a birthday of sorts

This here blog turned two years old on Friday.

If I was a super cool blogger I'd have some kind of spectacular giveaway to celebrate.

A way to thank my amazing and faithful readers (all 13 of you).

I'm not a super cool blogger, so no giveaway.

Spectacular or otherwise.


I celebrated this morning (a few days late) by sticking two candles in a cheesecake cookie bar.

Then I lit the candles, had a moment of silence, blew out the candles and ate the cookie bar for breakfast.

By the way, that moment of silence was spent contemplating whether or not I should eat the cookie bar.


Since I'm not a super cool blogger and I don't have a spectacular giveaway, how about I just share these recent internet searches that led the crazies (and semi-crazies) to this here blog.

Just a warning: if there are spelling mistakes, they belong to the crazies, not me.

what to buy grandma for birthday 97
Not sure why someone would search the internet for ideas for that one.
Just make her something for cryin' out loud. She's 97.

tony's casserole
It was yummy while it lasted.

slow cook chicken tenders
On the menu this week. Woo hoo!

despicable me "not cool"
When Gru reads the book he wrote to the little girls...gets me every time.

green eggs and ham cookie recipe
This sounds quite disgusting.

toothpick sculpture for kids
Maybe we'll try that again this week.

Oldsmobile Ray Banana
Huh? Very strange.
I don't even want to know what they were looking for with that combination of words.

i could really use a laugh
Me too, internet stranger. Me too.

And my very favorite internet search leading to this here blog:

newphew "puke in my hands"
I've never had a newphew puke in my hands.
A son, yes.
But never a newphew.
Maybe someday.
Hopefully not.
But maybe.

ten things I'm looking forward to

1. My high school reunion this summer. 20 years. 20 years! Holy moly.

2. Planting a garden for the second time in my life. The first one was in the seventh grade for my agribusiness class. The only thing that survived in that garden was radishes. I hate radishes. Here's my garden spot in the back yard last week. The snow's gone now and it ain't pretty. I've got a lot of work to do.

3. My friend Arlene being my Garden Guru. She's pretty smart with the garden stuff. She doesn't just have one green thumb. She's got two. She up and moved to Texas though so she'll be helping me long distance. Not as good as having her here planting stuff for me but it'll have to do. If she lived here still I would totally let her just plant stuff for me. I don't like touching dirt. This should be fun. I'm doing it for Danny's sake. He's so excited to grow our own peppers and tomatoes.

4. My hair getting longer. I'm never cutting it again. I'm going to be like the old lady I see at the gym. She's got a braid down her back that goes past her bum. I worry about it whenever I see her on the elliptical. That thing getting caught could cause some serious damage.

5. Summer. Not the heat and sun part of it. Just the letting the kids play outside part. Ok, maybe not summer. Just spring. Spring will do just fine.

6. Getting a new camera for my anniversary or Mother's Day or my birthday (all of which are coming up in the next four months). I still can't use the zoom because of the sand that got in there during the Green River trip two summers ago. I dropped it on the tile floor a few weeks ago and the top is a little wonky now. The viewing screen is always on, even when the camera is turned off. That doesn't seem like a good thing to me. But look how cute my babies were on that trip.

7. The day when Danny is cooperative and sweet at the dentist's office. Because he wasn't this morning. I can't totally blame him though. I don't like going to the dentist either. The highlight of the dentist visit was looking at a new book in the waiting area. It contained pictures of rotten teeth and plaque and more disgusting stuff that happens when you don't take care of your teeth. Danny loved it. It was really gross.

8. Making these peanut butter muffins again. I was tending the nephews yesterday at Aunt Judy's house. Kris requested muffins. Aunt Judy doesn't exactly have a pantry stocked full of baking items. I saw a big tub of peanut butter in there though. I searched for a recipe for peanut butter muffins and she actually had all the ingredients. They were yummy. Next time I'll add mini chocolate chips. Everything's better with mini chocolate chips.

9. More days like Wednesday. Baby Ray slept! He napped! Twice! Without crying! For longer than 10 minutes! Actually, for about three hours total. And then he was happy when he woke up. That's the good part. The not so good part, Danny and Cate both fell asleep around five-ish. Bed time didn't happen until 10-ish. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some.

