tomorrow i am off to las vegas
as a part of what may very well be
the closest i ever get to my dream job
right now i am working for my friend, tricia
as the creative director
(or something like that, no official name yet...)
for her business...
cocoa daisy
it is a kit club for scrapbookers.
so you can go on the site
(goes live very soon
& don't worry i'll link you up...)
& order a kit that we have put together
handpicking products from lots of different companies
but that all go together really well.
i get to help her choose a theme
& pick out stuff
& then i get to design pages
& projects for the site to show
the design team has 7 other people on it
so there will be a wide variety of examples...
this is my almost perfect job because
1. i get to play with paper & glue & other fun stuff
2. i get paid for it
3. i don't have anything to do with paying bills
4. i get to play with the newest scrapbook stuff
5. finacial matters have nothing to do with me
6. i can work on my own time
the only thing that would make it more perfect
is if there was a store front
& i got to design displays with unlimited budget
& time
& a babysitter paid for
& george c. serving me drinks, while john m. sings
(they're back!)
yes.
show me that job
& i am there.
anyway
we are going to lv for 3 days
for a scrapbook trade show
memory trends it is called.
so we will get to see all of the newest stuff
hello heaven?
is that you?
i loved trade shows when i was a buyer & when i was a rep
they are just fun
lots of excitement in the air
& vegas..
watch out
hundreds of scrapbookers on the loose
you'll be able to see the camera flashes from space
(just like the laser at the luxor)
& you know what they say...
what happens in vegas stays in vegas
unless you are ascrapbooker
then it's photographed, journaled about
& decorated with tastful embellishments...
:)
08 October 2006
05 October 2006
norm, have you seen the super glue?
each & every single day
i think of new things i want to post…
i love blogging
i’ve never been this consistant in journaling
for some reason
this works for me
(read: it involves interaction with others:)
plus my kids will have yet one more thing to look at
when they grow up
a lovely chronical of their life
in addition to scrapbooks that leave out
giant chunks of their life
(by the way, i have made peace with this fact
i want to enjoy scrapbooking
not feel guilty
so i just do what i can do…)
so thanks to you dear readers
(commenters & non-commenters alike)
i love hearing (& not hearing) from each of you:)
anyway…
on with the show…
Saturday morning we went to the pumpkin patch
this was a brilliant idea on my behalf…
our october is pretty filled up
what with fun wedding stuff
plus the fact that we love UofO football
(go ducks!)
so we headed off to the farm…
sadly the farmers were not in sync with me!
no wagon ride to the pumpkin patch
plus the patch
(& i quote)
‘isn’t really ready yet’
um hello?
halloween is a month away
do they need to go buy pumpkins
& super glue them to last years stems or something?
(how kind & generous of spirit am i?)
anyway
none of that mattered
first off Q had no idea what he was missing
he didn’t remember that a hay ride was even possible
for all he knows
pumpkins grow in big pile in front of Albertsons
second
isn’t the point of this all just to be together?
& together we were!
feeding animals
cutting the u-pick flowers
playing on the play structure
& choosing our favorite pumpkins
i loaded everything into the cutest little cart
because i knew it would make a great picture
& it did
even thought the wheels hardly turned
& there was really no steering to speak of
& it made me want to cuss
but boy did our stuff look cute in it:)
this time of the year is so wonderful
around here…
it is my favorite
& by favorite i mean the change part
especially the change from summer to fall
& winter to spring
i love that in oregon we get every season
some wetter than others
but there is a distinct change every 3 months or so…
& getting cozied up in sweaters?
come on!
what is better than that?
(a close second is
putting them away for shorts in may…)
so we are ready to carve!
the funny thing is
this is our first of 3 trips
to pumpkin patches that we have planned!
it is probably good that the wagon wasn’t running
who could handle that much excitement in one season?
:)
03 October 2006
free stuff? did you say free stuff?!?
saturday night was all about adult entertainment
no not that kind
you’ll have to go to a different blog
if that’s what you’re looking for…
so for b & i that meant
kiddos to grammy & pop’s house
(what a ginormous, hugio blessing that is)
& us back to our house
for a couple of hours of doing whatever the heck we wanted
in a house not filled with the sounds of
‘mama?
need shokit milk!
mama?
i NEED shokit milk & juice’
(sorry buddy, one beverage at a time here
what do we look like a college bar?
no double fisting!)
so off b went to the wood shop
seriously
every husband needs to find that place for themselves
where they can just have fun
no pressure
& accomplish something
(this is a big one for b)
he just loves it in there
(& oh boy how happy
it would make my grandpa to know that:)
& i headed off to miss m’s closet
i know it sounds weird & mysterious doesn’t it?
like what could i possibly WANT to do in there?
is there a portal to another land?
where i sit on the beach & scrapbook
while george clooney brings me giant glasses of ice water
(never let it get below half full, georgey)
& john mayer sings gentley in the background
(be a dear & bring a glass for john too would you, george?)…
ahhh….
back here on earth
i love to organize
those of you who have been to my house can stop laughing
right now.
i didn’t say i was tidy
or even a little bit of a clean freak
but i love folding things
& making them look oh so lovely on the shelf
just waiting for a photographer from real simple to arrive…
still waiting.
anyway
poor miss m
her closet needed a do over
thus far the only time i have a moment to do some organizing is
when she is asleep
& strangley enough
she sleeps in her room
where her closet is located
(weird right?)
so i went in there & got busy
(again, not that kind of blog)
now you may think
‘how long could that little job take?
the child in question is only 6 months old
i’m sure emily was back in her geoge clooney portal in mere moments’
(maybe this IS that kind of blog…)
you would be wrong.
how many dresses does a baby
(who can’t even sit up on her own
by the way)
need?
that, my friend is for you to answer
& who-so-ever guesses closest gets a prize
delivered to their home
& a trip through the closet portal…
so post your guesses here in the comment section
& if you don't want to comment publicly
(the pressure of choosing a screen name is quite paralizing, i know...)
email me & i'll post your answer for all to see
extra credit:
how many pairs of shoes does a girl who doesn’t even crawl yet need?
(though she just started that
getting up on her knees & rocking thing yesterday!
brian keeps saying
‘push her down! remember what happened with the other one?’)
how many cardigan sweaters?
hoodies?
pairs of jeans?
(wow, you are going to be rolling in the prizes)
i'll give you a week to ponder this
so next thursday
(a little more than i week i guess)
i will announce the winner
i will even post pictures!
i know.
you can hardly wait…
:)
ps i just want to add that i didn't buy all of these clothes
not that i am not a champion shopper...
but after having Q
i realized that they really only wear each thing a few times
therefore most of the ones i did buy were from garage sales:)
the rest are from various friends who are mom's of girlies
(thanks angie, rachael, wendi & susan g.)
also from grammy (thanks!)
& last but not least from auntie kate
who, when i called to tell her that i was having a girl said
'i'm going shopping tonight'
& she did:)
thanks kate:)
no not that kind
you’ll have to go to a different blog
if that’s what you’re looking for…
so for b & i that meant
kiddos to grammy & pop’s house
(what a ginormous, hugio blessing that is)
& us back to our house
for a couple of hours of doing whatever the heck we wanted
in a house not filled with the sounds of
‘mama?
need shokit milk!
mama?
i NEED shokit milk & juice’
(sorry buddy, one beverage at a time here
what do we look like a college bar?
no double fisting!)
so off b went to the wood shop
seriously
every husband needs to find that place for themselves
where they can just have fun
no pressure
& accomplish something
(this is a big one for b)
he just loves it in there
(& oh boy how happy
it would make my grandpa to know that:)
& i headed off to miss m’s closet
i know it sounds weird & mysterious doesn’t it?
like what could i possibly WANT to do in there?
is there a portal to another land?
where i sit on the beach & scrapbook
while george clooney brings me giant glasses of ice water
(never let it get below half full, georgey)
& john mayer sings gentley in the background
(be a dear & bring a glass for john too would you, george?)…
ahhh….
back here on earth
i love to organize
those of you who have been to my house can stop laughing
right now.
i didn’t say i was tidy
or even a little bit of a clean freak
but i love folding things
& making them look oh so lovely on the shelf
just waiting for a photographer from real simple to arrive…
still waiting.
anyway
poor miss m
her closet needed a do over
thus far the only time i have a moment to do some organizing is
when she is asleep
& strangley enough
she sleeps in her room
where her closet is located
(weird right?)
so i went in there & got busy
(again, not that kind of blog)
now you may think
‘how long could that little job take?
the child in question is only 6 months old
i’m sure emily was back in her geoge clooney portal in mere moments’
(maybe this IS that kind of blog…)
you would be wrong.
how many dresses does a baby
(who can’t even sit up on her own
by the way)
need?
that, my friend is for you to answer
& who-so-ever guesses closest gets a prize
delivered to their home
& a trip through the closet portal…
so post your guesses here in the comment section
& if you don't want to comment publicly
(the pressure of choosing a screen name is quite paralizing, i know...)
email me & i'll post your answer for all to see
extra credit:
how many pairs of shoes does a girl who doesn’t even crawl yet need?
(though she just started that
getting up on her knees & rocking thing yesterday!
brian keeps saying
‘push her down! remember what happened with the other one?’)
how many cardigan sweaters?
hoodies?
pairs of jeans?
(wow, you are going to be rolling in the prizes)
i'll give you a week to ponder this
so next thursday
(a little more than i week i guess)
i will announce the winner
i will even post pictures!
i know.
you can hardly wait…
:)
ps i just want to add that i didn't buy all of these clothes
not that i am not a champion shopper...
but after having Q
i realized that they really only wear each thing a few times
therefore most of the ones i did buy were from garage sales:)
the rest are from various friends who are mom's of girlies
(thanks angie, rachael, wendi & susan g.)
also from grammy (thanks!)
& last but not least from auntie kate
who, when i called to tell her that i was having a girl said
'i'm going shopping tonight'
& she did:)
thanks kate:)
29 September 2006
peek a boo...
guess who's six months old...
(give or take 4 days:)
age...
half
.5
6/12
love...
whole
full
complete
:)
there's a scrapbook page in there somewhere...
(isn't there always?:)
(give or take 4 days:)
age...
half
.5
6/12
love...
whole
full
complete
:)
there's a scrapbook page in there somewhere...
(isn't there always?:)
26 September 2006
happy happy...things that make me so very happy...
...portland...
this weekend
just me & my girl
got to rona’s house
new john mayer cd on the bed
(early christmas present she says:)
what a cool mother-in-law!
love her…
saw kate’s wedding dress
oh so beautiful
i had that moment
when you first see the bride
& everything just stands still
it is so perfect
it is just so her.
beautiful.
funny funny bachelorette party
kate was at the helm of that one
monica is marrying a boy named jack
so everything she had to do was jack related
‘split a jack & coke with a stranger’
‘find 2 people to do jumping jacks with’
‘have a cracker jack eating contest with someone’
‘have someone act out ‘jack & jill’ with you while reciting it’
(the guy she did this one with was very good
he even fell down & broke his crown!)
it was great
& monica was totally game:)
fun hanging out with my friend emily
(she’s emily anna:)
when we were in high school
people would call us ‘the emilys’
& we would say
‘emily & emily, we are each individual human beings’
that is exactly the kind of smarty pants girls we were
& as it turns out
still are…
:)
miss m got to spend time with her grandma alone
i think that might be a rare occurrence
just because we usually go up there all four together
so i was so glad that they got to hang out
& rona got to know her 3rd granddaughter:)
10:30 service at southlake
(i love that church)
&
a stop at my favorite scrapbook store
on the way home
to complete a lovely weekend
girlie all the way:)
~~~~~~~~~
...20 minute makeover...
my new thing…
i put both kids down for a nap
set the timer for 20 minutes
then clean up all i can in that amount of time
when the timer goes off i’m done
& free to do what i want
any old time:)
it has been so good for me
i can now blog & surf with no guilt
cause i already did my 20 minute clean up
i love this
it fits me just right:)
...grey’s anatomy...
a tv show that makes you
laugh
cry
want to download music
all in one episode?
that is my kind of show…
...Q...
