Sunday, November 30, 2008
Guess who is...
finally walking? Just a few days prior to our Disney World trip and her 17 month birthday. We're so proud of Jade!
Friday, November 28, 2008
See? We didn't just sit around and eat all day.
Don't get me wrong, we did our share of eating and lounging. We went to my in-laws in East Texas, where I am especially spoiled by the girl's "memmy"...and am not expected to do a whole lot. The key word surrounding time spent there is "relaxing".
It was extra special this Thanksgiving because my sister and niece joined us. Lily's two second cousins that live near there weren't around this holiday, so it was so fun for her and Avery to get a chance to play.
We spent a good amount of time at the elementary school's playground, where it is questionable if the kids had as much fun as the adults. I'm still sore from our monkey bar challenge...where I was clearly the loser. Way to go, Kelly! Jerry, your attempt doesn't count.
We have so many things to be thankful for, but the one thing that we'll be remembering for years to come is about our little jader-tater.
On November 27, 2008, at 16 months and 3 weeks old, Jade took her first true and independent steps. Praise the Lord! Mamma's back is rejoicing! I didn't get video or pictures, but don't think that isn't on my list of things to do today. Check back later.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Why buy toys?
Seriously. Why buy toys?
Our girls would rather play with real things than toy things.
And since they love their mama so much and simply cannot stand to be further than five feet from her at any given moment, when I am cooking...they are in my cabinets.
The salad spinner alone is a great entertainer. Jade loves to watch it go round and round. When that gets old, the bowl portion of it makes a great helmet.
As I was cooking the other night, I was thinking about how wasteful some of our toy purchases have been. They'd simply rather be playing with my Tupperware or pots and pans. Lily had for some unknown reason left the 5 foot safety net, and Jade was quietly entertaining herself alone. I only mention this because surely Jade would have been tattled on before making this mess had she been in big sis' sight.
Oops.
So proud.
Want some?
Lily must have smelled trouble and rather than tattling decided to join the fun.
Jerry was running late from work and I was in the middle of preparing a new fish recipe that required my attention. The mess had already been made so I decided to let their play continue.
For some reason our girls often like to play "puppy". Lily instigates this by crawling around on the floor with Jade and making barking sounds. She will bark a few times and then tell me in English what she has just said in puppy speak. I think their father has put them up to this in hopes that I'll find it annoying and give in to getting a real dog.
I decided to end the fun when I saw the littlest puppy doing this.
Surely CPS won't fault me for taking a picture first.
So this is why we DO buy toys. In order to try to avoid these messes.
I'm thinking instead of more toys, maybe we just need to invest in some cabinet locks.
Honey, put that on your holiday to-do list. And no, I'm not annoyed enough to get a puppy.
Our girls would rather play with real things than toy things.
And since they love their mama so much and simply cannot stand to be further than five feet from her at any given moment, when I am cooking...they are in my cabinets.
The salad spinner alone is a great entertainer. Jade loves to watch it go round and round. When that gets old, the bowl portion of it makes a great helmet.
As I was cooking the other night, I was thinking about how wasteful some of our toy purchases have been. They'd simply rather be playing with my Tupperware or pots and pans. Lily had for some unknown reason left the 5 foot safety net, and Jade was quietly entertaining herself alone. I only mention this because surely Jade would have been tattled on before making this mess had she been in big sis' sight.
Oops.
So proud.
Want some?
Lily must have smelled trouble and rather than tattling decided to join the fun.
Jerry was running late from work and I was in the middle of preparing a new fish recipe that required my attention. The mess had already been made so I decided to let their play continue.
For some reason our girls often like to play "puppy". Lily instigates this by crawling around on the floor with Jade and making barking sounds. She will bark a few times and then tell me in English what she has just said in puppy speak. I think their father has put them up to this in hopes that I'll find it annoying and give in to getting a real dog.
I decided to end the fun when I saw the littlest puppy doing this.
Surely CPS won't fault me for taking a picture first.
So this is why we DO buy toys. In order to try to avoid these messes.
I'm thinking instead of more toys, maybe we just need to invest in some cabinet locks.
Honey, put that on your holiday to-do list. And no, I'm not annoyed enough to get a puppy.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Fit Friday
I was really surprised that the scale wasn't a little more friendly to me this morning. I only had two workouts this week, but they were good solid workouts. The best I've had in...well...ever.
Our little mom and pop gym recently got bought out by LifeTime Fitness, so we are enjoying the mega club's benefits until they jack our rates to more than I currently weigh...and then we'll be saying adios. Currently though we are enjoying it at our little old gym's prices.
The problem with a new gym is that it has taken me a little while to get comfortable in the weight area. At our old gym, the hefty man area was on a separate level...far, far away from the likes of me. Although our new gym has separate hefty vs. non hefty areas, they are adjacent to each other, and this intimidates me so much.
So, a few Saturdays back, I allowed Jerry the pleasure of showing me around the new weight area. He was so not enthused. I thought this would surely be the highlight of his weekend. Kids in childcare. Showing off his skillz while parading his wifey around the weight floor. All the whining and constant reminders that he would not be doing this again were enough to last for a lifetime. Where did he want to be? The hefty area. Puleeeeeez.
I listened well and learned fast. I have now decided that I am not going to the gym to only do cardio or only do weights. I will only go when I have time to do both.
