Dreaming of Spring

I am SO done with winter!

1. Had enough of colds and coughs. Poor Harry has a nasty one right now; waiting for a call from the doctor because his ear is infected.

2. I can't stand how dirty the car is; even if we wash it, the next snow & melt cruds it right back up again.

3. Georgie hates being bundled up with a passion. He gets really mad.

4. I want nice, longs days again. they go far too fast right now.

5. The house is downright stinky; we need some fresh air in here!

Seven year old angst

I guess the combination of winter, school, & some jealousy of our baby is getting to Harry:

Translation: "I am sad and miserable. I would like it if you made me happy. Can you play with me?"
Awwww, poor dude!

My Top 25 in iTunes

This post is a total ripoff from Cathy Zielske's blog.



Most of them make sense, but some are puzzlers. Like, I can't remember the last time I listened to Alanis Morissette, yet, there she is. I had to replace my hard drive in 2005, so these are from the last few years. I'd bet it would look pretty different if it was from 2000, when I got this iBook.

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

I am so excited and nervous. I am scheduled for a c-section tomorrow at 4:30pm. It feels like of strange to not only know the date, and time and place already. The only unknown is the size!

Less than a month to go!

I have been trying to get all the kids caught up on all their dental/doctor visits before Georgie arrives. By the end of next week, I should be through! It has been quite an adventure. Harry had two cavities and they only do one side at a time, so he is going on his THIRD dental appointment. Steven and Savanna each had two because they do the exam and cleaning seperate. Steven and Savanna also have eye appointments and Steven gets extra visits to the endocrinologist because his blood sugars are not under control. Between all that and my bi-weekly appointments, I am so worn out!

Simple minds, simple pleasures

Every time I see a large dog sitting up nicely in the front seat of a car, it totally makes me laugh. There is just something so human and stately about them (very unlike my dog) sitting there so calmly.

First Day of School!

Harry started first grade today and all went very well. He got up when it was time, ate breakfast, got dressed and brushed his teeth without complaint. It was GREAT! He has not been thrilled with the idea of going back to school, so I was terrified that this day would be a struggle, but he was a champ! He's got one friend from Kindergarten in his class this year, so the boys sat together when they got there. I can't wait to hear about his day!

Getting ready for school

So, I am a little overprotective. I know it! When I was packing Harry's lunch for the very first time, I realized that some of those packages are freakin' hard to open. I didn't want him to sit there and not eat (he does that often enough) so I took everything out of the little packages and put it in ziplock bags.

Harry is a haircut convert

For as long as he has needed haircuts, Harry has just HATED them. When he was little, he cried throughout the whole ordeal and then when he outgrew the tears, he just became uncooperative. He would hold his head at funny angles and slump down; generally try to sabotage the haircut. After four months of letting his hair grow (and I really thought it was kind of surfer-boy cute), we finally took him in because he just wasn't keeping it clean enough. Well, he must have gotten lucky because the stylist knew just how to chat him up and he was Mr. Personality for her, talking a blue streak and sitting like a little statue. Now he says that he ALWAYS wants his hair short.

10 Weeks Left!

Gorgeous George!

Here is the latest u/s of our baby. (at 27 weeks) He is measuring just right and all is okay with him.

Finally got a zoom lens

I love being able to take pics without being in his face! I hope to take a bunch tomorrow, but I'm not sure what we are going to do. We are supposed to have some record heat and being 6+ months pregnant does not really jive with 105 degrees.

Now I just need a camera bag that the lens fits in!

An interesting side to my personality...

I have realized that for a few weeks right after my big kids leave each summer to visit their dad, I turn into a total slob. Clothes on the floor, dishes on the sink, "stuff" everywhere. I ususally revert back to my normal "neat-nik" self LONG before they come home. I don't really know why it is such a release for me to let the house go for a while, but I do it every single summer.

Ultrasound #2

Here is a face shot of little George. Yes, it is another boy! That is three in a row for me.

Where do all the fingernail clippers go?

Every couple of years, I buy a bunch and put them in the car, my nightstand, the bathroom, the desk, etc. and somehow they all slowly disappear.

All we have left right now is ONE that I got free when I bought some nail polish; none of the ones I purchased (which by the way, are always the TRIM brand, they are the only ones that cut decently for me) have vanished.

Good thing they're cheap.

Getting caught up...

Harry has been sick since Saturday, well, probably longer. On Monday I took him to the doctor and he has strep throat. This is his first major illness and we've been home all this week. Aside from the panic attacks, lack of sleep and images of ER visits, I have gotten caught up on all our filing, laundry and other assorted B.S. and it feels really really good.

