Winter Olympics in review

The 2010 Winter Olympics are pau. It's been a week; has enough time passed that I can make fun of the hats worn by Canadian athletes on the medal podium without folks getting too upset? "Own the Podium" they did by winning the most gold. But really, were those tri-color conehead knits caps an after thought?
There is one thing I don't miss. How glad are you, like me, that we don't have to suffer through any more Marriage Ref commercials!! Here's one of my favorite athlete quotes, from a medalist in freestyle skiing. "I know that a lot of people go through a lot of things in their life, and I just want them to realize they can overcome anything," Peterson said. "There's light at the end of the tunnel and mine was silver and I love it."
And this was my favorite Olympic-related quote on Twitter, from comedian Mo Rocca: "I want Scott Hamilton to be my life coach. He's one of the great positive forces ... in the world."
And did I hear it right when they said the 4-man bobsled sleigh called the "Night Train" weighs 500 lbs? Now that has got to be one heck of an oversize baggage fee!
Sochi (Russia) in 2014. Who's in?

Don't fall for it!

Coconut M&Ms! I saw this new-to-me candy flavor in the market and sadly, I fell for the marketing and packaging. Very cool, very tropical, and like all things M&M, fun if you're in the right mood. I threw two small bags into my basket right before check-out and headed home. I opened a bag while watching the Vancouver Opening Ceremonies and immediately regretted it. I should have known better. They left me feeling lousy and then bummed that I had wasted a treat to myself! Before I ate them, I inspected the food label, and the word coconut isn't even listed. Closest thing? Yep, you guessed it. "Artificial flavor." I can't figure out why I went on to eat them anyway. I think what upset me the most was that after looking at that big coconut split in half and a ring of white coconut inside, I figured that the candy would have a white coconut ring, too, but with regular "plain" chocolate inside. Wrong! It's just a slightly larger than standard M&M with a chocolate center infused with artificial flavor. Fail! I'm only saving you a dollar in the grand scheme of things, but avoid them if you can.

"Whole orange" quick bread

Foodies, I'm back! Second week in a row I've baked something out of the Wednesday food section. Years ago on the Food Network, I watched a baker put an entire orange, peel and all, into a food processor and blend into muffin batter. I'd never tried it, but it was memorable. So this week the food editor had a story about using an orange in quick bread. She casually wrote that she had an orange she needed to use up, and coincidentally, so did I. Time to try it! I bake banana bread about once a week - a product of having two boys who leave various partially-eaten bananas around daily. I started putting together the orange bread and Robbie got excited (he likes to help with the banana bread). I tried to explain that it was "orange" bread and not banana bread, and he understood. Sort of. When it came out of the oven, he exclaimed, "That's not orange bread. That's brown bread!" Not sure if I'll make it again anytime soon. High in sugar and heavy, plus it took over an hour to bake thoroughly. That's much too long to have the oven on around here for a snack.

Black Pearl sailing Hawaiian waters

More shipping news - Hot on the heels of the Queen Victoria coming to town, early last week the Black Pearl sailed into Kalaeloa Harbor. What is the Black Pearl? Well, if you have to ask, you're not a tween! (And I'm guessing that's most of my readers, so I'll explain...) It was announced last month that the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise (#4, again for the non-tweens) will be filmed on and around Hawaii this summer. Johnny Depp is on board (pun intended) for the film, but other stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly have abandoned ship. It was reported that the boat was heading to the West Oahu harbor (immediately next to the dock where Noel used to take TheBoat ferry downtown) for multiple reasons, one of which is that the harbor is "a secured facility." Umm, close but not really. I guess they mean secured so you can't board it yourself. One morning I pulled right up into the parking lot where I used to wait for Noel and walked around taking pictures. While doing that, another car cruised up, an actual tween hopped out of the passenger seat, snapped a few pictures, too, and then got back in the car and drove off with his mom.
The boat is not ready for it's close-up. It is here early to get spruced up and camera-primed. It sailed from California under it's real name, Sunset, registered out of Long Beach. And it is not a true reproduction of a 17th-century warship either, the masts are all for show and sailed here via a pretty strong engine. But if you want to believe, I can't stop you here.
In more local movie news, if Pirates doesn't doesn't get your heart beating, maybe this will! In other words, GEORGE CLOONEY ALERT! GEORGE CLOONEY ALERT! It has also been announced that Sir George (yep, that's an honor bestowed by me) is coming this Spring to shoot a new film in and around Honolulu with Alexander Payne, director of Sideways. More news to come from me on this one!! I'll be in make-up on, hair down, camera fully charged mode for the next few months and on the look out.