10. Celebrating National Tortilla Chip Day tonight. Sounds like a trip to Cocolito's for dinner is in order. That seems like an appropriate way to celebrate National Tortilla Chip Day. Yum.

What are you looking forward to?

the nerve of some people

the big brother
{in a grouchy, little-sisters-are-so-annoying voice}

"Cate! Stop breathing!"

to which the little sister replied
{in a whiny, being-a-tattle-tale voice}

"Mommy! Danny talked to me!"

I mean seriously, the nerve of some people.

Breathing and talking?

Sheesh.

These pictures were not taken at the time of the incident.
You can tell because they're both smiling.
And not sitting anywhere near each other.
That's why they're smiling.

sometimes

"Sometimes," said Pooh,

"the smallest things

take up the most room

in your heart."

...and the biggest chunk of your bank account,
and every second of your free time,
and the last bit of patience you possess.
But that's beside the point.
They're mine
(kicking my trash to the curb or not)
and I love 'em.

a bunch of stuff you probably don't care about

I like potpourri. I can just spew out all the stuff I'm thinking. Some of it might be worthy of its own post. Most of it isn't. Some of it is interesting. Most of it's not. I'm taking blogging to a whole new level with this stuff. I know. I'm a trailblazer. Plus, potpourri's a good place to throw in a picture of my napping hubby. So sweet.

* * * * * * * *

Danny asked Dan what the rules are. Rules for what you might ask? Why, the family, of course. We don't have any rules posted in the house. Maybe we will now. Danny and Dan came up with these. I might have helped on a few.

1. We must wear clothes. (Danny likes to go commando sometimes.)
2. Give Daddy a hug every day.
3. Say amen after prayers.
4. Give Mommy a hug and a kiss every day.
5. We must love whisker pie.
6. Shoes have a place. There's a place for shoes. (You'd think that one was mine but you'd be wrong.)
7. No running around the house.
8. Tickle Daddy.
9. Tickle Mommy.
10. Tickle Cate.

There you go. Them's the rules for this house. They might need to be amended some day.

* * * * * * * *

This picture of Michelle and me was taken in the summer of 1993. Please excuse the wall of fire to my right. Sometimes that's what happens with pictures taken using old fashioned film. Here's the story.

I was at the gym last week. As I was plugging in my settings on the Stairmaster, the lady on the machine next to me started talking to me. She asked if I grew up in Orem. I told her no. She said I looked like someone she knew. I told her I grew up in Alabama so it probably wasn't me. Then she asked how long I've lived in Utah. I told her I moved here when I was 18. She asked if I ever worked at Storehouse (a grocery store). I told her I did for a while when I was in college. That was it. She recognized me from almost 20 years ago. I don't remember her at all. I do remember her dad though. He was the boss.

I said something about how I was glad she recognized me after so many years. Maybe my wrinkles and gray hair aren't as bad as I thought. I was kind of kidding (kind of not). She laughed and said, "Oh, you're just as tiny as ever."

What? Huh? Excuse me? I've been called lots of things in my life. Tiny is certainly not one of them. I was an eight pound baby and I've been getting less tiny every day since then.

After she said that I figured she didn't remember me at all and just thought I was Michelle.

* * * * * * * *

Grama Bama sent a package last week. She included lots of fun stuff to foster the kids' creativity. Glitter, stickers, glitter stickers, glue, glitter glue. Oh, joy! But the joke's on you, Grama Bama. I sent the glitter and glitter glue over to Aunt Judy's house. Nice try.

* * * * * * * *

The power went out at the gym on Wednesday night. I was really looking forward to a good workout. I didn't get it. It's too bad since I had made some chess squares earlier that afternoon and ate a piece and a half (maybe more). In case you're thinking of making some chess squares of your own (and I highly recommend it), I used a lemon cake mix instead of yellow. Oh, so yummy.

* * * * * * * *

The kids have matching antibiotics right now. How adorable. Cate squirts hers into her mouth all by herself like a medicine-taking champ. No problems. Danny has been a real twerp about it. I should have just asked the doctor to give him the shots instead. I'll remember for next time. I'm not hoping there's a next time any time soon but just in case.

