Tag: holiday

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Happy Mother’steak

I beat everyone else up this morning and ordered some breakfast pizzas for Summer to pick up while I took my shower. The kids finished watching Back to the Future Part III, and then I took them to Walmart so they could get something for Summer while I picked up what I needed for our family dinner.

They all went outside to play cards in the weather while I baked potatoes. Then Eaddie and Noah wanted to ride bikes to my parents’ house, so Summer took them while I drove with Autumn.

The kids wanted to swim in spite of our warnings that the water was ice cold, so they ran around outside while Julie and I got things cooking inside. Summer helped me scoop potatoes out so I could twice-bake them, and Dad got the charcoal going so Julie could grill the steaks she picked up at the butcher in Centerville.

Dinner was pretty great, though I had the same frustrations I always have with steak dinners. The steaks always end up cold by the time we get salads and everything else ready to eat. That’s why I prefer to eat the salad while I’m cooking everything else, and then have my steak right off of the grill.

Eaddie and Noah really wanted to ride around on the bikes some more after dinner, so Summer finally relented and let them ride to Sequoyah until we were ready to leave. Then she rode out to them while Autumn and I drove everything else back home.

Summer dropped Noah off and took Eaddie home, then Autumn and I followed after some cleanup at my house. Then we watched an episode of Iron Fist before bed.

I’m glad we could all make time to meat like this.

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Rabbit Seeds

BUTT STUFF

Summer and Autumn made biscuits and gravy with eggs for brunch this morning. Then we all colored some eggs for Easter. It didn’t take long because we only had around 20 eggs between the four of us. I guess we could have made more. I think Dad used to make a few dozen for us when we were growing up, so we always had gallon ice cream buckets of eggs for weeks after Easter.

I joked that the girls would have to play Russian roulette to find a single raw egg I had hidden in the batch. Just seconds later, Autumn accidentally cracked one that completely fell apart with a raw yolk, and we discovered that the eggs hadn’t cooked all the way through for some reason. We had a couple different sizes of eggs all mixed together, but didn’t figure that made all the difference. A week or two ago we had frozen eggs because the refrigerator was too cold, so maybe that was the problem. In any case, I ended up boiling them again to make sure they were all done, and the colors all faded to a uniform pink.

We thought briefly about going to my house for the night, but in the end we left the kids home and Summer went with me for a workout while I took care of the cat and cleaned up at home. She was surprised by how much of a workout she got from doing the P90X yoga video.

When we got back to their house, I made a big “everything” French loaf sandwich that everyone devoured, and then played some Animal Crossing until bed.

The wind is always better on the hilltop.

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Love is a Space Battlefield

Today felt really cold for all the wind. We had a little bit of a meeting this morning, but no projects. I eventually made it to the high school to work on a few things, but made it back to the shop for lunch. Seven of us agreed on Brick Oven, where I ordered the prettiest, but most disappointing salad I’ve had in a while. I think the $10 price tag was what made it most disappointing, because there was absolutely nothing complicated about its ingredients. It was just a bunch of iceberg lettuce, disguised under a ton of ranch and sriracha. All the flavor really just came from the heat, and it didn’t feel nutritious at all. I might as well have just sucked on a bottle of sriracha.

After lunch, I went back to the high school and tinkered with things. I’m pretty sure the sound system in the crimson room had incorrect parts to route the computer sound to the overhead speakers, but I don’t know who originally set it up or what they had in mind. I did the best I could, but at the end of the day it still just won’t work because it doesn’t have the right parts.

I went home for a little while after work before heading across town. I had to stop stop by Amanda’s to take a package inside for her, then made my way to my parents’ house. I got to see the new lighting along 12th street, and man was it an utter shitshow. The lights were way too bright and glaring, and cast way too much light outward right at eye level. They’d be cool with flame bulbs I guess, but at their current brightness they might as well just bulldoze the school and build the casino right there in the middle of all that light.

I didn’t stay for any length of time since Summer had picked up a bucket of chicken strips for dinner. The kids ate, and then Summer and I picked at what they were made to leave us. Noah sat everyone down to watch Star Wars: A New Hope. I think the girls started to fall asleep about halfway through the movie, but after it was over I played some stuff on YouTube until we all shuffled off to bed.

It’s good to be curious about many things!

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What Wood You Axe of Me?

Summer left with Eaddie for their hair appointments this morning. I thought they would be gone through the afternoon for a trip to the climbing gym, but they came back and loaded up the rest of the kids instead. Jesica was passing through from Dallas and wanted to get lunch, but I had already eaten some leftover pizza. She fussed that she doesn’t like any of the Chinese places in Fort Smith, so we went to Mulan’s where I just had a bowl of hot and sour soup for two bucks.

