NBPM 30 - Sunday Stuff - That's it; I'm DONE!!!

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Today is the last day of November, and therefore the last day of NaBloPoMo. I've posted every day so far, but a mite bit afeared I'm going to forget to post today, so I'm doing this right now so I remember.

So there you are - 30 posts (actually, 31) in 30 days. Yay, me!

P.S. Thanks to my folks for the fun visit, the work around the house that got done (yay for working curtains in Penguin's room), the diapers and other kid-care we didn't have to do, taking us out for supper, and putting the girls to bed so we could run errands on our own. THANKS!!! The girls had a blast with you both. Thanks!

NBPM 29 - Saturday Surreality - No sauce for me, thanks.

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Ok, so I don't really have much of anything of a surreal nature to talk about tonight, but, gosh darn it, I'm ALMOST done with NaBloPoMo, so I'm posting today anyway! My folks are here, so we've enjoyed a fun day of playing with the kids, fixing Penguin's broken curtain that has been bugging me for a couple of months now, and getting to go out to eat. Woo-hoo!

Granted, if you do want a dose of food-related surreality (well, condiment-related more like), you can check out this WI story.

Yeah, that'd be surreal.

Probably also put me off barbecue sauce for a while...

NBPM 28 - Friday Family - Gramma Pet

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Last week for Friday Family, I wrote about my dad, it being his birthday and all. This week, I get to talk about my mom! (Who is coming to visit tonight for the weekend!) (With Dad, too.)

My mom. She's a character and I love her. She has her own way of doing things and arranging things and making things. She's a wonderful, dedicated nurse who really cares about the residents at her nursing home and seeing that they receive quality care. She's a gifted seamstress and a great cook, not to mention World Supreme Chocolate Chip Cookie Baker.

My mom would occasionally tell us stories about her childhood, and we were always enthralled. Her stories about growing up in the city were so different from our own country life that they were especially fascinating. She told us about riding on the city bus (you'd pull a cord to say when the bus had to stop to let you off!!!), going to Catholic school, a strangely named restaurant called "White Castle," and other exotic, big-city things. A lot of treasured memories are from when we'd go up to the Twin Cities to visit my mom's mom and get to spend time where Mom grew up, visiting her church (where, as a kid, she'd have to wear a kleenex on her head if she forgot her hat), going up the hill to the local park (with wading pool!), and getting to go see museums and other attractions.

One particular time when we went up to the TC, Mom's sister (TNGreatAunt) was up to visit at the same time. "Us girls" went out shopping in downtown Minneapolis - my grandma, my mom, my aunt, and me. I couldn't've been that old - probably early elementary school. I remember how much giggling and laughing and pointing out of amusing merchandise that happened throughout the day. Oh, once you got them started, it was a gas! It was also the first time I really realized how much we all resembled each other. I'd never thought I looked like my mom before ('cuz you know, she was all old and grown-up and stuff to a young kid), but that day I saw it. I saw how much she, her sister, and her mom looked alike and how I shared that look with them.

My mom is absolutely the best chocolate chip cookie maker in the world. She's willing to share her recipe with people, and taught it to me, but somehow it never quite turns out the same when anybody else makes them. She doesn't try to keep anything about it secret either - my mom is honest as the day is long - to the point of telling exactly how she measure the brown and white sugars together in a 2-cup glass measuring cup, and how she uses 1/2 c. minichips plus enough regular chips to total 1 1/3 cups, how the amount of flour varies depending on the humidity, and all the other little quirks. It doesn't matter. No one else can ever make them as delicious and wonderfully-textured as she does. Mr. Kluges keeps hoping that someday I'll manage to make them just like hers.

Mom and Dad were THRILLED to become grandparents. Over the moon, even. It's so fun to watch Gramma Pet play kitchen with Pumpkin, or interact with Penguin. She gets down and sits on the floor and really PLAYS with them. It's heart-warming to watch them playing together and making memories we will all treasure for years and years.

When Pumpkin was first born, my parents would come up pretty much every weekend to see this first grandchild of theirs... and us, too. They'd help around the house, bring food and cook, and Mom and I would play "[Pumpkin] Clothes." Dad and Mr. Kluges would laugh at us as we'd spread out all sort of her clothing all over in her room and make up outfits, and back-up outfits, and match socks to the outfits while she'd burble and coo and watch us.

Mom has her own way of doing things. She's got a very organized mind (and house). When we were younger, we'd occasionally get exasperated with how we had to do things her way, but you know what? I might deny it sometimes, but as I take charge of our house and the household management, I find myself doing more and more things "Mom's way," because it just makes sense! So, Mom, know that I'll think of you whenever I rearrange my linen closet (with labeled boxes) or write something on the posted grocery list as soon as I take out the last one or use a left-handed scissors with ease. I love you, Mom!

Happy Thanksgiving!

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans, here or overseas, as well as "Hello!" to the rest of the world.

