just kristy mae

Mount Floatmore is No More.

2011-09-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

Rico and Chui. Chui and Rico. Two very small, very happy pups. Also, jailbreakers, hole diggers, fabric shredders. Chui has "outgrown" it a bit since a certain procedure. What you see in this picture is the extent of his involvement with water. He will stand on that top step and enjoy the hip-deep water for a bit but that's it. Rico though. Oh, Rico.

He is a lively little pup, digging and shredding all the day long. We learned pretty quickly to leave the floats IN the pool to keep from tempting the little raptor. One by one, they floated too close to the edge. And at the edge of the pool, is Rico.

Mount Floatmore is no more. Within a few weeks he managed to wrestle the gator (and defeat it) then systematically destroy the remaining floats one by one. He's nothing if he's not determined. He managed to shred the walls of the cabana too. Here it is, in better days.

So long summer. So long pool floats. So long cabana. See you next year!

Rico will be waiting.

ta-da

2011-09-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a few years (okay, probably 10) since I've owned my own domain name. When my daughter was born, there weren't a lot of options out there to host pictures and blurbs to share with family back home. I'll take you way back and say that I even tried out geocities as a host. It was a crazy time, before "blogging" was something anyone actually did. I lived on Live Journal but that was more of a diary...I didn't think my family wanted to know that my new office light buzzed and that I hated my new job and couldn't wait for lunch. Now everyone seems to want that information via facebook & twitter.

Here I am trying to say something about my new domain name and all I've succeeded in doing is making myself feel old.

Ahem.

Just about every site I visit has my user name as Kristy Mae or some version of it. So I bought http://www.kristymae.com/. And now will proceed to inhabit it. Though it might be difficult convincing my dear husband to change his email address to mrkristy@kristymae.com ;)

Mount Floatmore

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! I've gone a little crazy with the floaties, haven't I? It started out innocently enough but I kept finding cute floatie things and brining them home. The floating island was the final straw. It's an awesome float for two people to float lazily around looking up at the clouds, or at the stars. It has now become the base for Mount Floatie. Thankfully, we've not had any major wind lately. Over the past few months we've had trouble keeping the floats in the pool. And the dogs think they make fun chew toys.
Did I say dogS? Yep, we rescued a cute little pooch and brought him home to be Chui's friend. Introducting...Rico! We thought he was an adult but he's definitely very much PUPPY. He drags Chui's bed all over the yard and Chui finds it and lays on it wherever it ends up. Chui frequently gives Rico a look like "my ear is NOT a chew toy".

don't act crazy.

2011-07-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Girls have got to do what girls have got to do. And when you are headed to the supercenter on a busy holiday weekend, Starbucks is what you have to do! My chica and I indulge occasionally in ice cold yummy treats from Starbucks. I always tell her "don't act crazy" because caffeine can make her bubbly personality bubble completely over. I just learned how to make my own iced coffee that rivals the caramel machiatto you see here. SO, more caffeine for me! I'm not entirely sure that is a good thing.

Snow blast in July

2011-07-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

Since I got sick earlier this year and had to give up my beloved solar nails and monthly mani/pedi, nail polish has become my obsession.
My little Chica and I did our nails with a patriotic theme for Independence Day. The red and blue are Sinful Colors in Ruby Ruby and Midnight Blue with a coat of crackle in Snow Blast.
We are all about the crackle lately. It shrinks up quite a bit as it dries so you can't be too hung up on perfection. It's a good thing that's not one of my issues :)

swimming pools, movie stars

2011-05-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

(This picture is from the online real estate listing)

When we were looking for a house, we had a few "must haves" and a few "great to haves" on our list. A swimming pool was not on either list. I didn't, however, understand people who put pools on their "absolutely not" list....until now.
You've seen a picture of the pool covered in snow. What you didn't see was hours of skimming leaves, sweet gum balls, pollen, frogs and crawdads out of the pool. Not to mention managing chemical balance, water level, on and on. We thought we had it all under control and then the monsoons came. We awoke to this expensive looking nightmare:

Why yes, the liner does appear to be collapsing. Thankfully, in spite of our total freak out, we had an awesome pool guy give us some great advice to just wait it out. "It may go back to normal". We waited a couple of days for evaporation and voila! back to normal.

Just in time for the most awesome Mother's Day ever:

(My view from the lounge chair)

mommy didn't burn it!

2011-04-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Why YES, I do double-fist pump when I cook something my family will eat. Especially if they actually eat seconds willingly!
I made this pasta last night and it was so easy, even for me. (Huggy says you know mommy is cooking when "tha smoke datector goes off")

polar bears & mind the trap

2011-02-10T09:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you have heard of the Polar Bear club. It's a club for crazy people who hop into freezing water for a few seconds for reasons unknown to me. I'm sure I could google it, but this is really just an intro to the picture of my freeezing pool, taken last Wednesday.
My hubby goes out there every morning to check the filter. If you are not a pool owner (and we weren't until a few months ago) you might not know that "checking the trap" requires sticking your arm into the water up to your elbow and fishing out whatever is in the filter basket. I have a picture of him out there in the blowing snow, checking the trap. I think he probably just found ice.

Yesterday, it was sunny and 65*. Bring on spring!

As you like it...

2010-11-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

We memorized this monologue in school and I've never forgotten it. When it was time to recite it in class, there were more than a few students who got the first five lines or so, then skipped right to sans teeth, sans eyes, sans everything. In reading it now, all of these years later, I see they were skipping all of the good parts of the "strange eventful history" just to get through the assignment. How many of us are doing the same thing in our real lives? I have spent years just getting through the "assignment", putting on what I termed the "Kristy Show". That show saw it's season finale and cancellation early this year.

I finally realized that if most of the life that you are sharing with others is glossed over and polished to a high sheen, then you aren't really living your life. You are living a lie. In The Truman Show ("good afternoon, good evening and good night!") the director says "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented." I was presenting a world that didn't exist while longing for a life that I could really share and be myself in, not play the role I had created so many years ago.

While I know I'm not in control of anything really (God is the real director of it all), there were changes I could make in my life. Even though some of them were difficult at the time, I knew that in the end things would be better for me...and for my little "spin-offs".

2010-09-28T11:43:00.001-07:00

Stay tuned for Season Two.

you're killing me smalls

2010-05-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

If we only have the will to walk, then God is pleased with our stumbles. -C.S. Lewis

Looking through my old photobucket account, I found this picture of Big Cousin (we call him Coco) and Huggy, taken when Hug was just 16 months old and Coco was in middle school. Huggy has always thought the world of his big cousin. They both spend a lot of time in Pop's shop, working on Coco's low-rider truck. H knows more about trucks and how they go together than most adults I know. I learned from him what "bagging" a truck means. I have also learned a lot about removing grease stains in the laundry.

When Coco was little, we did lots of projects together. Working on a project (coloring Easter eggs, building a lego ship, carving pumpkins, decorating the Christmas tree) with Coco meant that mid-way through he would probably say "show me what we did when you are done" and he'd take off to watch a movie with Pop. He has always been so cute and such a sweet kid that I didn't mind doing the "work" myself. Though I tease him about it now.

He and Pop went through a phase where they watched the movie "The Sandlot" on repeat. We watched that movie "foooooorrrreeeevvveer". I was a senior in high school...and now, Coco is graduating from high school this week. My kids are the ones quoting Smalls and Benny and calling each other L7 Weenies. Time really does fly when you are having fun.

We love you, Coco. We could not be more proud of you.

little miss valentine

2010-02-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

When I was in elementary school, I begged my parents to let me participate in a beauty pageant. I wanted to win that "Little Miss" title so badly. I don't remember much of that evening, except the feeling in the pit of my stomach when I didn't win. I do remember crying and telling my parents I was not crying because I didn't win, I was crying because my shoes were too tight. They took my sisters and I out for ice cream. I never participated in another beauty pageant; I just couldn't take the rejection.