Strike a pose

More fun with Photo Booth! Robbie loves the iPhone and this is one of his favorite apps, too. Last night he made us laugh as he triggered the shutter, turned the phone around so he could shoot himself, and proceeded to make deliberate, unique poses for all four shots. So funny! And the results weren't so bad, either.

Happy New Year!

Last week, the Advertiser's food section ran an article on almond cookies. They're a local favorite here, especially around this time as many folks bake batches for their Chinese New Year celebrations. They looked easy and fun, so I made some. They're OK; although I did get the thumbs-up from Noel, if I were to make them again, I'd try a few tweaks. First, they call for a tablespoon of almond extract (for a relatively small number of cookies). I had the cheap, imitation stuff, and too much of it is not a good thing. I think the flavor would be better with almond paste and a hint of extract. Just my humble opinion. ;) Also, they're too biscuit-y for me. Way too crunchy. I like a softer cookie, so I'd do a little experimenting there, too. But for festive, they get high marks. If only I had a small tiger stencil. Instead of a simple red dot of food coloring, I would have liked to go all out with an image on top. Maybe next year.

Love Love LOVE!

Love the Olympics, of course. What else could I be talking about? ;) The Winter Olympics have started and the all-out media blitz is in full effect. Enjoying the view from my couch and not in Vancouver but fun nonetheless. Downhill alpine ski races have been delayed so as I compose this they're running something called "Nordic Combined." Can't waste too much time though with the broadcast today, lots of things to do around the house, plus a few lectures and assignments to catch up on. Remember I said I was getting the hang of school and attending a class on cable? Well, I had a reality check this week - missed two quiz deadlines. Luckily I have a window to make them up thanks to a very generous instructor. Back to the books now.

Did I ever tell you about...

...a little event we like to call "the pineapple miracle." At the end of the Pineapple Express train ride at the Dole Plantation, they wait for you with a take-out container full of diced pineapple on toothpicks. Each rider gets a piece as you get off the train. As you can probably imagine, our little group of train riders is the last to leave the train. One day as we were once again bringing up the rear, the attendant wanted to get rid of the rest of the pineapple she had on her - maybe 5 pieces for our group of 3. Cub wasn't interested, and I thought for sure Robbie would pass, but to my surprise, he grabbed a toothpick and plopped a piece in his mouth. And he liked it! And asked for more!! Hence the miracle. Now he will eat pineapple semi-regularly, as will Cub (yippee!) when I dice it up and put it out on the table for them. Anyone know where we can find a Broccoli Train?

In the center area between attractions at the Dole Plantation, they plant and harvest countless pineapple varieties from around the world. Pictured here is our favorite, the "pink pineapple" (our name, not the name on the garden marker). I forget where this one is from, but the blooms are beautiful. Robbie noticed my interest in it when I was taking pictures last fall, and looked for it again when we went back recently. None were in bloom, which bummed us a bit, but we'll keep looking during future trips.

More fun with iPhone Apps

I hit the beach this morning with a beach chair, my new beach umbrella, a good book, and my phone, of course. It sounds really relaxing to be on the beach reading, but I find it hard to concentrate. So between pages, I would get restless and start taking pictures. One of my new favorite apps? Photo Booth Classic Plus. This one wasn't free, but cheap and fun. Takes four pictures in any interval you set and drops them into a single image (photo booth "strip" format). No option to retake; it's four and out. The good news is that you're not wasting either money or photo paper with do-overs. Love it!

Queen Victoria sailing in Hawaiian waters this week

Yesterday the luxury cruise ship, the Queen Victoria, pulled into Honolulu Harbor and docked alongside the Aloha Tower Marketplace for the day. Normally I'm not interested in the comings and goings of cruise ships, except this one held a very important person: My brother! What brother, you ask? My Lucian brother, of course. :)

There are three now-grown boys in the family that took me in while in St. Lucia as a Peace Corps Volunteer. The middle brother is a professional musician who performs on cruise ships. (Thanks to Facebook, we've reconnected.) The last time he was in Hawaii? A year or two ago, before I signed up with FB. He said he spent the day at "a mall" with some friends. Doh!

