Momma Amma

A Final Farewell

2011-02-23T15:05:00.002-06:00

I began blogging in 2008 as a way to connect with family and let them know what's going on in our lives. Through blogging I've found an amazing network of women, mothers and friends. More than posting myself, I enjoy reading your posts, what's happening in your life. I find humor in your family circus, inspiration in your faith in God through hard times, endurance during trying times.

Since the beginning I said when I'm done I'd create a book of my blog posts. Now is the time to do that. I've been moved to stop because a couple of much loved bloggers also stopped feeling guilty for this that and the other. They are too busy to blog. Other things in life are too important and deserve that time. I never spend family time posting. But I spend hubby time. Study time. Cleaning time. Reading time. Please-for-the-love-give-yourself-a-pedicure time. I'm taking back that time (even though you can see I haven't spent much time or thought lately). I'd like to create a catalogue of memories in photo books, not a public website. Something tangible and tactile that we can enjoy as a family.

For those family members that might feel like you'll lose touch, let's not. Let's visit more, email, call, send snail mail, whatever it takes. For my bloggy friends, thanks so much for coming back for so long. I've really appreciated the sense of community you've provided me. I'll continue reading blogs I enjoy.

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement to keep going. It's been a real joy. I'm very excited to spend this time doing things I may value as much. And I'm a little flakey and indecisive, you know, I may come back. For now...farewell.

5QF - Clean Freak

2011-02-18T09:09:00.003-06:00

It's Five Question Friday time and as always I love it, I love that it's Friday but today...today I have a dental appointment. And I'm scared of the dentist. Not because of what she said. I really like her and she helps me feel comfortable but eihhh, the needle, the pointy things in my mouth, the gagging feeling. I dread it. I'm also reading to B's class directly after which should be funny since half my face might still be numb. I'll be a hit with the kindergartner set. Then on to B's skating party tonight. That should be tons of fun since I wiped out last night and hurt every part of my body. Did you know I'm accident prone? I totally am. Anyway, onto the show! And here's your warning, I'm talkative today! If you want to link up head on over to My Little Life and give Mama M a shout out for me!

1. Have you worn the same outfit more than one day in a row?
Guilty. When I buy something new (under garments aside) I don't wash them at first. I wear it a couple times and if I really really feel good in it, those times are on consecutive days. Then I wash it. You know it never fits the same after a wash. Especially for someone like me with long gorilla arms.

2. If you had to choose any LARGE city to live in, which would it be?
Well I kind of live in one don't I? I pick Kansas City. It has everything for a family. There are 50 communities united as one so we don't have to live "in the city". There are so many activities, festivals, museums, restaurants, and venues for the arts that it really can't be beat. I can get anywhere in 20 minutes or less, traffic isn't hideous and some smart fella planned the roads out to run north/south/east/west so no winding freeways, confusion and chaos I've seen in other cities. Now if we can get Nip's family to move here! T'would be really perfect!

3. Fly or drive with the kids on vacation?
I used to scream from the top of my lungs FLY! But now that Bitty is a little older I'm not sure I could handle that. She's a wonderful baby but very busy so I'm not sure I could entertain her. And she doesn't watch tv so I couldn't distract her with that. I think I want to drive to Colorado for spring break. Ten + hours? Well living in Louisville we drove the 11 hours to KC and back once a month so I think we could handle it. And I've never seen the other side of Kansas which I hear is nothing to see but I've also heard God cleared the path so we can see clearly there. I like the thought of that.

4. What is your idea of "spring cleaning"?
Ewwww (excited squeals) I just love spring cleaning. It's a fresh start, it ushers in the daffodils and warmer days. I've already started actually. It's a several week process around here. I cleaned my car, had it detailed, put things up, cleared out toys to toss and give away (they are everywhere!), when I do my regular cleaning I also get the baseboards, dust around the upper corners of the rooms, ceiling fans, blinds, picture frames, lamp shades, move the furniture and vacuum there, toss old food, clear out clothes (more on this later as I'm participating in my 1st consignment sale at the trade center soon-any suggestions or helpful hints please???), I strip the beds of wintry linens and put down nice light spring ones, buy fresh flowers, dust off my shoes (yeah, I know) and clean up the yard. Mmm, I love me some cleaning! Call me Monica Gellar.

5. What is the best book you have ever read?
I wish I had more time to read but I just don't. And honestly, the books that give me the best memories are those I read to my kiddos. So I love You Can Do It Sam, Mama Llama series and Oh My Baby, Little One but my favorite? Guess How Much I Love You.

Who Likes VD?

2011-02-15T11:27:00.002-06:00

I'm a day late linking up with the RHOK but here I am. Baloney told me to. I do what people tell me.

The ladies ask how I celebrate Valentines Day. This is one of my favorite days of the year. Not my favorite holiday. I don't consider it a holiday, just a very special day. But I love it. It's a day for love, paper valentines, candy, flowers, pink and red and white, hearts and glitter, cookies, strawberries, a fine meal and decadent dessert.

Usually we go out for a nice date close to the day. Last weekend when Nip's parents were up visiting we went to Garozzo's, our favorite Italian restaurant in KC and saw True Grit at the movies. Apparently we don't get out much because the theater has gone gourmet. I had caramel popcorn covered in three types of chocolate drizzle, caramel and chocolate chips. I have craved them since. It was a nice night to throw on a skirt and some heels. I don't get to do that very often.

I'm a sucker and can't wait until the day of to give someone their gift so I gave Nip his gift Friday night. Yesterday I took B to school then set about making 2 dozen sugar cookies for his class to decorate during their party. I split all the non perils, sparkles and sprinkles in different cupcake liners, cut 2 pounds of strawberries and gathered the stuff for the games. His party was really great, much better than Halloween so I guess I'm learning.

After school B and I played out in the wonderful weather a while and a dozen roses were delivered to me. Nip got off work, grabbed our baby girl from daycare and stopped off at Carraba's for some carry out. It was a wonderful low key evening with valentine cards for each other and my gift. I thought it was strange I got Nip a funny card and he got me such a sweet one. I guess that's who we are. I couldn't believe I received a card, flowers and a present. Too much! But I'll take it and love it!

My Gift

And now that I've bored you to sleep I'll lull you a little more. Our first Valentines occurred only a month or so into our relationship. It was so weird and uncomfortable for me. I make a big deal out of this day but I didn't want to scare him off by going overboard. So I did what any crafty girl would do. I bought him a heart shaped box and filled it with his favorite candy. Then I made dinner. A stuffed steak with roasted potatoes and asparagus. It was amazing. It hooked him. Little did he know it cost my entire month's grocery budget to make. I was a single mom after all. No no B didn't starve. I just ate spaghetti for a month. It was so worth it because it worked! And I haven't made that meal since.

Red Roots

2011-02-14T10:48:00.000-06:00

Today, in honor of Valentine's Day I'm rocking red roots in my hair. No, no, not a full head of lusciously beautiful red hair. Just red roots. You see, my sister suggested I use some root touch up stuff to extend my visits to the salon. The price and amount of time it takes is getting to be a lot and apparently my hair is growing like I'm pregnant again (I'm so not) so it's only been 6 weeks since my last visit. So I put the stuff in, kept it on longer like she said, rinsed, let dry and oh my! Red roots. My sister must be a chemist because this isn't anywhere near the dark blonde/ash brown the box showed.

Have you ever done this?

Luckily I have an appointment this week to get that fixed right up. Good thing I didn't cancel that appointment before I tried this stuff because my girl books up 6-8 weeks in advance! SO, as room mom I'll be at B's school party today and all the other mom's can gawk at my red roots. But I'm going with the excuse that it's part of the theme.

5QF - Now I Want Chips Dipped in Chocolate

2011-02-11T09:19:00.004-06:00

It's Friday again! I love how predictable it is. I love it. Love. Well since I've been so busy enjoying life these are my favorite posts because I don't have to be creative. I just lay it out there for you. If you want to join head over to My Little Life and link up!

1. Would you rather be on ABC's Extreme Home MakeOver or TLC's What not to Wear?
Really? Really??? Do you know how much I love Clinton Kelly!?! I will keep my opinion of Stacy London to myself. I'm sure we agree though. And I could use some help. I feel like I have a few stylish pieces but I can't put stuff together. I can't accessorize to save my life. So I would feel happy to have their help. I just wouldn't throw all my clothes away for it. It's not like my closet is chock full o' vinyl crop tops and mesh skirts. On a side note, I would absolutely love to be on Extreme Home Make Over. Not a recipient because I'm so undeserving of something like that. I want to work with the kiddos and create a room beyond their dreams.

2. Do you have any tattoos?
Okay, I always skirt this issue but you know what that means. When I was 18 I got one. It's not small, it's not pretty. I'm ashamed of it and some day I'd like it removed. I've already told B in graphic detail how a tattoo is done. I think I've scared him enough that he won't ever get one. And I'd share the SNL skit with you about the mini van mommy tramp stamp because it's so funny and so true but I can't find it and as a matter of fact the only things you find when searching that are VERY dirty. That makes me feel even worse. If anyone spots it, I'm mortified. So listen to me kiddies, don't get one! It really is forever!

3. Do you tell your kids about things you did growing up?
I have but they have been mild so far since it's mostly about sharing, making friends and bullies. But in the future when it gets more serious I do plan on being open with my kids. I want them to trust me and communicate with me and I think being open and honest is the only way a family can succeed.

4. If the traffic signal turns yellow, do you stop or speed up?
Well it depends how close I am to the cross-walk and if there's a car behind me. Say I'm 5 feet away and there's a car 20 feet behind me, I'm going to speed up and get through it instead of slamming on my breaks. But in our area we have some HUGE intersections, seriously, like 10 lane intersections so in those I stop if I sense the light will turn yellow. I'm not playing chicken with my babies in the car!

5. What's your preference: chocolate or chips?
Haven't you seen the chocolate dipped Ruffles? Mmmm. Why choose. Salty and sweet are a heavenly pair.

Wordless Wednesday - To Get You Thinking

2011-02-09T06:39:00.004-06:00

Improper Grammar

Bad Attempt at Team Building

Tiny Photographer

A Few Things on My Girl

2011-02-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

She's always a lady.

Last weekend I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my baby girl. My favorite part of the day is walking into her room and seeing her smile and kicky legs when I pull her out of her crib. Or when I drink coffee and she has her milk and we mill around lazily. Or getting dressed up and going shopping as she points to pretty things. Or sharing a meal with her and being mesmerized by just how big and cute she is. Or maybe when I rock her a little at night while she fingers my lips and twirls my hair before she softly falls to sleep. I guess my point is, every minute with this girl is like heaven.

She came into this world while I was reading her Aunt Lyssie's blog on my iPhone. All was calm then she intervened and made her presence known. She ate a whole bottle right away and slept like a baby (if that analogy weren't true before, she made it true). I could tell she'd be a lot like her Aunt Lyssie. Now she's 15 months old and tall tall tall. So much in fact that I was planning on getting her a daybed as her big girl bed next year but I don't think it will have much longevity because she may be too tall for it before she's even out of elementary school. And she's lean lean lean. One size is 4 inches too short on her but the next size up is 4 inches too wide for her. Seriously. And she has a full head of beautiful blond hair. And she loves my patent leather heels.

My girl brightens like the stars when I take my necklace off and put it on her. She carries any bag around like it's a purse and she has places to be. She wants to eat off other people's plates because she doesn't believe her pre-cut food is the same thing. She loves to take something she shouldn't have and run away giggling. She loves sitting her diaper on her daddies face while she cuddles him as he lay on the floor. She doesn't let her brother take a toy away without a fight and the evil eye (she gets it from me).

This baby loves taking rides in her little pink coupe. She enjoys removing all her clothes from her dresser then putting them back. Then taking them out then putting them back. Her favorite toys are kitties and doggies. And she is very good at passing kisses out to each of us. Even her pucker is getting more pucker-like.

Seeing her grow into her own person is amazingly gratifying. I love that she is confident and caring. I love seeing bits of each of us in her as well as things she brings to our world all by herself. She makes me so happy every day in every single way. We couldn't be more blessed.

She's always stylish.

Wordless Wednesday - B Fun

2011-01-26T13:42:00.001-06:00

I'm sorry I ruin Wordless Wednesday with, you know, words. But I am who I am. It's been a busy month and I haven't posted much. Not that there hasn't been a lot of activity. It's been a great month! During Christmas break B and I had a day to ourselves so we went ice skating for the first time ever (I was always too scared but whoever told me it's nothing like roller skating was so wrong! I can even twirl!), we played at the toy store, played on the outdoor Christmas display at Crown Center (hence the pic of B in a spaceship below), ate lunch with Nip and took in the play Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. During his birthday week we went out to dinner as a family, then on his day went to Chuck E Cheese with my family for an impromptu party and on that Saturday had a pool party in which 75% of his class came. Either he is really popular or the moms wanted their kids OUT OF THE HOUSE!!!! I get it. But it was a ton of fun and looking back at the photos (yes, today's the first day I've taken a minute to do so) I see how much joy we brought to B. His big giant smile shown through all the pictures this month and I'm so happy we make special memories as a family. There's nothing better.

A New Look

2011-01-25T09:43:00.001-06:00

Last week my Blogger account went all wonky on me. I'm not sure what happened but it was time for a change. I hope you like it! Maybe today I'm just feeling a little feminine or plain, I don't know. In the future I'd like to order a custom header and signature but that's not a priority.

Clearly, I barely have time to post on a regular basis. With snow days, work and now taking two classes this semester I'm busy living life. The other day I realized the best days are when you live your life and don't have time to blog or Facebook. Our family embraced each other, played on the floor, ate at the table, slowed down. So in these cold winter months that's my priority. When my hands dethaw and I can wrap my claws around a camera and maybe even head outside, I'll be posting a lot more!

It Happened Late One Night

2011-01-18T14:12:00.000-06:00

I'll have to take a break from talking about my family and the puppy and life in general for an adult monologue. Family, please close your browser now.

Last night I was refilling my weekly pill case with vitamins and such when I went to refill the ever important birth control pill. I couldn't find the pack anywhere. I know I just bought it a week ago. I looked in the nightstand, under the nightstand, under the bed, on my vanity, everywhere I could think. It disappeared. Is this a joke? I panicked. No no, not because I was getting frisky. No no, not because I hate babies. But if I miss one single pill that evil, terrible, no good, ruthless visitor comes within 24 hours. Like clock-work.

So what's a girl to do? A girl with a creepy photographic memory closes her eyes and realizes she threw it in the trash. The trash that was dumped in the bigger trash. And then the food trash was dumped on top of that. So I batted my eyelashes at my sweet husband who was already warm in bed and he went down and dug through the trash and brought me the bag. I looked in it for a second and realized it's the wrong bag. Then he went back down and brought me another bag. I sifted through Kleenex and empty conditioner bottles and EUREKA! I found them. I hugged them. I relaxed. I took one. I hugged and kissed Nip. Then rolled over and fell asleep.