Wee Beastie

Here is our first baby picture! I am 13 weeks, 5 days pregnant! It has been a rough 1st trimester, I lost all of Spring Break to feeling like absolute hell, but the worst is over now.

My Ancient Parakeet

This poor old bird will be TEN years old in May. He is finally starting to get "old" and I am worried about him. He doesn't file down his beak anymore and his left foot (or whatever its called) is kind of crippled and clawed. He also rarely sqwaks or sings anymore; which is very sad. I am afraid to help him out with that beak because I don't want to have to try and grab him and give him a heart attack. Since he is so old, I'm probably going to let nature take its course, but I dread the day when I find him dead in his cage.

She fooled us...

but considering that we are the dumbest people alive, it probably wasn't the most difficult task.

Our dog is a GIRL.

We just found this out yesterday at the vet. The breeder said that the dog was a boy and we took their word for it.

Since Barnaby is not a girl name at all, we are going to call her Daisy, which was my first choice for a girl dog's name.

I feel very lame and guilty about missing the boy dog that we never had.

You know you're getting older when...

it takes some work just to look regular-acceptable-humanish.

Here's what I mean. I am getting ready for the day. I look in the mirror after brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, putting on some moisturizer and am dressed and I think ACK! Too Scary! Even for just taking Harry to school and maybe running to the store.

So, I put on my BE, AND eyeshadow, AND eyeliner, AND mascara, AND my eyebrows (I have invisible brows-why can't my hair be that blonde? not fair) and at that point, I feel like I look "normal."

I think I can see why older women tend to have hair that gets shorter and shorter. If you've got to put on your 'face' every damn day, who has time for futzing with hair?

Now I just need some elastic waist pants and slip on shoes.

Our new Car?

I don't think it technically is a car. Anyway, it is a 2004 Saturn Vue and I just love it. Tons of room, lots of stuff I'm not used to (like, power door locks and windows and keyless entry, etc. Oh and a 6-disc CD player!) and these crazy big tires that plow through anything. Bring on the snow!

Goodbye Little Red Saturn and Goodbye long hair!

On Dec. 29, Brian was smashed into by some guy and my Saturn is officially totaled. (Brian is perfectly fine) Such a bummer. It was grand and glorious having no car payments!

I also made Brian chop off a ton of my hair, probably about 6 inches of dry, frizzy, fried-out ick. I will post a picture when I have one.

Being a Homebody

We have stayed home all week, mostly in PJ's. We get bundled up to take Barnaby for his walk around lunchtime. It has been so wonderful and I actually took some pics too!

Happy Holidays!

from the Hamby-Wimers

More cute puppy pics

His first night home was pretty uneventful; he slept all night. This morning, He and Harry got up before me and he had an accident downstairs, but that was the only one. Pretty great start.

New addition to our family

Welcome our 7 week old Beagle Boy: (name & details to follow)

My Pumpkin

Here is Harry at the Ferrari Farms pumpkin patch.

First Field Trip

Today Harry's class went to Reno Fire Station No.13. Very cool.

Gettin' into the swing

Harry is adapting to school pretty quick. While he does look forward to the weekend, he is still pretty enthusiastic about going to school every day. I'm sure the day will come when we have to drag him out of bed, but for now we are enjoying our new schedule.

As for me, I still haven't gotten used to the "free time" and I tend to fill it up with chores. I am not a big morning person, so it's not like I am really into doing something crafty in the morning.

My house hasn't been this clean in a long, long time.

I'm wearing Savanna's pants!

I cannot believe that I can easily get into them! Granted, she is not a skinny one, but I am just thrilled!

I think I have gotten so used to wearing baggy clothes, that the fact that I really did lose weight hasn't registered except for on the scale. It makes me want to go and try on new clothes that I can't afford.

I am easily entertained!

.9 miles each way

Our school district will not bus elementary kids unless they live more than 1 mile from the school and we live .9 miles from the school. I think that's a pretty fair trek for a 5 year old, so we drive him every day and it takes us 15 minutes! We end up sitting through two traffic lights multiple times because so few cars can get through going only 15 mph and constantly yielding to the walkers. We have tried taking different routes, but the only way it makes the trip faster is for us to go 2 miles in the opposite direction and GET ON THE HIGHWAY and go back that 2 miles so that we can get off at the exit nearest the school approaching from the west.