Fast forward to the birth of my daughter, and the excitement of one of her fabulous Aunties who loves beauty pageants, who couldn't wait to put my little lovely in one of those pageants. I didn't want her to do it. Nonetheless, my girl has been in about 10 pageants, due to the cajoling of my sister and my daughter herself. She's been in pageants with a few contestants and pageants with many in her age group. She's been every manner of "runner-up", "most photogenic", "alternate", and "future queen" (a nice little award so that no one goes home empty handed. Where was that award when my shoes were too tight?). She takes it all in stride, just enjoying the hair, makeup and dress-up that goes with the pageants.

I usually attend to lend what moral support I can muster. After all, who are these people to be judging my beautiful baby? Oh, they are the judges. I offer support (need a safety pin? lip gloss? for me to leave and come back when it's over?) and my Sis runs the show. But this past Saturday, my Sis had an emergency and sent me along as the pageant mom. I was a poor stand-in, I can assure you, but we made it. And made Auntie proud because my little Chica totally rocked it out on stage and won!

While I am very proud that she acheived her goal of winning, what I most admire about this girl is her determination to just have fun with it, enjoy whatever happens and then do it all again next time. Oh and is she ever ready for next time.

uncloudy day

2010-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

Unclouded day is one of my favorite hymns. Some days the only thing I can do is keep my eye on the ultimate prize...that land of unclouded sky.

Speaking of skies, today's is absolutely GORGEOUS. Even with a few clouds.

2010-02-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that this time last week we were all cozied up in this house together, snowed in and not minding a bit. This weekend has seen us all go different directions and I'm here at home alone, just chilling with Chui.

snow days!

2010-01-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

Real" snow is rare in our part of the country. We aren't even guaranteed a dusting of snow each year. When we do get snow, whether it is a 1/4 inch or 12 inches, we get excited! The kiddos were gung ho about building a snowman...I think they did a great job!
We just moved to our neighborhood this past summer and we love it. Our neighbors came down the hill and we had a huge snowball fight. It was so much fun!

I posted on my facebook that we were having chocolate gravy for breakfast to fuel up for snowball fights and snowman building. I got quite a few comments from those who have not tried it. I can't believe anyone would be so deprived!

Here's the recipe, in case you haven't tried it either. It's so yummy over a buttermilk biscuit. You owe it to yourself to try it sometime!

Chocolate Gravy
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (plus a little if you need it to thicken it up)
1 cup white sugar
2 cups milk
Directions Melt butter in a pan over medium heat.
Add cocoa and flour; stir until a thick paste is formed.
Stir in sugar and milk.
Cook, stirring constantly, until thick.
If it doesn't thicken up for you then sprinkle in a little more flour.

SO YUMMY but now I'm going to have to go outside and build another snowman to work some of it off!

baby it's cold outside

2010-01-29T09:09:00.000-08:00

We have been waiting all winter for the gas logs we ordered to be in stock. When the weather got really cold last month, I was wishing we had the logs so we could use the fireplace. Yes, we have central heat and air but nothing compares to actual flames when it comes to taking the chill away.

The weather forecast has been calling for a "winter storm event" since late last week so we were very happy when got our fireplace logs installed.

I took this picture literally seconds after Huggy figured out the fire was working. He sat there for 10 minutes at least; like a little lizard on a hot rock, soaking up the heat.

The sleet started within an hour of the fireplace being finished and fell all night last night. So, we are cozied up here with no worries of how to stay warm if the power goes out.

Now, I'm going to start charging the kiddos 10 cents for every time they say they are bored. By the time the sleet melts, I'll have enough money for a trip to Starbucks alone.

no dissassemble # 5

2010-01-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

or, how a 12 pack of pepsi throwback can cost you $70 and 4 hours of your time.

Our adventure started on Sunday we needed to try a Pepsi throwback. The kiddos and I set out on a mission to find the pepsi...along the way we stopped at three different stores (and spent $70 on random stuff )before we found one that had the soda in stock.

What we found that was (according to Huggy) "way tooler" was a robot building set. We've built small lego creations before but this robot took HOURS to assemble. I worked and worked on it, all under that little watchful eye that peered back at me through the robot when I was finished. 451 pieces, 48 assembly steps and 2 Pepsi throwbacks later, I was arthritic - and done!

At only 8 inches tall and perilously balanced on one swiveling connection, I don't think the robot was meant to withstand much real playtime. After a few misshaps and re-builds, Huggy was apparently satisfied with the time he got to play with the robot and when it fell apart again he started cannibalizing it for parts for new creations.

I tried not to cry.

welcome 2010

2009-12-31T22:33:00.000-08:00

2010 is here. We "rang it in" with streamer poppers in the living room and firecracker poppers on the patio. Sissy's sleep-over buddy didn't make it to midnight. She was snoring in the truck on the way home at 11. Huggy is spending the night with Poppa. We saw him earlier tonight but I miss him so much when he's not home. He and Pop have a special bond though, they are thick as thieves.

I am not sad to see 2009 go, it was a rough year for so many people that I care about. 2010 holds so much promise...I guess it seems like that every new year but this year seems even more like a breath of fresh air. There are new babies in the family, one born on the 30th who is going to have to stay in the hospital for a little extra time but he'll be home soon enough. I am praying for him and for his sweet mother while she recovers and waits for him to come home. We'll also be keeping the other new moms in our prayers. Those first few weeks and months are completely wonderful...and completely exausting.

I started to make a list of New Year's resolutions but really I have only one, to grow closer to my Saviour; To work as hard at living my life how He wants me to live it as I work at a lot of other things that just really do not matter. If I can get that right, everything else will follow along.

Praying for peace, comfort and love for all of my friends and family for the new year. Happy New Year!

winter white

2009-12-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas has passed and I never got around to posting pictures of my Christmas decor. Trust me when I say it was completely fabulous. I say "was" fabulous because it has already been taken down and stored away for next year. I was ready for it to go though I wasn't ready to give up the gleam of pretty lights and shiny things just yet. I wanted something wintery for my mantel so this is what I came up with. A display of glass and white. I like the flickering candles and the glittering glass.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I am counting my blessings from 2009 and looking forward to what 2010 has in store for me.

chui is chilly

2009-12-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

So, no Daily December for me this year. I spent the first week of December unable to move from the couch. I was quite ill. And Chui hung in there like a champ. This is him on day two. Rotten, rotten little dog.

And this is him a few days later. He's not tolerating the cold weather very well. Sissy caught him shivering one afternoon and put both his sweaters on him. He didn't even try to take them off.

mini baby boom!

2009-11-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

We are all so excited to be welcoming three new babies into our family within the next few weeks. Two of my cousins are new moms-to-be and my sister-in-law is welcoming her second baby boy. Her first baby boy will be graduating high school in May!
My sisters and I were happy to host showers for these sweet Mommies and we've had a busy past few weeks doing just that!

I had never made a diaper cake before but wanted to give it a try. Here they are; my first, second and third attempts.

I found them easy and fun to make! I especially like how the cute washcloth "cupcakes" turned out. My little chica made those for the blue and brown theme but they somehow did not make it into this picture.

The girl one was the hardest to make, trying to stick with the theme of the shower and not totally clash with her nursery in case she wanted to keep the "cake" intact for a decoration.
I was sure to let the moms know what size diapers were in their cake, just in case of an emergency!

we didn't skip fall, y'all

2009-11-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago, we took advantage of a break in the monsoon season and headed out to do some "leaf peeping". We look forward to this trip every year. It's our little family tradition to load up and head out on the scenic highway, stopping at a little country store to pick up snacks along the way. We take plenty of pictures, pick up acorns and various projectiles and toss them off the look-out (ok, this is more Huggy Puggy's tradition than it is mine), and then trek back home to carve pumpkins, toast pumpkin seeds and have some hot apple cider.
Autumn is such a beautiful time of year here. I'm glad we were able to squeeze this trip in.

