let children and their parents together take a little trip around the world,” Shepard said.

One of the films screening at this year’s festival is Speedy Delivery, a documentary by filmmaker Paul Germain. The hour-long film takes a look at the life of David Newell, the actor who portrayed Mr. McFeely on the long-running children’s show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Germain and Newell met by happenstance at a mall in Pittsburgh, while Germain was a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University. The two got to talking, and the filmmaker immediately felt a rapport.

“I was really taken aback by how genuine he was,” Germain said. “The character he played on television is almost no different from the person he is in life ... I had so many questions about why he’d chosen to live his life in this way, and I wanted to explore that in a documentary.”

The film was a labor of love for Germain and his collaborators. The project took four years to produce, but only cost around $4,000 because he was able to convince so many people to put in work for free — and of course, he put in a great deal of work himself.

There is a silliness to Speedy Delivery that kids can enjoy, according to Germain, but he thinks that parents relate to the film too, through a kind of nostalgia for their own childhoods. After all, many of them grew up with Mr. Rogers and Mr. McFeely.

Germain also called his film “truly a feel-good movie” and hoped that it would be a desirable alternative to some of the other sorts of documentaries that get released.

“There are a lot of documentary films that are about what’s wrong with the world,” Germain said. “Speedy Delivery is a film about something that’s really right. It’s this old fashioned philosophy of respect ... I really did want to make a film that shows these people who are out there just to do good.”

In addition to the movies, there will also be three kids’ filmmaking workshops beginning in early January. One of the workshops is for kids to make next year’s festival trailer, another is to make a documentary about their favorite stuffed animal, and the final workshop’s title speaks for itself: Lego Zombie Attack!: The Movie.

The recommended ages for participation in the workshops vary, but are generally in the age 7 to 12 range. Tuition for the trailer workshop is $70; the other two are $30 each.

The film festival kicks off every year with an all-you-can-eat pancake and bacon feast (with coffee for parents). It’s been so popular, according to Shepard, that they have decided to move this year’s breakfast to a nearby church and then hold an informal parade over to the movie theater.

Those interested in getting involved are encouraged to contact the festival, said Shepard. Children’s Film Festival Seattle, like the Northwest Film Forum, thrives on volunteers. The festival itself is looking for people to help out in the lobby as well as some organizational help in the days before screenings begin.

For more information about the festival, including volunteer opportunities, ticket information and a schedule of events, please visit www.childrensfilmfestivalseattle.org.

Holding Our Breath

My brother and sister-in-law are due with their first baby late next month, but she's gone into labor this evening; 7 1/2 weeks early. The hospital has put her on a medication to slow stuff down, and is monitoring her progress very carefully. Please pray for them and their tiny little girl, Inger.

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The medication has helped! Thanks for keeping our family in your thoughts, Gloria will get to go home and that little one can keep on a cookin!

Snowflakes

We missed the big storm a few weeks ago, but were lucky to get what I refer to as "Our Own Private Snowfall" a few nights ago. There were a few inches of wet, heavy and quickly melting snow left in our yard when it was over - perfect for snowball fights, a late evening sled ride, and snowmen making (E made 5 or so...).

I thought that we could extend our wintry projects into the new year with a snowflake making day.

Trip Shots

We did a lot of driving and a lot of sitting around and doing nothing; typical vacation I suppose. So we don't have a ton of pictures, but a few to hearken back to those days we were gone (mostly while in Phoenix).

(shower)

(lookin' over the banister)

(sunny smiles)

(wind power)

(gettin' a bit bigger)

(makin' orange juice with great grandma)

(zoo lights)

(camel ride)

(glow stick : 'dave' backwards)

(palm - for Tania)

(their grapefruit tree; we ate our fill of fresh juice & fruit nearly every morning)

(roadside stop...)

(only a few of the great grandchildren; 'How did we get so many little blonds from Mexican's?')

Home Sweet Home

Well, E took a turn for the worse yesterday evening, with a high fever and a case of the dizzies. We decided to cut our trip short by a day and a half or so and moved our flight up. We feared she'd continue to get worse or either of us would come down with the same thing; and all of us would just be miserable and far, far away from our own sweet beds.

So, we're home and although E's been acting better for the most part I haven't let her doses of Motrin wear off. Finger's crossed for tonight.

(sigh)

Well, we rang in the New Year holding back E's hair as she was hunched over the toilet in our motel room last night...Happy Spew Year. Poor thing must have eaten something that really didn't agree with her, as the stomach aches and retching continued well into the night every hour or so. But woke up chipper, and never developed a fever.

We've been doing a lot of driving these last few weeks, and my back is telling the tale. We've seen more family than I actually remembered we had, and it's been nice to be away, but I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things at home.