flashback on a friday: halloween style

1981

me, age 8
dressed as a clown
from the school for hairdressers
(since I'm wearing one of those drapes they make you wear when you get your hair cut)

my sister, age 6
dressed as the bionic woman
(since everyone knows the bionic woman was cool)

1992
me, sophomore in college
dressed as Ophelia
(since I was reading Hamlet in one of my classes and I had my grandma's vintage dress)
my roommates
dressed as a gypsy and a toga girl
(since when you're in college you've gotta work with what you've got in your closet)

haunted cookie cups

Aren't these the sweetest little ghosts ever? I think so.


Kris ate three.

Cate made a mess with one of them.

Danny ate two, both without "frosting."

I ate more than I should have. Let's just say I'm done with sweets for the rest of the week. Maybe the rest of the month.

Try 'em. You'll like 'em.


Haunted Cookie Cups


Enjoy!

We sure did!

our romantic getaway

Dan and I attended a football game Saturday afternoon. Just the two of us. No kids. Romantic getaway, right? Right.

It was raining on the drive there. We were prepared though. Ponchos, raincoats and plastic bags. Dan was all smiles while he suited up to go out in the downpour because he likes watching football in the rain. Me, not so much. But I do like Dan. And I like the part about no kids.


I had fun watching this crazy fan from the other team (circled in the picture). He was wearing a cowboy hat (since the other team's mascot is a Cowboy), cowboy boots, a white t-shirt and some kind of yellow barrel looking thing held up by suspenders. That's all. I think he must have been wet and cold the entire game. He spent the whole time pacing back and forth. I wondered why he didn't just sit down. Then I realized that maybe he couldn't sit down because of that barrel thing. That's some kind of team spirit I guess.

I did a pretty good job of not worrying about my kids while we were there. I knew they were in good hands (thanks, Kathy and Judy!). I had to miss Danny a little bit every time the band played their little snippet of the Imperial March though. He would have liked to hear that.


I kept myself busy during the first half by erasing old pictures from my camera, watching that crazy yellow barrel cowboy guy and listening to the stuff the people around me were yelling. It was quite comical at times.

Here's a few that I wrote down (because I always have paper and a pen with me, even at a rainy football game):

You gotta buy him dinner first if you're gonna do that to him. {said by the guy sitting next to me about something one of the football players did to another football player}

Holy crap! They weren't gonna score all day if they didn't get that. {said by that same guy after the opposing team scored a touchdown}

Blow your whistle one more time cuz I don't think we know the play's dead! {said by the lady sitting behind me...she said a lot of things, kind of never shut up the whole game}

Yeah, you better take a knee, buddy! {said by the guy again...why? I don't know. I wasn't paying attention to the game.}

Son of a! {said by the lady behind me after our team missed a field goal}

Weak sauce! Weak sauce! {said by that lady again after The Wave fizzled out}

Oh, dang it! {said by Dan after a yellow flag on the field and booing by the crowd}

Then it was halftime and the best part of the whole game - the marching band! Mock if you will, but marching around the field and playing music that you've memorized without falling down and knocking into each other takes real talent. Seriously. I should know.


The game had a happy ending. Our Cougars were victorious. Thanks for letting me tag along, Dan. I hope I didn't ruin your fun with all my random questions. Sometimes I just have a hard time paying attention and my mind wanders. Like, at one point I was wondering what it feels like to be the cheerleader that gets tossed into the air. And how the extra guys (coaches and water boys and whatnot) on the other team's sideline look like UPS guys because their colors are brown and yellow. And was I going to get in trouble for smuggling in a bag of almonds when the rules on the back of the ticket said no outside food or drink. And that pizza we ate for lunch was really yummy.


The best part of the day was coming home to my kids and having them tell me they didn't miss me. Cate even told me to go away. In my defense, they were playing at Judy's house when we came to get them. They pretty much never want to leave when they're playing at Judy's house.


I should try this romantic-getaway-with-no-kids thing more often. Next time, less rain. More pizza. Less crazy people. More...I don't know.

I'd add more romantic to that list, but what's more romantic than watching football in the rain with your main man?

Right?

Don't answer that.

Christmas card preview

We had a little photo shoot a few weeks ago with our favorite photographer extraordinaire.