My front door, all decked out for Autumn. My mom made the little spidey pumpkins for the grandkids. I get my crafty gene from her :)

Now that we've properly acknowledged Fall, bring on Christmas!

daily December...is it really almost December??

2009-11-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

Last December, I made a journal to keep a record of our busy Christmas season. I borrowed the idea from someone else and didn't get started until the very end of November. I threw the journal together as I went along...starting with December 1st and in theory ending with December 31st. Unfortunately, I got really busy and didn't journal anything after Christmas Eve.

I really enjoyed making the journal and how easy it was to just hole punch shopping lists, event ticket stubs, church programs, etc. and pop them in the book. I even made little pockets to slip pictures into. I didn't bother waiting to get pictures printed at the store, I just printed them out on photo paper at home. A sweet picture of Huggy, asleep on his daddy by the light of the Christmas tree...a picture of a comet (or bright moon or something important like that), a picture of our annual Christmas ornament (last year it was a red VW bug to commemorate the year of the "Slug bug, no slugs back!" insanity that was every single car ride anywhere).

Even though I didn't write out the last week of December, I still have a very sweet memento of what our Christmas was like. I'm looking forward to this year's journal. I'm going to put it together before December so that I'll be ready to go on December 1.

not one more

2009-08-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling quite overwhelmed lately with the number of things on my "to-do" list. The list seems to get longer and longer while the days get shorter and shorter. Sometimes I just feel like saying NO MORE! and running for the hills.
Huggy felt the same way this morning when I had taken quite a few pictures of him and he was D.O.N.E. with it. He put his head down and yelled at me "NO MORE!"

Seeing this picture reminds me of another thing on my "to-do" list; re-finishing my dining table. I did the original finish over a decade ago and can manage another one I'm sure. I'll put it right in line behind the armoire and the ugly chair. Which, actually, is almost done.

ugly ducklings

2009-08-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

Two very ugly, but promising, items that I purchased today. I always forget to tak "before" pictures so here they are. The chair has already gotten one coat of black paint and I have wiped down the armoire to get it ready to stain. I also bought a set of giant fork and spoon. I forgot the before pic and they are already on the second coat of black paint :). Hopefully I can get both of these projects done this weekend!
Oh, the cabinet was $35 and the chair was $4. Both are sturdy but ugly. haha!

sand and spit

2009-07-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

We've been spending a lot of time at the ball field lately. Sissy has been practicing fast pitch while Huggy and I play in the dirt. Well, he plays in the dirt. I usually twitter and post facebook updates about the latest "awesome" thing Huggy has come up with. Like tonight when he was playing in the dirt and sand...I looked over and noticed that his bucket no longer just had dry sand and dirt in it, it had mud too. So I asked him; "Huggy, is there water in the bucket with the dirt?" He kept stirring the mud and said "yep! and spit!"
Oh the joy of boys :)

$1.00 Coupon - Expo Dry Erase markers!

2009-07-15T06:49:00.001-07:00

Just thought I would share this coupon. I know dry erase markers will be on Sissy's school supply list and we could always use an extra at home too!

Expo Educator : $1.00 Coupon - Expo Click

Shared via AddThis

I like 'em round with somethin' somethin'

2009-07-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

Who else is just absolutely worn out lately? I know we are all feeling the drain of loooong days of moving, late nights of unpacking and endless boxes.

We put Sissy & Huggy's rooms together first and I love going into their rooms and just sitting there, admiring a room that is done.

Apparently, I am not the only one. Mr. Hubby stuck his head into Sissy's room yesterday and started laughing hysterically. Then he called me in and said "bring the camera!" I figured the kiddos were into the dress-up trunk again. Instead, I found Gloria on Sissy's bed, doing exactly what I felt like doing after the past few crazy weeks.

She never even knew I took her picture ;)

sissy & pooh bear

2009-06-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

Before Sissy Pie was born, before we even knew she would be a Sissy and not a Bubby, her daddy bought her several stuffed animals. Pooh Bear is her favorite. He is exalted above all others, above the Cabbage Patch Kid collection, over 100 webkinz, and various other stuffed friends that have been accumulated, Pooh is #1. There is no sleeping without Pooh, there is no comforting without him and his tiny ears to rub.
So on Friday, when Sissy tripped over a friend while skating and landed head first on the floor - and we headed to the emergency room - Pooh went along for the ride.
Thankfully, Sissy is fine. She has a slight concussion. She and Pooh have another shared adventure to recall and Sissy has a hospital bracelet for her treasure chest.

fast-pitch and peru

2009-04-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Sissy had fast-pitch practice last night so while she practiced (and Huggy played in the dirt), I had a nice chat with a friend in Atlanta.

Yes, I am that parent, the one that chats on the phone instead of studying every nuance of my precious snowflake's fast-pitch performance. Don't make me get into the "when I was growing up" stories.

Too late.

When I was growing up, I sometimes went to practice by myself. and somehow, I survived.

Anyway, it was nice to catch up with her and even nicer of her to pardon my interruptions. "Huggy, we don't run with sticks""Huggy, don't dig in the dirt with your hands" "Huggy, don't pick all of the clover""Huggy, don't JOUST with the stick!"

She didn't call me on my birthday and she was sure that I hated her. I don't. She was in Peru, she gets a pass this year.

Plus, she takes amazing photos and she took some just for me. I am pretty sure that this is the first time that I have ever been thought of by anyone in Peru.

Can I get a stamp in my passport for that?

Third Day on 3rd Day

2009-04-03T09:28:00.001-07:00

With this post, I'm participating in Third Day on the 3rd Day.

We went to see Third Day last week. On a Thursday. Every time I had to say we're seeing Third Day on Thursday, I got more and more tongue tied. We're seeing Thursday on Third Day...I mean Third Day on Thirdsday...ACK. Nevermind!

By Thursday, I was just saying Third Day Thursday to keep things simple.

Regardless, the show absolutely rocked AND worshipped and you should see if you can see Third Day soon. Even if it's on a Thirdday. I mean Thursday.

take me to the other side

2009-03-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

Wow. So incredibly awesome. Revive, Brandon Heath & THIRD DAY. I loved every ear-splitting second of it. That's right, church van lady likes to ROCK. and worship.

I couldn't help watching these guys...

and thinking about my little guy - who loves his "blackt lectrict dittar" so much.

I took a few video clips during the show and when he watched them this morning he made that same serious "rockin'" face and said "Dat's what I'm gonna do when I get growed up". I don't doubt him for a second.

2009-03-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

6743

2009-02-18T21:43:00.000-08:00

Six thousand, seven hundred, forty three days. give or take a couple.

That's how many days I have known Mr. Hubby. Some of those days have not been good, some have been downright horrible and others have been mundane at best. But do you know what? I would relive every single one of them with him. The good days, the bad days, the wonderful days and the days you want to replay in your mind over and over again.

Lately I wish I had a camera in my mind...I could just blink and take a snapshot. I don't want to miss a second. Our little family.

My whole heart, for my whole life.

crown of beauty

2009-02-16T12:42:00.001-08:00

Lately I have been doing more blog reading than blogging writing. I have "house brain" and I am sure you all don't want to be subjected to that on a daily basis. In fact, right now I am trying to occupy myself so that I don't drive by and stalk our framers...

How much do I LOVE this print for Sissy's new room? I love it a lot, that's how much.

We've already decided on bright pink/white/black for her room and this would fit in nicely. There are several other prints from this etsy shop that I love.

Jeanne Winters is the artist. She has a line of inspirational items for sale at Hallmark right now too. Visit her blog - she's giving away some great items to celebrate her blogiversary! I got two more entries just by telling you about her giveaway :)

dust bunnies and a boy named Tardy

2009-02-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

Too bad it's not closer to Easter. My blog and my baseboards are both growing some serious dust bunnnies.