* * * * * * * *

It seems that the grouchier Cate is, the sweeter Danny is. When she was sick sick sicko last weekend, he was nothing but happy and kind. He played in his room by himself plenty and wasn't extremely needy. I don't know why it's happening that way but I'm so very thankful indeed. Now she's feeling much better and Danny is sick. The tables have turned.

* * * * * * * *

Sometimes I'd rather have a day full of running around than a day of nothing planned. Those days with nothing are the ones where I stare at the ironing pile and feel guilty for not doing anything about getting it smaller.

* * * * * * * *

Speaking of ironing, sometimes I set out the shirts to be ironed (with the appropriate number of hangers on top) so that Dan will think that I had good intentions of getting it done when he comes home from work and sees it sitting on the dresser. He'll think I was so busy doing other housewife things that I just didn't have time to get to it. But he'll know I thought about it and really wanted to do it. With ironing, it's the thought that counts.

* * * * * * * *

Dan dug a lot of dirt from around and under an old tree root that's sticking out of the ground. The plan is to get rid of it since it's right under the swings in the back yard. I was not a happy camper when he brought me out to see it. All I pictured was kids falling into the hole and getting twisted ankles or worse. I'm sure the kids will love filling the hole with water and making mud pies though.

* * * * * * * *

I could never be vegan. I could never be one of those people who doesn't watch television either. How do they do it? I really don't get it.

* * * * * * * *

Danny asked to have Family Home Evening a few days ago. I asked him what the lesson should be about. He replied, "Ninjas." I got to wondering what an appropriate treat would be if the lesson was about ninjas. I could make some frosted sugar cookies in the shape of nunchucks. He's going to be disappointed tomorrow night when the lesson is about being obedient. What's a good treat for that one? Maybe chess squares.

* * * * * * * *

When I ask Cate what Dan's big name is (meaning his first, middle and last names) she says, "Power Olds." Dan's middle name is Howard.

* * * * * * * *

I'm now in the club with Dan. The one for parents who have cleaned up after their kids when they've removed their own diapers in their cribs. That's not a fun club to belong to. At least Cate uses the emergency puke bowl we keep in her bed as a chamber pot. That makes clean up a little easier. Oh, the joys of parenting. I had no idea.

* * * * * * * *

I heard Danny singing this little ditty, "Goooooo Cougars! Hey! Fight on you orange and blue!"

* * * * * * * *

Cate calls Chapstick cow lick.

* * * * * * * *

Cate calls Dan on her hand when he's at work. It goes a little something like this. "My call Daddy on mine hands. (hand to her ear) Hello. Daddy? Danny crying. Yeah. Bye." Then she smiles really big.

* * * * * * * *

I write notes to myself on index cards. Stuff I need at the store. Stuff I want to write in the kids' journals. Stuff I want to write on the blog. General stuff I just need to remember. I wrote a note to myself recently that says "Rectangle Noodle Tag." What on earth does that mean? I'm losing my mind.

* * * * * * * *

I was talking to Kris about his jiu jitsu class the other day. I asked him how they tell the teacher that they need to go to the bathroom. He told me that he says, "Sensei, I need to go potty." Then he said, "That means teacher, I need to go potty." Thanks for translating that, Kris.

* * * * * * * *

Danny calls grilled cheese sandwiches girl cheese sandwiches. He pronounces girl "guh-whirl" though so it's quite entertaining to hear him ask for a grilled cheese sandwich.

* * * * * * * *

City Slickers made me cry on Friday night. I had to leave the room so Dan wouldn't see my tears. Curly died. I liked him. "Scoop of chocolate. Scoop of vanilla. Don't waste my time." I was 17 when that movie came out. June 7, 1991. The day after I graduated from high school. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times I've seen that movie in the past almost 20 years. I realized it's a lot different watching it as a 37-year-old though. I'm pretty much the age of those guys out riding the range. It's a lot more thought provoking than I remembered. Maybe I didn't have very many thoughts when I was younger. Who knows. It's a good movie.

* * * * * * * *

Want to see a picture of Fun with Kleenex?

That's the aftermath of the time Cate spent changing Big Baby's diaper the other day. Somehow she managed to reach the powder off the dresser in her bedroom. At least she's got mothering instincts, right?