‘i want to see my liver’
after asking ‘what?’ 12 times
i finally realize he wants to drive over
& see ‘his’ RIVER again
i am half disappointed, half relieved
‘my two year old KNOWS what his liver is?!?’
(i always knew he was advanced)
‘my two year old wants to SEE his liver?!?’
...sharpies...
brian brings home
new colors
every time
a rainbow to choose from
a charmed life i do lead…
...prison break...
i
like
that
show
A
LOT.
...oregon/oklahoma game...
don’t care if it’s fake win
a win is a win
(that’s what fake winners always say:)
& it was so fun & crazy
we were hugging everyone around us
plus
toby keith was there
& i saw him
he’s a country singer
& a oklahoma fan
poor toby keith
...hershey’s caramel kisses...
trouble
big trouble
...the jiggles...
a song
(not a description of my tummy
well, actually it is a description of my tummy
but not what i am about to talk about here
& everybody said 'phew!')
by bradley whitford (of 'the west wing' & 'studio 60')
& jane kasmerick (of 'malcom in the middle')
they are married
& this song is great
if you have itunes & a child
this is a must have.
it'll be in your head for days
& yet you won't care...
...clean closet...
equals
happy mommy:)
what’s making you oh so happy today?
:)
this weekend
just me & my girl
got to rona’s house
new john mayer cd on the bed
(early christmas present she says:)
what a cool mother-in-law!
love her…
saw kate’s wedding dress
oh so beautiful
i had that moment
when you first see the bride
& everything just stands still
it is so perfect
it is just so her.
beautiful.
funny funny bachelorette party
kate was at the helm of that one
monica is marrying a boy named jack
so everything she had to do was jack related
‘split a jack & coke with a stranger’
‘find 2 people to do jumping jacks with’
‘have a cracker jack eating contest with someone’
‘have someone act out ‘jack & jill’ with you while reciting it’
(the guy she did this one with was very good
he even fell down & broke his crown!)
it was great
& monica was totally game:)
fun hanging out with my friend emily
(she’s emily anna:)
when we were in high school
people would call us ‘the emilys’
& we would say
‘emily & emily, we are each individual human beings’
that is exactly the kind of smarty pants girls we were
& as it turns out
still are…
:)
miss m got to spend time with her grandma alone
i think that might be a rare occurrence
just because we usually go up there all four together
so i was so glad that they got to hang out
& rona got to know her 3rd granddaughter:)
10:30 service at southlake
(i love that church)
&
a stop at my favorite scrapbook store
on the way home
to complete a lovely weekend
girlie all the way:)
~~~~~~~~~
...20 minute makeover...
my new thing…
i put both kids down for a nap
set the timer for 20 minutes
then clean up all i can in that amount of time
when the timer goes off i’m done
& free to do what i want
any old time:)
it has been so good for me
i can now blog & surf with no guilt
cause i already did my 20 minute clean up
i love this
it fits me just right:)
...grey’s anatomy...
a tv show that makes you
laugh
cry
want to download music
all in one episode?
that is my kind of show…
...Q...
‘i want to see my liver’
after asking ‘what?’ 12 times
i finally realize he wants to drive over
& see ‘his’ RIVER again
i am half disappointed, half relieved
‘my two year old KNOWS what his liver is?!?’
(i always knew he was advanced)
‘my two year old wants to SEE his liver?!?’
...sharpies...
brian brings home
new colors
every time
a rainbow to choose from
a charmed life i do lead…
...prison break...
i
like
that
show
A
LOT.
...oregon/oklahoma game...
don’t care if it’s fake win
a win is a win
(that’s what fake winners always say:)
& it was so fun & crazy
we were hugging everyone around us
plus
toby keith was there
& i saw him
he’s a country singer
& a oklahoma fan
poor toby keith
...hershey’s caramel kisses...
trouble
big trouble
...the jiggles...
a song
(not a description of my tummy
well, actually it is a description of my tummy
but not what i am about to talk about here
& everybody said 'phew!')
by bradley whitford (of 'the west wing' & 'studio 60')
& jane kasmerick (of 'malcom in the middle')
they are married
& this song is great
if you have itunes & a child
this is a must have.
it'll be in your head for days
& yet you won't care...
...clean closet...
equals
happy mommy:)
what’s making you oh so happy today?
:)
25 September 2006
cuttin' for the very first time....
i’ve been a weird al fan
(don’t even think i’m going to attempt his last name:)
since ‘like a surgeon’
if you can recite all of the words to
‘eat it’
this is for you…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw
thanks to Jessica
my dear hilarious friend
who is herself
whiter than sour cream:)
:)
(don’t even think i’m going to attempt his last name:)
since ‘like a surgeon’
if you can recite all of the words to
‘eat it’
this is for you…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw
thanks to Jessica
my dear hilarious friend
who is herself
whiter than sour cream:)
:)
21 September 2006
there's a pattern here somewhere...
we laugh
& talk
for hours
about
nothing
& everything
cheerleader barbie
& plus size nancy drew
post quarter life crisis
nothing unsaid
nothing held back
everything real
everything love
questions
& comments
feel happy
feel history
feel better
feel cuter
husbands
& kids
true love
true challenge
true life
heritage
& future
mom’s daughters
daughter’s moms
margaritas
& cute cake
2 bar stools
6 years past 26
& $20 each
equals
everlasting friendship
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i love you, gwenie
(with a heart over the i)
:)
20 September 2006
the hills are alive….
i love music
& thanks to me
my children will have quite a variety of it
in their musical memory…
ABBA to veggie tales:)
& may i also say that ipods rock?
we were given one by a kind benefactor
who can’t resist new, fun electronics
(love you dad!)
he bought a nano
& we inherited the little white machine of tunes…
for a mixed tape lover like me
this is heaven
& no hitting rewind
then play
then rewind
then play
then fast forward
nope
i hit one button
& i’m back to the beginning of dancing queen just like that
& if i want to listen to knarls barkley
over & over & over
i can.
this is love…
so here are my favorites right now…
(i want to emphasize RIGHT NOW
(that is why i capitalized it:)
these are not my favorites of all time
(so don't go freaking out that there's no mj or whatever:)
just on my playlist at the moment
best songs of all time?
that is another day….)
‘we’re all in this together’
high school musical
this song is stuck in my head all day
& i love it
i haven’t seen the movie yet
but it’s in my queue at netfilx…
can’t wait:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
waterfalls
tlc
great lyrics
great message
great beat
try to,listen to this without
just MOVING
it is absolutely addicting
& after you’ve listened to it 20,000 times
you just feel so cool…
rolling down the street…
radio blasting…
two carseats in the back seat…
whaaat?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
daughters
john mayer
i loved this song before i had a daughter
now?
forget it…
can’t even make it through without a hankie…
ps i will listen to anything john mayer wants to sing..
phone book?
grocery list?
crime & punishment?
bring it on.
pps anyone heard his newest album?
want it…
waiting:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i guess that’s why they call it the blues
elton john
always a forbidden song in my mind
(the ‘rolling like thunder,
under the covers’ line)
but i love it
& i’ll sing it loud too
watch out…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
such great heights
the postal service
‘i’m thinking it’s a sign
that the freckles
in our eyes are mirror images
& when we kiss they’re perfectly aligned’
come on…
one of the best first lines ever
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mmmbop
hansen
not a recognizable sentence in the whole song
but i can’t take it off my
‘em’s listening to…’ playlist
it’s just too good
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
forever
ben harper
‘give me your forever
please your forever
& not a day less will do
from you’
wish wish wish
i had known this song when we got married
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ain’t no other man
christina aguilera
‘do your thing honey!’
never heard anything like her voice
& this song is just the cutest thing
in a bad-ass way:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mama mia
abba
this is just a crazy song
& a crazy band
& just one of the best things ever
‘mama mia
here i go again…’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sexyback
justin timberlake
since i heard ‘rock your body’
a few years ago (4 to be precise)
i have just loved him…
downloaded this today
but i can already tell it’s going to get heavy rotation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sweet potatoe pie
ray charles & james taylor
i don't even know what to write
a few years ago at the grammy's john mayer
introduced james taylor
'& now, the blueprint'
i love jt
& this duet is just awesome
& as my dear friend theresa said one time
'when i was growing up it went
air
water
james taylor'
yes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
just like heaven
the cure
high school
ahhh high school
some songs take you back…
yep that would be this song
‘i’ll run away with you…’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
so go ahead tell me
what’s got you singing in the shower?
:)
& thanks to me
my children will have quite a variety of it
in their musical memory…
ABBA to veggie tales:)
& may i also say that ipods rock?
we were given one by a kind benefactor
who can’t resist new, fun electronics
(love you dad!)
he bought a nano
& we inherited the little white machine of tunes…
for a mixed tape lover like me
this is heaven
& no hitting rewind
then play
then rewind
then play
then fast forward
nope
i hit one button
& i’m back to the beginning of dancing queen just like that
& if i want to listen to knarls barkley
over & over & over
i can.
this is love…
so here are my favorites right now…
(i want to emphasize RIGHT NOW
(that is why i capitalized it:)
these are not my favorites of all time
(so don't go freaking out that there's no mj or whatever:)
just on my playlist at the moment
best songs of all time?
that is another day….)
‘we’re all in this together’
high school musical
this song is stuck in my head all day
& i love it
i haven’t seen the movie yet
but it’s in my queue at netfilx…
can’t wait:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
waterfalls
tlc
great lyrics
great message
great beat
try to,listen to this without
just MOVING
it is absolutely addicting
& after you’ve listened to it 20,000 times
you just feel so cool…
rolling down the street…
radio blasting…
two carseats in the back seat…
whaaat?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
daughters
john mayer
i loved this song before i had a daughter
now?
forget it…
can’t even make it through without a hankie…
ps i will listen to anything john mayer wants to sing..
phone book?
grocery list?
crime & punishment?
bring it on.
pps anyone heard his newest album?
want it…
waiting:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i guess that’s why they call it the blues
elton john
always a forbidden song in my mind
(the ‘rolling like thunder,
under the covers’ line)
but i love it
& i’ll sing it loud too
watch out…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
such great heights
the postal service
‘i’m thinking it’s a sign
that the freckles
in our eyes are mirror images
& when we kiss they’re perfectly aligned’
come on…
one of the best first lines ever
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mmmbop
hansen
not a recognizable sentence in the whole song
but i can’t take it off my
‘em’s listening to…’ playlist
it’s just too good
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
forever
ben harper
‘give me your forever
please your forever
& not a day less will do
from you’
wish wish wish
i had known this song when we got married
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ain’t no other man
christina aguilera
‘do your thing honey!’
never heard anything like her voice
& this song is just the cutest thing
in a bad-ass way:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mama mia
abba
this is just a crazy song
& a crazy band
& just one of the best things ever
‘mama mia
here i go again…’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sexyback
justin timberlake
since i heard ‘rock your body’
a few years ago (4 to be precise)
i have just loved him…
downloaded this today
but i can already tell it’s going to get heavy rotation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sweet potatoe pie
ray charles & james taylor
i don't even know what to write
a few years ago at the grammy's john mayer
introduced james taylor
'& now, the blueprint'
i love jt
& this duet is just awesome
& as my dear friend theresa said one time
'when i was growing up it went
air
water
james taylor'
yes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
just like heaven
the cure
high school
ahhh high school
some songs take you back…
yep that would be this song
‘i’ll run away with you…’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
so go ahead tell me
what’s got you singing in the shower?