I redecorated the blog for Valentine's Day. Our house is being redecorated as well. I call this look..."I almost got appendicitis and things went downhill from there". There is literally a tent in my living room. I'm just keeping it real for you here. If the tent entertains the children, it stays.

Speaking of being entertained, while I have been sick this week both Huggy and Sissy have been helping take care of and entertain me. They've also both sought me out when I went to hide in the bathroom and cry :( because my belly hurt so much. Their hugs are the best and I'm convinced they were part of my miraculous recovery. They've danced, acted out scenes from various movies they like, brought me puzzle books and magazines...and hubby helped too :).

Usually though, the most entertaining things children do are not done on purpose. This morning, I was lying in bed listening to Huggy tell his daddy all of his plans for adulthood. Those plans include five sons. Does he want any girls? "No, sissy can hab da dirls". What is he planning on naming his five boys? "Uhhhhm, da first one Michael Knight, then Fred". Fred? "yeah, I made it up and I like it. Then Barney...then Slidey. And then Tardy". Tardy? "Yeah, betuz him's last!"

I could not make this stuff up if I wanted to.

paint chips, construction schedules and clocky

2009-01-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been spending a lot of my "free time" aka "the time between kiddos bedtime and midnight" searching online and through magazines for storage ideas, paint colors, exterior materials and colors, etc. for our new home. We're breaking ground in less than two weeks and my contractor runs a tight construction schedule. That means many of these decisions must be made before the first load of fill dirt is delivered.
Those late nights have turned into late mornings with me hitting the snooze button more than I care to admit. Most times, I don't even realize I have clicked it until the third or fourth go. That does not bode well for a peaceful, organized start to my day. That's where Clocky comes into the picture. When you hit his snooze button, this cute little alarm clock hops off the table on his little off-road tires and scurries away, his alarm beeping all the while. I must have one.
Plus, doesn't he look so cute? His little buttons look like eyes...staring at you just daring you to hit snooze.

blonde ambition + ginormous pizza

2009-01-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

If you haven't met me before, and you can't tell from my profile picture...I'm blonde. I have always been blonde (even when I died my hair red). I do a lot of "blonde" things; I lose my phone (when I am talking on it), I lock my keys in my car (with my sleeping child inside), I forget the names of random objects which leaves me saying things like "I need to clean that thing you look into and see yourself". I also tend to take things at face value. Such as when we decided to order pizza recently and hubby suggested ordering the new ginormous pizza. I say ginormous all the time, I figured the rest of the world had caught on and now a major pizza chain was calling their pizza "ginormous". You know where I am going with this, don't you? I called the pizza place, and ordered a "ginormous pizza". To her credit, the employee took my order as if everything was fine, so I thought it was. It was only when the pizza arrived and I saw "PANormous" on the box that I knew the truth. (Hey, I think panormous is a far more ridiculous word than ginormous, thankyouverymuch). That's when I told hubby I had actually ordered a ginormous pizza. He laughed at me, a lot. And I laughed at myself too.

and I still think panormous is a dumb word.

nintinavy, natibiddy, nativitidy, nintibbidy

2008-12-24T23:20:00.000-08:00

We have so enjoyed this holiday season...watching countless Christmas movies, baking cookies, creating holiday crafts, rehearsing and performing Christmas programs at church and school, we've just had so much fun. A very big part of our holiday fun has involved everyone putting on their coziest PJ's and loading up in the truck to go out to look at Christmas lights. We've burned a lot of gas (thank goodness it's cheaper!) and logged a lot of miles this year. The kids have enjoyed it so much and so have we.

There are so many directions that people can go with their light displays, from very simple (and my favorite) old-fashioned multi-colored lights to filling their lawns with every inflatable Christmas object imagineable. Huggy has taken to wishing "Merry Tristmas!" to any house that has a particularly festive display while Sissy has moved on to critiquing displays..."those lights are elaborate", "that's an interesting choice of light colors", etc.

Last night we saw a new item and were all as happy as we could be to add another type of decoration to the list of things we have seen this year. What was it? Well, that depends on who you ask...and how many times you ask. "It's an inflatable NINTIVITY!" "No, it's nintibiddy!" "A natibiddidy!"

Cue giggling from the parents who just had to keep clarifying just what one would call this glorious object we had seen. The final word? It's a Nintinavee.

Merry Christmas.
May you all know the joy of the love of Christ.

high winds, rain, and a stressed out chihuahua

2008-11-11T06:54:00.000-08:00

It has been said that through my blog's eye, my life seems perfect. While it's close, and I count my blessings every day for that, it's really not perfect. You won't usually read about that here though. Who wants to read about the dishes I didn't do after dinner last night, the laundry that haunts me daily and rarely ever is completely done, or that my craft area now looks like a disaster area (again) because I haven't cleaned up the scraps from my last project?
So, in the spirit of "Tell All Tuesdays", here's a list of things that aren't perfect (but still aren't all that horrible really).

It stormed last night - this made Chui very, very nervous and kept me awake
Chui growled at the wind from about 4am to 6am
Huggy had bad dreams :( someone was really, really annoying him and he kicked me a lot
While I was showering, Huggy was playing a game of hide and seek with my blackberry. It's still hiding...somewhere.
Sissy was full-on 7 going on 17 this morning. AND we were running late, not a good combo.

Okay, I can't list those things without a list of blessings too...I just can't.

No trees fell on anything we own.
I sleep better knowing that Chui alerts me to anything out of the "norm" going on outside.
He didn't remember his bad dreams. I asked him how he slept and he said "dood" (good).
I will probably be more productive today without that little appendage bugging me constantly.
My mom told me I was going to pay for my raising. I'm glad I have the chance.

Happy Tuesday :)

autumn, "free time", and supportive hugs

2008-11-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

I love Autumn. The colder weather, beautiful foliage, pumpkins, Thanksgiving, more time with my family...I could go on and on. I always find myself spending more time at home and being more "domestic" in the Fall. Summers are usually so busy, full of fun trips to the pool, birthday parties at the park, Snow Cone Thursdays, swimming lessons...you get the picture. After that, the slower pace of Autumn activities is a welcome change.

Most of my "free" time lately has consisted of setting up various crafts and projects for the kiddos to do while I continue the never-ending process of organizing my craft supplies. I am almost there. I've been trying to work out a storage solution for my patterned paper...I'll get back with you if I ever actually accomplish that task. I sat down at my desk yesterday to work on that solution and quickly got distracted from the task at hand.

I have been on a kick lately - making chipboard books. I found these great little blank chipboard books for just $1 each. I stocked up and have been finding all sorts of uses for them. I made one book for Sissy to put her classmates' school pictures in. It's pink and purple and adorable with tons of ribbons and embellishments. She loves it. I even made a pup themed one for pictures of Chui!

Last night, I had a little "free" time while the game was on. Sissy curled up with a book next to me and I pulled out a sheet of stickers with an "about me" theme that I paid about $1 for on clearance at Hobby Lobby. I love their clearance section! Anyway, this seemed like a quick project so I went through all of my stash of supplies to see what could go with this project. This is what I started with:

Halfway through the project, Huggy got bored with the football game and came over to help me. His jobs included capping the glue runner, blowing on the ink to dry it and giving me hugs of support. I just love it when he helps me.

Here's our finished project:

And here are the pictures I took this morning, in a little better light. This was a fun project - not bad for two hours "work"!

a fun little magnetic journaling spot

I haven't finished (or even started) journaling in the book but I'm looking forward to that part of this project as well. Maybe one of these chilly evenings, I'll take my little book and a cup of cocoa, curl up on the couch next to our Christmas tree and get to work on that. As soon as I pay someone to distract my children...Did I say that outloud? oops.

jack, some gourds, and a jar of eyeballs

2008-10-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Honestly, it's an odd feeling for me to have a house where virtually nothing needs doing. There's very little begging my attention at the moment and I find myself looking for something to do. If everyone else weren't at work...and if I didn't have two kiddos with a highly contagious ailment...I would invite a friend over for coffee. Or for a lunch of homemade vegetable soup and cornbread. Something like that anyway...it sounds so nice and quaint and homey.

