Zoolander....

  

It's about the money....  

The boy wants to make some bank, like his sister does...  

It's tough for kids to make money, 

what with those darned child labor laws and all...  

No more paper routes and few lawns to mow...  

When I was a kid, I picked buckets of black raspberries from our ravine, 

braving heat, terrain, mosquitos and daddy long legs...  

The corner grocery would pay me $2.00 

per pint for those juicy berries...  

Hard work, but cashola in the pocket... 

Jack has no idea how much Kate makes 

when she has a gig,

(it's not really that much),

but he wants in on the game... 

So, we had a little photo session the other day at North Avenue Beach 

to get a head shot or two 

to submit to the local agencies...  

Who knows if Surfer Boy will be of interest, 

but I sure think he is cute... 

Last week he got into some serious trouble with Mom and Dad 

and had to forfeit camp to mop, sweep and tote garbage 

for a whole day at HEAT Armor...

Lesson was learned, 

but maybe he would work at the factory 

for a little money now and then... 

And there is a good sized lawn to mow there...  

A little work is good for the eight year old soul... 

Cash buys Legos, after all....

In an Instant

In a second flat your world can change...  

We all have heard that and believe it, 

but we don't really absorb it until it happens to you... 

This summer, after I pick up Jack from sailing camp, 

we head up beautiful Lake Shore Drive and exit Wilson Avenue, 

west, to pick up Kate at her park district camp.  

Wilson cuts through a dicey neighborhood 

for about five blocks, but it's the quickest route.  

It was a peaceful ride....

Jack had fun sailing on a picture perfect summer day...

I was making back to school lists in my head 

as we sat at an intersection... 

Much to my husband's security-minded dismay, 

I did not notice the throngs of youths hanging out in the area... 

That was, until four gunshots rang out...  

Time slowed to a snail's pace...  

I looked to my left 

and saw about 20 kids running around the corner...

Then I heard shouts from about another 8 kids, 

diagonally across the intersection...

I thought about Jack, about our vulnerability 

and in that instant the light turned green....  

Tom was in my brain, 

shouting for me to hit the gas 

and I did....  

I didn't start shaking 

until I got out of the car and hugged Kate... 

I called Tom and he contacted the officer 

who patrols the area...  

She said there were conflicting reports 

of whether the shooter was in a car or on a bike...  

Good news is that no one was shot... 

Bad things happen anywhere...  

My eight year old baby was in that car with me 

and I am so grateful he is okay... 

I am still a little verklempt 

and at a loss for words...  

What I do know is that I will be driving a longer, 

statistically safer route from now on..... 

Hold your loved ones close....

Yard Man Returneth....

 

There is the old saying,  "A man's home is his castle..."  

Well, Tommy's castle is more like a double-wide, 

when you look at the exterior... 

The basement project, 

aka "Endless Disaster" 

transformed our lush surroundings to concrete, 

debris, weeds and mud for nearly three years...  

Although the project is still not totally completed...

don't ask...  

I'd finally had it with the despair 

I felt every time I looked out the window... 

We saved up a little cash 

 and I hit the Home Depot for some shrubs.  

They were half off!  

Then I got a little crazy and asked a local nursery 

to give me an estimate for sod 

and landscaping for the front/back of the house...

  

Trust me, their ideas were lovely, but the estimate came to, 

brace yourself....

$4,000.00 to sod approximately 

300 square feet and throw in a few bushes and a tree...  

That number was about, oh... 

$3500.00 MORE than I had budgeted for the deal... 

Call me naive, but I needed to figure this out a cheaper way... 

Well the answer is obvious....

Do it yourself!  

So, Tom and I took deep breaths, 

psyched ourselves up 

and scheduled the delivery of sod, soil conditioner, 

compost and two bushes... 

We rented a roto-tiller and bought an extra shovel...  

Now we understand why those landscaping guys 

are so strong and wiry...  

Scraping away two inches of weeds that are overgrown, 

 with wet soil is HARD work... 

Plus it rained buckets the night before, 

so the stuff was super heavy... 

We roto-tilled, 

scraped, 

raked, 

bagged, 

hauled, 

leveled, 

planted 

and then placed the grass in neat, herringbone patterns...  

We looked like mile 22 of the Muddy Iron Man competition 

and we felt like $2.00 

when we were finished about 5 hours later...

 

Despite the pain, heat, sweat and suffering, 

it was so worth it... 

We love the results 

and now my Yard Man is back...

Before the "Endless Disaster", 

we had a lovely yard in the front and back...  

Tom lovingly mowed the grass 

(it took about 7 minutes) 

in perfect lines...

  

He meticulously hand picked weeds 

from his and the neighbor's yards...

We sat on the front porch at dusk, 

wine in hand 

and enjoyed our little piece of heaven... 

Now, with our own sweat equity, it is back... 

Tom's castle 

(outdoors, anyway) 

has returned and we will enjoy the rest of the summer 

with a yard that no longer is redneck paradise...  

Now if only we can fix the rotting steps out front.......

And paint the shingles...

And.........

Steve Stunning...

