Just The Two of Us

It's Bound to Happen, Right? HA!

Friday night found us at Karen & Nathan's house for the night, playing with the kids while the lucky parents started a weekend away. 

It's just another thing I love about RW, he jumps right in.  He isn't just there to make sure no one gets seriously maimed, sets the house on fire, or kills a sibling in a freak accident.  He's there to engage.  He reads with the kids, he engages in riveting conversation ("Did you KNOW that I can count to NINE THOUSAND without stopping EVEN ONCE?  Yeah.  I did it on the way to the volleyball game! Want to hear me?")  Like I said, riveting.

Saturday morning we awoke to bright sun.  RW was all over that.  "KIDS!  Let's go for a HIKE!"  They sort of stared at him until pocket knives, magnifying glasses and snacks were mentioned, and then everyone suddenly sprung into action. I didn't see them again for an hour, which was more than impressive, as despite the sun, it was only 18 degrees outside.

After the hike and the subsequent bonfire (thank you farmer, for burning brush on this particular day!), Keira and RW were standing in the kitchen having another one of those riveting conversations, when 3-yr-old Keira piped up with this doozy:

"[RW], are you my grandpa?"  Clearly she still needs some work on family relationships.  Sitting in the other room, I overheard this and practically choked on my ice water from the laughter.  I'm fairly certain that RDub was disappointed that there was a witness to this question.

"No, silly girl!  I'm not your GRANDPA!!!"

She was undeterred.  "But you ARE a grandpa, right?"

I'm not sure I even heard RW's response, I was too busy laughing laughing laughing.  There are certain advantages to marrying someone older, mainly that you are always younger.  Thus, the laughter.  

Regardless of the relationship, there's simply no way RW could be offended by her:

...just give him another few years before giving him the grandpa label!

Mouthing Off

Tonight was taco night at our house.  I am on a quest to use up most everything in our pantry and freezers, and so this morning I was standing in the pantry, staring again at what seems like b.o.r.i.n.g.  All Campbell's soups, a Costco-sized jug of soy sauce,  a lot of bags of dried beans (which I'm still wondering why I have those, it's not like I'm a soak-your-beans type of gal.  But whatever.)

Surely a run to Costco would yield me tastier options?  NO.  I pep-talked myself once again about not hoarding and storing up food (I mean really.  Who need approximately 6 months worth of food in their house, anyway?  Notice the name of this blog?  It's not as if I'm feeding an army).  So I tell myself that all the food in this house would look like enormous storehouses to many people in any number of countries.  And I fight the excess and waste and look for something to make for dinner.

I noticed that I had some leftover tortillas flung deep into the frost-covered depth of a freezer.  I grabbed them and kept looking.  Some home-made taco seasoning, a jar of taco sauce from 4 years ago (unopened, so stop worrying!), a few cherry tomatoes on the verge of going bad, and I had myself a meal.  Oh, except the meat.  I trekked to yet another freezer (don't ask) and fished out a chuck roast. Oh, and I also dug up some shredded cheddar.  Auh-maz-ing what one can find in one's freezers, if one just looks.

I dumped the roast and the taco seasoning into the crock pot with some water, and went away for 6 or 7 or 9 hours, during which I devoured a bag of cough drops, kept blowing my nose, and felt sorry for my sick self.

After the smell of tasty meat got entirely too much to bear, I made my way back into the kitchen and started putting dinner together.  RW joined me - apparently the smell of tasty meat was a little too much for him to bear, too.  He got out the plates and unwrapped the tortillas.

"Ummm, honey?  There are only 3 tortillas in this bag."

"Oh well.  You can have 2."

"No, no.. we'll split the 3rd one."  Isn't he just a love. He's my hero, too.

After eating my whole tortilla, I wandered back into the kitchen for the other 1/2.  I started to chop up a few more cherry tomatoes, when RW reached across me for the cheese, blocking me out.

"Excuse me...?  Chopping here?"

RW's response was swift... "Honee!  Aahm maaahking a tahco!"  He shoved the cheese into his mouth, which can I mention, was already populated with meat.

I stopped for a moment and watched him.  A lack of tortillas was simply not a barrier for RW's dinner.  He was indeed making a taco.. in his mouth.  In fact, if memory serves me correctly, he ate several more this way.

They were darn tasty, too.  At least the 1 1/2 that I ate.  I can't really vouch for RW's improvisation.  So if you have a hankering for tacos, come on over.  You'll just have to bring your own tortillas.  Or just your mouth.  That may work as well.

 

True Love

ME: "You know what tomorrow is don't you?"

RW: "I don't know, someone's birthday?"

ME: "Yes, mine."

RW: [staring at me] "No it's not! You're so full of it.  Your birthday isn't in February!"

[whew!]

ME: "You're right.  It's Valentine's Day!"

[pause]

RW: "Valentine's Day is for lovers.  We're married."

To his credit... he laughed.

Ahhh.  True love!