Or maybe it's just too quiet in here right now and I shouldn't let my mind wander like that...anyway, since most people like to avoid contagious children...here's a little virtual tour for you :).

This little fall display is next to our front door. We purchased the pumpkins and indian corn on our trip to the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago. The little country kitty was a gift from my mom. Since we plan for our living in this place to be relatively temporary, this kitty was the only decorative thing I had - inside or outside - until recently.

This is actually part of Sissy's costume. Can you guess what she is going to dress up as? Would it help if I told you she also has an IV bag of blood and a syringe filled with red liquid? Maybe her labcoat and scrubs will help you figure it out. :)

More finds from the pumpkin patch. I love the green pumpkin and the small warty one. I have big plans for the large light green gourd.
This crazy looking little Jack is living in our kitchen window. We put out a few Halloween decorations last night...we've had the plate for awhile and Jack is a new addition. Sissy found him at the junk store and just had to have him. It's the same Jack that's on our plate...or his first cousin at least :)

Hope everyone is having a great day. And in case you are wondering...Sissy Pie and Huggy Puggy are feeling fine.

I try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup

2008-10-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had candy corn or "autumn mix"? Of course you have. But have you had it with a generous portion of peanuts mixed in? It's the perfect combo of salty and sweet. Try it, there's no better time of year for it :). And I may or may not have eaten an entire bag of mellowcreme pumpkins all by myself. In the true political spirit of the season...I'm not confirming or denying it.

tag! you're it!

2008-09-26T12:44:00.001-07:00

The super sweet and talented Melissa B. took a break from her baby craziness to tag me on her blog "a beautiful work". I thought I'd start the weekend off right by actually blogging so here are my tags!

So here are the rules:
(1) The winner can put the logo on their blog.
(2) Link the person you received your award from.
(3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. (I’ve also seen 6…)
(4) Put links of those on yours.
(5) Leave a message on the blogs of the girls or boys you’ve nominated.

1. I've got to tag Vanessa first. I love her country home decor and that she ends each post with scripture. I wish I had her luck at finding awesome things when I go junking!

2. Jen is adorable and she has such a heart for the Lord. We "met" in a strange way that I am convinced was a God thing :). She also takes gorgeous photos that make me a bit jealous!

3. While I'm sure she has been tagged before, I can't leave out Angie. Her story and her love and faith in Jesus Christ continues to inspire me every day. Even when she's contemplating buying stick bundles. ;)

4. Several years ago, I saw girlie layout in a scrapbooking mag and of course the layout caught my eye. I read the journaling on the layout and my heart broke. The mom who made it was missing her little girl, taken from her far too soon, and missing little things like washing her "days of the week" underwear. I never knew who the mom was (that was back before google and I were BFF) so I was surprised to find myself blog hopping earlier this year and actually finding out that Jody was the scrapbooker who made that layout. I've continued to read her blog and find her inspiring in so many ways - not the least of which is that she just gave birth to her 6th child!

5. I just love Lora's blog and I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. Her children are adorable and she keeps it real.

That's it for me - I only have 5. I always have been a rulebreaker!

a blackberry, tilt-a-whirls and candy apples

2008-09-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

This week has been so, so busy both at work and at home. If there was something I could volunteer for this week, I did. I didn't do that on purpose and frankly, I freaked out a bit on Sunday night when I was syncing my blackberry with my calendar. I got through it, day-by-day and tried my best to really live it, even though it seemed kind of like I was on a carnival ride.

(Ok, I have to interrupt myself here to say that Huggy is sitting next to me and he just leaned over and said "you knows what mama? I loves you". He grinned and gave me the biggest hug ever. When I say Huggy said "mama" just say it to yourself in your best Elvis voice because that's how he says it. Sissy has fallen fast asleep on the sofa while watching Mighty Machines with us. It's been that kind of week.)

Speaking of tilt-a-whirls, it's county fair time all over the state. We've already enjoyed our fair share of cotton candy, jumbo corn dogs and candy apples. I didn't ride the tilt-a-whirl though, as it seems I'm already living on-it ;)

My blog has gotten more traffic lately and I'd love to hear from anyone who visits. Don't you want to make my day? Comments are always welcome :)

What love is.

2008-09-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

It's true what they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me, this shop is a mess.

And my dad would probably be none too pleased that I have posted it for anyone to see.

But you have to see it.

Try, when you look at this picture, to see it through the eyes of that tiny little boy in the red shirt...you can see him way back there at the back. Through his eyes, this is the place to be. This is Poppa's Shop and if the lights are on, Huggy Puggy wants to be in there. Even when the lights are off, he wants to be in there! That's Huggy's big Cousin's truck. They've been working on it for awhile now because Big Cousin will be 16 this month. Huggy loves to get behind the wheel of that truck (and any other truck really).

He's not snooty though, he'd also love to ride Poppa's old lawnmower. He loves for Poppa to take him for a spin or two...or thirty around their yard.

Huggy loves, loves cars. Cars, and trucks, and motorcycles and lawn mowers and scooters and boats and MACK trucks...if it has wheels and goes, he likes it. Well, boats don't have wheels but they go fast so they count too.

Anyway, back to the shop pictures.
See that little motorcycle back there against the table? That's a real motorcycle but it's Huggy's size. And he wants to ride it so, so badly. In lieu of actually riding it, he rode the tricycle back there and parked by it.

"Why is Big Cousin's truct up der like dat?" He had to thoroughly check things out.

Then do a little work. He and Sissy love to use this wheel to grind down sticks of chalk. I'm sure there is a real purpose for both the chalk and the grinder, but for them, this is it's purpose.

I took a lot of photos yesterday while we were waiting for my dad to get home. I had somewhere to be and Poppa was more than happy to have little Huggy hang out with him for a bit. I took photos of my parents' cars and truck as well as pictures of Big Cousin's truck, Poppa's motorcycle and Big Cousin's other truck which is really just a shell of a truck - but it counts!
I'm making an album of automobile pictures for Huggy. I'm including copies of pictures of his Daddy's first car (a mustang) and his second car (another mustang) and his third car (a camaro)...hmmm I wonder why Huggy wants a mustang or a camaro?

And I'm including pictures of the lawnmowers, of course. Ours, and Poppa's. Soon I will start work on an album of people Huggy loves...but for now,
this is what love is.

cakewrecks, scary clowns, and a meme about me

2008-08-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's one scary cake. I've been stalking the cake wrecks blog for awhile now. I find this one particularly frightening. I mean, it's a dead clown! On a cake! Clowns in general scare me. But a dead clown on a cake, well that is truly horrifying. And so I must share it.....

and this one...

ACK! Make it stop!

you can find all kinds of crazy bad cakes on their blog. If you read it at work, be ready to explain your snorts of laughter and uncontrollable wheezing.

Anyway, here's the meme. 10 things about me that will make you say Are you kidding me??

(That's the original title as snagged from Stephanie's blog) I figure in my case, most of these will make you say "Well, Bless her heart"... just like you would anyone that you feel really sorry for their afflictions. Or maybe you'll just say "No duh"...or do people even say that anymore?

1) I can wiggle my ears. I taught myself how by watching my reflection in my computer screen in my college computer class...tuition money well spent.

2) While waiting for the copy machine to warm up, I do Irish Dance. Sadly, we got a new copier that takes like 1.5 seconds to get ready. That's some fast Irish Dance!
3) If it's pink and glittery, I want it.
4) I have a serious aversion to hominy. It looks like teeth!
5) Spiders scare me. If you even say spider, I'll get the creep-outs.
6) Hubby and I just celebrated the 18th anniversary of our first date. When I say celebrated, I mean we both forgot about it and remembered two days later. We mark our anniversary with slightly more fanfare...usually.
7) My dreams are insane and I frequently talk in my sleep.