What's really hilarious is that if we did live that extra tenth of a mile further, we would be in a totally different school attendance area which is much further from the house and then he would be able to take the bus.

I see one poor mom getting off the public bus to drop off and pick up her kindergartener. Can you imagine how much time it eats up for her to make sure she's there on time and then to wait for the next bus? (this is not an urban area, I think the buses run 30 minutes apart) What a drag.

Where was I on 9/11?

Since it was a tuesday and in AZ it was two hours earlier, we were just getting up and getting the kids ready for school. I had the news on and saw everything as it unfolded. I remember being stunned and the whole thing was pretty unreal until my sister called from NY. She lived in the Bronx and had been on her way to work when it happened and she said that traffic locked down so quickly that she decided to turn around and go home.

I don't know how other people experienced it, but for us, it was the beginning of the end of the way we had been living. Up until that day, I felt like everything was going as planned and in order. After 9/11 and the stock market crashed, my husband's company used it as a way to lay off (fire) almost all of its upper management. After 13 years with that company, he was completely blindsided. I had a 9 month old baby and two years of college left. To put it mildly, everything about our lives has been pretty much downhill since then. We've had some brief (but false) glimmers of hope, but it has been a disaster.

We lost everything financially, but we have our lives and I am very grateful for that, probably too much so, because all the other bullshit doesn't seem to matter much. We drive a tiny little old car and that is the only thing we own of value (which ain't sayin' much!) but since we are all still here, breating in and out, I can deal with it.

Harry's First Day of School

It is so hard to believe this is it-no more babies or toddlers or pre-schoolers for me. My third and last kid is off to school. He was great. So happy and excited. I can't wait to hear how his morning went!

Labor Day

I just love holidays like Labor Day...a day off, nothing specific to be done, and best of all, no gifts to exchange or fancy meals to prepare!

Speaking of meals, I was oh so wrong about that one meal not ruining my diet. How can one meal make you gain THREE pounds? I am totally bummed and I guess I will be extra careful from now on. What a rip!

-20 pounds

I think it took about 6 weeks. I'm trying not to sweat the details in this diet thing, it just makes it harder. The food I miss most is pizza. I saw the pizzas at Costco today while I was getting my nonfat frozen yogurt and it looked SOOOOO good!

I am amazed at how little I am craving chocolate. I really thought that would be a biggie, but it hasn't even come on the radar.

For labor day I am going to have one no-diet meal; we want to barbeque and I think it's better to slip a little than to deprive yourself completely and then give up.

{MEAT!}

Doin' the Back to School Happy Dance!

Oh, I feel a little bit guilty, but I am THRILLED that school starts tomorrow. I've got two high schoolers and my little guy is starting kindergarten and I can imagine have a little slice of my own life again. Before Harry was born I was in school, but I usually had 2-3 days a week at home. Yeah, I had a lot of reading and homework to do, but what a joy it was to be in a quiet, empty house.

I know I'm going to miss my little guy, but to have those three sweet hours of peace.....ahhhhhh!

What would you do with a great domain name?

So, I've had the site www.scrapbookspot.com for a couple of years now and I still don't know what to do with it. I toyed with the idea of hosting a message board, selling kits, having a gallery and none of them have seemed right at the time. For some crazy reason, my site is getting 90-300 hits a day. With a web designer husband and me currently unemployed, it seems like I should do something with it, but it would have to cost like $0. (or less)

what would you do?

The children are home!

Steven and Savanna are home from Milwaukee, none the worse for wear. It's great to have them home, but Steven is bored out of his gourd. He is not allowed to see his friends since they all kept getting in trouble this past year and getting bad grades, so he just hangs around the house. I feel sorry for him, but I know I've got to hang tough on this one. He's at a scary age when so much can go wrong and I just can't let it. I can't wait for school to start. I'm hoping that he will make some new and better friends this year in high school.

Meanwhile, this week back to school shopping winds down-new shoes for all!

- 13 pounds

So as of today I have lost 13 pounds in two weeks. Not too bad at all. I am not "doing" anything; no weight watchers or whatever. Just reading every label and having NO red meat, butter, or cheese.

I'm doing this to relieve my arthritis symptoms and it was working well; I felt better than I had in over a month, but then yesterday we spent 5+ hours in the car and it hobbled me. Hopefully that will correct itself quickly.

While we were in Sacramento to pick up my kids, we went to Ikea. Man, I love that store! I got some suspension rails and hooks and baskets to try to free up counter space in my kitchen and closet organization stuff. We spent two hours in Ikea and for me, it wasn't enough. I can't wait to go back!