:)
18 September 2006
i'll be more light hearted...tomorrow...:)
‘We often fantasize about the perfect day- something exotic & far away. But when it comes to those we miss, we desperately want one more familiar meal, even one more argument. What does this teach us? That the ordinary is precious. That the normal day is a treasure.’ Mitch Albom
this was in the parade section of the sunday paper
an article written by the guy who wrote tuesdays with morrie
it was about what you would do
if you had one more day
with someone who died
& of course it made me think of my mom
but beyond that
it made me think of my kids
& that every day does not have to be disneyland
or even the enchanted forest:)
that every little thing we do can be a little treasured memory
(hopefully the mommy mess ups become little forgotten memories:)
this is practically my friend ali’s scrapbooking mantra
she does pages all about ordinary days
& simple things.
one time she did a layout about
what everyone in her house was doing
on a random day at 10am…
what an awesome little slice of life
that her family will love to look back on…
& you don’t have to be a scrapbooker to do it
thanks to that sweet little magazine
that i love to mention
wondertime
i have started a little memory jar
whenever Q says something great,
fall over laughing hilarious,
or just does something i never want to forget
i write it on a random piece of paper
date it
& put it on a jar above the fridge.
no frills
just throw it in there.
no pressure.
but later on
maybe even in a few months
taking those out
& reading them is going to be so fun
a little snapshot of who he was at that time…
(& miss m will have her own soon, too:)
i want to remember
& i want them to remember…
:)
oh & just in case you’re wondering…
we would go for a jog
(slowly because i’m just starting up again)
get starbucks
(i’d take her to the drive through one
that she would have no doubt been a regular at;)
eat a cookie
shop at nordstrom
watch tootsie
go to zenon for salad & dessert
& introduce her to her grandbabies…
a very good day.
:)
this was in the parade section of the sunday paper
an article written by the guy who wrote tuesdays with morrie
it was about what you would do
if you had one more day
with someone who died
& of course it made me think of my mom
but beyond that
it made me think of my kids
& that every day does not have to be disneyland
or even the enchanted forest:)
that every little thing we do can be a little treasured memory
(hopefully the mommy mess ups become little forgotten memories:)
this is practically my friend ali’s scrapbooking mantra
she does pages all about ordinary days
& simple things.
one time she did a layout about
what everyone in her house was doing
on a random day at 10am…
what an awesome little slice of life
that her family will love to look back on…
& you don’t have to be a scrapbooker to do it
thanks to that sweet little magazine
that i love to mention
wondertime
i have started a little memory jar
whenever Q says something great,
fall over laughing hilarious,
or just does something i never want to forget
i write it on a random piece of paper
date it
& put it on a jar above the fridge.
no frills
just throw it in there.
no pressure.
but later on
maybe even in a few months
taking those out
& reading them is going to be so fun
a little snapshot of who he was at that time…
(& miss m will have her own soon, too:)
i want to remember
& i want them to remember…
:)
oh & just in case you’re wondering…
we would go for a jog
(slowly because i’m just starting up again)
get starbucks
(i’d take her to the drive through one
that she would have no doubt been a regular at;)
eat a cookie
shop at nordstrom
watch tootsie
go to zenon for salad & dessert
& introduce her to her grandbabies…
a very good day.
:)
15 September 2006
pouring...
we had rough midmorning…
by this i mean to say between the hours of 10:30 & 12:30
i wanted to be anywhere but with my dear sweet children
i would have gladly pitched a tent
in the sock section at fred meyer the day after thanksgiving…
at least someone maybe would have acknowledged my existence
even if was just to kick me on their way to a pack of tube socks
many things happened
which i will not recount here
because some day i would like you to read this blog again
& not because you are interested in hours of SAHM complaining:)
anyway…
on the way home from
breaking up countless
‘that’s mine!’s at play group
& not going to soccer
& not having lunch with my sister
i was feeling pretty icko
&
it started to rain
& it rained
& rained
it rained so hard
every time it rains like that
i think of lloyd dobbler in ‘say anything’
after she gives him the pen
he’s sitting in his car
& it’s pouring rain
& he says
‘the rain is a baptism…
the new me…
power lloyd!’
& though, to the disappointment of many
i am not going to start referring to myself as ‘power lloyd’
i did let those drops
help me
& i felt better
& when we got home
we ran from the car
through the rain
laughing all the way
& when we got inside we were drenched
& we laughed some more…
& we started over again
& this part of the day?
not so rough…
:)
by this i mean to say between the hours of 10:30 & 12:30
i wanted to be anywhere but with my dear sweet children
i would have gladly pitched a tent
in the sock section at fred meyer the day after thanksgiving…
at least someone maybe would have acknowledged my existence
even if was just to kick me on their way to a pack of tube socks
many things happened
which i will not recount here
because some day i would like you to read this blog again
& not because you are interested in hours of SAHM complaining:)
anyway…
on the way home from
breaking up countless
‘that’s mine!’s at play group
& not going to soccer
& not having lunch with my sister
i was feeling pretty icko
&
it started to rain
& it rained
& rained
it rained so hard
every time it rains like that
i think of lloyd dobbler in ‘say anything’
after she gives him the pen
he’s sitting in his car
& it’s pouring rain
& he says
‘the rain is a baptism…
the new me…
power lloyd!’
& though, to the disappointment of many
i am not going to start referring to myself as ‘power lloyd’
i did let those drops
help me
& i felt better
& when we got home
we ran from the car
through the rain
laughing all the way
& when we got inside we were drenched
& we laughed some more…
& we started over again
& this part of the day?
not so rough…
:)
14 September 2006
it only comes once a year...
our play group has 7 mama birthdays in august & september
& because i love our play group
& each mama
(even the ones whose birthdays aren't in august & september)
i’m going to wish them a happy birthday…
(only the ones whose birthdays are in august & september at this time...:)
in order of birthday appearance…
emily h…
let’s just say it
she’s a wonder woman
canning, baking, keeping a house running
tearing apart their deck
all with 2 active little boys & one baby on the way…
& one time in the middle of february (is that right breanna?)
she called the gents & brian & i
& asked us if we wanted to come over for dinner
because she had an extra turkey
when we got there she had prepared
an entire thanksgiving dinner
down to mashed potatoes
(don’t even think that they were out of a box…)
let’s all say it again
wonder woman.
emily g…
out of all 7 girls on this list
i am the only one i wished a happy birthday to
on the actual birthday day
hmmmm….
self centered much?
:)
nozomi r…
sweetest girl in the world
hands down
she makes an effort to talk to everyone in a room
& every time i look over she’s just having the greatest conversation
with whoever it is that is lucky enough
to get her at that particular moment…
& she always says
‘Q is the neatest boy’
& i am pretty sure she says that to everyone about their kids too.
but not in a smarmy
kiss up way
she truly believes & knows
that he is the best Q g. who has ever existed:)
a real gem
she is
:)
erin f…
the day after Q broke his arm
& had surgery
we got home & she called
& said ‘what do you need?’
this is the essence of erin
she will do anything you ask of her
she has a true servants heart.
she is really really fun to just hang out with
& she reads every dang book on the book list
darn her…
:)
rachael p….
so there are a few people in life who you just
can’t do justice to in words
they are just irreplaceable
& fill up a part of you that needs it…
rachael is that person for me
we have been through a lot together
mostly awesome, fun, crazy laughing good times
our kids love each other
& we have been pregnant together twice
she is just too cool
i love her…
& i love how she often starts her emails with
‘howdy’
makes me remember my farm girl roots
:)
janna s…
this girl has the most incredible email décor
like even on a little
‘how ya doin’?’ email
little things dancing around
& colors galore!
you don’t need a dvd player or netflix
when you have janna to send you emails:)
she is a busy girl
& we hardly ever see her
but she’s a boatload of fun
& the garage sale queen:)
(i am a mere princess in comparison;)
emily w…
oh you know about emily…
she’s the third emily to join playgroup….
she’s the one with the blog that throws my blog on the floor
& wrestles it until it says ‘you rule the blog world, oh great one’…
she’s the one who has the amazing frye boots
which she wore to a wedding reception with a cammo mini skirt…
she’s the one who had her birthday party at El Vaquero last night
& ordered every amazingly described appetizer on the menu,
but loved the mac & cheese the best…
she’s the one who has an awesome (faux?) fur coat…
she’s the one who makes me laugh…
& tells me tales of her life BE (before eugene)…
she’s the one who insanely loves her son,
even as she’s calling him a deranged tree monkey…
she’s the one who’s my newest friend
& i’m hoping will be an old one…
:)
so there they are
happy birthday to them…
(or as Q always makes sure…
first you have to put something on your head
napkin, cup, sock, anything will do
then & only then can you sing happy birthday)
:)
by the way
to anyone who lives in or is visiting eugene
El Vaquero is excellent
it’s across from joe federigos
on 6th street
so so yummy…
& because i love our play group
& each mama
(even the ones whose birthdays aren't in august & september)
i’m going to wish them a happy birthday…
(only the ones whose birthdays are in august & september at this time...:)
in order of birthday appearance…
emily h…
let’s just say it
she’s a wonder woman
canning, baking, keeping a house running
tearing apart their deck
all with 2 active little boys & one baby on the way…
& one time in the middle of february (is that right breanna?)
she called the gents & brian & i
& asked us if we wanted to come over for dinner
because she had an extra turkey
when we got there she had prepared
an entire thanksgiving dinner
down to mashed potatoes
(don’t even think that they were out of a box…)
let’s all say it again
wonder woman.
emily g…
out of all 7 girls on this list
i am the only one i wished a happy birthday to
on the actual birthday day
hmmmm….
self centered much?
