friday flashback - the one with bizarro michael

I am dedicating this week's Friday Flashback to Auntie Yoli. She's had a bit of a rough week and I thought she could do with some cheering up. So this, Auntie Yoli, is for you. Enjoy.

It's fair to say that Mike is more of a Toronto Maple Leaf fan than he is a hockey fan. Meaning, he will religiously watch the Leafs play, but as soon as they are done for the year so is Mike. If the Leafs aren't in the play-offs he has no real interest in the remaining games. Mike bleeds blue and white. He is a true hard core fan, faithfully watching games no matter how bad they are sucking and right now they are sucking huge. He's literally been a fan since birth.

Now for those of you who don't know, the Toronto/Montreal rivalry is probably Canada's premiere hockey rivalry. There is no way to be a Toronto fan and a Montreal fan, you have to hate one and love the other. That's just the way things are. By that logic Michael being a true blue Toronto fan wouldn't ever be caught dead in Montreal gear.

Or would he.......



Yes that would be Michael circa 1976. And yes he was wearing a Montreal shirt. And yes he does look quite happy about it.

thanks to Papa for the picture

techno whiz kid

It's been a real adventure with our Maya girl. You just never know where you're going to find her or what she's going to be up to when you do. Like this afternoon when Mike found her scribbling all over her palms with a black sharpie.

Or this...



Somehow she found Mike's iPod, climbed into her booster seat, put on the headphones, turned it on and at this point was listening to music and playing some sort of a game that looked vaguely reminiscent of Space Invaders.

what's cooking wednesday - tortilla soup

Well what can I say? Soup and mexican, two of my favourite things.

Yes this is where the picture should be. I did take a picture of this soup and I even uploaded it to the computer, what happened after that is anybody's guess. It has just disappeared. Basically we're just talking about tomato soup so just try to imagine.

Woo hoo found the picture! Yay me!



Tortilla Soup

Soup

2 tbsp Kraft zesty Italian dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
6 small frozen (or fresh) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can (398 mL) tomato sauce

Toppings

4 cups tortilla chips coarsely crushed
1/2 cup Kraft TexMex shredded cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large avacado, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Mix dressing and garlic in a large saucepan; cook on medium high heat 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually add broth and water, stirring until well blended. Add chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from broth mixture; cool slightly. Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer; return broth to pan.

Shred chicken, return to pan. Stir in tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat until heated throigh; stirring occasionally.

Ladle soup into 8 bowls. Garnish with topping ingredients.

Recipe Notes: This was a hit, well at least with Mike and I. The girls are still anti-soup, but what do they know? I think the only change I would make is to add a package of taco seasoning next time round for a little extra kick. As for the topping I just set them out in bowls and we garnished our own. I also skipped the avocado and cilantro and went instead for chopped green onions.

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret. Much to Kaffy's chagrin, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday.

all i want is what i got coming to me, all i want is my fair share

Would you believe a Charlie Brown Christmas was on tonight? Tonight! When I saw the ad for it last night I assumed Tuesday meant next Tuesday, like a week from now. In December when Christmas shows should be aired. So in honour of the first Christmas special of the season I'm going to meme it up and do this one from Auntie Dar's Life.

What are the five gifts you would buy yourself if you had unlimited income?

Now Darlene is a better person than me so she listed gifts she'd like for other people. Me, I'm just going to be just a little bit selfish and list things I want for me.

1. Jammies. Jammers. Pa-jay-jays. We all know how I love my PJ's and my stash is running low.

2. Books. Books. Oh and did I mention books? High Fidelity. About a Boy. It's time I checked out some Nick Hornby. Oh and maybe I should see what all this Harry Potter fuss is about.

3. Dvd's. Season 2 of Grey's. Season 7 and on of Seinfeld (best DVD's for extras!). Season 2 and on of Will and Grace. I have become hugely addicted to TV series on dvd. Oh is season three of the Office out? Definitely that!

