Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

The one where I complain it is hot in the south

June22

Everyone is a critic.  Tessa seems to be trying to tell me it is time to vacuum the dog hair off the stairs.  It is a never ending job.  Just wait until she is big enough to handle a real vacuum…

Sabrina is extremely unhappy that we aren’t getting out much this week.  It is hot hot hot.

Yesterday was 98.  The weekend was high 90’s with heat indexes in the triple digits.  Last night at 10pm it was still 86.  Friday actually looks like a bit of a relief.  We live in a very shiny, new area so there aren’t even trees big enough to provide much shade in parking lots.  We have the a/c set on 78 upstairs and for the hottest hours in the late afternoon it can’t manage to get it below 80 upstairs.  So yeah, hot.  I expect hot here in the summer – just not so early.  Gah!  I keep joking with Steve that I’m taking the girls and visiting family up north – we’ll be back in time for Halloween.

Reward for reading my rant about the obvious – some cute.

Sabrina chooses moments to take her big sister role seriously.  Lately, her favorite big sister activity is to help Tessa put on her shoes when I declare it time to go somewhere.  Tessa seems amused by this and usually lets Sabrina do it as long as I’m not in her line of sight.  It is adorable to watch and listen to but unfortunately when I manage to grab the camera it distracts them both and ends the moment.

I rarely watch videos that people post on their blogs and as a result I don’t share videos often.  But this is hilarious.  Seriously.  Watch it. I’m going to try and embed it but I’m not very good with video on my blog so click THIS LINK if it doesn’t work below.  I’ve watched it 5 times today and Sabrina has started singing along with it.

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

posted under Misc., nashville | 9 Comments »

Summer ain’t playin’

June15

Summer isn’t even here, according the calendar, yet I would be hard pressed to name the last day where it didn’t reach 90 degrees.  It is currently 93* in my back yard (minus sun factor).  I spent 30 minutes mowing – couldn’t handle more than that.  It is going to have to happen in chunks because it is only supposed to get hotter and there is no cool time of day to get it done w/o the girls underfoot unless I get up at 5:30am and that isn’t going to happen.  (Truth: I didn’t want Steve to have to do it all on Father’s Day when it is supposed to be 100.)

Our prior 3 summers here, it hasn’t gotten this hot in a sustained way until July.  This  year it almost went straight from “It’s too cold to play outside” (coldest winter in memory  here in TN) to “It’s too wet to play outside” (rained for weeks then flooded) to “It’s too hot to play outside.”  Poor girls are not happy with the 2 or 3 weeks of playground/bike riding fun they got.

I bought them a blow up pool last week and they now spend every waking moment asking to swim.  Did I mention it is hot out?  Poor Tessa is so white you can almost see through her so even with sun screen I can’t let them stay out for too long.  (That and the fact that momma has to sit out there and watch.  In the hot sun.  Did I mention it was hot?)  Be prepared to see a lot of photo with the orange pool for the next 3 months.  Did I mention it is hot?  I should have considered photo ops when choosing the color of the pool.  Heh. Sadly I’m only sort of kidding. Any photo not sporting the orange pool will be indoors where there is plenty of a/c blowing.  My Scots-Irish self isn’t made for these temps.

And my favorite photo of the weekend:

With a “moo moo” here…

May20

We toured a local dairy today with the Mom’s Club. The girls had a grand time.

Tessa is completely fearless – several people commented on that.  She makes me nervous because I can’t predict what she might do next.

Sabrina was only concerned about which cows made the chocolate milk.  Every time we came to a group of cows, she asked me to ask the cows if they made the chocolate milk.  We were at the petting and feeding area with 3 calves.  One of them started to poop.  Sabrina then declared “Look Mommy! That one is making chocolate milk.”

posted under nashville | 5 Comments »

A funny thing happened on the way to the Apocalypse

May4

(Not my photo…taken from the AP.) I joked about apocalyptic rain on Saturday.  I had no idea how accurate it would prove to be.  I’m sure you’ve all read about the flooding in middle TN.  We are fine but what a horrific storm!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen it rain like that before.  It was a constant, heavy, torrential downpour.  It would lighten now and then but it didn’t stop for 40 hours.  We ended up getting 16 inches of rain.  Roads and yards flooded in my little town but I’m not aware of anyone with serious damage here.  Some roof leaks and some wet basements.  We were all trapped at home for the most part because the roads were closed.  But other areas around us had catastrophic flooding.  I’ve shared a lot of photos on Facebook.  Watching the news coverage drove home just how dangerous and horrific the situation was for so many near us.

(This one is from CBS News.) In the wee hours of Monday, the rain stopped.  Yesterday dawned sunny with clear blue skies.  Except for the humidity in the air, you wouldn’t know what the previous 2 days had been like.  Fortunately, my little town seems to be okay.  Many other areas can’t say the same.  The town we lived in when we initially moved south was devastated.  Downtown still had many flooded streets yesterday as the river crested at 12 feet above flood level.