:)
nozomi r…
sweetest girl in the world
hands down
she makes an effort to talk to everyone in a room
& every time i look over she’s just having the greatest conversation
with whoever it is that is lucky enough
to get her at that particular moment…
& she always says
‘Q is the neatest boy’
& i am pretty sure she says that to everyone about their kids too.
but not in a smarmy
kiss up way
she truly believes & knows
that he is the best Q g. who has ever existed:)
a real gem
she is
:)
erin f…
the day after Q broke his arm
& had surgery
we got home & she called
& said ‘what do you need?’
this is the essence of erin
she will do anything you ask of her
she has a true servants heart.
she is really really fun to just hang out with
& she reads every dang book on the book list
darn her…
:)
rachael p….
so there are a few people in life who you just
can’t do justice to in words
they are just irreplaceable
& fill up a part of you that needs it…
rachael is that person for me
we have been through a lot together
mostly awesome, fun, crazy laughing good times
our kids love each other
& we have been pregnant together twice
she is just too cool
i love her…
& i love how she often starts her emails with
‘howdy’
makes me remember my farm girl roots
:)
janna s…
this girl has the most incredible email décor
like even on a little
‘how ya doin’?’ email
little things dancing around
& colors galore!
you don’t need a dvd player or netflix
when you have janna to send you emails:)
she is a busy girl
& we hardly ever see her
but she’s a boatload of fun
& the garage sale queen:)
(i am a mere princess in comparison;)
emily w…
oh you know about emily…
she’s the third emily to join playgroup….
she’s the one with the blog that throws my blog on the floor
& wrestles it until it says ‘you rule the blog world, oh great one’…
she’s the one who has the amazing frye boots
which she wore to a wedding reception with a cammo mini skirt…
she’s the one who had her birthday party at El Vaquero last night
& ordered every amazingly described appetizer on the menu,
but loved the mac & cheese the best…
she’s the one who has an awesome (faux?) fur coat…
she’s the one who makes me laugh…
& tells me tales of her life BE (before eugene)…
she’s the one who insanely loves her son,
even as she’s calling him a deranged tree monkey…
she’s the one who’s my newest friend
& i’m hoping will be an old one…
:)
so there they are
happy birthday to them…
(or as Q always makes sure…
first you have to put something on your head
napkin, cup, sock, anything will do
then & only then can you sing happy birthday)
:)
by the way
to anyone who lives in or is visiting eugene
El Vaquero is excellent
it’s across from joe federigos
on 6th street
so so yummy…
11 September 2006
another one of those serious ones...
i just didn’t want this day to pass
without saying something
i really don’t know what to say, though
i was thinking about it
& all of the people who lost family members way too soon
& hey, i’ve had experience with that
& how certain things just hit you at strange times
like walking through target
& seeing a red sweater for sale
& thinking
‘that would have looked so cute on my mom’
that is normal
& it’s good too
good to remember
but when i think about
all of the footage
& seeing the planes hit over & over
i just ache
for the people who had loved ones die
how would i feel if i could just randomly turn on the tv
& see my mom’s car crash?
i would feel like i was in hell...
so today
as i remember
what happened
on septemeber 11, 2001
i’m also going to say a prayer
for the friends & loved ones
for strength
& good memories
& more happy times to come
& permission to keep the tv off…
& god bless you, too…
what ever you’re going through today
big or small
you are loved
:)
without saying something
i really don’t know what to say, though
i was thinking about it
& all of the people who lost family members way too soon
& hey, i’ve had experience with that
& how certain things just hit you at strange times
like walking through target
& seeing a red sweater for sale
& thinking
‘that would have looked so cute on my mom’
that is normal
& it’s good too
good to remember
but when i think about
all of the footage
& seeing the planes hit over & over
i just ache
for the people who had loved ones die
how would i feel if i could just randomly turn on the tv
& see my mom’s car crash?
i would feel like i was in hell...
so today
as i remember
what happened
on septemeber 11, 2001
i’m also going to say a prayer
for the friends & loved ones
for strength
& good memories
& more happy times to come
& permission to keep the tv off…
& god bless you, too…
what ever you’re going through today
big or small
you are loved
:)
06 September 2006
hey, where ya been?
this morning i stopped right before
i put baby formula into the dishwasher
so
that’s how my week is going…
how ‘bout you?
i’ve been working on wedding invitations
for my faux little sister, monica
(sister of my friend & friend of my sister…
read that again…
tricky…)
& every time i am just about finished
doing invitations for someone
i think
‘i will never do invitations again
i hate them’
& then someone asks me & i say
‘oh sure!
i would love to’
help!
if i just had some little elves
that did all of the putting together work…
i love designing them
but putting together 200?
that is not artistic
that is hellish repetition
that is like watching
the 30 second preview for the movie ‘cars’
over & over
because it is on the dvd of ‘the incredibles’
that you borrowed from your neighbor
but i wouldn’t know anything about that…
& the house
ughhh
one word:
pit
it is messy
messy
messy
not to the point of the lady on oprah
just left the dog poop everywhere
(speaking of... i haven't seen the dog in weeks...)
but it's not good...
at one point
the pile of clean laundry was taller than Q
& i was so crazed that i didn't even take a picture
you know that is bad...
&
&
&
my shirts in my closet
are hanging out of order
those who know me well
may be surprised to learn that
i always have my closet rod organized
first
patterned/new shirts
then
tank tops
sweaters
(i know they should be folded)
short sleeved
¾ sleeved
long sleeved
the rest of the closet can be hideous
clothes all over the floor
shoes in a pile
but the shirts are always in order
you may be surprised at this sudden onset of OCD
only in the closet
only on the hanging rod
or you may want to refer me to a counselor…
anyway
tank tops are next to long sleeved shirts
there is a sweater touching a patterned shirt
& don’t even get me started
on where the ¾ sleeved are hanging out…
life is messy
& that sums it up…
on to cleaner & better things…
some new spots for you
to spend all of your hard earned
time & money...
few new favs…
visionphotography.blogspot.com
a really great photographer…with a lot of creativity
he also has a lovely assistant…oh & he sleeps right next to me!
check him out (the site i mean…not him…he’s mine:)
kateandryan.name
see what kate & ryan are planning for their big day, check their registries,
send them a congrats….fun to see their cute pictures…
andriahigginsdesigns.com/IFP010/P8.asp
my friend andria is so talented…she designs & sews clothing & purses…
she also makes jewelry & cards & journals & anything else
that pops into her cute little head…crazy affordable…& cute/cool as can be:)
that’s all for now…
but watch out…
more excitement to come…
:)
i put baby formula into the dishwasher
so
that’s how my week is going…
how ‘bout you?
i’ve been working on wedding invitations
for my faux little sister, monica
(sister of my friend & friend of my sister…
read that again…
tricky…)
& every time i am just about finished
doing invitations for someone
i think
‘i will never do invitations again
i hate them’
& then someone asks me & i say
‘oh sure!
i would love to’
help!
if i just had some little elves
that did all of the putting together work…
i love designing them
but putting together 200?
that is not artistic
that is hellish repetition
that is like watching
the 30 second preview for the movie ‘cars’
over & over
because it is on the dvd of ‘the incredibles’
that you borrowed from your neighbor
but i wouldn’t know anything about that…
& the house
ughhh
one word:
pit
it is messy
messy
messy
not to the point of the lady on oprah
just left the dog poop everywhere
(speaking of... i haven't seen the dog in weeks...)
but it's not good...
at one point
the pile of clean laundry was taller than Q
& i was so crazed that i didn't even take a picture
you know that is bad...
&
&
&
my shirts in my closet
are hanging out of order
those who know me well
may be surprised to learn that
i always have my closet rod organized
first
patterned/new shirts
then
tank tops
sweaters
(i know they should be folded)
short sleeved
¾ sleeved
long sleeved
the rest of the closet can be hideous
clothes all over the floor
shoes in a pile
but the shirts are always in order
you may be surprised at this sudden onset of OCD
only in the closet
only on the hanging rod
or you may want to refer me to a counselor…
anyway
tank tops are next to long sleeved shirts
there is a sweater touching a patterned shirt
& don’t even get me started
on where the ¾ sleeved are hanging out…
life is messy
& that sums it up…
on to cleaner & better things…
some new spots for you
to spend all of your hard earned
time & money...
few new favs…
visionphotography.blogspot.com
a really great photographer…with a lot of creativity
he also has a lovely assistant…oh & he sleeps right next to me!
check him out (the site i mean…not him…he’s mine:)
kateandryan.name
see what kate & ryan are planning for their big day, check their registries,
send them a congrats….fun to see their cute pictures…
andriahigginsdesigns.com/IFP010/P8.asp
my friend andria is so talented…she designs & sews clothing & purses…
she also makes jewelry & cards & journals & anything else
that pops into her cute little head…crazy affordable…& cute/cool as can be:)
that’s all for now…
but watch out…
more excitement to come…
:)
29 August 2006
boys are cool:)
our little neighbor boy, gavin
has been hanging out with us
for the last two weeks until school starts
he is 4
& let me tell you
sometimes the difference between 2 & 4
is nothing at all
(when it has to do with throwing things & driving trucks)
& sometimes they might as well be 10 years apart
(when Q wants to play with anything gav has & vice versa)
okay.
so i know
someday Q will find out about guns
& knives
& machetteys (ooh spell check? grandma? anyone?)
& grenades
& dying
& basically anything you might see on an episode of 24
but it would be nice
if we could hold off
until he’s at least two & a half
or fourteen
(a mother can dream)
so last week when they were jumping on Q’s bed
(a completely okay thing with me
heck if there was a guarantee
that i wouldn’t go crashing through the floor
i would be doing it myself)
& gavin fell down on the bed & said
‘i’m dead’
i thought
‘oh no! here we go…’
but i was overjoyed when out of my little innocent cuties mouth came
‘i dude’
yes.
yes you are..
the cutest dude i know
:)
28 August 2006
and the winner is...
they can't actually say that any more you know?
they have to say
'& the emmy (oscar, tony, backyard junior theater award made of tinfoil) goes to..'
musn't make anyone feel bad
there are no losers...
did i mention that i LOVE award shows?
i'll watch anything
whether or not i even know what it is
it's a good thing we don't have cable
or i would be watching
'the golden hammer awards
for excellence in home repair'
or
'the silver scissors awards
gong above & beyond in the catagories of hair styling'
i loved everything about the emmy's last night
from the red carpet
(did you see candace bergins disaster of an outfit?
& julia loise dryfus's awesome black & white dress?)
to the opening
(pure genius to have conan drop through the 'lost' hatch onto dwights desk on 'the office'
pure pure genius)
from the great awards
(magan mullally choked up over her last award for 'will & grace')
to the boring awards
(sound editing anyone?)
from sweet tributes
(dick clark had me teary...)
to other sweet tributes
(arron spelling's wife was really hard to watch i must say
not that she wasn't sad or anything
but from what i've read in the very reputable US magazine
she is not a nice person
& may have a had a boyfriend before poor arron was even dead
plus she's mean to tory...
poor, sad
trillion dollar tory)
from cool entrances
(the original charlies angels..
excuse me
but is farrah faucet creepy or what?
everytime i see her
she seems to tripping on something
that makes you slur your words,
touch everyone around you entirely too much,
& wear really tight badly constructed dresses...
okay now i feel a bit bad
maybe she does have a disorder or a disease something?
i don't want to be coming down too hard on
72 year old sex symbols...)
to more cool entrances
(introducing the lawyers who count to ballots
like basketball stars
with kareem abdul jabbar..
fu-nny)
from every conan joke
(i love conan
we go way back
to when Q was tiny
& would eat for 45 minutes a pop
at least twice a night
i would take him downstairs to the futon
(no we were not in college when he was born...why do you ask?)
& watch conan on the live(?) broadcast at 1am
& then again on replays at 3am
i also developed a tiny crush
on one of the reporters on the abc all night news
i can't remember his name right now
but when he moved on to bigger & better things
Q magically started to sleep throught the night
hmmm...)
to every poorly read teleprompter joke
(why do i always feel so bad for the actors
when 'their' joke doesn't get a laugh?
they didn't write it!
they are forced by the man
to skwint (how do you spell that?)
