Busy, busy, busy!(again!)

It has been super busy around here lately.

It seems like there is always something going on...

... and mostly my free time is being spent on my daughter's book, if I'm not re-rolling toilet paper, changing diapers, or building castles with blocks or sheets and chairs...
I haven't gotten many more replies.. but I have talked to most of the people and they say that they are coming. Right now, I am writing out my own cards. I have a lot of things I want to tell her, so my thoughts will be interspersed with everyone else's.

I am feeling a little overwhelmed because I so want for it to be nice... I just want to make it worth keeping around...

I am also struggling with having a bit of a selfish period going on right now.
I want to do things for me... and it feels strange, to me and my family.
I spend a lot of time doing things for other people... and I enjoy it... but lately I just want a little space. I have been feeling so very nostalgic lately... maybe it's facebook and hearing from all these old friends... or not really friends friends... whatever that means..
or maybe it is Emily's birthday and thinking about how much it changed my life forever.

I feel very blessed that she came into my life. I love her so much and I am so proud of her. I sometimes worry that I take too much pride in her, but I don't know if that is possible for a mother. She is on a path to great things, and I hope that when I am done with this project she will feel the love that I am pouring into it.

On a completely selfish note- again! I am going to talk with an artist about my newest tattoo tomorrow. Funny enough, it is the father of one of my daughter's friend. I like his work a lot! I actually saw a piece of his up in the studio that Emily and I went and screen printed in last week. She has been working on a project with her art teacher, (who I really like a lot! she is her teacher for her focus classes during her one day a week at gifted). There is a new children's hospital that is almost done being built here in the Burgh and some of the kids work is going to be up on the walls. The kids did Warhol-esque prints in vibrant colors, in a two by two square, and Emily and I helped to print the outlines of the toys that were on those prints, in different colors to make them really pop from the screen...

it was really fun! We laughed and co-operated and maybe we'll get to go to the presentation to see them up on the walls, because that would be cool.... fun stuff!

Anyway, sorry that my posts have been lacking.
I miss it when I am gone.
I think of twenty -two different posts daily! : )
I just can't make it here, unless I'm being an insomniac... like now!
We have also been fighting off a very persistent infection.. that hasn't gotten a good hold, but is stubbornly lingering! Oh and there was that thing with the ER again! Emily needed it this time... long story.. she had an unknown virus that caused her to break out in hives and then have this awful rash over her whole body... red raised, puffy eyes,crazy itchy... poor thing. She needed steroids and it took a few days before it helped completely... now she's doing MUCH better....

there is never a dull moment in this house, I swear!
so here's a few pics to show what's been going on around here!

mmm... a spur of the moment cauliflower/sweet potato/ garbanzo bean soup. it was super tasty and the kiddos dug it lots! It was sort of sweet because the stock I made that morning had so many carrots in it (I save all my scrubbed outside peels, butts, and veggie leftovers and make a stock every week out of it...for my weekly soup). I used it to my advantage though and made this curried soup. good stuff.

This was the scene from Valentines Day, after Al got home from work. We made the kids bags... a movie, a little candy, and handmade cards from us.

And everyone made a card for Al, with construction paper, and hearts I cut out that they glued on, and some stickers, markers and crayons, too!

so sweet!

the kiddos digging in...all decked out in red! : )

Emily requested some Aloo Gobi with the rest of the cauliflower I had, so I made some from this recipe on Allrecipes, of course with a few modifications, such as adding a half a pound of tofu cubed, and only 1/2 a head of cauliflower. I make this all the time and the kids go nutso for it. I love this recipe... and I love my kids! I love that eat so many different things.

Some rockin' beef stew I made with a pot roast cubed, browned, and simmered for hours, with carrots, onions, potatoes and celery... with the edition of some Trader Joe's Bread. YUM!!

Today I am thankful for good food, good times, good friends, and good memories.

I am thankful that my kids eat my wacky food.

I am thankful that we love and respect each other around here(most of the time!)

25 things

I am a big cheaterhead!
I have been cheating on all my blogger buddies with facebook!
It is very strange and exciting, and at times overwhelming.. how many of my family memebers are on there..
I finally caved to the "25 random things" post when after 6 other tags and my grammie tagging me... I decided I should do it..
tonight I cheat and throw that post on here because I thought some people might find it interesting?

******here goes******
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

Alright, I have been tagged several times at this point...and when your Grammie tags you, you just have to do it already! : ) Not that I am morally opposed to these things... I just haven't sat down to do it. I am not tagging anyone, except those who tagged me, because I don't have 25 people who haven't been tagged already, but if you want to do one... feel free to be tagged!

1. My nickname, Thames, has no significance to anyone who met me after the age of about 8, because that is when I started being Ruth, as opposed to Ruth Amy. Go ahead say Ruth Amy 10 or 15 times fast.. you end up with Thamey...which sounds silly, so you end up with Thames... or maybe you'll just have to trust my sister on that one?