4. A new phone for the kitchen and my desk. Or is that too practical for Christmas? Probably.

5. Dominoes gift certificates because the girls love pizza night and Dominoes delivers.

Phew that was harder than you'd think. Well maybe just for me. I'm great at shopping and buying gifts, but not so great at saying what I'd like. Just ask Grandma Linda. Every year she asks me for a list and every year I put it off as long as I can. Some years I even get away without doing it at all.

No specific tags, play along if you'd like.

so maybe retail isn't for her

Despite not feeling 100% better I spent the day helping Grandma Sandi sell her bracelets at a local craft show. I'm glad I went with her because business was slow today and she would have been bored out of her mind if she'd been sitting there by herself all day. Grandma Sandi did sell four bracelets, which was brisk business compared to our next door neighbour who didn't sell a single thing. Towards the end of the day Mike brought both the girls down to the sale and Abby was very eager to help when she got there. She climbed right into my seat and started calling out, "Free bracelets! Free bracelets!"

maybe I'm amazed

I am in awe of Abby. Being in awe of Abby today is in no way the same as the awe I had for her as a newborn. When she would be stretched out on my lap and I would spend hours gazing at her and marveling at the fact that Mike and I had created her. Now she's five and she has her own thoughts and opinions. She has a life that is separate from ours. She has friends that I've never seen. People in her life that I only hear about. Interests that are her own. She is the best of Mike and I times ten. Times a hundred. And I continue to be in awe of the person she is becoming.

Yesterday we had tickets to the ham supper at our church. We always take tickets for the early seating (5 pm) despite the fact it leaves us less than an hour turn around time from when we get home at the end of the day because the late seating (6:30 pm) is just too late for the kids. To be honest, none of us really wanted to go. Mike had a later lunch, I was already not feeling well, Abby was worn out from a day of playing at the sitters and Maya regards her winter boots as some sort of medieval torture device. And still we pushed on and managed to get us all to the dinner on time, not that any of us ate much and Maya actually ate nothing and instead conned Grandma Linda into taking her down to the nursery room to play. Abby did make us our money back on the buns she ate, which numbered four or maybe five and they were whole wheat too. Who would have thought?

Now I'm not sure if this is true for all church fundraising dinners because my experience is limited to what we do at our own church. Prior to opening of the buffet line the diners sit and wait in the church pews, so if you're at the early seating it's likely the next seating is already out in the sanctuary patiently waiting for you to finish your meal. Last night we lingered with Papa and Grandma Linda near the pulpit as the church hall emptied of the full and the church pews filled with hungry. As I chatted with Grandma Linda I kept one eye on Abby who was sitting at the organ, facing those waiting for the next seating. I watched her sitting there at center stage and I realized she wasn't just sitting there, but she was singing. She was singing a song from Cinderella, Sing Sweet Nightingale. From there she moved on to songs more suited to the setting like, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Give Me Oil in My Lamp and Jesus Loves Me. And when I say she was singing, I don't mean she was sitting there singing quietly to herself, but loudly, facing the crowd with a smile on her face. With complete and utter confidence and entirely of her own volition. When she had completed a song she would come around the side of the pulpit and offer a bow before resuming her seat at center stage to sing another. I'm quite certain she would have stayed up there and sang until the next seating filed out if we hadn't said it was time to go home.

I'm not sure where this love of singing comes from. It goes well beyond the singing along with the radio her Dad and I do. I have often said living with Abby is like living in a musical. It seems she is always singing. She will sing her part of conversations with Mike and I, "Mom, can I have some juice please?" She sings songs she's heard on the radio, at choir practice or learned at school. She will sing words from one song to the tune of another. I asked her tonight if she liked singing on stage to the people and the smile on her face was answer enough, but just to seal the deal she added, "Mom, I just can't stop singing."

seriously, best cat ever

I haven't had much to say about Zebby since "the surgery that compromised his manhood", but I feel I must let you know how thankful I am for the procedure because now he's gone from pretending our living room is the serengeti and the girls are gazelles just waiting to be taken down, to this:



I like this much better. So does Abby, now that she doesn't require somebody to "cover her" when she moves from one room to another. Oh the freedom!

the day the eyes in the back of my head failed me

You can't turn your back for a second around here because if you do these sorts of things start happening.