& time it right
poor poor million dollar actors...)
from silly introductions
('our next presenters are an actor who likes grapes
& an actress who ate one for dinner tonight')
to the good intros
(i really liked
'here's an actress with two first names
& an actor with two last names,
evangiline lily & wentworth miller')
it all makes me happy
& i love it
give me conan singing & dancing
ellen pompao clutching her train
charlie & martin sheen trying to banter
&
the chance to see jim from 'the office' in a tux
i'm there
everytime..
& the winner is
me.
:)
they have to say
'& the emmy (oscar, tony, backyard junior theater award made of tinfoil) goes to..'
musn't make anyone feel bad
there are no losers...
did i mention that i LOVE award shows?
i'll watch anything
whether or not i even know what it is
it's a good thing we don't have cable
or i would be watching
'the golden hammer awards
for excellence in home repair'
or
'the silver scissors awards
gong above & beyond in the catagories of hair styling'
i loved everything about the emmy's last night
from the red carpet
(did you see candace bergins disaster of an outfit?
& julia loise dryfus's awesome black & white dress?)
to the opening
(pure genius to have conan drop through the 'lost' hatch onto dwights desk on 'the office'
pure pure genius)
from the great awards
(magan mullally choked up over her last award for 'will & grace')
to the boring awards
(sound editing anyone?)
from sweet tributes
(dick clark had me teary...)
to other sweet tributes
(arron spelling's wife was really hard to watch i must say
not that she wasn't sad or anything
but from what i've read in the very reputable US magazine
she is not a nice person
& may have a had a boyfriend before poor arron was even dead
plus she's mean to tory...
poor, sad
trillion dollar tory)
from cool entrances
(the original charlies angels..
excuse me
but is farrah faucet creepy or what?
everytime i see her
she seems to tripping on something
that makes you slur your words,
touch everyone around you entirely too much,
& wear really tight badly constructed dresses...
okay now i feel a bit bad
maybe she does have a disorder or a disease something?
i don't want to be coming down too hard on
72 year old sex symbols...)
to more cool entrances
(introducing the lawyers who count to ballots
like basketball stars
with kareem abdul jabbar..
fu-nny)
from every conan joke
(i love conan
we go way back
to when Q was tiny
& would eat for 45 minutes a pop
at least twice a night
i would take him downstairs to the futon
(no we were not in college when he was born...why do you ask?)
& watch conan on the live(?) broadcast at 1am
& then again on replays at 3am
i also developed a tiny crush
on one of the reporters on the abc all night news
i can't remember his name right now
but when he moved on to bigger & better things
Q magically started to sleep throught the night
hmmm...)
to every poorly read teleprompter joke
(why do i always feel so bad for the actors
when 'their' joke doesn't get a laugh?
they didn't write it!
they are forced by the man
to skwint (how do you spell that?)
& time it right
poor poor million dollar actors...)
from silly introductions
('our next presenters are an actor who likes grapes
& an actress who ate one for dinner tonight')
to the good intros
(i really liked
'here's an actress with two first names
& an actor with two last names,
evangiline lily & wentworth miller')
it all makes me happy
& i love it
give me conan singing & dancing
ellen pompao clutching her train
charlie & martin sheen trying to banter
&
the chance to see jim from 'the office' in a tux
i'm there
everytime..
& the winner is
me.
:)
25 August 2006
a blog 32 years in the making...
dark hair?
check.
chubby cheeks?
check.
almond shaped eyes?
check.
slightly rumpled shirt?
check.
hands ready to scrapbook the crazy adventure she just had?
check.
strangly shaped head?
check?
(who knows what's under all this hair now?)
yep.
that’s me.
32 years ago.
some things never change…
:)
ps
in honor of my birthday
i wanted to tell you about something
that involves some of my favorite things
scrapbooking
cool home decor
treasure hunting
snacks
garage sale
my friend, jill
is having a mega garage sale
crazy garage sale
i went to help set up her last night
& she has
SO MUCH STUFF
our friend ali gave her
tons of scrapbook treasures
a lot not even opened
she has clothes
& a bunch of shabby chic home stuff
& a snack booth
(to keep up your energy while you're looking for treasures:)
it is a find & a half
& if you like any of the things i mentioned
you will be happy indeed:)
so if you're in the eugene area
or even oregon & like to drive:)
it's friday & saturday
9am
on sterling street
off of silver lane (near north eugene high school)
off of river road
off of beltline
off of I-5
(oh tricky directions in reverse:)
happy hunting:)
24 August 2006
sugar, spice & beyond...
thumbsucking
&
toe holding
spending time on her tummy
giant take-up-half-her-face smiles
&
adorable giggles
wearing the same sunsuit every other day
cracking up at her big brother
&
making her big brother crack up at her
waking up talking
rolling over
& over
& over
& over
covering her eyes with her arm while she eats
sleeping with bum the in the air
&
thumb in the mouth
turning toward daddy, mama & Q's voice
waiting for her hair to grow
&
buying barettes for when it does
giant you-go-girl burps
grabbing at everything
&
putting it all in her mouth
melting hearts all over lane county
sweet smells
&
big dreams
that’s what my little girl is made of…
21 August 2006
who wears 'em?
i just went in to Q’s room
because he was yelling
‘MAMA’
(pause)
‘MAMA’
(pause)
‘MAMA’
(pause)
‘MAMA!’
at the top of his lungs
while he is supposed to be napping
hmmmm…
anyway
he piled all of his pants on his bed
& was driving matchbox trucks through the legs
‘i playing pants mama’
he says
cute as can be….
ah, that age old game, pants.
i love that one too
although my version usually involves
me balancing on one leg while holding merra in one arm
trying to get my pants up over my bottom…
i’ll have to try the cars version…
because he was yelling
‘MAMA’
(pause)
‘MAMA’
(pause)
‘MAMA’
(pause)
‘MAMA!’
at the top of his lungs
while he is supposed to be napping
hmmmm…
anyway
he piled all of his pants on his bed
& was driving matchbox trucks through the legs
‘i playing pants mama’
he says
cute as can be….
ah, that age old game, pants.
i love that one too
although my version usually involves
me balancing on one leg while holding merra in one arm
trying to get my pants up over my bottom…
i’ll have to try the cars version…
17 August 2006
click.click.click.click.
one thing
you could never accuse me of
is missing a chance
to take a photo booth picture
when i was in high school
my friends & i
would go to woolworths
in downtown eugene
& collect hats
& scarves
& glasses
& take pictures in the photo booth
changing props every shot
one day we wnet to do it
& there was a sign
'please no unpaid merchandise in the photo booth'
bummer
but we made due
with our gorgeous smiles
& sparkling personalities
i really should dig up some of those
i'm sure there are some great shots of
angie & i
jessica & i
darci & i
after we got married
i heard about a wedding
where they rented a photo booth
& all of the guests got their pics taken
how beyond cool is that?
so here we are at the lane county fair
believe me
it was the place to be on tuesday:)
Q, miss m & i
went in the morning
(every two feet Q would point & shout
'mama, wook at dat!')
brian & i went at night
it was grand
as only the county fair can be...
:)
16 August 2006
i watched this dr. phil last week
it was horrible
i cried through pretty much the whole thing
it was this mom who was awful to her kids
AWFUL
i can’t even write what she did & said
i hear it in my head
but to say it or describe it would be too hard
i know it’s not the worst thing that happens to kids
but i just imagine those things
this i had to see
because she had a camera in her house
anyway
i had seen the commercial for it
& decided i didn’t want to watch it
but i turned on the tv anyway
i really just wanted to see what dr.phil would say to her
what i had seen on the commercials was bad enough
but when i turned it on it was in the worst part
& i couldn’t look away
i turned it off at one point & put my hand over my eyes
but then i turned it on again
i hated it
& i went down & talked to brian who was watching it in the garage
& who gave me a hug
& said maybe i shouldn’t watch it
then i went & hugged my napping kids
& Q (who wasn’t actually napping)
was a little perplexed i think
but that doesn’t matter because
who doesn’t need more hugs in the middle of their nap time
& for someone to say
‘i love you, you are my favorite boy’?
what i really wanted was for dr. phil to bash her
i wanted someone to punch her in the face
i wanted someone to hit her
& yell at her like she yelled at her kids
but dr. phil told her she wasn’t evil
(i said ‘yes she is!’)
that she needed help
he would get it for her
i was a little disappointed in dr. phil to be honest
for days after i watched
i would hear the things she said in my head
sometimes when i looked at Q i would hear what she said
& i couldn’t believe
that she would say these things to her sweet little babies
i felt like that show haunted me
i thought it was a mistake that i watched it
& that i would be paying for it for a long time
because now it was in my head
i thought it was a mistake until today
i am reading this book
blue like jazz
it had been recommended to me by my dear friend rachael
& brian read it by a recommendation from his best friend dave
brian told me i should read it
he really wanted me to
i said okay
& proceeded to not read it
but then i decided to.
my procrastination is everything here.
the timing.
i guess sometimes even the bad traits are used for good:)
this book is incredible
that’s what i say after every chapter
it’s subtitle is
'nonreligious thoughts on christian spirituality'
it is startling & thought provoking
i will write more about it later
maybe
or maybe you should just read it…
anyway
he’s talking about the verse
‘love your neighbor as yourself’
& how you can’t really love your neighbor until you love yourself
my pastor says this same thing
so does oprah
& i always think
‘that is so right.
yes.’
but i don’t really know how to love myself
what does that look like?
it sounds very cocky
& not humble
it’s kind of confusing
today it came together for me
i have been talking to myself the way that that woman was talking to her kids
horribley
unexcusabley
very badly
& that is not okay
i might not know how to love myself
but would i ever say the things i think about myself to brian?
to angie?
to kate?
to rachael?
would i EVER treat my family, my friends, my neighbors the way i treat myself?
N-O.