The problem isn't me being embarrassed to not even need to use the pin on the chest press...the 20 pound bar is my max, it is the weights where you have to adjust the seat or various other mechanisms to fit your size. That is what gets me. And it happened a couple of times this week. I sit down to do leg extensions and I can't get the dern thing to adjust. I pull. I push. I turn the nob. I apply weight. I take my legs off. Finally I just get off the freakin' machine and get everything to what I think is the right height and length, only to get back on and realize I've overestimated my leg length by a good six inches. That is when I am positive the hefties are huddling and discussing the poor little lady that they are observing in distress. Let's just say my face wasn't red from the workout.
My friend Donna commented last week that all my indulging in Austin probably wouldn't hit me til this week. I wanted her to be wrong, but it seems she was right. So, while my scale is lucky there wasn't a bathroom window to throw it out of, I still actually feel pretty good. I'm hoping to workout 3 to 4 times this week. That may not sound like much, but it has finally gotten cold here in Texas and for some reason that propels me towards hot chocolate and warm cuddles on the couch with my girls.
I do have some good news that I forgot to report a while back. I had my blood drawn at my annual exam...and get this...since doing this diet my cholesterol has dropped nearly 40 points. I am ecstatic about that! Sadly, we are paying higher life insurance rates on me because it had crept up to 199 two years ago. So, at least I know I am eating healthier and doing better overall...if I wasn't such a wimp about needles I'd probably come have them check my blood again to lower our rates. I am more frightened by a blood draw than I am labor and delivery. Freaky I know!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Completely Random...Disney World to Homeschool to Starfall.com
Randomly random. This is what my mind does to me after one too many cups of coffee. I drink one too many cups when I make the mistake of allowing Lily to talk me into buying the canned whipped cream for her waffles. She likes for me to make butterflies or faces or what not on them with the cream and then dot her fingers too for a good ol' lickin'.
Surprisingly, Jade does not like any part of having cream or even syrup on her waffles much less on her fingers. To make up for that, I have been topping my coffee with loads of squirt-on whipped cream. I figure the more quickly we get through it, the sooner I will get to witness Lily's dramatic fit at the store when I resist buying more, and then my brain will be on its return to normalcy. If there is such a thing.
Or, we could speed up the process by squirting it directly into our mouths, but that would be COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. As if squirting it on my child's fingers is step one to perfect etiquette.
Until then, here are the thoughts that are roaming the lobes of my brain this fine morning.
Jade's "bae". That is bae with a long A. Known to others as her blankie or lovey. It goes everywhere with us. And although I wash it as often as I can (my mom recently crocheted a replacement one which has helped), its once fluffy yellow state is now at best a dirty tinged grayish yellow. Why am I worried about this? Our Christmas pictures are scheduled for next week, and although I'd really love to have the memory of Jade's bae forever captured, I'd really like for her not to have to bring it into the picture. Any ideas on how to pull that off? She immediately recognizes when it has left her presence and cries out for it until it is swiftly returned. Should we just all dress in yellow and hope it blends in? That would surely make a cheery Christmas card. Oh the pun fun we could have with that...Welcoming God's son with the sun...hee...hee.
Mozilla FireFox. I am so not one for change, but I recently downloaded FireFox to use instead of internet explorer. It is so great for all of us bloggers...commenting bloggers at least. It auto fills your name, e-mail, and site address into the comment boxes. I'm hooked.
Homeschooling. I know Lily is only four, but I've recently been intrigued by the idea of homeschooling her. I'm a teacher by degree, but have balked at the idea of homeschooling for years. We even moved from the downtown area out here because of the good public schools. Then my husband taught in a public school in our district before going back into ministry...and whoa...eye opener. We've been doing a little research and are quickly becoming fans of Charlotte Mason. Any fans of her out there? All the pros and cons...my mind is just spinning with them. And my mother is probably trying to find a heart pill by me just contemplating the idea.
Disney World. Our trip is just a few weeks away. The Disney website completely overwhelms me every time I log on. We're staying on property for 5 nights and have park passes for 3 days. Thank you Aunt Sandi and in-laws who are throwing our nephew's 3rd birthday there and invited us to come. I'm not sure how planned or not-planned to be. I know some people plan years in advance and read every book on it. Me? Ugh...it's mere days away and I haven't done a dern thing. Thoughts are welcome.
Starfall.com. If my blogging seems to be lacking (more than usual, anyway), it is because Lily has discovered Starfall.com. My computer time while the baby sleeps has been replaced by Lily sitting on my lap playing all the fun games she can find. Rocks in my Dryer provided a fun little button a while back that links to tons of great sites. You can find it a ways down on my left sidebar. Be ready to give up your blogging though. I'll understand. :)
Thanks for letting the randomness exit my brain. I feel much better now and Lily is ready to meet her computer addiction needs for the day, so peace out.
Surprisingly, Jade does not like any part of having cream or even syrup on her waffles much less on her fingers. To make up for that, I have been topping my coffee with loads of squirt-on whipped cream. I figure the more quickly we get through it, the sooner I will get to witness Lily's dramatic fit at the store when I resist buying more, and then my brain will be on its return to normalcy. If there is such a thing.
Or, we could speed up the process by squirting it directly into our mouths, but that would be COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. As if squirting it on my child's fingers is step one to perfect etiquette.
Until then, here are the thoughts that are roaming the lobes of my brain this fine morning.
