Snow?

Ahhhh it'd be so nice wouldn't it. I hate the cold, but this cold rain is even worse.....just freeze up and SNOW already! Typical Alabama...low 40s with....Adam this is for you...precip....

So, we are getting all decked for Christmas, and, if you want to see all the special touches....the trees in the kids' rooms, the playroom decor, the vontage Christmas pictures all about, etc., then you have to COME OVER.

It's an open house, basically, so just let me know when you want to visit and we'll arrange it.

In the meantime....a few picture....including our insanely crooked real Christmas tree. Somehow we missed the fact that it has scoliosis AND is entirely bald on the backside. Hmmmmm....I guess it was out excitement when the kids both started yelling in unison that "THIS [WAS] THE TREE!!!" It was like a light shone from it that was visible only in the twinkle stars batting blue eyes and a light of goodness fell over it and we got home to find the girth is almost unmanageable (I think that is so funny), we can't get it to look straight because the entire trunk is almost in the shape of a C, and the entire "back" of the tree has no limbs.

Orange Marscapone Cream Baked French Toast

The first time I cooked for Adam, I made pasta....and the pasta was not done....and I struggled, even with clearly written recipes time after time.

12 years later I, too, dream of a summer in the Hamptons, gardening, polishing up my Spanish, and enjoying Ina Garten as a neighbor....

A little creation I enjoyed enough to share...buen apetito!




6 small french bread loaves or 1 large french bread loaf
4 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 c half and half or heavy whipping cream
2 tbs cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla

Cut bread into 4ths for each small loaf or about 16 slices for large loaf. Liberally butter a 9x13 baking pan and place slices into pan (smoosh them together if you need to). Combine other 4 ingredients and pour over bread. Your 9x13 should be almost full and your slices should be about 3/4 submerged. Cover with foil and chill in refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, carefully pour or ladle off some of the excess liquid (if it isn't all soaked into the bread).

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

1 stick of butter
3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c honey

During the 20 minute cook time, melt 3 ingredients above together in saucepan on cooktop. Bring just to a bubble. Pour over french toast.

Cook all for another 20 minutes.

THIS IS IMPORTANT, depending on how soaked your bread got, it could take an additional 20-40 minutes to bake through good. You may have to drain liquid off during cooking to get your toast to the consistency you want. Ultimtately, you want a golden crunch to your exterior and a soft fluff to your interior (but cooked!)

1/2 c mascarpone cream
grated orange rind
freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 to 1 c powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients using a beater to desired consistency and sweetness. Add more sugar for sweetness and more juice for a thinner drizzle.

Plate your french toast and drizzle with the cream (put some extra cream on the side, you'll want it!) Top with toasted pecans if desired.

If you want this fancy, curl some orange rind to top or sprinle with more cinnamon.....OR candy your pecans ahead of time.

This was my "special breakfast" to end the holiday weekend! Onward to Christmas we go........

Born on the cusp in the month of November.....

They were born together...Ben at 8:04 (roughly on the dot) and Alya about 30-40 seconds later, also, technically at 8:04. She has her own birth time - 8:05.

There is an ultrasound photo floating around in a memoir box that shows Ben head butting Alya in the ass. I like to think it was a moment captured in time that was payback for whatever she was doing to him in utero. If you are in touch with your body at all and have given birth to a child, you had a suspicion about that child's personality before they were born. We nailed ours.

Adam likes to think the children disspell all theories of astrology. I think it is simply stated that Ben is a Sagittarius and Alya is a Scorpio. If you are unsure, look them up....

Ben is a fun kid. He is happy and goofy and always looking for fun. He is sensitive and thoughtful and bright. He loves nothing more than doing math on the calculator and reading books. Ben is easy to please. He is always willing to snuggle and love. He is very expressive and articulate. He is slightly extroverted and motivated to find solutions to problems. I can always count on Ben to do what I ask, to be dependable, and to follow instructions. He is also the supreme goofball. I'd say he is all boy, but he isn't much of a runner or jumper or climber....and aren't those stereotypical "boy" characteristics. Ben is a lover, not a fighter...if anything sums him up, it's that.