I'm thinking about using this one for our Christmas cards.
What do you think?

If a picture's worth a thousand words,
this one pretty much says all 1,000 of them.

I know. I know.
You're just dying to be on my Christmas card list now.

Go ahead and leave your address in the comments and I'll make sure you get one.
They're going to be the hot commodity in a few months.
Can you just picture this one on display on your mantle or fridge?
Ushering in the joyous feelings of the Season.

Featuring
me, letting my true feelings shine through
Dan, showing his quick legs and strong hands
my baby girl, with cheeks so cute I want to eat them

Not featuring
my darling son, the photographer for this particular shot

I love this family of mine.
More than all those 1,000 words can say.

to do list: cake in a can

{thanks for the picture, plain chicken!}

Today is Grama Bama's birthday.
And Aunt Jenny's too.

Happy birthday, y'all!

If I had my act together, you would each be receiving a cake in a can today.

A birthday cake.
Baked in a can.
(not like a soup can, bigger than that)
Shipped in the mail.
To family members who live thousands of miles away.

What a great idea!

But I don't have my act together.
So the cake in a can is being added to my to do list.
Maybe next year.

Have a happy birthday anyway!

Here's a little birthday treat instead.

Two sweet little grandkids
(or nephews to Aunt Jenny)

The bottom one is my favorite.
Want to know how I got them to smile like that?

Instead of telling them to say cheese,
I told them to say boogers.

And they did.
And then they laughed.

Little boys are so easily amused.

I love it.

more before pictures

Cate had her very first play date yesterday. I actually took her to a little friend's house and left her there to play. She didn't cry and from what the parents said, she played nicely and had fun. I could really get used to this play date thing.

Danny and I walked home after dropping Cate off. He went into his room to play and I went in the backyard. I got started on a little Christmas project. I'm actually thinking ahead this year. That's a first. I did a little spray painting. That's all. Nothing grand.

It was warm and sunny so I decided to haul out a few more things from the garage to add to my before pictures. I'm excited to see what they'll look like when the "after" pictures happen. That might not be for another 10 years or so. I'm thinking that's how long it will take my kids to figure out how to be 100% potty trained, get their own fishy crackers and drinks and keep themselves entertained without being fussy or clingy. That's the only way I'm ever going to have time to turn the befores into afters.

So for now, here's a few more befores.

First, the one up at the top. It looks like some kind of holder for serving drinks. I don't know. It really wants to be painted and fancied up though. I need to plan a party I guess. Or at least just serve drinks to 24 people.

I'm pretty sure I remember Jenny (my sis) calling dibs on this mirror and shelf. If she had forgotten about it, I just ruined that since she reads this sometimes. Maybe she'll let me paint them and keep them for myself anyway.



These are old windows. I've wanted to do something with them for years but I don't have a clue what to do. For now, they sit in the garage collecting dust and spider webs (and dead bees in those spider webs). Any suggestions of what to do with them (besides giving them away) are welcome.


I love this stool. It needs a little tender loving care. This is one project I won't be doing on my own...at least not before I learn how to use my sewing machine.



This one's not a before, just a fun find. It's an old movie projector. Isn't it cute? I wonder if it still works.

Remember the metal cart from my other set of before pictures?

Look what I found.

Someone else with the same metal cart used it as an end table. It looks beautiful in the picture. I can imagine what would happen in my house if I had an end table on wheels. Never mind. I don't even want to imagine that. I'm pretty sure someone would end up getting hurt though.

{image found here}

That's all for now. Maybe if the weather stays nice I'll dig out more treasures.

Don't hold your breath.

the truth about church

A bug flew in my ear during church on Sunday. A fly to be exact.

I've had bugs fly into my mouth before. It's gross but you have some control over the removal right? Spit, spit, spit and it's out. When I was eight, I rode the roller coaster at Saltair. Talk about bugs in my mouth. I think they were gnats. Swarms of them. I remember opening my mouth to scream and I got a mouthful of those disgusting critters instead. That shut me up real quick.

I think I could possibly handle getting a bug up my nose. Removal on that one is easy. Plug the other nostril and blow. Out comes the bug. At least I would hope for it to be that easy.