Jade's "bae". That is bae with a long A. Known to others as her blankie or lovey. It goes everywhere with us. And although I wash it as often as I can (my mom recently crocheted a replacement one which has helped), its once fluffy yellow state is now at best a dirty tinged grayish yellow. Why am I worried about this? Our Christmas pictures are scheduled for next week, and although I'd really love to have the memory of Jade's bae forever captured, I'd really like for her not to have to bring it into the picture. Any ideas on how to pull that off? She immediately recognizes when it has left her presence and cries out for it until it is swiftly returned. Should we just all dress in yellow and hope it blends in? That would surely make a cheery Christmas card. Oh the pun fun we could have with that...Welcoming God's son with the sun...hee...hee.
Mozilla FireFox. I am so not one for change, but I recently downloaded FireFox to use instead of internet explorer. It is so great for all of us bloggers...commenting bloggers at least. It auto fills your name, e-mail, and site address into the comment boxes. I'm hooked.
Homeschooling. I know Lily is only four, but I've recently been intrigued by the idea of homeschooling her. I'm a teacher by degree, but have balked at the idea of homeschooling for years. We even moved from the downtown area out here because of the good public schools. Then my husband taught in a public school in our district before going back into ministry...and whoa...eye opener. We've been doing a little research and are quickly becoming fans of Charlotte Mason. Any fans of her out there? All the pros and cons...my mind is just spinning with them. And my mother is probably trying to find a heart pill by me just contemplating the idea.
Disney World. Our trip is just a few weeks away. The Disney website completely overwhelms me every time I log on. We're staying on property for 5 nights and have park passes for 3 days. Thank you Aunt Sandi and in-laws who are throwing our nephew's 3rd birthday there and invited us to come. I'm not sure how planned or not-planned to be. I know some people plan years in advance and read every book on it. Me? Ugh...it's mere days away and I haven't done a dern thing. Thoughts are welcome.
Starfall.com. If my blogging seems to be lacking (more than usual, anyway), it is because Lily has discovered Starfall.com. My computer time while the baby sleeps has been replaced by Lily sitting on my lap playing all the fun games she can find. Rocks in my Dryer provided a fun little button a while back that links to tons of great sites. You can find it a ways down on my left sidebar. Be ready to give up your blogging though. I'll understand. :)
Thanks for letting the randomness exit my brain. I feel much better now and Lily is ready to meet her computer addiction needs for the day, so peace out.
Monday, November 17, 2008
He said to beat them, so I did.
I am such a wannabe gardener. Even growing up with the typical small suburban backyard, my mom had quite a nice garden where we grew all sorts of things. It was such a great experience for us to unearth the radishes and green onions from the ground or pick a strawberry and pop it in our mouth straight from the vine.
Although I have tried my hand at a few other things (cucumbers, melons, strawberries, etc), I've recently just stuck to a few varieties of tomatoes and several containers of herbs. This year though I picked up a bell pepper plant to throw in the mix and was excited to see how it would turn out.
Shortly after we planted them, we hit a 90 degree day. Blossoms hadn't even formed yet, and I heard that this was sure doom for the tomato plants...making them bear little or no fruit. Jerry heard a guy on a gardening show say that you have to shock their system to get them to blossom. He recommended beating them with a tennis racket to accomplish this.
I can count how many times on one hand that I've touched a tennis racket since the days that Jerry and I took a class together in college, so I settled for the broom I had handy and went to whacking at them. I gave the bell pepper plant a good beating too, just for good measure.
Alas, it worked. I can't believe that in mid-November I am still picking tomatoes.
I had the girls with me in the backyard the a few weeks back and although Lily doesn't like tomatoes, she picked a small cherry variety from the bush and popped it into her mouth. She picked one for Jade too, who seemed to actually enjoy it. The girl hasn't met a food she doesn't like yet. The pepper plant had been confusing me...there always seemed to be both red and green peppers on it. I had read though that if you left the green ones on, eventually they'd turn into sweet red peppers. So, in keeping with the spirit I plucked a red pepper and bit off a chunk of what I thought would be a delicious sweet treat.
So NOT the case.
Don't beat your peppers, people.
I'm not sure if the beating transformed them into some sort of habanero pepper, or if I just picked up the wrong kind of plant at the store. I didn't realize that yapping on the phone with a friend while doing your vegetable shopping could be so dangerous. If only Lily could have had our Flip recorder in hand to catch the sheer pain that only my mouth experienced but that my entire body displayed...well, I'm sure it would have been at least on honorable mention on the funny home video show.
Being the good mommy that I am, I first told Lily not to touch or eat the peppers and then quickly ran inside to save myself any further neighborhood embarrassment. What to do? I drank water and that just seemed to intensify the pain and carry it further down my esophagus. I then remembered that eating bread or a cracker was supposed to help the situation.
That was a problem. At that point in time I was in the early stage of low-carbing it. Would this stinkin' garden pepper be my diet's demise? The things we do to ensure the continual dropping of pounds. I stuck it out. It took the better part of an hour for the stinging to leave my throat.
Anyone want some peppers? This one bush just keeps on producin'. They don't look like anything I can find on-line, so I'm scared the beating may have morphed them into some weird breed.
I haven't touched them since, but I'd be willing to grab a 10 foot cutting pole and gather some for you if you'd like to sacrifice your mouth for some good hot fun.
Do me a favor though...grab your video camera first...I don't want any of your winnings, I just want to get a glimpse of what I looked like hopping around the backyard that day. Be sure to have a baby on your hip for the full effect.
Although I have tried my hand at a few other things (cucumbers, melons, strawberries, etc), I've recently just stuck to a few varieties of tomatoes and several containers of herbs. This year though I picked up a bell pepper plant to throw in the mix and was excited to see how it would turn out.