In the day, his nickname was "Steve Stunning"...

Not too hard to imagine why...  

My dad was a looker...  

Mom wasn't too shabby herself!  

Today is my pop's birthday...  

Had to be a great time for a kid birthday celebration in the summer... 

He lived in Chicago as a kid, playing in the train yards,

setting fire to easter grass and keeping snakes 

(unbeknownst to my grandma) 

in the basement... 

Now I know where Jack gets his mischievous nature. ..

I also know where he gets some of his engineer brain... 

Jack's dad has a lot of that, too... 

Dad was the fun guy you wanted around... 

Always with that winning smile on his face, 

a willingness to jump in a game of baseball 

and along for the college pranks when needed... 

One time he and a bunch of guys managed to carry 

a small car into the basement of a college school building.  

Then they filled it with books... 

Another time they decided to drop a massive barrel of water 

from a two story 

building onto a targeted friend...  

Too bad they nailed the house mother instead.... 

Oops...

Knocked her flat...  

Yep...  

My dad is pictured in the dictionary next to "Work Ethic"...  

No guy has worked harder than he has...  

Before I was born my folks had something like 5 jobs 

between them to make ends meet...  

When Dad had his own architecture practice 

he worked long hours and most Saturdays...  

He managed to make most of our important events 

and even coached my softball team one year...  

I learned that hard work, determination 

and a little savvy goes a long way... 

My dad was the tough guy at work, 

but he was an old softie at home... 

He taught me to dance and we even won a dance contest, 

tearing it up at a festival in downtown Moline...

  

These days, my parents live near us in the suburbs 

and I get to see Dad everyday...  

He sits right next to me at work!  

We are partners in crime, helping each other, 

sharing bad jokes and enjoying the company...  

I am grateful to have my pop so close...  

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I love you.

Get Smart....

Today had its ups and downs....  

Here's how it shook:

1. Smart:  

Picked over 6 pints of fresh raspberries from my mother's yard....

Not So Smart:  

Asked the kids to help... 

That lasted about 36 seconds... 

And then they wanted to eat most of the ones I sweated, 

batted away wasps and pricked my fingers to harvest....

2.  Smart:  

Brought Tom along to fix the parent's hopelessly frozen computer...

Not So Smart:  

Also brought the kids... 

Little did I know the de-spyware-ing would take all day....  

The TV surely ate the logic and sense portion of their brains...

3. Smart:  

Had quality time shopping with my mom...

I scored a new set of sheets 

and got my Aldi shopping done....

Sweet.....

Not So Smart:  

The kids found the JC Penney bag and Jack 

complained that Kate got a pillow and he didn't...

No thank you nor mention of the new jersey sheets he scored.....  

So much for gratitude....

4. Smart:  

Decided to make a healthy Sunday dinner.....

Not So Smart:  

Deciding to make the kind of dinner 

that uses both the oven and stove.....

The house was already 80 degrees 

when we got home and I think I drove it up to 100 in the kitchen....

Great job, Ace....  

Dinner was a keeper, though....

So, I got that going for me.......

Here's the main dish recipe:

Make it in October.....

Chicken and Rice with Fresh Chorizo

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 4 links fresh chorizo or hot Italian sausage
3. 4 whole chicken legs
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 2 garlic cloves, minced
6. 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
7. 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
9. 1/4 cup dry white wine
10. One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
11. 6 cups chicken stock
12. 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
13. 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
14. 3 scallions, coarsely chopped
15. 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
16. 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the chorizo, cover and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until richly browned and just cooked through, 10 minutes; transfer to a plate. Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper and add them to the casserole, skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat until browned, 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to the plate with the chorizo.
2. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the casserole. Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes. Add the turmeric and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the wine and boil over high heat until almost evaporated, 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Return the chorizo and chicken to the casserole along with any accumulated juices. Simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until coated with oil. Stir in 5 cups of the chicken cooking liquid into the rice. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat, stirring often, until the rice is just tender and has absorbed most of the cooking liquid, about 25 minutes. Stir in the peas, scallions, cilantro and jalapeño and warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cut each chorizo link into 3 pieces and return them to the casserole. Gently reheat the chicken and chorizo. Spoon the rice onto large plates and top with the chorizo pieces and chicken. Spoon some of the remaining cooking liquid on top and serve.

The Great White Way...

 Funny how things snowball sometimes.....  

I responded to an inquiry from Kate's agency website for a family to be in a web video...  

What are the chances they'd pick us?  

Nil.... 

What do we have to lose?  

Nuthin'.....  

Next thing you know, the Herlihy's aced the audition 

and a crew from Toronto stepped into our house 

for a two day experience.... 

The web video will be part of a large bank website

(I can tell ya who they are in August) 

in their family series teaching kids about money....  

The crew couldn't be nicer 

and the exercises they had us complete were fun 

and  interesting for the kids... 

The hardest part was keeping my wonderful, perfect children quiet 

while the camera was rolling...  

That, and the repetition was tedious for the kids...  

We did everything 3 times...

At one point, Kate replied, 

"I already told you how many nickels are in a dime, MOM!"...

