Why so nauseous you ask?
I'm pregnant!
Yeppers! Hubs and I are ecstatic to announce that we are expecting a baby in November! I'm 13 weeks pregnant and have been so very nauseous for so many weeks! I'm almost convinced we're having a boy, based on the nausea and my cravings for salty foods. Would you believe I have had NO desire to eat ANYTHING sweet?! I think I lived on cake while I was pregnant with LO!
What's terribly disappointing is that my mother-in-law apparently was nauseous the ENTIRE TIME she was pregnant with hubs (no surprise there). So I'm not expecting this to improve any time soon. But I'm okay with it, because our family is going to be blessed with a beautiful little miracle in just 6 short months!
Woot!
BTW... We're calling this one "TO" (no, not for Terrell Owens, but for "Tiny One"). We figure this baby is smaller than LO, so tiny seemed like a good fit.
Although if LO had her way, she'd refer to him/her as her baby "sticker" (translation: "baby sister"). She says she wouldn't mind a baby brother, either.
Life is good! God is good!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Apple Bottom Jeans
I saw this today and couldn't help but share with you! Here's a little somethin' for those of you needing a good laugh today!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Only 13 Hours, 15 Minutes To Go!
I'm sitting next to hubs on our couch in our living room. We're both sporting our respective laptops on our laps while watching mindless TV -- in this case, "This is Howie Do It." So what makes this Friday any different than any other Friday night?
LO is not here.
That's right!
Hubs and I have never spent a night away from her in all of her 19 months, 2 weeks and 2 days of life! But we (I) decided it would be healthy for LO to spend a night away from her loving mommy and daddy, you know, to help her grow and develop her individuality, etc. I read somewhere that she needs to know that she can count on other people to meet her basic needs (other people such as her loving Mona!). In reality, this whole thing is mostly for my benefit. Not that I want or need any separation from my lovely daughter, but I want to have a healthy relationship with her and somehow or another I think this will help. When she's older, I want her to be able to have sleepovers at her friends houses, go to summer camp and do other activities on her own without needing her mommy to hold her hand (again, see how this is really all about ME?!).
Anywho, guess I'll get back to TV viewing and finishing up some laundry. I sure hope I can make it 'til tomorrow morning at 10 AM!
LO is not here.
That's right!
Hubs and I have never spent a night away from her in all of her 19 months, 2 weeks and 2 days of life! But we (I) decided it would be healthy for LO to spend a night away from her loving mommy and daddy, you know, to help her grow and develop her individuality, etc. I read somewhere that she needs to know that she can count on other people to meet her basic needs (other people such as her loving Mona!). In reality, this whole thing is mostly for my benefit. Not that I want or need any separation from my lovely daughter, but I want to have a healthy relationship with her and somehow or another I think this will help. When she's older, I want her to be able to have sleepovers at her friends houses, go to summer camp and do other activities on her own without needing her mommy to hold her hand (again, see how this is really all about ME?!).
Anywho, guess I'll get back to TV viewing and finishing up some laundry. I sure hope I can make it 'til tomorrow morning at 10 AM!
Monday, March 9, 2009
How's This Go Again?
Our living room. Last night. I'm lounging on the couch watching TV. LO is asleep. Hubs headed to the bathroom (not for the reason you're thinking, though).
He comes out to the living room a few minutes later, holding a plug-in night light. It's the automatic kind that turns on when it's dark, and off when there's enough light in the room. It's not rocket science.
So he walks into the living room looking dumbfounded, staring intently at the night light and then asks me, "How's this go again?"
I said, rather sarcastically, "Well, first you plug it in, then--"
"Oh, ya," he says. "Plug it in."
Um, seriously!?
Yep! That's my hubs! He's been a bit overworked and mentally exhausted lately, so I cut him some slack. But certainly not until after I made fun of him several times!
He comes out to the living room a few minutes later, holding a plug-in night light. It's the automatic kind that turns on when it's dark, and off when there's enough light in the room. It's not rocket science.
So he walks into the living room looking dumbfounded, staring intently at the night light and then asks me, "How's this go again?"
I said, rather sarcastically, "Well, first you plug it in, then--"
"Oh, ya," he says. "Plug it in."
Um, seriously!?
Yep! That's my hubs! He's been a bit overworked and mentally exhausted lately, so I cut him some slack. But certainly not until after I made fun of him several times!
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Good & The Bad
It was Tuesday evening. Approximately 7:28 PM. I had just finished a lovely dinner with hubs, LO and Mona (LO's grandma/my mom). I sat down at the desk to look something up online, but my precious MacBook wasn't responding.
Slight panic.
I couldn't force quit any of the programs that weren't responding. I listened closely and heard a not-ever-good sound of the hard drive clicking.
Serious panic.
That's disastrous. Coming from the PC world, I immediately recognized that sound as it seemed to happen to PCs quite often. I had never experienced such a sound on my nearly 21-month-old MacBook.