(I pulled this one from a local news outlet.) If you’ve ever visited our area and stayed at the Opryland hotel, it is filled with water.  I can’t imagine the cost of fixing the damage on top of the lost revenue while repairs are made – not just to Opryland but to most tourist attractions in the area.  Aside from the business and tourist dollars lost, I would make bets that a large percentage of people whose homes sustained damage don’t have flood insurance.  They didn’t live in a flood plain and there likely didn’t seem to be a reason for it.  Many lost everything and will not have insurance payouts to replace the material items.

Shortly after I moved to Pittsburgh, I worked on a FEMA project leading a crisis counseling team in the community after flooding.  I enjoyed the work if not the project (as with many emergency grants it was thrown together without a clear vision or end goal).  I have this intense need to dust off my clip board and start going door to door to talk to people and see how they are coping once the water recedes.

************** Silver lining(s)

My dorky couponing is coming in handy. I have a decent amount of stockpiled stuff to donate to the relief cause.

My little garden didn’t complain about all of the rain – glad we took the time to make sure the drainage was sufficient.  These shallots were not over the top of this container before the rain started.  They grew several inches this weekend.  The rest of my garden is pretty happy too.

Flexible Field Trip

April15

Saturday morning we set out for a little small town, red neck fun.  In a rural town 15 miles south of us, they celebrate Mule Day (used to be the day of the year everyone took their mules to town to sell or trade).  There is a parade and little festival.  I miss the small town festivals from my Ohio hometown and Steve always enjoys a good southern story to share with our northern friends and family.  We loaded up the car and headed south.  We found that everyone else in a 100 mile radius also apparently wanted to attend Mule Day.  We didn’t find a place to park until we were approximately 4 miles away from the parade route.  4 miles in 30 minutes with a double stroller and no sidewalks?  That wasn’t going to happen.  So we aborted that plan and came up with another.

Saturday was the most perfect, gorgeous day so we decided to head to the downtown area of a wealthy community just north of where we live.  It is a great area to window shop.  I spent tens of thousands of dollars mentally.  There were so many neat shops with some amazing items.

I saw a very young (23-ish) bride to be registering at one boutique.  She was declaring to her mother that she definitely needed a particular pair of silver platters.  I chuckled because at 23 I needed paper plates and beer.  At 37, I am still limping through life without silver platters.

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I thought these rubber rain/cowboy boots were a hoot.

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We had the best pizza for lunch.  Pesto instead of sauce, 2 kinds of mushrooms, jalapenos, and feta.  Yum!

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Thinking of Aunt Lulu during our day out.

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All of the excitement made Tessa pass out before we even got out of the parking garage.

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We returned home to find an invite to a BBQ at a friend’s that evening so after naps we took the girls to hang out with friends.  They ran and played – a great night sleep was had by all!

posted under nashville | 6 Comments »

Cabin Fever

January31

I have been stuck in the house since Thursday – and I only left then to go to the doctor.  I am hoping things have settled down out there so I can get Tessa to her 18 month check up tomorrow.  Those in the north rolling your eyes – yes, 4 inches of snow and 1/2″ of ice have kept us in all weekend.  But remember, there is NO snow removal and no salt here so it stays on the road until it melts and it hasn’t been above freezing.   Tomorrow afternoon it is supposed to be in the 40’s but hoping it gets warm enough in the morning that we can get to the pediatrician.  I’m getting stir crazy!

There is a thick layer of ice over everything.  Our 50 lb dog doesn’t even sink in the yard – he can walk on top of the icy snow.

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And having nothing to do with anything – Sabrina loves her new Princess and the Frog dress.  I picked up a few items on clearance at Target while my MIL was in town (including 2 matching Christmas dresses for next year for $4.50 each).  This one was an instant hit with Sabrina.  She ranks her clothing based on the twirl factor (how well she can twirl in it).

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Snow! (No, really this time)

January30

We mock with love but we just can’t stop laughing when Nashville cancels school at the prediction of snow.  Earlier this month, they closed school for 2 days and we ended up getting 1/2 an inch of snow.  So when they called off school for Friday before a flake had fallen, we chuckled.  We woke up Friday morning to our normal brown and green January landscape.  Steve left for work.  Then around 10:30 am it started.  A real snow storm.  Up north this amount of snow wouldn’t close schools most likely but without plows and salt, it closed down the entire area.  It took Steve over 2 hours to get home (23 miles).  The mall closed.  Area businesses closed.  A friend’s son hurt himself and she found that all medical clinics in our town were closed and she would have to take him to the hospital 15 miles north or hope he would be okay until everyone reopened.  It also brought out the entire neighborhood to play.  Parents and kids – there were no fewer than a 15 people playing in front of our house yesterday afternoon. It was quite exciting.  Sabrina had a ball.