I had this great idea for a post where I was going to do an ABC list of things for which I am thankful... F is for family, etc.

But the tryptophan from the turkey is kicking in, so I'll just wish you all a wonderful day and let you know I'm thankful for family and friends, food and fun, and all the many blessing we enjoy. If you want a more complete and mildly sappy list, just check out last year's post. I'm STILL thankful for all that!

Happy Thanksgiving!

WW - The Tidiest Linen Closet in the West, or What I Did Yesterday

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

(Every time I walk past, I open the door and look in and smile.)

You can find more Wordless Wednesday here.

NBPM25 - Travel Tuesday - Food Flashbacks

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

It's the last Travel Tuesday in NaBloPoMo and I have to admit I'm a little stumped for an idea. Which is why it's evening & I haven't posted yet. Well, I'd better hurry up 'cuz The Mentalist is on in less than half an hour, so you're going to get a brief food/drink tour of the places I've been. 'Cuz food is memorable, you know?

1. Austria
Actually, I don't think we ate here, unless it was snacks on the train. Hey, that was easy... next!

2. Belgium
I saw Brussels sprouts actually growing on the stems for the first time ever right outside Brussels. Which is cool. Also, the BEER! Yum!!!

3. Czech Republic
Only here briefly, but we happened to be in Prague on December 5th, which is St. Nicholas Day. We sat in freezing weather at an outdoor cafe, drinking absinthe and watching trios consisting of St. Nicks, angels, and devils walking around. Apparently they go around asking kids if they were good the past year.

4. France
Ah, France. Mr. Kluges had "saddle of rabbit" there, but the best, best, best meal we had in Paris was at La Casa di Sergio. Oh, I'm almost in raptures just remembering it. *sigh*

5. Germany
I still remember a few German phrases and - surprise!- most of them involve food or drink. I loved a lot of the sausages, especially Nuernberg sausages, and all the yummies to be had at the winter markets we went to, like gluhwein (mulled wine) and the hash-brown-potato-pancakes-with-applesauce-on-top.

6. Iceland
Iceland is expensive. We were there on a Valentine's Day deal through Icelandair, which included one fancy romantic dinner (with pate even). Other than that, we mostly ate ham and cheese sandwiches. Oh, I'm not a fish fan, but we had some AMAZING cod as part of a day tour where we rode Icelandic horses.

7. Ireland
In the two years we lived here we got to enjoy a lot of Irish food. I miss the toasted specials (grilled cheese sandwich with ham, tomato, & onion), the bacon (Oh, the BACON!), popping into a pub for lunch & a pint, the English Market (Oh, I miss you, English Market with your amazing cheese selections, and excellent olives, and bizarre cuts of meat I never bought), Moro chocolate bars, and digestive biscuits, to name but a few things.

8. Italy
Oh, I can't even tell you how much wonderful food we had here! So instead I'll tell you about how I will never forget the word "fegatto," because I learned the hard way that it means liver. I can also tell you that in an ignorant taste test, my dislike of liver is based on the taste, not any preconceived notions. Even in Venice, liver was not a favorite of mine. Blech.

9. Mexico
I think my favorite food from Mexico was the mole sauce. We did the big tourist thing in Cancun, though, so it's not like we were eating very authentically. But hey, anyplace they recommend drinking beer instead of water isn't half bad.

10. New Zealand
I think of pavlova when I think of New Zealand food. Living there for 3 months for student teaching, a group of us from my college rented a house together, so we mostly cooked what we knew. I did discover crumpets there, though, and should actually go add them to my grocery list right now. They always remind me of a cross between an English muffin and an unflipped pancake. Also, it's "kiwiFRUIT!" "Kiwi" is the bird or a New Zealander, not the food.

11. United Kingdom
Um, the Brits aren't really known for their food, are they? We were only in London briefly, and to be honest, I really can't remember much about the food. Oh, except that at the hug-giganti-mungous theatre where we saw The Two Towers on opening day had either regular salty popcorn or sweet popcorn. I chose salty.

12. United States
Yadda, yadda, yadda. Let's see, I love the huge variety you can get at the grocery stores and some of the regional differences you find. Yay for sweet tea and BBQ in the south! Also, Little Sizzlers, good hash browns, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, and chocolate malts.

13. Vatican City
Well, I guess, see Italy above. The Vatican City's just not that big, so I doubt we actually ate there, but we might have had gelato. Mmmmm... gelato!

NBPM 24 - Monday Meme - SNOW!

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

This is how my house looks today. So, in honor of the first real snow of the season, I made up my own snow meme with a round dozen of questions. 'Cuz memes have to start somewhere.

In general, are you a snow lover, liker, or hater?
Liker - definitely more fond at the beginning of the season than the end!

Three words about snow
Fluffy, delicate, cold

Ever been in a snowball fight?
Yes

Built a snowman?
Tons

Made snow angels?
Definitely

Your favorite thing to do in the snow.
Tubing is fun, especially when they've got a tow rope to pull you back up to the top.