When he emailed late last month to say he was coming this way, I got very, very excited! Woo-hoo! I'll be able to see him! But sadly, no reunion in the cards for us. He's relatively new on the QV and had to attend mandatory training on board the ship, all day. I couldn't not go down to the harbor, even if it just meant walking around the ship and taking a look. I suppose we could have tried to arrange a time for him to be on deck so we could at least wave at each other, but I didn't know logistically what would work. He didn't expect to be in Hawaii when he signed on, here's to hoping he comes again. Soon!

I also hope he arrives in better weather. Not really knowing what he would want to do, I made a mental list of activities - all outdoors - that might show him a side of Oahu he wouldn't get from his normal view from the ship. Hiking Diamond Head was at the top of my list. Turns out we had one of the wettest days in years here. Rain and dark clouds until late afternoon. I didn't have a Plan B.

Fun with iPhone apps

Who doesn't love free iPhone apps?!? There are a couple of different versions of a photo editor in the App Store that transforms your cell phone pictures into a look-alike of the now-iconic Obama campaign poster. I found a free version last night - the "Hope Camera." It's a bit limited - yes, free so this is not a complaint - but very easy and you can still have fun. I have a good shot of Cub that I thought would work, but the editing makes his eyes look funny. I went to my backup plan and tweaked pictures of our dogs next. Brady is in this one. Looks like she's wearing a doggy coat! Sadly, it's just the way the app made her, umm, folds look. The app allows some adjusting of the color levels and appearance, as well as provides a utility for you to enter a different word at the bottom of the image. Otherwise not very complicated. And free!

The dog didn't eat my homework...

...but he did eat my reading assignment! School is going well and I'm adjusting to deadlines (again!), homework, and submitting assignments and taking quizzes online. I leave my textbooks and class materials laying about so they're in reach when I have a few minutes. I've got to be careful, though. Papers end up on the floor and are consumed by the dogs. Sometimes the dogs are more trouble than the boys!

Elton live!

A few Saturdays ago, Noel and I went to watch Elton John live and in concert. Right here on Oahu! Can't tell you how excited I was...and can't tell you how not excited Noel was. I've been a huge fan for years. Mostly his old stuff, some of his new. (My cat is named Elton. I swear a future dog will be named Levon...) Noel is still wondering after all these years with me what the fuss is all about. But he bravely came along, and I think he enjoyed it, but not as much as I did.
Elton was onstage (for three hours!) most of the evening with just his piano; about a third of the evening he was joined by percussionist and long-time friend and collaborator Ray Cooper. And that's it! I think he sounds great. Can still handle all of his material and play one amazing piano. He doesn't have his original range but pretty darn close to an untrained ear (and to think that his first albums came out nearly 40 years ago). Noel got hungry and headed out for snacks about an hour in and missed some of the songs that he knows best. I couldn't sing along to "Hold me closer Tony Danza" to cheer him up. The rest of the evening included some of Elton's early, great work, including songs from the Madman Across the Water album, which Elton said remains one of his best -- and personal favorite.
One surprise note to the evening? Kanye West in the house. Near the end of the show, Elton acknowledged his friends and extended family there with him that week, and Kanye was among the VIPs in the first row.

Jellyfish kid craft

Another fun art project came home in the backpack last week. A jellyfish! The kids poured pink hand sanitizer gel, glitter, and plastic beads into a plastic sandwich bag, then cut out and taped a construction paper jellyfish around the bag edges. Accordian folded "legs" were attached at the bottom to complete the, um, authentic look. Lean in and the smell of the floral scented hand sanitizer is pretty strong--transports you to a Bath & Body Works shop. Might not be so pleasant for some, but I don't mind so much.
It's a bit of a darkish day here, with vog continuing to cover Oahu and a little rain predicted. But you never know. Monday started out this way and we ended the day at the playground in sunshine.