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Tessa was pouting that she didn’t get to go out and play.  (I don’t have boots for her and she has a runny nose.)

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posted under family, nashville | 1 Comment »

If we get snowed in I can bake something

January7

My lovely mother in law gave me a very generous gift card in my stocking this year.  Know what I did with it? I bought myself an appliance.  Isn’t it pretty?  (My Target only carries white so I didn’t have to struggle with deciding between the aqua, apple green, orange, yellow or cherry red because I’ve never been able to decide which I love more.)

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Yes, I am officially a dork.  I tried out the dough hook yesterday.  Wanna see what I made?

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They were supposed to taste like Aunt Annie’s.  They were good but they weren’t Aunt Annie’s.  With a little more salt and a lot more butter they probably would have been pretty close.

For almost a week, they’ve been talking about us getting snow today.  Tuesday they treated the roads in anticipation.  (Yeah, I have no idea why they did it 48 hours ahead of time.)  Yesterday, before flake had fallen, they closed almost every school in the area for today.  This morning, nothing.  It started snowing around 8:30 – now almost 2.5 hours later, this is what got the kids a snow day:

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That screaming you hear? That is my 10 year old self who had to put on my snow boots, gloves, scarf, and big old parka and trudge down the snow covered drive way to the bus stop walked to school up hill both ways in hip deep snow because we never got a snow day.

posted under food, nashville | 13 Comments »

Nothing says Christmas like traffic

December19

I’m still not feeling 100% but I’m feeling some better and I’m sick of sitting on the couch.  We had a Christmas filled day.  We ran a few Christmas errands and then went to the Opryland Hotel to check out the decorations.  I’ve never been to the hotel and have been wanting to check it out since we moved to Nashville.

After fighting traffic in 2 separate parts of the city, we made our way to Opry Mills.  We parked at the mall and walked to the hotel to avoid the $20 valet fee.  Yes, we chose the coldest day of the year to be frugal (although we don’t have the foot or 2 of snow that many of you do…just rain, wind and 40 degrees).   The walk was cold but the hotel was rather balmy.  We admired the lights, decorations, and sheer size of the hotel and garden conservatory then enjoyed a yummy lunch (seriously – mango pineapple vinaigrette – YUM).

The Christmas tree was ginormous! (There are 2 people standing by the banister on the right – that is how huge the tree is.)

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Isn’t this a lovely angle?  Perhaps Steve was hoping to check out how my sinus infection is doing?

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The hotel minus decoration is cool.

The ceiling in the lobby.

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Several waterfalls inside the hotel.

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Easy to forget how cold it is outside with all of the tropical flowers.

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Lots of Christmas flowers too.

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All of the Christmas decorations were fun to see.  Put us in the spirit.

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We are in Tennessee – what is Christmas without a little Jack Daniels?

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I suspect many of the decorations will serve double duty and stay up for Mardi Gras since the colors are right.

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Sabrina’s favorite part?  The build your own cupcake bar at lunch.  Red velvet cupcake, chocolate frosting, and M&Ms.

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And wouldn’t this be the most gorgeous venue for a wedding?  We missed the wedding but the wedding party was taking photos in the gardens while we walked around.  The bride was in gorgeous red (!) dress and looked to be 17 (hopefully she was older).  I couldn’t get over what a special place this would be for a wedding.

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Hope you enjoyed touring the Opryland Hotel with us today!

posted under nashville | 7 Comments »

Fellow Guat Coffee Lovers

November7

p1010091Anyone who has been reading here for awhile might not be surprised to hear about my mini obsession to find coffee that at least comes close to what I drank in Guatemala.  I have tried many, many, many Guatemalan coffees – I buy it any time I see it.  Nothing has come close to being the same as what I drank while in Guatemala but a couple of recent finds have come sort of close to what I bought and brought home from there.   I wanted to share in case anyone else shares my mini obsession.

I am currently enjoying the pictured cup of coffee.  (Don’t hate me for my beautiful froth…I’ve told you how you could have froth at home too.)  My first pretty darn good Guatemalan find was at World Market.  If you don’t have World Markets near you, I am sorry.  Think Pier 1 with food – all sorts of funky, ethnic items and a variety of cool ethnic food finds too.  Their organic Guatemalan coffee is pretty darn good – it was my favorite until today.

Last weekend, I saw a coupon on the Nashville Groupon site (search for your city…it is kind of cool) for $35 worth of coffee from a local online coffee shop for $15.  I checked the site – they had Guatemalan.  Score!  I ordered some coffee, they roasted it and ground it and sent it to me.  I’m quite happy.  It is the closest I’ve come to what I purchased in Antigua.  I have a new favorite coffee...which guarantees they will stop carrying it by the time I want to re-order so get some fast.

This is not a compensated post…just sharing a good find.

posted under food, nashville | 5 Comments »
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