Of course. There's one on every street corner. ;-)

We visited Amsterdam with friends over the weekend and I'd been saying how much I love the city and that it's such a shame that most Americans seem to focus on its seamier aspects and forget the culture / architecture / friendly atmosphere.  Shortly afterwards we walked passed a bakery and I said:  "Wow!  Something smells WONDERFUL!"  to which S quipped:  "Must be the prostitutes."

Chuck Norris would be proud!

Me:  S!  What is that huge bruise on your leg?

S:  Oh that?  That's not a bruise!  It's just the shadow cast by my extremely muscular calves!

Fantastic metaphor!

S:  There was this girl crying at school the other day and she had big black streaks of mascara running down her cheeks.  It looked like someone was pulling the happiness right out of her!

He knows me all too well. :-)

S:  F's mom is always watching a soap opera called "Sturm der Liebe".  The women in it are always playing the victim and are afraid and the men are big and strong and come in and save them at exactly the right moment.  You would HATE it!

Puts Hugh Hefner to shame!

S:  Mom, all of a sudden everyone in my class thinks Playboy is really cool..
Me:  Hmm.  Really?  Do you know what the word "Playboy" means?
S:  Yes.  It's a man with a lot of girlfriends.
B:  Yeah!  TOO MANY girlfriends!  Did you know that King Solomon had 300 wives and 700 "substitute wives"?!

Life with Boyz IV

S and I were back at the Emergency Clinic again today.  He hurt his finger last week and it's still swollen and looking suspicious-- he's scheduled for X-Rays this afternoon.  Afterwards we stopped off for an ice cream and sat outside enjoying the sun and chatting.  I noticed a scribble on his arm and asked:  "Is that a heart or a tank that someone's drawn on your arm?"  His answer:  "No, actually it's a penis."

**Update:  his finger's not broken, but he still got a lovely splint as a doorprize...

Transformation

We fell in love with this house immediately, but in the past year I've really grown to love this garden as well.  My previous experience with gardening was very limited (and somewhat traumatic) and I felt a bit overwhelmed at first.  I was so worried that I would bring catastrophic ruin onto this beautiful place which a gardening friend called a "botanical paradise".

Over the past year my confidence has grown.  I've been lucky to have received a lot of advice from friends, neighbors and the previous owners.  I'm finally able to tell most of the weeds from the perennials and have even become bold enough to make some changes.  Now that the weather is nicer I can also add some new dashes of color and have splurged on some tropical favorites that remind me of long, happy days spent in my Grandma Kitty's garden:  hibiscus, lantana and marigolds!  Life is good!  :-)

Bounty Hunter

 Drastic times call for drastic measures.  Last week a malicious gang of snails went marauding around my garden and selectively devoured the hollyhocks that I'd carefully sprouted and had just planted in our flowerbeds.  I've called in a team of bounty hunters whom I've offered to pay dearly for every snail they capture and deport out of our garden...

Pork chops instead of karate chops.

It's that time of year again!  May 1st is a national holiday and a big day for Taekwondo (and the rest of the Martial Arts Club) here in H-town.  Today marks their annual barbecue-- I dropped by around lunchtime and was thrilled to see M in his element, manning the grills and teasing his teammates.  I am apparently now "ze First Lady of TKD" since M's appointment as head of the club.  Suits me fine-- especially since I can wear sports shoes instead of heels!  :-)

As I left I noticed S and B playing soccer in a nearby field with a gaggle of other kids.  They were smiling and radiant.

Summer weather is here and D and I took a long hike home through the woods and enjoyed the quiet and the greenery.

Life is good!

Too many (veggie) burgers!

When B came up for breakfast the other day we were shocked!  He'd gained about 30 pounds overnight!