I had to do the ol' hold-down-the-power-button-til-it-gives-up-and-turns-off approach.
I gave it a second to chill out.
I pressed the power button again to turn it on.
It seemed lost. It wasn't sure what to do. The hard drive kept clicking and all I got was a gray screen.
Then a little file folder appeared in the center of the screen with a question mark in it.
This can't be good.
I call dear ol' AppleCare support, am quickly transferred to a Apple technician, who, after walking me through a few different steps, was able to confirm my worst fear: the hard drive was in fact DEAD.
I could have panicked like a crazy fool at this point, but I smiled at my lovely 1 Terabyte external hard drive, running Time Machine (Apple's wondrous back-up software), and knew full well that none of my precious data would be lost.
But of course, before I could restore my data, I needed to have my hard drive replaced. Luckily, there is an Apple-certified repair place located a short 20-minute drive away. It also just so happens that the assistant manager there is a very good friend of mine. We'll leave it at that.
SO... I call the store, which we'll refer to as the Apple Store, even though this store is--from my understanding (only because I've never been to a genuine Apple Store)--not even close to being an official, genuine, state-of-the-art Apple Store. I happened to speak with my good friend, shared my bad news, and decided I would bring my MacBook in the very next morning.
So the next morning arrives. LO and I find a wonderful parking spot just outside the Apple Store. I get her loaded up in her stroller and head inside.
I can't find the store.
Seriously.
I look around, check the posted directory thingy, but no Apple Store.
I see a big poster with a Mac on it, so I know I'm in the right place. Just gotta find it.
I managed to recall my friend telling me the store was located on the 2nd floor, so we hopped in the elevator and managed to stumble upon said Apple Store.
I drop off my lifeline to the outside world (you know, my MacBook) and am shocked to hear it might be Monday before it's ready. Keep in mind it's currently Wednesday morning. Apparently Monday was a "worst case scenario." Alrighty then.
Wednesday afternoon, around 5:30 PM, I get a call from the Apple Store. They confirmed the hard drive failed, said they would order a new one, which will be sent priority overnight (arriving Thursday morning), and my MacBook should be ready for pick-up late Thursday afternoon.
Whew!!!
By this time, I've gone almost a full 24 hours with no Internet access. Seriously people. I started twitching by about hour 6. It sucked. But the end was in sight!
So I called the Apple Store on Thursday to verify the hard drive came in and we were still on schedule. They couldn't tell me. Apparently the sales folks didn't have any updates from the repair folks. Lovely.
I called back several hours later. Still no update. They give me the number to the repair folks.
Nope. No hard drive. Guess it'll come in tomorrow (Friday) morning they tell me.
Fabulous.
I wait until around 10AM Friday morning--after priority overnight shipments should have been delivered--and call the store. There's still no update in their system.
Seriously??
The manager gave me the number to the repair folks. I call.
Nope. The hard drive did NOT arrive as expected. So where was it? The repair guy couldn't tell me. Said he didn't have access to the tracking information for the package.
Ummmm, okay...? Is there any way you can get the tracking information?
He says he guesses he can call Apple.
Super.
Great idea.
He calls me back 20 minutes later and says it's supposedly out on the truck for delivery. Argh. Apparently once it's delivered to the store, a courier person takes the packages over to the repair site, which is about a 10 minute drive from the store.
I'm getting fed up.
Friday afternoon I have hubs call the store. I can't deal with it much more before I'll go crazy. He calls the store and they tell him the hard drive was delivered around 2:30 PM on Friday afternoon. The kicker was that the courier guy left around 4:00 PM to run packages over the repair guys, and left my hard drive at the store.
Are you kidding me?!
Does it really have to be this hard?!
The store didn't make any effort or attempt to rectify the issues. Granted, it may have been the delivery company's fault for taking 2-1/2 days to deliver a priority overnight package. I dunno. But the Apple Store made no effort to follow up on the delivery or do anything to accept fault for not sending the hard drive to the repair folks when it arrived. I'm telling you, hubs was telling them HE would go to the store, pick up my hard drive, and TAKE IT over to the repair guys.
He ended up talking with a repair guy who said he'd stop by the store Saturday morning to pick up the hard drive on his way to the repair place so the laptop could be ready to be picked up Saturday afternoon.
Day 4.
Four days without my MacBook.
Four days to replace a single hard drive.
This is NOT rocket science, people.
Apparently someone was supposed to pick up the repaired equipment from the repair guys Saturday afternoon, take them to the Apple Store, and then I would receive a phone call informing me my laptop was ready to be picked up.
Hubs wasn't going to wait for a call.
On Saturday, he got in the car at 2:30 PM and headed downtown. He was ready and willing to pace impatiently at the Apple Store until my laptop arrived.
After he left, I decided to call the store just to get an update and to see exactly how long my patient husband would be patiently waiting.
Surprise!!!
Ya, my laptop was already at the store and ready to be picked up.
I'm sorry, where was my phone call informing me of this?!!?
OMG.