* * * * * * * *

Speaking of motherhood, it's totally kicking my trash right now. It has been for a while. I feel like I'm losing big time. I tell you what. When I hear people telling me that it gets harder, just wait until they're teenagers, blah blah blah...I don't know. I'm darn near 38 years old. I'm an old lady. I have a four-year-old and a two-year-old and they are kicking my trash. To the curb. I don't know where I'm going with this. It's pure emotion. See? I have feelings. Sometimes I need to express them. There they are. Don't expect any more any time soon.

* * * * * * * *

Danny asked me to make him a mustard and ham sandwich today. He wanted it cut with the TIE fighter sandwich cutter (that's Darth Vader's ship...I think). As I was getting it ready, he stood beside me humming the Star Wars theme song with a big ol' grin on his face. I love that kid.

* * * * * * * *

I watched Julie & Julia on Friday night (right after City Slickers).Dan recorded it on the DVR for me. He's so thoughtful. He forgot that he already bought the DVD for me though. That's ok. I like that movie. It's the first one I saw at the movie theater all by myself. It makes me want to make beef bourguignon.

* * * * * * * *

Somebody please tell me that frozen chocolate covered bananas count as a fruit because that's the only thing from the fruit/vege category I've eaten all day. Except for those two stalks of celery. According to Uncle Tim, those are weeds so they might not count at all.

* * * * * * * *

What's that you say? You want to see another picture of my kidlets trying to hold hands and jump together to wrap up this boring list of stuff you don't care about? Okee dokee. Here you go.

cloth diapers

Look what my friend (hi, Debra!) dropped off for Cate yesterday morning.

Cloth diapers for her Big Baby.

Are they stinkin' adorable or what?

She made them!
Like with fabric and a sewing machine and her own two hands!



I wish she could have heard Cate's reaction when she saw them.

It was a lot of Ooooooooh! Ooooooooooh! Ooooooooooh!
Toooooot! Ooooooooooh!

(tooooooot means cute, by the way)

She was thrilled.
And so was I.

Thank you, Debra!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!

I'm going to just go ahead and let this be an opportunity for myself to be thankful for the talents and kindness of others instead of feeling like a crappy mom who doesn't know how to make cute cloth diapers for my child's baby dolls.

That's what I'm choosing.

* * * * *

And for the grandparents,
a picture of two babies who have never had a cloth diaper on their bums a day in their lives.

mud balls

My thoughtful mother-in-law gave me this book many moons ago. I've only tried a handful of activities so far. I've got plenty tagged with tiny stickies, just waiting for me to gather supplies and energy to give them a try.

A few weeks ago I was flipping through the book and came upon a recipe in the Kids in the Kitchen section. Mud Balls. I asked Danny if he'd like to make some mud balls with me and duh. His face lit up and he said yes.

What four-year-old is going to say no to making mud balls in the kitchen?



I put him to work crushing the graham crackers (which he pronounces dam cack-uhs). I might have asked him a few times what he was crushing just so I could hear him say it again. Dam cack-uhs. Dam cack-uhs.

He got bored of all that work before he'd crushed them all. I finished up while he got a spoon and ate peanut butter straight out of the jar.



They turned out quite yummy. I knew Danny would like them because he loves eating the dough whenever I make a batch of cakies.

I didn't put raisins in our Mud Balls because I knew nobody but me and Dan would be eating them if there were raisins inside. I'm sure that was just an attempt at making them look more healthy anyway. The recipe didn't specify how many graham crackers to use. I chose three and it worked just fine.

Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone so I went and did this to a few of them.


Mud balls for people with a more sophisticated palate.



Here's a few more interesting ideas from the busy book, in case you're in the market for a few good Just Get Me Through the Rest of this Stinkin' Winter activities.

Fun with Tape: The idea is to give your kid a piece of tape to play with. I read that and thought that maybe the person writing this book didn't actually have kids. Or maybe that they didn't bother trying out these ideas on real kids before including them in the book. I mean really. A piece of tape? It takes more than that to keep a kid occupied. And then I tried it. I was wrong. Who knew? A piece of tape! It's been that easy all winter long and I just figured out that all they need is a piece of tape.

Potty Pals: For this gem of an idea, you use contact paper to make eyes and a smile. Stick them to the underside of the toilet lid. The fun begins when your child uses the potty and "feeds" the pals as the day goes on. I feel like I'm too grossed out to even continue writing this. I'm assuming it works better for boys since they can actually see the pal they are "feeding" while they're standing there. Ewwww. I'm all for getting potty trained quickly (although I haven't managed to do that yet) but ewwwww.