Afterward I made her tag along to Harbor Freight so I could pick up an axe to chop some firewood. A couple guys in the aisle spoke up to give me some advice and pointed me towards the axes with synthetic handles, but for the limited use it would see, we decided the big, red, wooden-handled fireman’s axe would be the coolest looking one to have hanging in the garage. We headed back to my house so Jesica could be on her way, and I loaded up as many logs as I could fit into my trunk.

I still had to run by Walmart for some s’mores materials and cilantro, and then it was off to Summer’s to prepare for our guests. I started by trying to chop some wood, and though my aim was true, I struggled to split the logs very evenly due to their age and having been partially eaten and weathered. Summer joined me outside to take out some of her own aggression, and ultimately we split the wooden handle and separated it from the head of the axe. After a bit of deliberation, I decided to run back by Harbor Freight for one of the previously suggested axes. They were closing early, but I was fortunate to have arrived five minutes before they did. Then I stopped by Walmart and ran all around looking for a decent lighter. I settled for a cheapo single pack from the garden center, then made my way back up to the house.

As though I’d found a calling from the wild, I split the remaining logs with the greatest of ease. Hair sprung from my chest and my voice dropped an octave, and we had firewood. Summer made a smorgasbord of pico de gallo, guacamole, ranch dip, deviled eggs, pigs in blankets, and a veggie tray while I took the lazy road with an Instant Pot of cheese dip, and we were ready to party. Ronda, Steven, and Maleea showed up while I was tending the coldest fire I’ve ever made. It didn’t get super hot until it was just coals at the end of the night.

Most everyone stayed inside since the fire wasn’t really hot enough to keep anybody warm. The girls watched some TV and played some Switch. Steven even got in on some Mario Kart with us for a few rounds. They couldn’t make it to midnight though, and left with only 50 minutes to go. Autumn had already gone to bed. Eaddie stayed up watching TV, but as soon as we finished cleaning up, Summer was off to bed.

…AND MY AXE!

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No Need for a Manger in Hammock Weather

Summer woke up to a surprise visit from Santa Classic, Mexican Sañta, and Satan the lysdexic Santa today, so I got pushed out of bed as well. She made some biscuits and woke Eaddie up, who probably would have walked around the tree all day without noticing the new gifts. Summer went to get Autumn from her parents’ house as soon as we finished eating, and I played some Mario Kart with Eaddie until they got back so we could open presents.

When that was all done, I headed home to clean up before heading to my parents’ house for Christmas dinner. When the girls got here, Eaddie wanted to ride bikes, so she and Summer rode across town while Autumn and I chauffeured the crock pot of mashed potatoes. When we got there and found that everyone had already eaten, we learned that we had misinterpreted a text from earlier without an expected time to gather. We picked at food, played on my childhood slot-car/jet race track, and generally lazed around until Uncle Giao, Aunt Teresa, Bác Vân, and Doug all left. Julie was in Disney World, so it was just us kids visiting.

The girls had dinner plans with their father, so we headed back to my house to wait for him. The girls watched TV while I mostly just sat feeling tired. I cleaned the cat box and played a couple rounds of Overwatch after everyone left, then called it an early night for Autumn’s knee surgery at 8:30 the next morning.

Holidays just make me a cranky old codger anyway.

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Fellowship of the Inconsiderate

Summer left us for work this morning. I eventually got up and snuck over to the girls who were laying in the floor watching YouTube videos until Noah woke up. Once they started making a little noise, he got up and we finished The Fellowship of the Ring. The extended version was so incredibly long, and the fan club credits ran about 15 minutes long themselves. I even made some popcorn for us all.

After the movie, we gathered everyone up and headed back to their house so they could clean up. The girls were reluctant to do anything, so Noah took charge and prodded them along to getting anything done at all. Summer eventually got home after shutting down early for Christmas, and really got things moving. I noticed that one of the girls had stuck an earring into the cork handle on my electric kettle, which set me off. Summer got mad at me for flipping my shit, but I can’t stand that kind of destructive disrespect. I’m about one more incident from taking my toys back home.

They all finally used up the gingerbread house I’d had on top of my refrigerator for the past 16 or so years, and then decorated cookies. I needed a shower and some time away from their shrieking, so I had a drink and a time-out while they finished. Summer’s parents eventually came over with a crate full of gifts for everyone, and then left with Noah and Autumn for the evening. I guess we’ll figure out tomorrow when it gets here.

Summer went to bed with a headache, so Eaddie and I played some Mario Kart before settling in for about an episode and a half of Luke Cage. She started to fall asleep, so we called it a night.

Disappointed Narwhal disapproves.

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Getting Baked for Family

I got to sleep in a little today while Summer went off to work. The kids were all up playing Mario Kart when I finally got around. Noah and I finished up some salad stuff, and then Eaddie and I shared what was left of Veronica’s tamales. Summer had me bake the cookies so they’d be cool for decorating in the evening. Eaddie wanted to help at first, but didn’t really commit. Once they were done, I headed home to start cleaning up the house for everyone to stay the night.

