Elkmont in the Smokies: camping preview

This past weekend we took Gavin on his very first camping trip! Good stories, lots of pictures, all coming later today or this week; but for now, here are a few pics. We are having such a good time raising our Little Mann. Oh what adventures await!





This very same weekend last year we were in North Georgia in the Blue Ridge mountains for a wedding. We didn't camp that trip, but we took our little Mann for a hike. It's amazing to look back at one year and see how much Gavin has changed.

Running

Hip bursitis, any runners out there had any experience with this? I am having some hip pain that makes me wonder if I have this.



The pain started a few weeks ago. With the marathon less than two months away, I can't really just stop running or training, but I also don't want to injure myself. I've chilled out on the long runs and am trying to avoid up hill running, but considering the geogrpahy around here, that's difficult. I am going to try some OTC pain meds and some new hip stretches, but if it doesn't improve I guess I'll have to make a visit to my doctor. Anyhow, would love to know if any other runners have had this issue.

Response/Tips from my running readers:

Heidi, RN and running extraordinaire, recommends the foam roller.

I had never heard of one of these before. Looks like it feels really good. Gonna look into it.

Ten on Tuesday

So originally this post was meant to be a Ten on Tuesday, but like most Tuesdays lately, Tuesday just kinda slipped away from me without so much as a "goodbye" or "adieu until next week." It's for the best, I probably wasn't paying much attention to dear old Tuesday anyway. Probably had my nose buried in my chemistry book or in somebody's Chemical Hygiene Plan. Not so much fun.

My first chemistry exam is tomorrow night, late night. The chemistry exams are administered in the evenings so the students can have two hours to complete it, as opposed to the 50-minute alotted class time. Good thing we get that extra time, because Lord knows I'm gonna need it. I won't bore you with the specifics.

I'm taking a quick supper/blog break before heading back to the library for more studying. If you don't mind, since I'm kind of in a hurry, I'm going to go ahead and get back to the Ten on Tuesday, even though its actually Wednesday.

NOTE: After I went back and read this post I realized it's quite darker than my usual Ten on Tuesdays, but then again it rained this week and the skies were a bit darker as well.

Today, or was it yesterday, is the 4-month anniversary of my brother's death. Keeping that particular date in my memory isn't really important, but I always have a sense of it as the end of another month approaches. I blog about this today, because I had my first post-death dream about my brother last night. It was not a positive dream and I don't care to share the details, but it reminded me that his death and my issues with his death are still there, lurking in my psyche. I do think of him often. I am usually caught off guard when he pops into my head. So these are the 10 most noteworthy moments of when I found myself thinking about or missing my brother.

1. This summer when I started working in the greenhouse with my Biology professor. My first day was only a few days after I had returned from my brother's funeral in Texas. Dr. M said, "Hi! Thanks for helping out. Do you remember Clay?" I paused, stunned. I hadn't told anyone about where I was or why I had left, other than my immediate supervisor. I stuttered, "Um....um..." I must have had a confused look on my face, because Dr. M said, "Ya know, Clay, our goldfish. We're putting him in a new tank today." Right, Clay, the goldfish. Not Clay my dead brother. So now everytime I go to work at the greenhouse I pass by Clay's fish tank and think of how of course I remember "Clay," he's (I mean was) my brother.

2. Again, in the greenhouse, my professor's wife is one of the university library administrators. Every now and then we discuss literature. I asked him if he reads much and he told me, "not for leisure." I was kind of taken back, that's unusual for an academic. "I'm dyslexic. I read slow, takes a long time and hurts my eyes. I prefer to do science," he said. For a second I made a mental note to tell my brother that story next time I see him. You see my brother was also dyslexic and reading/writing did not come easy to him, but science on the other hand, particularly physics, anything mechanical or electrical just came natural. He was always insecure about his learning disability, no matter how often his family reminded him of how valuable his mechanical and scientific skills were and how fortunate he was that these skills just came naturally to him. I wanted to tell him how I had a professor, someone who was able to earn his PhD even while being dyslexic. I guess my professor reminds me of the Clay I used to know. Then I rememered I wasn't going to see my brother a next time.