Fun with Kleenex: The idea here is to actually give your child a box of Kleenex and let her have at it. Um, yeah. I don't think so.

Nuts and Bolts: Give your kids large nuts and bolts and let them screw them on and off to their hearts' content. Really? The activity suggests age 3 and up. I'm just wondering how large these large nuts and bolts are. I can see them turning into swords and poking tools and then someone crying and someone else being sent to his room.

stuff I loved on I love you day

slept in until 8:00

delivered goodie bags to a few neighbors

after a little trip to Costco with the kidlets

whilst Dan washed the dishes
(because he had the day off work and he's such a good little helper)

bought strawberries at Costco
(nice big ones...means spring is almost here!)

played the medicine game with Cate, Danny and Dan

Have you ever played the medicine game?
It's a fun one.
(more fun than not playing the medicine game and having a little girl crying and spitting medicine all over her pajamas)

I fill up a syringe for Cate with her real medicine.
Fill up two more with grape flavored water for Dan and Danny.
Take turns having medicine (or fake medicine) squeezed into your mouth.

Yum!
Wasn't that fun?
Good job, Daddy!
Wow! You did it!
Hooray!
You're so awesome!

No more spitting out medicine because now it's a fun game.
Fun, fun, fun.

I give all credit of the invention of the medicine game to my clever husband.



received a few books from a kind neighbor as a Valentine treat for the kids
(books she read to her kids when they were little)



received some tasty cake balls from a good soul who is out to fatten me up
(it will work...I ate them all and did not share)

ate lunch at Cocolito's

food I love with the people I love


While Danny was eating the chips and salsa he said,

"Mmmmmmm. I sure wuv a nice wunch!"

received a new cupcake carrier from Dan
(he wasn't actually there when I picked it out and bought it but it was from him anyway)

This one holds 36.
My other one holds 18.

Now I'm all set in case anyone needs me to bring 54 cupcakes to a party.


Other stuff I loved but not pictured:

Danny called me madam several times.
both kids napped (most of it was in the car but every bit helps)
opened a few windows in the house for some fresh air
raked more leaves in the back yard (without a coat on)
Cate played in the sandbox (without a coat on)
bought Dan some new underwear for his Valentine's gift (so thoughtful, I know)
went to the gym (and I wasn't the only one there)

* * * *

I'll just add one thing Dan probably did not love about I love you day yesterday.

I got in the shower while Cate was still in bed.
When I got out of the shower, I learned that Cate had removed her night time pull-up all by herself.
She's a big girl now, you know.
She does that kind of thing regularly.

Let's just say I loved that I didn't have to clean up any of the aftermath.
Dan did.

And that's just one more reason why I love him so.

ten things about which one should not blog

1. the way your 2-year-old rolls up her Big Baby's "dirty" diapers (and if you do blog about it, please don't take a picture of the diaper...people will click over to your post and see a picture of a rolled up diaper and think you're going to be blogging about dirty diapers and that's just not cool)

2. what's under the couch cushions (unless it's something pretty awesome, like gold coins or a new car)

3. what's inside your daughter's mouth (specifically what her swollen tonsils look like)

4. what you found under the chair while vacuuming and actually considered eating (but didn't...at the time)

5. what your retainer looks like after months of not wearing it (or keeping it clean in its little retainer container)

6. dryer lint (because dryer lint is just plain boring)

7. how you hate it when the dishtowel hanging on the oven door handle is crooked (because it's always crooked and you really should just shut up about it and stop hanging it on there if you don't like it being crooked so much)

8. the fact that you haven't been to the gym all week because of sick kids and you're starting to feel fat (because nobody wants to hear you complaining)

9. how your dad (a professor of entomology) was awarded emeritus status last week (because he's humble and doesn't like to brag about stuff and doesn't like it when people make a big fuss about how wonderful and smart he is)

10. puke, boogers and poop



Just kidding about that last one. Everybody knows that puke, boogers and poop make the best blog posts.

Remember this one?

Just click on it. It's one of my favorites.

on a saturday afternoon

I made some treats for the neighbors for I Love You Day (that's what Danny calls it).