God loves me with a love that is unexplainable
& really hard to understand
because it isn’t based on what i think about myself
or anything i do
i have a hard time with that
obviously i don’t have this figured out
maybe i never will
but i know that i’m going to stop treating myself like an abusive mother treats her kids
& i’m going to try to interrupt my own naps
& say ’i love you, you are my favorite emily’
or something like that
i am God’s child
& i wouldn’t want my kids talking crap about themselves
so why am i talking crap about His kid?
i’m going to stop
& think you should too
because you are loved
wholey & dearly loved.
you are.
it was horrible
i cried through pretty much the whole thing
it was this mom who was awful to her kids
AWFUL
i can’t even write what she did & said
i hear it in my head
but to say it or describe it would be too hard
i know it’s not the worst thing that happens to kids
but i just imagine those things
this i had to see
because she had a camera in her house
anyway
i had seen the commercial for it
& decided i didn’t want to watch it
but i turned on the tv anyway
i really just wanted to see what dr.phil would say to her
what i had seen on the commercials was bad enough
but when i turned it on it was in the worst part
& i couldn’t look away
i turned it off at one point & put my hand over my eyes
but then i turned it on again
i hated it
& i went down & talked to brian who was watching it in the garage
& who gave me a hug
& said maybe i shouldn’t watch it
then i went & hugged my napping kids
& Q (who wasn’t actually napping)
was a little perplexed i think
but that doesn’t matter because
who doesn’t need more hugs in the middle of their nap time
& for someone to say
‘i love you, you are my favorite boy’?
what i really wanted was for dr. phil to bash her
i wanted someone to punch her in the face
i wanted someone to hit her
& yell at her like she yelled at her kids
but dr. phil told her she wasn’t evil
(i said ‘yes she is!’)
that she needed help
he would get it for her
i was a little disappointed in dr. phil to be honest
for days after i watched
i would hear the things she said in my head
sometimes when i looked at Q i would hear what she said
& i couldn’t believe
that she would say these things to her sweet little babies
i felt like that show haunted me
i thought it was a mistake that i watched it
& that i would be paying for it for a long time
because now it was in my head
i thought it was a mistake until today
i am reading this book
blue like jazz
it had been recommended to me by my dear friend rachael
& brian read it by a recommendation from his best friend dave
brian told me i should read it
he really wanted me to
i said okay
& proceeded to not read it
but then i decided to.
my procrastination is everything here.
the timing.
i guess sometimes even the bad traits are used for good:)
this book is incredible
that’s what i say after every chapter
it’s subtitle is
'nonreligious thoughts on christian spirituality'
it is startling & thought provoking
i will write more about it later
maybe
or maybe you should just read it…
anyway
he’s talking about the verse
‘love your neighbor as yourself’
& how you can’t really love your neighbor until you love yourself
my pastor says this same thing
so does oprah
& i always think
‘that is so right.
yes.’
but i don’t really know how to love myself
what does that look like?
it sounds very cocky
& not humble
it’s kind of confusing
today it came together for me
i have been talking to myself the way that that woman was talking to her kids
horribley
unexcusabley
very badly
& that is not okay
i might not know how to love myself
but would i ever say the things i think about myself to brian?
to angie?
to kate?
to rachael?
would i EVER treat my family, my friends, my neighbors the way i treat myself?
N-O.
God loves me with a love that is unexplainable
& really hard to understand
because it isn’t based on what i think about myself
or anything i do
i have a hard time with that
obviously i don’t have this figured out
maybe i never will
but i know that i’m going to stop treating myself like an abusive mother treats her kids
& i’m going to try to interrupt my own naps
& say ’i love you, you are my favorite emily’
or something like that
i am God’s child
& i wouldn’t want my kids talking crap about themselves
so why am i talking crap about His kid?
i’m going to stop
& think you should too
because you are loved
wholey & dearly loved.
you are.
11 August 2006
have i ever mentioned…
i love scrapbooking
L-O-V-E
to me it is the perfect mix
i get to be artsy
i get to play with paper
& ribbon
& paint
& anything i want to
& i’m preserving my family’s memories
FOR ALL TIME (say with an echo effect)
a perfect mix
a sweet little dance
L-O-V-E
:)
09 August 2006
tell it.
sometimes when i type in my user name i accidently type
emilytruth
it's a good reminder really....
emilytruth
it's a good reminder really....
04 August 2006
shout out to the preggos
when i was pregnant with Q
i listed all of the other preggo girls i knew
& there were 16
(including gwyneth paltrow)
when i was preggo with miss m
there weren’t quite that many
but still a bunch
(including gwyneth paltrow)
& now another boom
i’m not in this one
(let’s all say amen to that)
but i’ve got a few friends who are
so a big congratulations
to the current preggers
(not in delivery order)
angie:)
holly
jamie:)
lydia
nozomi
(insert name here when she tells)
hillary
jen
bethany
& (this bears giant shouting)
HEATHER
(who has 3 year old triplets!
sending up some mega prayers for her:)
(& it's not that i forgot their last names
or think y'all know all of them on a first name basis
i just wasn't sure how they would enjoy
having their names on my blog for God & everyone to see)
(yes, God reads my blog...)
love those babies!
do you know any who are on the way?
& speaking of babies
here are mine with my grandma…
oh for cute!
:)
i listed all of the other preggo girls i knew
& there were 16
(including gwyneth paltrow)
when i was preggo with miss m
there weren’t quite that many
but still a bunch
(including gwyneth paltrow)
& now another boom
i’m not in this one
(let’s all say amen to that)
but i’ve got a few friends who are
so a big congratulations
to the current preggers
(not in delivery order)
angie:)
holly
jamie:)
lydia
nozomi
(insert name here when she tells)
hillary
jen
bethany
& (this bears giant shouting)
HEATHER
(who has 3 year old triplets!
sending up some mega prayers for her:)
(& it's not that i forgot their last names
or think y'all know all of them on a first name basis
i just wasn't sure how they would enjoy
having their names on my blog for God & everyone to see)
(yes, God reads my blog...)
love those babies!
do you know any who are on the way?
& speaking of babies
here are mine with my grandma…
oh for cute!
:)
02 August 2006
:)
‘i now pronounce you’
seems like
minutes ago
hours ago
days ago
years ago
decades ago
centuries ago
lots of laughs ago
two doggies ago
billions of kisses ago
a few passed aways ago
two sweet kiddos ago
some pounds ago
many tears ago
bags & bags of popcorn ago
countless x-files ago
two houses ago
buckets of smiles ago
too many bags of peanut m&m’s ago
lists of hard talks ago
tons of movies ago
two schools ago
lots of prayers ago
eight million loads of laundry ago
so many dreams ago
dozens of talking in your sleeps ago
four cars ago
a kizzillion pictures ago
bunches of ‘whose your favorite…?’s ago
a handful of vacations ago
trillions of hugs ago
8 years
so many more agos
to go
i can’t wait…
:)
29 July 2006
i do!
brian & i have photographed a few weddings
this summer
tonight brian did one alone
(left me with those crazy kids:)
check out this great pic...
i'm not sure but
i believe this ended in a trip to the hospital
(not really...but wouldn't that be a great wedding story?)
doing weddings is so fun!
i absolutely loved our wedding day
(drunk groom & all:)
& i've been coordinating weddings since then
bri & i just started working together
in the photo realm
& it has been really great
we're a good team:)
so if you know anyone who needs their picture taken...
:)
this summer
tonight brian did one alone
(left me with those crazy kids:)
check out this great pic...
i'm not sure but
i believe this ended in a trip to the hospital
(not really...but wouldn't that be a great wedding story?)
doing weddings is so fun!
i absolutely loved our wedding day
(drunk groom & all:)
& i've been coordinating weddings since then
bri & i just started working together
in the photo realm
& it has been really great
we're a good team:)
so if you know anyone who needs their picture taken...
:)
An email worth sharing…
i just got this in my in box
From: jesus
Subject: VIP handbags replica
- Elite Handbags - Louis Vuitton (217 mod.), Chanel (29 mod.), Hermes (9 mod.). $164.99 - $324.99
at first i thought
the Lord works in mysterious ways
so okay, Jesus, if you really want me to…
BUT
that’s all it said
so on further thought…
A) if Jesus was going to give me a good tip on handbags
he would at least include a note
‘hey, noticed you were doing a pretty good job
but it looks your purse (read: diaper bag) is a little worn out
thought you might need a tip on some savings’
B) if Jesus thought i needed a new handbag wouldn’t it just come straight to me?
appear on my doorstep one morning or something?
C) Jesus knows what i can afford
& it’s about a tenth of the lowest price listed
(more like a twentyth)
D) (& this is for people who actually think capitalizing is necessary)
wouldn’t his name have been capitalized?
E) even if he forgot the note,
forgot my financial status,
forgot home delivery
& forgot to capitalize,
wouldn’t the Lord, the savior of the universe
be giving tips on AUTHENTIC vuittons & chanels?
The universe is full of questions…
:)
From: jesus
Subject: VIP handbags replica
- Elite Handbags - Louis Vuitton (217 mod.), Chanel (29 mod.), Hermes (9 mod.). $164.99 - $324.99
at first i thought
the Lord works in mysterious ways
so okay, Jesus, if you really want me to…
BUT
that’s all it said
so on further thought…
A) if Jesus was going to give me a good tip on handbags
he would at least include a note
‘hey, noticed you were doing a pretty good job
but it looks your purse (read: diaper bag) is a little worn out
thought you might need a tip on some savings’
B) if Jesus thought i needed a new handbag wouldn’t it just come straight to me?
appear on my doorstep one morning or something?
C) Jesus knows what i can afford
& it’s about a tenth of the lowest price listed
(more like a twentyth)
D) (& this is for people who actually think capitalizing is necessary)
wouldn’t his name have been capitalized?
E) even if he forgot the note,
forgot my financial status,
forgot home delivery
& forgot to capitalize,
wouldn’t the Lord, the savior of the universe
be giving tips on AUTHENTIC vuittons & chanels?
The universe is full of questions…
:)
28 July 2006
swim, pray, relax, run…gulka’s week o’ lots of fun
this is a long one
(with a few pictures
so if you have dial up
just go watch an episode of friends
& come back
& it should be just about loaded...)
but i find if i don’t just write everything i want to
i end up putting it off
& then it’s too late
example:
who has just been waiting on pins & needles to hear about our 4th of july?
exactly!
but now it just feels too late to write about it
maybe on a cold & wet november day…
anyway…
saturday brian’s mom, rona & brian’s brother’s daughter (aka our niece), rachel
came down & we went to amazon pool
a super awesome pool with
baby pools
& shower/waterfall thingies
& slides
it was just great
Q LOVES rachel
so they just had a great time
& even better
they slept so hard
worn out , they were!
especially after we heard the ice cream truck
& then ran all over the neighborhood
trying to find it
in 102 degree heat
ah what one will do for a popsicle
nevermind that we have a box in the freezer
they taste so much better
after you find the truck;)
sunday we dedicated miss m at church
it was really special
practically our whole family was there
actually almost everyone who lives in oregon was there:)
my dad (pop)
tam (grammy)
rona (grandma ro or grandma norma depending on Q’s mood:)
kate (auntie)
ryan (soon to be uncle)
lilli (auntie)
great grandma betty
Rachel (cousin)
at one point Q whispered in my ear
‘lot’s of people mommy’
translation:
‘all of my relatives are here
what the heck is going on?’
it was so neat
miss m wore the dress
that my mom wore
when she was dedicated 57 years ago
hello can you say
‘my mommy is a nervous wreck?’
the dress has been hanging on a tack on miss m’s wall
for about 3 months
just sitting there
taunting me really
saying
‘hi I’m a family heirloom
your great grandma made me by hand
& you have to put me on your daughter
your daughter who spits up
A LOT’
i finally tried it on her 2 days before the dedication…
believe me there were a lot of prayers being sent up
in front of the changing table
of course it fit perfectly
& she looked like the sweet little angel she is
she even sat on great grandma’s lap for the whole service
just hanging out with ggma!
so adorably cute (both of them:)
we went up to pray for her
& it was just so neat
different generations
different families
all there to make one big family
i can’t say it wasn’t sad either
especially because pastor gordon kept saying
‘merra susan’
so for anyone who knew
it was very obvious that susan was not there
boy do I miss that lady:)
can’t wait to tell miss m & Q all about her…
in fact Q kept saying
’merra susan, merra susan’
then he said
‘there’s merra
where is susan?’
