Sunday, December 31, 2006

P.S. Happy Belated Birthday, Mr. Kluges!

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
By the way,

Happy Belated Birthday
to
Mr. Kluges!

who celebrated on December 30th!

I love you, honey!

E stands for . . . errrrr.....

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

My good friend All Knowing Jen did the alphabet meme on her blog. Thanks to her and the letter M, I now know about the made-it-through-the-first-year birthday drink. Yay! I also got to find out what Aunt Templeton likes about R, Pusher's favorite Ls, what Syl thinks C is for and the Ts Ang thinks are terrific.

Since I wanted to play, too, I asked her for a letter.

All-Knowing Jen gave me E.

Now I'm a girl who likes a challenge, but I have the feeling this is going to take a while & that I'm definitely going to have to remember to change the date/time of this post from when I save it as a draft 'cuz there's no way I'm coming up with 10 E things I like in one sitting. Now if she'd have given me the vowel O, maybe. I mean, there's olives (YUM!), and ogliotropic (which is one of the things I love about Lake Superior and a term I learned while visiting an aquarium up there on my honeymoon), and oil (as in massage, olive, as a tool for deepfrying, scented...), but no.

It's E.

So here goes... 10 things I like that start with the letter E.
  1. Easter eggs - I love dyeing Easter eggs! They're a special holiday memory for me as well as just being fun. You see, my dad's family is much more numerous than my mom's side and we lived very near a lot of them. That mean many holidays were spent with the Huises. But Easter was different. For Easter we did the big 4 hour trek up to the Cities and stayed with my other grandma (who might get her own entry... hmmm....). And we dyed Easter eggs. And got jelly beans and chocolate bunnies and hid the eggs (several times 'cuz it was so fun) around her house. (However, here in Ireland, eggs are brown. Which makes it much harder to dye them. I even wrote about it last Easter... and included pictures!) Anyway, Easter eggs rock.
  2. Eyes - Some women like butts; others like big muscles; I like eyes. I love that sexy, intense, you're-the-only-one-in-my-universe look that Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, and the younger version of Harrison Ford can do so well. Oh, melt!
  3. Experiences - Doing new things is a big thrill for me. If you read my entry about 34 things I've done in my 34 years, you'll see that I like doing new things. Also, I just gotta mention the Girls' Adventure Weekends as experiences I've loved!
  4. Emma Bull - This MN author wrote War for the Oaks, which was my favorite book for ages and still has a special place in my heart. It's very much a book of a certain place and time, but I love her descriptions, especially when it's of a place I've been. This book and a stuffed animal were the two anti-homesick items I brought along for my 3 months in New Zealand back in 1995.
  5. Europe - Ok, I can use this as a blanket E to cover the 5+ months in 2002 when Mr. Kluges and I cut loose and backpacked, mostly in Ireland, but also visiting Paris, Germany, Belgium, Italy (yay for Venice, Rome & Pompeii), Prague, and London. Also our visit to France and Germany this past summer, not to mention that we're currently living in the continent.
  6. Ella Fitzgerald - I can occasionally be found belting out "Something's Gotta Give" or "They Can't Take That Away From Me" in the privacy of my car...when I'm all by myself... and nobody else can hear me.
  7. Embryo - Mr. Kluges came up with this one when I told him what letter I was assigned. Yup, I gotta say I am excited about being pregnant and adding a second child to our family. (Not about the not drinking or various discomforts or the pain and agony of labor, but the rest of it and ending up with a baby, you know.)
  8. Ernie - and the rest of Jim Henson's muppets. Sesame Street, the Muppet Show - they're such fond childhood memories! (Thanks, Jaysan for this idea... you'll notice I didn't use the other one!)
  9. Eating - Yup, I'm a big fan. I love popcorn, corn on the cob, chocolate, mushrooms, black olives, steak, good hamburgers, thick french fries, ice cream, and oh, so many other yummy things!
  10. Extra - as in extra helping of chocolate cheesecake, extra cash, extra long hot bath, extra pair of clean socks when yours get wet, extra chocolate-y hot chocolate (like from O'Conaill Chocolate in Cork City), extra piece of pepperoni and mushroom pizza, extra long backrub, extra cob of fresh sweet corn, etc. etc. etc.!
And there you go - 10 things I like that start with E! I did it! Let one of us know if you want a letter for yourself!

P.S. Happy New Year! It's only a little more than an hour 'til we hit 2007, but a bit longer for most of the rest of you. Anyway, best wishes for '07!

Friday, December 29, 2006

Pretty Ireland

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************


After a length bout of "I'm not sleepy; I don't want to nap!" grumpiness from Pumpkin, she's finally down. So I figured I'd try to get some pix ready to maybe add an entry or two to my poor neglected Honest Erin's Unofficial Tourism Site blog. Not a lot to say today, so I think all I'll get done is choosing and resizing photos and uploading them into drafts, but hey, it's more than I've done since September.

Anyway, I figured I'd share one of my favorites with you. This is a shot of Mizen Head, Ireland's most southwestern point. Pretty, huh?

And here's the front of St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, where we went to church on Christmas.


Thursday, December 28, 2006

A quick catch-up post

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Sorry for the lack of postings lately. We've been busy with the holidays & with my in-laws here. Just sent them off EARLY this morning when Mr. Kluges brought them to the airport. And by early I mean they left the house at 4:30 in the a of m. And no, we didn't wake up Pumpkin to see them off; in fact, she very kindly slept until close to 8:30 this morning!