Little Frogs

When I went for my walk today (yes, three days in a row now!) There were literally hundreds of tiny little frogs hopping around near this brackish pond at the end of our street. There were so many hopping around that I had to watch where I was walking. I couldn't stop wondering where they were going or what was going to happen to them, so a few hours later, Harry and I walked back down there and most of them were gone; not squished or dead, just gone. (I'll bet the birds had a few for breakfast.) So Harry and I scooped up the orphans who were sitting in the sprinkler runoff in the gutter and brought them home. I have no illusions about them surviving; I kind of doubt they'll make it till tomorrow, but they are fun to watch!

Have I been that busy?

No, no I have not.

I have been tired and achy and in pain. I'm having a very bad arthritis flare-up. Getting out of bed is torture. Going down the stairs is quite frightening. My first instinct is to just curl up and die, but a few weeks later, I am taking medication consistently to control the pain and swelling and going for a walk everyday to loosen everything up. It seems to be working so far. Having to run the air conditioner all day really aggravates it, but with temps in the upper 90's, there's not much else to do. I'm glad we live at an elevation where it cools down every night so we can do 12 hours with fresh air and 12 hours with canned.

Hopefully, things will soon be swingin' again.

another groovy pic from the play

Savanna's friend Christina took this shot, low-res and such, but very fun if you ask me. Savanna wants to be a Broadway star now...

A Star is Born

Savanna's high school production of Guys and Dolls ran this week and it was GREAT! These kids were seriously funny. Savanna had a solo song and she was AMAZING. Here she is in her missionary costume.

Check out my new site!

Thanks to my oh so speedy web designer husband, I have a new website. It is a place to share your Reno Scrapbooking Experiences, whether its shopping for supplies, going to classes or just general ideas about how to enjoy this great hobby. My site is NOT affilitated with any local or online store, so users can feel free to discuss ANYTHING scrapbook-related (or Reno-related or Life-related)

If you live in Reno or love to visit, check it out: http://www.renoscrapbooking.com

*If you think it looks as great as I do, you can contact my husband to build you your own site: www.dotjinks.com (btw, he IS expensive!)

I'm in LOVE!

With my new cast iron pan.



Seriously, I have to thank REAL SIMPLE magazine for their article on these. It is just GREAT!

You can check them out at www.lodgemfg.com

They also have them at Wal-Mart. I got the 10.25" pre-seasoned for only $9.83.

Simple minds = Simple pleasures

I made my mom feel like a 12yo

I wanted to tell my mom some news, but I had already talked to her today, so I said "What the heck. I'll text her." So I text her a short message and about 20 minutes later, she sends me a reply. I barely had time to read it before my phone was ringing. She was so thrilled that she figured it out. She was concerned about her lack of punctuation and I had to explain that skipping the punctuation and not worrying about case and using lots of abbreviations was Uber-cool. Kind of like sending out a modern version of "code."

I'm not working tomorrow (bonus day off for me!) so I get to stay up late watching movies-wheeeee!

Coco-nuts

Have you noticed that people either really really love coconut or they really really hate it? I am definitely one of the latter group-just the slightest taste makes me gag. I always check the ingredients for cookies to make sure they didn't sneak in any coconut.

The same goes for mushrooms; I detest them immensely and I have to scour the labels of soups before I buy them, just in case they are in there. I love Lean Cuisine's Glazed chicken entree, but there are a few mushrooms in it, so I have to pick them out oh so carefully before I can eat it.

My list of food dislikes is VERY long...I think my German-Irish peasant background is to blame. I certainly love potatoes and onions!

For your entertainment

I need to figure out how to post movie clips on here, so in the meantime, enjoy this:

Busy doing the mom thing...

Savanna was in a vocal ensemble competition and they are now going to the state competition and she is also rehearsing for their school production of Guys and Dolls, so I have been spending untold hours in the car carting them around. Today I had to take Steven and Savanna for eye exams and to get new glasses...somehow that turned into a four hour odessey. Tonight Savanna has a choir concert and next week her friend is coming to visit from Vegas so the house needs to be nice and clean.

I don't know how supermoms do all this stuff-I only work part time and I can't get 10% of the stuff done that I need/want to!

I killed my iMac

Oh, the poor old thing. It is over 5 years old, but it was so reliable for so long. I don't know what I did to it, I deleted some fonts that were on a bad spot or something because it won't even boot up from a CD now. I could replace the hard drive and upgrade it, but since the thing is so old, I don't think it would be worth it anymore....it doesn't even have a CD burner in it.

