not pregnant

just to clear up any confusion...i am not pregnant.

poke out my eyeballs with sticks if I am!

Ain't nobody messing with my candy!

repercussions.....

Thank you, pregnancy,  for making all my hair fall out.

Thanks for the bald widow's peaks.

Thank you for clogging up our shower drain with clumps of hair.

Thank you, pregnancy, for making root touch-ups a BEAR for my stylist.

But mostly I thank you for this fashionably IMPOSSIBLE new hair growth you've given me!

You're the best, pregnancy!  Can't wait to see you again.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

Exhibit C.

HallOwEeN 2008

When Jack was born, Troy's co-worker gifted us this amazing black leather jacket complete with zippers, pockets, snaps and a belt. I knew the perfect use for it the moment I laid eyes on it! 

For two years, it has been in safe-keeping waiting for it's grand unveiling. And Saturday night was just the night for that...the church Halloween party.

**Sorry.  The vintage wash on these pictures makes us all look a bit vampireish.**

Armed with edible briberies, we greased up Jack's hair, spray painted it black, added some sideburns and strapped on the black leather jacket.  A true GREASER!

I'll admit...I was feeling a bit guilty for not letting Jack pick out one of those plastic costumes of his favorite disney character.  How he would have loved to be Elmo or Woody or Nemo.  But I had an agenda.  I figured this might be one of the last years I can "control" Halloween without multiple kidpinions.  You know what I mean?  But much to my pleasure, as we started to spray his hair black he yelped with glee, "pirate, pirate!"  So we didn't tell him any different.  As far as he knew, he was a pirate.  

So off we went...three 50's folks and a pirate!

The highlight of the night, for us, was watching jack run up to claim his 1st place prize in the costume contest (a mom's allowed to brag, right?).  He was beaming with pride as he ran back with his "golden" medal.  He said, "I win.  I win"

  

Man, I love our little pirate (and his cute date)!

sorry about your sasquatch genes...

Dear Lucy,

30 years ago your grandma was expecting her first baby girl.  A reason to celebrate, right?  Well not exactly.  She was very concerned.  Terrified with the probable chance that her first baby girl would be....well...a SASQUATCH to put it lightly.  With her height measuring in at 5 foot 11 inches and your grandpa's height at 6 foot 5, all that came to mind was something like this....

She prayed and hoped that her new daughter would be "normal".  They named her Ali.  They watched her grow...and grow she did!  They took her to to church dances and winced as she awkwardly danced with boys half her size.  They listened to her highschool friends affectionately call her "big Al".  They sympathized with her when even the Gap LONG jeans were still too short. 

That girl, Ali, grew to be 5 foot 10 inches.  But her parents counted themselves lucky because their other 3 children were all taller than 6'3" with the tallest one at 6'9". (luckily all boys)

That girl is now your mom.  And I have all the same concerns for you.  Now don't get me wrong, Lu.  Being tall has it's benefits.  Like you can easily find people in a crowd.  Or you can help your short friends pull something from a high shelf.  Or you can get scholarships for volleyball or basketball (then again...you'd have to have coordination from your dad for that one) But is there such thing as too tall?  

The doctor tells us today that you are in the 95th percentile for height.  You're doing good!  Your brother on the other hand is estimated to be in the 125th percentile for both height and weight!  Sheesh!

I want you to know that being tall is fantastic.  And as your mom, I will love you whether you're 3 feet tall or 9 feet tall.  But is it okay that I'm secretly keeping my fingers crossed for less than 7?  

I love you.

All my love,

mom

practically famous

Though my time could be spent engaging in other worthwhile activities, I must admit that I enjoy perusing the occasional  trashy celeb. magazine.  There is something fascinating about the rich and famous.  Plus, who isn't a sucker for gossip?   And what better gossip to be interested in than that of a perfect stranger?  Better than your own friends, right?

On the other hand, I am pretty oblivious when it comes to celebrity sightings.  Once I walked right by Cuba Gooding Jr. at the beach.  I heard Troy say, "Hi Cuba" and my response to him was..."Who's that honey?  A friend from work?"

I'm pretty convinced I could be sitting next to Jennifer Aniston on a plane and it would take me a couple hours to figure out where I knew her from (or is that supposed to grammatically read...from where I knew her?)  

My point of this is....well, I don't know what my point is.  All I'm saying is that I'm a little bit starstruck.  I get all giddy inside if we ever see someone famous...even if it is only Geena Davis at Disneyland.  But rarely do I have a star sighting....that I know of.

Now this girl on the other hand, seems to have Hollywood pixie dust sprinkled all over her.  I'm not kidding...everywhere she goes she "runs into" someone famous!  Justin Timberlake, the entire American Idol judge panel, Ryan Seacrest, bon Jovi, David Archuleta, and many many more.  It is so appropriate that her blog (sadly private) is titled US daily.  You should get your subscription NOW!