I raked some leaves in the back yard. Good thing I didn't do it in the fall when I was supposed to or what else would I have done with my time?

I drank some Diet Coke with lime. A lot of it. I'm nervous. And really really tired due to a humongous lack of sleep last night (thanks to a sick little girl who slept less than I did and a wonderful husband who slept less than her).

I'm waiting for the doctor to call with the results of Cate's strep test from Thursday. My stomach is starting to feel queasy. I think I need to go eat a few of those neighbor treats to calm my nerves. Chocolate therapy.

I washed dishes and folded laundry.

I made a new NO BABIES ALLOWED sign for Danny's bedroom door. He just noticed that I threw the other one away. I thought he wouldn't mind since he's started to love baby Ray. I guess I was wrong.


It's a good thing Dan doesn't mind sitting around doing nothing.

That's what he's done all afternoon. Well, he's held Cate the whole time he's been sitting. I guess that's not nothing.

He caught up on his shows on the DVR while she slept.

Danny's got a cough and runny nose.


I need more Diet Coke.

I'd like some answers

Do you think I could start a business selling construction paper bows? Would anyone like to buy a bag of bows from me? Is it time to start my own Etsy store? Remember how I want to name it The Tangled Squid? Does that sound like the name of a store that sells construction paper bows?

Does it mean I have a horrible singing voice when Cate tells me to stop singing so she can go to sleep? Should I take it personally or just be happy that she's going to sleep nicely instead of putting up a fuss like she usually does?

What on earth is this jumpsuit doing for sale at Target? Did I miss something? Is this kind of thing cool again? Was it ever cool to wear a jumpsuit?

Do you think I should have held on to the pair of shoes I had back in 1993 that looked almost exactly like these ones I saw at Target a few weeks ago? Does it make you think that I was just way ahead of the fashion scene since I had these same hideous shoes 18 years ago? What is going on?

Anybody else hate it when their kids are sick?

Would you like to know how thankful I am that when my friend called me at the basketball game the other night to tell me Cate had a fever that she did not tell me that the fever was 104? Would you like to venture a guess as to how quickly I would have made Dan drive home if I had known it was 104? Want to know how glad I am that my friend knows me well enough to not tell me that kind of information but to just treat my little Catie Bug will tender loving care until I got back?

How do I turn this solid honey back into liquid form?

Remember when danny was this little?

Did you know that's one of my all time favorite pictures of him?

Did you know that Jin (from Lost) is on the new Hawaii Five-O? Did you know I love Jin and I cried when he died? Would it surprise you to know that I plan on watching the new Hawaii Five-O just because Jin is on it? Do you think it's pretty awesome that Jin gets to be on two television series filmed in Hawaii? Would you be happy to know that the guy who said "Book 'em, Dano" in the original Hawaii Five-O show was in the stake presidency when I was a student at BYU?

Anybody else think taking pictures with Photo Booth is just stinkin' funny sometimes?

Do you have any idea how hilarious it is to watch my kids try to jump at the same time while holding hands?

It's pretty funny.

Trust me.

nine on the ninth

A day late. Oh, well.
I'll give you a bonus picture at the end to make up for it.

* * * * * *

sitting around rotting our brains

I texted this picture to my mom along with a request for her to pray for me.
At 8:30 in the morning I already knew that I had no patience for the day that was ahead of me.
I think she really did pray for me.
Danny and Jarrett (the Sick Kid) played nicely.
Kris wasn't sad about anything all day.
Cate was happy and not clingy.
Raymond took a nap without crying.
It was amazing.

* * * * * *

made some cakies

After reading my friend's blog, it was a must.
Chocolate with chocolate chips.
Danny ate a lot of the dough.
I'm going to be super duper famous because she posted about the cakies again today.
Sorry to my facebook friends who already heard this yesterday.
It's my blog and I'll brag if I want to.
Brag if I want to.

* * * * * *

a big ol' route 44

Sonic was near the ATM.
I needed cash.
Then I needed some ice cold carbonated refreshment.
I told the guy I wanted a Route 44 (pronounced ROOT).
He asked if there was anything else.
I said no.
Then he repeated my order (pronounced ROWT).
I don't think I can go back again until I know the proper pronunciation.
And I didn't even eat the ice.
Isn't that why people love Sonic drinks?