So now I am wanting a new Mac; nothing fancy, but here it is:

Well, it wasn't MY idea!

Brian and I went down to the city to pay some bills and he needed to get ink for his printer (necessity since he works from home) and wanted to get the best deal, so we ended up going to Sam's Club, Office Depot, and Costco. I did not buy anything, but he bought me a necklace and two shirts just because I liked them. Does it count as me going shopping if it wasn't my idea?

I think it does......oops!

How can I be so cheap, but not frugal?

I was watching the show "Secret Lives of Women" last night and they had on shopaholics. It was disturbing to see some of the same traits in myself that I saw in them. Buying things we don't need is a biggie for me. I'm not talking about huge amounts of money and I don't even have a credit card, but I do notice that I have three dressers full of clothes plus the closet and far too many shoes. Every season I have to sort through everything and give things away just to make it manageable.

I have gotten a LOT better about some things....I used to subscribe or buy tons of magazines. I finally figured out that I was getting almost nothing out of them, so I dropped all of them except for my favorite two scrapping magazines. (I don't know why I was reading fashion mags anyway, I wear jeans and tshirts almost every day!) I also used to go to Starbucks on my way to work and I haven't done that in many many months. We used to order pizza about once a week and instead I have been cooking more.

I decided that I would challenge myself to not go shopping for an entire month (it is March 1, conveniently) unless it is for groceries or prescriptions and then I would skip any aisles or sections where I didn't need anything.

It's on!

Christmas, Part Two

We got a few days of snow last week followed by a few days of cold...well, cold for here anyway, highs in the 30's. The day before the front hit us, I started thawing out a Turkey (We always buy two when they go on sale at Thanksgiving) so on Saturday we watched the snow fall and ate Turkey with all the trimmings. It was kind of weird, but fun. I am always thrilled when inclement weather hits on a weekend so I don't have to deal with a nightmare drive to work, so I was EXTRA-happy. After dinner, all three kids played in the snow at dusk. It was so lovely, everything shades of blue.

So maybe it was a fond farewell to winter, I guess I can only wait and see.

ASC Girls

This is our current home page from Advanced Scrapbook Creations, a group I joined two years ago. We have had some awesomely talented ladies pass through our little group, and of course, there are plenty o' them in there right now. I feel lucky to have known them all.

retro days

I don't know what has gotten into me, but today I listened to UFO and April Wine, played Centipede, and watched "Amadeus"....dude, it totally felt like it was 1985!

I guess I should mention that the tunes were playing on an iPod, the game was on a GameBoy Advance and of course, the movie was on DVD.

I SOOOOOOOO love technology!

He's got it

The Christmas spirit that is. This year, after the family came over and the cookies and presents started rolling, Harry was TOTALLY into it. He was just amazed. He still keeps saying, "I can't believe Santa brought this for ME!" So much fun and he loved everything.



And this was our humble Christmas table...thrown together at the last minute, but everyone loved the traditional turkey dinner and we had a lovely Christmas Eve.

Ways in which I am a cheap-o

1) I stalk my library's web site. I put new books on hold and watch and wait for it to be my turn. I just won't buy a book that I'm not sure I will ever read again. (and I already have 5 bookcases full of books)

2) Ditto for Blockbuster and new movies.

3) My thermostat is set at 62 degrees from 5am-8am and 5pm-10pm, but the other hours are set for a *chilly* 58 degrees.

4) I do buy certain things at Wal-Mart even though 95% of my family totally boycotts the place. Must be nice to be rich.

5) I always use less laundry detergent, shampoo, facial cleanser, etc. than recommended. It goes a lot further that way.

6) Alright, this one is hard to admit, but when our nearest thrift store is closed, I drive by and see what people have left outside the back door. This is NOT stealing because they have multiple signs telling people NOT to leave stuff out there when they are closed-that it is considered littering, so I feel no qualms about the wonderfully huge six drawer desk that I got there or the cute wooden bookshelf or the old chair for my daughter's room. I imagine this is gross to some people, but how gross can wooden furniture be? What could be living in or on it? I leave everything in the garage for a couple days to "air" it out and clean/sand/repaint it. Anyway, thanks litterbugs!

7) I won't buy anything for my scrapbook habit unless it is at a discount or on sale or with a coupon, even staples like adhesives and cardstock.

8) I use disposable shavers FAR too many times.

9) When asked what I want for my birthday or christmas, I always ask for something practical and if I get something fun instead, like a Starbucks card or jewelry or a sweater, I feel pretty ungrateful, even though I like those things too.