3. Every time Gavin picks up his daddy's tools and tries to fix something. I remember a very young Clay always being interested in his daddy's tools and always wanting to fix something.

4. When Casey and I decided that one of our projects needs to be to have an electrician come into our home and give us a quote for all the electrical work we need done. There was a time I would have said, "we need to call Clay, he'll know!"

5. When I discovered that I can bring my in-need-of-repair Kitchenaid stand mixer to our local Hobart facility, I remembered how my brother used to work for Hobart. He loved that job and we were so proud of him. Everytime I see a Hobart van I think of my brother, and now when I see one, I get a little sad. I know my brother would have been able to fix my stand mixer too.

6. When the husband of a college acquaintenance passed away recently, at the very young age of 32, I thought of my brother who also died at the young age of 32. Briefly, I allowed myself one morbid thought, would I live to see past the age of 32? So young.

7. Everytime I pass a family photo taken from last year's Thanksgiving trip to Houston. There's my brother standing in the last row. I remember that day so vividly. When it was his turn to take a picture with his son, he sat up straight and mustered a smile, and was proud.

8. Everytime I use the TTU blanket we keep near the couch. It was the same blanket we had taken to Houston. One night while we all played board games my brother simply wanted to nap on the couch. He asked me for a blanket and he commented how my TTU blanked felt like a sweatshirt, because it was made from the same material. He liked it and slept peacefully, I think.

9. When I recently went through a bag of old photos looking for blogworthy photos to scan. All the photos of Clay were from when we were children. I think that was the last time I really knew my brother well. A part of me is glad for that, and another part of me still feels guilty. It can be difficult to find those happy memories when a family member dies under the circumstances that we experienced. So I am learning to really cherish those childhood memories.

10. Three days ago, when it was my surviving brother's birthday, I thought of Clay.


A photo of both the grandfather (Papa) and the brother that I miss. I like how our Papa is plopped down on the floor with the toddlers. Shoes off, sipping his cup of coffee. Probably needed the extra caffeine to keep up with all the grandkids ;) He was never far from a cup of coffee. Seeing that photo brings back so many fun New Mexico memories.

Gavin's first Halloween craft

He made this at school. So sweet. Excuse our mantle, it's under construction.

PS... Cool Green Halloween website, for you eco-minded folks.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my parents' 30th Wedding Anniversary. Woah, that's a big deal! Casey and I sure have a long way to go. Congratulations to my mom and dad. The Morrisons love you.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Gavin is fascinated with hangers these days. He likes to pick up a stack of hangers and then redeposit them in other locations around the house, for example, my bedroom floor, or his bedroom floor, or the kitchen floor, etc. You get the idea. He has also relocated my favorite tube of hair product, which means my hair will be frizzier than usual until I find it. He's a big fan of hide-and-go-seek games, he likes to play peek-a-boo with this clear bucket. I especially like the photo on the left, because it was taken not long after bath time, when his hair is the most curly.



2. We've been battling ongoing upper respiratory and ear infections at our house. It was especially taxing the second week Casey was out of town, when both Gavin and I were sick and had to stay home. Our doctor thinks he may have to refer Gavin to an ENT. I suppose it's only a matter of time before we start talking about putting tubes in his ears. Not sure how I feel about all that. For now we're just "keeping an eye" on it and taking our medicine. Gavin was happy to have his Daddy home, so he could get some good rest.



3. My first sewing creation, after recently learning how to use my sewing machine, a 7" zipper pouch. Click on the photo for a larger view. The sewing machine is a hand-me-down from my mom. Big thanks to my Mom! And another big thanks to my MIL for teaching me how to use it and donating her time and fabric. I was in desperate need of a new make-up bag. My new creation is rough around the edges, but at least now I have a template for future projects and am comfortable using my machine. I have some pillows and windows that need to be dressed!



4. Recent kitchen creations, or perhaps I should rephrase, recent successful kitchen creations include: seafood gumbo, a nectarine and pluot cobbler and what you see below, a roasted garlic sun-dried tomato mayo spread, which I used to jazz up a 12-ft roast beef and provolone sub sandwich for our family fun day zoo picnic. Wish I had pics of the other two dishes.



