Veteran's Day

May all who are serving today come home safe. May all those who have served find peace and love at home.

New Car

Well, a new used car.

A very low-mileage 1998 Toyota Camry. 4 doors, I can see over the steering wheel and reach the pedals without needing to turn off the airbag. Green with beige interior.

It's nimble and just the right size for the three of us.

So.

Staples and stitches come out Tuesday.

I am really very grateful that it wasn't worse. It could have been so much worse.

Musical Interlude

Beethovan's Wig:



There's more where that came from.

Introducing Aang, the Avatar

Yes, his head is shaved. It'll grow back.

Ingredients: gold (not yellow!) sweatpants and mock turtle-neck; some orange fabric that my mom made into a poncho and sash for MM; a stick from my UncleTandemBicycle; two pieces of orange tissue wrapping and two pieces of orange art paper folded into fans; two blue cream eye pencils; and a shaved head.

Car Recommendation

I don't know if you're in the market for a mini-van, but if you are, I can heartily recommend the Kia Sedona.

I am 4'11" and can comfortably drive the Sedona. The driver's seat is adjustable to allow a person as short as I am to reach the pedals, see over the steering wheel, and still sit far enough away from the wheel to not have to shut off the airbag. My husband, at 5'10", also found it comfortable to drive.

I have been able to fit seven people in the car (6 adults and a child), and it seats 6 very comfortably.

And...

Ours was totalled.

Totalled.

And my son, who was in the car, (driver's side, middle set of seats) is totally fine. Not a scratch, not a bruise.

My only injury (aside from a couple of bruises), was from hitting my head on the place where the seatbelt attaches to the wall of the car.

We were both wearing our seatbelts, but the car did what it was supposed to do. My car is a wreck, it will be sold for scrap, but we are fine.

So. If you're in the market for a mini-van. I recommend the Kia Sedona.

And I'm glad to be able to do so.

Was gonna post last night for NaBloPoMo

but something came up. Home now and doing well. Thanking everybody for their kind words and loving thoughts. Thanking also the great EMTs and the staff at Loudoun Hospital for taking such wonderful care of me.

His feet are growing by leaps and bounds

Two sizes in less than a year. His sneakers last Spring? Size 1. His sandals this past Summer? Size 2. His new shoes and sneakers? Size 3. He grows out of his shoes so fast, he doesn't wear 'em out first. Good thing he has a friend with smaller feet.

Spicy ginger peanut sauce

Oh my goodness, I made my best batch EVER.

1 inch of ginger root, peeled and minced
1 whooping big scoop of creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp corn syrup
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 or 2 drops of fish sauce (I KNOW! But really! It works!)
1 shallot finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Peanut oil for the wok
Sesame oil to finish.

Mix ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce, corn syrup, vinegar, and fish sauce until well blended.

In a wok or high-sided frying pan, heat the peanut oil and saute the shallots and garlic. Add the peanut butter mixture and heat briefly. Add sesame oil. Pour over noodles or chicken or veggies. You could garnish with green onions if you'd like.

So very, very, very yummerific.

Songs that make me think of other songs

This:



and this:



and this:



always get me humming this:



What songs make you think of other songs?

We're having pizza tonight

Homemade, but not from scratch:

Large King of Pita pitas (6 ingredients, no HFCS)
Canned tomato sauce (because my homemade stuff is a bit too chunky for pizza. 7 ingredients, no HFCS)
Fresh mozzarella (5 ingredients, no HFCS)
Wegmans all-natural uncured dry Italian salami (7 ingredients, no HFCS)
Mushrooms

Yum.

What we're doing around here

MM is acing tests (spelling, math, geography: all A+) and enjoying school immensely. Once a week, he goes to a Lego builders thing after school, the rest of the week he goes straight to Posh Place.

We're all doing MadLibs (thanks, Cousin LooksLikeAndyMcDowell!), playing Connect4x4 (thanks QuiltsALot and TellsDonaldDuckStories!), and MM is playing Spoor (thanks Aunt and Uncle TandemBicycle and Cousin SameBirthdayAsMe!)

I'm volunteering in MM's class again this year to help with spelling tests on Fridays. I love it.

We spent the weekend with lots of family at Aunt and Uncle TandemBicycle's house, and had a terrific time. They gave me 8 cups worth of fresh basil to take home and now we have an ocean of pesto.

Tomorrow, Mr. Spock and I go to a shindig to celebrate the Republic of China (Taiwan). So, all in all, it's been a pretty darn good week around here.

My blogroll and earworms

Purple Kangaroo wrote this post, and now I've got this song in my head.

Home sick

Coughing and generally feverish. MS made me some lovely soup for lunch and now I'm back in bed with my laptop.

This morning we watched two videos of MM when he was 23 months and 31 months. The difference in his looks and speech are pretty amazing. At 23 months, he is clearly still a baby. At 31 months, he's starting to look like he does now. It's amazing what 8 months will do.

In the earlier video, he can see himself on the tv while the video is being filmed, and his joy in seeing FUHDEN!! That's FUHDEN! is just the sweetest thing EVER.

So I'm just a bit weepy now, but I'm blaming it on the fever.

My blogroll and earworms

Crystal wrote this post, so now this song is in my head and will. not. leave. So I generously invite you all to hum along.

Mystery Mommy has a new wardrobe!!

Mr. Spock made the spiffy new header for me. It isn't even my birthday!

Walking, Whining, and Whiplash.

Him: "I don't want to walk to the pie store! I don't like pie! I don't want to walk! I'm exhausted. I'm tiiiired. My legs aren't up to walking that far."

Me: "Well, I like pie. The pie store is three blocks from where we are. We're walking there. And that's it."

Him: "Oh! They have CUPCAKES! And Whoopie Pies! Oh! Can I have a cupcake? Can I have a Whoopie Pie? Oh! Can I have a cupcake AND a Whoopie Pie?"

Me: "Repeat after me. Mommy, you were right and I was wrong."

Him: "Mommy, you were right and I was wrong."

Me: "Walking here was worth it."

Him: "Walking here was worth it."

Me: "Yes, you may have the two desserts."

Riding in the car this morning...

and listening to the radio, I was reminded of this post. That mopey song will make me laugh every time I hear it.

An open letter to the makers of the film "Prince Caspian"

What. Were. You. Thinking?

Most of the movie (so far) is not how it was in the book. The book is terrific! The movie....is not. What the hell did you do to Peter? What was that with the attack on the castle? Who made these decisions? And why? Why?

Sincerely,

Mystery Mommy

An open letter to the makers of the film "Prince Caspian"

What. Were. You. Thinking?

View from the Waiting Room

Sitting in the waiting room at the car shop, waiting for them to change the oil, rotate the tires, and do all the stuff one likes to get done before traveling in holiday traffic 6 hours each way.

Sitting next to me is Muffin Man. Patiently playing his DS and twisted up like a pretzel.



We're going to the open house at his school today so he can meet his new teacher, Ms. Marvelock (not her real name), which is why I have the day off and why he's not at his daycamp (at Posh Place).

When we get the car back, we're heading back home to get his big bag o' school supplies (including green ballpoints - found at Staples, just like my friend said!)

After the open house, we're heading over to Big Box Book Store to buy presents for sundry relatives of various ages, then we'll do I don't know what, and then I'll drop MM off with his sitter so that I can attend Back-to-School Night at his school (parents only!).

So, in sum, it's a lazy, busy, errand-y, special day. And my son is flexible.