2. I have passed the love of the hippie stank onto my 13 year old daughter (who at times has had to go wash, because she uses too much of it..and from me that's saying something)... much to the dismay of the many patchouli haters in the world! Several of whom are part of my own family. sorry guys!

3. I love being a stay at home mama. I think it is something that I am good at, and although when my kids grow up, there will be other things to do, I'm not sure I will enjoy them quite as much.

4. I am a night owl, which I blame on my mother (like everything right?). so if I'm not asleep by 9 then I am probably up until 2... this is inconvenient when your kids wake up early in the morning.

5.I have lived in Pittsburgh for about 10 years now! .. and here I truly found myself, and then, the love of my life, and then had two more babies. Pittsburgh is officially home now!

6. I still sometimes get scared of the dark, unless I'm with my husband, because he makes me feel safe, always.

7. I am not a Christian, but I have a very strong faith. I just don't happen to label it.

8. I believe that there is evil in the world, (see # 6) but I believe in beauty and joy, and the basic goodness of humankind.

9. I have always believed that I will die young. I'm not trying to, and I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think that I am. This is one reason why I really try to live my life with joy, because the day to day stuff is what it's all about.

10. I live in a house that is over 100 years old, and it was at one point a Bed and Breakfast, although you have to use your imagination to tell that now!

11. My Grammie is and always has been my biggest hero. I think she is amazing! The first time I wrote about her being my hero, I was in the third grade.

12. The single most important decision I have made in my life was to have and keep my eldest daughter, Emily. She is a bright shining part of my life and I can not imagine life without her. Indeed, if I had chosen differently I believe, for certain, that I wouldn't be around today, to talk about it.

13. I love my family with an intense crazy passion. I would do anything, for any one of them, without hesitation. I feel confident that they know that this is, without a doubt, true.

14. I struggle with the winter. When I first moved here I had a VERY hard time adjusting to the serious lack of sun for a few months, (especially for an AZ girl!), but have learned to appreciate it for the way that it makes me so incredibly grateful for, and all the more enamoured with, springtime!

15. The holiday season starts in this house in October. We have birthdays on the 12th(Roscoe),the 17th(Grammie), the 22nd(Suzie), the 29th(Sophia), halloween(ok not a birthday but costumes to make..or buy ; )..and a little extra chaos), the 1rst of Nov.(Al)... then thanksgiving and christmas..oh and the 22nd(Tim) and then my birthday on the 31st, oh and the whole new year thing, too. We finally get to exhale in January.... and trust me I'm ready by then!
16. I am an army brat. I was born in Georgia, and have also lived in Germany, Virginia, New Hampshire, Arizona, and Washington state... and now Pennsylvania. : ) I missed out visiting other countries, Korea and Saudi Arabia, because I was too busy being a tragic teenager...

17. I feel very fortunate to have bumped into so many special, creative, and talented people on this road I'm traveling. My friends have been an incredible source of comfort and inspiration to me throughout the years. I hope my children are as fortunate, as they grow and learn.

18. My super power is feeling guilty...about anything and everything....it's an issue for me... I'm working on it.

19. I was only engaged for two months when Al, Emily, and I jumped on a plane to Las Vegas and got married on Leap Day 2004. He is the only person who could have ever convinced me that this was a good idea... and I'm very happy he did! That week was one of the best in my life. I have never felt so free.

20. The ensuing reality was an incredibly intense period of time, but it was never boring! The constant energy of our family makes for interesting, fun, & sometimes crazy times. But I love how we all mesh together and I wouldn't want us any other way!

21. I have 4 tattoos. I have several more planned out in my head(most of which I probably will never get)... some of which I have thought about for a decade or more.

22. I have become a huge Steelers Fan since becoming a Pittsburgher. You simply can not live here and not get caught up in the excitement. I haven't missed a game in years... even the time I ended up in the ER... because the game was on in the room of course! : )

23. I used to have terrible nightmares when I was a kid. I figured out a way to stop them(sort of) at some point... but then they would turn into these really freaky twisted things... I always wanted a video camera in my brain to remember them... because I forget them almost instantly, unless I write it down... but then someone else could see how really demented my brain actually can be... and that would be scary...

24. Now I dream big(mostly good, sometimes freaky, rarely scary anymore, but if it is scary, Al holding me gets me back to sleep) or not at all... I don't think I get enough proper sleep to dream right now.. maybe in a few more years!

25. In our almost 5 years of marriage (and dating life as well) Al and I have rarely sleep away from each other. There have been a handful of nights only...and I don't sleep well without him, even if I'm really mad at him!!... how big of a dork have I become, right? : P

*******************
so is it wrong to throw this up here? I hope not!
btw if anyone knows how to add a link that will shorten a post until you click on it..I'd love to know how.. I'm pretty basic in writing and posting here... anyone have a link to learn tricks?(I've tried help but had no luck finding the answer!)

Tonight I am grateful for this new connection to old freinds, but mostly family through a website...how strange....
I am thankful to be headed to bed with my man for some snuggles!