Well, Summer and I met about 4 years ago on our first Sunday in Orange County.  She and her husband were the first to greet us at church.  Turned out that we were attending the wrong ward, so we never really saw them again, but common friends have kept us linked.  Last weekend, I took some pictures for them and it was a blast!  

For a sneak preview click HERE.  It is only a sneak preview because she wants to save the family pictures for their Christmas card.  It's KILLING me to not post them...they are beautiful! 

So, if I never meet anyone famous, at least I can say I know Summer and she knows a lot of famous people!  

 

I don't want to take the time to blog....

So here are a few things I would blog in detail about if I had the energy and time.  (Some of these items may be revisited at a later date)

1.  Taking pictures of this handsome couple and family.  (insert jealousy here)

2.  The obligatory, yet festive and fun, trip to the pumpkin patch.

3.  My political views. 

4.  Troy's new tricks with Lucy that give me stomach ulcers.  

"You just don't understand my skill level"   he says.

5.  How homemade halloween costumes are SO overrated.  Let's just say...it turns out you need remedial math skills to successfully sew clothing, and come to find out...diameter and circumference are two totally different things.  who knew?

This is a keeper.

I'm always looking for a new tradition.  I think this one might be a keeper for the Fall.  

Nothing fancy.  Just some good ole fashioned...

caramel APPLE making

It was really easy, super fun and delicious to boot!

Here is a tip I found online.  For every cup of candy caramels, add 1 tablespoon milk.  Then microwave them until melted, stirring occasionally.  So easy.  Nothing Martha about it (sheena)

Emily was gracious enough to share some bites of her GINORMOUS apple smothered with caramel and Heath candy bar bits.  Jack had been eyeing it all night!

And because I had been dreaming of these for a week, I had to make my own special rendition of my favorite caramel apple E.V.E.R.  

1st layer - white chocolate

2nd layer - caramel

3rd layer - brown sugar with lots of cinnamon

You won't be disappointed!  It tastes like apple pie, but better!

Why is this so fun to me?

See   more of this cutie-cute family!

Ode to the GARAGE SALE...and a word on motherhood, too.

**WARNING**  No pictures...just lots of boring words

Cliff Notes = I {heart} garage sales and gosh darnit, motherhood is not about eating bon-bons!

I am a sucker for garage sales.  Meaning, I love to have them and no matter how many times I swear myself off of them, something keeps me coming back.  

I have participated in a few garage sales in the last year.  Each yeilding minimal profit to justify my efforts posting signs, driving to Salvation Army afterwards, and wasting 4 hours of a Saturday sitting around haggling with the world's CHEAPEST people.  Last time I got all ticked off because we had several nice pieces like a gently used desk from IKEA ($170 value).  I had it "listed" for 40 measly dollars.  I thought it would be the first item to go.  But NO...people had the audacity to ask if I would take 25, 20 or even 15 dollars?  Seriously?  I felt like saying, "turn around and let me have a look at how many pennies you are pinching between those cheeks!"

One time in college my roommate was getting rid of a pile of brand name clothing...Gap, JCrew, Banana Republic, etc.  I asked if I could sell them at a garage sale and she said, "Go for it!", clearly not wanting to put forth the effort herself.  So I did.  I made 200 dollars and guess who came crawling back wanting a share of the profit?  Yep...my roommate.  (oh and sorry sherri about the patio furniture.  I may have gotten carried away)

Well, on Saturday we had a garage sale.  I wasn't expecting much (even though all night I dreamt of earning well into the thousands)!  But this garage sale was a little bit different.  I was closing a chapter of my life, so to speak.  I was selling all my old teaching supplies.  Books, handmade bulletin board decorations, games bought with hard-earned money, file folder games made by an Eagle Scout, an old Piggy Opera play complete with costumes....in essence....MEMORIES.    It was hard to let go.  Each item sold had a story with it and unfortunately I bored all my buyers by telling that story.  I just wanted them to appreciate the items as much as I did.  

The good news is that we made 300 dollars.  The other good news is that we aren't paying 40 bucks a month to store it all.  The bad news is that a little piece of me is only history now.  

There are days when I really miss teaching.  Days when my sweet kiddos are being slightly less than sweet and the memory of parents praising MY efforts for teaching their kids seems more validating than being at home putting out tantrum "fires" and wiping up lunch messes.

Now don't get me wrong.  I  love and appreciate  the opportunity to stay at home with my kids.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.  But,  being a mom is so much tougher than I anticipated.  I used to think I had it all figured out. I was a teacher.  I worked with kids day in and day out.  I was a skilled disciplinarian.  I had schedules and routines down pat!  I knew what parents needed to do to produce GOOD results with their kids. 