Alya is as unique as her name. You never know what you are going to get. Everything in Alya's world occurs on her terms and by her coditions. When she loves, it is deeply and sweetly, and when she is mad, she is explosive. Alya is a beautiful, free-spirited child. She is more relaxed and less structured than her brother. Alya loves to go with the flow of things and just be in the moment. She is very introverted and will cautiously watch a group before joining in (if she joins in). She adores her brother and depends on him for a lot of her social interaction. Alya loves animals and nature and has a true passion for all living things. She is a girly girl, adores dresses and being a princess.












Ben and Alya are a perfect mix. The do have a bond that in unique to anything I have ever seen between siblings. I guess you never truly understand a twin bond until you see it in action every day. They love each other so much. We love them so much. Being blessed with them both, so very unique and different - having those distinct personalities to love and enjoy is such a wonderful, wonderful experience...every.single.day.

5 years have passed...ever so quickly...and we've gotten to know Ben and Alya ever so well, and, I am thankful beyond words for what we've shared and for what lies ahead.

Ben will always make sure the balloons don't fly away...



Alya will always share love on her terms.....




They'll always make each other laugh..



And they'll always be able to get in touch with their inner most goofy selves thanks to having someone objectively, unconditionally love them no matter what...their twin brother and sister (and mommy and daddy)....but sincerely, how nice to have someone their age who loves them ever so much who they can bounce ideas off of, and be themselves with...it just seems like the greatest thing ever....or maybe watching it as a mommy is the greatest thing ever. All I know is I feel a love and a joy when I am with them that nothing can ever touch.



And now we must go, for gifts have been opened and sprinkle doughnuts devoured and they are tiring of their games. Off we go to celebrate....

London

I got this in the mail and felt it was inappropriate. How many people did this get by before they mailed it to everyon in America?


I had to delete the rest of this post. Sorry. It was good.

Severed Hand

There is a miniature Adam Landingham (aka Ben, aka Brown, aka Benja Ninja) standing at the foot of the recliner offering kisses. I took as many as I could get. I asked him if he'd get in my lap and waller and snuggle. He won't.

Ahhh...just.like.his.father.

You know why I think this union has lasted 12 years? I'll give you some theories...just theories...but here we go:

1. We both sort of dislike physical affection. I know....TMI...well, not really, when there is no "I" to offer :) Now, obviously a marriage cannot be great and last without there being chemistry, and, I do not deny the chemistry we have, but, that is private, and not blog worthy, and I'll ask my closest girlfriends not to make any funny remarks here or on Facebook, because, yes, I know we've made some good jokes and nicknames, but that stays in the loop. Capice? Besides, I've almost written enough here to get an agitated look from Adam when he reads this. The thing is, we do not feel compelled to waller about, kiss in public, be touchy feely at all times. Bleh. That is what works for us.

2. We are antisocial. We are antisocial to the point of avoiding one another. Adam has things he enjoys, and I have things I enjoy. This means that when we have time together for us, it is for us. Otherwise you generally will not find us in the same room of the house.

3. We enjoy the same things. We like the same kind of music and movies and outdoor activites. We like to travel and eat nice meals and hang out when we can. Refer to #2. If we are going to "hang out" we generally just enjoy hanging with each other. We do have friends we enjoy a lot, but, generally, we are in our little world.

4. We like to make terrible jokes and say mean things about the world...I am sure everyone does this, but, I often think if someone was a fly on our wall, they'd think we were nuts. We have dry and odd senses of humor...Adam moreso than me...he has definitely marred my thinking over the years.

5. I am convinced Adam is the most handsome, intelligent, interesting, funny, cool, sexy man I have ever met. I have never thought differently. He just keeps improving too.

6. We have wondeful children who enrich our lives every day. We enjoy them, and we enjoy the dynamic of the four of us. I think if we could have a dream day, it'd be spent just the 4 of us in an intersting place, doing things outdoors, going to museums or markets, eating good food, and just hanging out.

RCM

I'm famous.

more

Still not all the best ones...and I have had no time for decent editing, but I will keep them coming as I can.