I just find it odd something could cause such a panic. Clearly, the monthly and I are not pals. But for a brief moment last night I felt ridiculous. Like Elaine on Seinfeld trying to get her mitts on the last of the diaphragms (or sponges or whatever that was). I know one thing. That will NEVER happen again!

5QF - Peeves and Panties

2011-01-14T10:10:00.001-06:00

It's Friday and I haven't participated in a Five Question Friday in quite a while so here I am. If you want to join in head over to My Little Life and link up!

1. What movie could you watch over and over again and not get tired of?

Oh there are plenty! Let's see here: Scent of a Woman, The Holiday, any Brat Pack movie, The Proposal, and (don't tell Nip) Semi-Pro.

2. What's your biggest pet peeve right now?
Always my pet peeve - people who don't say thank you. Not just thanking me but when I see anyone being polite and the other person doesn't say thank you. It's simple and easy and takes half a second. I love that pass it on type commercial where one good deed turns in to thousands but wen someone doesn't say thank you, you know the deed stopped there with that person.

3. If you had to describe your best friend in five words or less, what would you say?
Smart, witty, tiny, passionate and unstoppable. That's my sister and my best friend. She's amazing and no one compares.

4. If you did not have to worry about money or go to school what would you do for a living?
Ironically, if I didn't have to worry about money I'd go to school full time! I'd still want to be in pharmacy and I'd also want to help people in any way I can aside from my career. Little things like Meals On Wheels, Ronald McDonald House, Hope House, I'd volunteer like crazy if I had the time but for me time is money and I have to work.

5. What is your one "splurge" item, that you will always buy, no matter the cost?
This is a tough one. I'm going to say nice bras. No discount store variety for me. Quite frankly I need lift, I need separation and I need something pretty and comfortable. I love Calvin Klein so it's not like I have 80 La Perla bras but still, they are more money than a lot of other ones out there. But so worth it.

There you have it. Have a great weekend everyone!

Awesome

2011-01-13T18:53:00.001-06:00

I'll keep this a short rambling if possible. I haven't blogged all week. As with many of you, the kids were home with snow days. And Bitty has been home since last Friday with an ear infection. She had pooey problems so she also has to drink soy milk, take ear drops, take the pink stuff, Tylenol, and probiotics in her food. It's awesome.

Naturally the work backed up, the house got trashed, there was 8" of snow to shovel off our driveway that now seems a mile long, the puppy continues to drive me INSANE by ruining our woodwork, paint, cabinets and hardwoods. It's awesome.

And all that work and house and puppy has left me packing it all into the last couple days leaving me exhausted. And let me tell you, I've been working with some real ~~nut jobs~~ pieces of ~~dirt~~ work this week. It's awesome.

I had to bail on volunteering in B's class and I know his teacher could use the support. She's a total sweetheart and is going through a lot with family health right now. You know nothing about her but a little prayer would be...awesome.

B's report card came home and he's still a couple grade levels ahead academically but is having a real problem listening, following directions and taking his time on his work (still). I'm not sure what to do with him. I plan on taking the pup to training classes but what oh what do you do for a very bright and energetic (and probably bored) 6 year old? Awesome.

Nip has helped around the house and with the kids a ton this week, he let me fall asleep at 5:30 Tuesday (not kidding), he indulges me by playing a quick game of Scrabble on the iPad with me every night, I get bubble baths and once he's home I'm off dog duty. Tonight he brought dinner home so I wouldn't have to cook. And he picked my favorite pizza place. Not his, mine. Now he is AWESOME!

There you have it. We are all in the same boat. Some of us don't need to say it. Some do! Thanks for listening. I always enjoy reading and relating to you!

I Have a Goat

2011-01-05T14:55:00.000-06:00

I always knew Labs chew and chew and chew. But really? Really??? I don't have a photo of the damage our new girl has done but here's a list of the worst:

Gnawed the corner off 2 window frames
Made bite marks in several wooden slat blinds around our house
Ate all Nip's benefit contracts (before they were submitted)
Ate an entire roll of Scotch tape, including roll.
Destroyed several of the kids toys
Ate 3 of our solar lights in the backyard
Ate an entire roll of tp
Destroyed my sweater boots
Scratched the wall in our eat-in area as well as several doors
Ate ALL the childproofing plugs (including getting them out of the socket first) HOW????

But don't get me wrong. I love this girl. Luckily, as parents, we've learned patience. We are good with redirecting and time out. We offer lots of toys, go on walks, give lots of love. So now we're just waiting for this puppyhood to pass and we might miss it (just a tiny bit) when it's gone.

Happy Birthday My Little Man

2011-01-03T23:00:00.000-06:00

I can hardly believe six years ago today I welcomed my baby boy into this world. It was icy and cold. But the sun made everything sparkle. And ever since, B has made everything in my life sparkle.

B steals my heart every day in a million ways. He is funny and smart, he's curious and timid, he's a good friend and the best big brother, he has his own convictions and wants everyone to play nice. His favorite color is red. He wants to be a fire captain. But I'm sure he'd settle for any job as long as he's calling the shots. He loves the ladies. His dancing makes his sister laugh so he does it often. He laughs so hard there is no sound. He can transform into anything at any moment-a pirate, a soldier, a wrestler, a Transformer, Iron Man, a Star Wars character, a knight in shining armor. His imagination runs free. He has big blue eyes and eyelashes that look like sweeping waves.Now that he reads, he cannot be duped. He doesn't forget a thing. His feelings run deep. I love this little man with all my heart.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

At two weeks old, he was a big boy!

At 3 months old with lots of chubby snuggles.

At one year old, the height of his eczema. Only the beginning of severe allergies.

A dapper man at two years old.

A rather rebellious age 3, and what better tool than this face to get you out of trouble.

Looking more like a man at age 4. This photo breaks my heart. I know some day his graduation photo will look quite the same.

At age 5 with his beloved Johnny Poppers on his feet. After two years of rough play, they've gone to the memory trunk.

**Side note: While typing this I can literally feel my pacemaker going off. So either he stops my heart or his getting bigger breaks my heart. Good thing I run off a generator.

Wordless Wednesday - Thirty Flirty and Thriving

2010-12-29T10:49:00.001-06:00

Hello I say to myself in the mirror. BLAHHH the crows feet snarl back. EEEK the white kinky hairs clamor. Today I can no longer say I'm in my 20's. It comes with mixed feelings. I see the signs of aging. I'm done having babies. I haven't accomplished all my goals. But Jenna Rink dreamed of being "thirty, flirty and thriving" and in this month's Glamour Reese Witherspoon goes on and on about how good it feels to be in her 30's. And I've always felt like it's a time for me to be settled and comfortable. Reese feeling more sexy than ever gives me some hope that that may come, maybe next month. But not today.

Today I will be at the spa. All.Day.Long! I will have a glass of wine, have my hair done, my scalp massaged, a glass of wine, a sea salt scrub, a whole body massage (minus the tids and bits), a vichy shower, a glass of wine, a steam shower and a glass of wine. Then my darling husband will provide dinner and dessert (psst, don't forget dessert Nip!). And wine. And maybe I'll watch 13 Going on 30. Maybe I'll watch Cocoon. But today will be a good day!

For a very special Wordless/Wordful Wednesday I present you with a little humor at my expense.

New

1 and sharing my sisters 10th (our days are 5 apart). Notice my wardrobe malfunction? Some things never change.

3 with my favorite style birthday cake. I've always been odd.

5 and hideous. I'll never cut my daughter's hair short. Be it round brushes or gum or tar stuck in there, never cutting it!

Holly Hobby quilt? Check. NKOTB posters? Check. Best friend necklace? Check. Friendship bracelets? Check. Acid washed jeans? Too too far.

We'll skip the teen years. Partly because I couldn't find the photos but mostly because it consisted of wearing big baggy clothes, painted on eyebrows and other embarrassing things that happen when you don't have a mom telling you what's right and what's just plain wrong.

My 1st born, big 10 pound boy and the last time I saw my girls.

The first time ever I saw the ocean. York Beach, New Hampshire.

My last born, my sweet baby girl.

A little living in Kentucky. We'll call this a bad detour in life.

My first Mother's Day with all my children. That's right. One boy. One girl. Perfection!

Are YOU an Amazingly Energized Woman?

2010-12-28T07:36:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I wrote on and on about what a busy week I had and will have coming up. What I love about all my bloggy friends is that we are all in the same boat. You get it, you don't judge, you don't point and laugh. You live the same busy life, if not busier. And you probably do it with finesse. So today do something for yourself or one of your girlfriends, a teacher at your kids school, your sister (like I did) and put in a nomination for that amazing lady (yes, I'm talking about you!)

This holiday season the makers of Centrum® and Molly Shannon are looking for that woman and they need your help! They are inviting you to nominate someone who lives life to the fullest, loves it and does it while staying healthy, even through the hurdles of the holidays.

Just go to LoveFeelingHealthy.com and in 300 words or less give a nomination for that amazing woman you know that does it all. But do it by the January 3rd deadline! Then a panel of judges will pick 5 finalist and the public will cast votes for America's Most Amazingly Energized Woman! There are some great prizes that fit perfectly for the type of woman you would nominate. Including:

Grand Prize: $3,000 XPERIENCE DAYS Gift Certificate

Four (4) Runner-Up Prizes: $400 XPERIENCE DAYS Gift Certificate

While you are at LoveLivingHealthy.com be sure to download your $3.00 coupon for Centrum® Women's or Centrum® Men's to help you and your hubs achieve better health during the holiday season. (See my disclaimer for my opinion on the product which I'm pretty sure it says I won't do but I did it. I've got to be me!

And who doesn't love Molly Shannon? On the site, she shares how to get the most joy out of the holidays by living to the fullest!

And what's a contest without some of this:
While all opinions are (abundant and) my own, I am a member of One2One Network and by publishing this post I am eligible to win prizing. I make no claims about Centrum® as a product or it's effectiveness. (But seriously, back to my "all opinions are my own" bit, I was using an off brand and switched to Centrum® a little over a month ago and I can tell my metabolism has increased and I have not gained a pound over the holidays. And I ate a box of crackers. And a half pound cheese ball. Just being honest here.)

Ho Ho Holiday Week in Review

2010-12-27T06:04:00.003-06:00

Whew! What a week it has been. The kids were out of school, in daycare here and there between being sent home sick a time or two (there's a virus around here which comes and goes but doesn't seem to want to go away for good), I was wrapping up a lot of year-end work before taking a week off, there was cleaning and shopping, wrapping and hiding, planning and cooking and good ol fashioned fun. I couldn't possibly tell you all about it but it was truly a wonderful week.

Baking sugar cookies with my babies.

On Christmas Eve I hosted my family. Since everyone was on call and had busy schedules I opted for an hor d'oeuvres spread which worked out well. The big hit was the thing I was most unsure of. It was gone in a flash. Here's the recipe (if you want to call it that, it was so simple!):

Gruyere Apple Cups

12 slices Canadian bacon
2 granny smith apples
2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon thyme

1/2 cup freshly grated Gruyere

Melt the butter, add diced apples and thyme. Cook for 4 minutes or until soft. Spray cooking spray in muffin tins and form cups with the Canadian bacon. Put the apples in each cup, top with cheese and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. See? Super easy.

It was great visiting with my brother and sister and three of my teen nephews. Sadly, one was sick and stayed home and his mom wasn't able to make it either. Then there's the brother that never responded and didn't show up. Most people have one of *these*. I could go on and on but chances are, you've been there, you know that. I had sweet quality time with my loved ones.

We went to the Christmas Eve service which was just beautiful. I love the hand bell quartet and the candle lit Silent Night. B was such a good boy through it and sang from the hymnal. He looked pretty grown up. Bitty got all dolled up but we ended up putting her in the nursery because she was so sleep from the day's events. At home we let B open the gift from us (since it's an alarm clock and he'll know not to wake us up at 5am. I'm half genius/half evil momma).

Priceless smiles abound this time of year.

He was really concerned he was on the naughty list.

B woke up on Christmas morning and to his delight Santa came, ate cookies, dropped a carrot on his way up the chimney and left plenty of gifts. Bitty woke up quite a bit later and was a little confused. B showed her how to open gifts and what was in her stocking. She quickly caught on, played with each toy, ate a cinnamon roll and went back to bed. Is she a teenager? Nip and I exchanged gifts and I must say, he gets better every year but now I don't know if he can out-do himself. We also opened the gifts Nip's mom sent all of us. That woman is the gift whisperer! I wish I had an ounce of a) her shopping skill, b) her thoughtfulness when picking out gifts and c) her ability to wrap a beautiful present. We stayed in pj's all day, I made a spiral ham, potatoes, green bean casserole, corn casserole and rolls. Healthy huh? And I drank wine in my pj's for the first time in my life. Weird observation.

B showing Bitty her first Barbie.

I love this photo. She's like her Momma in the morning!

And on Sunday I woke up early to shop the sales for the first time. It was odd watching ladies claw for .50 ribbon and tags. But I managed to get out with new ornaments, ribbons and even stocking stuffers for next year. And amazingly, I wasn't hurt. I also ordered an artificial tree online for $60! I just can't handle the live tree, sap, needles, needles and needles one more year. I even took the tree down in record time today. I vacuumed for two hours. I still have one tree to take down as well as the outside stuff (which we all know I'll bat my eyelashes at Nip until he does that).

I'm taking the week off to spend time with the kids, paint my living room, love on my new iPad that's coming Tuesday (thanks to my boss who really knows how to show a girl she's appreciated), ~~drink/cry/throw a fit over saying goodbye to a decade~~ say hello to my most amazing decade yet, create my 2009 and 2010 photo books (yeah I'm a bit behind), spend time with my bestie, figure out what to do with a bunch of clothes and toys that we need to purge, finish planning B's birthday party which is coming up on the 8th, have a few great meals and ring in the new year. Yep. This time next week I'll be saying WHEW. Again.

Christmas Card Failure - Scene 3

2010-12-15T06:46:00.000-06:00

I had both kids in this shot and by the time it took one was gone and the other blurry.

Would work but there isn't one of Bitty with the same tone to it.

Really pretty but the color is all faded/weird. Again, I need to take a class.

It looks like she has a flesh eating disease and again with the color. I did this and the other using that sport shot thing because she never sits still!

Weird smile but I'd take it if I had another with Bitty that had the same tone.

I could make do but I'd prefer to see her whole face, hair not a mess and less drool. I'm asking for too much from a one year old!

We're still working on getting the perfect shot. We'll let you know if these turn out to be Valentine or St. Pat's cards!

Christmas Card Failure - Scene 2

2010-12-14T06:41:00.000-06:00

Hey Guys,

B turn around

B, smile. Bitty, look at momma!

Bitty!

Silly kiddos.

Christmas Card Failure - Scene 1

2010-12-13T06:37:00.001-06:00

It's okay Bitty!

Smile baby girl!

Don't whack your brother!

I would settle for this one but the color is off and there's a man gripping my baby's arm. I need to take some photog classes!