Then I tried it myself.

Most days I worry if I am doing it right.  Most days I question if my efforts will ever pay off. Most days I pray that my own kids will turn out OKAY.  Many days I want to cry because I don't know the answer to successful parenting or because my ideas are backfiring.  

I just hope one day I will look back on it all and feel validated by the product of who my kids have become.  Now that would be one great reward!  Even better than the BEST garage sale!

Throw it out Thursday

Uh-oh!

Um...the dog ate my homework.

(but I did make some progress.  survivor is calling my name)

oh those eyes...

I'm already a sucker for these innocent, sweet eyes. 

She's going to get away with murder when she's older because all she has to do is give me that sweet puppy dog look and I will crumble.

We love this little Soosy (as Jack calls her) in our life! I can't believe she's almost 7 months old!

it's not that bad...

I'll admit.  I had my hesitations about 30.  It just seemed so old to me. 

 

I kinda wanted to hold on to those 20's for as long as I could.  There is something great about that decade.  It's like the bridge between adolescence and adulthood.  It's where all the magic happened.  Freedom.  Fun.  New, exciting adventures.  

Everybody keeps saying that 30 is the new 20?  But really, should I buy that?  That's like saying stretch marks are the new sexy.  but whatever. 

At any rate, I've "tried on" 30 for 3 days now and it doesn't feel that bad.  I think this new decade will hold a lot of goodness for me and I'm looking forward to it. 

 

And my b-day couldn't have been better.  Thanks friends and my sweetie for easing me into this transition.  Here's the highlight reel...

1.  A day in the OC with my ladies at a fantastic creperie.  Loved it.

2.  A night out on the town with my other ladies.  Let's just say undisclosable (I don't think that's a word?) amounts of sweet rolls and honey butter were consumed.  

 

3.  A night at Disneyland sans kids.  Just picture my husband and I like these folks....dumbo ears, pins...the whole nine yards.  (me...three pounds skinnier than this woman!) 

We went with big plans to paint the town red, but 30 got the best of me and I was tuckered out by 10pm.  

  

4.  A Saturday morning hike with our kids and some friends.  We got to witness Jack scoop up some fresh wildlife feces on the trail.  Delightful!

5.  I got to do  what I love.  Take a peek here. 

 

6.  Went to my favorite girl's club, called Relief Society, and heard one of the best talks EVER.  Left with a resolve to be a better person.

7.  Hung up this awesome banner for myself.  Made by Heidi...put in your orders NOW!

8.  Enjoyed a homemade dinner delivered to my doorstep by a friend. 

 

I'd say I'm a pretty lucky 30-year old!

Bringing it back - Throw it out Thursday

My house is begging me to reincarnate  "Throw it out Thursday".   It can only handle so much negligence.  

Since, for some reason, I find strange motivation from my readers out in blogland I thought I would see how this goes.  Take two.  So, promise to check in on me to make sure I get my chores done?!  And feel free to join in on your blog!

Here are the results from this week's project.  My baking cupboard.  (This is VERY important to me since 90% of the cooking I do consists of baked goods...remember...I could survive on cookies and cinnamon rolls alone.)

Next week's project:  Art/Craft supplies.

  I never think of myself as a packrat until I organize and discover that I have a hard time letting go of things that "I MIGHT use one day".  Among the hardest things to purge are my old teaching supplies and materials!  Wish me luck.

mr. happy

Now, don't get me wrong about this. There are many names my sweet jack could be called. Like:

Mr. Sits on his Sister

Mr. Can Scream Like a Girl

 

Mr. Closes His Eyes to Avoid Discipline

Mr. Take this Lame Toy I Brought You and Give me your Awesome Toy before I Push You Down and Take it.

But most of the time I think I can non-biasedly say that Jack is generally a really happy boy. Which is why my eyes were drawn to this 3 dollar "Mr. Happy" shirt from the Target clearance rack. The moment Jack laid eyes on it, he begged to wear it. (something I've never actually seen him do) So of course, since when jack asks for a pony I always give it to him, I obliged and slipped the shirt on over his existing shirt. He was so happy wearing Mr. Happy. So happy, that the lady at the register had to reach across the counter to scan the tag under his armpit. 

I love this shirt. I think because it seems so fitting for his personality. And what I love even more is that when I asked him to make the Mr. Happy smiley face, these are the faces he made. 

Cute smiles, Jack! Nothing awkward about those!

I got to do this today....

...and i loved every minute!


I'll be going back again during naptime.  I have visions of a sleeping baby that can be folded and contorted into the most dreamy positions.