Today I have been running the washer and dryer constantly. I actually stripped the sheets off the guest bed and threw them in before re-retiring at 4:35 myself just 'cuz it takes so long and I knew I had plenty o' washing to do between sheets, towels, clothes & such. Pumpkin and I tidied, tried to find homes for all the new toys, and put together her new little kitchen today. I LOVE having visitors, but it always takes a couple of days to catch up after they leave, you know?

Poor Pumpkin came down with a cold the day before the inlaws arrived and snuffled and coughed her way through the whole week. Today was the first day I didn't have to dose her up with kids' cough meds, poor thing. She was up 10 times or so the first night of her cold before we got medicine 'cuz she was too stuffy to breathe, but after that it got better. She wasn't big on eating either, and between that and the medicine, she wasn't as... regular... as normal.

I only mention this (and I'm sure Mr. Kluges is shaking his head in disbelief that I did) because this is the only photo we have of her in her Christmas finery. You see, we drove down to Cobh and went to St. Colman's Cathedral for Christmas mass. And while we were there, at services... well, the imbalance corrected itself. And Pumpkin got to ride home swaddled in a blanket and her fortunately unsullied dress while the underlayers of clothing had to go in the trunk in a plastic bag. Yuck! (I'm sure you're all so VERY glad that I'm sharing this, I know.) So, the moral of the story is ALWAYS bring a change of clothes along even if you're only going to be away from home for a couple of hours!

Anyway, I'll try to do some posting about the fun stuff we did with Grampa Jem and Gramma Yori were here over the next few days. Also, I've started my post about 10 things I like that start with the letter E... but that make take a little longer!

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

You Know You Live in Ireland When...

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

My FIL was looking out the window at the weather.

Pumpkin came over. "Grandpa, what are you yookin' at?"

"I'm looking to see if it's raining. Is it raining?

"Not yet."


Always the right answer for this country!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Merry Christmas!

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Happy Holidays
from our house to yours!


Merry Christmas!
from
Mr. Kluges, Ms. Huis Herself, Pumpkin, and Baby-on-the-way!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

GP - 'elp! 'elp! I've lost me hayches!

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************


Last week, Mrs. Kluges [aka Ms. Huis Herself] and I were out for the evening after having lined up our favorite [aka only] babysitter. It was a lovely evening out with dinner and some Christmas shopping. Upon returning, we sat and chatted with our baby sitter, which is not an uncommon occurrence. She's 19 or 20 and a second year college student so we do have a few things in common, certainly more than we would if she were your typical 14-year old.

Anyway, as we were sitting there chatting, she suddenly looked at me and said "You've picked up an Irish accent." I can't say that I was surprised, but still it got me thinking about how my speech has changed in the last year and a half. I know that my American "accent" softens considerably around other Irish so I actually listened carefully to myself at work.

I now spend a lot of time "tinkin about tings" (like the number "tirty tree"). If I see someone doing something stupid, I might say "Jaysus, what an eejit" and that "Maybe a good baitin' might knock some sense into 'em." And naturally when somebody does something wrong and I want to let them know it's OK, it's a quick "Nay bother t'all" or more likely "Ah sure, yer grand." [Note from MHH: Pumpkin will also say, "You're grand" on occasion.]

For those of you back home, be sure to talk to us as soon as we get back, because I'm sure the tiny brogue we've picked up will evaporate in weeks before the flat, clear Midwestern dialect.

Slainte.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Just a quick note

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Sorry for the lack of postings lately. We had a busy weekend with a date on Friday (yay for babysitters), all day house cleaning session on Saturday, and an afternoon and dinner at a friends' place on Sunday. Then yesterday Pumpkin and I had our usual Monday morning at The Planet indoor playyard, followed by errands. So, very busy, and things will probably be quite quiet here for the next week or so since my in-laws are arriving tomorrow morning. Yay!

(Of course, I expect many folks will be busy with Christmas festivities and I won't be the only one with a paucity of postings, but at least now you know.)

But, just to tide you over, and since I haven't posted any for a little bit, here are some photos of Pumpkin.

I LOVE finger painting!

My hair is long enough that Mommy can do all kinds of funny things with it while I eat my breakfast.

I like my green dress and holly tights!
(And you can see how far they've gotten on the new house on the hill!)

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Photo Essay on 3M Removable Hooks

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Mr. Kluges's parents are coming to visit us for Christmas. Hooray! We're excited to have them, and I know Pumpkin is going to especially love having Gramma Yori and Grampa Jem here. Since they're my "source" at 3M, I requested some more removable hooks. Gramma Yori wanted to know if I was eating them, she'd gotten me so many on various visits. Well, I told her they were a godsend to renters who are nice and don't put in a bunch of nails... and that I'd do a photo essay for her on where in the heck I'm using all the hooks.

So here it is.

They're used in the entryway to hang up Pumpkin's coats where she can reach them.
(And also for umbrellas and the mesh bag o' gloves-n-stuff.)
(Oh yeah, there are also two more in the entryway, kind of hidden behind our coats, that hold my purses.)


One keeps her robe on the back of her door, also at toddler height.


They hang up my broom, mop, and dustpan in the laundry room so that they don't fall over and block the door so I can't get in.
('Cuz that's what they used to do pre-hooks.)

They hold things-to-be-ironed on the back of the laundry room door so that they don't get more wrinkly and so that I don't forget about them.

They string up two laundry lines above my washer and laundry room sink so I can hang up delicates and little things like Pumpkin's socks that get stuck in the lint trap otherwise.