Shutterfly for Christmas

2010-12-11T15:34:00.005-06:00

Well it's Christmas time and I've snapped as many pictures as the children would let me in the hopes that I could make a fantastic card to send to family and friends. Shutterfly is offering a spectacular deal of 50 free Christmas cards for blogging about my faves.

I love this classic preppy look

I also love this modern style

And I also adore this card because rather than writing out a newsletter you can sum it up right on your card!

Shutterfly is super easy to use and there are so many options for any style you fancy. Since that *perfect photo* never happened I'll be making a 4 photo card of the same scene with the kids being uncooperative. I think it's cute and honest.

While browsing the site I found this mug which make a great gift for Christmas, my birthday, Mother's Day or just because. HINT!

I often use a notebook in my office to keep little notes on things I need to refer back to. I'm definitely going to order one of these notebooks so I can smile amidst my days of eye rolling.

And hmm, which picture shall I ever choose for the cover?

Hint:

Yeah baby girl, sometimes I feel the same way too!

And I read on another blog of a way to organize family photos. It's hard to find a quality photo album anymore and they are so bulky then there's the work of organizing your photos and having proper enough handwriting for captions. The blogger (would give credit if I could just remember who said it) suggested making a photo book every year. I made one for B when he was 2-3 but now that our family has grown I love this idea. You can fit in holidays, birthdays, vacations, the kids activities and shots of their favorite toys or clothes so when you look back, you've catalogued the year in review. I love it! I'm taking a week off at the end of the year and this is on my list. I need to make one for 2009 and 2010. Then I'll happily keep up with it. With so many cover styles but all in the same dimensions this will look great on a coffee table or book shelf. I'm sure we'll treasure them for years.

Maybe I've given you some ideas of your own? Dreading picking Christmas cards? Stay cozy right at home and go to Shutterfly to take care of business.

Festival of Lights - Christmas Style

2010-12-10T08:05:00.000-06:00

One of our favorite traditions is driving through the Christmas in the Park in our area. We go eat dinner, wait in the car for an hour and drive around the loop for 10 fabulous minutes. B gets out of his booster and this year Bitty really enjoyed the show too. It's one of those things where each of us look forward to our favorite display year after year. If you have one in your town I highly recommend going. Especially if it benefits a charity. Last year in Louisville they had one that went through a cave. A privately owned cave. And it cost something like $40 to drive through. This year we are reminded in each and every way that we are home.

NBC's Community Christmas Special - A Review

2010-12-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today I had the opportunity to preview the very special Christmas episode of Community which airs tonight. First, I must admit I've never seen an episode of Community but I've learned its about a bunch of adults going to a community college and they've joined this study group to help out Jeff (Joel McHale, my sister's lovely dovey crush), a lawyer whose degree has been revoked. It's quite the potpourri of characters including Chuck (Chevy Chase, my husband's Christmas-time crush) as the wise one, a middle aged divorcee, a 20 something drop out, a pop culture geek of sorts, an ex football player. You get the idea. No one wants to be at a juco but sometimes that's just what life gives you. And since I insist on associating myself with someone on each show (Angela from The Office?) I'm going with Annie (Allison Brie from Mad Men) on this one. And not just because she happens to be wearing a ballerina outfit. I rarely do that.

So the thing that makes this Christmas special soooo special is that it is stop-motion animated. You know it as Claymation!!! First off, this has always creeped me out. I love watching it but it still creeps me out. But oh how I love seeing real people as clay or silicone or whatever; they explain it a little right in the episode so for that alone you should watch. This is the adult version of a Christmas special. Abed is searching for the meaning of Christmas and all his friends are there to help. How sweet! And it gets quite cheeky with all the jabs at the liberal crap surrounding the holidays anymore. That's my take on it anyway. Yay for freedom!

Okay, back to the review. It was laugh out loud on several occasions. Troy the soldier has a lot of jokes and Baby Doll Shirley is by far the creepiest but I love it. It kind of reminds me of those baby dolls we got when we were little that someone had croqueted a dress onto. Except this baby doll is naked.

So put down the to-do lists, stop cleaning, stop planning, stop stressing and sit down to watch this episode! If your babies are still up then dvr it and watch it after they go to sleep. It's just plain cute! And now I'm hooked and eager to see the series from the beginning.

THE FACTS

When: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9th, 8/7 CST (So to 90% of you that means 7pm and for the record, I'm against time zones!)

Where: NBC

Disclaimer: As always, all opinions are (abundant and) my very own. By posting this review I am eligible to win season 1 of "Community" on DVD and a Sony Bloggie HD Camera or a $50 gift card courtesy of One2One Network.

Ay Ay Ay! I Need a Break!

2010-12-07T08:35:00.001-06:00

I've been feeling a little guilty lately. I've been a bad bad bloggy friend. I assure you I've read your blog but from my phone since I'm always on the go and my phone rarely lets me comment on your blog. I haven't replied to many comments you leave here either. I think I have so many messages coming in for this and that and I just loose track. I'm usually not like this. I'm usually very organized. So as you can see this is eating me up.

And then there's the not posting frequently. I had this plan to post something everyday until my birthday since I'm coming to grips with saying goodbye to a decade. But there's no time for that. Or focus. Or creativity.

I'm sure you hate reading posts about how I'm too busy to post but that's all I've got. Here's my list for the week:

Pass out PJ's, unds and socks at the clothing closet
Go buy and set up a Christmas tree
Drive to Topeka for a news shoot with the Girl Scouts (this might produce a post)
Get a mani for said news shoot and let go of the fact I have roots because I know I don't have 4 hours to sit in the salon
Decorate the Christmas tree after the branches fall
Study daily for my final in the first class I've taken in 8 years
Volunteer in B's class
Pick B up from his dad's
Bake 2 dozen Kiss cookies for Teacher Appreciation Week
Order B's birthday party invites
Take the kids to visit the guy in red which always includes playing and dinner (yay, another post for this one!)
Oh and then there's that "work 10 hours a day at your full time job" bit

This is all on top of the cleaning, cooking, taking little ones to and from school, trips to Target, the grocery store, pharmacy, dry cleaner, car wash (this WILL be the week my car gets cleaned out!). Ay ay ay!

The good news is that this weekend my only plan is to wrap up some Christmas shopping (in record time), order Christmas cards (if the pictures come out ok), and take my final (I figured out that I could get a 75% and still get a strong A in the class, so that reduces some stress!)

I can't tell you how excited I am to get that stuff out of the way. I'm also taking the last week of the year off to spend time with A and B while he's out of school. We have some very special things planned! It's always good to look for the light. This is going to be a beautiful holiday season!

5QF - Tis the Season

2010-12-03T10:50:00.001-06:00

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been around much this week. I've been very sick, Nip has been very sick, B was sent home for pink eye even though I told the nurse he has allergies and a new dog and there was no drainage but she said there was drainage and I said that's a tear because you are making him go home instead of going to gym (okay, I didn't really tell her that last part but that's what it turned out to be), and Bitty was sent home for diarrhea which we never saw. What's with these schools freaking out and kicking kids out. Way to teach them to stick with it and manage their woes. We're raising a bunch of pansies I tell you! Whew, got that out of the way.

I'm glad it's the weekend. I'll miss B but I'll be studying, going to dinner with my husband and baby girl tonight at my favorite Cajun restaurant and I have a day full o fun planned tomorrow with my best friend for her birthday. Shopping, a movie, dining and people watching on the Plaza. Don't know about that Plaza? You must live REALLY far away. It's one of the best places around, especially at Christmas time. And of course I have class Sunday which is second to last for this semester, thank goodness!

Okay, like I said and like you know, it's Friday. That means you can go link up for Five Question Friday over at My Little Life.

1. What's on the top of your holiday wish list and why?!

Oh I don't know. I like lots of things. I love everything I get too. I would like some new earrings. More about that in like 2 seconds. I also like to get crop work-out pants because I don't like to shop for them for some reason. I get distracted by the pretty clothes that don't have anything to do with sweating.

2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past?
At our first Christmas Nip gave me my first diamond earrings. You know, the ones that have a screw on back. You know somethings fancy when you need extra reinforcement behind your ear. But guess what? I lost one. For good. It made me cry. It was almost a year ago. I'm still devastated. It was just an item but still it's hard for me. It was a very special gift to me. Now I've learned my next pair will be bigger. And less diamondy and more cubic zirconiay (with white gold studs though because fake stuff makes my ears swell up, looks like keloids. Nasty!)

Oh, and when I was 6 I received an English doll carriage. It was fancy. So fancy, big wheels, blue linen canopy. Oh I loved that thing and I can't wait to get one for my baby girl. She just needs to grow tall enough to reach the handle.

3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up?
Funny how sometimes God reminds you that this life isn't over yet and you can change every day. After being laid off almost 2 years ago and now running my own business I've had some time to reflect on things and so I decided to go back to pharmacy school. I was half way done 10 years ago but quit because of the pressure of bills and work and other such things. I knew I would regret it and I have since. So now I'm back at it, taking some refresher courses and I'm hopefully going to be enrolled full time in about a year and a half. Yeah, I know I'm going to be the oldest one there but I don't mind. I'd rather do that than go on another 30 years in a job I don't feel good about.

4. When do you put up your tree?
We don't have a set time for this. This year we're going next week to buy one. We really want to go cut one down but our schedules just aren't jiving with that. Maybe with a little more planning we can do that next year.

5. What is your favorite Holiday?
Christmas is the most important Holiday (and Easter of course) in my family. Sure we love all the traditions but what they lead to is so important. The carols and advent calendar, the nativity scene and cards. Christ is born. We have so many good feelings this time of year. All the stress goes away when we think of how blessed we really are. I also have to say I love Valentines Day. It's about love so what's not to love!?!

Reason 4,387 Dentists Scare Me

2010-12-02T13:32:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I mentioned how scared I am of the dentist. That's because I haven't been in over a year. Yup. And guess what that gave me? A FRONT tooth that died. DIED! My first root canal. I've seen a long line of freaky and inadequate dentists. Including the one who shocked me, the one who ruined my 6 years of orthodontia in one visit, and the one with nose hair I thought was going to reach down and tickle me. Ehhhhh (shaking in fetal position).

So anyway, I found a new dentist. I really like her and I like the office. It's super fancy. She made me feel comfortable. She didn't hurt me. Or shock me. BUT, let me share how she explained the death of my tooth:

"You know when you hang someone and the noose tightens and they shake real hard for a while but then there is nothing? Just death? That's what happened to your tooth."

WHAT!?!?!? I don't even want to know why this particular thing comes to her mind. She needs to work on her analogies!

I'll go back to her for the procedure but I'm NOT getting sedated! I'll tell you that much right now.

Santa Puppy

2010-11-29T06:08:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday when B was at his dad's for the weekend we set out puppy shopping. Bitty really loves her new seat with snack tray. She's feeling quite big!

Our first trip wasn't a success. As hard as it was to say bye to this little girl it just didn't feel right. The sellers seemed shady. It looked like there might be a bigger operation a couple houses down the road. Hmm. And the mom had worms. And they only let us look at the parents for like 30 seconds. And they offered no certificate of breed (although it was pretty obvious) and no refund on hereditary disorders in their first 6 months (a pretty simple request if they were confident).

So we went to a couple shelters and realize he'd have to be hawks to get a lab at one of those.

Then Nip found someone. There were 10 chocolate and yellow labs. It was mom's first patch. Both the mom and dad are super beautiful and sweet. They are the 6th generation from a certified papa and some award winning field dogs. They live with a baby and toddler and the puppies have had lots of face time with the toddler. It all was just perfect! Saturday I spent a mint on all the poochie stuff we need. Thanks to our brother-in-law (who is an awesome vet) for answering our millions of questions to make sure we have the best dog and give it the best stuff! We go to pick up our new girl today. We're going to attempt "Santa brought it early" when he gets home from school so wish us luck!

Oh, and is if all the pics of the kids weren't enough now you'll get a bunch of these! I work from home and no longer will be alone all day. I think I have a new best friend! I hope she doesn't pee in my shoes.

One Little Two Little

2010-11-25T06:27:00.002-06:00

Last week I was able to join B's class for their Thanksgiving feast. Since he's the peanut boy I was asked to bring the pumpkin pie. I either had to find a peanut free one or bake one and I've never tried the latter. After much searching I found one. The kids just loved it! Peer pressure is awesome sometimes. They'll try things they'd never try at home.

When Bitty came home from daycare this photo came with her. She had a feast too! But since separation anxiety is at an all time high it's obvious to see why parents weren't asked to help. Like the nifty headband I altered? It said her name. You know I'm a freak. We've covered this.

I love this day! I love the food, sure. But the prayers, traditions, overwhelming feeling of gratitude to my God, our servicemen and servicewomen, my family, friends, all of you! This year we are celebrating with Nip's family. While it's impossible to get to see everyone no matter where you are we understand that and hope everyone everywhere has a fabulous day!

My little ones wish you and your little ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday - Yuck/Yum Face

2010-11-24T06:48:00.002-06:00

It's Wordless Wednesday so go link up and I'll make this brief. It was this little ragamuffins first Oreo. She was in love. Seriously though, how do you train a baby's blond hair!?!? Help! She's old enough now she takes her barrette out. Anyway, she's my little love, yuck face and all!

B's Loss - 12 Facts

2010-11-23T06:58:00.002-06:00

Fact 1: B's tooth has been loose for weeks

Fact 2: Last week it was really loose

Fact 3: He's a boy soooo his fingernails are dirty in this shot

Fact 4: We let him sleep in this GI Joe/Snake Eyes costume (pick your battles)

Fact 5: He lost his tooth at school

Fact 6: It's either in the city dump or his GI tract

Fact 7: I miss my baby boy

Fact 8: His big boy smile is pretty sweet

Fact 9: That's either chocolate milk or dirt on his chin, who cares.

Fact 10: He was apparently distraught about loosing the tooth

Written by the sweet lunchroom helper.

Fact 10: The tooth fairy left him $5

Fact 11: When he woke up he said he was hoping for $60!!!

Fact 12: She was ticked at his selfishness and for the other 19 teeth he's getting a quarter. If he's lucky.

A Guest Post from Nip!

2010-11-22T10:05:00.000-06:00

Recently I mentioned I was trying to talk Nip into a guest post. He and B went to the cabin for the first time. We began a tradition of boys weekend/girls weekend. I shared my weekend here. I'm honored to present you with Nip's first guest post. Nip isn't a talker but knows this was one amazing weekend that must be shared. I really wanted him to post because this quality time he spent with B just shows a little bit about what a great man, husband and father he is. Sometimes we forget to give our husbands credit. Here goes the post. Please show him some love!

Over the past few weeks, B has been having little outbursts and meltdowns and had been saying he doesn’t get enough time with me. On one hand, it upset me he felt that way, but on the other, I loved that he loved me so much he needed more time with me. What better way to accomplish that than to have a boy’s weekend at the cabin.