Shortly after we planted them, we hit a 90 degree day. Blossoms hadn't even formed yet, and I heard that this was sure doom for the tomato plants...making them bear little or no fruit. Jerry heard a guy on a gardening show say that you have to shock their system to get them to blossom. He recommended beating them with a tennis racket to accomplish this.
I can count how many times on one hand that I've touched a tennis racket since the days that Jerry and I took a class together in college, so I settled for the broom I had handy and went to whacking at them. I gave the bell pepper plant a good beating too, just for good measure.
Alas, it worked. I can't believe that in mid-November I am still picking tomatoes.
I had the girls with me in the backyard the a few weeks back and although Lily doesn't like tomatoes, she picked a small cherry variety from the bush and popped it into her mouth. She picked one for Jade too, who seemed to actually enjoy it. The girl hasn't met a food she doesn't like yet. The pepper plant had been confusing me...there always seemed to be both red and green peppers on it. I had read though that if you left the green ones on, eventually they'd turn into sweet red peppers. So, in keeping with the spirit I plucked a red pepper and bit off a chunk of what I thought would be a delicious sweet treat.
So NOT the case.
Don't beat your peppers, people.
I'm not sure if the beating transformed them into some sort of habanero pepper, or if I just picked up the wrong kind of plant at the store. I didn't realize that yapping on the phone with a friend while doing your vegetable shopping could be so dangerous. If only Lily could have had our Flip recorder in hand to catch the sheer pain that only my mouth experienced but that my entire body displayed...well, I'm sure it would have been at least on honorable mention on the funny home video show.
Being the good mommy that I am, I first told Lily not to touch or eat the peppers and then quickly ran inside to save myself any further neighborhood embarrassment. What to do? I drank water and that just seemed to intensify the pain and carry it further down my esophagus. I then remembered that eating bread or a cracker was supposed to help the situation.
That was a problem. At that point in time I was in the early stage of low-carbing it. Would this stinkin' garden pepper be my diet's demise? The things we do to ensure the continual dropping of pounds. I stuck it out. It took the better part of an hour for the stinging to leave my throat.
Anyone want some peppers? This one bush just keeps on producin'. They don't look like anything I can find on-line, so I'm scared the beating may have morphed them into some weird breed.
I haven't touched them since, but I'd be willing to grab a 10 foot cutting pole and gather some for you if you'd like to sacrifice your mouth for some good hot fun.
Do me a favor though...grab your video camera first...I don't want any of your winnings, I just want to get a glimpse of what I looked like hopping around the backyard that day. Be sure to have a baby on your hip for the full effect.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Not So Fit Friday
I am sad to say I don't have anything positive to report. It started out with a weekend getaway in Austin that included overindulging in bad foods. One weekend wouldn't have been a big deal, but it ended up turning into a full week. My husband had a huge fundraising event yesterday for the ministry he works in, which meant he wasn't home for the dinner hour this week. I'm not sure why, because I still have 3 mouths to feed at 6PM whether he is here or not, but I am really bad about cooking healthy or cooking at all when he is not going to be eating with us.
Plus, I had an unfortunate incident at McDonald's this week. I generally make my own coffee at home and sweeten it with Coffee Mate's Sugar Free Vanilla Caramel creamer...love that stuff. But Wednesday morning I was rushing out the door to make it to the cleaners in time for their early morning drop-off. Of course I had waited til the last day to get my husband's suit cleaned for his event and needed it back the same day. My morning coffee didn't get made, so I decided to grab some at McDonalds while we were out. McDonalds seriously has some good coffee...at least in the $1.29 a cup range. You know these days they'll put the creamer and Splenda in for you? Such service. So I ordered mine with 4 creamers and 2 Splendas. I know...heavy on the cream. My mom always used to ask me if I wanted some coffee with my creamer. Anyways, it tasted unusually good as I sipped it on our way to the cleaners. The closer we got and the further to the bottom of the cup I reached, it was getting sweeter. Alert! Alert! That does not happen with Splenda. The bottom of the cup was lined with syrupy sugar. No!
Anyone who does low-carb dieting knows how awful it is to line your veins with sugar...but especially how bad it is first thing in the morning. As I am waiting in the incredibly long drive-thru drop off line at the cleaners, wondering how the rest of the town still hasn't discovered wrinkle-free men's dress shirts, I decide to call the McDonalds.
I wasn't really expecting anything to be offered, but I just wanted to kindly let them know of their mistake. They took my name and told me to come back any time for a free combo meal. Great. The only thing that I would need to eat there post breakfast is a salad. But as lunch loomed nearer suddenly a two-cheeseburger meal sounded like an excellent choice. I shared it with the girls but still felt sick the rest of the day.
So as I contemplated getting on the scale this morning, feeling heavy from eating poorly and too much this week, I've decided against having the digital numbers glare up at me. I know what they will say...a gain for sure...possibly two or three pounds.
Eating at home is definitely the answer for me. Even if I totally have willpower avoiding the chip or bread basket when we eat out, I still end up eating too much at restaurants. Does anyone else struggle with this? We all know that portion size in America is out of control, but why can't I just leave some on the plate?
Meal planning is such a drag though...or maybe I just wasn't doing it right. Sitting down with 2 or 3 cookbooks, picking out recipes that sounded good, making a long list of ingredients, going to my cabinet to see what I could cross off...it took forever.