I was at my wits' end with these folks. This entire process was an absolute NIGHTMARE. I mean, I could have expected better from PC repair folks. THAT'S how bad this experience was.
Painful.
The icing on the cake was that when I opened up my MacBook, it was Absolutely. Filthy.
We're talking dust everywhere, smears on the screen, and a little dab of what (I hope) was chocolate smooshed outside the keyboard and onto the border surrounding the screen.
Gag.
(Side note: Before I took it in for repair, I cleaned the crap (not literally) out of my machine, as I would've been SO embarrassed to submit a filthy machine for repair. I'm of the old-school mindset that says "return it in better condition than you found it.")
Now, you're wondering where the "Good" is in all of this, right?
Well, after hubs brought my beloved MacBook home, I hooked it up to my lovely 1TB external hard drive, selected my Time Machine backup, and in less than 45 minutes, my MacBook was restored to its previous glory. As in, exactly where I left off on Tuesday evening when it crashed. And all it took was 2 or 3 clicks of the mouse.
Apple MacBook? LOVE IT!
My experience with the Apple Store? Wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy.
My apologies to my dear friend who works as an assistant manager at said store. Luckily, he wasn't one of the people I had to deal with in the aforementioned ordeal.
Slight panic.
I couldn't force quit any of the programs that weren't responding. I listened closely and heard a not-ever-good sound of the hard drive clicking.
Serious panic.
That's disastrous. Coming from the PC world, I immediately recognized that sound as it seemed to happen to PCs quite often. I had never experienced such a sound on my nearly 21-month-old MacBook.
I had to do the ol' hold-down-the-power-button-til-it-gives-up-and-turns-off approach.
I gave it a second to chill out.
I pressed the power button again to turn it on.
It seemed lost. It wasn't sure what to do. The hard drive kept clicking and all I got was a gray screen.
Then a little file folder appeared in the center of the screen with a question mark in it.
This can't be good.
I call dear ol' AppleCare support, am quickly transferred to a Apple technician, who, after walking me through a few different steps, was able to confirm my worst fear: the hard drive was in fact DEAD.
I could have panicked like a crazy fool at this point, but I smiled at my lovely 1 Terabyte external hard drive, running Time Machine (Apple's wondrous back-up software), and knew full well that none of my precious data would be lost.
But of course, before I could restore my data, I needed to have my hard drive replaced. Luckily, there is an Apple-certified repair place located a short 20-minute drive away. It also just so happens that the assistant manager there is a very good friend of mine. We'll leave it at that.
SO... I call the store, which we'll refer to as the Apple Store, even though this store is--from my understanding (only because I've never been to a genuine Apple Store)--not even close to being an official, genuine, state-of-the-art Apple Store. I happened to speak with my good friend, shared my bad news, and decided I would bring my MacBook in the very next morning.
So the next morning arrives. LO and I find a wonderful parking spot just outside the Apple Store. I get her loaded up in her stroller and head inside.
I can't find the store.
Seriously.
I look around, check the posted directory thingy, but no Apple Store.
I see a big poster with a Mac on it, so I know I'm in the right place. Just gotta find it.
I managed to recall my friend telling me the store was located on the 2nd floor, so we hopped in the elevator and managed to stumble upon said Apple Store.
I drop off my lifeline to the outside world (you know, my MacBook) and am shocked to hear it might be Monday before it's ready. Keep in mind it's currently Wednesday morning. Apparently Monday was a "worst case scenario." Alrighty then.
Wednesday afternoon, around 5:30 PM, I get a call from the Apple Store. They confirmed the hard drive failed, said they would order a new one, which will be sent priority overnight (arriving Thursday morning), and my MacBook should be ready for pick-up late Thursday afternoon.
Whew!!!
By this time, I've gone almost a full 24 hours with no Internet access. Seriously people. I started twitching by about hour 6. It sucked. But the end was in sight!
So I called the Apple Store on Thursday to verify the hard drive came in and we were still on schedule. They couldn't tell me. Apparently the sales folks didn't have any updates from the repair folks. Lovely.
I called back several hours later. Still no update. They give me the number to the repair folks.
Nope. No hard drive. Guess it'll come in tomorrow (Friday) morning they tell me.
Fabulous.
I wait until around 10AM Friday morning--after priority overnight shipments should have been delivered--and call the store. There's still no update in their system.
Seriously??
The manager gave me the number to the repair folks. I call.
Nope. The hard drive did NOT arrive as expected. So where was it? The repair guy couldn't tell me. Said he didn't have access to the tracking information for the package.
Ummmm, okay...? Is there any way you can get the tracking information?
He says he guesses he can call Apple.
Super.
Great idea.
He calls me back 20 minutes later and says it's supposedly out on the truck for delivery. Argh. Apparently once it's delivered to the store, a courier person takes the packages over to the repair site, which is about a 10 minute drive from the store.
I'm getting fed up.