8) I nursed Huggy Puggy until he was three years old and weaned himself. I don't regret that decision one little spec.
9) I didn't have my son circumcized. I can give you a lot of reasons why but I'll keep it to one - God made him perfect already.
10) Transformers is my favorite movie.

Huggy Puggy Goes to School

2008-08-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

At Huggy Puggy's new school, he wears a uniform. I admit to some apprehension regarding the uniforms. I wasn't sure if my little mix-and-match cowboy would be ok with wearing a red polo and navy shorts every single day. Thankfully, the start of the new school year coincided with his feet finally outgrowing his little red cowboy boots and his Grammy buying him the coolest kicks he'd ever laid eyes on. I have packed away his little red cowboy boots, but I'm in the market for another pair. I can't resist. I love it when he and Sissy get themselves all dressed up. Tutus, cowboy boots, glittery headbands, camo ball caps...that's how they roll. As Sissy would say, "Peace Out".

She needed first aid, in the second grade...

2008-08-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Now Billy Joe McGuffrey was a really clumsy kid
On the first day of first grade, I'll tell you what he did
He tripped over a pencil box, flew up in the air
Landed on a kangaroo who pulled out all his hair

First aid in the first grade
First aid in the first grade
First aid in the first grade
You could buy a zoo with all the doctor bills he paid

Now Billy Joe McGuffrey was a really clumsy kid
On the second day of second grade, I'll tell you what he did
He slipped on a banana peel, flew up in the sky
Landed on a chimpanzee who poked him in the eye

First aid in the second grade
First aid in the second grade
First aid in the second grade
You could buy a zoo with all the doctor bills he paid

(If you haven't heard this song, you really must. Here's a link to it on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyIEdTG1MUU)

We have been singing this song all summer long so when I picked Sissy Pie up on the first day of school and I saw the sticker on her shirt, I immediately thought of Billy Joe McGuffrey.

There's a boy at Sissy Pie's school who has been in her class since kindergarten. He has always annoyed her to no end, I've always just thought he was a funny little class clown. This year, she was excited to find his name listed in a class other than hers. This guy is a character, to say the least. Let's just say that I have many pictures of the class that include him throwing up the "rock and roll" hand signs while sticking his tongue out. This year, would be different though. Or so we thought.
Second recess, first day and he knocked her off the swing onto something metallic and sharp. It cut through her new shirt (she was furious!), cut a pretty deep gash in her back and left a very large raised bruise. Ok, dude, I don't think you are so funny anymore :(.

Once she told me her story and I found out that she was ok...I called her Billy Joe and started singing.
It took her a second to catch on and then she sang along and we laughed about the whole thing. We're going tomorrow to buy a shirt to replace the torn one, she's going to use it to dress her big stuffed Gloria hippo. Gloria won't mind a bit that it's torn.

back in 3...2....1

2008-08-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Enjoying what's left of the summer. BRB

a summer love affair

2008-07-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

It's official, I am in love. I have loved before, but never like this.

The object of my affection?

Please excuse me while I compose myself...

Ok, I have recovered. It was touch and go for a minute there though.

retro daddy's girl

2008-07-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

I promised you retro Kristy. While I dig through old photos to find the exact one I am looking for, the one that just embodies what I was about as a girl, I will share these retro pics.

I made this card for my dad for Father's Day last year. My digital camera was out of commission at the time so I apologize for the scans. I just love how this card turned out. The proud grin on my dad's face when I gave it to him was more than enough repayment for all of the time I spent stressing over it.

(Just a little FYI, that's my favorite doll. Her name was printed into the back of her little plastic head. And yes, we named our daughter after her :) )

(That's me on my mama's lap)

He didn't have to be my Dad, but he chose to be. I am eternally blessed to have such a father on this Earth.

"rock fashion"

2008-07-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Like all little girls, Sissy Pie loves Miley Cyrus. I took this picture late last year while we waited for the Best of Both Worlds concert to start. I can't even explain to you how excited this kiddo was that I scored tickets for that show. You wouldn't believe the awesome mama points I got for this! We had an awesome day.

Fast forward six months...

While I was out this weekend, I bought People magazine's special Miley Cyrus edition for Sissy Pie. She has pored over that magazine, cover to cover! Last night she brought it to me to show me some of the outfits and accessories that are featured in it. Since we've set this week to sort her clothes to get ready for back to school shopping, she wanted to do a little "window shopping" online. So after the boys went to bed, we cuddled up on the sofa with the magazine and the laptop and looked things up. We found some adorable stuff! Some of it is mentioned in the magazine and some of it is the result of our googling. She picked out such eclectic outfits, I was surprised. Her eyes lit up when I told her we could place a few orders. That's when she said "awesome, this year I am going to rock fashion".

Stay tuned for a pic of me rocking fashion at her age. Each outfit involved no less than four different colors, most of them flourescent.

He hears me

2008-07-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Before I type this, I want to admit something to you. I didn't start out this day looking to have church. I am ashamed to say that I didn't even start today with a prayer of thanks to God for this day He gave me. In fact, after a week of Vacation Bible School and having been at our church every day for over a week, I told Hubby last night that I was "churched out". I just wanted to go to bed, sleep like a log, and then wake up and "get through" today. I was looking forward to tonight...both kiddos at the grandparents, me cleaning up the mess of a house I have after being home zero nights out of the last seven, and then going to bed early.

In my prayers last night, I thanked God for our blessed VBS program, I prayed for the children who attended and their families, I praised him for all the blessings in my life - and then I hid. Silly, isn't it? There is no hiding from someone who can see your heart, who knows what you need before you know you need it. There's no curtain, no closet, no facade that can hide you from Him. I know that. But I went to sleep trying to hide anyway. He waited for me, and met me where I was this morning.

First, my aunt sent me a link to a song my mother wants her to learn. My aunt is a gifted singer and guitarist and we love to hear her sing in church so she very often gets requests. I can't wait to hear her sing that one. I got such a blessing from listening to it and the message in it this morning. I thought that was an awesome way to start the day and a blessing and carried on working.

Later, I caught up on email and clicked over to read Angie's blog. I am glad I am was alone because I cried. a lot. My heart broke for her all over again and I prayed for her again. I remembered the words of the song I heard this morning, and realized that God was here with me, and He wanted to tell me something. He wasn't "Kristy'ed out", he didn't leave when I said I was "churched out". He's here, He's real and He spoke to my spirit this morning and refreshed me. He set me back on course and drove out the indifference that was creeping in and crushing my spirit today. He heard what I was trying to hide. He told me again that anytime I am feeling alone or tired, or someone has said something to me that dampens my spirit, or if I feel the world creep in too close, I just need to remember to cry out to Him and He will answer. He found a way to say to me today what He knew I needed to hear. I pray he does the same for you.

Life is a Highway

2008-07-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

I always like to post at least one picture when I update my blog. Guess what? I've misplaced my card reader and my camera cord. Actually...it's Sissy Pie's camera cord, because I've misplaced my camera entirely.

Huggy Puggy has been sick this week with something that I'll not name because you might google it and what you might find would put you off your dinner for at least a week. I took a few vacation days and finally finished that scrapbooking organization project I've been working on forever. We did that and spent some quality time with our friends pictured above. Huggy Pie is feeling much better and I'm feeling smugly accomplished. Well, I was until I realized that I've neglected to make the one project I was assigned for VBS. Tomorrow is the deadline so as far as I am concerned, I still have plenty of time!

Sissy Pie's latest obsession is washing dishes. Who am I to argue? She loves to wash them and Huggy Puggy loves to help. They probably use more water and soap than the dishwasher does but they are much cuter :)

I was gone this morning for four hours (helping decorate for VBS) and I was a little afraid of what I might come home to. Honestly, sometimes it's like Lord of the Flies while Momma is gone. I know other moms know what I mean. They were finishing up the dishes when I got home though. And they had folded some laundry too.

seven summers

2008-06-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

I bet you are wondering why I have blogged this mess. I'll get to that in a minute.