I can't remember which one of you it was, but one of the Hot for the Holidays girls mentioned E-Mealz. I have been using their site for 3 weeks now and it is excellent. Basically you can pick whatever type of meal plan you want...low fat, low carb, regular type, ww points, vegetarian, whatever...then choose what store you shop at and how many people you are feeding and it plans 7 dinners for you each week...including side dishes.
The best part is that it prints out an aisle by aisle, detailed shopping list for you, complete with prices so you know exactly what you'll be spending. The meals also follow the weekly store ads/coupons so it is definitely budget friendly. The list is broken down by meal #, so if a particular meal doesn't appeal to you, it is easy to cross those items off the list.
Anyway, we have found the meals to be great so here is their link if you want to try it out. Dave Ramsey is an advocate of it, so if you sign up use the coupon code "dave" to save $2.50...that will make it $2.50/month.
I can't even begin to tell you the time and money it has saved us. I am headed to the grocery store now with my list in hand that took my printer longer to spit out than it did for me to plan it.
I'm looking forward to checking in on the rest of you guys and getting my rear in gear for a better coming week. We leave for Disney in three weeks and I have a feeling we'll be bringing the camera with us.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Hero Bride
We had a fantabulous time in Austin this weekend. My friend Shannon got married and her family threw the best wedding weekend ever. We left saying, "Same time, same place next weekend?" It was so good hanging out with old friends we hadn't seen in ages and meeting some new ones too.
But first I'll tell you why Shannon is my hero. She did an outdoor wedding. In Texas. Where the all the rumors of the weather changing quickly are very true. It was gorgeous though, both the setting and the weather...just amazing. Here is a glimpse of our view, although the venue's website does it better.
I love outdoor weddings. I just wasn't brave enough to try to pull one off. Of course we would have had to choose a different month or a different state, because July and Texas aren't a good combo for an outdoor event that would have involved me in full makeup wearing yards and yards of hot material.
She's also my hero for not only making a grand entrance, but also a grand exit, on the stairs you see behind her here. In strappy heels. Without falling. That's pretty heroic in my book.
We decided to make it a weekend getaway minus the children. It was a very kid friendly event actually, but it is rare that we spend time as a couple without the kids. Usually it is so we can get a house project done or we keep one of them with us because they are ill and send the other one on to healthy land.
We did miss Lily right off the bat. Mainly because she would have represented us well on the dance floor. That lasted about 2.5 seconds though until the kiddie dancing turned into kiddie dragging races and their stained dress clothes would have given even Tide a challenge. That is when we sat back and sipped our beverages and were thankful we didn't have anyone to corral off the dance floor.
It was a morning wedding followed by a delicious brunch. So while I'm sure many couples took in some Austin sights that afternoon, the fact that we had been up since 5 AM coupled by some very tasty mimosas, made us head back to the hotel for a nap. A two hour nap. I'm not ashamed to admit that it produced drool on my pillow. To me, that is just a symbol of some much needed good deep sleep.
We did wake up in time to head to the evening wedding gathering at North By Northwest. What a fun place...live music, excellent food and some great handcrafted brews on tap. One last hug for the bride and groom and well wishes for their honeymoon not to be effected by the latest hurricane.
Barnes and Noble was our next stop, where I got far enough into Same Kind of Different As Me that I wish I had bought it to read on the way home. But my senses told me I could get it for half price on Amazon.com, and they were right.
Then Changeling kept us out past a typical babysitter's curfew. It was excellent. A thumb's up from both of us, which is rare. Even rarer is staying up late paired with getting to sleep in late, plus breakfast awaiting us downstairs. Glorious.
The only downside to the weekend was that we didn't get to meet up with our good friends who recently moved to the area. They had an Aggie game to go to though and since I set the Texas weather rumor straight, I met as well set the football one straight too. It doesn't matter if it is high school, college, or NFL football...it's all serious in these parts.
Thanks to my sweet in-laws for entertaining the girls all weekend. Oh the kisses and hugs and squeals of delight that were shared when we saw Lily and Jade again. Precious moments.
I got a nice e-mail yesterday from my mother-in-law saying that although they had gone to bed at the same time as the girls each night (sheer exhaustion I'm sure), they were sad to now be going to bed without all of the hugs and kisses from our girls. She then went on to tell me how angelic, precious, and perfect they were all weekend.
Do you think I should reply now telling her of our plans for a long 10th anniversary trip next summer?
But first I'll tell you why Shannon is my hero. She did an outdoor wedding. In Texas. Where the all the rumors of the weather changing quickly are very true. It was gorgeous though, both the setting and the weather...just amazing. Here is a glimpse of our view, although the venue's website does it better.
I love outdoor weddings. I just wasn't brave enough to try to pull one off. Of course we would have had to choose a different month or a different state, because July and Texas aren't a good combo for an outdoor event that would have involved me in full makeup wearing yards and yards of hot material.
She's also my hero for not only making a grand entrance, but also a grand exit, on the stairs you see behind her here. In strappy heels. Without falling. That's pretty heroic in my book.
We decided to make it a weekend getaway minus the children. It was a very kid friendly event actually, but it is rare that we spend time as a couple without the kids. Usually it is so we can get a house project done or we keep one of them with us because they are ill and send the other one on to healthy land.
We did miss Lily right off the bat. Mainly because she would have represented us well on the dance floor. That lasted about 2.5 seconds though until the kiddie dancing turned into kiddie dragging races and their stained dress clothes would have given even Tide a challenge. That is when we sat back and sipped our beverages and were thankful we didn't have anyone to corral off the dance floor.