They're now on the back of the guest room doors to hold towels since we have a scarcity of towel bars in the bathrooms.
(As in, the main bathroom with shower and tub, had a grand total of ONE towel holder when we moved in... and that was one of those little round hand towel ones. We found some at the Dunnes Store that have suction cups on the back. They work fine, and only fall down maybe once every couple of months. Oh well.)

Also in that main bathroom, one holds our clock up on the all-tile wall.

This one holds one end of a string (the other end attaches to the curtain rod) that holds a mobile above Pumpkin's changing spot.
(More necessary for distraction when she was younger, but still pretty.)

This is one of two stuck to the top of Pumpkin's window... opening? (recess? un-sill?) upside down with a string running between them. Several suncatchers, mostly just plain crystals, hang down and make the most lovely rainbows when it's actually sunny here. Pumpkin LOVES rainbows.

And they can be used to hold up Christmas stockings!


So there you go, Gramma Yori! See how useful they are!!! :)

And P.S. to 3M... feel free to mail me a check for my advertising on your behalf, 'k?

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Question #8 The Chicken or ...

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

The real question is NOT "Which came first: the chicken or the egg?"

It's actually "Chicken and Dumplings - which one is it all about?"

For me, it's all about the dumplings. Yeah!

How 'bout you?

Monday, December 11, 2006

GP - Top 10 Things the Lads Like To Do (or How to Become a Hooligan)

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Top 10 Things the Lads Like To Do

(or How to Become a Hooligan)
by Mr. Kluges


As some of you know, Ms Huis is occasionally kind enough to let me do a guest post on her site. This means that I get to ponder all kinds of fun and amusing things to write about; most of which never make it out of my head to see the light of day.

The other day all of us were wandering around the grocery store picking up our weekly supplies of soda bread, bacon, cabbage and Guinness and I was in charge of keeping Pumpkin entertained while Ms. Huis ran about grabbing aforementioned items.

I started thinking about how pushing the stupid shopping cart was a great allegory to moving overseas and how that would make a great post. Well, one thought led to another and next thing I knew, I was coming up with "The top 10 things the lads like to do on a Friday night."

How did get from point A to point Q? Read the list below and you should be able to puzzle it out.


As an introduction, when I talk about "the lads", I'm talking about boys aged 15 to early 20's. Most of these men start out as garden variety young drinkers and after several years of hard study and practice, they graduate to outright hooligans.


So with no further ado...

10. Get pissed - because we all know that getting drunk is a good precursor to doing stupid things.

9. Turn signs the wrong way - I can't tell you the number of times we've come to a pole in the middle of a three, four or five way intersection with all of the signs pointing the wrong way. Great for getting the "foreigners" lost.

8. Piss on the Blarney Stone - Now you know why the Blarney Stone tasted funny if you were the first one to kiss it in the morning. (Note from Ms. Huis Herself - I do believe (and hope) he's kidding on this one... and I've kissed it myself without any known ill effects!)

7. Throw traffic Cones into ANY body of water over one foot deep. We've seen orange traffic cones in rivers, lakes and even fountains. Since the River Lee in Cork is tidal, it's good fun to count the traffic cones once the tide has gone down. One point for each cone found.

6. Throw shopping carts into ANY body of water over one foot deep. See above. This is even more fun than traffic cones. They're larger and they have wheels! Anything with wheels is a prime target of the lads. Again, one point for each shopping cart spotted.

5. Steal signs - As tourists get closer and closer the lair of the lads, it becomes necessary to steal the signs rather than just turn them the wrong way. With no signs at all, the foreigners have no idea where they are headed.

4. Get langers - At some point, it's not enough to be pissed. You have to really be drunk to proceed onwards.

3. Steal cars - Make sure the car is always locked and in front of the house, otherwise it'll be a learning aid for the local hooligan-to-be.

2. Joyride in stolen car - Once said car is stolen, what better fun than to race through the countryside (langers), until finally the car runs out of petrol.

1. Light stolen car on fire - and for the pièce de résistance, trash said stolen car.

And that's one way your typical Irish lad can move his way up to the top of the hooligan ladder. From there it's just a short journey to being a criminal.


(Note from Ms. Huis Herself - Hope you all enjoyed that semi-tongue-in-cheek account of Irish "lad-ism" from Mr. Kluges. If you've ever been here, I know you've seen the shopping carts in the water!)

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Who says it never hurts to have a good imagination?

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Friday night we were sitting at the table, having supper. Pumpkin requested "One Fine Face" from a Sesame Street CD, so we listened to that, then "Honker Ducker Dinger Jamboree."

Pumpkin started banging on the table with her hands and fists to accompany the lively song.

Then she said, "I'm a hammer! Use me on the fence!" and before I could say, "No, honey, don't!"...


She'd whammed her forehead right down into the table's edge.


The poor thing sat up tearfully, shook her head, and said, "I'm not a hammer. I'm Pumpkin.*"

Poor baby! This was, of course, immediately followed by holding, comforting, and kisses, but it was rather hard for Mr. Kluges and I to keep a straight face.


*Well, her version of her name, which is closer than it used to be when she called herself "Sunny," but still isn't quite there.

Friday, December 08, 2006

34 is the Magic Number!

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Tomorrow's my birthday! Yay for me! 34 years young!