10) I have never tipped our newspaper delivery people. (at this house) We have so many missed days, wet papers and late days that I just can't give a tip for bad service. I guess maybe if I gave a tip this Christmas, I might get better service, but that just seems SO wrong to me, I can't do it.

There are a lot more, but I think you get the idea already.

I am in "list" mode lately...

here is another one:

5 ODD things about ME:

1) I hate it when toys are missing-I have gotten better now, but I used to count how many of each thing there were and yes, I would TEAR down the house to find it. When Harry was really little he had a Teletubbies puzzle and one of the tubbies went missing and I never found it. (and I still think about it!)

2) I can't leave laundry around....it must be folded and put away RIGHT from the dryer, with no interruption or I get, uh, "testy."

3) This is really awful, but I do almost everything in super-hyper-frenzy mode. Even if it is something enjoyable and I have nothing else to do, I rush-rush-rush through it until it is done. (the one exception is my driving, I am very good about being patient then)

4) Other than when I was very small (too young to remember) I have absolutely refused to try any type of seafood. I don't know why, but I will not touch it at all. (but I eat Starkist tuna once in a while-go figure)

5) I really hate wearing shoes. In the winter I wear slippers and in the summer I go barefoot. No shoes for me!

The A-Z of ME

I am stealing this from Karen, who stole it from someone else! HA!

A-Age: 36
B-Bed size: Queen
C-Chore you hate: scrubbing the tub-don't ask how long I avoid it
D-Dessert you love: a chocolate malt
E-Essential start your day item: coffee & newspaper
F-Favorite actor(s): Gwyneth Paltrow & Colin Firth
G-Gold or Silver: Silver
H-Height: 5'3"
I-Instruments you play: used to play guitar in high school, dabbled with the flute
J-Job title: part time nanny and full time slave at home
K-Kids: 1 girl and 2 boys
L-Living arrangements: Me, husband and three kids
M-Mom's name: Judy
O-Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Nope
P-Phobia: driving-people scare me to death
Q-Quote you like: "Intellect is invisible to the person who hasn't any." Arthur Schopenhauer
R-Right or left handed: right
S-Siblings: 2, I'm the oldest
T-Time you woke up today: 8 am
U-Unique habit: I have to sleep with my hands underneath me somehow or at least under a pillow (under the blanket isn't enough-it has to be something solid)
V-Vegetable you hate: I really hate a lot of them, but cauliflower is so stinky when cooked.
W-Worst habit: eating kid food-spaghettios, pizza, hot dogs, etc.
X-X-rays you've had: teeth, back, neck, head, hands, feet, knees, hips (I have arthritis)
Y-Yummy food you can make: I make VERY good cookies; peanut butter and chocolate chip
Z- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

I was tagged!

Karen Carter sent me this quiz, so here goes!

2-names you go by: Mommy and my husband calls me Babe
2-parts of your heritage: German on my dad's side and Norwegian & Irish on mom's side side
2-things that scare you: mountain driving-it can actually make me hysterical and becoming homeless (we have been close a couple times-not fun!)
2-everyday essentials: a large cup of decaf (so boring I know, but I'm hypertensive) and a very large bottle of sparkling water.
2-favorite bands or musical artists: Weezer & Toad the Wet Sprocket
2-favorite songs: Wherever you Will Go by the Calling (makes me cry-what a sap!) and Buddy Holly by Weezer
2- things you want in a relationship (other than real love): twice-a-week sex (at least) and patience with my moods
2-physical things that appeal to you in the opposite sex: bare chests (no hair, I mean) and no skinny-mini's
2-of your favorite hobbies: scrapbooking and reading
2-things you really want badly: a huge dining table and a new fridge
2-places you want to go on vacation: Hawaii and Europe (a multi-city tour)
2-things you want to do before you die: build my own home and write a book
2-ways that you are stereotypically a chick: I won't kill spiders if Brian is around to do it and I love hot bubble baths
2-things you are thinking about now: after tomorrow I have the rest of the week off & we have absolutely no money!
2-stores you shop at: Scrapbooks Atelier and Target
3-people I would like to see take this quiz: no fair! I'm such a dork that I have no one left to tag!

chirp.....chirp.....chirp.....chirp.....

This is what woke me up today. I guess I knew that it would happen-the batteries in one of the SIX smoke detectors in our house would get low when Brian wasn't home.

