Monday, November 30, 2009

Happy Michele-day...

Today is Michele's birthday, and she rocks... so we took the day off to celebrate. She and I had a leisurely breakfast and then did some shopping this morning. Then, with some help from Robin and I, she collected a free cannoli from Gratzi, a free Car Bomb from Conor O'Neill's, A free cupcake from Cake Nouveau, a free tea from Teahaus, and a free pint glass from Jolly Pumpkin (we ran out of steam before we could get 6 free bagels from Zingerman's).

This "birthday crawl" may become a tradition...

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Up, at 'em early,
the turkey is brining
polishing stemware
for Pisco and wining

clean up some dishes
some junk finds a home
then sitting for breakfast:
some coffee and scones

more cleaning lightly
and early food prepping
onion/garlic peeling
ingredient schlepping

off to the telly
where floats will be floating
and inevitably soon
some cheese-headed gloating

finish off cooking,
sauteing, and mashing
then sit 'round the table
for story rehashing

some pie, some cheesecake,
another drink if you wish
reminiscing, still stuffed,
of the best received dish

then off for some slumber,
or restlessly turnin'
with belly still sloshing
with gravy and bourbon.


Though we wish you could,
you can't all be here drinking,
so we'll just have to settle
for long distance clinking...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

I think I mentioned this before...

I am not handy. I am not good with my hands, good with tools, or good around the house (unless you count cooking). I am the kind of useless sort that would rather hire a guy than take the chance at embarrassment.

But I still have to do some things just to keep my man card. So last weekend I broke down and finally replaced the faulty breaker in the basement (mostly because the short had stolen the sweet, sweet internets). Electricity makes me nervous, and so it took a fair bit of encouragement form Michele. But I did it.... and I lived. Yea me.

Perhaps it was this tiny, simple, expectable victory that lead to my demise. Yesterday I went to help Bob on the latest phase of his ridiculously large garage. We were framing walls... which is to say that I carried things where people pointed and held things in place. Most of the day went without incident and I was feeling good (dun dun dun). Toward the end of my servitude my thumb ended up in the wrong place, at the wrong time, on the wrong end of a pneumatic nailer (do not click this link!). According to the doctor it would have been much better if it went through my thumb (!!!). Instead, it entered near the tip and went in to about the knuckle. C'est la vie.

Now, not only do I know for sure that I'm not handy, but I'm down a hand for turkey prep. Two thumbs up from Ann Arbor... just don't look too close at the left one.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Perfection...


Tonight Michele and I went to parent/teacher conferences for Alexandra... that's right, she is not yet two. While this seemed like a silly affair, we went because she is changing rooms soon (moving up to Twaddlers) and we thought we could get some info. Man am I glad we went!

All of my feelings and assumptions were confirmed. She is brilliant. She is adorable. She is advanced and loving and perfect. They said she is a pleasure and helps lead the other toddlers. She has a remarkable vocabulary, understands an astonishing amount of words, and is a great influence on the younger ones who are just learning to talk. Oh yeah, and she is fearless.

Maybe all the little brats get this kind of glowing review, but I prefer to think that she is just the best baby ever. She's perfect.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Pork free cardio...


Pop's surgery went well and everything is on track. Triple bypass. Replaced some aorta. Decided not to replace the valve with piggy parts because it was working just fine (and I had so many swine jokes saved up). They may even move him out of ICU today if all goes well.

Thanksgiving indeed.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Waiting...

My dad went in for triple bypass sugery a couple hours ago... so we are just sitting around waiting. A few random thoughts to pass my time:

  • He was in good spirits and joining in on the swine jokes this morning (he is getting some piggy parts put in his heart along with some veins harvested from elsewhere in his body).
  • Apparently my nephew was worried about "Papa's broken heart" the other day. Ahhh.
  • Hospitals don't feel strange to me anymore. I guess anything can be normal if you endure it enough.
  • Thanksgiving plans for the Harrington clan are up in the air for now. Six grandkids might not be the best for the rest he needs.
  • Toledo Hospital staff has been hanging holiday decorations all around us... it'd not even Thanksgiving.
  • Everything's gonna be alright.

Monday, November 16, 2009

My little helper...

Alex loves to help in the kitchen. And by help, I mean stand and watch you work. I think she would rather watch me do dishes than play with any toy she has. There are times that the only threat/bribe that will work is the ability to stand and watch me chop onions.

Every time Michele or I go to the kitchen to do dishes, cook, make coffee, etc Alex is right behind us. She'll run to the dining nook and grab a chair and start noisily sliding it into the kitchen. "Dishes, dishes!", she says, regardless of the task at hand. I guess it's the little things that thrill them sometimes.

But, we have found out, a wooden dining chair is not the safest perch for little feet. She's fallen off, run over her toe, and almost tipped it over almost every day. So we finally broke down and did something about it. Thanks to a suggestion from our friend Megan, we got Alex a Learning Tower.

Call it a Christmas morning dry run. We assembled it after she went to sleep Friday. When she woke up Saturday morning we ushered her toward the kitchen and it took her about two seconds to figure out what it was for. She ran over and climbed up and made this face...


No more chair, no more peril, no more impending doom. This may be our best baby purchase yet.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Try and shrug it off...

I don't know if it is a growing spurt, normal two year old stuff, or the reckless abandon with which she throws herself at life, but Alex seems a little clumsy lately. In the last week she has:
  • tripped on a shoelace and fallen face-first
  • fallen off a chair
  • pulled a chair down on top of herself
  • slipped off a stepping stool
  • tipped off the stairs
  • hit herself in the face with a volleyball
  • and fallen off the toilet
Not necessarily in that order... and not necessarily just once each.

I am always so proud that a hug, a kiss, and sometimes a little attention from BooBooBunny calm her quickly, but, seriously, she is going to have to slow it down.

UPDATE: to the bullets just from this morning...
  • dropped a book on her toe
  • stepped on a Lego-man named Pepe
  • stood up, while under the table, banging her head (at least three seperate times)
Sheesh.