As soon as I figured out that a bug was in my ear (from all the really loud buzzing...oh, this gives me the heebie geebies all over again just typing this...I'm going to have nightmares), what do you think I did?

Yep. I stuck my finger in my ear! That was my first instinct. It was a bad one. Stupid, stupid me. I think I pushed that bug further in. It all happened so fast. What could I do? I pictured myself jumping up, flailing my arms above my head, swatting at my bug infested ear and screaming something along the lines of "Get it out! Get it out! Get it out!"

I was about to have a serious freak out right there in the middle of Brother Pearson's talk when that silly fly flew right back out of my ear. Call it a little miracle right there in church.

It flew over to the wall by Dan. I scooted over and whispered to him that a fly had been in my ear. He smiled. I said, "Is it that one on the wall right there?" as if he'd know. I think he just nodded. I'm not sure if he was ignoring me or what.

It's not even funny now, days later. It's still horrifying.


{That wasn't really a truth about church. Just a story I wanted to share, in case you happened to be sitting anywhere near me towards the end of Brother Pearson's talk and wondered what the heck was going on with me and my ear.}


Here's the real truth about church.

I don't love Sunday. It's not my favorite day.

I love church. Don't get me wrong. It's just that first hour that makes me end up feeling like a major failure as a parent. I'm pretty sure the rest of you have children who behave perfectly in church so you have no idea what this feels like.

I don't hear YOUR little kid yelling to your big kid during the prayer, "Danny! Fold you arms!"

I don't see YOUR kid trying to escape from the confines of the pew every Sunday.

I don't listen to YOUR kids asking for a drink of water every five minutes.

I don't. That has led me to believe that I'm the only one.

I decided this past Sunday that I was done with all the shenanigans. I know church can be difficult for a three-year-old. Sitting still for an hour is not something we practice at home on a regular basis. Maybe we should.

Anyway, this Sunday I came up with a plan. I made a sticker chart for Danny. I showed it to him before church and told him the rules. He had to earn eight stickers during Sacrament Meeting. We talked about how to earn stickers.

Sit still.

Actually sit ON the pew, not on the floor.

No trying to escape.

Whisper.

He even came up with one all on his own. Fold your arms during the prayer.

Hooray!

If he didn't earn eight stickers, no going to Kris' house for dinner later. Like the good mom that I am, I decided to just take away what he loves the most. Right now what he loves most is time with his cousin.

Just look at the two of them.



I took this picture at 8:30 yesterday morning. As soon as we got to Kris' house, Danny was up in bed with him, blanket pulled over his legs, watching Kris playing video games.

I'm pleased to report that Danny earned all eight of his stickers. Every time I added one to his chart, I gave him a thumbs up and a smile. I count it as a small victory. I'll take as many of those as I can get.

Please don't anyone tell me, "Just wait until they're teenagers." I don't want to hear it. I'd rather listen to that stupid fly buzzing in my ear again.

* * * * *

On a totally unrelated note, I put Cate in her very first pair of underwear yesterday. She then proceeded to fall asleep on her favorite chair in the front room. She woke up dry, happily sat on her Cinderella potty and did some numero uno and then went outside to play.

Then she pooped in her pants. Not three minutes later.

Once again, do not tell me this parenting stuff gets harder. I'm not prone to believing such nonsense these days.

a love note to my food

Dear Frozen Banana Bites,

You're sweet and I love you. Hello! Fruit covered in chocolate? Yes, please. You're beautiful. Has anyone told you that lately because you really are beautiful.

Where have you been all my life?

Sure, I've heard of frozen bananas before. I don't think I've ever eaten one though. Why did it take 37 years and a chance encounter with a recipe for us to meet? Why didn't I think of you sooner?

Chop a banana into bite-sized pieces. Smother them in chocolate. Freeze them. Genius!

The best part, you're fruity. That means you're super healthy and good for me, right? Good, because I love you. See how I only used a thin layer of chocolate and no nut chunks or cookie bits or toffee pieces or toasted coconut? You're still beautiful without all that frilly stuff. And you're saving me some calories. I love you for that.

The second best part, my kids don't like you. Don't take that personally. All the more love from me. And since you're so chilly and Dan has sensitive teeth, I think I'll be eating his share too.

So thank you, my sweet fruity friend. Thank you for the good times we've shared these past few days. I won't forget you.