Friday afternoon I have hubs call the store. I can't deal with it much more before I'll go crazy. He calls the store and they tell him the hard drive was delivered around 2:30 PM on Friday afternoon. The kicker was that the courier guy left around 4:00 PM to run packages over the repair guys, and left my hard drive at the store.
Are you kidding me?!
Does it really have to be this hard?!
The store didn't make any effort or attempt to rectify the issues. Granted, it may have been the delivery company's fault for taking 2-1/2 days to deliver a priority overnight package. I dunno. But the Apple Store made no effort to follow up on the delivery or do anything to accept fault for not sending the hard drive to the repair folks when it arrived. I'm telling you, hubs was telling them HE would go to the store, pick up my hard drive, and TAKE IT over to the repair guys.
He ended up talking with a repair guy who said he'd stop by the store Saturday morning to pick up the hard drive on his way to the repair place so the laptop could be ready to be picked up Saturday afternoon.
Day 4.
Four days without my MacBook.
Four days to replace a single hard drive.
This is NOT rocket science, people.
Apparently someone was supposed to pick up the repaired equipment from the repair guys Saturday afternoon, take them to the Apple Store, and then I would receive a phone call informing me my laptop was ready to be picked up.
Hubs wasn't going to wait for a call.
On Saturday, he got in the car at 2:30 PM and headed downtown. He was ready and willing to pace impatiently at the Apple Store until my laptop arrived.
After he left, I decided to call the store just to get an update and to see exactly how long my patient husband would be patiently waiting.
Surprise!!!
Ya, my laptop was already at the store and ready to be picked up.
I'm sorry, where was my phone call informing me of this?!!?
OMG.
I was at my wits' end with these folks. This entire process was an absolute NIGHTMARE. I mean, I could have expected better from PC repair folks. THAT'S how bad this experience was.
Painful.
The icing on the cake was that when I opened up my MacBook, it was Absolutely. Filthy.
We're talking dust everywhere, smears on the screen, and a little dab of what (I hope) was chocolate smooshed outside the keyboard and onto the border surrounding the screen.
Gag.
(Side note: Before I took it in for repair, I cleaned the crap (not literally) out of my machine, as I would've been SO embarrassed to submit a filthy machine for repair. I'm of the old-school mindset that says "return it in better condition than you found it.")
Now, you're wondering where the "Good" is in all of this, right?
Well, after hubs brought my beloved MacBook home, I hooked it up to my lovely 1TB external hard drive, selected my Time Machine backup, and in less than 45 minutes, my MacBook was restored to its previous glory. As in, exactly where I left off on Tuesday evening when it crashed. And all it took was 2 or 3 clicks of the mouse.
Apple MacBook? LOVE IT!
My experience with the Apple Store? Wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy.
My apologies to my dear friend who works as an assistant manager at said store. Luckily, he wasn't one of the people I had to deal with in the aforementioned ordeal.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Gawsh!
I'm totally disappointed to announce that my Macbook hard drive called it quits Tuesday evening. I'm writing this post on my husband's Lonovo ThinkPad laptop. I hate it. But that's not the point of this post. I just wanted to share my sadness with my one reader out there. Yes, you. My one reader.
Anywho, it'll be late Friday evening at the very earliest that I'll be able to pick up my laptop. The whole "dropping it off at the repair place" story is going to be quite a post. I'll write that one when I have a few minutes of time to really give it the attention it deserves! I'm hopeful the pick-up process will be much less painful.
I'll keep ya posted.
((sigh))
Anywho, it'll be late Friday evening at the very earliest that I'll be able to pick up my laptop. The whole "dropping it off at the repair place" story is going to be quite a post. I'll write that one when I have a few minutes of time to really give it the attention it deserves! I'm hopeful the pick-up process will be much less painful.
I'll keep ya posted.
((sigh))
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sew Cool!
I'm quite excited to share with you all that I am picking up a knack for sewing! My church is making quilts to send to children in Swaziland, and I've been able to work on two of them this week! It's such a great cause, and I figure it's about time I learn to be more domestic and rip out my mom's sewing machine!
Here are some pics of my handiwork. Keep in mind - I didn't get to choose the fabric. The church provided me with the fabric squares and I just had to sew them together. In other words, they aren't the cutest things (I would've picked something quite different than these), but ultimately they will serve their purpose once they make it to Swaziland.
Here are some pics of my handiwork. Keep in mind - I didn't get to choose the fabric. The church provided me with the fabric squares and I just had to sew them together. In other words, they aren't the cutest things (I would've picked something quite different than these), but ultimately they will serve their purpose once they make it to Swaziland.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
V-Day Bling!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! We had a very special day, consisting of a big 'ol breakfast I made from scratch:
lots of gift-opening for LO:
a dessert that ended up taking all stinkin' day to create (even though I had a GREAT helper!):
some lasagna for dinner (forgot a pic -- sorry!)
and of course I can't forget the beautiful flowers hubs gave me, and now the latest trinket of his affection...