First, let me say that getting the large iced coffee this morning was probably not the best idea ever. While I have been productive as all get out, I've also felt a lot like Hammy from Over the Hedge. Sissy Pie and I are going to the mall for lunch and with this caffeine rush I feel like I could walk to the mall and be there before I even finished thinking I wanted to go there. Did you get all that?

It brings me right back to the mess in the picture. The mess that is in front of my desk even now as I type this. That mess, my friends, is summer. It's Sissy Pie, it's fun. Right now, she's listening to her mp3 player and checking out Phinneus and Pherb online. That's how the mess came to be. She started out this week with a few things, essentials if you will, in her pink and white striped bag. By this morning, it was full to the top and almost too heavy for her to carry. She and her bag have had quite the week. A day or two swimming at Aunt Angie's, a day spent with Grammy, going to the bakery and the library and shoe shopping, and a day or two with me here at the office...spending our lunch hour thrifting and just doing some fun "girl" stuff. So when she couldn't find her mp3 player, she dumped the bag and her week of fun on the floor in front of my desk. I took one look at it and thought this is the summer of a 7 year old girl, this is her 7th summer, this is her.

So, now you know why I had to take a picture, and blog this mess.

chilling with Chui

2008-06-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

Laundry washing, last two loads.
Kitchen clean, not even any dishes in the dishwasher.
Floors mopped yesterday, bathtubs and bathrooms cleaned tonight.
So what am I doing now? Chilling with Chui. While I am catching up on blogs, journals and the latest news, he's catching some zzzzz's here next to me on the couch.
I think this is so cool.

I LOVE Blooregard Q. Kazoo and the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends gang. I found this version of him on polyvore.com. If you are looking for some inspiration to spur your summer time creativity, polyvore.com is the place for you.
Sit in the shade with your laptop (or be like me and just stay inside enjoying the icy AC) and browse this cute little site. Build your own polyvore, here's my very first one.

I'd love to see what you create!

My everything.

2008-06-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here they are. On a beautiful day for a wedding.
Walking behind them, on the way in to the chapel, I had to snap a picture.
I wanted to always remember the beautiful, clear blue sky...the warm sunshine,
and my perfect little babies. My handsome little "huggy puggy" (wonder how long he'll let me call him that?).
And Sissy Pie, the little princess with a heart of gold and a love for all things sparkly and fancy,
swishing along beside them in her chosen finery.
I could not love them more.

Huggy Puggy, son of mine.

2008-06-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

1. likes to play "wobots"
2. is the world's best snuggler
3. declared that any mean monsters he sees will "get kicked in the buttface"
4. is certain that mama can fix anything
5. dreams nightly of guitars and all things automobile
6. was born to rock
7. thinks transformers = wobots + cars. wobots + cars = ultimate awesomeness
8. Poppa is his hero (mine too, buddy boy)
9. favorite food is "pizzi" which he declares is "excellent deliceeous!"
10. his soul is perfection personified

chui, listed

2008-06-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

1. joined our family on Thanksgiving Day 2007, otherwise known as "the day daddy gave in"

2. was abandoned, now is loved

3. hardly ever actually walks because his "mama" carries him everywhere

4. wants to lick "grandpa"

5. sleeps under the covers

6. if someone knocks on the door, it must be the enemy and they must be stopped!

7. just wants a little bit of pizza, pleeeeeeaaaase????

8. is sorry he barfed up the pizza he stole

9. tries to hit the puppy pad target, honest

10. is convinced he's a great dane.

Hobo Joe's and Summer

2008-05-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially here. We kicked it off last night with one rainbow and one smurf snow cone. We sat on the tailgate of the truck, in the grocery store parking lot, watching traffic go by and enjoying the evening breeze. I think we'll have snow cone Thursdays every week this summer.

When I was little, I used to stay with my great-aunt for a week each summer. She ran a snow cone stand called Hobo Joe's. I spent my week eating entirely too many snow cones and going swimming at the city pool. When I got tired, I would curl up in the snow cone stand in my sleeping bag on top of the chest freezer. Even now when I walk up to a snow cone stand and they open the little window - that blast of cold air mixed with the smell of syrup hits me in the face, I am right back at Hobo Joe's.

in the blink of an eye

2008-05-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

The last day of first grade. Why do these kinds of milestones always make me a little weepy? Time flies, it really does. Everything passes in the blink of an eye. Of course I remember hearing the first sound she ever made in this world. And it seems like yesterday she started walking and talking. And I am so afraid that tomorrow she'll be in a cap and gown. Let's hope for a long, lazy summer.

sissy pie

2008-05-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

a very cute idea from a blog melissa reads.

Sissy Pie, listed

1. loves avocados

2. refers to herself as Chui's "mama"

3. wants her daddy to put a "princess ceiling" in her room in the new house

4. read 200 books in the last 9 weeks

5. wants to be a scientist/inventor/rock star

6. dances like nobody is watching...especially when people are watching!

7. was finally brave enough to jump off the diving board last weekend

8. has a treasure box full of (among other things) odd coins, locust shells, random rhinestones and a tiny plastic skull

9. wrote the toothfairy a note requesting that she be allowed to keep her teeth. the tooth fair obliged

10. loves teaching her brother how to read

benign

2008-05-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

"benign lesion"
Best two words I've heard all day.
More later...

transformers, roll out

2008-05-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

Optimus Prime commands you: Surrender now.

I am SO GLAD it is Friday. The weather is perfect, I cannot wait to get home today. On the way to school this morning, we discussed our Friday evening plans. Huggy Puggy is going to wear his Transformers gear and ride his trike outside. Sissy Pie is going to search for the perfect leaf on which to set free her latest insect captive. And I am going to do nothing. I am going to get comfy outside with my puzzle book and watch the kiddos play. There may also be sidewalk chalk and bubbles involved.

When it gets dark we are going to go inside, get showered and comfy and settle in with some popcorn to watch Transformers again. Huggy Puggy loves the "wobots". He will, no doubt, wear his Optimus Prime helmet and speak to us only through the voice changer. It is funny to hear Optimus Prime ask for more popcorn :).

wear sunscreen

2008-05-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Huggy Puggy has taken to lying under my chair while I work on the computer. Right now he is there, wrapped in his little froggy blanket with Chui lying next to him. Sissy Pie is asleep. And here I sit, with the best posture I can muster, trying not to irritate my new scar.

Well, it's not a scar yet...but it will be. I had another fun visit with my dermatologist today. I really like him (as evidenced by the long drive I take to see him) and his staff. They are friendly and chatty. I got plenty of antisthetic to start and three stitches to finish. That's on my stomach. I also have a blister on the bridge of my nose where he froze a precancerous spot. That's right next to the "S"-shaped scar left by a cancer removal I had ten years ago - 26 stitches. I was only 23 at the time. I'm 33 now and for the past ten years have been vigilant about wearing sunscreen. I still can only imagine that there is more of this to come due to my sunscreen shunning teen years. So, it's a good thing that I like my dermatologist and that he's young and should be around awhile.

I am thankful that I haven't had anything malignant and so I'm content with all the scars, little and big, that I have from my dermatologist visits. Even the little scars hurt when they were healing and if you are reading this I probably loveya and don't want you to hurt. So wear sunscreen.

Only if they don't sing

2008-05-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Today is Huggy Puggy's 3rd birthday. I had plans for today, much more grand than what has unfolded. I set my standards pretty high for birthday and holiday celebrations. I go all out and always have. I can remember carefully assembling Valentines, Easter and even St. Patrick's day treats for my middle school friends. I wore a "Today is my Birthday" smiley face button on every birthday through junior and senior high school. I brought treats for everyone else on my own birthday. Birthdays are days to dress up, open gifts, go out to dinner, bake a big cake, etc. I'm sure this is a trait I have inherited from my mother. On any given holiday, big or small, Christmas or Groundhog's Day, she would pull out all the stops with decorations and treats. I loved it and still do.