It's Killing Me

I need a better camera...and lens...and editing software...

But who ISN'T a photographer these days...

These aren't the pick of the bunch, nor are they edited....but these are three pictures in succession. There was an exchange between the kids, a moment of laughter, and then Alya turned to me and smiled while Ben immediately traveled off into thought.







Nikon, Olympus, Canon, Adobe Photoshop, etc....it's all good....ultimately, what counts is that I caught the moment.

Oh there are some dandy pictures in here....dandy indeed.....

Dental Appliance

Ben pronounces "REGULAR" like this: "REGLIAR" and he pronounces the word "BINOCULARS" this way: "BINOCLIARS". He also cannot enunciate the "shhh" sound properly (thanks overbite). Is it wrong of me to think this is funny and cute, and to ask him to say these words just so I can hear him do it? Is it the equivalent of my mother and grandmother taking me to department stores in the 70s, dressing me in ridiculous outfits, and laughing at me? Is it? Because so far, I have avoided antagonizing him about it.

The kids began visiting the dentist at about 10 months old. I was adamant that they go after they each had 2 teeth. They went, and I was told when they were maybe....I don't know...2...that they'd both need work done. Hm...

Alya has a cross bite which will require an appliance in a couple of years. Ben has an excessively noticeable overbite that will require braces at 11 or 12. Ben...I'm sold....Alya...I want more info. Any of you parents out there know anything about this? It seems painful, and I am not sure how necessary it is. I will, of course, ask more questions of the dentist, but, for now, I want other parents' input.

You know, when I was young, I wanted braces so badly...and glasses....but the braces are the thing here. I remember asking if I could get them and being so sad when I was told "no". One day, while I was out for my daily bike ride (sidenote here, how do 8 year old children end up so pudgy, er um, husky, even when they exercise every single day...what was I eating?) I found a piece of metal on the road. It was long and thin and cylindrical.....perfect retainer....Now, for whatever reason, I had a Crown Royal bag hanging off the front of my bicycle. I took that metal and molded it around my top teeth and curled it around the back of my molars and had myself a homemade retainer. I was so proud. I'd put it in that crown royal bag before I went inside so my mother didn't see it, because I knew having that metal in my mouth was wrong, I just did not know why.

I'm surprised the guilt didn't eat me. Maybe she figured it out before my OCD kicked in. Whatever happened, my relationship with the homemade retainer was short lived. I remember getting in trouble and feeling sad that my dental appliance was gone.

Years later I'd be given a small retainer for my front bottom teeth as I have two adult teeth that never came in (thus the huge gap between my bottom teeth).....the plastic container it is in reads: 'dental appliance'...my husband wrote 'luxurious' in front of it because he knew how special it made me feel to finally have a mouthpiece as such. I never stuck with it, though...it just hurt way too bad.

So...I know the braces are inevitable. Can I get away without stretching Alya's entire mouth roof though??? Thoughts.....

Epiphany

You'd think some life altering event occurred between October 9 and now. Right?

I sincerely feel like I can't quite recall what all has happened. I just know everything feels different, and I am thankful for that.

Did I mention the Facebook statuses? Have I done that? For example, I wanted to comment on my own status earlier today with....well....it is so inappropriate, I just can't handle myself. And I fall apart a little every day, because, let's be honest....I'm not going to share all of my personal this and thats and what nots. I am ever so twitterpated with myself, and I get far too excited over the simplest things, and, if certain folks didn't have Facebook access to me, I'd just post what I think. [A.D.D.]

But I can't post what I think...because people get so serious...and you know suddenly divorced, suddenly Christian, suddenly whatever it is that requires a FB status update....a FB status update? Really, didn't you have someone you could call, or share coffee with...on a couch...maybe you should have been lying down? I never had to lay down. I think he was scared I'd fall asleep and never wake up....that or he was just too intrigued by my stories to ask me to lay back. That'd have wasted about 47 seconds of the 60 minutes, right? The asking and the laying.

You guys are really in the gutter here. Tsk. Tsk.