* * * * * *

bath time instead of nap time

Why nap in the middle of the afternoon when you can bathe?
Seriously.

* * * * * *

post bath time baby

Seriously cute.
Seriously tired.

* * * * * *

playing outside in the mud

Jarrett and Danny requested a little time in the back yard.
I agreed.
This picture is Danny running to get water.
Why?
To make some kind of mud potion I suppose.
Apparently mud potions are not only for summer play.
The mud they tracked into the house did not make me happy.
The fact that they only stayed out for 10 minutes did not make me happy either.

* * * * * *

made meatloaf for dinner

My favorite meatloaf.
But I didn't eat any of it.
I sent it home with Uncle Dave when he came to pick up his boys.
That way Danny would have something he likes for dinner when we dropped him off later.
Dan got to eat his piece for lunch today.

* * * * * *

packed my stuff for the basketball game

Free tickets
latest copy of Reader's Digest
Tic Tacs
lip stuff

I planned to read during the game.
I didn't though.
I forgot about how all the people around me might think I'm a weirdo.
Maybe they did anyway but it wasn't because I was reading Reader's Digest.

* * * * * *

Jazz game with Dan

Pretty sure I annoyed Dan with my questions.
I usually do.
Jazz lost.
It was close though.
There are a lot of restrooms for the ladies in the Energy Solutions Arena.
Best comment I heard yelled by a fan:
"Oh, my gosh! Academy Award!"
I have no idea what that meant but I thought it was funny.
I also think there should be lids on the beer cups.
They are filled to the tippy top.
People have to walk really slowly and carefully up the stairs when holding them.
(None of the beer was mine. I was just people watching.)

* * * * * *

And here's your bonus picture since it's nine on the tenth.
See why I was late though?
Basketball game.
The drive home.
Picking up the kids and putting them to bed.
Watching Top Chef on the DVR.

Cate is sick.
We took a trip to the doctor.
She's slept a lot this afternoon.
Most of the day she's just wanted her daddy.
I can't blame her.

p.s. I don't really think I'm going to be famous because of the cakies. You know I'm kidding right? With my luck, someone will sue me for using the name cakies because they have it copyrighted or something stupid like that. They're delicious though so it might be worth it.

presents, bows and paper chains

In case you're wondering, this is what it looks like to have your act together.
Sadly, it's only in one teeny tiny area of my life.
But it still counts.
I take the small victories wherever I can.

Those are birthday presents for family members.
A few cousins, an aunt and I can't really remember who else.
The birthday is months away for some of them.
But their present is ready.
I even added Grandma's to the stack on Saturday.
And her birthday's not until July.



Do you just love the wrapping paper?
I do.
It's from a big roll (I'm talkin' big) that was in my grandma's shed for many years.
Looks like some little critters feasted on it while it was out there.
I brought it in the house a few years ago and started using it for wrapping presents and packages.
Sometimes I'm tempted to not cut off that fancy edge the bugs made.
I think it would make the package pretty but maybe the recipients wouldn't agree.

Lookee what I made to put on top of all those presents:


Paper bows

Do you love them as much as I do?
No?
That's ok.
I got carried away late one night and made seven of them.
I think I've found my therapy.
Cutting, taping, folding.

I don't have any fancy scrapbook paper so I just used some lightweight construction paper I already had.
The only brads I could find were these star ones. I already had them too.
I used double sided tape to hold each piece together.
It worked beautifully.


Makes me happy to see my homemade bows on top of those presents.

I cut a few more strips of paper and made this:


I remembered how much Danny enjoyed the countdown to Christmas.
I made this chain to count the days until Grama Bama gets here.

Danny's not as excited as I thought he'd be.
I think he enjoyed erasing the little number on the chalkboard and figuring out which came next.
Oh, well. I tried.

One morning after tearing off the link I said,

"Oh, it's getting closer!"

To which Danny replied,

"Not very. The nights need to go faster!"

I disagree, my friend. I totally disagree.
I'd be fine with the days going faster though.


In other news:

I took a picture of Dan for his work the other day.
Danny and Cate wanted to be in it.
They're just so stinkin' cute.

And my mom sent an envelope full of my stuff last week.
Included were old immunization records, a fingerprinting card, some letters and a few pictures.

Behold, seventh grade.

Even my earlobes were chubby.