Isn't it gorgeous? It's a Heart-Tag Bracelet in Sterling Silver from my favorite jewelry shop, Blue Nile. It has LO's initials engraved on it and I absolutely LOVE IT! LOVE IT!! LOVE IT!!!
We had a most wonderful day and I'm so very blessed to have hubs and LO in my life!!!
lots of gift-opening for LO:
a dessert that ended up taking all stinkin' day to create (even though I had a GREAT helper!):
some lasagna for dinner (forgot a pic -- sorry!)
and of course I can't forget the beautiful flowers hubs gave me, and now the latest trinket of his affection...
Isn't it gorgeous? It's a Heart-Tag Bracelet in Sterling Silver from my favorite jewelry shop, Blue Nile. It has LO's initials engraved on it and I absolutely LOVE IT! LOVE IT!! LOVE IT!!!
We had a most wonderful day and I'm so very blessed to have hubs and LO in my life!!!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Seriously?
Okay, once upon a time, I sewed a pillowcase (is sewed a word?). Anyway, it was awesome. I got all excited about the idea of sewing and subscribed to email newsletters from Simplicity (they make sewing patterns). Anywho, I got an email from them today and I had to laugh. See for yourself:
(Click on the image to see a close-up of these shirts in all of their glory.)
Father/Son Casual Shirts. What better way to say, "I love you" to the man in your life than by forcing him to wear the most hideous shirt known to man? And then to top it off by scarring your young son by throwing one on him, too?!
I'm sorry, but this is just cruel and unusual punishment.
(Click on the image to see a close-up of these shirts in all of their glory.)Father/Son Casual Shirts. What better way to say, "I love you" to the man in your life than by forcing him to wear the most hideous shirt known to man? And then to top it off by scarring your young son by throwing one on him, too?!
I'm sorry, but this is just cruel and unusual punishment.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Romance Isn't Dead!
Okay, so yesterday I had taken LO on a walk around the neighborhood -- it was such a gorgeous 70 degrees out! It was about 4:30 PM and, of course, I hadn't even showered for the day so I was total grunge. Not surprisingly, by the time we returned to the house, hubs was already home from work. We sat outside with LO for a spell, then I came inside to make a work-related phone call in peace and quiet.
Fast-forward about 20 minutes later. I was about to start making some jambalaya for dinner, when hubs said, "Stop!" I looked at him rather inquisitively, said I was planning to start dinner before jumping in the shower. He said to go ahead and take a shower and I said okay!
I heard him closing a door over in the "west wing" of our humble home, so I proceeded to head toward the bathroom for a much-needed shower.
Next thing I know, there's a knock at our front door.
"Hubs? Can you get that?," I hollered across the house. No response.
"Hubs?"
Slightly irritated that my mission to take a shower was stalled, I yelled again, "HUBS?! Can you get that??"
Since I still received no response, I went to the door (side note: I was in fact still fully dressed at this point), checked through the 'peep hole' and what--or better yet--whom did I see??
IT WAS HUBS!!!
He was standing at our front door, a dozen roses in hand, patiently waiting for me to answer the door and ask me out for dinner!
Can you believe it!?
I sure couldn't.
It was the sweetest thing! Check out the beautiful flowers he gave me:
If you look closely, you can see a beautiful little heart with "We Luv U" written in crayon attached to the vase. Hubs and LO decorated it themselves!
These flowers are just gorgeous!!!
So, hubs had arranged my wonderful mom to come over to keep LO while we went out for a nice, romantic dinner. Guess where we went!? Outback Steakhouse! One of my favorite places that we hardly ever go to.
Can you say, "Bloomin Onion'?" That's what I'm talkin' about!!
And don't get me started on the bread, the delicious salad and the fabulous veggies & baked potato I had for dinner! DE-LISH!!!
Needless to say, I'm SO incredibly smitten with my amazing husband! Romance is alive!!!
Fast-forward about 20 minutes later. I was about to start making some jambalaya for dinner, when hubs said, "Stop!" I looked at him rather inquisitively, said I was planning to start dinner before jumping in the shower. He said to go ahead and take a shower and I said okay!
I heard him closing a door over in the "west wing" of our humble home, so I proceeded to head toward the bathroom for a much-needed shower.
Next thing I know, there's a knock at our front door.
"Hubs? Can you get that?," I hollered across the house. No response.
"Hubs?"
Slightly irritated that my mission to take a shower was stalled, I yelled again, "HUBS?! Can you get that??"
Since I still received no response, I went to the door (side note: I was in fact still fully dressed at this point), checked through the 'peep hole' and what--or better yet--whom did I see??
IT WAS HUBS!!!
He was standing at our front door, a dozen roses in hand, patiently waiting for me to answer the door and ask me out for dinner!
Can you believe it!?
I sure couldn't.
It was the sweetest thing! Check out the beautiful flowers he gave me:
If you look closely, you can see a beautiful little heart with "We Luv U" written in crayon attached to the vase. Hubs and LO decorated it themselves!
These flowers are just gorgeous!!!