My other favorite outtake

This picture makes me smile, so I'm going to revisit our holiday photo card shoot today. The cards are done, mailed, received...the boys, while not perfect pics, at least look cute, so I need to get over it and move on. But not before sharing this final outtake. It looks like I'm torturing him (and/or he's throwing a tantrum), but in fact, it's one of those situations where I think we were trying to get Cub to walk along normally (while Noel shoots) and then he suddenly decides he wants to be untethered. He lifts his feet out from under himself and nearly falls over in an effort to go free. I'm there holding on, while Noel is still shooting. And thus the picture, uncropped straight from the memory card. For friends with babies who will be at this stage in a year or two, just remember to have patience and laugh. For friends beyond this stage, look back fondly. Enjoy!

Adventures with Piggy the Pink

Cub received a moose and a pig (stuffed animals) for Xmas. He didn't care for them much, but Robbie took to them quickly. Robbie started playing with them and before you knew it, Piggy the Pink was coming with us on all travels, big and small. I could write this blog from Piggy's perspective and we would have endless fodder. Here's Piggy above, taken at the Dole Plantation shortly before we boarded the Pineapple Train. A Furlough Friday treat last week with Noel's sister, visiting from the East Coast.

Train Museum

We originally planned to head to Tahoe for a few days after Christmas, but instead opted for a day trip from the Bay Area to go to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Our little train lover was in heaven! As we first entered the main exhibit hall, he said over and over, "This is so beautiful!" I thought so, too. A very nice facility with fantastic exhibits and tons of information to soak up. Historic train engines and cars are placed inside the building on the bottom floor, while the top floor exhibits focus on toys and models, along with a few more full-size cars to walk around. Robbie darted around the place with so much enthusiasm, at one point I turned to my Mom and said that maybe I should pin my cell phone number to his jacket in case he wanders off.
Here's Robbie outside the building, along the Sacramento waterfront. Interesting photography request noted in the museum map: No tripod photography! Whaaat? Although I wasn't carrying one, I also wasn't carrying a camera that shoots well in dim light, so my best photos of the day were from outside.

Accepted!

Yesterday morning found me sitting in the car in the parking lot of the local CC, reviewing practice tests for the Compass placement exam. Completed the math portion in December, now onto the English. Which I didn't study near as much and hoped I could just wing it. I pulled out some paperwork and noticed that a new student orientation was scheduled that morning. I checked the clock...and it was starting at that moment. So I took that for a sign that I should go and found the lecture hall. They were passing out these badge holders while we waited to check in. Whoa! It's been a while since I've received such useful swag. :) A session that was originally billed as a three hour event was thankfully over in 40 minutes and off I went to take my test at the testing lab. Registered this morning after a small snafu and I start next week. (Who would have guessed that when you have a problem with online records, you don't go to the Admissions & Records office. Silly me! You go to the counselling center!) And in the modern education era, only fitting that one class is on a Saturday and another is broadcast twice a week on a local cable channel.

Holiday Card Outtake 2009

We all but gave up on a family portrait this year. I can't speak for Noel, but I didn't feel like being photographed this time around. It's so hard! How does everyone else do it?? But we wanted to send something out (even if it will end up being a "Happy New Year" card!). So this morning we headed out to Ko'Olina with the boys and tried to get a shot we could use. Still working on it! We'll keep these cute shirts on, pack a camera or two, and head to a playground this afternoon. Cross your fingers for us that I can send these out soon. :)

Happy 2010!

Did any of you have a lunch on New Year's Day that looked anything like mine here? I don't believe in resolutions (they're a joke) but I do need to detox from a week of starting each day with cake, cookies, and candies. Back home now and made myself fresh hummus, julienned baby carrots, then sat down to enjoy a few minutes of the Rose Bowl. We started watching The Hangover with HD On-demand, but realized there were too many f-bombs with the kids playing with their new toys in the same room. Paused it and finished it later.

12 Days of Christmas: Merry Christmas!

We're a little late all around this year. Busy yesterday and didn't get this posted. Art work from Robbie. Tomorrow, will try to order our photo cards. Hope everyone is having fun.

12 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays

My Mom stitched and framed this beautiful cross-stitch tapestry for me a few years ago. For reasons I don't remember now, I never brought it over to our home in Hawaii. So Mom hangs it in her living room during the Christmas season and I get to enjoy it while I'm here.