5. Lessons learned: go easy on the sun-dried toms and roasted garlic when mixing into the mayo, the flavors only get stronger when left to chill overnight in the fridge, but the outcome was still tasty nonetheless. In regard to the seafood gumbo (shrimp and sausage), next time I will take the time (1.5 to 2 hours) to prepare a proper seafood stock. A fresh seafood stock (made by boiling down the shrimp shells with lots of seasoning and veggies) would have accompanied the rue, which I browned just right, and fresh gumbo ingredients well. The extra flavor would have definitely taken this dish to the the next level.

6. As far as the cobbler is concerned, well, that one was perfecto. I suppose if I had to come up with an area that has room for improvement I would have eaten it with two scoops of vanilla ice cream instead of one. Thanks to Williams-Sonoma I finally found a recipe for the breading part of cobbler that I really like.


7. My dad, circa late 1940s, when he was about the same age that Gavin is now. This is one of my favorite photos of my father.



8. Here's Gavin channeling his Papa Don, wearing those same boots. "Papa Don" is an homage to my father's father, whom we called Papa. You gotta say it with a West Texas drawl.



9. A couple of months back I lamented about my long hair and long overdue haircut. Yes, this is me, at a proper salon! Exciting.



10. Ta-dah! My new after-salon hair. Sorry for the phone picture and guitar growing out of my head. Overall I had the stylist lop off about 5-6 inches of lion's mane. I told her I wanted to enjoy fixing my hair again. I went with my usual layered look, but this time asked for some shorter layers to give new shape and texture. The big change, for me at least, are the sweeping bangs. I haven't had bangs since the early 90's. So far, so good. They are just long enough to pin back and stay swept to the side when let loose. I am setting new records in the hair washing and styling time department. Right now I am blow drying it straight and then hot rolling it, until I master the round brush technique with all my new layers. You can't tell from the photo, but it falls just below my shoulder blades in the back, so still a medium length.

While you were gone...

This post is for Gavin's daddy, who's been in Chicago all week. We miss you!

Recently Gavin has started showing an aversion to his green vegetables. He methodically picks them off his plate, either moving them to the side of his high chair tray or pawning them off on the dogs. Fresh fruit on the on the other hand, he still has a serious hankerin' for.


Playing on the riding lawn mower just isn't the same without daddy.



Our other children. They'll miss not being able to sleep on your side of the bed. At some point in the night, at least on one or two occasions, it was a full bed of two dogs, one toddler and one momma. Eventually Holly gives in, because she's big boned and needs more space to spread out. Gavin always eventually wants to go back to his bed too, but Rocky, well you already know how stubborn he can be.


A couple of mornings ago, Gavin was very excited about his breakfast of stewed apples, waffles and half a banana.


Come home soon!

Just what the doctor ordered...

I don't know about you, but I'm having one of those weeks of intense chocolate cravings. Maybe it's an increase of cortisol due to my lack of sleep, too much caffeine and slightly higher stress level. Or maybe it all started on Sunday, when my super sweet husband did ALL my ironing so I'd have one less thing to worry about while he was out of town for a whole week and then, after he spent an hour doing 5-days worth of ironing, he went out and bought me a chocolate milkshake. Without any prompting! How sweet is he? Having someone else do my ironing is better than a bouquet of flowers any day, and well, there are no substitutes for chocolate. Talk about scoring some brownie points (pun intended!).

Anyhow, I have had chocolate on the brain ever since. So when I ran across this Pioneer Woman recipe on Craft Gossip I swooned and then just had to share. Who doesn't love a good homemade ding dong?!?! Seriously, homemade. Is there anything better than homemade chocolate goodness? No.


Looks like I'll be revising my next grocery list to include a few ding dong ingredients. Ok, so maybe a doctor wouldn't actually prescribe me chocolate, but wouldn't it be cool if he/she did?