But this year, we have tried to scale back. Trying to let the birthday be about the person and not the trappings, the holiday about the meaning and not the stuff you get. We have tried to remove complications and obstacles that interfere with being with each other and enjoying each other every day, not just holidays and birthdays. We've even turned off our television - permanently!

So, when Huggy finally decided (at 9pm last night) that he would take cupcakes to his friends at school "only if dey don't sing", I tried not to panic. I had everything I needed to bake cupcakes and got irritated at myself for being too tired to want to make rainbow cupcakes, I was feeling like it was a chore. So I did something that I wouldn't have done before. I put my cupcake kit away and I went to bed when everyone else did. I snuggled Huggy Puggy up and managed to put my "mommy guilt" to bed too.

Today, I bought cupcakes. I added frosting and sprinkles and delivered the cupcakes to school for Huggy and his friends. I am quite certain that none of them noticed that I didn't bake them :).

more rainbows :)

2008-05-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

How cool is this? My BFF Melissa got it for me for my birthday. I filled it up immediately! I love to organize my scrapbooking stuff by color. I just think things look so pretty this way. And since all I seem to have time to do is look at my scrapbook stuff, it needs to look pretty.

The tote this is sitting on holds (held) misc. stickers, papers, tools, etc. I can spot in this picture a sticker that I bought on my very first trip to the scrapbook store. I also spy things that I bought recently. So. Knowing how mixed up everything had gotten during our move, I decided to organize.

Now I have this to deal with:

Fabulous, isn't it? It isn't all in the frame, but you get the idea.

Hopefully I can work on it some tonight after I get the kiddos into bed. That would be after I bake two dozen cupcakes for Huggy Puggy's birthday. I am thinking of baking a rainbow cake for tomorrow night. I'll let you know how it goes!

I can't believe my baby is going to be three years old tomorrow.

rainbows!

2008-04-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's cloudy and overcast again today so I just thought I would share a rainbow! Rainbow cupcakes!! I am seriously obsessed with these things. They are yummy and so darn cute, I just can't help myself! This one is from the third batch I have made. My first try was not as pretty but Sissy Pie's classmates loved them just the same. The second try looked just like this one and were a big hit at Sissy's birthday party. I made this batch purely for fun and brought some in to work to share.
Who doesn't love cupcakes?? I got some cool cupcake stuff for my birthday from my friends and family. Now my kitchen will always have cupcake-goodness even if I haven't baked recently!

drive-thru please

2008-04-23T21:40:00.001-07:00

When I was in high school, I worked at a little hamburger place in town each day after school. We had lots of regular customers, some of them were real characters and I remember them well.

On Thursday nights, we cashed payroll checks for the late shift workers at the plant across the highway. Those nights were pretty much always complete and total chaos. There was one plant worker who was, shall we say "unbalanced" that never failed to cause trouble. One night he chased me around and around the condiment stand because his order was not what he thought it should have been. I will never forget his face.

Another of our regular customers was an older man who always ordered a small cup of vanilla soft serve and a cup of water with no ice. He had a heart condition and wasn't supposed to have anything very cold. I guess he thought not having ice in his water balanced things out with the cold of the ice cream. He was a really kind man, he always seemed genuinely glad to just be alive.

I saw another of my old customers recently and it took me just a moment to match her face with familiar memories. I am certain that she, just like the others I have mentioned, did not remember me. But I will never forget her. She always ordered at the drive-thru, I don't remember ever once seeing her inside. She had two small children, and the boy always wanted to order the big burger. I could hear him insisting in the background as she placed the order that he wanted the BIG burger, NOT the kid's burger. She never ordered it for him. Instead, she would get so agitated at him that she would yell at him. I always pictured her in my mind, twisted to the right, looking into the backseat telling him off for talking while she ordered. Sometimes she would get so frustrated with his crying that she would declare the ultimate punishment of "no fast food!" and drive away without placing an order at all. It' amazing to me that I remember her and all those details from so many years ago. I wonder if she noticed me looking at her oddly for that moment it took for me to place her.

I guess it isn't that odd for me to remember her. I can recall many people's faces and details, especially if the encounter was unpleasant. In fact, years ago I was working at a furniture store that offered store credit lines to those who qualified. The salesmen handled the credit applications and ID verifications while I processed the sale in the computer system. One woman who qualified for credit was particularly rude to me so I made myself unavailable to assist in processing her purchase. She was rude again when she picked up her furniture purchase a few weeks later.

Almost a year later, on New Year's Eve, I got a call from a local detective regarding someone who had applied for and received credit with a fraudulent application. I had long since moved on from the furniture store but they had my contact information and knew I was working on the day the fraud occurred. He said he knew it was short notice and a long shot, but he asked me to come down to his office to look at a line-up of mugshots. He had a three-ring binder filled with clear page protectors and in each one was rows and rows of mugshots. He didn't even get the page fully flipped before I pointed her out. The name she had used was not her own and she was caught when she had custom made curtains delivered to her home. She had bought the curtains with even more fraudulent credit.

I wonder if any customers I have served in the past remember me or would recognize me if they saw me. I wonder if they would remember me as someone who was kind or as someone who just made their day worse. I have had far too many moments in my life when I have not been the person I should have been. I bet the lady who honked at the drive-thru one too many times, then chastised me for failing to put a drinking straw in her bag remembers me. If not, I bet she remembers the fist full of straws I tossed into her car window. Oh, I can only hope that the good outweighs the bad and that should I encounter them again, I have the chance to show them kindness.

when it rains...well, you know

2008-04-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

This morning's rush in our household could have been set to William Tell's overture. The mad dash began when we awoke at 7:32am. Thankfully, both kids hit the ground running and we were out the door by 7:45. Mind you, Huggy Puggy and I were both still in our pajamas with plans to drive Sissy Pie to school and then come back home. She ate her breakfast en route and I am happy to say that she was on time (barely) for another day of standardized testing.

Huggy Puggy and I arrived back home just in time for the drizzle to turn to downpour. Oh well, our pj's got soaked. Huggy Pie announced to his daddy "we dot soatin' wet!" Hubby was, of course, dressed and ready to head out to work...until he noticed that his clothes were the same clothes he wore yesterday. Discussion ensued wherein we tried to decide just how his worn clothes ended up with the clean wash.

Flashback to last night: Hubby and I have just walked in the door after working all evening at our old house, the kiddos have just gotten back from church and I am trying to get some laundry done while simultaneously getting Sissy Pie's backpack unpacked and repacked, taking the dog out to do his business, getting Huggy Puggy a snack, getting Huggy Puggy a bath, etc. I noticed that Huggy was running amok in only a t-shirt and didn't give it a second thought - hey, he's half ready for the tub! He's finally in the tub and I'm unloading the dryer when I find his underwear and pants that he has just taken off. I thought "oh how cute, he's helping with the laundry", tossed those into the dirty pile and continued with my tasks.

Back to this morning, Hubby and I are still talking about how this happened and trying to get him ready again for work when Huggy walks into the bedroom and says "I do daddy's laundry! I put it all in da dryer" followed by the biggest cheesiest grin ever. I gave him a big hug, thanked him for his help with the laundry and promptly dumped the whole "clean" basket back on the dirty pile. c'est la vie!

So, here's the blog.

2008-04-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

I have been journaling on paper for more years than I can count, and journaling online for over five years. Until now, I wasn't really sure how blogging could fit into that mix. I can't (or won't, rather) open up my online journal for all to see and unless you plan on visiting my home daily, you can't gain access to my paper journal either. So, here's the blog. Welcome.