(insert teary eyes here)
i told him susan is his grandma who lives in heaven
thankfully he didn’t ask what heaven was
or I would have become a puddle in the middle of the street
anyway
it was great to have everyone there
loving on our little girlie
she is a little piece of heaven
so sweet
& smiley
even as she’s spitting up all over your new black shirt
:)
monday i met with a bride
whose i wedding i will be coordinating
she is having her reception at the art museum on UofO campus…
can you believe that?
if only i had known 8 years ago….
monday noonish brian & i drove to bend
for our anniversary
(actually on the 1st)
we stayed at a mcmenimen’s hotel/pub/movie theater/soaking pool
down town
it’s called st. frances school
& we stayed in a classroom
it was so great
if you don’t know about mcmenimen’s
they are brothers who buy old buildings
& make them into restaurants/hotels/pubs
but still call them whatever they were
& try to keep the décor & names of parts of the building the same
so this one had a nunnery & things like that
it was so nice
we just hung out
& did whatever the heck we wanted to
including
but not limited to
sleeping
watching cable
going to 2 movies
walking around downtown
walking in to a shop that, had i been with my children
10 things would have broken
if we had so much as looked in the window
but it was just us
adults
so we went in
& ooed & ahed at lots of breakable things:)
picnicing by the river
strolling around & stopping in for dessert at 10pm at a wonderful little restaurant
drinking alcohol (more than once)
reading
& generally having a lovely time
I love my husband
& not just because he put up with my roller coaster like mood swings
(i stopped nursing & got my period on the same weekend…lovely timing:)
he is just the funniest person i know
& such a great dad
& is always doing such nice things for me
& he loves me
how that happened I’ll never know
but boy am I thankful
:)
(more on this on august 1st)
we also saw our friends
chris & nishka
& their adorable twins
emma & bella
so nice to see them all
the girls are a few months older than Q
but they are so tiny
& they have little mice-in-cinderella voices
i picture Q meeting them
looking down
in a jolly green giant voice
'HELLO GIRLS!'
wednesday
we got back & picked up the kiddos
from my dad & tam’s house
(by the by
they are the reason we got to go on this lovely few days
they gave us a gift certificate for christmas
for hotel & babysitting
we were supposed to use it before miss m came
but ha ha
we fooled them
we waited until after she came & they had to take care of 2 kiddos!
kidding
we messed up & didn’t make reservations
so we had to wait to go
however they are so great
they had fun with both kids
& are going to watch them again on friday
hello grandparents of the year…)
anyway
we picked up the sweeties
went home for nap
then headed to Hayward field
a big track on Uof O campus
a track where steve prefontaine ran
a track where the Olympic trials have been run
a track where world records have been made
a track where a debut was made
wednesday july 26
introducing…
Quinn Gulka!
they have this all comers meet
6 weeks in the summer
(of course we went to the last one)
starting at age 1
yes you read that right
we are already a year behind
but if enthusiasm counts for anything
we will more than make up for lost time
Q L-O-V-E-D it
no really
insanely loved it!
the kids get to do 3 events
long jump
softball throw
& 60 meter dash
he did the long jump like 40 times
it combines two of his favorite things
strike that THREE
running
sand
& falling
they get ribbons of participation
so cute!
then he practiced running before the race
before he starts…
‘ready set go’
& he gets this determined look on his face
does this little half twist at the waist
& he’s off
swinging his arms like crazy
smiling like someone just said
‘it’s raining matchbox cars’
he was in the 2 year old boys heat
smart people i say
if they combined 2 year old boys & girls
i picture a lot of crying, pushing & a bit of blood
& that’s just the parents
(duh-dum-dum...thank you i’ll be here all week)
8 two year old boys running straight at me down the track
(with dads in tow)
what a total joy to watch
we will be doing this event for many years to come…
whew!
what a week!
now on to the next…
:)
(with a few pictures
so if you have dial up
just go watch an episode of friends
& come back
& it should be just about loaded...)
but i find if i don’t just write everything i want to
i end up putting it off
& then it’s too late
example:
who has just been waiting on pins & needles to hear about our 4th of july?
exactly!
but now it just feels too late to write about it
maybe on a cold & wet november day…
anyway…
saturday brian’s mom, rona & brian’s brother’s daughter (aka our niece), rachel
came down & we went to amazon pool
a super awesome pool with
baby pools
& shower/waterfall thingies
& slides
it was just great
Q LOVES rachel
so they just had a great time
& even better
they slept so hard
worn out , they were!
especially after we heard the ice cream truck
& then ran all over the neighborhood
trying to find it
in 102 degree heat
ah what one will do for a popsicle
nevermind that we have a box in the freezer
they taste so much better
after you find the truck;)
sunday we dedicated miss m at church
it was really special
practically our whole family was there
actually almost everyone who lives in oregon was there:)
my dad (pop)
tam (grammy)
rona (grandma ro or grandma norma depending on Q’s mood:)
kate (auntie)
ryan (soon to be uncle)
lilli (auntie)
great grandma betty
Rachel (cousin)
at one point Q whispered in my ear
‘lot’s of people mommy’
translation:
‘all of my relatives are here
what the heck is going on?’
it was so neat
miss m wore the dress
that my mom wore
when she was dedicated 57 years ago
hello can you say
‘my mommy is a nervous wreck?’
the dress has been hanging on a tack on miss m’s wall
for about 3 months
just sitting there
taunting me really
saying
‘hi I’m a family heirloom
your great grandma made me by hand
& you have to put me on your daughter
your daughter who spits up
A LOT’
i finally tried it on her 2 days before the dedication…
believe me there were a lot of prayers being sent up
in front of the changing table
of course it fit perfectly
& she looked like the sweet little angel she is
she even sat on great grandma’s lap for the whole service
just hanging out with ggma!
so adorably cute (both of them:)
we went up to pray for her
& it was just so neat
different generations
different families
all there to make one big family
i can’t say it wasn’t sad either
especially because pastor gordon kept saying
‘merra susan’
so for anyone who knew
it was very obvious that susan was not there
boy do I miss that lady:)
can’t wait to tell miss m & Q all about her…
in fact Q kept saying
’merra susan, merra susan’
then he said
‘there’s merra
where is susan?’
(insert teary eyes here)
i told him susan is his grandma who lives in heaven
thankfully he didn’t ask what heaven was
or I would have become a puddle in the middle of the street
anyway
it was great to have everyone there
loving on our little girlie
she is a little piece of heaven
so sweet
& smiley
even as she’s spitting up all over your new black shirt
:)
monday i met with a bride
whose i wedding i will be coordinating
she is having her reception at the art museum on UofO campus…
can you believe that?
if only i had known 8 years ago….
monday noonish brian & i drove to bend
for our anniversary
(actually on the 1st)
we stayed at a mcmenimen’s hotel/pub/movie theater/soaking pool
down town
it’s called st. frances school
& we stayed in a classroom
it was so great
if you don’t know about mcmenimen’s
they are brothers who buy old buildings
& make them into restaurants/hotels/pubs
but still call them whatever they were
& try to keep the décor & names of parts of the building the same
so this one had a nunnery & things like that
it was so nice
we just hung out
& did whatever the heck we wanted to
including
but not limited to
sleeping
watching cable
going to 2 movies
walking around downtown
walking in to a shop that, had i been with my children
10 things would have broken
if we had so much as looked in the window
but it was just us
adults
so we went in
& ooed & ahed at lots of breakable things:)
picnicing by the river
strolling around & stopping in for dessert at 10pm at a wonderful little restaurant
drinking alcohol (more than once)
reading
& generally having a lovely time
I love my husband
& not just because he put up with my roller coaster like mood swings
(i stopped nursing & got my period on the same weekend…lovely timing:)
he is just the funniest person i know
& such a great dad
& is always doing such nice things for me
& he loves me
how that happened I’ll never know
but boy am I thankful
:)
(more on this on august 1st)
we also saw our friends
chris & nishka
& their adorable twins
emma & bella
so nice to see them all
the girls are a few months older than Q
but they are so tiny
& they have little mice-in-cinderella voices
i picture Q meeting them
looking down
in a jolly green giant voice
'HELLO GIRLS!'
wednesday
we got back & picked up the kiddos
from my dad & tam’s house
(by the by
they are the reason we got to go on this lovely few days
they gave us a gift certificate for christmas
for hotel & babysitting
we were supposed to use it before miss m came
but ha ha
we fooled them
we waited until after she came & they had to take care of 2 kiddos!
kidding
we messed up & didn’t make reservations
so we had to wait to go
however they are so great
they had fun with both kids
& are going to watch them again on friday
hello grandparents of the year…)
anyway
we picked up the sweeties
went home for nap
then headed to Hayward field
a big track on Uof O campus
a track where steve prefontaine ran
a track where the Olympic trials have been run
a track where world records have been made
a track where a debut was made
wednesday july 26
introducing…
Quinn Gulka!
they have this all comers meet
6 weeks in the summer
(of course we went to the last one)
starting at age 1
yes you read that right
we are already a year behind
but if enthusiasm counts for anything
we will more than make up for lost time
Q L-O-V-E-D it
no really
insanely loved it!
the kids get to do 3 events
long jump
softball throw
& 60 meter dash
he did the long jump like 40 times
it combines two of his favorite things
strike that THREE
running
sand
& falling
they get ribbons of participation
so cute!
then he practiced running before the race
before he starts…
‘ready set go’
& he gets this determined look on his face
does this little half twist at the waist
& he’s off
swinging his arms like crazy
smiling like someone just said
‘it’s raining matchbox cars’
he was in the 2 year old boys heat
smart people i say
if they combined 2 year old boys & girls
i picture a lot of crying, pushing & a bit of blood
& that’s just the parents
(duh-dum-dum...thank you i’ll be here all week)
8 two year old boys running straight at me down the track
(with dads in tow)
what a total joy to watch
we will be doing this event for many years to come…
whew!
what a week!
now on to the next…
:)
22 July 2006
mud, mud glorious mud...
my brain that is...
my friend emily
(one of the 4 emily moms i know
& one of the three who are in friday play group)
has a blog
i check it every few days
because
that girl
cracks. me. up.
but when i made a list about my favorite blogs
i decided to leave her off
why?
because my brain
which used to be made of brain ingredients
is now
mush
scrambled
muddy
& generally mixed up
due to the delivery
& subsequent (i know it's probably spelled wrong but don't i get points for using it?)
raising of 2 little muffins
who are currently sleeping away
(can i get an amen?)
to get a taste of emily's writing
& see what prompted me to write
AN ENTIRE POST ABOUT HER BLOG
go read the comments in the day i posted my fave blogs
leaving emily rose off my list
mistake?
or
just a finely crafted promotional campaign?
you be the judge...
so
go check out
emilyrosedoesnotblog.blogspot.com
you'll
laugh
& laugh again
& say
wow she's a good writer!
(at least that's what i do)
:)
my friend emily
(one of the 4 emily moms i know
& one of the three who are in friday play group)
has a blog
i check it every few days
because
that girl
cracks. me. up.
but when i made a list about my favorite blogs
i decided to leave her off
why?
because my brain
which used to be made of brain ingredients
is now
mush
scrambled
muddy
& generally mixed up
due to the delivery
& subsequent (i know it's probably spelled wrong but don't i get points for using it?)
raising of 2 little muffins
who are currently sleeping away
(can i get an amen?)
to get a taste of emily's writing
& see what prompted me to write
AN ENTIRE POST ABOUT HER BLOG
go read the comments in the day i posted my fave blogs
leaving emily rose off my list
mistake?
or
just a finely crafted promotional campaign?
you be the judge...
so
go check out
emilyrosedoesnotblog.blogspot.com
you'll
laugh
& laugh again
& say
wow she's a good writer!