Oldest child [finger quotes] accidentally [/finger quotes] puts the scissors near her hair and cuts a chunk out of her bangs. Thank goodness picture day at school was long since past. She says that she wanted to have hair like me, but I guess growing her bangs out seemed like too much work.



Not to be out done, Youngest child gets her hands stuck in not one, but two rolls of toilet paper.

Fun times.

friday flashback - won't get fooled again

A million years ago, back before we had a house and kids there was money to be had. And we used that money to do things like go on vacation. Can you imagine? Not that they were fancy vacations, just a simple cottage that we rented with as many friends as we could cram into it. On most of those cottage trips we would take Ricky with us. Ricky loved going to the cottage even if he couldn't stand the feeling on sand on his feet. So much so that he would leave his sandals at the waters edge, facing back up the beach, so he could rinse his feet off and step back into them when he was done swimming. Not that it helped much so he'd spend endless amounts of time brushing, blowing and shaking sand out of them. Even still he was happy to be there. Happy to be independent of my Grandpa, his father. Happy to be hanging with the younger generation. And we all enjoyed his company.

It was during one trip to the cottage that an incident occurred. One that will be forever etched in my memory. One that never fails to make me smile whenever I bring it to mind. Ricky was a real creature of habit. He had very specific ideas (read he was stubborn as a mule) about how and when things should be done and Lord help you if you attempted to deviate from the plan. So when Ricky decided it was time for bed, well he just expected we'd all pack up and go to bed. Now this is not an idea that went over well in a cottage full of twenty-somethings with a fridge full of beer and a fire burning in the fire pit. It necessitated a quick conference between him and I where I explained to him that if he was tired he was welcome to go to bed, but he was going to have to stop coming out to the fire and sending everyone else to bed. After that he headed back inside, presumably to go to bed.

Fast forward a little bit and I'm headed inside for a beer run. To get there I must walk past the large picture window that looks into the living room of the cottage. The stereo is on inside and as I get there Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who begins to play. Out of the corner of my eye I see movement inside the cottage, I pause to check it out. It is Ricky, by himself in full air band glory. There are fist pumps, air guitar, and many many moves that are more than vaguely reminiscent of Elvis (Ricky's ultimate hero next to Hulk Hogan). Quietly I called everyone else over and we all huddled, transfixed at the window watching the awesome display. Silently I cursed not having my video camera or even my camera with me. Both were safely inside, going past Ricky the only way to get them. This was something that would live on in our memories only. He danced and performed for the entire song and when the end arrived and he made his bows to the imaginary audience Mike called in the window, "whatcha doin' Rick?" I wish I could adequately describe to you the look on his face when he realized we'd all been at the window watching the show. There was shock and a little bit of embarrassment, but I think overall he enjoyed the attention.

That was definitely one of our last trips to the cottage. Ricky passed away not too long afterwards and before too much longer Mike and I were married with a mortgage. We never rented that cottage again. It did come up this summer, with Abby being away with my Mom, the possibility of renting that cottage again. There's lots of memories there, I wonder if it's good to go back or should we make new memories somewhere else.

what's cooking wednesday - chinese takeout lemon chicken

I love Chinese food. Love it. These days I don't get it too often, what with Mike's shellfish allergy and our last cross contamination issue that had him in the ER. Now lemon chicken you get at a Chinese buffet has a very unique tangy flavour. One I wasn't even sure how to replicate, so I was excited to try this recipe to see if it really did taste like the real thing.



Chinese Takeout Lemon Chicken

1 tbsp oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
2 cups snow peas, trimmed
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
1 pkg (85 g) Jell-O lemon jelly powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup 25% less sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp zesty Italian dressing
2 cloves garlic

Heat oil in large skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken; cook four minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Add snow peas and peppers; cook and stir 2 minutes.