It was a morning wedding followed by a delicious brunch. So while I'm sure many couples took in some Austin sights that afternoon, the fact that we had been up since 5 AM coupled by some very tasty mimosas, made us head back to the hotel for a nap. A two hour nap. I'm not ashamed to admit that it produced drool on my pillow. To me, that is just a symbol of some much needed good deep sleep.
We did wake up in time to head to the evening wedding gathering at North By Northwest. What a fun place...live music, excellent food and some great handcrafted brews on tap. One last hug for the bride and groom and well wishes for their honeymoon not to be effected by the latest hurricane.
Barnes and Noble was our next stop, where I got far enough into Same Kind of Different As Me that I wish I had bought it to read on the way home. But my senses told me I could get it for half price on Amazon.com, and they were right.
Then Changeling kept us out past a typical babysitter's curfew. It was excellent. A thumb's up from both of us, which is rare. Even rarer is staying up late paired with getting to sleep in late, plus breakfast awaiting us downstairs. Glorious.
The only downside to the weekend was that we didn't get to meet up with our good friends who recently moved to the area. They had an Aggie game to go to though and since I set the Texas weather rumor straight, I met as well set the football one straight too. It doesn't matter if it is high school, college, or NFL football...it's all serious in these parts.
Thanks to my sweet in-laws for entertaining the girls all weekend. Oh the kisses and hugs and squeals of delight that were shared when we saw Lily and Jade again. Precious moments.
I got a nice e-mail yesterday from my mother-in-law saying that although they had gone to bed at the same time as the girls each night (sheer exhaustion I'm sure), they were sad to now be going to bed without all of the hugs and kisses from our girls. She then went on to tell me how angelic, precious, and perfect they were all weekend.
Do you think I should reply now telling her of our plans for a long 10th anniversary trip next summer?
Friday, November 7, 2008
I just can't do it like Daddy.
Daddy is the fun guy around here. I love how he can get the girls all riled up before bedtime but also has no problem calming them back down again and tucking them in for the night. He is also the "fixer". It doesn't matter how big or small the task is, if something breaks around here during the day, it is automatically assumed that it will have to wait until daddy is home for it to get fixed.
Although I can compete in both of those arenas, the one role I will never challenge him on is "bug removal". Case in point:
Lily trapped some sort of bug under this glass TWO DAYS AGO. Although it is surely dead, there is no way that I will be lifting the dome to find out for sure. These type of creatures have a way of reviving themselves at inopportune times.
Daddy: if you are reading, PLEASE remember to dispose of this little guy tonight.
We bought a double jogger a few months ago. We got a good deal on it at a second hand shop, and despite its hot pink color, Jerry has been the one to give the girls frequent spins in it. He'll give the girls a jog in it occasionally when he gets home from work to give me a chance to finish up dinner and get in on the table. Hey, the boy likes to eat. I guess that trumps being seen pushing a fuchsia stroller around the neighborhood. I'm sure he's secretly thankful for daylight savings time though.
I wasn't in the mood to haul the girls in and out of the gym this morning, so I thought I'd give the jogging stroller a whirl. Whew. I know the invention of the wheel was great, but it didn't seem to make their 62 pounds any lighter for me today.
I was optimistic as I got going, but then the surface that I'm sure is nearly flat seemed to be entirely uphill and out-of-shape-girl had to slow to a walk to recover. Oh the whining that ensued.
Mom...what happened?
Mommeeeeeee...why did you slow down?
MOMMY...this is boring.
MOM, go fast again!
and the real kicker:
Daddy doesn't have to go slow like this.
Yeah. And I'm sure your dad isn't panting wildly out of breath and feeling faint after about 90 seconds of jogging with you guys EITHER.
I will have no problem getting them to the gym in the future. The gym machines don't mock me.
So here is the run down for me this Fit Friday:
I made it to the gym for cardio and minimal weights twice.
I attempted to jog with my girls this morning but it was cut short. Don't they look happy?
I ate pretty decently, but I just remained steady on weight.
I was a little shocked at that, but then I remembered the huge piece of cake I ate Wednesday afternoon. This week marked the end of my little PT at home job. They threw me a little farewell party at the office, and oh my word, the size of the piece of cake they put on my plate? It was big enough for three people. But, being the good sport that I am, I ate the entire thing.
We're heading to Austin this weekend for a good friend's wedding, so I'm sure I'll meet cake once again, and maybe some sparkly bubbly stuff too. If I was the dancing type, I'm sure I'd work all that right off, but I. am. so. NOT.
Next week is a new chapter in our little family's life though. I'm sure without 20-25 hours of paperwork hanging over my head and keeping me up way late at night, I will have plenty of time to hit the gym. And prepare healthy home cooked meals, too. Right?
Actually I'm just hoping to survive Jade's new Daylight Savings wake up time. 5:25 AM is brutal.
Oh, and several of you asked about how Jade's surgery went. She did super. Jade got ear tubes in and adenoids out and is feeling great. She is quicker to smile, more giggly and overall just a happier, chattier kid. I don't think we realized how bad she had been feeling. Thanks for checking in on her.
Although I can compete in both of those arenas, the one role I will never challenge him on is "bug removal". Case in point:
Lily trapped some sort of bug under this glass TWO DAYS AGO. Although it is surely dead, there is no way that I will be lifting the dome to find out for sure. These type of creatures have a way of reviving themselves at inopportune times.
Daddy: if you are reading, PLEASE remember to dispose of this little guy tonight.