12 Days of Christmas: Santa Sand Sculpture

We went to Rumfire, a restaurant along the water at the Waikiki Sheraton, for dinner last night. I walked by this huge, indoor sand sculpture at least three times before noticing it! I guess I was a little distracted with the boys in tow. The sculpture is at least 6-7 feet tall, and pretty wide all around. The title was "Santa Taking Hula Lessons" or something, but I don't know if that's an accurate description. Looks a wee bit more intimate.

12 Days of Christmas: Holiday Windows

Late last month I picked up a bunch of ornaments to hang within the window frames in the house. My Mom is here and she went to work and made it happen! Just like a professional store front. Looks great from inside and out. Easy, festive way to decorate for the season without a big electric bill looming in January.

12 Day of Christmas: M&M Nutcracker

I passed this silly thing by many a times in the commissary in the past few months, but Saturday night I could no longer resist! You pour a small amount of plain M&Ms through an opening in the back, press a lever, and candies pop out of his mouth. Left alone to play with it, Robbie had a lot of fun. The candies were ultimately eaten, but not at pace you might expect for a 4.5 year old!

12 Days of Christmas: Princess Kaiulani Gingerbread Village

Every year since we got here, I've read of a fantastic holiday gingerbread display in Waikiki. We finally made it! This afternoon after lunch with my in-laws, we walked over to the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel to check it out. I was expecting it to smell better (no gingerbread/spice smell at all) but otherwise it was magic. The pastry chef is German and he models the scene on a classic European winter village. Two trains, tunnels and overpasses, ice skaters...it was all there. Even a working gondola! The boys loved the trains, of course, but we all felt like kids while looking at it.

12 Days of Christmas: Cinnamon Ornaments Redux

One of my holiday favorites came home in the backpack this week! Three survived transit, one (so far) has not survived display in the kitchen. Robbie was a little heavy-handed with the rolling pin this time around; two are a bit thin. I found a "recipe" in a holiday magazine and was going to see if it's something Robbie might want to do with his cousin Johnny when we visit next week. Recipe makes 60 ornaments. Hmmm, let's use our newly dusted-off math skills to divide the ingredients and create a much smaller amount.

12 Days of Christmas: TSA Bans Snow Globes

This just in - family flying through SoCal sent me this mobile pic. Seasonal signage at the airport says snow globes are banned in carry-on luggage. Bah, humbug! You've got to be crazy to pack one in your check-in luggage, so it doesn't look good for traveling snow globes this season and beyond. Friends, heed my cries and pick 'em up at your destination!

12 Days of Christmas: Clifford Tree Topper

The Kapolei library has to be one of the newest in the state system. It's clean, spacious, not musty...even has Hawaiian quilts hanging on the high ceilings. A very nice place to be. This year they set up a two-story Christmas tree, complete with Scholastic book mega-star Clifford the Big Red Dog on top. I like it! I've been spending a lot of Saturdays there in the last month studying. Going back to school next month! The bad news is I have to take a math placement exam, covering exercises and theories I haven't studied in over 20 years. And it's not like riding a bike—some of that stuff does NOT come back that easy!

Spotted nearby - the Saffron Finch

OK, so we've had numerous failed attempts to hang a bird feeder in our yard (couldn't keep them high enough out of reach of young hands) but I haven't given up bird watching. After a quick run to the grocery store on Tuesday, I spotted these small, yellow birds in the open area across the street. I've seen them a few times, but never where I could take a picture. Yesterday I gave it a try...parked in the driveway and ran in and grabbed the first camera I found in the kitchen. Ran out and started snapping. They scurried away from me, but I was able to get a few shots before they flew off completely. I checked a bird book we have in the house, and according to "A Pocket Guide to Hawai'i's Birds," they are saffron finches. In the category of "Cardinals and Cousins," the guide says they are an immigrant from South America, frequently found on the Big Island, around Kona and the airport. Hmmm...

12 Days of Christmas: Reindeer Paper Bag Puppet

The first Christmas craft came home in the backpack last Thursday afternoon — a reindeer puppet, complete with googly eyes and big red bow. Googly eyes have sure gotten fancy. These have shaded lids and eyelashes. The puppet is not in use yet, right now I'm enjoying it taped to the kitchen cupboard door. Something else I'm enjoying right now is the Eddie Aikau big wave surfing contest. Running today and the waves at Waimea are huge! Not literally there at the bay, but enjoying the live coverage on cable.