I am.... ah-hum.....vertically challenged. Armed with a step stool, I still had to S - T - R - E - T - C - H as much as I could on tiptoes to get the damn things down. (we do NOT have high ceilings, by the way) This after standing in the hallway for a good half hour because I was completely stumped as to which one was doing the chirping. I tried closing doors and standing in different places, to no avail. Finally, I just took three of them down and replaced all the batteries.

My question is, if they want people to replace those batteries so bad, why the hell do they make it so difficult to do so? Why do you have to take the whole thing off the ceiling, unplug the wiring and pry up the battery compartment with a screwdriver to accomplish this task? Why not one easy flip-down compartment on the thing so you can just GET THE JOB DONE?

There's some product designer/engineer out there that I'd like to kick in the ass right now.

Humdrum Halloween

This year's festivities didn't really do much for me or my family. I can't say why...nothing went wrong or anything, no one was sick, but we just weren't that into it. These pics kind of sum it up.

Sierra Scrap Escape

This past weekend, we were lucky enough to be invited up to Sierra Scrap Escape by Donna Ramirez. Even though I didn't have time to prepare a project or class, I got to bring my whole family and we spent time sightseeing together and took our christmas picture up there in the Pines. The resort was just lovely, with a Starbucks in the lobby. Even more improvements will be made by spring, so check it out!

It Doesn't Translate

I get lots of ideas....so many ideas and almost none of them come to fruition.

I love to lay in bed and think of things to do, but the next day, when I could possibly try to DO something, I either blank out or the thought of it just exhausts me. I'm not terribly lazy. I have a job, three kids, two cats and a very distracted husband to deal with everyday and I manage most of the time.

I want to be SUPERWOMAN and like, be creative when I'm making dinner, or stay up all night working on projects, or dictate ideas into a recorder, but I know I'm never going to do that. I say that I will have time "someday..."

Oh well.

The tacky stuff I notice.

I don't know why, but on my drive home, I drive past a semi-rural neighborhood that actually gets to have the curbside mailboxes. How quaint, right? Anyway, there is one that just make me "tsk" everyday. It is white with heart-shaped flags on it and silhouettes of desert quail running across the top. I don't get the whole make a flag into another shape thing and c'mon desert quail are so damn ugly and really stupid to boot. I mean, they take their whole brood (which can be DOZENS) running across the road and unlike ducks, they don't even go in a straight line in a calm manner....the dumb quail zig zag across the road like they are blind and their feet are on fire. I kind of like thinking of them as coyote chow.

10 Great Movie Lines

I can't even say that these are my top ten, there are so many great movies lines out there...this is just off the top.

"Put the candle back!" -- Young Frankenstein

"Excuse me, do I have 'fuck me' written on my forehead?" -- Cocktail

"Do or do not; there is no try." - Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back

"Half the time I'm with you, I'm thinking about something else."--Say Anything

"Why don'tcha put her in charge?" -- Aliens

"We're gonna need a bigger boat" -- Jaws

"Because I just went gay all of a sudden!" -- Bringing Up Baby

"All-righty then!" Ace Ventura

"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night." --All About Eve

"I'll have what she's having." -- When Harry Met Sally

I Love Being a GIRL!

Well, some of the time! Getting all dressed up, having my first manicure and pedicure and getting my hair styled for my sister's wedding was FUN! In order to make myself more comfortable and interested in doing the girly stuff at home, I am in the process of arranging a vanity in my bedroom. So far, I just have an antique sewing table, mirror and chair, but I plan on getting some kind of lighting and all the fun stuff, jars & bottles to make everything look pretty. It is much more relaxing to do my hair at my vanity instead of leaning over the bathroom sink!

What's the point?

I have been running across more and more password protected blogs. I don't get it. If you just want your little sorority to know you, then why don't you just send out a group email? If you don't want comments, turn them off. If you want to be anonymous, do that.

I know if I felt invaded and persecuted by the "icky" people who might read my blog, I would realize that it is time to QUIT.

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

I was watching this cartoon with Harry today and one of the characters, Bloo, " got away" while they were shopping and found himself in a gift shop. When he saw some dancing catci, he got a great idea. He asked another customer to hold it against his back and he started singing...

"BLATTY-BLATTY-BLATTY"

so the cactus would scratch his back.

Then he said,

"Do you think you could hold TWO?

and the guy did.

Then he said,

"Do you have any friends?"

and then they cut to three people, holding two cacti against his back each, while he's singing,

"BLATTY-BLATTY-BLATTY"

with his tongue hanging out.


While I'm laughing my butt off, Harry says, "I don't see what's so funny to you.."

