8 Things and an Award

My sweet, funny, and sassy blog friend, Jennifer @ Love, Laughter and Lyrics tagged me for a little meme. She is a mommy of two kiddos...each about a year younger than my two, so it is fun to read her blog and remember what 12 months ago looked like for us. Just be sure to chew and completely swallow anything you might be consuming before reading her page...she is the kind of funny that might just send things spewing. And that just isn't fun...for you or your monitor.

I'm trying to keep that little rule in mind for myself when we hopefully meet in real life one day. We were both disappointed to realize that she recently visited just a few minutes from where I live...and we didn't meet up. Ugh. Next time, next time, friend!

8 things I'm looking forward to...

1. The self tanner that I just put on my legs not only tanning them, but sculpting muscles into them and removing any hint of cellulite just in time for swimsuit season. Now that would really be worth the 8 bucks.

2. The wedding shower we're throwing in two weeks for some very dear friends. We hope to bless their socks off.

3. Our tenth anniversary trip this summer...and hopefully a trip to WI and MI to see both of my grandmothers and extended family. Jerry, are you taking notes?

4. Lily actually learning how to swim. 14 weeks into swim lessons here and well...the girl still can't swim. I'm finding it comical at the moment...but not always.

5. Getting Jade potty trained. Guess I actually need to start that in order for it to happen, huh?

6. Seeing our friends, Phil and Rachelle, become parents and meet their precious adopted twin boys.

7. My husband's reduced work ours during the summer months. Hallelujah!

8. Getting multiple extra keys made for my van and hiding them in various places so I don't have to fess up to seriously losing them every ten days or so.

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Went to work out with the hubby. I love gazing across the weight room and seeing him pump that iron. I was proud that I only annoyed him once to have him show me how to work a new machine.

2. Pretended that Jade was not waking up after only napping for 45 minutes. Please Lord. Please. Seriously. A 45 minute nap on a Saturday afternoon? That should be a crime. She did 3 hours today though...that's my girl.

3. Ate the best Mexican food ever. Soft fried corn tortillas...which, from what I could tell, just meant that they were soaked in oil...not crispy. Anyways, they were filled with beef fajita meat, onions and cilantro and then drizzled with lime juice. Mas taquitos mexicanos...y pronto por favor!

4. Managed to not cook one meal. The ENTIRE day. Therefore no dishes were dirtied. In fact, neither was the floor, the table nor the counter tops. I'm liking this plan.

5. However, I did have this unusual urge to stay on top of the laundry. Any time something was taken off or dirtied I was rounding it up, getting it washed, dried and put away. That might give you a hint of how behind I had gotten on laundry over the past few weeks. It scared me silly.

6. We went on a hunt for cheap patio furniture. Of course the last place we hauled ourselves and two little ones into during the rainy weather was the place with the best deal. So let me save you stops into Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, Yard Art Patio, and Big Lots. Garden Ridge is the answer, friends. Although those other locations might have some good scratch and dent sales going on after our visits with Lily and Jade.

7. Researched dimensions for King size beds. Was shocked to learn that Kings are 16 inches wider, but no longer than a queen. A California King is 4 inches longer, but not as wide as a normal King. Isn't that strange? Not that Jerry and I are growing longer...probably just wider, but it just doesn't make sense to me.

8. Started reading a new book to Lily. It's actually an old English classic from the turn of the century, The Wind in the Willows. I was mortified that twice in the first chapter alone I had to skip over the word a*s*s. And it wasn't referring to a donkey. I realize that language changes over time, but seriously? Did people just walk around saying that all the time? The funny thing is that it was given to Lily by an retired librarian in the family...one of the most proper women I've known in a long time. I'm just trying to envision her reading it aloud to a group of kids and fumbling for a word to replace it with like I had to last night.

8 things I wish I could do:

1. Dance without feeling like an idiot.

2. Mix the perfect Margarita.

3. Finish reading all the books that I've started.

4. See both of my grandfathers one last time.

5. Take a photography class to learn how to use my fancy camera with multiple lenses that I don't own and probably never will.

6. Make my mom's life easier.

7. Add 3 more hours to my day.

8. Go to bed on time!

8 shows I enjoy...