And to celebrate, here's a list of 34 accomplishments / interesting things I've done / life experiences / things I'm proud of. (in no particular order)

  1. got married (Hi, Mr. Kluges! I love you!)
  2. bought a house
  3. kissed the Blarney Stone
  4. gone waterwater rafting in Colorado
  5. toured a brewery in Belgium
  6. walked across the headwaters of the Mississippi
  7. and been to JazzFest in New Orleans (We even stayed on Bourbon Street!)
  8. ridden a horse
  9. sung a solo in front of an audience (in high school)
  10. snorkelled in Cancun
  11. sewn a fancy Renaissance costume and worn it to the MN RenFest
  12. gone for a gondola ride in Venice (on my 30th birthday, no less)
  13. graduated from college with high distinction
  14. seen Stonehenge (and Carhenge, but that was a different trip!)
  15. cooked a turkey
  16. visited the Colosseum in Rome
  17. acted in two college shows
  18. seen the Mona Lisa
  19. participated in the MN State Fair, the Great MN Get-Together (Over a couple of years, I showed a pig, exhibited a dress, and danced/sang in a 4H show for most of the two weeks of the fair.)
  20. toured Chichen Itza
  21. driven on the right and left sides of the road, in stick-shifts and automatics
  22. been paid to design costumes
  23. participated in a Native American sweatlodge ceremony
  24. gone to Disneyland and Walt Disney World (Thanks, Mom & Dad!)
  25. student taught in New Zealand
  26. went ice fishing (and caught a tiny, tiny fish)
  27. visited Washington, D.C.
  28. gone skiing - downhill, cross-country, AND water!
  29. participated in a (very, very small, independent, done by friends) movie (and a big shout out to some of the rest of you who were also involved!)
  30. ascended the Eiffel Tower
  31. kayaked on Lake Superior (Yay for the Girls' Adventure Weekends!)
  32. belly danced in front of an audience
  33. ridden a cable car in San Francisco
  34. had a baby (and another's on the way) (Hi, Pumpkin! I love you, too!)

So there you go. Put like that, it looks like I've spent at least part of my 34 years doing some fun and interesting stuff! Here's hoping I can keep up the pace for the next 34+!

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Oh, the impurity of it all

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Oh, yummy, yummy looking forbidden fruit!


This is one of those so wrong/so right sort of things...

(A couple are only ok, but is it just me, or does June look a tiny bit like Joaquin Phoenix?)

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

December Goal

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at http://www.musenmutter.blogspot.com/
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
So it's a new month. How'd November go? Well, I had two goals - to limit myself to not more than one treat per day and to finish the back of my mosaic. I did... ok with the treat goal. It got easier the further away from Halloween we got. :) Less thinking about temptation, I suppose. Not that I was great at it, but the goal did make me more aware of how many I was eating and kept me from totally pigging out.

As for the mosaic, well, I did great the first half of the month. And then? I put it away upstairs since we were having guests for dinner so it couldn't stay out on the dining room table. And I needed to cut more tiles. And I was behind on household stuff. And I needed to get going on Xmas stuff.

And so I haven't touched it since.

I know, I know - I was all about the feeling of accomplishment I'd get for finally finishing it, blah, blah, blah, but you know, I did get some of that feeling by crossing Xmas stuff off my list - like ordering presents for people or getting our Xmas cards created and ordered (not that they're done yet, but I'm well on the way - I just need to get Mr. Kluges to get his share of the writing done for our mutual friends and ones that are more his). And I did get quite a few more rows done, so progress was made. (See, I did! I wrote about it with photos!)

It just might have to be a goal another month.

And as for my December goal, I'm taking the month off!

Actually, no, I won't start any new goals, but let me say this...

My goals for December are to continue the near total (I've got a birthday coming up... and New Year's Eve - I can have a glass of wine or bubbly for those!) ban on alcohol I've been living under for a while... and to keep taking my prenatal vitamins every day.

*grin* Yup, that is an announcement! We're due mid-May. Hooray!!

Monday, December 04, 2006

Santa in a Helicopter

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
[Edited to add - to the people who are coming here by searching for something about Cork Blarney Woollen Mills Santa, this link is probably what you really want, but feel free to have a read here, too.]

Last week I completely forgot to blog about this. So I'll make up for it now! Every year (apparently on the last weekend in November), Santa flies into Blarney by helicopter. It's a big thing with tons of people, the local radio station blasting Xmas music, and lots of driving around the parking lot looking for a place to park. (Except for those of us close enough & smart enough to just walk down.) Last year Pumpkin napped a little too long, so we missed it, but this year we were there!

See the crowds o' people? Good thing Mr. Kluges is tall enough that Pumpkin could see over them all.


Santa circled a few times so that everybody could wave at him.


He is landing (and we're all standing) in a large field that, according to the status of our shoes and stroller wheels, must usually contain cows and possible also horses.


There he is! The man of the hour. Mr Kluges had managed to get closer and he said Pumpkin was able to see him easily. I was with the stroller further down, so this is on max zoom.


Afterwards, while the hundreds of people in the cow pasture were trying to all squeeze through the single-person-wide gate to follow Santa (now riding a fire truck) over to the Blarney Woolen Mills parking lot, we climbed over the fence to the road and got some really nice pictures of the castle from an area not usually accessible to the public.


See? Pretty, huh.

And that's the story of Santa and the helicopter. We plan to bring Pumpkin to see him "in person" at a mall or the Woolen Mills or someplace this year, so she can see him a little more up close. She's very excited about Christmas already and loves looking at Santas, snowmen, and Christmas trees as decorations go up all around town.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Thanks, folks

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Just wanted to say thanks for the support, folks. I think even just venting helped a lot - no nighttime worries last night. Hooray! I guess unloading those stressors on here helped get them out of my brain, or at least made them press on my thoughts a little less.