When we told him the idea he was quite upset he had to wait two weeks to go. But the day finally came. I picked him up from school on a gray, cool misty day in KC and we ran home to get our stuff and kiss the girls goodbye.

The cabin is a little piece of land that has always been a major part of my life. It is out in the middle of nowhere with no phone, few TV channels and poor cell reception. I used to spend weekends there with my dad and brother hunting, fishing, swimming in the river or one of the ponds, playing on tractors, bulldozers or backhoes, splitting wood…you know, guy stuff. The main rule when were out there was that no girls were allowed! Granted, my sisters have been there, but I don’t think they appreciated it like we did. There were times I dreaded doing some of the “work” with my dad when I was younger, but as time went on, I loved everything about it. Now that I am older, I couldn’t wait to introduce my son to the same things I experienced in my youth.

The cabin is about 3 ½ hours away from our home. On the way down the rain started pouring down, the wind picked up and it got a lot colder. So cold that in a few hours on the road the rain turned to blinding snow. B was so excited to build a snowman at the cabin, but was upset when I told him it wasn’t sticking to the ground and there wouldn’t be any snow tomorrow.

As we pulled off the blacktop into the driveway leading to the field you have to cross to get there, the road was muddy and the tree canopy was looking a little spooky in the rain. On cue, B stated “I think I’m going to get a little scared now.” I was afraid this might happen and hoped that we wouldn’t be heading for home in a few hours. But his fright quickly passed and as we plowed through the mud, we finally reached our destination.

B’s first impressions of the cabin: “this isn’t what I thought it would be like”. I think he was expecting a fancy lodge, not the small cabin with a concrete floor and a loft for the sleeping area. But, he was excited and it took a while for him to wind down after checking out everything. Finally, at about 10:30 with the fire built and an episode of Seinfeld on the TV, we set down together in the recliner and he was quickly snoring with me in the chair in front of the fire. The weekend was already a success at that point. After trying to get him to sleep in the bed upstairs, he stated he was afraid he would fall out of the bed, over the loft and onto the concrete floor. So, B slept on the couch.

The next morning, we woke up at about 7:00, had some Pop Tarts, donuts and cinnamon toast and took a look around in the daylight. My dad, Papa (who lives about 20 miles from the cabin) showed up a few minutes later and it was time for the fun to start. The first order of business was to do some duck hunting. Now, remember it had rained about 4 inches the previous day and we thought B had some waterproof boots. They weren’t. About 30 yards out of the cabin, B’s feet and legs were soaked and we still had about a ½ mile to walk in 40 degree weather. But B surprised as he didn’t miss a beat and claimed he liked that his feet were wet. So, on we went to the duck blinds. When I was B’s age, my father would make me get up at 5am to go sit in the blind in 0 degree weather and hunt. I hated it then. B? He loved it. Granted, it wasn’t cold, but he thought it was great being there with me and Papa out in the free space. However, with no ducks flying, he quickly got bored and we gave up after about an hour. As Papa was moving the decoys, some ducks flew by and I got one. On the way down, a very concerned B told me he didn’t think I should hunt because he liked birds and they were nice and that when he became President he would outlaw it. I was worried what he would do now that I actually shot something. He and Papa ran over to get the bird and he thought it was the greatest thing he had ever done, carrying it back. After that, we walked back to the cabin to warm up and grab a snack.

Later that morning, we decided to walk along the river to see if we could find any pheasant and quail. There weren’t any birds out this morning, so B decided to make “sand angels” along the sand bar. His second change of clothes were soaked again and now were quite sandy. Again, he didn’t care at all. However, he didn’t like walking through the tall grass that had a few pricklies and stickers here and there. I guess when the grass and thorn bushes are taller than you, it can be tough. As the 3 of us stood on a hill overlooking the river, ponds and land, B state, “wow, it is really pretty here”. The place had him. I knew he was loving it and this was the first of many weekends we would be spending here.

That afternoon, B decided he wanted to try out the backhoe. I just knew he would love playing on it, so I was excited to show him how to work it. Well, he liked to play on it, but was terrified when I started it up. He ran inside crying and feeling embarrassed. My dad, calmed him down by saying that when he was a little boy, he too was terrified the first time he heard a diesel engine. My brother and his oldest son, who is B’s age, came down to see us a few hours later. B and A have really become close and can’t be separated. They spent the afternoon playing on the tractor and in the trees. Then came the moment B had been waiting for all weekend. It was time to shoot a real gun. This was one of my favorite moments. Guns have always been a big part of my brother’s and father’s lives as well as my own. I couldn’t wait for B to shoot his first gun. He didn’t hesitate one second and fell in love with it immediately. He loved to shoot them off real fast. He was fascinated by the safety and how the gun works. He just loved all of it.

Sadly, my brother and A couldn’t stay long and Papa had to leave as well. Soon it was just me and B. We went for one last pheasant hunt, found a deer, raccoon and bobcat tracks and then went back to cook some hot dogs in the fire just as the sun was going down. The day had been tiring, but amazing. B spent the evening using his imagination playing around inside the cabin. He again slept on the couch and was a little bummed we had to leave the next day.

Sunday was filled with more hunting, tractor playing and gun shooting. The end had finally come and it was time for us to leave. As much as we loved and missed the girls at home, neither of us wanted our time to end. But school and work has its way of making you do stuff you don’t want to do. We loaded up and headed back towards the big city.

I could go on forever, but you have probably stopped reading by now and some of the things are just between B and me. The ride home was quiet with a few moments of reminiscing about the things the weekend had held. And the declaration by B that we HAVE to do this every Friday!

5QF - Ear and Heart Pains

2010-11-19T09:36:00.000-06:00

Yay yay yay! You know what today is! Tonight Nip's aunt is staying with us and we are so excited. When we lived in Louisville we got to see so much of her and we miss her a lot! Tomorrow we are puppy shopping because word has it Santa is bringing B his first dog. I'm really excited about this and will most likely blog on it next week. Our good friends are coming to dinner tomorrow night so basically our weekend will be filled with great company. And to kick off the weekend, it's Five Question Friday:

1. What Christmas song do you loathe?

Oh easy, the Christmas shoes song. I am not a violent person but I want to smack that kid. Mean? I know. Not very spirited. I love pretty much every Christmas song but this one. Nip hates that hippopotamus song and I happen to have an amazing ability to make my voice sound like that so I really enjoy torturing him.

2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed?
Nip rubs my back every single night. I'm one lucky girl. After the snuggle time we go to our opposite sides because we both have crazy sleep positions which, if we were closer would leave us with black eyes in the morning.

3. Have you ever had surgery?
Why yes. Aside from that full epesiotomy (tmi? How else could I birth a 10 pounder???) I had a pacemaker put in when I was 20 and a new one just a few months ago. You can read about it here if you want.

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done?
Usually I wrap up a week before Christmas. I'm on a roll this year. Aside from said puppy, I'm done with B. I have everything for Nip and only need one more thing for Bitty. Now I need to focus on the parents and nieces and nephews. We draw names at Thanksgiving so I have an excuse for not starting this shopping yet.
5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be?
I would install a vichy shower off my master bath. Ever have one after a spa treatment? It makes me melt. The 6 shower heads spray at different pressures and flows and switch around while you lay on a table. It's amazing. I'd go to the spa just for this if it weren't frowned upon.

Now head on over to My Little Life to join in and link up!

Wordless Wednesday - My First

2010-11-17T09:51:00.000-06:00

I did it! I linked up for Wordless Wednesday! I haven't done this before and I'll be honest with you, I won't be doing it on a regular basis. You see, I'm not creative. I could recycle old photos that make me melt but I'd hate to bore you more than I already do. I feel like I've perfected that art and I don't want to tinker with it. Okay, this is supposed to be wordless so next time I do this, no words, promise! Go link up and join in! (I found Alicia through Tayarra so thank you Tayarra, I really like this blog!)

My Favorite Review Yet! - Norah Jones

2010-11-16T08:26:00.001-06:00

I am so excited to review Nora Jones' new cd Featuring which is available in stores and on Amazon starting TODAY. I received it last Friday and I haven't stopped listening to it since. You see, I am one of those people that love what I love and don't like what I don't like and I say it either way. I am also finicky, rarely listen to a song all the way through, make a judgement in the first three cords and I've been known in my teen years to chuck a cd out the window. Yes, I know this is illegal and I would go back and pick them all up if I just knew where they were.

Let me tell you a little about this cd. The tracks were recorded from 2001 through 2010 and each track is a different artist featuring Norah Jones. And when I say a different artist. I mean collectively, they couldn't be more different. Everything from the Foo Fighters to Willie Nelson, Outkast to Gillian Welch, Ray Charles to Ryan Adams. Seriously, you start out with jazz that makes you get all soulful until the guy in the car next to you looks creepily happy to see you, sink into some cool rock, guitar plucking country, blues, chicky rock, more country, more blues, absolutely awesome classics re-made just as good if not better than the first (and trust me, I don't take re-makes lightly! There's even some hip hop! Now, this is where MommaAmma interjects with a wagging finger and says don't play #9 with the kids in the car, I love the song but I don't love the use of the N word because I don't think it is okay coming out of anyone's mouth in any form and while I'm all about free speech, not when it comes to my kiddies dropping vernacular bombs so just be warned. This isn't some 10 song cd, nooo, ther are 18 fabulous tracks, ahhh, I'm in love. You never get bored because every song or two switches to a different genre that is equally awesome and unique. Every song is dripping with gorgeous sounds and unique flavor. There are no limits to what Norah Jones can do. I really really really love this cd.

Here are my faves (so hard to pick and seriously this might change by the time I click "Post"):
3. Turn Them (Sean Bones featuring Norah Jones)
4. Baby It's Cold Outside (Willie Nelson featuring Norah Jones)
5. Bull Rider (Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson)
9. Life is Better (Q-Tip featuring Norah Jones)
13. Loretta (Norah Jones featuring Gillian Welch and David Rawlings)

You can put this on your stocking stuffer wish list but I suggest going out and buying it so be immediately enjoyed. It's perfect for this time of year with slow, smooth and sultry sounds. Turn on your car's seat warmer and push play (for you busy ones). Or pour some hot cocoa and listen to this in front of the fire (for you cheesy ones). Or go here (for those of you who download your songs). You'll be so pleasantly surprised and/or shocked at the price to download. Want to hear the snip-its? Just go here. So however you do it, go get this to enjoy for yourself. I really think you'll like it too!

The Mumbo Jumbo: I received this cd at no charge to review. As always, all opinions are (abundant and) my very own. By posting I am entered into a random drawing for a $50 gift card from One2One Network.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2010-11-15T09:52:00.002-06:00

This weekend we had a family first. Before Bitty was a thought in our head we talked about taking a weekend to spend with just one of our kids at least once a year. We saw this as a time to really connect and bond, talk about things we might not otherwise have had the chance, to slow down and really savor our kids at the ages they are. How perfect that we had a girl! So Nip and B can have a manly weekend and she and I can have a girlie weekend. And so started a new tradition this past weekend. Nip and B headed to the cabin. This is where Nip spent time as a boy doing boy things and he was so excited to share that with B. I'm working on buttering Nip up to do a guest post on this because my heart just overflows when I hear of the fun they had.

Since Bitty is well, bitty we just stayed home. First we had her 1 year photo shoot. She was not at all happy about this. I'll share some of Bitty's new fears with you later in the week. Let's just say we picked three shots out of like 12 the photographer was able to capture that didn't include tears and snot.

We kissed our guys goodbye then set to making guacamole and dump cake. I know, they go so well together. She was quite the little helper in the kitchen, taking everything out out of the bottom cabinets and sucking on the heart shaped pancake mold. Some day she will help me stir while she wears a ruffly little apron, I just know it!

Check out that post-cherry blueberry-dump-cake drool string!

We grazed like cows all weekend. We did some Christmas shopping. We hung out in pjs a lot. We dressed up like Elton John. We built a fire. We cuddled. We snuggled. I was in heaven.

Sunday I had to go to class (I know, school on Sunday is drag but there's parking galore and mostly adults like myself so I do it) so my dad came to watch Bitty until the boys got home. I was so grateful he could make it. I'm clinging onto an A for dear life. The boys and I all got home around the same time and my dad stayed for dinner. Homemade chicken noodle soup and rolls.

We wrapped up our weekend with family game night, baths, some pre-bed ninja fighting (because we all know the best way to get a kid calmed for sleep is to run around like ninjas).

And that was our weekend. In the future I see Bitty and I taking weekend trips to go shopping or to some boy band concert she is just dying to see. For now, I'll enjoy her baby time when she doesn't care about anything other than hugs, kisses and a clean diaper.

I Think We Are Gonna Be Friends

2010-11-08T07:28:00.002-06:00

B was in preschool all year since 2 1/2. He had a lot of friends. Sometimes he would say "so and so didn't play with me today" but never made it a big deal. In the last week B has come home from Kindergarten quite sad that the kids don't play with him. We made the run-down. When won't they play with you? How are you asking? Are they already playing a game? Do you join along or expect them to change what they are doing? And yes, most often this only-child-for-5-years-and-now-oldest-child expects others to do exactly what he says. And getting to the root of it is that the girl of his heart's desire won't play with him. We then go through, sometimes people need alone time. Sometimes girls want to play girlie games. It's nice to make a lot of friends and don't just try to have one or two of your favorite friends. It kind of breaks my heart. I can try to help him but I can't go to recess with him to coach him through. At his parent-teacher conference it was specifically mentioned that a) the kids really like him and b) he participates exceptionally in group discussions. So I don't get it. Maybe it's just a few bad days. Maybe it's his love playing with another boy. Maybe he comes on too strong or is too bossy. But sometimes I pick him up and all the kids yell "Bye *B*!!!" He plays at the park with a kid from class. And then I go through his backpack and find a bedazzled card from his love.

So how do you deal with this issue? I'm just assuming all kids deal with this. I know I did as a very shy girl but I wasn't coached and I think it lingers today, proven by the fact that I have so few friends and none very close. He is not a shy boy. And I think the kids do like him. But his feelings are valid and there's got to be something I can say that will help him.

5QF - Squeaky Clean

2010-11-05T09:13:00.001-05:00

It's Friday again. Funny how it happens like clock-work. Something we can all rely on. Maybe that's why I love it so. Oh wait, you can rely on Monday and Tuesday too. But it's different. I rely on them blowing. Maybe I should be thinking positive. Anyway, yep, Friday and that means it is Five Question Friday time over at My Little Life. Hop over, join in. It's Friday!

1. If you could have any talent and turn it into an occupation, what would it be?

Oh easy peasy. I'd be a Rockette. It's been a dream since I was a wee one. I wanted to be a a Senator and then when the session ended, a Rockette. It would have been phenomenal. Can you imagine the attack adds? But seriously, who doesn't love a Rockette? They are magical.