So, hubs had arranged my wonderful mom to come over to keep LO while we went out for a nice, romantic dinner. Guess where we went!? Outback Steakhouse! One of my favorite places that we hardly ever go to.
Can you say, "Bloomin Onion'?" That's what I'm talkin' about!!
And don't get me started on the bread, the delicious salad and the fabulous veggies & baked potato I had for dinner! DE-LISH!!!
Needless to say, I'm SO incredibly smitten with my amazing husband! Romance is alive!!!
Gimme a sec...
...I've got something so sweet to blog about but I must wait until I motivate myself to take a few pictures first. You know, for supporting documentation and all. Will try to post very soon!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Coloriffic
People. I bought this the other day:
That's right! Ten assorted colors of kids' paint. According to Crayola, "Washable Kid’s Paint is ideal for arts and crafts, posters, and school projects. The paints are easy to apply with brushes, sponges, stamps, stencils, and other tools, and they can be used on almost any surface." Sounds like fun, right?
Actually... I'm not sure. I haven't even opened the box yet. I was thinking LO and I could do a fun little art project, but I just can't get myself over the idea of how big of a mess it will make! I'm debating waiting until the Spring when we can take her table outside for an art project--or at least take HER outside to hose her off once we're finished.
I also totally just noticed -- these are little bottles of paint. Like, regular paint. NOT finger paint, like I thought I was buying. It says on the box that the paints are designed to easily wash from skin and most children's clothing... At this point, I think it's a lot to ask of an 18-month-old to use brushes, sponges, stamps, stencils, etc. Let's face it: she'll use her fingers.
Maybe my closer scrutiny of the packaging warrants a trip back to Target to buy some FINGER paint.
((sigh))
That's right! Ten assorted colors of kids' paint. According to Crayola, "Washable Kid’s Paint is ideal for arts and crafts, posters, and school projects. The paints are easy to apply with brushes, sponges, stamps, stencils, and other tools, and they can be used on almost any surface." Sounds like fun, right?Actually... I'm not sure. I haven't even opened the box yet. I was thinking LO and I could do a fun little art project, but I just can't get myself over the idea of how big of a mess it will make! I'm debating waiting until the Spring when we can take her table outside for an art project--or at least take HER outside to hose her off once we're finished.
I also totally just noticed -- these are little bottles of paint. Like, regular paint. NOT finger paint, like I thought I was buying. It says on the box that the paints are designed to easily wash from skin and most children's clothing... At this point, I think it's a lot to ask of an 18-month-old to use brushes, sponges, stamps, stencils, etc. Let's face it: she'll use her fingers.
Maybe my closer scrutiny of the packaging warrants a trip back to Target to buy some FINGER paint.
((sigh))
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sick n' Tired
My precious little one was sick yesterday. Keep in mind, she's 18 months old, right? Well, this was the FIRST TIME in her life that she's had a fever. The FIRST TIME in her life that she's been sick enough to require two doses of Tylenol in the same day. Luckily, we can still say our 18-month record of never making a sick visit to the pediatrician's office is still in tact. Sweet.
So since my baby girl was a bit clingy and whiny (more so than usual), I decided to forgo our TV viewing schedule (i.e. one 30-minute Elmo DVD per day), and got out my old VHS tape of The Little Mermaid. I laid down on the couch, had LO snuggle up next to me, grabbed a blanket and her precious Teddy, and pressed Play.
About 20 minutes into the movie, I glanced down and LO and--sure enough!--her little eyes were closed and she was out cold! My baby girl took a good 45 minute nap right there next to me on the couch while watching our Disney movie. This had to be one of the most precious "Mommy Moments" I've experienced during this adventure known as motherhood. I grabbed the cellphone to snap a picture of this unforgettable moment. If you know LO, you know that she's never been much of a "cuddle-er" and usually is movin' and shakin' during the daytime, so such a moment as this was far too wonderful to keep to myself!
So since my baby girl was a bit clingy and whiny (more so than usual), I decided to forgo our TV viewing schedule (i.e. one 30-minute Elmo DVD per day), and got out my old VHS tape of The Little Mermaid. I laid down on the couch, had LO snuggle up next to me, grabbed a blanket and her precious Teddy, and pressed Play.
About 20 minutes into the movie, I glanced down and LO and--sure enough!--her little eyes were closed and she was out cold! My baby girl took a good 45 minute nap right there next to me on the couch while watching our Disney movie. This had to be one of the most precious "Mommy Moments" I've experienced during this adventure known as motherhood. I grabbed the cellphone to snap a picture of this unforgettable moment. If you know LO, you know that she's never been much of a "cuddle-er" and usually is movin' and shakin' during the daytime, so such a moment as this was far too wonderful to keep to myself!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Bad Mommy!