Thanks, y'all.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Confessions of a Nighttime Worrier

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Looking back over the last few post I gotta say I've been a bit heavy on the Pumpkin side. Well, I guess she's just been a funny girl lately, and I do spend virtually all of my time with her, so it's not too surprising. But tomorrow night a bunch of us moms who go to Gymboree and The Planet together are going out on the town for the night - and leaving the kiddies with their daddies. Yay!

But that's not what I was going to write about. You see, I have a confession to make.

I am a nighttime worrier.

I don't know about the rest of you, but if I wake up in the middle of the night, my brain just starts going on and on and on. And it's not counting my blessings - no, it's dwelling on my fears and concerns.

Like, for example, our house in the States is currently unrented. But of course, the bank still expects the mortgage to be paid. And when we decided to rent out the house when first moving here we knew it might be empty sometimes, so we made sure we had a bit of a cushion. Well, our first tenant ended up only paying his damage deposit and first month's rent, then living there for some time after that until finally breaking the lease and taking off! And he didn't leave it in mint condition either. Yeah, a scumbag no-rent-paying tenant will eat through your cushion pretty dang fast, you know! And we have yet to see any money out of that situation, and who knows if we ever will... And of course if we'd have to sell it, well, that would involve a trip back ($), doing some fix-ups ($), and hoping it doesn't take too long to sell... Oh, and did I mention that we replaced the entire roof in July? ($$) So that's a favorite topic for my nighttime worries.

And then there's the whole moving-back mess to dwell on. We never planned on this being a permanent move, but we wanted to give it a try since we'd always talked and dreamed about living overseas. Well, I'd like to move back before too very much longer goes by. I'd like Pumpkin to get to see her grandparents more. I miss our friends and family. I'd like to have a house of our own again. And it'd be different if it were just us two here 'cuz we could take long weekends and drive all over the country or pop over to the continent (yay for cheap flights) and really take advantage of being here in Europe. But with Pumpkin... well, she's not a bad traveller, but it just gets a lot more complicated and the amount of time you can spend in the car goes down drastically.

So when, where, how to move back? Mr. Kluges's company is in the process of being bought out. His division might not see as much change as some other parts, but even so, it really lessens the chances of him managing to convince them to relocate him back (to WI, but still, much closer). So then we'd have to deal with a long-distance job hunt, plus the expense of moving ourselves back, thinking about where we want to settle down and live for the next long time...

And my brain churns and churns and churns through all this stressful crap. And then I can't sleep. And then it just keeps churning.

*sigh*

So I guess this much-heavier-than-usual post is a combination of venting and sending out a plea for your good thoughts and wishes. I mean, they helped Ang's permits come through, so maybe they'll find us a good renter.

And thanks for slogging through a much more depressing than usual post. To those of you who just popped over from Kittenpie's blog based on her flattering recommendation, I apologize for the downer post, but feel free to buzz through some archives for more of an upper, 'k? And to those of you who have been reading for a while (and most of whom know me from real life), thanks for sticking it out and for your good thoughts.

(And man, can you tell I'm overdue for a night out and de-stress evening? Good thing I'm going out with the girls tomorrow night!)

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Yet another baking story

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

I know I've written about baking with Pumpkin before. In fact, I've written about it a few times. But I think it's such a great experience for her, plus we end up with yummy bread, plus the photos can be so funny (to me anyway), that I'm going to do it again.



Now, I could share a photo like the one on the right to let you see just how "into" the process she gets - and how into the flour - but I think the next two really make it clear...






Yup, flour from head to toe.


We had a great time baking as always, but then poor Pumpkin suddenly got very tired.
Which led to this...


And, as you might have expected, this...


And I thought I was the one getting gray hair around here!


Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Developmental Milestones... to fear

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
All parents know there are developmental milestones to which you look forward... while simultaneously dreading. You know, like when they start crawling and you have to actually do the babyproofing that you had intended to do since you brought the tyke home. Or when they JUST start trying to walk, and you realize that your house has way more sharp edges than you ever realized, and that the little one is now going to be able to get into a LOT more trouble. Or even when they finally get enough fine motor skill to be able to put stuff (and by stuff I do mean anything that happens to be inedible and/or on the floor) into their drooly little mouths.

Well, we've reached one of those milestones in development of which I wasn't even aware. Today, for the first time, Pumpkin, little problem-solver that she is, started pulling a chair from one room to another to try to get stuff I'd put up on a window sill out of her reach. Yup, she figured out her solution and was putting it in action. Granted, the chair's rather bigger than she is, and it would have taken her a while, but she's a determined little thing and would have managed to get it there, of that I have no doubt.

*sigh* Sometimes these "advances" in physical ability or mental prowess leave something to be desired, in terms of the parents having to figure out how to keep up!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Few are the children...

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Warning:
This trick may not work on any other child.

So here I was standing in the kitchen, starting supper prep. I had been starving, so had just put away the bag of "Steak Fajita and Onion" chips from the previous post, after sharing a couple with Pumpkin.

She comes running back into the kitchen.

P: 'Nother one!
M: Sorry, honey, they're all gone.
P: 'Nother one!
M: They're all gone, but you can have one of these mushrooms if you'd like.
P: Mushroom!

Which she happily took in her little hand and ran out of the room. Few are the children who will accept a plain raw mushroom in place of a tortilla chip!!


P.S. And as I typed this, she came running back in (not that I usually let her wander with food, mind you), saying, "'Nother one mushroom!" That's my girl! :)

Two more chip flavors

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Ok, sorry I haven't posted for a bit. Been trying to catch up on laundry, etc. The Xmas cards arrived today, so now I'll be busy writing those for a while.