Sometimes you just have to DIY

Before picture. Notice how dark the room is, even with all the lights on. It's like living in a bat cave. And notice how the people who have lived here before us did not really do a good job maintaining the fireplace. I am so ready to give this room new life! Ignore the beige wall to the right. We were just sampling colors. We still have no idea what color we will be painting the living room. I am also on the hunt for an inexpensive, neutral, light-colored slip cover for our sofa.


Sanding has commenced!



Major sanding work is done. There are still some areas that we will go over by hand. We tagged team this wall with two power sanders. We have not decided whether or not we will paint the bookshelf yet. We'll take a step back and reassess after we get the paneling done. Jury is still out on window treatment as well, but I'm leaning toward light-colored, fabric, Roman shades. I still have some taping to do before we start painting.



This isn't a job for anyone who has a problem with getting dust or soot all over the place. In case you're wondering, Gavin is at his grandparents' house this weekend. There will be lots of cleaning before he comes home.



In between power sanding and hand sanding I took a break to work on the fireplace. The sealant on the back wall was peeling badly. This is what I found when I started scraping it off - bricks that need new mortar, before we reseal. Awesome. The peeling probably occurred because the people who did this last didn't allow the mortar to cure long enough. Sweet, we get to fix someone else's mistake. I love it when that happens.


Washing soot off bricks.


Eventually the before and after of the fireplace will look something like this. We're going for light and bright. I can't wait.


Needless to say, our living room will be in various stages of disarray while we work on this. It will be interesting to see how we manage this with a toddler. Casey is out of town all next week (again), so it will be just me with the tater tot, our dogs, my Chemistry homework, and this living room. Hopefully work isn't too crazy this week. Thank goodness for crock pots, I have a huge pot of vegetable beef soup brewing and I still have seafood gumbo leftovers in the freezer(my first seafood gumbo attempt by the way, more on that later)so hopefully I won't have to spend too much time preparing new meals. I am hoping that at some point in the coming week I can get at least one coat of primer on. It will be a late-night, after-munchkin-hits-the-hay project. Stay tuned...

And just like that....

summer was gone.

It always amazes me how quickly, and without any effort at all, the seasons simply fade in and out of each other. Farmer's markets and backyard vegetable gardens take one long, last, gasping breath. We never did have an opportunity to try our hand at tomato canning. Our plants never did reach their maximum production. On the other hand we have plenty of jalapeno and banana peppers to get to pickling. It is safe to say that our 2010 salsa garden is running on fumes. I've cleared a spot for some fall brocolli, a cold crop I've never tried growing before. I've repotted some of my container plants, giving them lots of room to grow their roots, in preparation for their 2011 spring debut.

My volunteer work in the greenhouses resulted in several new deck additions: two agaves, one banana tree, three ferns, one ivy, a few plants I'm not quite sure what they are and a variety of medium to large sized pots that I either used for repotting or am saving for next year's experimenting with vegetable container gardening on our deck, where we get optimal sun. I've continued my work in the greenhouse, but my schedule is not quite as consistent now that the fall semester is in full swing.

With the fall comes football. I walk to class with the sound of band sections practicing in different corners of the campus, the steady beat of the drum line keeping time as I pass through the pedestrian mall.

I'm clearing space on my craft table, making room for this year's christmas stocking and ornament creations. Casey and I have already been in contact with Santa, we want to give his elves plenty of time to put together that special something for our own little elf.

We don't plan to travel this year for either of the major holidays, though we might make it to the Ozarks (the Morrison Homestead) in October for the annual Mountainview Bean Fest and Outhouse Race championship. Of course there is a very brief trip to my old stomping grounds, San Antonio, for a few breafast tacos and a brisk 26.2 miles! Other than that, I am actually looking forward to spending most our time at home and not having to plan travel around work and school schedules. I hope to use some of my vacation time to make more progress on our remodeling projects.

Casey and I are looking forward to taking Gavin on his first fall camping trip next month, into the Smoky Mountains we will go, just as the leaves are turning and the air is crisp. I can't wait to give Gavin his first smore and experience sleeping inside a tent. Tent camping has always been one of my most favorite things. So here's to the last gasp of summer, the crispness of a new fall and all the wonder of another holiday season.