The Leslie Show

Delicious Baby!

Well, it's summertime!  Here in Seattle we're finally getting a taste of some warm(ish) weather.  It may be hot where you are, but in Seattle we've had the coldest spring in almost 100 years. 

I am now officially the mother of two high-schoolers, as my daughter just finished her junior year and my son just finished jr. high (and will be starting 10th grade in the fall).  Where did the time go?  I'm taking my daughter to the Pratt Institute in NYC, where I will leave her for a month to attend their summer pre-college program in Fashion Design.  I'll miss my baby!

Hey, for those of you who still have small ones at home, I thought I'd show you my friend Deb's blog:

http://www.deliciousbaby.com

It's full of travel tips and ideas for folks with small children. From international travel to just day trips, it's a really good site and it's gotten quite a lot of publicity. Check it out!

Upland Hills School

This is where I went to school from 1978-1981, for grades 7-9.  It's an amazing place, and it touched and shaped my life profoundly:

What would YOU do?

If you suddenly found yourself in the year 1000 (A.D.)?  My friend Hillel (who does a whole lot of diverse stuff) wrote a song about it.  It's really clever.  Check it out.

New England Style Hot Dog Buns

Was thumbing through The Bakers Catalogue this morning, when I was reminded of something I had forgotten about:  New England-Style Hot Dog Buns.

We lived in Massachusetts from 1990-1996.  The hot dog buns are different, there.  They're sliced vertically (through the top) instead of horizontally (through the side), and the sides don't have crust on them.  It takes some getting used to, but they actually make a lot more sense this way, as the hot dog is more supported from underneath and the fillings are less likely to dump out.  Also, I just learned today, that you can grill the sides.  (YUM!  How come I never did that?  Now I gotta go back to New England.)

You can make your own by ordering this pan from The Baker's Catalogue, or you can order some already made through mapleandmore.com

My Poor Dog!!!

Tiki has been acting a bit odd for the last several weeks.  She's been smacking her mouth, as though it's very dry, and occasionally making little gagging motions.  She's also been whiny sometimes.  Whining a bit as she lays down.  She has epilepsy and arthritis so we figured it was her meds or something that were causing these symptoms. 

In the last 10 days or so, we've suddenly noticed her breath smelling AWFUL.  I mean, it's never been great.  She's a dog, after all.  But lately, it's been something that you can smell from 10 feet away.  That's not normal.  So I called the doctor.  "Bring her in right away," they said.  "A dramatic change in breath can be an indicator of some pretty serious conditions."

So I brought her in, and the asked me as many questions as they could.  I've also recently changed Tiki's diet, and they said that might be it.  The doctor then went to examine her, checking out her teeth, and then opening the mouth a bit wider.

"She has a stick caught in her throat."

!!!!!

The poor thing has had a 2" long, 1/8" diameter twig wedged across the roof of her mouth for God knows how long.  The smell?  It was the smell of the horrible infection raging in her mouth. 

I feel just awful that I didn't notice it there.  But they got the stick out, and she's on the mend. 

How Far Would You Have to Scale Down 3 oz of Liquid?

From the "Funny or Sad?" files, it's the Playmobil Security Check Point.  (Be sure to read the reviews, they're what make the whole thing.)

Me?  I'm waiting for the Playmobil House Un-American Activities Committee Playset!

Thanks to Jeff N. for the find.