Fun head

OK, most of you have seen on facebook, but had to throw up a couple pics of the new fun head. I never would have done this if it wasn't for Timm encouraging me to have fun with it. Thanks Timm. He's the one who encouraged me to go short and that's been fun. I think colors might be fun too!

THese are self portraits, which somehow make my face seem distorted in size, but maybe that's just me. I prefer the side angles, as my face does seem a little more proportionate to my head and body from the side view.

"Would you still consdier me?" THat's the Goober and the Peas song we are currently jamming to. Gotta get up and lip sync into the wii remote. see ya, back to the KKFT wii party!

As Timm and I assumed the air guitar and lip sync roles of the last song, and Liv assumed the dancer on the chair, she stopped after the song and said "Mom....I wouldn't want you to not be my Mom." Doesn't get much better than that.

party time

We like to party over here at the kelly home.
Thursday night I had my first BUNCO night in Brooklyn. It was really great. I didn't know what to expect, but really hoped people would be interested in coming. Ended up having 12 of us! We talked, ate, drank, talked, and played bunco. Ahhh, I love being a woman. There was a consensus that we should do it again, and several people offered to host next time. It's a little different hosting 12 women in a small apartment on a school night, as opposed to a big house with a finished basement! Kids couldn't get to sleep till everyone left. Anyways, happy it was a success. And, Timm was a trooper, he didn't feel very swell, but hunkered down with both girls in our bedroom and watched a movie and laid low.
Friday night we had our small group. Still small! Val and Neal came over. Timm felt better, and was ready to venture back into the eating world. So, we let him choose take out for dinner. He chose Tai food. We enjoyed a night eating Tai food, sharing stories, looking at the bible and discussing it.
Tonight we decided to have a wii party with the KKFT. So, we are jamming some of our favorite 2,756 tunes on my ipod and playing wii. (RIght now it is Goober and the Peas) OK, I'll admit, my attention limitations make it very difficult for me to play most games. I tried mario and it stressed me out a bit. I was barking out at the kids and my anxiety level was up. Not the best method of getting your heart rate up. So, now I am a spectator until we do guitar hero or a game where we are moving non stop. Oh, nascar racing is next, I'm gonna give that a shot. Gotta go.
Tomorrow is Superbowl. Timm is reminiscing about his superbowl sunday traditions from MI. He called his cousins and uncles telling them he is missing their "up north" expeditions. But, he is hosting a guys night to watch the game and play some poker and eat some snacks. The girls and I are having a party of our own. It's called Chuck - e - cheese!
PARTY weekend.
We also went this morning to St. Joe's soup kitchen to help set up and cook. Always a nice family activity.
One more thing. A friend of mine asked me if I might be interested in joining her this Spring running a....marathon. Yes, a marathon. I immediately said "no". Then, I decided to think it over. I am thinking it over. Running 26 miles all at once? May 30 in Vermont. Hmmmm, I'm thinking it over.....maybe....it has turned from a no into a definite maybe.
Church tomorrow morning, then more partying. Good times.
Nascar cart, here I come.

pics

So, I mentioned that yesterday we couldn't park on our street because there was filming going on for "Law and Order". We found out that the episode airs on Feb 22 if anyone wants to check out our street!

Here is a pic of us walking to school down our street. That's ALli in the red coat. Look at all the STUFF! THere were about 6 huge trucks full of equipment, plus cars and many many people! Crazy!

Here are some of the actors, an NYPD team with full uniforms, guns, shields, etc, hanging out in front of the house they filmed in.

And, directly across the street, more men in uniform....actors.

Here is another view of our street, turned into a film crew break room! Snack bar and all.

OK, some more pics. Just for fun. Liv and I on one of her field trips. THe kids building an awesome fort in Prospect Park. And, enjoying "super Saturday" at the girls' school where we made pinch pots out of clay and danced with a Caribbean dance ensemble.

Not is Kansas anymore....

We are not in Kansas anymore....I know, this statement is so cliche. And, since I am the reigning queen of misquoted cliches, I probably don't even have it right?
Anyways, some clear indications of this: The signs posted on our street to notify us that we can't park on our street tomorrow. Why not? Well, they are filming a segment of law and order! Come on, really? On our street? Interesting.
Second, I met a girl from Kansas. On Saturday night, I was walking with a team of volunteers on the COLD streets of Manhattan. We were looking for people who could use a warm meal, clothes, medical care, a place to sleep, etc. I was volunteering with a campaign called "don't walk by" If you are in the NYC area, you might want to check out this great opportunity to work with the NYC Rescue Alliance. Anyways, there I was, walking a section of Manhattan that I had never walked, with a group of strangers I had never met. One fellow volunteer was from Korea, but he spent much of his childhood in Texas. Another grew up in the Philipines until age 10 when he finally joined his parents who had moved here when he was a baby. Another girl was of Asian descent, but grew up in Vancouver. And, the last girl was from....Kansas. What an interesting group of people to spend 4 hours walking and talking with. But, this happens ALL THE TIME now. This is such a true melting pot, I can learn from people I encounter every single day. It is amazing. Anyways, because it was so bitter cold, we were not able to find many folks outside on the street. I think the teams walking the subway stations found many more folks. We did get a chance to meet Mike. He's from the Bronx, but has been living on the upper east side for the last 10 years...on the streets. He was cold and hungry and quickly agreed to take us up on the offer for a hot meal. We enjoyed visiting with him for about a half hour until the van came to give him a lift to the church.
I just stop sometimes and look around at the incredible diversity where we now live! I am having some of the neighborhood ladies over one night this week for "bunco" (yep, that's right, I"m bringin' bunco to Brooklyn!!) I invited people who are from Trinidad, Dominican Republic, Argentina, and England, people who are Asian, African American, and European. ANd, people from around here would say "so what? big deal." But, coming from the completely homogeneous environment I was accustomed to for so many years, this is still new for me. And, I love it! I hope I never offend someone by asking a dumb question about their culture, ethnicity, traditions, beliefs, etc. Because, I genuinely love to learn about each person, and although I believe we should focus on our commonalities and love each other regardless of differences, I am intrigued and amazed by each person's story!
Definitely not in Kansas anymore, but having fun meeting people from there, and all around this great big world!