BUT, just to tide you over, here are a couple of other potato chip flavors. I haven't found anything as strange as Roast Ox Flavor, but here's a couple I don't know if you can find back in North America...


Sizzling Steak and Onion Fajita

and


Tiger Prawn and Crushed Garlic Flavour


Sorry this isn't more entertaining or informative, but somebody needs a diaper change, so see ya later!

Friday, November 24, 2006

South Park People

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
So with the help of Mr. Kluges I've managed to get save my South Park people. Please ignore the funny lines - I ended up taking screen shots and cropping and I guess I missed those and don't really feel like going back and fixing them yet tonight.


<- Here's me. (It's cold and rainy in Ireland currently.)











And here's
Pumpkin. ->






(Ain't she cute?!)

Thursday, November 23, 2006

GP - Mr. Kluges's Thoughts on Thanksgiving

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

It's Thanksgiving, so be thankful. Be thankful that you have Thanksgiving. Why? Well, if it weren't for Thanksgiving, Christmas would start November 1st, the day after Halloween.


There's no Thanksgiving in Ireland. We've already had Christmas decorations, Christmas sales and Christmas cheer for 3 weeks. Ho, ho,ho. And only 4 more weeks to go.


Two months of Christmas every year. That's 16% of your life. Spent celebrating Christmas.


So be thankful for Thanksgiving. You get a whole extra month of your life to focus on something else.

**************************
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Hope you have a wonderful, tasty day filled with friends, family, and blessings! - Ms. Huis Herself

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

ARGH! Nap, child, nap! aka "Smiles on the soles of her feet"

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Our girl is currently going through an "I don't want to fall asleep or nap" phase. I HATE IT TO HIGH HOLY HELL!

I know sleep begets sleep. I know that when she's overtired she's not going to want to fall asleep because she's overtired. I know to watch for her drowsy signs. I know a little crying is not the end of the world, even though it can be DANG hard for me to listen to. I know part of the problem is that she needs to relearn how to fall asleep on her own 'cuz once she's asleep it's fine, but she's exhausted and won't give up and close her eyes.

ARGH!

I also know that when she's overtired and grumpy and not wanting to nap, it makes me all grumpy and stressed and overtired, too.

Oh yeah, she's currently upstairs, banging on her door, saying "Momma! Come up here! Momma!" Not the most conducive atmosphere for any sort of writing, but THE GIRL NEEDS TO NAP!

*sigh*


Ok, I was going to write about this in a less vent-y way, but I guess that's not happening today. I WAS going to talk about Sunday, when this streak seemed to start. She struggled with falling asleep for her afternoon nap for forever, and managed to convince Mr. Kluges and I to come in several times to change her diaper, give her a snack, put her back in her crib, whatever. Finally it quieted down and we thought we were in the clear.

20-30 minutes later she called down, "Daddy! Stickers on my tummy!"


Turns out she'd found the reward stickers for sitting on the potty (smiley faces) and actually going on the potty (Winnie the Pooh and friends).


And apparently, smiley face stickers are better than socks. The foot underneath has even more.


Monday, November 20, 2006

Someday we'll find it...

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

One of my favorite things about where we're living is the great view from the kitchen and back yard.

This is what I got to see this morning.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Yeah! I'm tops!

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Some of you who know Big Daddy might remember when he blogged about how he was the top link for a certain search term... well, he's found a couple more.

I bring this up because, looking at how people got to my site, I found out that if you search Google.co.uk I come up as the top result for the term...


Tee hee! Yay, me?

P.S. Ok, and to make it weirder? I'm the only one that comes up on a Google.com search for how many seeds in a pumpkin/helping people. Not sure what exactly they were looking for, but they found me anyway.

South Park Friday Fun

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Ok, because it's Friday and I know you're all itching for the weekend and not wanting to actually do work at work, here's a fun link. You can make yourself a South Park character!

http://www.sp-studio.de/

You pick your clothes, hair, eyes, accessories, etc., etc., etc. It's good fun! I'd put mine up here, but I can't seem to figure out how to save/copy it, but that's fine.

Have fun! I did! My South Park Pumpkin was way cuter than her South Park Mommy though. :)

Thursday, November 16, 2006

The good news... no need for Photo Shoot #2

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Well, I'm happy to say that Mr. Kluges and I found a photo out of the 100-some photo shoot with which we're both pleased. I looked through them all yesterday and just pulled up the 9 or 10 best for him to see, but it was a pretty easy choice. Not going to post it here, since many of you will be getting it in the mail... someday...

'Cuz even though I've got it all ready on the photo card website*, I'm waiting on Mr. Kluges to do a final check on a different gift so I can order them at the same time.

Then it's still the 21 days to get the order... and then the week or 10 days (or more) to write them all up...then the time for the US ones to get across the ocean...then however long for the poor, overburdened postal workers to get them to your doors.

(There, do you think that's enough of an excuse if my cards come late? *grin*)

Anyway, just wanted to let you know the good news that I DO NOT have to try for another photo shoot with the two year old, even though I know you all enjoyed hearing about my first one!

*photogifts.ie I used them last year to make Mr. Kluges' annual calendar when I found out that there is NO PLACE in Cork (the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland, people) that does photo calendars. Not the kind with a different photo for each month. Sure, they'll do mousemats (aka mousepads), coffee cups, and even whole-year-calendars-on-one-page-with-one-picture, but not a turn-the-page-for-the-next-month photo calendar.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Photo shoot with a two-year-old

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Doesn't this look like just a beautiful set-up for a holiday card photo? I mean, I got the fireplace, I got the (mini) tree, I got the stocking, I got the holiday stuffed toys... heck, I even got the fake icicles/snow.