2. Would you rather have a house at the beach or a cabin in the woods?

That's a tough one. But I'm going with the beach because I love being warm and I love a good view. In the woods I might not have a good view and there's a better chance some critter is going to attack me. Or a bear. I wouldn't want that to happen. Since I don't like the ocean either, it isn't like a shark is going to get me. So beach. That's the answer.

3. Is there any meaning or reasoning for the names you chose for your child/children?

Eish, B is named after his dad because I had mommy brain and no creativity. If I had a do-over I'd name him Sam or Luke. I've always loved those names and it was my uterus darn it! But he has a name and we can't go changing it now. Even though he asks us to at least once a week. We asked B for suggestions on the baby's name. He said his girlfriend's name so we changed it up a bit, fell in love and kept it. Her middle name is very unique and I haven't found anyone who doesn't make a weird face (as in perplexed, disgusted or pitty) when we tell them what it is. It's an American name so newer but sounds a little Irish. We like it and she's keeping it!

4. What is your guilty pleasure? (I know we've done this one before, but I'm guessing people's "guilty pleasures" change frequently. At least, mine do!)

I love to take a bath in my deep deep garden tub while reading a magazine, not caring if the pages get a little wet because it's the only thing in this house no one else touches and I use the kids' Johnsons and Johnsons Lavender Bedtime Bath. It's so relaxing. Don't tell them.

5. Do you live in a house that is deep cleaned or straightened?

I took a dust cloth to every single wooden slat of the blinds on my 22 windows last week. And cleaned all the ceiling fan blades. What does that tell you? I sweep my garage once a week. I deep clean the refrigerator once a month. The mattresses are encased in allergy covers. I really really really really want a Dyson so all my deep down cleanliness dreams can come true. I'm a freak. But my house is clean. (I only clean my oven when I move and vacuum under my bed if I'm getting new carpet. Those are things I can't stand to do so there, I'm not that much of a freak. Right? Right???)

The Post Party - Planning Part

2010-11-03T07:35:00.004-05:00

I really want to share some photos of how the party came together. My friend and great party planner Trina of Fancy That! Event Styling suggested several things. The one she suggested and I didn't follow up on was hiring someone to take photos of the day so I wouldn't have to worry about capturing the moments. I think I got a lot of great photos but yeah yeah yeah, she was right. That would have been well worth the money. It was much easier to take the planning photos since I could do it at my own pace. Once guests arrived it got crazy.

One thing I can't share with you is the slide show we had running on our tv. It was 115 photos of Bitty from birth until now. We had some really great songs playing along with it like Daughter, Little Miss Magic, You Can Close Your Eyes, Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version) and Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Greg Laswell's version). When I actually stopped to watch it I did actually cry. My baby girl is growing up which breaks my heart because time is fleeting but she is such a wonderful little girl. She's inquisitive, silly, laid back, headstrong (already), she has these curious glances where she strains her neck and gives you a look like "did you see me do that mommy?" She plays games like taking turns kissing Nip and I and sometimes faking us out. She thinks that is hilarious. She loves to throw food on the floor. She loves to splash at bath time. She loves her big brother like nothing I've ever seen. And everyone loves this girl. She is our Little Miss Magic.

Now let me apologize for the barage of photos but seriously, it was so much work I can't just let it go at that. I have to prove I was actually capable of something somewhat crafty. Me!

Bitty waiting for Birthday guests to arrive.

I free handed the birds by eyeballing a template of a smaller bird. And I used scrap scrapbook paper to "quilt" the #1.

Bows on trees. Easy. Our last minute add included balloon bunches on each pillar.

Bitty's room is decorated in songbirds so I pulled some items from her room to add to the theme.

My after thought is that I should have made this look nicer, put things on trays, something!

Lemon juice and sanding sugar. Everyone was sad to learn there was punch but no margs.

I kept the menu simple since it was a lunch party and we had plenty of sweets. Oh and by simple I mean I ordered most of it! (Shout out to Quiznos for a perfect order, delivered 5 minutes before the set time by a spiffy looking gentleman.)

I just nested these by the food. Fancy by the Cheetos huh? C'mon, it IS a kids party!

A small spread which left no dishes to wash. This I like!

Bitty received this 21 year candle from 5Band Co as her first ever birthday present. This is my favorite shop on the face of the earth. So much so that I used it for my wedding favors, shower favors, baby shower favors, and always for Christmas gifts. Go check it out! We burned Sugar and Spice at the party which was perfect!

The only nod to my dad on his 60th birthday (he requested no fuss). I think it's very special he and his only granddaughter share this day.

Sorry again for the dark shot. As I mentioned before, the banner took forever, tracing, cutting, using forsaken scallop scissors (I'm a lefty and this hurt!), tying tiny ribbons. But it came out ok and Bitty loved it! I made two pom poms in light and dark purple. Go here for the how-to. This is where I mention those pink cupcakes. The morning of the party Nip and has Step Dad set out to get the jumbo cupcakes from that one jumbo store that is famous for the jumbo cupcakes but guess what? They stopped making them for good. Like last week. So they had to do the best they could with stores full of Halloween stuff and they got the prettiest ones they could find. They did just fine and tasted fantastic!

It's pretty but just didn't work in that spot. It also took awhile to assemble so lets get off this darn picture. Oh, I might add though that the backyard was also decorated a bit with a table cover, ribbons, and I set a bunch of toys out there for the big kids.

Some of the treats. I stuck candy sticks in crispy treats and marshmallows then dipped them in chocolate and dipped them in sprinkles that I thought looked like bird seed. I found solid color Sixlets in the bridal isle of Hobby Lobby (and Sixlets get a shout out because it shows in bold on the package "Processed in a Peanut and Tree Nut Free Facility" Momma likes that. B going into anaphalactic shock on this day would have put a damper on things. Where was I? Oh yeah, Chex Mix kind of reminds me of birdie food so that went along with it.

I also dipped pretzel rods in chocolate and sprinkled with the gold sugar crystals. It's supposed to look like a nest. My party planning friend was the only one to get that.

Cinnamon sugar cereal, B's favorite. I thought the little kids would like it and it also reminds me of birdie food for some reason.

I made caramel apples for the party favor (in addition to junky kids toys for all those boys. Out of 10 kids Bitty and a newborn were the only ladies).

White metallic ink and a stamper added a little note.

In case you were wondering what Bitty was doing while I took all these photos.

The Post Party - Party Part

2010-11-02T07:09:00.004-05:00

I worked so long and hard putting Bitty's party together I was beginning to think I was putting more effort into it than I did my wedding! The day came and went my baby girl turned 1 and I got through it with only a few tears. I know I was doing all that to avoid thinking about this being my last baby and how time flies and you know. You know. We hadn't received very many rsvp's one way or the other so I assumed we were going to have around 5 people at our house. We had 22! My brother surprised me by coming, my nephews were able to make it even though they are teenagers and have football and girlfriends and such, and my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and their three boys were a huge surprise, driving over 250 miles to surprise us! We also had some friends come we didn't expect. Everyone lives such busy lives so it meant so much to me that they made time to show our baby girl that love.

It's her party. She can cry if she wants to!

B with his long distance cousin. Today he told me they are "Bro's" Ok. Yo.

This day wasn't just special for Bitty. It was my dad's 60th birthday. He was so kind to share it and begged not to have a big fuss so I had to do one little thing which I'll show you tomorrow.

<><><> Nip's brother and sister in law drove 250 miles! With 3 boys 6 and under!

My sister Twi with the birthday girl.

I stole a shot of my oldest brother and my dad.

Papa and my youngest nephew. I could smooch him all day.

Bitty really enjoyed her balloons. Nip was so kind to run out and get them in the morning. I'm sorry he got stuck in construction traffic. As did some of our guests. Party planning fowl on my part. I'll check the Scout next time and warn people!

Our friend's baby. She was so warm and sweet. Makes me think. Makes me think it's nice to hold FRIENDS' new babies! And ignore my bad hair day. Looks like I was planning to be a scarecrow for Halloween!

Halloween Hoopla

2010-11-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

Amid all the party planning there was fun to be had. I'm no super freak when it comes to Halloween. But since I am a mom I make sure the kids can pack in the memories. Tomorrow I'll post on the party. For today, I'll stick to captions.

To kick off the weekend B and I went to the Enchanted Forest for a freezing evening of fun. He was looking at Jupiter in this shot. I'm such a neurotic freak I wouldn't get on that ladder so I missed out.

B with the Chiefs mascot KC Wolf. There were a handful of puppeteers, folk singers and magicians putting on mini shows throughout the walking trail of the park.

Friday I took B and Bitty to the Pumpkin Patch and we met up with his buddy from school, his mom and his lil sister who was just a few months younger than Bitty. We had a great time and I'm ashamed to admit this was our first ever play-date outing type thing with another family. Shame on me.

Bitty wanted to help carve pumpkins until she realized it would require messy hands. Even B went to wash his hands after sticking it in the pumpkin for half a second. What weirdo kids have I created!?!?

A lamb and Spiderman (the "black one" B tells me). I'm in love.

This was the best Halloween for us ever! It's our first in our new neighborhood which is full of kids. We had a ton of trick or treaters and B walked half way down our street and came home because his bucket was full and he was satisfied with the loot even after we showed him what it looked like with the peanut products out of it. So he drank a coke (his first), ate a bag of Doritos and 4 things of candy then went to bed. Somehow. We decided we are never moving! What a great place to live and to watch our children grow up.

5QF - Do I Hafta Cry?

2010-10-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

Hey now it's Friday again. One more day of work then it is on! Bitty's birthday party is tomorrow so I've got a ton of treat making to do. I'm also taking a bit to take the kids to the pumpkin patch with a mom I met at B's school. And geez you know how hard it is to make friends as an adult so I hope we "hit it off". I know, I'm a geek. It's why I have no friends!

Okay, 5QF! Link up over at My Little Life and you go have a great weekend!

1. If you could be a fly on any wall, which would you choose?

Well I know I wouldn't want to be a fly on my wall! I'm a mad woman when it comes to flies in our house. They must die an ugly death. Now, I could pick something very serious and intellectual but um no. I'd want to be a fly on the wall in the Carolina Herrera design house. I'm no fashion goddess but I know good design, I appreciate a well cut piece and I love the classic gorgeous pieces from her designers. I just want a sneak peek at what they are working on and what decisions get tabled and which become phenomenal.

2. Do you budget your Christmas shopping or just get it done without budgeting?
We have an umbrella budget then break it down by our kids, other kids and parents. We don't get siblings anything because between us we have 14. That would really blow the budget. In the last couple years we have just budgeted our stockings and then we buy a gift we'd both enjoy.

3. What is the craziest fad diet you have ever done?
I haven't gone crazy because I have no willpower. I did stick to the soup diet for 6 months. I ate a can of soup and a wheat roll with a pad of butter every day for lunch. There were some other common sense things but this one really helped because I worked in an office so going out to lunch was a no-no. It helped the budget and I lost about 15 pounds because it limited the calorie intake.

4. Is there a TV show that you have seen every episode/season of?
I've seen every episode of Friends. Many times. And I would have said Grey's but when it got all weird last year I gave up on it. Same with Brothers and Sisters. If I really think back I'm sure I've seen every episode of Wonder Years and the Monkeys too. Don't judge. Davey Jones is the grooviest.

5. What one song always pulls at your heart?
100 Years by Five for Fighting was playing when Nip proposed so it always catches my attention when I hear it. And Letters from Home played quite a bit when I was pregnant with B. I cried every single time I heard it. And eventually he started kicking every time he heard it. It's a sad song but compounded with mommy hormones. I even had to turn it off if it came across my radio at work! And might I just add The River is Wide (James Taylor's version). It was sung at our wedding ceremony (with happier lyrics) and played on the acoustic guitar at our reception. I melt.

A Party Preview

2010-10-27T09:32:00.002-05:00

I've been very busy lately planning Bitty's 1st Birthday Party. I realize I'm putting far too much time and effort into this little party which will probably only have a handful of people. When I first told you about it here I thought I was just excited to throw a girlie party but now I can admit that if I stop cutting or pasting or hanging or shopping I'm going to have a meltdown. I just hope she enjoys it, I hope the guests enjoy it and I'll cherish the photos forever. Speaking of photos, please forgive these photos as I still haven't figured out my camera. I really need to take a class on that!

I made this with scalloped scissors, scrapbook paper and patience. It hangs over her high chair and she just loves it.

More little birdies fluttering about. Looks kind of cheap but once all the decorations are out I'm hoping it just comes together.

Birds in the dining room. B channeling Hitchcock.

What's a party without swirly ribbon?

This was a mess to put together. It will go in the look-through from living room and eat-in.

A closer look.

The easiest thing to make, paper napkin rings.

More scrapbook paper and templates. And I learned I also need to take a class on using scissors. Her name is blocked off the picture because I'm a weirdo and you can't steal my baby!

A closer look.

I'm hanging chartreuse ribbon around our trees, big scrapbook paper birds and 1's around our front porch overhang thing (I know it has a name but I can't think of it!), ribbon around the chairs, fresh flowers, birds nests, grapevine balls, tissue paper pom poms, bird houses. And the food will bring it all together. I found sprinkles that look like birdseed so they will go on the chocolate covered mallows, crispy treats and pretzel rods all set on candy sticks. I'll do a post party post full of pictures showing how it all came together and hopefully one smiley baby girl! Until then, I'll be keeping myself busy!

5QF - Gibberishness

2010-10-22T09:57:00.004-05:00

It's Five Question Friday time! Head over to My Little Life and link up. And can I just say yea yea yea yea yea for Friday! Geez o pete it's here and yippity skippy I need it! I'm doing some decorating for Bitty's big party next weekend (sniffle sniffle, we won't go there right now) and I need to find her an oh so pretty party dress. Shopping and decorating in one weekend? What could be better? Yeee!

1. Who is the better cook, you or your spouse?
I do the cooking and I love it so I'll say me. Nip cooks dinner from time to time and he does things I wouldn't think to do so that's a good thing. And he is the best griller on earth. Seriously, he can grill seafood, steaks, chicken, tenderloins, anything and to perfection.

2. How often do you talk to your mom?
Never. But my sister's awesome and I speak to hear at least once a day. We might skip a day or two but then we make it up. Sometimes I call her just to sing what's on the radio. She loves that. Yeahhhh. Hi Twi: "I'm hot sticky sweet from my head to my feet!" She loves it. Really she does.

3. Are you adventurous in the kitchen or stick to the recipe?
I fall somewhere in between. I'm not very creative in the kitchen so a little tweak to a recipe is the wildest I get.

4. Is your second toe longer than your big toe?
Yes! And so is Nip's and so is Bitty's. I don't know if that's worse or my poor baby boy's Flintstone (square fat) toes. Post publish thought: If I lose my hands I can get by with my toes. Seriously. I'm confident I would be one of those people who brush their hair and stir dinner with their feet. These bad boys are 2/3 the size of my fingers. Seriously. Not something you should really brag about huh?