While the boys were sleeping...

I can't boast that I'm a morning person, but I will say I tend to get up early and function pretty well when I do. Noel, on the other hand, likes to sleep in and doesn't get up early unless necessary. It should surprise no one that while on vacation, I like to sneak out of the hotel room early and wander around while the boys - and most of the world - are sleeping. That could actually be the subject of a whole other blog...

On our last day on Kauai I set my alarm for 6:25 and headed out, camera in hand. I wandered through the hotel grounds, past the pool attendants scrubbing down the pool tiles for the day, and found another monk seal on the beach. This time, surrounded by no one. He had been there a while. He apparently rolled over on the first set of safe-distance ropes set up by the hotel staff, prompting them to set up another. So if he looks in distress here laying on ropes, rest assured he's not. I also did not disturb him, he rolled over, opened his eyes, and I got the shot. But he went right back to sleep.

Past the monk seal, I wandered further down Poipu Beach, where I watched a dozen turtles feed in the waters 10 feet from shore. Yes! So close. Fun to watch, ridiculously hard to photograph. I wasn't entirely alone, there were some roosters (it was Kauai, after all), surfers, and a few other early-risers, but it was still a nice, quiet morning. I headed back to the hotel after an hour or so, found Noel getting ready for a court appearance and the boys stirring. Had breakfast in the room, packed up, and checked out.

Monk Seal on Poipu Beach

Two Sundays ago, we were enjoying this seal resting on the beach in Poipu. Here's one more from our impromptu photo session.

12 Days of Christmas: Holiday Ornament classes!

Late last month I taught a beading class at Bead It! Kaimuki and next week I'll be teaching one more closer to home in Kapolei. This time miniature snowflake ornaments - one of my favorite patterns that I make in different colors for friends and family each year. Made with Swarovski bicone crystals and matching seed beads, this one is quick to stitch and quite addicting. And the color possibilities are endless! I put up a small tree on my kitchen counter and add these and other beaded ornaments to it, but they're fun on full size trees as well.

12 Days of Christmas: Hallmark Ornaments

It's time for the 12 days of Christmas! OK, not so much for the readers, but for the author. I had fun with holiday posts last year so I'm bringing 'em back, starting with recent holiday activity! Every year I buy the Hallmark Keepsake Winnie the Pooh ornaments. I know, I know, I'm embarrassing myself here. I can't explain why I like them or why I continue to buy them even though they are ridiculously overpriced. But I do. I used to get them 50% off the day after Christmas, standing in line with others before the stores open, trying to get the good deals. Once I started making better money, I started "treating" myself to all of them as early as November - at full price. This has continued, even though I stopped working after baby #2 arrived. But in the last few years, that's pretty much all the mall shopping I do. And yes, it's all for me.

I dreamed a dream of monk seals...

Here's Cub relaxing at the pool in Poipu. He just woke up from a nap taken in my arms. While sleeping, we explored the adjacent beach a bit and took pictures of the monk seal. He missed it all, but one wonders what his subconscious picks up. Once awake (shown here) he pondered another round in the pool. We love hotel pools! And this resort didn't disappoint.

No Black Friday for me

I'm not shopping today, but I do need to get serious about gifts. I've got a bunch of things to make and need to start the production line. Might need to take a few extra minutes to get organized — earlier in the week, Cub got his hands on my beading workstation and upended my bead mat. The results are represented in this picture. The real scene wasn't so pretty. Lucky for me, most of the loose pieces were projected back on the table and not the floor and all needles (best that I can tell) are accounted for. Yet another reason to give thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your day be full of friends, family, and good food and may your cornucopia be filled with high fiber snacks like apples and pears. Or at least that's the message I think they are telling preschoolers these days.

Quick weekend on Kauai

We're back home after two days/two nights in Poipu on Kauai. Quick but fun, and as always, left us asking, "Why aren't we staying longer?" and "When can we get back here?" We stayed at the fantastic Marriott property Waiohai Beach Club, adjacent to the public Poipu Beach. Monk seals frequent the area and hang out on the beach for hours, like this one here.

Nation prepares for pumpkin shortage?