What don't I got?

A girl who will hold still long enough to be IN THE DANG PICTURE!



I know she's only two.

I know two is wiggly.


I know it's fun to turn around in circles when you're two.


And we all have photos like that one.


But please, child...

Just HOLD STILL!


Monday, November 13, 2006

Do enough random thoughts count as an entry?

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Survey says.... yes!


Mr. Kluges's sourdough bread turned out very well, except that he could have slashed the top deeper (it ended up splitting) and it needed to bake a while longer because it tastes a little underdone. Otherwise, very yummy! He's started a sponge again tonight from the starter (and tied up BOTH of my mixing bowls) so that he can mix up another loaf tomorrow and one of us can bake it the next day. This is a multi-day process, you know, and one that involves planning ahead.

I bought a Xmas tree today. We wanted a small one 'cuz I don't know where we'd put a big one, plus have I mentioned the absolutely no storage in Irish houses? I got a 80cm, 10 euro one (bargain shopper me!) that has fiber optic lights. Woo-hoo! It's a far cry from the fairly realistic (and lightless) 6 footer in storage in our basement in MN, but Pumpkin thinks it's awesome. Mr. Kluges says we should put it away until after Thanksgiving, but I put it up tonight so I can try to get Xmas card photos taken of Pumpkin today or tomorrow.

Our Pumpkin has developed quite the imagination. This week she pretended she was milk. And we didn't mishear her when she said, "I'm milk!" because then she told us to take her lid off. *shrug* I didn't know dairy products were so fun to impersonate.

And I'll leave you with this...

Before I had a child...
I never thought I would say, at the dinner table, "Nothing eats dog poop."

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Cheddar Mango Chutney Chips and Mosaic Status

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
So, photo fun for all of you today. Here's another slightly unusual sort of potato chip that I used this blog as an excuse to eat, uh, I mean, that I wanted to show you all to highlight some of the cultural and culinary differences between the US and Ireland. Yeah, that's it. Now I know cheese-flavored chips are far from strange, but I liked the combo of cheddar and mango chutney. Yup, basically some sort of tropical fruit salsa along with your wedge o' cheddar. Actually, I think these are quite nice - it's cheesy but with a nice little sweet and fruity taste to it as well. Yum. Too bad they're all gone already...

(Have I mentioned that I'm not being hugely successful with the one treat per day goal? Doing better than I would have without the goal, but dang, temptation with chocolate is difficult to resist!)



And speaking of goals, here's the back of my mosaic as of the beginning of November. (The coaster is there for scale.)
(And aren't you impressed I actually thought ahead enough to take a "before" picture?!?)



And here's where it is now. You can see I've gotten a few more rows done, but man, is it time-consuming! One of those little rows takes about 45 minutes. Yup, 3/4 of an hour! And once I've gotten one row done, my back is sore from sitting hunched over and I'm ready for a break. So, I might not get done by the end of November, but I'm glad to say that progress is definitely being made. Also, I'm about out of cut tiles, so cutting a bunch more is going to have to happen soon - probably before I finish the next row or two.
So there you go - a few photos and a bit of an update on a goal. Have a good weekend!

Friday, November 10, 2006

Already?!?

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
I just realized that it's going to take 3 weeks to order and receive photo cards, if that's what I want to do this year. If I did them this weekend ('cuz it's online), then I would presumably get them at the very end of November or very beginning of December. ..

And then I'd have to write them all, which could take a week or more even doing several every day...

Which would put me at about the 10th or so...

And normally it takes about a week to mail to the US...

But it'll be during the busy Xmas season, which means longer....

Which would put them arriving around the 20th or after...

Which would be just in time for Xmas...

Which means I'd better decorate for the holidays this weekend and take some photos of Pumpkin.

How can the holiday rush be here already?!?!?

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Random Brain-Clogging Thoughts

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
Sorry for the paucity of posts lately. I have been either busy chasing Pumpkin, sitting here with no idea what to write about, or continually vetoing my own ideas or deciding I just don't have enough to say about them. So, in order to clear my head of these semi-ideas, and to actually get a blog entry (hee - I wrote "clog" first... maybe 'cuz my brain's clogged?) I'm going to just share some random thoughts.


My MIL called yesterday. I was worried at first because nobody Stateside ever calls us during the week, but here's what she had to say, "The Democrats won; you can come home now!"

My do-it-yourself husband, who has brewed his own beer, made mulberry mead from mulberries we picked in our local cemetary back home, and even made his own maple syrup from our box elder trees, has decided to try to make sourdough bread. Which is a great idea. Unfortunately, his first attempt at starter turned pink (a bad sign - throw it out according to the book) and smelled like milk vomit. Not nice little baby spit up either, but upchuck o' cow juice. Even with the plastic wrap over the bowl. It was nasty. (And then when he dumped it down the laundry room sink 'cuz I wouldn't let him dump that noxious, funky stuff in the kitchen for fear of stinking us all out, he accidentally knocked one of my drying bras into it. EWWWWW!!!)

Is it possible to become addicted to a TV show? 'Cuz I've been watching CSI:Wherever whenever any version has been on. Mr. Kluges has started calling himself a CSI widower.

Speaking of TV shows, I love that my husband is in IT 'cuz it means he knows a guy who knows a guy who... well, anyway, let' s just say we usually end up with the latest "Lost" the day after it's been shown in the US... and they just played the first episode of this season on regular TV this past Tuesday.

