Archive for the ‘Day Off’ Category
I love Scrabble. I grew up with a grandfather who had genuine Scrabble powers. His skill and vocabulary were mind boggling. To me, he was one of the Scrabble greats. Thanks to him, Scrabble now has a mystical allure.
I secretly want to be one of those amazing and eccentric tournament players I read about in the hugely awesome book Word Freak. In reality, I lack the awe-inspiring brain power needed to survive among the gods of the Scrabble world. Instead I feed my hunger with online games among friends.
If you are familiar with Scrabble, you know there is a rating system. Wins, losses, bingos, and scores are tracked and calculated. National Scrabble Association club and tournament members are ranked based on this rating.
As a teen my ratings (calculated by the PC game I played with my Grampa) hovered in the 1000 range. That number was a source of endless frustration. To put it in perspective, the current #1 player is David Gibson with a rating of 2066 (Holy $#?!). My Grampa had ratings in the 1600′s. Since my teens, my dream was to reach 1400. A goal I thought was unattainable.
Because I don’t have the time for club play (and frankly, I’m too intimidated), I get my Scrabble fix by playing on Facebook. Yeah, yeah, Facebook Scrabble is not tournament play, but it has helped me hone my skills. I’ve made great strides in playing with an open style instead of a “step-ladder” style, taking risks and growing my vocabulary. My casual interest has become an obsession. I check for my turn online when I wake, before I go to bed and many times in between. I can play from my laptop or my telephone, so I never miss out when I’m on the go. A bit maniacal yes, but oh so worth it.
In the past few months I’ve played nearly 60 games, all tracked and tallied by the magical FB Scrabble servers. And, voila, I have a Scrabble rating. It began at a baseline of 1200. Everyone starts there. Then it goes up or down depending on the level of play. I have been wavering between 1350 and 1390 for the last few months. Every time I get close to hitting that elusive 1400, I lose a game and my rating drops. I usually lose to my brainiac sister or my childhood friend Kaho. I complain, but I am so thankful for them. Their skill has pushed me to improve.
On Monday, my dream finally became a reality. 1403. I did it! Above is the screen shot from my telephone. Since my rating has dipped back into the 1390′s, but if only for a day I was a Scrabble rock star. I’d elaborate more, but I need to go check my games.
Grass Lake near Graeagle, California
Sorry I’ve been off the radar. Summer with the kids has forced me to prioritize my “to do” list. Unfortunately, blogging is the first thing I push to the back burner. When I’m unable to blog, I feel “unproductive”, but the reality is I (we) have been uber-productive. We’ve been plowing our way through Jack’s summer wishlist.
Last weekend was our first family camping trip. It was fantastic. Great friends, beautiful surroundings and lots of dirt in places you’d never imagine. What more could a kid ask for?
Above is a photo of the kids at Grass Lake, a 1.25 mile walk from our campsite. They are always on the move, so a 2.5 mile round trip is not a big deal, but this hike was VERTICAL. The trail was shale and rock. Pete and I didn’t bother to research the hike’s difficulty. We heard there was a lake up the trail. Perfect. Let’s go!
Sounds like a recipe for disaster: uninformed parents, kids ages 3 & 6 and a vertical trail. Well, it turned out great! The kids hit the trail like pros. There was NO complaining, NO carrying mini-hikers and NO injuries. Woo-hoo! Pete & I were beaming with pride. You’d have thought our kids had won Olympic Gold. In fact, we are still congratulating each other on what tough kids we have.
Rejuvenated, I’m back to reality. Invitation orders, blogging, housework… in between more summer fun!
That's our abnormally green lawn in the background
I love Reno. Wonderful people. Beautiful surroundings. Twenty minutes to the ski lift. And best of all, four spectacular seasons.
Sadly, we are still waiting for summer. June has brought record breaking rainfall. The last time it rained five days in a row, was 1969. I stopped counting rainy days on day eight. I feel somewhat guilty complaining about the cool, wet weather, but what’s the point of a lush green lawn if it’s too wet to roll around on? It seems the gloomy skies have hijacked my mood.