Mix dry jelly powder and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add broth, dressing and garlic; stir until jelly powder is dissolved. Add to skillet, reduce heat to medium; cook three minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring frequently. Serve over rice if desired.

Recipe Notes: Well I have to admit this did taste a lot like takeout. I didn't make any changes here and don't anticipate making any the next time around.

Mike 3.5/5
Shan 4.5
Abby: I had two bites of chicken can I have something else now?
Maya: Daddeee. Daddeee!

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret. Much to Kaffy's chagrin, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday.

Thanks and Enjoy.

he only looked away for a minute

Well there has been a lot of talk about Abby around here recently because she's so funny. The reason she's so funny is mainly when she talks I can understand what she's saying. Which is not the case with Maya. Oh Maya has plenty to say, but most of it makes sense only to her. That doesn't stop her from chattering on and on though. My point is Maya is funny too. Or maybe it was Mike needs to pay more attention when he's the parent on duty. Ah hell I'll let you decide for yourself.

Tonight Abby, Papa and I headed out to swimming lessons leaving Mike and Maya on their own. We were gone a little more than an hour and this is what met us at the back door when we arrived home.



Somehow while being "watched" by her father she managed to remove her shirt (this is a new one), get a hold of a pen and deface her torso. Now I must point out that the kitchen and living room were cleaned and he also emptied and loaded the dish washer. So a little body art seems a small price to pay. Has to be less dangerous than playing with a toy made in China.

awesomeness

Somebody please remind me to send a thank you note and a basket of mini muffins over to Here In Idaho to thank her for this gift.

Now you may be asking yourself what in the sweet hell is this? Well apparently a large quantity of publicity shots from the 70's were found in a Dumpster in California. They were rescued, scanned and uploaded to the internet for our viewing pleasure. Our extreme viewing pleasure. Go look. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

friday flashback - the one with the mini me

This has always been one of my favourite pictures. My cousin and I at my Grandparent's farm. I'm clearly in a snit about something. Goodness only knows what now. In any case my cousin seems to be oblivious to my anguish. And I'm sure my Mother was snickering behind the camera. I'm guessing I was about 3 years old here, making it 1976. What strikes me now looking at this picture is how much Maya looks like me. She makes that exact little face too. And when she does my heart about explodes from the cuteness.

not quite what I thought

Some may see this as a cop out, but it is late and I am tired, so here's another funny Abby story to tide you over until tomorrow.

Abby: Is the f word a bad word?
Me: Where did you hear that?
Abby: Marcus* said it. He said the f word and the b word. Are they bad words?
Me: Yes, Abby they are very bad words. You should never say them and tell Marcus they aren't nice to say either.
Abby: Okay.

Later that day I made some time to sit down and talk about this with Abby some more.

Me: So what is the b word Marcus said.
Abby: Pee.
Me: Huh?
Abby: Pee. You know, going pee.
Me: Ohhhhh, pee word. Not b word.
Abby: Is that a bad word?
Me: Well it can be. You can say you're going pee, that's okay, but it's not okay to call someone a pee pee head. Okay?
Abby: Okay.
Me: And what was the f word Marcus said?
Abby. He said to eff it. That's the f word.

* name changed to protect the sort of innocent.

mother talk review - the daring book for girls

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I learned I would be receiving a copy of The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. I have to tell you though, when the book was finally in my hands, well it was love at first site. Okay, maybe love is too a strong a word, but I was certainly intrigued. The cover has a real retro look that just grabbed me right away. It brought to mind the circus. Old school circus from way back when they still had a traveling freak show. Can I also tell you how much I loved that this book had no dust jacket. An excellent decision for a book you're going to want to share with your own Daring Girls.


So I know what you're thinking? Hey Shan, what's inside the book. And that, my friends is a very good question. There is so much information in this book I wonder how they got it all in between the covers. There is some very necessary information like how to play jacks because Abby got some in a treat bag from a birthday party and I didn't know what to do with them. There's also some information that I can't see needing. I mean I don't anticipate Abby needing to know how to read tide charts and if she does I'm sure it will be at a point in her life that her father and I are shelling out major dollars for her post secondary education, but hey, if she needs to know before that I have the info.