The other day, I had a revelation: I'm a bad mommy! Okay, maybe not fit for the World's Worst Mom award, but still. For some reason, I just recently noticed that I've been letting LO watch TV almost non-stop, all day long, every day, for months. Now, granted, she doesn't always sit there, staring at the TV, completely enthralled with the programming 24/7, but I seem to keep it on for background noise, entertainment, etc. throughout the day. And I think I recall reading, somewhere along this road of parenthood, that TV watching for 18-month-olds = BAD. But I did it anyway! I mean, seriously, we even keep a portable DVD player that installs on the back of the headrest in our vehicle, and each time we leave the house -- even if just to go 2 miles down the street -- LO would point and it and say, "Elmo!"
That's right. It was that bad. The other issue I've found is that sometimes I get engrossed in the TV and just haven't been spending the time with LO doing the things that I should be doing. You know, like teaching her about shapes, colors, numbers, the alphabet, etc. She has SO much to learn and at this age, she's totally a little sponge ready to soak it all up! But NOOOOO, mommy's too interested in seeing the latest on Ellen's "George will be mine in '09" campaign (which, she finally DID get him on Monday... but I digress).
SO, about a month ago, I decided to make the actual decision that LO will be limited to ONE DVD per day. That's it! No more Playhouse Disney every morning. No more Elmo DVDs on repeat. AND I removed the DVD player from our vehicle, so there will be no more DVDs unless we're on long road trips. Enough is enough!!
Miraculously, I've found all sorts of time to spend teaching LO her shapes, letters, etc. In fact, I had been working with her so much that I realized she needed a lot more help with her colors. For some reason, every color to her is "yeyy-o" (read: "yellow"). So rather than spend money on some fancy "teach-your-kid-their-colors" kit on eBay, I decided to make my own! I used card stock and markers, put a blob of color on the paper and wrote the color underneath it. Then I laminated the individual cards and put them up on the wall so we could practice with them all the time. SO fun!!!
I also decided I want LO to know the entire alphabet before she starts a 2-day morning program in the Fall (God willing!). SO, we've started with one letter per week, and I post her artwork on the wall so, again, we can refer to them often throughout our days. Yes, it's true, I just started last week with "A" and we've made our way to "B" this week, so I realize I have a ways to go. But we're learning, and that's what really matters!
That's right. It was that bad. The other issue I've found is that sometimes I get engrossed in the TV and just haven't been spending the time with LO doing the things that I should be doing. You know, like teaching her about shapes, colors, numbers, the alphabet, etc. She has SO much to learn and at this age, she's totally a little sponge ready to soak it all up! But NOOOOO, mommy's too interested in seeing the latest on Ellen's "George will be mine in '09" campaign (which, she finally DID get him on Monday... but I digress).
SO, about a month ago, I decided to make the actual decision that LO will be limited to ONE DVD per day. That's it! No more Playhouse Disney every morning. No more Elmo DVDs on repeat. AND I removed the DVD player from our vehicle, so there will be no more DVDs unless we're on long road trips. Enough is enough!!
Miraculously, I've found all sorts of time to spend teaching LO her shapes, letters, etc. In fact, I had been working with her so much that I realized she needed a lot more help with her colors. For some reason, every color to her is "yeyy-o" (read: "yellow"). So rather than spend money on some fancy "teach-your-kid-their-colors" kit on eBay, I decided to make my own! I used card stock and markers, put a blob of color on the paper and wrote the color underneath it. Then I laminated the individual cards and put them up on the wall so we could practice with them all the time. SO fun!!!
I also decided I want LO to know the entire alphabet before she starts a 2-day morning program in the Fall (God willing!). SO, we've started with one letter per week, and I post her artwork on the wall so, again, we can refer to them often throughout our days. Yes, it's true, I just started last week with "A" and we've made our way to "B" this week, so I realize I have a ways to go. But we're learning, and that's what really matters!
Monday, January 5, 2009
I Could Live Without It, But Wouldn't Want To!
A trash can? Really?
I know what you're thinking... There's no way this blogger is in her right mind to be posting about a stinkin' (pun intended) TRASH CAN?!
But alas, it's true.
Goodness! This is one of those things that you don't know you really need until after you use it the first time. We've suffered for years with an old white plastic trash can in our kitchen, complete with the little white lid that you had to lift up each time you needed to throw something away. Since I love to cook, I'd been getting so tired of having to touch the trash can and re-wash my hands each time I had to throw something away.
I searched online and read reviews all over the place on a variety of different trash cans. Until I finally found this baby! This new trash can was my Christmas present to myself! Seriously!!
I anxiously awaited it's scheduled arrival at my home. I busted this baby out of the packaging, barely glanced at the instructions, and had it "up and running" in minutes. Let me tell you--It. Is. A-Mazing.
The size is perfect. The finish is perfect (even though we don't have any stainless appliances--it still matches our neutral white kitchen just fine). The operation is FLAWLESS. It sits in a high-traffic entrance area in our kitchen and does NOT automatically open erroneously. Without a doubt, this is the PERFECT trash can for just about anybody. If you love techie gadgets, this is it! If you're a germaphobe, this is it! Even if you're wanting the perfect gift for your 80-year-old Grandma, this is it!