Until we meet again (like as soon as I hit publish on this post),

The Lady Who's No Longer Giving Up Sugar

because I could really use a good laugh right about now

...and I figured one of you might be feeling the same way.

Please enjoy.






And here's Cate dancing to that same annoying music back in March. She loves that book, Grama Bama. Just looooooves it.

Thanks a lot.

I, on the other hand, am just sitting around waiting for the ding-dang battery to run out.






And yes, I asked Dan if I could post that first video. He said yes. How could he not?

a little bowl of potpourri

Cate plopped Strawberry Shortcake on the table and proclaimed, "Dat Pincess Way-uh!" Apparently, she's got Star Wars on her mind too.


I'm excited that 10/10/10 is coming up. Ten is my second favorite number. I wish I could've had a baby on 10/10/10. That would be a cool birthday. I came kind of close to having one on 8/8/08. Cate was due on 7/20/08 and then she had to go and be born 4 weeks early instead of 2 1/2 weeks late. Oh well. There's always 11/11/11 and 12/12/12 right?


A friend gave Dan two tickets to an upcoming football game. In return, I promised that friend a batch of peanut butter pretzel balls. This friend's last name is Baker. I was so tempted to give him 13 peanut butter pretzel balls. A baker's dozen. I thought that would have been oh so very clever of me. I couldn't do it though. I made the balls a little bit too big to fit 13 of them into the container I wanted to use. I hope the football game is as good as those pretzel balls or it was not a fair trade.


If I ever had a store on Etsy, I'd name it The Tangled Squid. I have no idea what I'd sell. I have almost no skills in the handmade department. It'll probably never happen. If it does, I've got the name picked out. Nobody steal it please. It's mine. I searched for "the tangled squid" in the search box on Etsy. It took me here. Cute little onesies.


Speaking of Etsy, in my head I pronounce it eeeet-see. I guess you're supposed to pronounce it eht-see. That just sounds weird to me so I never say it out loud. If I buy someone a gift from Etsy and someone asks me where I bought it, I just say online.


I was reading a friend's post this week about her daughter's birth. It made me think about my doctor. It seemed kind of creepy that he mentioned almost every visit how I didn't have stretch marks on my pregnant belly. I have no idea how that happened. Maybe I just have good skin. Kind of weird that he commented about it so frequently though. My belly button never poked out either. I swore that if it did I'd stick a band aid on it to keep it an inny.


Danny keeps wanting me to tape the Mr. Potato Head mustache onto his chin. I keep telling him that's not where a mustache goes. He needs to watch some reruns of Magnum, P.I. so he can see a real mustache in action.


Dan and I stayed up way too late one night playing Name That Tune with t.v. theme songs. Dan found a site on the internet with loads and loads of t.v. songs. It was fun. Here's the Magnum, P.I. song. I'd download it and stick it in here but I have no idea how to do that.


I spilled a little bit of salt on my keyboard last week. I was watching one of my stories on hulu while I was making dinner. I blew off what I could but those little grains are tiny. Sometimes I feel a little crunch when I'm typing. Other times, the G doesn't work unless I go back and press harder and the space bar fails to make spaces where it should. It'sonlyslihtlyannoyin.


Cate says, "You a good helper, Mama" when I wipe her bum.


These apple pie squares look yummy...and I don't even like apple pie. I won't be baking them. I'm trying to not bake anything pumpkin related either. If I do, I'll eat too much. I'm trying to lose 3 pounds by Thanksgiving. That way, if I happen to eat too much pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, I won't be sad that I gain those 3 pounds back.


Family pictures are tomorrow and I have a zit right under my bottom lip.


Danny and I were watching Lego Star Wars movies on YouTube a few nights ago. We watched this one several times. It's a good one. "The original Star Wars saga as told by a kid with one heck of a LEGO collection." Sadly, I have no idea what the kid is talking about half the time (and it's only two minutes and thirteen seconds long). Maybe I should watch the movies again and actually pay attention this time.





And a flashback, since it's Friday and I haven't done one in quite a while. I came across this picture of baby Danny while I was searching for that R2D2 cake.