Even still there is pages and pages of information we can use now. Like the rules for Four Square. I can distinctly remember spending countless recesses playing four square at the very same school Abby is attending right now. Now I remember playing it, but I can't for the life of me remember HOW to play it. Flipping through the book was a real enjoyable walk down memory lane. Especially reading the sections about campfire songs, slumber party games, handclap games and hopscotch. Did you know there is 8 different versions of hopscotch? There is also a pretty comprehensive section on the fourteen games of tag, although that doesn't include the "toilet tag" that Abby plays during phys ed at school. There are also many sections that will serve us well in the future. Like what needs to be in every girl's tool box. Or words to impress, putting your hair up with a pencil and how to negotiate a salary.

Now this isn't a book to pick up and read from start to finish. It's a book to tuck somewhere handy and dive into it whenever you get the chance. This time maybe you get a refresher course on double dutch. Maybe next time you learn how to change a tire. And even though this is an American book, they didn't leave us Canadians out offering up seven things you probably didn't know about Canada which, disappointingly, is pretty basic information. I'm talking Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories kind of basic, but I do give them credit for even mentioning us at all.

I really have to whole heartedly recommend this book to share with the daring girls in your life. Let it help you take those important girls back to a simpler time when kids didn't grow up so fast. Before the internet, iPods and cellphones. I'm even willing to help one of you get there quicker. I have one copy of the Daring Book for Girls to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave me a comment telling me how great I am your favourite childhood game. Was it tag, jacks or maybe cats cradle. Oh how I loved playing cats cradle. I will draw a name on Friday November 9 in the evening. Good luck to all.

Buy the book at Amazon.

See the authors appearance on the Today Show.

* In the interest of full disclosure, the nice folks at Mother Talk have given me a small honourarium in exchange for my fair review.

what's cooking wednesday - fiesta chicken pasta

Well it's that time of the year again. Time for a shift in cooking. No more relying on the grill outside. Time to introduce more pasta and soup (oh glorious soup) to the menu. I do love pasta, but it can get a little boring. Am I right folks? Or is that just me? I'm not all that creative when it comes to pasta to be honest with you. I'm really just a brown some meat and open a jar of sauce kind of girl. It's usually a really good sauce, though, do I get bonus points for that? This recipe got me out of my pasta cooking rut.



Fiesta Chicken Pasta

3 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
1 tbsp oil
1 ilb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups chopped red peppers
1/4 cup zesty Italian dressing
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Kraft Mozza-Cheddar cheese

Cook pasta as directed on the package.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken. Cook and stir 6 minutes. Add peppers, dressing and chili powder; cook 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently. Stir in salsa and sour cream.

Toss pasta with chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Recipe Notes: Well this recipe was a slam dunk. At least for the adults it was. I loved that this was a departure from the usual tomato based sauces. Mike's not a huge pasta fan to begin with and he only really likes a red meat sauce. The only change I made, unintentionally, was extra "sauce". You see, I opened a brand new bottle of Pace salsa for this recipe and stupidly poured it into the measuring cup over the pan. So of course the bottle did that funny little "glug" thing that brand new full bottles do when they are desperate for air and my measuring cup runneth over. So I just eyeballed a somewhat equal amount of sour cream into the pan and mixed it up. To be honest I did like it a little more on the saucy side, so I would certainly make that mistake again. Oh and I threw the red pepper in and sauted it with the chicken.

Mike: 4/5
Shan: 4.5/5
Abby: I don't like this chicken, can I have another bread?
Maya: Eats half a piece of cheese, mushes the rest of the rest of the food into the table with her fork.

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret. Much to Kaffy's chagrin, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday.

Thanks and Enjoy.

planning ahead

Tonight Abby and I were watching TV when an ad for Nicoderym (the nicotine patch) came on. The one about the flight attendant who tried to quit smoking on her own and the commercial shows several clips of her losing her temper with various passengers. This time though, she's going to give Nicoderym a try, she tell us as she slaps a patch on her arm. The commercial finishes and Abby is quiet for a moment.