It was a beautiful sunny day today. While walking to the grocery store (which Pumpkin and I do 3-4 times each week), we nodded hello to a guy we have a nodding acquaintance with. (That means we have no idea of his name or anything, but we see him often enough on our walk that it would be rude to ignore each other. We have gotten quite a number of people on this list over the past year.) As in MN, we both commented on the lovely day. I said it was great to see the sun shining again. He said, "Oh yes, it's a massive day!"


So, here's hoping it's a "massive day" wherever you are! Cheers!

Monday, November 06, 2006

And you thought "Cool Ranch" was an exotic flavor...

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************


Have I mentioned yet that they have some weird potato chip flavors here?


I found these on my wonderful, successful (I got boots! and shirts! and a sweater!), and relaxing afternoon shopping adventure. It was fabulous!

(The shopping and afternoon, that is... the chips were only fine.)

Saturday, November 04, 2006

I get to go to Cork! All by myself!

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************
I'm posting just quickly to balance out the rather negative post from yesterday. You see...

today I get to go shopping in Cork ALL BY MYSELF!

Hooray! I've got a bunch of little errands to run that will just be easier to do without Pumpkin along. Things like bringing in the digital camera and printing out a ton of photos to send to relatives & recent visitors. And Pumpkin? Not so patient with waiting while Mommy pokes at a little computer screen to select the right photos and quantities and all. Also I want to do a little browsing through the charity shops (second hand stores) to look for jeans for her, maybe hit a store or two to look for clothes for me, go to the library and actually get to spend time in the nonchildren's section... Oooh! I'm just so excited thinking about the freedom!

Not that Pumpkin is difficult to take shopping. She's really quite good, but I can try on maybe three things each in two stores before her patience is worn out. And it's 30 minutes in the children's room at the library and a quick 3 or 4 in the main section.

But today? Today I'm leaving the girl with Daddy and enjoying an afternoon on my own.

In fact, why am I wasting time writing about it to you people? *grin* I'm off!

Friday, November 03, 2006

A List of Things To Try...

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

...when your small, tired child is driving tired you insane.

  • Try to get child to take nap.
  • Turn on the tv to kids' shows for a break. Oh wait, this is another week when every school in the nation is on midterm break, so they change the programming on the only station (1 of 4 since no cable) that has preschool shows during the day so there's crap on.
  • Try to get child to take nap.
  • Feed child "noodles! noodles!" and then try to get her to take nap again.
  • Ignore yelling, crying from her room and visualize wonderful vacation...
  • let child out of crib to sit on potty
  • fail at today's goal of one treat per day - I need chocolate, damn it!
  • get on internet and do two-windows-open surfing - one with Elmo, other with news, bloglines, Tomato Nation, etc.
  • Read books (again), give snack, give water, change diaper, and put down for nap (again).
And finally... peace and quiet. Dang I hate the days when she's acting "terribly two!" They are LONG before we even hit noon. *sigh*

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

November GoalS - That's right... it's plural!

****************
copyright 2006 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at www.musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Yup, it's November (already!) and time to regoalify. Now I thought (exceedingly briefly) about NaNoWriMo, but decided this was not the year. I also considered NaBloPoMo, but after more thought (and a shameful amount of chocolate consumption today), I realized I needed to choose a different goal.

Remember last month when my rather simplistic goal was to avoid buying our Halloween candy until this weekend or yesterday? Well, I bought it Monday night, opened a bag on Tuesday, and only ate a few. So, Yay for me! Also, good thing I chose that for a goal, 'cuz a bag o' candy would not have a) remained unopened for more than 24 hours in our house, and b) contained any candy after having been open for about 4 days.

Evidence of the preceeding surmises? The rather-too-large amount of chocolate that I have consumed throughout the day. Now, I'm not going to name numbers, but I will say it was more than I should have, less than I wanted, and not enough to fill a cereal bowl. But it was enough to bump NaBloPoMo out of the running for a goal this month, if for no other reason than I could see my willpower running out the back door and across the hilly pastures, sprinkling candy wrappers as she went. Instead we have... duh duh DAAAH...

To eat not more than ONE treat* per day.
*Treat may be a Halloween-size candy bar, cookie, single serve bag of chips, etc.

Obviously today is blown, but hey, tomorrow will be better... and my hips and tummy will thank me later. (Even if my tastebuds are cussing me out.)


Now, I'm really upping the ante here 'cuz I'm going to have a... wait for it... SECOND goal this month! I know - get out of town! Yeah, well, it's because much of the last month I felt like I was just treading water. I was doing and redoing the same endless tasks of laundry, cleaning, diapering, cooking, grocery shopping, etc. etc. etc. and started feeling just bogged down in it. No real feeling of accomplishment... I just kept turning around and seeing that I needed to do AGAIN what I had just finished doing.

That previous paragraph was all to lead into my second goal... You see, I started a mosaic way back in '02 when we visited Ireland the first time. It's a large oval sign with our surname, a border, and hops and barley at the edges. That's all done... but I need to finish the back and then grout it. Then it'll be done! Hooray! (Well, except for actually living in a house we own again so we can put it up... and figuring out how exactly we're going to put it up... but that's not a now problem.) Therefore, my second goal is to finish mosaicking (sp?? real word??) the back of my sign by the end of the month. It's not too hard since the tiles are already cut (mostly by Mr. Kluges, in fact), and I'm not doing anything complicated or fancy on the back, but it is putzy and time-consuming. However, on the plus side, I can do it on the coffee table while watching TV for short stretches before the leaning over kills my back. And when it's finally done - THAT'll be a great feeling of accomplishment.


So there you go... another month, another goal (or two, for ambitious me today). Wish me luck!