casa de Kelly

"Casa de Kelly" now open for business. However, it is a very quaint place, seating only one table each evening.
Yesterday I had the urge to take Timm out for dinner or drinks or dessert or something. I was just wanting to do something to make him feel special and I was craving a date night myself. But, the reality of getting a sitter on a school night didn't seem to be the best idea.
So, I made reservations at "casa de Kelly".
The girls and I made up a menu and transformed our apartment into a cozy little place to dine. We enjoyed candlelight, music, a menu with several selections from the bar, appetizers, a main course, and dessert. The service was great! The girls waited on us. They gave us privacy to visit, and we had a buzzer (from the taboo game) to call a server when we needed something.
We all had fun and decided we should definitely do that more often!

What's happening?

Sometimes I neglect to update what is happening around here.
First of all, Alli. Much prayer about which middle schools to consider, apply for, etc. We turned in an application in December with our top 3 choices for schools within our district. Should be hearing from them soon to set up a date for Alli to come in and interview/audition with them. With the loving guidance of Daddy, Alli did apply for a scholarship to one private school in Manhattan. She spent time completing a test, going there for an interview and additional testing. We found out this week that she was not selected for the scholarship. We're fine with that. It was a great experience for her to give it a try. Now, we continue to pray that God would just lead her to the right school!
Second, me. I am definitely NOT going to be taking that full time job opportunity. Although I have made this decision, it really wasn't even left for me to make. The principal never contacted me. So, that door is closed, and I have a renewed appreciation for the AWESOME life I have! Not NEEDING to work is an amazing blessing that I never take for granted. But, I appreciate it more than ever. I'm energized to pour myself into loving God and loving others! Pouring into my family and church and community.
Third, Timm. He is being patient. This is one particular area where God has stretched us beyond our limits! And, here we are again. Being sharpened in the area of.....waiting....being patient.... never losing faith. Timm has worked very hard to assist in the opening of a new charter school in East New York. He is not the principal of the school, he is the "principal in residence". The intention is for him to be fully equipped to open HIS school this fall. Well, the company that runs the charter schools and employs Timm is 100% ready to name him as principal of this new school. All they need is the thumbs up from the school board. So, Timm interviewed with them. Twice. He was informed that they would make a decision by Jan 1. It's now Jan 28. He had a great second interview Wed night. He was told they would make their decision that night. They did not. So, we wait. Everything of THIS WORLD would pull us to be anxious about this. But, I am not. God is in control of every aspect of our lives. He has led us in each step of our journey to move to NY. So much had to happen, and He orchestrated it all exactly the way He wanted. And, in His perfect timing. So, we wait. And, we do it with joyful hearts, praising God for His unending faithfulness. I'm not saying it doesn't stretch us! We do live in this world! We are not immune to anxiety creeping in, impatience nagging at us, doubt tapping on the shoulder. But, true surrender is knowing that Jesus is enough. No matter what. And, God will take care of us. We can rest in that.
So, that just leaves Olivia without an update? She's great as usual. Our resident comedian. Full of life, love, laughter. Writing books, songs, and journal entries that warm our hearts. Telling riddles and brain teasers and stumping us all. And of course, chubby cheeks still in tact for pinching!!!!

International Dessert Day

Yesterday the girl's school hosted "International Dessert Day". Each student was asked to bring in a traditional dessert from the country they are from. I've mentioned before the diversity in this school. It is so AWESOME. And, this was a great way to honor and celebrate some of that diversity.

Well, since my kids are pretty much representative of the melting pot of America, we chose to look online and try to find something either Irish or Swedish, as we identify most with those ancestors. We noticed that one traditional Irish dessert was caramel cake. We knew Grandma Kelly had a family recipe for that. So, we decided to go for that!

As I imagined, and as Grandma indicated, it was a pain the butt to make :) Caramelizing sugar, trying to stir it up into liquid without it crystallizing, etc.

But, can I just say how much FUN it was to make with Alli???!! She had so much fun, and she really felt special making something from scratch, from a recipe from Grandma. How did it taste? It appeared to be a little bit dry, and the icing looked kinda weird. Well, lets just say the girls in this family are not big fans of the cake, but Daddy is. I didn't' taste it, but Alli saved one little piece for Daddy and he said it turned out great!

I'll be honest, I had a back up plan. We made the cake into two small pans so that each girl could take one. And, just in case it was a total wreck, we made two small loaves of banana bread too! When the girls asked if banana bread was Irish too, I just said that they could inform their classmates that in Ireland, they drink a lot of tea, and they often serve sweet breads and cakes with their tea :)