5. Do you dress up for Halloween? (Bonus question: What will you be this year?)
I haven't in about 8 years. I used to work somewhere with a contest and great prizes. Isn't that nuts? It was a lot of fun. B wants me to be Princess Leia. I'm pretty sure Nip wouldn't mind that either. Chick-aww!

Wild Times

2010-10-21T08:49:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that Nip and I took B to the zoo for some special B time. He was calling all the shots. You'll see that once you scroll down a bit.

I passed up on the typical elephant and giraffe pics and opted for pics of the ugly muglies.

I lu-uh-uh-uh-ve turtles and tortoises. You know that right? However, I would NOT get in a cage with this guy. He's probably 200-300 pounds.

Oh so sweet. I think he was trying to speak to me. As in "are you my momma? Can I come home with you? Momma? Momma?"

More ugly.

It was fun watching the lions cat fight. Seriously. They were all annoying each other. If these were Jersey Shore lions some one's face would have been scratched off.

What the heck! Yep, B insisted on wearing his new costume to the zoo. No, it wasn't a special day. He was the only one in costume. He started feeling a little self conscious but everyone really liked his costume and he can't pull off stuff like this much longer.

A true spidey pose.

Another ugly. In desperate need of orthodontia.

And That's a Good Weekend

2010-10-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we took a quick trip down to see Nip's parents. Sometimes it's just refreshing to get away and have some fun.

The guys fishing in the pond. B loves fishing with Papa!

Bitty really liked being big enough to play with B!

Perhaps someday they will be a world renowned dynamic duo.

Sunday was spent raking leaves. Tons and tons of leaves. B really liked jumping in, running through and hiding beneath the piles. He's quite a good helper!

B took this photo so it's a little blurry but these are my new boots! I was asked to provide a picture so here ya go!

Spread the Phantom

2010-10-18T17:59:00.000-05:00

When B was younger we lived in a very old neighborhood. Meaning there were no other children in the neighborhood so no one participated in Halloween. Our first year there we missed it completely because we waited and waited to start seeing kids and nada all night long. So I asked around in our new neighborhood and I'm quite pleased to learn we can go all out here. We can expect tons of kids and B can have a really great time with his friends.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, we were winding down last night shortly after the sun set and we heard a ring a dinga ding dong at the door. We were puzzled who could be at our house so "late" and ring like that. But when we opened the door no one was there.

But we found this:

It was a visit from the phantom! I've never in my life been visited by the phantom so I was really excited. Our job is to post the sign on our door showing we've been struck by the phantom then after dark we sneakily leave treats at 2 doors that don't have this sign up and leave the letter explaining what to do. Now, don't get me wrong, I cannot stand chain emails or chain anything for that matter but this is sweet fun and mischievous. I love being a part of a neighborhood like this.

You might like to stir up some magic of your own so just go here for the pages you need to get started. And have fun!!!

Where in the World

2010-10-15T06:42:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've been MIA all week. Things have been quite busy lately. Work is keeping me busy through the day, I'm still working on spiffing up this house (this will never end), I've been volunteering at B's school (I hung the Halloween decorations in the front hall this week and will help in the class next. I'm also the room mom so I've been trying to coordinate the fall party), I've been making decorations by hand (gasp) for Bitty's 1st birthday party, I've gone back to school so spend a lot of time studying (currently have an A which is better than I ever did as a know-it-all youngen), I watch dvr'ed shows with my husband after the kids are in bed (this is the best one) and well geez, my mind has a million things to process and pray about.

So there you have it. A pretty good excuse for why I'm being a shady blogger. Bitty's party is in 2 weeks then I have a plan to figure out this whole E-bay thing and sell as much as I can on there so I can avoid a garage sale. Then when I'm done earning some money back I'll give the rest to Rose Brooks Center and my heart will be happy. Bitty's annual Pig Roast fundraiser is coming in the spring so I'll also have to start my fundraising for that. And you know, the holidays are coming. Just wanted to point that out for those of you making your mental "to-do" list while reading this.

Okay, okay, lots and lots of excuses. I will do my best to be around. But if I can't find quality content I'm not going to waste your time either. Like I did today. Sorry.

The Boots

2010-10-14T10:22:00.001-05:00

Last week Nip and I celebrated our anniversary. I celebrated more than him. Because I have an awesome gift-giver on my hands. I've seen these in print and on blogs and every time I drool a little. My heart races and I think "I just can't" and "I'm not that trendy". But my husband disagrees. He's a good guy. Today, I'm wearing my new boots.

In gray (charcoal really), though the picture looks much darker.

Get Your Tiger Suit On

2010-10-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure to review KT Tunstall's new album, Tiger Suit. Maybe you never heard of her? Oh but I know you have. She's the Grammy nominated artist from Scotland and really hit it big here with "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and one of my favorites (thanks to The Devil Wears Prada), "Suddenly I See".

Tiger Suit is filled with a wide range of beats, strong lyrics and her raspy sultry voice. The first song, "Uummannaq Song" is hilarious. Not the lyrics or anything. And not KT, I wouldn't laugh at her. But what this song makes me do (think puppet on a string bouncing and bopping). I definitely want it playing as my alarm goes off. It'll really get you up and going in a good mood. Then there's "Still a Weirdo". The beat goes slow and her melodies are soft and flow really nicely. Play it in your car while your kids are touching each other, hungry, whiny or kicking your seat and you won't even realize they're in the car. The song "Push that Knot Away" has a great guitar plucking sound, is rock and pop mixed up and very fast paced so if you have 5 minutes to clean before your MIL comes over, this will help you make that happen. Can you tell I use music as a soundtrack for whatever I'm doing at any given moment? Go here to watch her video for the first single "Fade Like a Shadow" which is already a top 20 on the radio. And might I add that I made Nip listen to it while he was in my car and HE even liked a song, "Lost". This is definitely a woman's album, be it college woman or run-around-mom.

KT is going on tour soon. I think this would be a very fun Girls Night Out!

Oct 31 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR

Nov 1 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC

Nov 2 The Showbox SODO Seattle, WA

Nov 4 Knitting Factory Spokane, WA

Nov 5 Knitting Factory Boise, ID

Nov 7 Knitting Factory Reno, NV

Nov 8 Warfield Theatre San Francisco, CA

Nov 11 The Music Box Los Angeles, CA

Nov 12 House of Blues San Diego, CA

Nov 16 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO

Nov 18 Epic Minneapolis, MN

Nov 19 The Vogue Indianapolis, IN

Nov 21 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL

Nov 22 The Crofoot Detroit, MI

Nov 23 Phoenix Theatre Toronto, ON

Nov 25 Club Soda Montreal, QU

Nov 26 The Trocadero Philadelphia, PA

Nov 27 9:30 Club Washington, DC

Nov 29 House of Blues Boston, MA

Dec 1 Terminal 5 New York, NY

I don't like how some stations only play one or two songs per album and Tiger Suit has some very different must-hear songs so go out and get your own album or go here to buy it on the cheap. Throw an extra something in your cart and you can get free shipping. Bonus!

I received this cd at no charge to review. As always, all opinions are (abundant and) my very own. By posting I am entered into a random drawing for a $50 gift card from One2One Network.

5QF - Momma Like

2010-10-08T09:31:00.001-05:00

This has been one of those weeks. Where, every morning you reach in the cabinet for a coffee mug and then put it back and grab a much bigger one. I'm really excited for this weekend. We have our first ever babysitter for Bitty. It's a teacher at her school though so I'm sure it will be fine. And she'll be asleep before we even leave home. It will be fine. Won't it? Eeks. Well we are going to dinner at our first date spot then a movie to celebrate our anniversary. It doesn't seem like much but did I mention this is the FIRST babysitter ever for Bitty? It's a big deal. I'm even wearing skinny jeans. That means something to me!

Okie dokes, on with the show. It is Five Question Friday again over at My Little Life. Go linkity link up and have some fun because golly gorsh, it's FRIDAY!

1. What do you listen to while driving?

I listen to Bitty babble, I listen to B make his toys talk which is often times fascinating and melts my heart, I listen to whichever cd Nip has left in there (as long as it isn't Jimmy Buffett, sorry Parrotheads but I'm no fan), and I really like to listen to the 2 XM stations that came with the car. It's really just previews trying to get you to subscribe (we did at one time but decided free is better). Did you know there's a station just for fantasy football. Now, not to get off subject but this is one more thing I can't stand. But I love learning of these quirky little channels and think "who gets paid to do that!?!?"

2. What is your least favorite thing about Fall?
Oh that's like telling you my least favorite thing about ice cream. Hmm. My least favorite part is talking Nip into turning the heater on. He likes it cold, and I always feel cold. But this year I've already won one night with the "well the baby feels clammy and besides, don't you want to know if the furnace works correctly before it gets super cold???".

3. What does your dream house look like, inside and out?
Well that's easy! I live in it. It's a center hall colonial. Asymmetry asymmetry asymmetry. It just makes my heart giddy. I could spend the rest of my life here. I'd want to re-do some things but man, I love this house! The only way I could love it more would be if it were transplanted along the Maine/New Hampshire coast.

4. Would you ever own a minivan?
I've always said no way in the world will I be a mini-van mom! But B wants one. And I kind of like the redesigned Toyota Sienna. Hmm. No, no no no, I just can't do it. I'm an SUV mom. I love the one I have now but I'm pretty sure they stopped making them last year. I think I'd pick an Arcadia next.
Post Publish Edit: I love mini-van moms! I wish one would drive me around to ballet and for Happy Meals. I think they are compfy and nice but I bought into the stigma long ago. Shame on me.

5. Do you wash new clothes before wearing them?
Just undies and swimwear. Oh and dark denim because once I didn't and you know what happened. My legs looked like they had been punched all over and lost all blood flow, blotchy blue legs not so pretty.

Ok, that's it for me. You go link up now and let me know you did. I wanna see! Happy Friday!

Brothers

2010-10-07T09:39:00.002-05:00

I have brothers. Two of them. Older. Mean. They used to play keep away with my dolls. They broke my Care Bear big wheel and my fancy baby carriage. I'm still upset about this. The other day I saw B doing this:

That's Olivia. The lovable little pig. She is being clamped at the neck by a robotic arm. Well Grandma Bon Bon gave that to Bitty not too long ago and she just adores it. So naturally B does this. It's what brothers do. She didn't care much because she still thinks everything he does is amazing. But you just wait B. She'll learn all the tricks to get you in trouble soon enough.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-10-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

Three years ago today Nip and I married. After a tremendous amount of love and support from his family we had a beautiful wedding. Some things that will always come to mind are feeling guilty for having our rehearsal dinner on his sister's birthday and planning the wedding on the day our interstate rivals played. The things I'll never forget are the speech Nip's step-dad gave that made me feel so welcomed and loved, my husband tying my under bustles (I know I mention this a lot but seriously, I was left high and dry and he was there ready to help calm me down and get through it which seems to always be the case), and my son walking out into the reception with a tuxedo sans pants.

Nip has always been so good with B. You can see it when he's around any kid. They know when someone is purely good and he's one of those people. And I can't ever express how appreciative I am of his family welcoming both of us into their family, treating B like he's been their forever.

And since our wedding day we have built so many memories together. We've been through a lot of hard times and I know it just means we can tackle anything. There have been plenty of good times too. There have been promotions and new homes, a new baby, lots of laughs and lots of love.

Some of the things I love about Nip:

He eats my dinner even when it stinks. Even when I used condensed milk in my potato leek soup when I meant to use evaporated.
He makes me coffee nearly every morning. No one can make coffee like him!
Sometimes he runs out at 10pm to buy us an indulgent piece of pie or cake for no reason at all.
He doesn't seem to mind my "fine lines" and hopefully he knows they are laugh lines so it's all his fault.
He helps me fulfill my dreams of being a wonderful mother by supporting me and being a wonderful family by being ever present. Meaning, we do most things as a family and he never works too late to sit down to dinner.
He's the prayer leader at dinner and he shows B how to be a good, caring, strong man.
He rubs my back nearly every night. I am truly spoiled with this.
He works so hard at being a good dad and he's tops to me! He's proud of our kids, he dries tears and he plays on the floor, making them laugh until they can't breath.

Here are some things I'll never forget:

When we took a trip to New England he slammed a closet door on my forehead (on accident) so every time he slightly bumps me I yell "NEW ENGLAND!"
My husband is a master griller. I love watching him grill while I whip up a couple sides and the kiddos play in the yard. I don't think he realizes how much easier dinner time is on me or how hot he looks with a beer and pair of tongs. I said tongs, not thongs.
I wanted to learn to play golf so he bought me a set of clubs for no occasion at all then taught me. I might not be very good but it has nothing to do with his teaching skills and everything to do with my listening skills.
The way Nip's legs look on an 8 hour plane ride. I wish I could vow to always take first class. I love my Daddy Long Legs!
He takes the kids out to play so I can make dinner without a panic attack about hot water splattering on Bitty (she has recently planted herself onto my legs).

And there are plenty of things I'll keep in my heart (not because they aren't G rated bloggable but because they are our special memories to share).

Thank you Nip for being such an amazing husband and father and man. I love you more than you could ever know and I am so looking forward to all the years we have left ahead of us to grow our love even more, watch our babies sprout into young adults, calculate how long before the majority of our hair is gray and still love each other unconditionally.

More Fall Fun

2010-10-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

Pardon my formatting but Blogger and I aren't getting along today. This weekend was filled with more fall fun. We can't get enough of this time of year. AND since B is out of school today and in great need of feeling special we sent Bitty off to daycare and Nip and I are taking him to the zoo. The fun never stops!

A festival I've gone to since I was a wee one. Festivals are mostly about food right?

Yep

Awkward family photo. See the big fleece around my bottom half? That's Nip's jacket. My prince saved me after I split my pants. And when I say split, I mean full episiotomy. Of the pants.

B the gerbil

Ahh, carnivals.

KC Corn Maze was big and a ton of fun. But since I always think of Children of the Corn, a bit creepy.

We visited the pumpkin patch. NONE of us had ever been to one before and it was a ton of fun. And shout out to Groupon for saving us $15!

This is the Jumping Pillow. I've never seen such a thing but I decided I want one installed in my backyard. For me, not the kids.

All the fun gets tiring for little people.

Those are corn kernels. The germophobe me says ick but I bathed him in sanitizer when he was done.

He thinks these are baby pumpkins. I'm not bright enough to know but my dad says they are wild tomoatoes. Hmm. Baby pumpkins sounds so much more fun.

Oh my how I love these two!

Zip line. I ran around the house an entire day yelling "ZIP LIIIINE!"

What would a trip to the patch be without pumpkin doughnuts. Yes, I can make any event about food.

5QF - Randamndomrific

2010-10-01T09:16:00.001-05:00

It's Friday people! And I couldn't be happier. I've joined in on Five Question Friday again and I really think you should too!

1. Did you have a pen pal when you were little (or now)? Where were/are they from?

I briefly had a pen pal in a soldier stationed in Kuwait when I was little. Or was it Kosovo? I don't remember anything about him but I'm pretty sure my letters were all the same. You know, riveting. As riveting as could be produced by an 8 year old.

