No Sour Grapes Here

Ally and I have been spending a lot of time over at the new house while Chris is at work. We like to pretend to accomplish a great deal though it's obvious that we don't ever really make much progress. Ally and I are very easily sidetracked by the many flowers to sniff, grapes to eat, and cupboards to play in. Women's work is never done, so why rush it? Maybe when our new flooring is finally installed and we're officially moved in, I'll become more serious about organizing the house. Right now, we'll just stick to exploring Ally's new kingdom.

I decided to post some pictures here of the beautiful things the previous owners so carefully cultivated for our current enjoyment. Hopefully they'll grow again next year--especially the roses-- despite my lack of knowledge and a green thumb. Truthfully, I will not be too disappointed if some of the grapevines happen to die. We have an overabundance of grapes at present time, and I know we inherited them at the end of the season. It scares me to think of how much fruit they yield annually. Besides giving them away or turning them into raisins, does anyone have a good recipe or suggestion?







Do you see the bee?






These are either sunflowers or sunflower cousins. Either way, I think they began dying shortly after I took the picture. It seems the grapevines wanted to give them a really good hug. Not knowing their own strength, the vines accidentally smothered the stalks. I did some pruning, so we'll see what happens. Of course, the weather is starting to change and the cold will eventually get the best of them anyway. I know, such happy thoughts. . .








one rose












two roses














four roses








They keep multiplying!


Too bad you don't have smell-o-vision, 'cause these pictures would be quite fragrant!

Michael Scott Protegee

As usual, please excuse the graininess (that's really a word!) and darkness of the videos. I just couldn't pass up another opportunity to show off our daughter's incredible dance moves. When Ally grows up, she'll probably try to get an office job in Scranton . . .





Well, that's enough blog-posting for tonight. We have been doing more than just watching TV and laughing at Ally recently, I promise. No crazy out-of-town excursions these past few weeks, but I can give you a full report on all the gadgets and gizmos and flooring and such to be found at the local Home Depot. I think I'll save that exciting entry for another day. For now, you can continue reading down this blog to learn about a great Eagles fan. I'm going to bed.

Fly Eagles Fly, On The Road To non-Victory

Monday Night Football featured the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowpoke. Ally got all dressed up in her cheerleader outfit (Thank you, Grandma!) and watched the game over at Daddy's coworker's house (Thank you, Lynn and Ralph!). To our surprise, Ally could already recognize the symbol on her belly and could say "eagle" fairly well without any coaching. I guess she was born to be a lifetime fan. And, true to loyal Philly fan-dom, Ally already doesn't care much for the Cowboys; every time they were mentioned, she'd Mooooo!

While Ally was busy rearranging Lynn's placemats and fridge magnets, Chris was busy watching the game and requesting blood pressure medication, and Karen was busy eating half a pizza and trying to keep up with the action. We were hoping for a different final score, but at least Ally was a winner in her little outfit. I hear there's another Eagles game on this Sunday, and we'll be able to watch it from the comfort of our own couch. That means I should look through our boxes and find Chris' Eagles football so he'll have something to throw at the TV screen. Don't worry, it's stuffed.

Tickle Torture

I realize it's been a week since the last post. I apologize for not keeping everyone updated on our latest and greatest news. While Ally is busy eating her leftover chicken strips and french fries, I'll try to fill in the vague details of our life.
My good friend Jessica flew in from North Carolina last Wednesday. She came for a visit; we put her to work painting and cooking and shopping and child-rearing. Jess was a very good sport about the whole thing, and I really appreciated having an extra pair of hands and an adult to talk to during the day. Although I've always wanted to be the one raising my children, I now think having a full-time nanny around is a fabulous idea. Too bad we'll never be able to afford one (or find one as good as Jess). She left a few days ago, and Ally still wanders around the house asking, "Where's Jessie?" And, Ally just took a break from shoveling food into her mouth to come up here and kiss the picture. Jess, we love you. And now the whole blogworld knows it.

This video is a little dark, but people seem to like the videos and this one shows off Ally's squeaky laugh. I should take a video of Ally watching this video, 'cause then you'd get to hear double the squeaks!



The big news is: We closed on the houses! The Pinehurst house left our hands on August 29th; the Richland house became ours at 4:45pm on September 5th. Little by little, we are making some changes and moving our belongings over to the new place. We're taking our time, so if anyone else needs a vacation destination over the next fews weeks, your more than welcome to "visit" us in Washington!

Baby Kisses and Oinks

This past weekend we took a trip up to Spokane to visit my Grandma and my Aunt Kathy. They both know a lot about quilting, and I was hoping they'd help me get started with my long-time goal of actually making a quilt. Of course, even the best laid plans never seem to work out. Ally started spiking major temps, didn't sleep for 2 full nights, and was super-clingy. It's kind of hard to pay attention, learn something new, and use a sewing machine with a crankster attached to your chest-- especially when you feel so bad for the little one. Little by little we muddled through, and now I only have to finish the binding (the little strip that runs along the edge of the quilt to cover all the layers). Thank you, Aunt Kathy and Grandma, for your patience and willingness to share your skills and materials!

I wanted to post this blog with a picture of the finished project; however I realized at the rate I'm going, I wouldn't publish another blog entry for a few months. . . Maybe I'll remember to post a picture of Ally's new quilt when I'm finished, 'cause I'm really proud of myself. So, instead of ohh-ing and ahh-ing at my handiwork, you can enjoy some new video of Ally. (That's probably why everyone checks this site anyway.)


In the first 2 videos, Ally will demonstrate her great love of self and knowledge of animal sounds.

It's hard to get a good video or picture of Ally these days 'cause she always wants to be the one holding the camera so she can watch the person on the digital screen. Here she is trying to take charge, and not understanding why the baby keeps disappearing . . .