We bought a double jogger a few months ago. We got a good deal on it at a second hand shop, and despite its hot pink color, Jerry has been the one to give the girls frequent spins in it. He'll give the girls a jog in it occasionally when he gets home from work to give me a chance to finish up dinner and get in on the table. Hey, the boy likes to eat. I guess that trumps being seen pushing a fuchsia stroller around the neighborhood. I'm sure he's secretly thankful for daylight savings time though.
I wasn't in the mood to haul the girls in and out of the gym this morning, so I thought I'd give the jogging stroller a whirl. Whew. I know the invention of the wheel was great, but it didn't seem to make their 62 pounds any lighter for me today.
I was optimistic as I got going, but then the surface that I'm sure is nearly flat seemed to be entirely uphill and out-of-shape-girl had to slow to a walk to recover. Oh the whining that ensued.
Mom...what happened?
Mommeeeeeee...why did you slow down?
MOMMY...this is boring.
MOM, go fast again!
and the real kicker:
Daddy doesn't have to go slow like this.
Yeah. And I'm sure your dad isn't panting wildly out of breath and feeling faint after about 90 seconds of jogging with you guys EITHER.
I will have no problem getting them to the gym in the future. The gym machines don't mock me.
So here is the run down for me this Fit Friday:
I made it to the gym for cardio and minimal weights twice.
I attempted to jog with my girls this morning but it was cut short. Don't they look happy?
I ate pretty decently, but I just remained steady on weight.
I was a little shocked at that, but then I remembered the huge piece of cake I ate Wednesday afternoon. This week marked the end of my little PT at home job. They threw me a little farewell party at the office, and oh my word, the size of the piece of cake they put on my plate? It was big enough for three people. But, being the good sport that I am, I ate the entire thing.
We're heading to Austin this weekend for a good friend's wedding, so I'm sure I'll meet cake once again, and maybe some sparkly bubbly stuff too. If I was the dancing type, I'm sure I'd work all that right off, but I. am. so. NOT.
Next week is a new chapter in our little family's life though. I'm sure without 20-25 hours of paperwork hanging over my head and keeping me up way late at night, I will have plenty of time to hit the gym. And prepare healthy home cooked meals, too. Right?
Actually I'm just hoping to survive Jade's new Daylight Savings wake up time. 5:25 AM is brutal.
Oh, and several of you asked about how Jade's surgery went. She did super. Jade got ear tubes in and adenoids out and is feeling great. She is quicker to smile, more giggly and overall just a happier, chattier kid. I don't think we realized how bad she had been feeling. Thanks for checking in on her.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
This footage is way cuter than any election coverage you'll be watching today.
Greetings from a reformed video poster. In case I scared you away with the way too many and way too long videos of Jade's birthday celebration a while back, I wanted to let you know I've wised up to the fact that few and short is better.
So, below you will just find a brief 41 seconds (combined!) of my little ones. Gasp. That also happens to be exactly how long I waited to early vote on Friday (in minutes though). Divine. Aren't you glad I didn't have to wait longer?
Disclaimer: She does know to put her hand over her heart...this was take two, and of course she did that in take one.
Disclaimer: That isn't a bruise on her face. Just remnants of some Trix blueberry yogurt...which I'm sure is totally all natural and dye free. And I'm also sure that Lily never enjoyed such a thing til she was twice Jade's age, nor did she ever leave the table without a good face wiping first. I'm sorry Jade. At least you got a few seconds of video. 13 seconds to be exact. See, even that is unlucky. Poor thing.
Hopefully our candidate won't suffer from second-child-syndrome today and actually pull off a win.
Happy Election Day, folks!
So, below you will just find a brief 41 seconds (combined!) of my little ones. Gasp. That also happens to be exactly how long I waited to early vote on Friday (in minutes though). Divine. Aren't you glad I didn't have to wait longer?
Disclaimer: She does know to put her hand over her heart...this was take two, and of course she did that in take one.
Disclaimer: That isn't a bruise on her face. Just remnants of some Trix blueberry yogurt...which I'm sure is totally all natural and dye free. And I'm also sure that Lily never enjoyed such a thing til she was twice Jade's age, nor did she ever leave the table without a good face wiping first. I'm sorry Jade. At least you got a few seconds of video. 13 seconds to be exact. See, even that is unlucky. Poor thing.
Hopefully our candidate won't suffer from second-child-syndrome today and actually pull off a win.
Happy Election Day, folks!
Monday, November 3, 2008
If the butter doesn't kill you, surely the salt won't either.
Roasted pumpkin seeds. We love them around here.
If your jack-o-lanterns look anything like ours do, they are moldy and ready to be tossed...and a recipe using their seeds is more than a week late. Or 51 weeks early. Depending on if you are a glass half empty or glass half full type.
Lily pretty much made ours this year. I did control the butter, but she had full reign over the salt shaker...and I'll tell you that girl comes by her love of salt naturally. Lily has a weird relationship with the salt shaker though. Especially the metal topped ones found at most restaurants. Let's just say that her tongue is strangely attracted to those metal tops. Disgusting, I know. And if you dine in the area, my condolences go out to you. Please know that we are working on this habit, but it has been going on a long time and has been hard to break.
Now that I've got Chicago lyrics from 1984 running through my head, here is our little recipe.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Take the seeds from two pumpkins and wash all the guts off of them.
Lay them on paper towels to dry overnight.
Transfer the seeds to a cookie sheet.