1. Sesame Street
2. Caillou
3. Jay Jay the Jet Plane
4. Martha Speaks
5. Sid the Science Kid
6. Clifford the Big Red Dog
7. Word Girl
8. Super Why

Did I mention that we are too cheap to have cable? Thank goodness for PBS! And no, Mom, the girls are not in front of the TV all day...just most of the day. Totally kidding. I seriously do try to monitor how much TV they watch...but it sure comes in handy at times though...so that is why I am listing them as shows I enjoy.

I don't watch TV at night. AT ALL. Crazy, I know. I used to be a huge Grey's Anatomy fan, and then they took that show in a direction that I just didn't feel comfortable soaking in each Thursday night. Blogging and Facebook more than fill the void.

8 friends I tag:

Anita
Jenn
Jennifer
Lacie
Laura
Linda
Marci
Traci

Jennifer had also passed along this cute little blog award to me a while back...and I'm passing it along to these fine ladies as well. It is the Great Attitude award...boy I must have her fooled. She has the guidelines written in this post. Love you gals!

A Long Overdue Tag

I've been meaning to do this tag for a while now...since July 4th when Rachelle tagged me...to be exact.

1. If you could inherit a comfortable home in any city in the world that you could use but not sell, where would you want it to be? Waxahachie, Texas. Might sound silly to some, but here is my reasoning: a) I'd love to be closer to my mom so she could have more of an influence in my girls' lives and so I could help her out more with Charlie b) I LOVE old houses...and Waxahachie has the largest concentration of turn of the century homes in the state c) it is in TEXAS...and I don't really see any reason to leave God's country.

2. If you could be instantly fluent in one other language that you currently do not read or speak, which would it be? Quechua. Why? My last mission trip experience was when Jerry and I went to Peru back in 2002. We visited some tiny villages up in the Andes mountains where they spoke Quechua. I was able to talk through a Spanish interpreter some, but I always felt like something got lost between my weak Spanish and then the translation into Quechua from there. I wish I could have communicated more effectively and would love to go back there some day. These remote villages could only be reached by 4 wheel drive vehicles. They seemed so abandoned...only received visits from the catholic priest once each year. So much inbreeding occurred that the children just didn't look right. Yet they flocked to us any time we showed up and listened intently to every word we said. Speaking to them in Quechua would have been amazing.

Here is a treat from my Quechua phrase book...Where can I pee? Maypin hisp'akuyman? I think I'd have wet my pants before getting that out correctly.

3. If you were given an hour to spend an unlimited amount of money in any store in the world where would it be? It'd be a toss up between Tom Thumb and Central Market. Seriously. Grocery stores are about the only place I know my way around these days. Plus, the fact that they have carts with seats for the kids with straps they can't get out of...huge bonus.

4. If you had to give your children to the care of someone famous, whom would you pick? Maybe Rachael Ray. At this point in life, my kids are fussiest when I'm not getting the food to the table fast enough. With all her 30 minute meal tricks I'm sure they'd be happiest under her roof.

5. If you could cast an actor now alive to play you in a new film, what kind of film would it be and whom would you choose? Wow, this is exposing a new level of shallowness for me. It'd be a romantic comedy where I was played by Ellen Pompeo. Of course I wouldn't mind being casted opposite of Patrick Dempsey either. Closet Grey's Anatomy fan? No longer. You know where I'll be on the evening of 9/25.

6. If you could have an elegant dinner alone with anyone presently alive, whether you know them or not, who would you want it to be? I'm totally going sappy here and saying my husband. (i have to recover from the above patrick dempsey statement) Seriously though, there are times that I feel like Jerry and I are ships passing in the night. It's the stage of life we are in, but it doesn't make me crave alone time with him any less. An elegant dinner alone with Jerry? I'm there.

7. If you could resolve any single dispute, anywhere in the world what would you solve? Child prostitution/bond servant situations...I am driven mad anytime I hear about these awful crimes.

8. If you were instantly able to play one musical instrument perfectly that you have never played before, what would it be? Guitar. It is so portable and so useful whether in a church youth setting or just around home with the kids. Jerry has recently started teaching himself guitar and I am so excited about it.

That was fun. Thanks, Rachelle! Hopefully these people will find it fun and play along as well. I'm tagging a few people that I'd love to learn more about: Life in Progress, The Shipman Family, Carolina Mama, A Kiss, a Hug and a Squeeze, and Our Moments Our Memories.