You won't be disappointed!
Disclaimer: I've owned this trash can for 9 days. I guess it's quite possible it will self-destruct in a month or so, or I'll have to call for a replacement part and get the run-around from customer service (that's the trend these days, anyway), or who knows what else. But the past 9 days have been sheer bliss in our household!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
I know I've taken a bit of a sabbatical from blogging, but I couldn't let this blessed holiday pass without wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! May you experience all of the peace, joy and love that came to earth so many years ago in the birth of Christ our Lord!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Taking a Break
Okay, so I haven't posted in over a week. I got sad. See, I was very non-scheduled with my posting, and didn't have anything interesting or new to share. I thought about giving up on the blog. But instead, I tried to revive it with a ton of posts so there was something new to read daily for several days in a row. But alas, to my dismay, I really had no comments or feedback from the online blogging community. You guys, my readers. No one seemed to notice. No one seemed to care. So I guess I will take my own suggestion and give up on the blog--for now. Maybe someday I'll come back and return with a ton of incredibly interesting stories that people can't help but read and comment on. But maybe not. We'll see. I guess I'll just go back to being a blog reader/commenter instead of a blogger.
Thanks to those of you who read, commented, lurked, or whatever. It was a fun ride!
Thanks to those of you who read, commented, lurked, or whatever. It was a fun ride!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Sew Exciting!
I got a wild hair the other day. It was so unlike me, but I decided to break out the sewing machine. It's actually my mom's sewing machine that she lent to me several months ago so she could teach me how to sew. Unfortunately we never were able to find the time to work together on a few sewing lessons, so the machine had been collecting dust in our spare bedroom.
So the other day I get the wild hair to--get this--sew a pillowcase for LO! I purchased a cute little pillow for her about a month ago but of course I wasn't able to find a pillowcase to fit it! So, we just so happened to have some extra fabric laying around from a previous project my wonderful mom completed for LO's bedroom. She had made a cute little tablecloth for her room that matched the theme I had selected. So I figured I could use the scraps from that project to create the new pillowcase.
It was the craziest thing! Have you ever threaded a sewing machine? Do you know what a bobbin is? If not, you would've been in the same boat as me! I've never done much more than look at a sewing machine! So I turned to our trusty friend--the Internet--and found the Singer website with a ton of resources on how to do all kinds of basic things with sewing machines.
About two hours later? Voila! A perfect little pillowcase for my perfect little one's room! It came out waaaaaay cute and I was impressed that I did all this with no pattern and no instructions beyond what I found online. Fun!
Now I'm thinking I might attempt to try to make a new diaper bag/purse. Although I purchased an actual pattern for that one, so we'll see how that goes!
So the other day I get the wild hair to--get this--sew a pillowcase for LO! I purchased a cute little pillow for her about a month ago but of course I wasn't able to find a pillowcase to fit it! So, we just so happened to have some extra fabric laying around from a previous project my wonderful mom completed for LO's bedroom. She had made a cute little tablecloth for her room that matched the theme I had selected. So I figured I could use the scraps from that project to create the new pillowcase.
It was the craziest thing! Have you ever threaded a sewing machine? Do you know what a bobbin is? If not, you would've been in the same boat as me! I've never done much more than look at a sewing machine! So I turned to our trusty friend--the Internet--and found the Singer website with a ton of resources on how to do all kinds of basic things with sewing machines.
About two hours later? Voila! A perfect little pillowcase for my perfect little one's room! It came out waaaaaay cute and I was impressed that I did all this with no pattern and no instructions beyond what I found online. Fun!
Now I'm thinking I might attempt to try to make a new diaper bag/purse. Although I purchased an actual pattern for that one, so we'll see how that goes!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Take That, Panera!!
You all remember the great bread bowl debacle of 2008, right? The one where two different Paneras were out of bread bowls on two different consecutive days? Well, let's just say those experiences have left a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended). It's very frustrating to plan a meal and set an expectation around a delicious bread bowl only to find there are none. At this point, I'm not quite ready to tackle making homemade sourdough bread bowls from the comfort of my kitchen (I'm not very well versed in working with live active yeast). But I did decide to give our favorite Panera soup--Broccoli Cheddar--a shot from home. I actually made it about 2 weeks ago and It. Was. Awesome. I made it again for hubs and I tonight and thought I'd share this delicious gem with my blog reader(s). It's really a very simple recipe and doesn't require much skill in the kitchen at all! But it comes out so delicious that people will think you picked it up from your local Panera on your way home from work!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
1¼ hours | 30 min prep
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1/2 medium chopped onion
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups half-and-half cream (I've used either whole milk or 1% milk instead--just as yummy!)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 lb fresh broccoli
- 1 cup carrot, julienned
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I just use a dash or two)
- 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.
- Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
- Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper. Purée half of soup in a blender. Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg. Continue to cook until cheese is nicely melted. Serve hot!
Mmmmmmm!!!
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