2. If you could do a different job for one day, what would it be?

I would take care of the sea turtles at Sea World. I happen to love turtles. So much so that I collect little statues made of unexpected stones and metals. Yeah, I'm going to be on Roadside Revelations when I'm 80 as the "crazy turtle lady".

3. Do you remember your biggest fear from when you were little?

The Killer Clown. Remember him? I do. And I remember my grandma letting me watch IT when it aired on TV. That didn't help. We were always playing in the woods, climbing through creeks, scaling trees and my brother would creep to me and whisper "I hear The Killer Clown" and I was run screaming all the way home. And lord help me if I ever saw a white van with no windows.

4. What do you think is a waste of time? Why?

Well with a 5 year old and 11 month old I'm going to say picking up toys. Seriously. What is so gratifying about dumping toys all over the house? Why do they feel like all is right with the world if they can ensure there is not a clear 2'x2' section of carpet visible? I know, I know. I'll miss it when it's gone. Seriously? No, I'll love it. I'll roll all over the floor and make carpet angels and have feet without gouge marks from Legos and Little People.

5. What is the oldest item you have in your closet?

Well you should know I'm a purger. If it is pilled or faded or stained it's gone. If it's stretched or too short it's outta there. So let's get technical. I have shoes, clothes and purses in my closet but I also have jewelry. Calm down robbers, the only valuable piece of jewelry I own is my ring and you'd have to pry it off my cold dead finger; and my pearls my husband bought me last year for my birthday are hiding. You'll never find them. Have you ever thought of hiding valuable in your cleaning supply bucket? I mean, most robbers are men and you know they aren't going near cleaning supplies. Okay, where was I? Oh yes, the oldest item is surely in my jewelry box. It's not jewelry though. It's a round plastic container with pink sand. You flip it one way and the sand sifts through to make a heart, turn over and it sifts through to say "I love you". I'm not sure why I still have this. It's from my "boyfriend" in 2nd grade. Yes, second grade! It just reminds me that when you are little you are so eager to grow up and now I'd give my left hand (minus my ring finger) for a little carefree youthfulness.

There you have it. Now your turn to play. Link up over at My Little Life. Now go enjoy your glorious October, fall, crisp, beautiful weekend!

What's Been Going On with B

2010-09-30T10:10:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I've given a full on update on B's life. It's gotten a lot more interesting since starting Kindergarten.

B's decided he doesn't need a wife, just buddies. I'm rather thankful my boy ~~will have~~ had this time in his life free from distractions. Then along came Grace...
After years of begging we started football this year. We made it through a few practices before deciding the league in our area just doesn't fit us. It's about winning, not for the team, for the coaches. We need B to have fun, learn the game and learn teamwork. That's not what this was about. So next year we plan to join another league, drive an hour away on school nights but it will be worth it. I don't want my guy learning the wrong fundamentals.

Nip has been taking B to the driving range on Tuesdays for lessons/guy time. He'll start on the course soon because he's pretty good. I picture our family foursome some day so this excites me. That, and I can't get him in a polo in any other setting.
I've been volunteering in B's class all I can. I really love knowing what his days are like. And I get to teach his advanced reading. It's him and another boy, Daniel. Who I happen to be in love with. Bitty can marry him some day. So smart and sweet and silly. B came home last night with the Advanced Homework Packet for October. To be honest, I wouldn't call his handwriting advanced but perhaps he just needs to apply himself. The kid gets 3-5 pink slips per week. Usually for not being a good listener. Maybe he's dreaming about Grace.

He can't decide what to be for Halloween but it's between Wolverine, the black Spiderman, Storm Shadow or Iron Man. I asked if he would be the devil so Bitty could be the angel and he got very angry and said "God would NOT like that! It's just wrong!" He has his own convictions and I respect that.
He's completed his Christmas list: a sign for my door that says "keep out", a dog and 5 Lego Star Wars guys. Very easy! Although I don't think I'll let him put a sign on his bedroom door until he's truly an angst ridden teen.
He has had some anxiety over his sister's new skills (I'll give you her update later) but basically he hoards toys, yells at her, drags her away yet feels like he can take toys from her whenever he wants. I will say, he also is very sweet and loving with her, watches out for her like only a brother can and is as proud as we are of her accomplishments. He's a great big brother!

That's about it. I love this kid. He is funny and smart. He's also very quick and a bit manipulative. I cannot resist those full lips and luscious eyelashes. He's Momma's boy indeed.

Luscious Eyelash Shot

I Tempted Fate and Won

2010-09-29T06:44:00.001-05:00

When B was in my belly I bought a pink cardigan I just couldn't resist. Years later I gave it to a friend who was actually expecting a girl. I said I'd never do that again. Then last year when I found out I was pregnant but before we found the gender I was out shopping with my friend Jennie and we saw this little pink ruffled Ralph Lauren shirt at Stein Mart. If you know my hubby, you know you will see him in a polo shirt so I just had to get this little girlie thing so someday ~~she~~ the baby could coordinate with daddy. Never mind that I don't know if I have a boy or a girl. Never mind it's a size 18mo. Jennie talked me into it. It was only $1.97 so it would be a bad decision to pass it up.

And am I ever glad I didn't pass it up! I finally have my girl and she finally fits in the shirt that started my dreams of sugar and spice.

Arachnophobia

2010-09-28T14:24:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Nip, Bitty and I set out for a very long walk on the trail that runs behind our house. This time we wanted to see if we could go farther than we had before. I just love living in the city but feeling like we can escape to nature. Pretty flowers, babbling creeks, fawns drinking, crazy gnarled trees like these.

But it wasn't long before I got the heebie jeebies. We saw no less than 30 nasty spiders. I am not a fan of spiders. They are just plain creepy. The benefit of having a creek behind our house is matched with a ton of spiders outside, in the unfinished part of our basement, spider webs all over our fence and house and it looks dingy. Bleh! Don't like this part. But I'll take it because I love the house. I had to stop taking photos because I was afraid they would jump in my hair and lay eggs in my skin if I was distracted by focusing the camera. Do you share this irrational fear or is it just me?

I've Never Met Drew Carey - I Promise!

2010-09-24T06:20:00.002-05:00

That's all I've got. Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

Truly Me, Truly Random

2010-09-23T15:42:00.001-05:00

An award? For moi? Why thank you Baloney!

See the picture? It says I'm versatile! I don't really know about that but I am compliant (most of the time) so I'll tell you 7 truths about me but I'm in one of those "I don't really want to tag anyone because I have no friends and I don't want to scare off the few readers out there" mood. BUT if you want to do this too I bestow unto you, this award.

Here are the rules:

•Reveal 7 truths about myself

•Select 7 blogs I would like to share this award with.

7 Truths

I used to put 8, yes 8 packets of sugar in my morning cup. And in the fall and winter, my evening cup. And in my ice tea. But I'm terrified of getting Diabetes so I now put 2 packets of Splenda in my coffee and none in my tea.
I'm a neat freak. A place for everything and everything in it's place. But when I was a kid I could hardly open my bedroom door, I would walk over piles of clothes and break stuff from walking on it all the time.
Even though I was a messy kid I refused to wear the same thing twice without a wash, took a shower every day and refused to walk around with my shoes off.
I also used to shave my arms because I thought the hair (although blond) was too long.
My knuckles are a ring size 8 3/4 and my actual ring size is 5 1/2. Poppity pop pop the knuckles!
My husband tied my 13 under bustles on my wedding dress after the ceremony.
I cannot explain why I am such a minimalist in some areas yet must have so much excess in others.

There you have it. Now YOU go forth and post your truths.

Bitty's New Thing - Mommying

2010-09-22T06:10:00.008-05:00

I know I just posted one but I've got to pick up the pace because this little girl is on the move!

Pay no mind to the snot on her upper lip. I'm sure if you've had babies this isn't new or gross to you.

Bitty usually puts her baby doll's foot in her mouth then sits on it while she's playing with blocks but for the first time she put the baby in her stroller. Ahh.

Anyone want to comment on why baby doll DFS should be called?

Bitty's New Thing - Gaspetti

2010-09-21T06:59:00.001-05:00

Well if she could speak she'd call it something like gaspetti. Which is what B called it. Now I have 2 kids that love Momma's spaghetti. Feels good. Except the part where I realize I give them straight sauce. The sauce before I actually put all the veggies and meat and herbs and simmer forever. So they like Momma's tomato sauce. I guess anything a mom makes for her babies has love in it and that's my go-to answer when someone asks for the secret ingredient to anything.

MckLinky Monday - My J-O-B in My Son's Eyes

2010-09-20T09:22:00.002-05:00

I'm doing it! I'm linking up to the RHOK's MckLinky Monday! I haven't done it yet because I'm not a Real Housewife of Oklahoma. I'm an Irrational Housewife of Kansas. Baloney urged me to and I try to be pleasing so here goes!

The question posed today was what my kids think I do. How would they introduce me on career day?

Well, Bitty would say I lay on the floor, play peek-a-boo and clean her highchair incessantly. She would use that word because she's a baby genius.

B on the other hand? He has told me what he thinks I do.

First, the truth. Yes, I work from home. No, I don't watch tv and play video games all day. I work with life insurance agents and insurance companies. I'm really a spy of sorts after having worked in insurance for 10 years and turning to the dark side to help agents sell their products. I help them decide where to write the policies based on their clients medical conditions and desires. I make sure they don't make any stupid mistakes which would hurt them in getting their business placed. And I try to keep the companies honest by calling them on their mistakes and crazy requests (they don't like me). This job requires a ton of patience, the ability to win an argument, what my client affectionately calls my "b1tch switch" and graciousness (after all the arguing I do get some favors thrown my way so being polite and thanking people appropriately is a must). I really do love my agents. They travel for hours, miss family dinners, fun parties, Monday Night Football (the shame) but mostly I love their wives for putting up with their excessive absence and hit or miss paychecks. I sure couldn't do it! They pay good money for leads so I basically (very basically) help them keep their money and make the most of the time they spend doing what they do.

How does B explain this? I work with these guys:

Oh Sweetie, Momma wishes! She actually works with these guys!

(And no, I do not work with either of these actual companies.)

Bitty's New Thing - Blame

2010-09-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

This week Bitty learned an important tool to get her through life. If you ask her who did something in an interrogative voice (such as "who dumped out all the cereal???") she will respond with a sweet sweet smile "braa braa" (that would be B).

This picture just made me realize my kids have flat heads. What's with that? Maybe it's those bricks I put on them to keep them from growing.

Purple Saturday

2010-09-18T06:18:00.000-05:00

Cuteness abounds around here on Saturdays. Bitty doesn't care who wins, I only care because I love Nip's good mood after a win plus he looks super hot (sorry to the family that might read this) in long sleeve tees, B looks irresistible in his K-State shirt, jeans and cowboy boots (now that's a Kansas boy!) and I just really really love wearing purple!

Happy Birthday Dear Nippie

2010-09-17T06:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet wonderful husband. You just keep looking better with age. Not that you are aging. Heck, you are only 31. Which makes me feel like a cougar since I'm aging at the speed of light.

This is the year I don't give you your present early. The year I make you your ice cream cake you always wanted but never get because those joints have peanuts. The year you get guy time at the game tomorrow. This is the year you get two digit candles instead of individual ones (my arm hair hasn't fully grown back yet). The year I wake up early with our baby. The year you have a baby girl (next year she'll sing "happy birthday dear Daddy"). This is the year I hope all your birthday wishes come true (that's every year!)!

Weekend Dump

2010-09-16T08:20:00.001-05:00

That's right my friends, the weekend is almost here and here I go again dumping my photos from last weekend on you. This weekend will be less impressive so I assure you I won't do this next week.

Fall is for festivals and I planned on going to two last weekend but the weather was beautiful and the first was just so nice, not crowded, plenty of food and shopping and activities galore so we stayed all day.

The Spinach Festival

Ill weighted paddle boats

I considered not posting this because you know, the gut...and my shirt all scrunched up. But check out my do! If I had an inflatable obstacle course in my backyard that gut would have a limited engagement.

Some weird serpent sculpture and some sweet classic cars.

B and Nip doing a Home Depot craft. We see this tent at a lot of festivals and I just love it! They made a bean bag toss.

Bitty after her massive loss in the Swee'Pea Crawling Contest. I'd show video but we're calling her name and you know how I feel about people stealing my baby.

What's a spinach festival without Popeye and Olive Oil?

And that rhino is Rudy. I'm so glad schools started sending home a stuffed pet to journal. SO much easier than transporting and keeping a gerbil alive.

I Want to Rip My Skin Off

2010-09-15T06:43:00.001-05:00

I hate mornings. I mean, I really despise them. But it was a beautiful day. I walked B to school. My wonderful husband prepared a nice mug of coffee for me to enjoy along the way. I got the look-back-wave-I-love-you-mommy. I walked home down the path with the creek babbling which I guess makes it a brook but whatever. It was just perfect. Then I noticed the steam coming off my fence and tried to capture it which didn't work. But when I was over there I saw this home.

And this inhabitant. Who was about 3 feet from the main quarters. I'm sure this lovely guest would have paid me the rent he owed for taking up residence in my yard but he couldn't.

I made Nip smash the piss out of him. Nasty nasty thing tries to get in my house? Now he's met Momma.

(And if you are about to call PETA just calm down cookie and click on the photo for a nice close up - you'd do the same thing)

Girlie Girlie Birthday

2010-09-14T06:50:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe Bitty will be turning one in less than 2 months. Being me, ideas started twirling around in my head months ago as to the type of party I would throw for her. It's quite a special day as she will be turning 1 and my dad will share the day turning 60. Trying to combine the two parties was very difficult for me. I had planned an "heirloom" type theme but just couldn't wrap my hands around the specifics. Lucky me I have a friend who is a fantastic party planner; creative, intuitive and caring. If you need help for any type of celebration from a birthday to a wedding go see Trina at Fancy That Events!

Then my dad begged me to just focus on Bitty. I'm so sad we can't throw a bash for his big 6-0 but I get it too. AND it made my life a heck of a lot easier! As I was browsing around Etsy for ideas I found Jessica Wood and absolutely fell in love with every pretty piece of paper in her store! I found the perfect invite for Bitty's party.

Isn't it so perfectly pretty? And Jessica responded quickly to my questions on color and we were off. She changed the verbiage to "Please Join Us for (Bitty's) 1st Birthday Celebration" and I received the invites within the week. The invites came in a nice cellophane wrapper that made them look like they deserved to be in a museum. Did I mention how pretty they are? The paper is textured and the edges are rounded. And the best part of all? The envelopes! They are a chartreuse, also textured. Pretty pretty pretty. I'm in love. So in love I'm ordering coordinating thank you cards and maybe just everything else in the shop. There are gift sets as well and I know how we all love pretty stationery! I might just get some for myself too! You just have to go check out her shop and you'll be dying to get your hands on all these pretty items too.