Melt a half stick of butter (the real stuff) and pour it over the seeds.
Stir them well to make sure the seeds are coated well.
Salt them and salt them well. Remember the symbol for sodium in the period table of elements is NA...so all that news about too much salt? Not applicable.
Bake them at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes...stirring often.
And for you visual learners out there:
Every year my mother-in-law asks if we're supposed to eat the whole seed or just the kernel within. Every year I tell her to eat the whole thing...because that's what I've been doing since I was a kid. All of a sudden this year though I started to doubt myself and think that we may have been eating them wrong all along.
Anyone know?
And in case you have no idea what lyrics I was referring to, here is a little "Hard Habit to Break" for ya.
By posting this I am solidifying so many stereotypes that my husband has of me. Oh well. I'd rather be forever stuck in the 80s than not know the lyrics from one 80s song. He seriously doesn't know any 80s music. Isn't that one of the seven deadly sins?
If your jack-o-lanterns look anything like ours do, they are moldy and ready to be tossed...and a recipe using their seeds is more than a week late. Or 51 weeks early. Depending on if you are a glass half empty or glass half full type.
Lily pretty much made ours this year. I did control the butter, but she had full reign over the salt shaker...and I'll tell you that girl comes by her love of salt naturally. Lily has a weird relationship with the salt shaker though. Especially the metal topped ones found at most restaurants. Let's just say that her tongue is strangely attracted to those metal tops. Disgusting, I know. And if you dine in the area, my condolences go out to you. Please know that we are working on this habit, but it has been going on a long time and has been hard to break.
Now that I've got Chicago lyrics from 1984 running through my head, here is our little recipe.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Take the seeds from two pumpkins and wash all the guts off of them.
Lay them on paper towels to dry overnight.
Transfer the seeds to a cookie sheet.
Melt a half stick of butter (the real stuff) and pour it over the seeds.
Stir them well to make sure the seeds are coated well.
Salt them and salt them well. Remember the symbol for sodium in the period table of elements is NA...so all that news about too much salt? Not applicable.
Bake them at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes...stirring often.
And for you visual learners out there:
Every year my mother-in-law asks if we're supposed to eat the whole seed or just the kernel within. Every year I tell her to eat the whole thing...because that's what I've been doing since I was a kid. All of a sudden this year though I started to doubt myself and think that we may have been eating them wrong all along.
Anyone know?
And in case you have no idea what lyrics I was referring to, here is a little "Hard Habit to Break" for ya.
By posting this I am solidifying so many stereotypes that my husband has of me. Oh well. I'd rather be forever stuck in the 80s than not know the lyrics from one 80s song. He seriously doesn't know any 80s music. Isn't that one of the seven deadly sins?
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Princess Belle and her lone subject the Duck
Living in Texas, I'm always laughing when the Halloween costume catalogs come out. Most of the costumes for children under two are lined, hooded, furry and clearly made for residents of the north pole. However, most of the costumes for ages 2 and up require layering many garments underneath just to cover the essentials.
I wasn't sure come 10/31 if we'd be experiencing a heat wave or a cold snap. I did know though that only one of my girls would be comfortable...temperature wise at least.
It was 80 degrees. Can you tell who was comfortable and who was not?
I wasn't sure come 10/31 if we'd be experiencing a heat wave or a cold snap. I did know though that only one of my girls would be comfortable...temperature wise at least.
It was 80 degrees. Can you tell who was comfortable and who was not?
Also, can you tell who had a fever and ear tube/adenoid surgery scheduled for the next day? (We played Halloween dress up on Thursday night)
Not exactly rocket science I tell ya.
If you want to see my cuties last year, click here. If you want to see more cuties in general, there is a fun costume parade going on over here.
And because fall is my favorite time to bring out the camera, here is a little slide show of some other things we've been doing this season...which has really just begun for us.
Have a great weekend, I'm off to snuggle with my little post-op duckie.
Winners! 2 Winners!
I honestly had full intentions of video taping Princess Belle drawing the names this morning. But then my precious in-laws offered to take her for the weekend to allow Jade to recover in peace...so that would have left me in front of the camera. Which would have been quite a disappointment after promising Belle, so I resorted to the random number generator instead.
My Blogoversary Giveaway Winner is...
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:11
Timestamp: 2008-11-01 08:04:43 UTC
'Chelle @ World of Chelle...I have been enjoying her blog for almost a year now. She currently has a Love Dare challenge going on that is great. 'Chelle, e-mail me your address and I'll get the $10 Starbucks gift card out to you ASAP.
My Bloggy Giveaways winner is...
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:87
Timestamp: 2008-11-01 07:47:32 UTC
the Organized Dreamer! It doesn't look like her blog has been updated in a few months, so I just e-mailed her to let her know that the Ghirardelli chocolate will be on its way soon.
Congrats and thanks to everyone who played along!
My Blogoversary Giveaway Winner is...
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:11
Timestamp: 2008-11-01 08:04:43 UTC
'Chelle @ World of Chelle...I have been enjoying her blog for almost a year now. She currently has a Love Dare challenge going on that is great. 'Chelle, e-mail me your address and I'll get the $10 Starbucks gift card out to you ASAP.
My Bloggy Giveaways winner is...
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:87
Timestamp: 2008-11-01 07:47:32 UTC
the Organized Dreamer! It doesn't look like her blog has been updated in a few months, so I just e-mailed her to let her know that the Ghirardelli chocolate will be on its way soon.
Congrats and thanks to everyone who played along!
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