I'm not one to get all sentimental about my babies growing up, wishing they would stay little, blah blah blah. But when I saw this picture, I just wanted to scoop him up one more time and smother him in kisses that he wouldn't wipe away. And then I remember the monthly ear infections and the not sleeping through the night until he was eighteen months old and I'm ok. Growing up isn't all that bad.

But dang, he was a cute baby.

star wars on my mind

A few gift ideas for the almost four-year-old Star Wars enthusiast living in this house.

Birthday in a month and a half.

Christmas five weeks after that.


Those minimalist star wars posters up there

I showed them to Danny.
He named every one of them.
I was thinking he wouldn't get the Han Solo one.
He did.
I wish there was a Yoda poster too.

a Star Wars cookbook

some recipes we could make together:

Darth Malt
Pickle Jar Jar
Amidala Challah
Pit Droid Pizza
Qui-Gon Jinn-ger Snaps

a personalized apron

to wear while we're making Anakin's Apple Crisp
and Hideous Sidious Sorbet

a teddy bear

Don't tell Danny.
Grama Bama bought the Darth Vader bear for him.
She called me this morning.
She was thrilled with its cuteness.
It even plays the Imperial March.
I'm thinking he needs the Jedi Knight outfit for the bear his other grandma gave him.
Then he can have a teddy bear battle.

Take a look at this ultimate Star Wars party that my friend found.
I am in awe.

Princess Leia cupcakes
Han Solo in Carbonite Jell-0
Yoda Soda
Vader Taters

I love it all!

Maybe I'll save all that fun food for another birthday though.
Like one when Danny would actually eat it.
Supposing he still loves Star Wars by then.
Or I could figure out how to turn chicken nuggets, broccoli, strawberries and corndogs into food with clever Star Wars names.
Any ideas?

I'm thinking this year I might just have to do a remake of Jarrett's R2D2 cake for Danny.

Anyone want to volunteer to come watch my kids for a day so I can decorate in peace?

I can pay you in soda.

Yoda Soda

fun is totally subjective

"Mama, let's just not clean up. Let's have fun! And decorate!"

Danny's response yesterday afternoon when I declared the dining room table a big fat mess.
The sequins were scattered to both ends of the table.
For every one sequin that actually got glued onto the paper,
four more were dropped on the floor.

And there they have stayed.

It's been a little over 19 hours since I took those pictures of Danny.
Those glue puddles he made still haven't dried.
The sequins are still on the floor.

Cate got in on the fun this morning.
She used a glue stick.
I wiped sequins off her hands three times before suggesting she move on to something else.

Somebody out there be proud of me, please.

My table is a mess.
My floor is a mess.
My kid is a mess.

But by golly, I had fun (at least Danny's idea of fun)
and "decorated" with my kid
instead of

folding laundry
doing dishes
scrubbing toilets
or
frittering away my time on the computer.

I'm proud of me.
And now I'm going to vacuum.

little pokey things

"Hey, Date! How 'bout we use deese wittle pokey gings and poke each uh-duh!"



Note to self:

Do not give toothpicks to Danny.
Pay attention.
Focus.
Don't get distracted in the kitchen.
He's a three-year-old boy.
Those little pokey things can hurt.
What did you think he was going to do with them?
Actually pick his teeth?

Sheesh.

Here's the translation (in case you don't speak his language): Hey, Cate! How about we use these little pokey things and poke each other!

the strike is over

I'm done.

The strike is over.

I think I made it...

mostly

give or take a few complaints
here and there
most of them late at night
when I was tired
and frustrated
and just could not for the life of me hold it in any longer

I certainly gave it my best effort.

Yesterday was quite a day to be the last of no complaining.
I tried.
I really really tried.

I'd like to continue with less complaining
{see how I didn't say no complaining}
this month
so let me just say

holy moly!

all this mothering
feeding
bathing
clothing
entertaining
holding
listening
rocking
playing
teaching
disciplining
diaper changing
potty training
sacrificing {what feels like} every last minute of your time for someone else
and overall care giving business
is hard work

Not complaining.
Just stating facts.

the end

p.s. That picture has absolutely nothing to do with the strike ending. I just needed a picture and that's one I took yesterday. Aren't they adorable? Danny keeps telling me lately that we need another brother in this family. Since that's not likely going to happen in this lifetime, I'm glad he's got Kris. Danny is too.