Everything cleaned up relatively easily, but I’ve still got a ton of clutter that needs to be managed. I definitely had to skimp in the evening as Summer finished up work and I had to pick up some groceries for Christmas dinner. Walmart had been extremely busy the past few times I’d been, but had surprisingly calmed down a bunch for the evening. Erica yelled out at me as I was running out the door and said she still wasn’t having any of the crowd.

The kids ambushed Summer when she got home, so she called in an order for some pizza. I was pretty early to get them, but it was fun watching the make line and I chatted a bit with who I presume was the shift leader about my nostalgia from my first job working in pizza. With pizzas in hand, I made my way up to Summer’s where the kids were mostly practicing being in the way. We ultimately decided to put off decorating cookies until tomorrow so we could get started watching The Fellowship of the Ring with Noah. The kids decorated the tree and then we were off.

Summer went straight to bed. Autumn watched, I’m estimating the first 30 seconds of the film before she passed out. Eaddie made it a bit farther. Noah was aggravated after spending two day swatching Harry Potter when Autumn wouldn’t provide him the same courtesy. We eventually called it quits just as we made it to Rivendell.

Bah Humbug, now that’s too strong!

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Last Minute Holiday Chaos

Summer got Noah this morning before starting on some breakfast. Eaddie left for Silver Dollar City with Maleea and her family while Summer was in the middle of cooking biscuits and gravy with eggs, so I helped with the gravy as she shooed her out the door. When we finished eating, I headed home to clean up, then came back to pick up Summer, Autumn, and Noah for our trip to Conway.

We stopped at PetSmart in town first, and got lucky with a cashier that let us exchange a burned-out light bulb without a receipt. Then we headed out of town for a really short drive compared to yesterday. We stopped at Target, Shoe Carnival, and TJ Maxx before everyone got tired and hungry. Being Sunday also meant that most of the stores were closing a bit earlier than usual, so we made our way across town to the China Town buffet. Autumn protested Asian food, but then remembered how many things she liked from this buffet.

With everyone stuffed to the gills, we headed back home. Noah fell asleep in the car, but the remaining three of us stopped in at Walmart for some cookie dough for the kids to decorate this week. I made us make a quick run through the store for deals, but came up short. With everyone tuckered out, we headed on home to bed. Eaddie strolled in eventually, and watched movies with Noah well past my bedtime.

Some people juggle promotions!

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Christmas with the Distants

We got up this morning to make the trip down to Bismark for Dad’s family Christmas bash. I ran home to take care of the cat and clean up, then headed back to Summer’s to make the broccoli casserole. I was running a bit behind, which was exacerbated by a rice cooker that wouldn’t stay on. In a weird chain of choices, I ended up using another rice cooker’s power cord to weigh down the switch so the rice would finish cooking.

Once that was done, the girls loaded up and we headed to pick up Dad and make our way down to the church. We took the highway through Little Rock on the way down since I hadn’t realized it was just down past Hot Springs and that we would need something for Eaddie’s car sickness. It ended up taking about the same amount of time, but traffic was super bad and the drive was terribly boring, plus it added about another 40 miles to the trip.

It was a super small showing this year, though since it was potluck style, we still ended up with plenty to eat. I’m still not exactly sure why I went back for seconds, but I definitely should have cut back instead. Dad did a little magic, and then almost everyone else there played Dirty Santa until it was time to clean up and head home.

I wanted to take Highway 7 back home, so I let Google Maps guide me around the outskirts of Hot Springs where we stopped at one of about 300 Dollar Generals to get some Dramamine for all three of the girls. We made good time coming back, and the drive was miles shorter and better. The girls took turns falling asleep until we dropped Dad off, and as soon as we got home, everyone shuffled off to bed.

Ah, Kohl’s Cash, you tricky bastard!

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Just a Quiet Christmas Dinner with the Crew

I had to run back to the shop this morning because I forgot to grab a document camera on my way out yesterday. I stuck around for a little while just because it was so quiet there, but eventually I did make it up to the high school and successfully deployed Adobe Acrobat DC as a package instead of an application, because Adobe is stupid. We had a good size crew for lunch, which we wanted to keep light for the sake of having a Christmas dinner later in the evening, so we went for Taco Tuesday.

After lunch, I spent a bit more time at the shop before finishing up at the high school. I left work later than I should have because I was tinkering with some stuff, so I was just a little bit late getting changed for the party. I ran to pick up Summer, and we made our way to Old Bank for dinner. About half of the crew was already there, but with relationships and crew members shifted from where we were a few years ago, the whole night ended up being pretty quiet. To call it dull would be harsh, but we were upstairs by ourselves and the whole place just seemed really quiet.

When we finally split up, Summer and I went to get the girls and headed home. She and I watched a bit of YouTube while Eaddie did her homework, and then we were all off to bed.

This Tuesday feels an awful lot like Friday. Are we sure it’s not Friday? How would we really know for sure?