Out of Hand: November 2018

Friday, November 30, 2018

The Engineer passed along his cold to Mr. Serious and Sweet Pea.

Actually not sick here, just has wild hair.

To let us know they were unhappy about it, Mr. Serious screamed and flailed (for 20 minutes after we gave him Tylenol and Motrin at 4am) and Sweet Pea said her "heart got broken."

We are all kinds of virtuous over here.

At least we had a photo shoot before things went downhill.

One of her 5 outfit changes.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

They have each others' backs.

Food Favorites

[Like all conversations with this one, the most information is shared when he is moving.]

"Mom, do you know what my first favorite food is?" he asked while mixing mac n cheese.

"Mac n cheese?"

"Yes!"

"Do you know what my second favorite food is?"

"Chicken nuggets?"

"No. French fries. French fries are my second favorite food. Then chicken nuggets. Sometimes, when I eat french fries, they taste a liiiiiiiittle bit like fried tomatoes."

"Fried tomatoes? Do you mean fried potatoes?"

"Yes. Fried potatoes."

"Remember, so you don't get confused. Mac n cheese is my first favorite. Then, french fries. Then, chicken nuggets. Not chicken nuggets, then french fries. French fries are second. Chicken nuggets are third."

We are winning in the food department over here!

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

I was challenged on Facebook to do a black and white photo week (one photo/day). It got me thinking: what makes a good black and white photo? Presumably high contrast. But, what else? I don't prefer black and white photos in most situations. These are what I came up with. I'm posting for my own record. [We were not supposed to include people, which was impossible for me.]

This is his real personality. He stared out the window, deep in thought, all the way to Linden yesterday.

"No explanation" was one of the rules. That's one thing I love about photography. One can tell a story without saying anything. It's difficult to be misunderstood through a photo, unlike real life. Of course, photos can be misleading sometimes, but not to the degree that other forms of communication can be.

Hancock Building, Chicago.

The focus is off here, but I love the image anyway.

Georgetown Neighborhood Library.

We played a lot of this last week!

Part of DH's Monopoly trophy.

I was taking myself too seriously. So, I included a phone photo, which was blurry but captured my real life!

What people mean when they tell me, "You're outnumbered." Well, actually, God is on my side. So, no, I'm not. And, let's face it: He's driving this crazy train!

I thought this one was interesting in black and white; but I still prefer it in color:

Draken Harald Harfagre, Viking Ship.

Our sweet Irish-twin wanna-bes:

They are perfectly matched. She loves to smother him. He loves to hold his ground. They make each other laugh all day.

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Outtakes:

I could not get the lighting much brighter without removing detail here. We are thinking about buying Lightroom for Christmas. I'm sure that would help with something like this.

One of our children makes these all day long.

This is a creation all his own.

I didn't want anyone assuming/judging my politics. So, I did not post DH's gifts from friends, but they look cool in high contrast.

Monday, November 26, 2018

...and your mom has a special visit scheduled.

"This applesauce is delicious!" he said of the dish he's been asking me to make for 3 months.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Let me get you another copy of that memo. Their average wake-up time lately: 6:15am.

Buying silent time with low-volume Veggie Tales.

We always know Mr. Serious is awake because he immediately shouts his sister's name. It's a good thing they're cute! Only mom respects sleep in this home.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

This year, I am so grateful for family near and far, everyone's health, our home, and DH's new job which has given him lots of time with our family.

On Thanksgiving, he did something he's wanted to do for years: smoke a turkey! He brined it overnight, stuffed butter under the skin, and smoked it for 10 hours. The bird turned out to be super tender, moist, and flavorful. We only snapped phone photos because turkey juice, guests, and kids were everywhere. And we wouldn't have had it any other way!

Super moist breasts -- no gravy needed!

We fed 20 people -- both family and friends.

Falling-off-the bone good!

So many board games were played!

One of the pairs of eight-months-apart cousins:

We took Aunt Monica to Winchester:

We pulled out the Christmas decorations. The big boys took all of the retired items into their room, including the $75 tree! Mr. Serious is doing his very best to break each one of them.