Childhood memory involving snow
We had an old one-story building behind our house growing up. The important thing about it was that it would always drift right in front of it, and by half-way through the winter, the drift would reach the roof itself. I remember how we'd sled down the roof/drift, moving closer and closer to the edge where the roof and the drift didn't quite meet up anymore... until we'd go to far over and instead of skimming over the gap, we'd slap hard into the edge of the drift and knock the wind out of ourselves. Good times.

Non-childhood memory about snow
Snow-blowing our large driveway in the TC... and our just as big one here.

Have you ever skiied? Down-hill, cross-country or both?
Yes, both.

Ever been sledding?
Of course!

Favorite piece of winter outwear/gear
I can't do without mittens or gloves. Brrrr.

Describe your favorite kind of snow.
I like the big fluffy flakes that fall down so s-l-o-w-l-y, especially when it stays cold enough that they're easy to shovel.

NBPM23 - Sunday Stuff - Samoroset

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Some time ago, I followed this link from a post by min over at Good Mom/Bad Mom. It's a game thingie called "Samorost" where you click around and stuff happens (Oh, if you're at work - there is sound) and you try to help the funny little man. I love the artwork with its combination of nature and rusty metal stuff. I'd say you'll find it bizarre, plus either frustrating and dumb, or else somehow rather addictive...

Anyway, it'll keep you busy for a while. And what more can you ask from Sunday Stuff?

NaBloPoMo22 - Saturday Surreality - Xmas Photos

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

In another reality, when I'm trying to take photos for Christmas cards, my kids would
a) hold still,
b) look at me and/or the camera,
c) smile without looking possessed or like goofballs,
d) hold STILL,
e) not have runny noses,
f) look at ME!, and
g) HOLD STILL!

NaBloPoMo21 - Friday Family - Grandpa Pharaoh

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Yup, it's Grandpa Pharaoh's birthday today, so here are a few of my memories about him growing up.

We did most of our growing up on a farm. First at a place we rented from my uncle, and then the farm my dad's dad owned before him. I remember "helping" Dad outside from an early age - fetching hammers or pliers or whatnot, especially when he was fixing the combine or a tractor. I remember him driving around the yard with tractors and wagons and pickups. We spent hours picking rocks or riding the bean bar, shooting weeds between the soybean plants with herbicide, or doing whatever he told us we needed to do.

I always LOVED getting to go to town with him. It might involve a trip to the elevator or the bank or the co-op, but it pretty much ALWAYS included a stop in the cafe for coffee. There we'd join the table of other guys there for coffee and shake dice to see who paid. I thought growing up that Dad knew EVERYBODY... and it's pretty much true.

He taught us all how to drive tractor and cars and stick-shift. When I was older, he had me drive the grain truck to the elevator in town during the harvest sometimes. Dad told me the guys at the elevator told him they knew immediately which one of us was driving depending on whether the truck cautiously approached the scale or just barreled right onto it.

Mom worked some while we were growing up - less when we were young & more as we grew older. When she was working, of course Dad had to do the cooking until we were old enough to help with that. His specialties were cheeseburger Hamburger Helper with peas stirred in (had to have a veg, you know), ring bologna served with mac & cheese, and pancake shapes. We'd come up with the craziest thing to have him make out of pancake batter and he'd manage to get something created for us. He also taught me that grilled cheese sandwiches make a good breakfast.

The church we attended growing up was rather... conservative? Strict? "Just so," certainly. There were high expectations for behavior during services - for all ages. None of this sending the kids to Sunday School partway though the service there! Dad was the holder of the mints that got doled out, one to each of us, during the sermon when we kids started to get wiggly. He also always had a pen in his pocket that was used to doodle on the edges of the church bulletin for that week.

Dad can strike up a conversation with ANYBODY. Bring him someplace and he'll find somebody to talk to. I remember waiting in a line at Disney on a family vacation, and he struck up a conversation with another guy in a seed corn cap, and it turned out they either knew each other somehow or knew somebody in common. Also, if there's popcorn available, he'll find it, and if there's a baby to be held, he'll be doing the holding! Babies love him.

Dad sings a lot around the house. "Peaches and pears and apricots - those are all the fruits we gots!" was the chorus when choosing canned fruit for dessert. I remember him singing other songs, occasionally hymns, and a favorite for us kids was when he'd sing "Lettuce Break Bread Together on Our Knees!"

My parents both valued education, read to us, and encouraged us in school. Dad was on the school board for years and years and years! I know I mentioned earlier this month that he gave me my high school diploma at graduation. The school board was yet another way that he was involved in the community... and knew everybody.

Obviously, I've got tons of more memories I could share, but the girls will soon be up from naptime, so I should finish this out and get it posted. Life certainly changes over time, but sure as death & taxes is Dad's nightcap of lemonade (heated up in the winter) and brandy. So let's all raise a glass and say "Cheers!" to the birthday boy! Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you!