Oh well, you had to be there.

My 10 Scrapbooking Mantras

1) Do it because you want to. If I start thinking "I have to get this done." then I stop. I am not going to turn this fun hobby into a job.

2) I am never going to be "done." I take far too many photos and have ideas and memories that pop up every day. Until my brain stops churning, I'm not going to be done.

3) I don't "need" that. This one is hard, but just because some new product is the hottest thing, that doesn't mean I NEED it. When I think that, it's time for a reality check.

4) I'm doing this for me, not for my kids or their kids. If they enjoy looking at them, then great, but I'm not so naive to think that all these scrapbooks are going to be kept forever.

5) Use what you've got. I've got a lot less than some, but still far too many supplies. I will paint, dye or cut up what I've already got before I run out to get something to coordinate.

6) Pictures are not always worth a 1000 words. The story behind the photos is just as important.

7) Inspiration is great, imitation is kinda dull. I have tried to scraplift and for whatever reason, it just takes the fun out of my pages. I'd rather have a crummy page that is all my own, than a bunch of copied stuff. It's the creative part that is fun for me (though sometimes very hard!) I guess if I wanted to follow a pattern, I'd learn to knit, or cross stitch or something.

8) None of this applies if you need to make a handmade gift, quick, easy and copied or from a kit is the way to go!

9) I try to follow that jewelry rule about taking one thing back off. I don't glue anything down until I know I'm done because with all the cool stuff out there, it is way too easy to load it all on.

10) Change is good. I'm not going to say never anymore, I might change sizes, I might go digital, you never know!

Love for my friend Kathy

Lots of love for a GREAT mom raising a lovely, smart little girl. You work so hard and do it all by yourself. Thinking of you today!

Angel in Repose

When my sister and I were very little, we had a Little Golden Book about a little girl...it went something like this: "There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad she was horrid." That little rhyme completely and accurately describes Kate. She can be so loving and sweet and wonderful, but if she gets an idea in her head and someone tries to stop her, look out!

Tough Guy

At 15 months, Pete has already mastered his tough guy look. It's the same look you see in the linebacker's eye. A slow, serious assessment. What exactly is a toddler working out in his little mind?

Little Monkeys

My brother's twins have turned into little monkeys.

When they want something now, they go uh-uh-uh-uh or ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh. Not just once or twice, but at least four times in a row.

They didn't do this until after they went to the Seattle Zoo...

cute little monkeys!

Sudoku makes me feel veeeeeeerrrrry dumb!

If you haven't heard of it, these puzzle books are actually making the bestseller list. My husband picked one up for me and I have to admit, it is extremely addictive. I kind of have to "cheat" to do them. After I get my whole first row or column done, I check in the back to see if I'm right, otherwise the whole damn grid is screwed. These make me feel oh so stupid and I can remember why I hated my Logic course in college so much. If you've got plenty of time to kill, check 'em out.

I am either so boring or very dishonest

My posts are generally so dull. Yesterday, I tried to write down my stream-of-consciousness and I ended up with a page full of DRECK!

The only time I have a thought that is ever remotely interesting is when it is something horribly evil, so I never express it. I can't imagine blasting those kinds of thoughts out here, even though practically no one ever reads this. (except you Kathy-Thanks!)

I am so fascinated by other's blogs....maybe I should stop reading them and comparing them to mine?

A plethora of idea books

I guess I went a little nuts this week-but there are so many new ones out! I just couldn't help it. I'm off to do some reading!

Here's what happens when you tell my family to line up for a photo

What a bunch of nutjobs! This is one of my favorite pics from the whole shebang though-it speaks volumes about our family. I had such a good time and I laughed more than I have in the last YEAR!

Finally hanging on my wall

and I don't even notice it! I wanted this print by Abba Richman for months, shopped all around to find out which size I wanted (at what price), thinking that it was "perfect" for my little work area. And now it's like I'm done....I still love it, but whatever mania I had for it has passed. Maybe it just isn't in the right spot....

Getting excited for our trip!

Here's the soon-to-be-weds:



In less than a week, we will in Seattle for my sister's wedding extravaganza! I still have so much to do and get ready, but I am finally thinking about how fun it will be, not just about the logistics. My maternal family hasn't all been in one place since....ah....1995? That's a long time!

Whenever I see your smilin' face...

This is the greatest little guy-he goes to work with me every day without complaint. I so wish I could fill his days with more fun and activities just right for him, but this is where we are right now. I will just keep lovin' his grins and giggles.