I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

It was time. The mane grew out of control. As was the girl. Day after day of fighting tangles, tears, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Enough, I say. Something has to be done. Jacqueline has been shorn of her long locks. But don't shed any tears for her (she did enough of that), it will be easier, for both of us!

Whoop-de-doo!

I belong to this photography group on Facebook. Every week is a different theme. This last week was Toys & Games. And I won! It's called Amateur Photography Contest; for point & shoot cameras. For those of us who don't have one of them there "special" cameras (i.e. DSLR). And the winner is posted on the group blog. No prize money or press conference, but it does feel good!

Wordy Wednesday

Awkward

Pronunciation: \ˈȯ-kwərd\

Function: adjective

Etymology:

Middle English awkeward in the wrong direction, from awke turned the wrong way, from Old Norse ǫfugr; akin to Old High German abuh turned the wrong way

Date: 1530

1obsolete : perverse
2archaic : unfavorable , adverse
3 a: lacking dexterity or skill (as in the use of hands) --awkward with a needle and thread-- b: showing the result of a lack of expertness -- awkward pictures --
4 a: lacking ease or grace (as of movement or expression) --awkward writing--b: lacking the right proportions, size, or harmony of parts : ungainly --awkward design--
5 a: lacking social grace and assurance awkward newcomer> b: causing embarrassment awkward moment>
6: not easy to handle or deal with : requiring great skill, ingenuity, or care awkward load-- awkward diplomatic situation--

Ok, I picked this word for a couple of reasons. One: I was spelling this the other day and it dawned on me how weird the spelling of this word is. I went to the dictionary (online, my hard copy is getting dusty. :-( Really? A-w-k-w-a-r-d. Hmmm. I was right, much to my chagrin. Not that I wanted to be wrong, it just 'felt' wrong. Two "w's" in one word? It would be ideal for Hangman . Although if someone guessed "w" then it's all downhill from there. Two: Try explaining "why" to a six year old. The word came up in a conversation, and Mairyn asked,

"What does awkward mean?"

And so I told her. And then she asked how it is spelled.

"That *pause* is wrong, Mommy. It can't be like that."

We wrote it down, looked it up and heard it pronounced online (that is something our paper version can't do. Yet. ;-) She finally conceded that this was, in fact, really a word. Thank you, Mairyn. I think. This word is, in more ways than one, awkward. Ha!

**P.S. I'd like to know on what accent they base the pronunciation of a word. I mean, not everyone in the U.S. says, "Cuba" the same. (sorry, just saw 'JFK', I still giggle a bit when I hear "cuber". ha!) I guess someone knows. Potato, Potato, Tomato, Tomato.

The 99 Things Meme

The 99 Things meme

Ok, ok, I told myself that I'd swear off memes for a while, but it does get the creative juices flowing. I've got about half a dozen ideas for future posts! And consider yourself tagged if you feel like doing it too! It is nice to look through and see what I have done, though.

What I’ve done: bold
What I’d like to do: italicized
What I haven’t done and don’t have any particular wish to do: plain text

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (to go skiing!)
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise. Does the 3 day ferry/boat from Vancouver, BC to Haines, Alaska count?
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. I'll eventually make it to Germany, Russia & the British Isles
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language. Huh? I've learned new languages. Do they mean something like Klingon or Elmo-ese?
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa. Um, I've gone beyond the visit.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported by ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class More like, studied for 5 years.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. I’ve bought plenty, though!
62. Gone whale watching. Does having seen Orkas on the boat to Alaska count?
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. Not fired, just had my position & another person’s rolled into one. And I wasn’t the one that stayed.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Say “Yum” for venison
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life. I was 7 & my sister was 4 & choking on a peppermint in the backseat of the car. I whacked her over & over & when she could breath again, hit me back & told Mom that I hit hard! I didn’t get in trouble for that!
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake. Does wading to the knees count?
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Mustaches are fun

We got some fake mustaches from an online joke shop. Originally, they were planned as part of the festivities for our New Year's Eve party. Then at 20 to midnight, I remembered them. Other people did get their chance to get their 'stache pic, but I won't post them here out of courtesy to them! I did, however, take pictures of my kids sporting them and no matter how goofy they look, they are fair play! Grant was not in the mood to sport a 'stache, so there aren't any of him. But we'll get him soon, mwa-ha-ha-ha! Lots more opportunities for family fun!

Things I've learned

That nice fuzzy stuff on pipe cleaners turns into molten hot goo when electrocuted and then hardens into evil little hard patches.

That I am never going to buy pipe cleaners again. (at least while I have a child under 5)

That outlet protectors don’t work on curious 4 ½ year old boys.

That Grant is a resilient little boy.

We made it through the evening relatively well. No pain on Grant's part (alhamdul'allah) but he is not pleased with the "boxing gloves". We had to feed him, hold his cup for him and help him "do his business". Not pleased at all.

"Mommy, I can't touch my planes!"

He's crying this out to me as he comes running up, grasping his two favorite planes with his fingertips sticking out of the gauze wrappings.

"Oh, Grant! You have to keep that on!"

He is not having any of that. I re-wrapped the hands, drugged him with the codeine and put him to bed. We haven't heard a peep and hope it stays that way. Saturday Morning: I did some re-wrapping and this job is staying put. It's not easy making an active 4 1/2 year old NOT use his hands. His doting sisters have been very good to him; they fetch him his Spiderman, give him bites of waffle, scratch his nose and make puppet shows. Wow, how can I get some of this action? It sounds like a sweet deal!

What happens when . . .

. . . you stick a pipe cleaner in the electrical socket? Grant found out the hard way. We were spending a quiet afternoon at home today when the peace was broken by Grant screaming at the top of his lungs. I had been taking a nap when Spence came running in saying,

"Lydia, Grant burned himself!"

Oh great. This is the boy that doesn't pass a week without shedding any blood. (Last Friday he bit through the corner of his lip.) I came out to assess and his fingers were black. There was a lot of confusion as to what happened, but Mairyn reconstructed the story as best we can tell. So, her and Grant are in the bedroom playing. Mairyn was up on the bunk bed ladder and Grant was sitting on the floor by the wall. He stuck a pipe cleaner in the wall socket, we don't think he got shocked, but the wire heated up, burned the fuzz, the wire burned his fingers and the fuzz melted to his fingers. He threw the wire and it melted through the curtain and into the carpet. The curtain flamed up, but was out by the time we got there. (we now have a nice, loopy 'S' burned there) I called the RMO (regional medical officer. say it with me: we love acronyms!) and they said to meet them at the Maadi Health Unit.

Fortunately for us, there is an ER docter here on TDY (temporary deployment, meaning he's just here for a month or so). He had dealt with burns before and handled everything beautifully. Grant was in a lot of pain, so they gave him a shot of morphine right in the rear end. He protested, kicked the nurse in the stomach and then about 7 minutes later, was VERY relaxed. Dr. Dave began by soaking his hands and then debriding the wounds, peeling off the plastic and extricating it from the burns. Grant was very calm throughout the process (thank you, morphine). The Dr. Dave wrapped both of his hands up like boxing gloves, loaded us up with gauze, tape, burn goop and codeine. Yay for codeine.

So now Grant is the proud owner of two hands wrapped up like boxing gloves. Also, he will have very unique fingerprints from now on. The wire burned into his flesh on both index fingers and thumbs. The wire curved around and left diagonal tracks on all of his finger pads. They are 2nd & 3rd degree burns, but insha'allah, he will be fine. We're just praying for no infection and a patient boy.