  

Oh well, what do they say?

"Never work with kids nor animals..."    

Jack enjoyed his first gig in showbiz 

and Kate let him know she was a pro already.

"I've done millions of jobs!" she retorted.... 

Not that she's competitive or anything...

Somehow I managed to keep them from killing each other 

while the crew was there.... 

Perhaps it was my dire threats should they misbehave....  

I dunno....  

The best part was that they paid us on the spot 

and now I can repair my front porch..... 

A shopping spree at Saks would be sweet,

but I'll be so happy each day to not look at rotting posts 

and holey floorboards....

I guess I'm a grown up now.....

*Sigh...*

The Wunder Y Tap....

It was a Card Club reunion... 

A 24 hour quickie assemblage of my high school besties...  

One was in town from DC, so we all dropped out of regular life 

for one day of laughter, old stories and new....  

Always good to have an old friend put you back to earth...

To remind you of where you came from...

Where you've been...  

Friends like that who were there when you were jilted by your crush...

Who took out your contacts when you were smashed beyond reason... 

Who made you ski in the frigid Wisconsin water first....  

And who saved you from going off to make out with a trucker in the north woods....  

Not like that ever happened to me...  

Oh who cares... I married a trucker...

How's that for full circle?!  

We have been together for weddings, births and funerals... 

Time is no object... 

We pick up from where we left off years later, 

to recount those same embarrassing, hilarious stories of our past.  

It was great to catch up over Happy Joe's taco pizza, Whitey's Ice Cream and Rudy's Tacos... 

I might have gained a pound or two, and then laughed them right off...  

Card Club lives on.... 

Semi's and Suites....

Looks like I went out of order.....oops!

 Day 2 of our excellent adventure East....  

The day started off with breakfast 

at the Holiday Inn Express...  

Little eyes were bigger than stomachs 

as Jack mounded his styro plate with a bagel,

English muffin, oatmeal and cereal...  

Talk about carb loading....  

We boarded our truck, Blu, for a shorter day of travel, 

from Breezewood, PA to Baltimore and then DC... 

The client's office was in Towson, MD, to be exact, 

and maneuvering the big 'ole truck into the office complex was,

well, complex...  

Tommy, being the experienced trucker, did a splendid job 

with parking, unloading of the new armored Suburban 

and client relations, of course.  

I basically tried to look helpful, 

while keeping the kids out of traffic 

and away from each other...  

Oh the fighting and bickering....  

Close quarters makes for serious discord.

But it was a long time in the truck...  

And they were hungry, which can make the most saintly child 

resemble beezlebub on his worst day....  

Luckily, Towson Towne Center was a block or two away.... 

Civilization and shopping....  

so soothing.....  

Today was Tommy's birthday 

and what better way to celebrate than to go shopping?  

He got  a cool and overpriced shirt from Lucky Brand 

plus some much needed new shoes.  

I scored two pair of shoes from Payless.  

How can you pass up shoes for eight dollars?  

Not to be left out, the kids begged for a Build a Bear experience.   

Having successfully avoided that abyss of add-on expense  

(similar to the hell that is American Girl) 

before, it was time to cave and indulge the kids.  

All those vacation websites emphasize

to allow for lots of fun each day of the trip.  

So far, the kids had to sit in the truck for three hours

and wait in the hot sun for another hour

while we delivered the client's car.  

Next then had to walk all over a shopping mall

and watch their parents buy a thing or two...boring!  

Dad would rather eat dog food than spend forty dollars 

on two stuffed bears.... 

but the kids really enjoyed it... 

Next on the trucking agenda was to drop off the big rig near DC, 

unload our car and find a hotel for the next two nights.  

Tom found a great deal at the JW Marriott, 

near the White House, apparently... 

We were hot, sweaty and more than tired, 

as we finally drove up to the hotel.  

It looked nice, which was refreshing 

after being cooped up in the truck for so long...  

Well, the JW Marriott is a lovely hotel 

and it became even more fabulous at check in... 

Our reserved room was not ready 

and we were dealing with a travel hold on our debit card....  

Tom handed me the key and sent me and the kids to the room.    

As we counted the doors to our room number, 

it became clear our room was at the end, 

and you know what that means...  

Jack opened the door to a two floor suite!  

The Lincoln Suite, no less....  

It seems Tom's personable demeanor scored us a free upgrade....  

this room is sweet!  

The kids jumped for joy....  

We jumped for joy because our bed was on a different floor....  

What a nice gift after "roughing it" this week....  

Amazingly, the day got better... 

We dropped our luggage 

and cabbed to see the Nats vs Cubs game....  

It's a great stadium and it was a beautiful night....  

The park was sprinkled with Cubs fans 

and we watched the Nats shell the Cubs in the beginning.... 

but it all turned around and the Cubs prevailed....

  

The kids ate until they passed out 

and we finally had to carry them back to the hotel...  

As we wandered out to the patio we could see the White House lit up behind some trees....

  

Amazing how a glass of wine and a hotel robe elevates feelings of serenity....  

Maybe this trucking thing ain't half bad.....