So now that I've got the first piece out of the way I am focusing on the details. The color pallette will go with the invite, a chocolately plum and chartreuse. The theme, song birds. The time, mid day. It's all so perfectly girlie for our sweet girl. I know she won't remember it but I always will. If I'm going to be sobbing all day about how time flies I might as well do it being surrounded by beautiful decorations and my angel in a big puffy party dress. I will absolutely post on how it all comes together and maybe even some beforehand snipits of my handmade decorations. Pray for me. I'm no Martha.

Note: I received no compensation for my review. As always, all opinions are (abundant and) my own.

Happy Grandparents Day!

2010-09-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

I'm a day late but what's new? Happy Grandparent's Day to all those wonderful grammy and papas out there. My kids were blessed with a gaggle of wonderful grandparents. It doesn't matter how many grand kids they collect, they are so thoughtful and loving and caring to each and every one. They hold a special place in my heart.

Bitty with Grandma and Daddy.

B loves fishing with Papa. He's never sat so long to do ANYTHING!

Grandpa with 3 of his 5 boys and his one and only girl. He's coming to B's school for the Grandparents Tea. B said "Tea parties are for girls! NOT boys and grandpas!"

Sure wish I had a parents of the kids with Nip's dad and step-mom. Considering we had dinner with them just last Friday I have no excuse other than forgetting to put my camera in people's faces. I'll do that next time!

Our Weekend Before the Weekend

2010-09-10T09:17:00.001-05:00

Let's just say this has been a week. I cannot wait for the weekend to begin. Fall is by far my favorite season with the festivals, football, family activities galore, chili cook offs (I'm awesome at one thing and baby, that's chili!), and did I mention festivals? There must be about 10 this weekend but since we have tons of other things to do I only get to hit up two. And Nip would rather do pretty much anything other than that so he is quite a sweet guy to put up with me this time of year (may I just say I am at risk for having to put up with shouting and bad moods every Saturday until January?). To truly enjoy our time I've got to purge my brain and download my pictures. That leaves you with tons of pictures. I'll keep the words brief. Maybe.

Last Friday we went to our last baseball game of the season and since the Royals make me want to cry we went to a T-Bones game. All the seats are great, it's really family oriented and it's 10 minutes from my house.

Hot dogs, sno cones, cotton candy. That's what it's all about.

Fall? My hair's back to brown. I think blonds do have more fun. So tell me, should I change it back?

The best part of family time is seeing how much these kids love each other (you know, when there's no chance for "mooom, she's touching me/playing with my toys/drool bombing meeee!")

Saturday Nip's mom and step-dad came to town. We dragged them out to the Farmstead because you know, they live in the country so when you come to the city why not go to a fabricated farm? Well, it's one of B's favorite places to go so he wanted to share that with them.

1800's school house. With giant soccer lights soaring above it.

The barn and bank.

The fishing lake.

Old banking equipment, am I the only one that thinks they are so pretty?

I would have taken her home with me if no one would notice. Like um my neighborhood association.

How can something so ugly taste so good?

Papa telling Nip about the olden days when you stored corn in the walls of the barn and uh yeah I'm not sure I wasn't really listening because that cutie pie calf was right behind me.

Papa and B in one of the tee pees at the Kanza Indian Encampment.

All the boys fishing.

Don't look at my gut or thunder thighs, just look at Bitty's joy. My girl loves baby animals as much as I do!

The weekend wrapped up with a visit from Nip's sister, brother-in-law and our sweet niece and nephew. Bitty looks a little like our niece and I'm excited and terrified about that because this girl is one of the most beautiful young ladies I've ever seen. These kids make my heart melt. They are so good and ate my food which is NOT kid friendly. They were also so patient with B and great with Bitty. I hate that we don't get to see family more. Kids grow too fast. But it was a great weekend and it would be a dream to have more of these.

Double Ones

2010-09-09T12:59:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to my nephew! He's 11 now so I can't show you a close up and gush over his big brown eyes and sweet little dimples, button nose, darling ears, or that little bit o' mustache I noticed him sprouting. No, that would embarrass him. I can't say things like that he's always been so fascinated by boobs that he used to try to cop feels on me as a tot or that when I announced I had B in my belly he shouted "he can't live here!" and stomped upstairs (no I didn't live there so that was an irrational thought of a 5 year old). I can't say how proud I was of that handsome boy as he so graciously agreed to be the ring bearer in our wedding or that I love that he's in our "youngest sibling" club and even though he's too big for me to call him my little monkey pants anymore and that I just adore that teenargery (that's a word) thing he does with his hair like it's totally annoying his face and it whisps to the side a little. Those things would mortify him. So here's a shot of him (Top Middle) being the fierce animal that he is.

Excitement

2010-09-02T08:50:00.005-05:00

When Grandma and Papa are coming to town we get excited around here. I can get people to clean, put stuff away, and I get to plan a fun menu and itinerary. What? You know I'm a type A freak! We even get to see rarely seen siblings/nieces/nephews! So while I bid you ado for the next week or so I'll leave you with the kids very different excited faces.

The Difference a Day Makes

2010-08-31T09:49:00.004-05:00

The History

You may recall a brief mention of my heart condition here but let me elaborate. I spent my entire life passing out. At recess, school dances, science lab, the mall, the grocery store, at home. I suffered a lot of head concussions (explains so much right?). I could always feel the episodes coming on with feeling hot and nervous, seeing yellow stars, the volume around me being amplified. While I was growing up it was written off that I may have been malnourished and later anorexic. Finally as a teen a doctor mentioned it might be related to my heart but nothing was ever done. When I turned 18 I was sick of not knowing and sought out a cardiologist. I was treated with medication but the symptoms persisted and the neurological side was getting worse (loss of functions, erratic movements, my hearing and vision were in overdrive when I would faint, etc) and when I complained to the doc he became quite the arse. I found an organization in California that served as a support group for people with a similar condition. The wonderful woman referred me to my current doctor. He's one of the best Cardiologists/Electrophysiologists in the US. And lucky lucky me, his office was 10 minutes from my house. He ran a few tests and quickly determined that not only did I have this condition but it was too severe to be treated with medicine alone. My heart was stopping every time I passed out. I needed a pacemaker.

That was 10 years ago. He fixed me! I haven't even come close to passing out since. I've lived a normal life. I got married and stood at the altar. I had two healthy babies. I can work and shop and travel and do all the things I at one time thought I would never get to experience.

1 Year Ago

My doc told me my battery was close to dying and I hadn't paced in a long time so perhaps I'd outgrown my condition. We made the scary decision to "wait and see". Well sure enough the battery died when I was 8 months pregnant with Bitty. We planned to wait 1 year. If nothing happened we would take the pacemaker out. If something happened (and it wasn't immediate death) we would put a new pacemaker in.

Present Day

It's been one year with no assistance in the heart beating, blood pumping to the brain category. We were narrowing in on the day I'd have the pacemaker removed.

Last week started out like any other week. I made it through a very busy Monday, continued eating healthy food, worked out, had dinner with my dear friend. I woke up Tuesday, got myself ready and went downstairs to get the kids ready. I started having really bad abdominal pain and thought it might be from the work out or Thai food the day before. Hush! And then it happened. My heart stopped.

These episodes are something Nip had never experienced since I was fixed before he met me. So I'm sure I scared the poo out of him. I'm just thankful he was still home and hadn't left me alone with B yet. We called the doc and he ordered us to come to the hospital the next day for a brand spankin new pacemaker. It was just a slap in the face. No tests, no appointment, just come in tomorrow so we can cut your chest open, rip something out of it and shove a new something back in. I didn't have time to process it so reflecting on it is the only way I can grasp what even happened last week. I feel like I was sucked up in a tornado and spit out in Dodge City. With no cute ruby slippers I might add!

Well, Voila, fixed for another 10 years. Just bummed I really hadn't outgrown my condition.

Now, I know I have an amazing doctor but seriously, my heart has stopped hundreds of times and every time it reminds me that God is not ready to take me from this world yet. I won't go into the visions I have when I'm passed out because you really can't understand until it happens to you. I just know my work here isn't done. That feeling of being sent to the edge and brought back is truly indescribable. I am so blessed.

Now that the boring explanation and deep life reflection is out of the way, let's get to the funny photos and embarrassing drug-induced quotes!

The Heart Center is amazingly new and beautiful. Here I am pre-op.

Aaaand post-op. I really liked the red light on my finger and was quite excited about the full on menu they handed me to order my on-demand food. Now that's service!

"I was dreaming about driving a Maserati while eating popcorn". That's what I said. I don't know why I dreamt this but drugs are a wee bit o fun.
I had marks all over me. I don't know why, feet, ankles, chest and all the surgical tape goo residue all over my body! For days! The tech told Nip when they were taking the tape off me in the operating room that I yelled "KELLY CLARKSON" like Steve Carell in 40 Year Old Virgin. Nice.

After 6 short hours in the hospital they sent me packing. I felt like I elected the regular pedicure instead of the spa pedicure. Look at all that blue stuff on me! I washed it off at home. Oh and enjoy my bra-strap/tugged too low top. I was still loopy!

So I'm a little sore but feeling good. My husband is amazing and has taken great care of me and the kids. He even had to wash my hair! And cut Bitty's fingernails! Today I was able to shower myself and I can move my arm around more and more each day. I sure miss picking up my babies and swirling them around. Thank you God for giving me the opportunity to continue doing this - I'll do it more than ever!

Bitty's New Thing - Food

2010-08-30T06:45:00.001-05:00

Our big girl loves to feed herself. In fact, she really dislikes being fed. She's trying to master the pincer grip but in the mean time she manages to coax the food in. She has not turned away anything we have offered her yet. I think pears, turkey and avacados are her favorite so far.

One Room a Month - August

2010-08-27T06:49:00.001-05:00

For my August project I needed something easy and cheap to stay on budget. I picked my closet. I know, another small insignificant room but it needed something.

I bought a 108"x84" sheer. I wavered on the color and still am. It's a copper tone. I needed to cut it to my ceiling height of 96" so I laid the whole thing across the floor.

Marked it with B's crayon (closest thing I could find) and made my cut.

I used Seam a Steam to create the rod pockets on top and bottom. You know, I'm not crafty and I don't own a sewing machine.

Then I hung the rods at the ceiling and baseboard, hung the drapery and voila.

The only thing left was to hang the picture I picked out at Z Gallerie. I know it's odd but I have a thing for monarchs, they always make me smile. And this model has a timeless look -perfection. The idea was nice in my head but I'm not in love with this so tell me if you hate it or have any suggestions. Maybe I need a cream colored duponi behind it. Or maybe I just need to rip the whole idea down. Still thinking on that.

Warning to Spouse: Oncoming Christmas not-so-subtle hint. The only thing my closet needs now is a beveled mirror jewelry armoire hanging on the other wall and maybe some lined baskets on the shelves. Oh and a new pair of tall brown brushed leather wedge heel boots. What? Fall is coming!

One Room a Month - July

2010-08-26T06:44:00.000-05:00

After completing Bitty's room I felt like I needed to show Nip some love. Since redoing the basement into a man cave is out of the question I picked the toilet room off our master bath. It's pretty much a 4x3 area he can be alone. I could do something I wouldn't do in any other part of the house and be okay with it.

So Nip got golf green walls. This picture is the country club where we had our rehearsal dinner. I had to add a little aww in there.

This is a simple canvas hanging folder that will be used for magazines.

I found these little golf items at Hobby Lobby along with the shelf that hangs over the throne. (More aww: the picture is of us at a course in St. Lucia)

This basket seemed outdoorsy and kind of manly and I needed a little function in there also.

Well that was simple! Except the painting a tiny space on a ladder while my big arse brushes up against the opposite wall 25 times. Come back tomorrow to see my August project. No painting involved!

One Room a Month - June

2010-08-25T06:13:00.001-05:00

Early in the summer I felt overwhelmed with decorating ideas so I made a plan. I'll work on one room per month mixing in "cheap" and "expensive" months so our budget doesn't go crazy. And now that I finally have a new camera I'll play catch up the next few days of what I've been working on.

Bitty's Room

Before we moved into our new house I had Bitty's room painted much like her original nursery. A sweet pink with a rose colored accent wall. It turned out Barbie pink instead. I couldn't live with it and never got around to calling the painter back. Since he did the dirty work I knew it wouldn't be hard to paint over it. I'm so glad I did!

This was the second I took my new camera out of the package so forgive the quality of the shots.

After the wall was repainted I was able to hang her decor. This mirror has little roses around it.

Her room is full of songbirds and roses. Her bedding is a pink toile with gingham ribbons. I'll call it a garden theme instead of "my mommy likes anything girlie" theme. Now that the changing table is off this dresser it needs some work. A work in progress. (please excuse the wipes box on the glider)

I found these knobs at Pottery Barn Kids. They worked out perfectly in Louisville as closet knobs but I only bought four so I had to make them work in this room.

This soft glowing lamp is perfect for transitioning to bedtime. I found it at PBK also (though I'm pretty sure this is discontinued).

I'd like to find a little ball of roses to hang from her coat rack and something floral to add on top of the armoire.
The light fixture was an aged bronze so I painted over it with a cream and somehow the rose color just kind of came out of the metal. Fine by me!

And finally I hung her curtains.

I also love cherry blossom trees (there's one outside the window) but that's just too much so for now I'm on the look out for the perfect rose decals. I'd paint it myself but remember, I'm not crafty! A loooong time from now when she outgrows her crib I'd like a white set with a daybed. I'll paint the trim white and add crown moulding. For now, I'll enjoy calling this a nursery.

Bitty's New Thing - SO Big!

2010-08-24T06:42:00.000-05:00

Every time I blink our baby girl is doing something new. So I thought I'd share these things with you. Since I'm just starting this, you missed out on rolling over, crawling, standing, cruising, clapping, saying bra bra (that would be B), momma, and dada. This one is pretty darn cute though! Every baby loves it. Sooooo Big! With that exaggerated inflection in your voice. Makes my girl smile every time. Momma too.

Weekend Wrap Up - Free Eye Candy

2010-08-22T09:51:00.002-05:00

The weekend started off with my baby's runny nose then low grade fever. Friday night she stayed up pretty much all night. On Saturday I began baking brownies for our neighborhood's annual pig roast. Since we are new to the neighborhood we were excited to meet more neighbors and hopefully some families our age. Thankfully Bitty was feeling much better so we knew we could all go. I volunteered Nip and I to man the dunk tank. Somehow Nip got out of it! I had a lot of fun though and B dunked 5 people!

There was a ton of food, a live band, moon walk and obstacle course, and the fire department came and sprayed down the kiddies. It was held in a cul-de-sac half a block from our house which was perfect because our yard wasn't trampled, we could run home anytime we needed anything, and the late party people didn't keep us up. We also met a couple really nice families and B met one very bossy little girl. Instead of falling in love and complying to her demands he gave her back her glow necklace and sent her packing. That's my boy.

Now, for that eye candy I promised you. Enjoy!