The unusual weather is taking it’s toll on my family of desert rats. We’ve been to several rainy barbecues where the kids have worn jackets over their swimwear. But the kicker is Kate’s daily statement, “Mommy, you promised when school was out, we’d go to the beach.” My reply has been, “I know I said that, but it’s snowing at the beach.” Yes, it’s SNOWING AT THE BEACH. Mother nature, are you kidding me?
So yesterday I was twittering and ran across the Photo Food Blog, a very cool blog that showcases visually interesting food. And you all know, I’m newly obsessed with photographing food. Anyway, they twittered a photograph of Toffee Crack from Sweetnicks Food & Life Blog. The name made me laugh out loud. Intrigued, I read the recipe, dropped everything and made them.
After chilling in the fridge overnight, the kids and I dove in. Their response? “These are GOO-OO-OOD!” As for me, they were just the pick-me-up I needed for another rainy day. On the bright side, if it keeps raining, I can keep eating Toffee Crack, because I’ll never need to put on a swimsuit!
The recipe from Sweetnicks:
Toffee Crack
One sleeve of saltines
One stick of butter
One cup brown sugar
One bag chocolate chips
Line cookie sheet with saltines. Melt butter in pan. Add brown sugar and stir until slightly caramelized. Pour over saltines and spread until evenly coated. Cook at 350 for 5 minutes. Take out of oven and pour chocolate chips on top. Spread over the toffee as they melt. Stick in fridge to set. Break into pieces and enjoy.
*Although the recipe doesn’t note it, I’d suggest keeping the toffee crack in the fridge. With the weather being so warm, the chocolate is just safer that way.
If you enjoy Toffee Crack as much as we do, be sure to stop by Sweetnicks to let her know!
Summer vacation is officially underway. What does this mean for the day to day operations of our home design studio? Why, it means CHAOS, of course. With a six year old and an almost-four-year-old underfoot, running the studio will have new challenges.
Thankfully I am able to be flexible with my schedule. I enjoy working late in the evening after the kids are asleep. My husband is a wonderful courier, making deliveries, running errands and frequenting the post office whenever I ask. And believe it or not the kids love to help with tasks like sorting recycling, sweeping the studio floor and running to the mailbox.
Kate, my little protege, is always content sitting on the studio floor, drawing and creating. Jack is not quite so easy. He needs to be on the move. My greatest fear is he will end up sitting in front of the tube on high volume days. In an effort to avoid that worst case scenario, Jack and I made a list of everything he wants to DO and LEARN this summer. To my surprise he spouted off 38 different activities in about five minutes. Who knew?
Here is a sampling of his aspirations:
Learn to fish
Learn to play Twinkle on the piano
Learn to jump off the diving board “feet down, head up”
Science experiments
Swim, swim, swim
Water rockets
Play frisbee
Learn to write better
Cook muffins
Camp
Learn to use camera (first self portrait is featured above)
Read more Bob Books
Watch TV… (at least is was at the end of the list!)
It is our goal to do everything on the list. Whenever someone says, “I’m bored”, “There’s nothing to do” or “Can I watch TV”, we’ll consult the list and hopefully add to it as we think of new ideas. This will require me to put down my bone folder or walk away from the computer *gasp*, but I think we may have found the perfect recipe for a fun and balanced summer.
We began this morning with some baseball, photography and setting up a rockin’ science experiment. We will be blogging about our summer adventures, so stay tuned!
From KVangeel on Flickr
After a very busy few months, we are taking the family on a little getaway. We are off to beautiful San Diego for Legos, sand and the Red Bull Air Races.
Pete and I were married on the beach in La Jolla, so San Diego holds a special place in our hearts. Plus our amazing friends have moved there, making it is the perfect getaway for our little family.
We will return on Monday, May 11th. Enjoy your week and don’t forget to kiss your mom on Sunday!
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