Abby: When I get bigger I'm going to have to get some of those.
Me: Why is that?
Abby: Because I don't want to be mean to all my friends.

i'm it

I have a bad habit of forgetting that I've been tagged and this time would be no exception. The lovely Tish tagged me for the Blue Tea Meme. Here are the rules:

“Devise a list of 5-10 courses you would take to fix your life. It’s more fun to be in classes with friends, so include one class from the person who tagged you that you’d also like to take. Tag five.”

Here’s my course schedule:

CSS: All I know about CSS you could fit in a thimble, no wait. Do you have anything smaller than a thimble? All the html I know I taught myself. As much as I'd like to delude myself I couldn't figure this out on my own. So Tish, I'll be your classmate for this one, but you have promise you'll let me copy off your page... or I guess screen would be a better description.

Knitting: I know the basics. Truly the very basics. Grandma Linda was trying to explain to me how to knit a winter hat and she lost me at knit one, purl two. Basics. No joke.

Cake Decorating: Again, here I know the basics. Which serves me well, but it might be fun to learn how to do all the incredibly fancy stuff.

Typing: Is it too late to take typing? I didn't take it in high school. Did I miss the boat? I'm not a bad typer, although I do make stupid mistakes, like I always spell you yoiu. Every single time because I don't know exactly where my fingers should be. All this back spacing is stealing valuable seconds from my life.

Pole dancing or belly dancing: You know because it's always good to have a marketable skill. I've heard rumors that a local dancer, Melanie Melonballs, teaches a great class.

Now I know I'm supposed to tag five other people, but tags can be a lot of pressure. So if you'd like to play along feel free.

how does she know we talk about her at work

It was just Abby and I at church today. Well the rest of the congregation was there. And the Minister. Oh and Grandma Linda in the choir, but in "our" pew it was just Abby and I. Papa is away and Mike was home with Maya. We stretched out a little bit taking up most of the pew. Abby skipped the colouring she usually does and opted, instead, for the magnetic "paper dolls". I sat listening to the announcements and idly snapping magnetic skirts and handbags onto one of the two "dolls" Abby had out. It was then I heard it. The sound was rapid and loud, almost like machine gun fire. It took a minute for the realization to hit, my daughter just farted (while wearing a Cinderella tiara, I might add). In church. And it was so not quiet. She whispered and "excuse me" with a bit of a grin on her face and the rest of the service passed with no further embarrassments.

Later that day I told the story to Mike. When I finished Abby looked at her Dad and said, very seriously, "Don't tell your friends at work that I farted in Church. Okay, Dad?"

Blogging about it though, that's okay.

no rest for the omnipotent

Mike is currently outside attempting to de-junk the garage. Abby is currently outside and being "helpful". The step ladder is off to the side and while Mike and I are busy with something else Abby climbs up it until she can touch the ceiling.

Abby: Hey! Let's play God.
Mike & Shan: Whaaa?
Abby: Let's play God.
Shan: How do you play that?
Abby: I'll be God and you be the humans down there.
Shan: Okaaaaaay.
Abby: I'll say Hello and you say who is that, okay Mommy?
Shan: Okaaaaaay.
Abby: Hello!
Shan: Who is that?
Abby: It's God! Are there any problems down there?
Shan: No, I think we're okay. Thanks for asking.
Abby: I'm going to come down there.
Abby climbs down the ladder and walks over to Mike and I.
Mike: Hi God.
Abby: Hi. Okay, I'm going back up to Heaven now.
Abby climbs back up the ladder
Abby: Hey, are there any problems down there?
Mike: Nope.
This entire time Mike has been attempting to remove a bicycle tire from it's rim with little success.
Abby: Well that looks like a problem.

Folks I wasn't sure whether to laugh or to explain to her what blasphemy was.

Okay, that's not really true. I laughed. A lot.