Did you hear the news? On Thursday, the Libby's company alerted the public to a potential canned pumpkin shortage. Oh the horror! Flooding in the Midwest damaged the crops, and officials are worried there won't be enough for all the pies on Turkey Day. Upon hearing this I checked my cupboard...and cheered! I had a can left over from who knows when, and it's good until 2011. Whew. When folks 'round here hear talk of a shortage on anything, they hoard. Don't get me started about the rice "shortage" of '07. OK, go ahead, get me started. I found it hysterical. I saw one woman exiting the commissary with an entire shopping cart full of rice. Literally! It ended up there was less available to be shipped here for a few weeks and never a true shortage. But the store shelves emptied anyway.

Hawaiian songbird at the Pearl NEX

Early last week I read about an interesting free concert: Raiatea Helm, well-known and admired Hawaiian singer (from Molokai) performing at the Pearl Navy Exchange. I marked my calendar and we made our way there Saturday evening. I thought she might perform in the Atrium outside the store, but when we got there, were told when asked that she'd be upstairs in the electronics department. A concert first for me! Her image was splashed across all of the demo TVs. She sounded great and signed for the fans after her short set. For the second year, she has partnered with Hawaiian Host (yes, the chocolate mac nut treats) for the holidays. A CD with a couple of her tracks is included with purchase of a box of chocolates. Double yum!

Good times for art-loving Mom

The fall and winter holidays offer endless artistic inspiration for kids and teachers alike - and this preschooler's Mom loves it! We had some fun and interesting pieces show up in the backpack for Halloween. Now here come the Thanksgiving turkeys. I'm getting excited about upcoming travel / holiday plans. We'll be on Kauai for a few days this month, then the boys and I head to California for Christmas for the first time in three or four years.

Halloween fun...at the Lego store

On Saturday night, we headed out to dinner with Noel's parents at the Ala Moana Mall. The mall was hosting trick or treating, so I figured it would be fun there (versus our neighborhood, which is kind of slow). Dinner ran later than expected and we sort of missed the trick or treating window, but that was probably for the best. Robbie wouldn't wear his ghost costume for more than two seconds, and we didn't even attempt to get Cub in anything as he was just being fussy. So we headed down to the Lego store and for these kids, it was better than candy! Robbie zeroed in on the "make your own figurines" bar and made the Lego people below. Cub is above, digging into the "Pick a brick" wall. It's at least 10 feet high, and 12-16 bins across. You can buy individual Lego pieces in bulk.

Happy Halloween!

Festive pancakes

I thought the boys would like a few pieces of candy corn on the morning pancakes. Wrong! They ignored them. I guess M&Ms in Halloween colors would have been a better bet. Second Furlough Friday today; the boys are currently enjoying "The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Halloween" (Super Why!). My task today? Make costumes for the boys. Robbie has said all week he wants to be a ghost. Then last night he got it into his head he wants to be a red ghost. Uhhh, no.

Just around the corner...

Halloween! Coming soon. And these cards would be coming soon to family...if they were in the mail already. I made a few greeting cards using scrapbook stickers and plain note cards. Had Robbie do a few by placing the stickers all around (not these, I got a little anal and took over). Even tried to get him to sign his name, but that didn't last very long. When you're a preschooler, you can only be asked to sign your name a few times before it gets really old. Come to think of it, I've had to write a few checks for a few bills this week, and I guess signing your name as an adult gets old, too. Cards are packaged and sealed and ready to go, just need to fix the right postage on them and they're off. Odds are slim they're make it to the Mainland by Saturday, but we tried!

I'm such a sucker

OK, so for whatever reason, the paper didn't come today and I've opened and closed the front door a few more times than normal while looking for it. On the most recent pass, I check on our door resident. And check it out! He's got all his legs, plus a stubby second antenna. Here I thought he'd been a victim of the ground keepers. I still left him there. Unless it's confirmed he bites, he's not bothering me.

Critter cam!

We found this guy hanging on our front door this morning. Haven't seen one like him in a while, not sure if it's seasonal or weather related. Almost always on an external door or window when spotted though. He was on the door when Robbie went off to the bus, still in the exact same spot a few hours later even though we've gone in and out of the house a few times. From bottom leg to tip of his one antenna, he's about a centimeter shy of the length of my iPhone. In addition to a missing antenna, he's down one front leg. I feel a bit sorry for him so will let him be.