But, for the 99% of the fun ones, that's right, I adore FB because, well....it's fun. And it's easy. And....I like to talk about myself....so it all melds well.

Plus, I am able to be involved in things I probably would not be involved in otherwise.

Is it just me, or, when I try to be serious, do I just become all slovenly, martyrish and abysmal? It is so gross. I need to get over myself. We all need to get over ourselves.

Is this suddenly the most bipolar post ever? I'm trying to get it all situated....it might take a minute. I sincerely think something about having the ticker tinkered with alters your memory. It has ruined my ability to articulate anything...it is as if I am slowly rehabing [1]. Almost like I had a little mini-stroke...did I have a little mini-stroke? Maybe he forgot to tell me when I almost vomited.

That was my take away...sans a terrible thigh bruise and a still sometimes slightly tender groin and a bit of lightheadedness when I run....my take away was a bit of a refreshed perspective. Don't get jumpy. I'm not an optimist, or a game hunter, or a Herman Cain supporter (oh Herman, I'd so give my entire savings to be able to go back to that sad, sad month in 2005 when I had to endure those Methotrexate shots and I'd totally take you with me.....on second thought, you couldn't pay me the current amount of the Powerball to go back) or anything crazy like that. I don't crave liver or subscribe to Reader's Digest. I'm still me through and through...I'm just revived a bit and in a position to see everything clearer.

Where does that leave YOU? I don't know. Maybe Stephen King needs a little Richard Bachmann.

If you know where to look, you'll surely be able to find me............

[1] (I don't know how to appropriately postscript). Boy the White House would be glad to know that.

The Shining

We've returned to our old love - nature....I was never able to hike well packing a kid, so, we've had to wait until they could manage things well enough to get back out there.

We're back out there.

This was a recent day trip to Mentone (specifically Desoto State Park and Desoto Falls). We enjoy taking advantage of our local parks and such as well, but it just felt like it was time for a REAL trip...a big boy and big girl trip. It was phenomenal.

We had such an amazing time. Sorry it took so long for me to get the pictures up. Enjoy.

Calculus

Apparently butthole + butthole = 2 and poop + poop = butthole.

Soooo poop x 4 = 2?

.5poop

I don't know. I try to keep up. The sad thing is, I totally get the kids' senses of humor, and I laugh (usually harder than them) at the things they say, because they just aren't right. But then sometimes, I think they are right and they are just messing with me, because I am gullible and airheaded and they think it is funny.

They are obsessed with things like the woman in flames on the side of the hot water heater, and, it puts me in an awkward spot, because how do you explain that? I try...sometimes Alya will ask if I am telling a lie. "No, Alya, in fact I am telling the truth....the water heater caught fire and the woman went down with it."

I mean I am not sure how you skirt those things, and the kids see straight through any attempt I make a subtely, so I get stuck....and they force me to share what Ioften feel quite certain is far too much ifnormation for 4 year olds.

But I find they don;t seem to have irrational fears or concerns, maybe that is a stage yet to come. I don't know. I just know we shoot straight around here and it seems to be a good thing.

I finally hung my grandmother's vintage handkerchiefs over Alya's window...I think a couple were hers and then I picked some up at antique stores years ago. They really look so cute!



I'm starting to dream of Halloween decorations...........




The kids got to spend the week with George and Joey last week...they spent Friday at the apple orchard and brought home apples and pumpkins!

jet lag

Don't tell Alya. I caught them glued to the TV, so I stole the opportunity to take a picture...or two...




before she caught on....




I don't understand her utter disdain with being photographed. Ben loves it. I've never done anything different with one that the other..well, other than those millions of nuances of the way they like "their things"...they are, after all, as different as night and day.

I just wish I understood her opposition.

Agenda

We are not gone. I promise. We are just SOOOOOO BUSY!!!!! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???????

A few pictures of the bext nephew in the world! He came by last week to take some pictures for his 1st b'day party invite :)






We are just keeping on keeping on. I'd love to post all the details, because it has all been so fun and exciting, but if this is as "in the loop" as you are, then push, push, push.....it's much better in here........