(at least that's what i do)
:)
21 July 2006
for the love of tagless
sometime in the summer of the year 2024...
'when i was your age.....'
'what?'
'when i was your age...'
'hey quinn! come in here
mom's talking about the olden days'
'mom we both just spent endless amounts of time
on airplanes to come see you
& you're already starting in on that?'
'yeah mom the flight from new york was so long
it was like the longest 20 minutes of my life'
'boo hoo merra
try an hour from australia
i had to program my zpod to-'
'you have a zpod?
when did you...?'
'when i was your age
we had these little bits of fabric on the inside of clothing
they were very small
about the size of your cel phone there, merra'
'oh mom i've been meaning to talk to you about that
i have the biggest phone in my whole dorm
it is so embarrassing
people point at me & yell
'hey look at that huge thing
it fits on the tip of her finger!'
'dramatic...'
'shut up quinn'
'no you-'
'enough kids....
they were called tags
& they had information printed on them'
'like what?'
'like the size of the item
the brand name
& how to wash it...
sometimes they were very itchy
& they would flip up
& if you were standing in line at the post office
the person behind you could tell what size you were wearing...
only a really good friend would tuck your tag back in for you'
'standing in line where?'
'the post office'
'oh yeah, we studied those in 'history of american pop culture'
it was like x-mail
but instead of mentally teleporting things to people
you had to go to a building & 'send' it to them in a box
then these guys in crazy outfits
would bring the boxes to your house'
'creepy...'
'totally'
'when you two were just babies
they started just printing information on the clothes
they called it tagless
& we all loved it'
'how long ago was this?'
'oh let's see
quinn you were about 2
& merra you were just born
i'm sure i have a picture someplace...'
'yeah mom we've seen the pictures
about 58,000 per year since we were born.
there not even holographic
so old...'
'merra be nice'
'well, it's true
mom's so old she remembers when president holmes-cruise was born
did you know people didn't think she even existed for a while?
so shnucky'
'so..what?'
'shnucky, mom
it means crazy
like sean preston spears-federline...
have you seen his new k-video?
that kid has ISSUES'
'anyway...
taggless was the greatest thing'
'that's cool mom...
where's dad?'
'he's at jerry's buying wood for his newest project
it's a table to hold my new z-oven'
'why don't you just buy the table made for it like normal parents?'
'you know your dad
he likes to put his personal touch on things...'
'ava's parents they just got back from france for the 53rd time
& they brought the newest r-book with them...
they are so cool...'
'it's true mom
everybodies parents are so much cooler than you guys
clara's mom just started moon hopping'
'are you guys dating?'
'we're just friends'
'cause megan said she saw you guys holding hands...'
'she did not'
'she sent me an o-pic
i'll show you,,,
where is my phone'
'anyway kids
glad you're home for a while'
'thanks mom, love you'
'yeah, we love you, mom
even if you are a little shnucky....'
:)
'when i was your age.....'
'what?'
'when i was your age...'
'hey quinn! come in here
mom's talking about the olden days'
'mom we both just spent endless amounts of time
on airplanes to come see you
& you're already starting in on that?'
'yeah mom the flight from new york was so long
it was like the longest 20 minutes of my life'
'boo hoo merra
try an hour from australia
i had to program my zpod to-'
'you have a zpod?
when did you...?'
'when i was your age
we had these little bits of fabric on the inside of clothing
they were very small
about the size of your cel phone there, merra'
'oh mom i've been meaning to talk to you about that
i have the biggest phone in my whole dorm
it is so embarrassing
people point at me & yell
'hey look at that huge thing
it fits on the tip of her finger!'
'dramatic...'
'shut up quinn'
'no you-'
'enough kids....
they were called tags
& they had information printed on them'
'like what?'
'like the size of the item
the brand name
& how to wash it...
sometimes they were very itchy
& they would flip up
& if you were standing in line at the post office
the person behind you could tell what size you were wearing...
only a really good friend would tuck your tag back in for you'
'standing in line where?'
'the post office'
'oh yeah, we studied those in 'history of american pop culture'
it was like x-mail
but instead of mentally teleporting things to people
you had to go to a building & 'send' it to them in a box
then these guys in crazy outfits
would bring the boxes to your house'
'creepy...'
'totally'
'when you two were just babies
they started just printing information on the clothes
they called it tagless
& we all loved it'
'how long ago was this?'
'oh let's see
quinn you were about 2
& merra you were just born
i'm sure i have a picture someplace...'
'yeah mom we've seen the pictures
about 58,000 per year since we were born.
there not even holographic
so old...'
'merra be nice'
'well, it's true
mom's so old she remembers when president holmes-cruise was born
did you know people didn't think she even existed for a while?
so shnucky'
'so..what?'
'shnucky, mom
it means crazy
like sean preston spears-federline...
have you seen his new k-video?
that kid has ISSUES'
'anyway...
taggless was the greatest thing'
'that's cool mom...
where's dad?'
'he's at jerry's buying wood for his newest project
it's a table to hold my new z-oven'
'why don't you just buy the table made for it like normal parents?'
'you know your dad
he likes to put his personal touch on things...'
'ava's parents they just got back from france for the 53rd time
& they brought the newest r-book with them...
they are so cool...'
'it's true mom
everybodies parents are so much cooler than you guys
clara's mom just started moon hopping'
'are you guys dating?'
'we're just friends'
'cause megan said she saw you guys holding hands...'
'she did not'
'she sent me an o-pic
i'll show you,,,
where is my phone'
'anyway kids
glad you're home for a while'
'thanks mom, love you'
'yeah, we love you, mom
even if you are a little shnucky....'
:)
19 July 2006
bloggity blog blog blog
i love blogs
this is no secret
thought sometimes i do feel like
a no life dork & a half
when i start my sentences with
‘i just read on this blog…’
but i like it
besides i have a life
it happens between 7am & 11 pm
blogs are in the wee hours after the 2am feeding
so there;)
anyway
just in case you are looking for something else to do
(yeah i know
you’re life is so empty & void of time consuming tasks)
here are some of my favorite blogs
give ‘em a try….
http://aliedwards.typepad.com/
a scrapbooker & friend of mine, she writes about everything
& gives sneak peeks of new SB stuff …because you can never have enough right?
http://tarawhitney.typepad.com/me/
scrapbooker/photographer…her pictures will make you want to grab your camera & drive your friends & family c crazy snapping away
http://www.dooce.com/
sarcastic mommy with laugh out loud observations, some swearing may occur…
http://kellicrowe.typepad.com/kellicrowe/
hilarious stay at home, scrapbook mom, writes like she talks (i imagine…having never actually met her…:)
http://want-to-be-a-bride.blogspot.com/
my sis, miss katie b & the whirlwind of wedding planning…funny funny girl:)
http://smartsisters.blogspot.com/
my dear friend darci & her sister & their musings on life, love & sippy cups
http://letsjustchewonit.blogspot.com/
cutie mom kelly & her sweet boys..live from boise:)
http://christianhomemaker.blogspot.com/
angie’s deep thoughts…funny & thought provoking…I love this girl:)
http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/
author of ‘good in bed, ‘in her shoes’, goodnight nobody’…fun to see how she spends her days plus (brag alert) i met h her & she signed my book (it was a book signing after all:)…funny funny & an interesting insiders view of
today’s literary world
believe me i read way more than this
but these are current faves
& don’t you worry your pretty little head
i will let you know when there are others you simply must see:)
& you better let me know your faves too!
:)
this is no secret
thought sometimes i do feel like
a no life dork & a half
when i start my sentences with
‘i just read on this blog…’
but i like it
besides i have a life
it happens between 7am & 11 pm
blogs are in the wee hours after the 2am feeding
so there;)
anyway
just in case you are looking for something else to do
(yeah i know
you’re life is so empty & void of time consuming tasks)
here are some of my favorite blogs
give ‘em a try….
http://aliedwards.typepad.com/
a scrapbooker & friend of mine, she writes about everything
& gives sneak peeks of new SB stuff …because you can never have enough right?
http://tarawhitney.typepad.com/me/
scrapbooker/photographer…her pictures will make you want to grab your camera & drive your friends & family c crazy snapping away
http://www.dooce.com/
sarcastic mommy with laugh out loud observations, some swearing may occur…
http://kellicrowe.typepad.com/kellicrowe/
hilarious stay at home, scrapbook mom, writes like she talks (i imagine…having never actually met her…:)
http://want-to-be-a-bride.blogspot.com/
my sis, miss katie b & the whirlwind of wedding planning…funny funny girl:)
http://smartsisters.blogspot.com/
my dear friend darci & her sister & their musings on life, love & sippy cups
http://letsjustchewonit.blogspot.com/
cutie mom kelly & her sweet boys..live from boise:)
http://christianhomemaker.blogspot.com/
angie’s deep thoughts…funny & thought provoking…I love this girl:)
http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/
author of ‘good in bed, ‘in her shoes’, goodnight nobody’…fun to see how she spends her days plus (brag alert) i met h her & she signed my book (it was a book signing after all:)…funny funny & an interesting insiders view of
today’s literary world
believe me i read way more than this
but these are current faves
& don’t you worry your pretty little head
i will let you know when there are others you simply must see:)
& you better let me know your faves too!
:)
16 July 2006
moment by moment...
i just got the newest
Wondertime magazine in the mail
if you don’t know this magazine
you should look for it
(in fact here's the site
http://wondertime.go.com/
you're welcome:)
it had an article all about living in the moment with your kids
not thinking about what to make for dinner
or the laundry
or even what you’re going to do next
just being with them
looking at them
& playing
& enjoying the little moments
because they make up the big day
& ultimately your huge life
this is hard for everyone i imagine
& especially when you have kiddos
there is just so much going on
but i also know how fast things go
miss m is almost 4 months old
i just want to remember things
& make her life one
where she grows up knowing
that it’s more important to be together
than to make the bed
(but hey if we can make the bed together all the better!)
last night
Q was playing in the back yard
& i decided to sweep up all of the leaves on the patio
he said
‘i broom too’
so i got his broom
& we swept together
then put the stuff in the recycle can
together
it took about
hmm
20 times longer to do it with him
but it was so fun
& he felt good because he helped
& i felt good because he is just growing up
& i get to see it
i worry that i'm going to get too caught up in other things
& forget to look down
& see that i'm feeding a beautiful sweet little tiny girl
& when i do look down
i will actually be looking up
because she will have grown right up past me
(this is not a stretch of the imagination
gulka+bressi=tall kiddos:)
i don't want to get all 'seize every moment'
because hello?
not possible
but i also don't want it to fly by
with no real memory of it....
this just what i'm thinking about
& i just want to know
do you ever feel like this?
13 July 2006
peep! peep!
that is what our friend
thomas the train says when he is happy
i'm sure it's supposed to sound like a train whistle
but whenever i come across it in a book
it sounds like
a bunch of little chicks
got caught in thomas' smoke stack
on that lovely note...
seeing thomas was just wonderful
the event was in hood river
(an absolutely adorable town that we even ventured around with
get this
no stroller or even a bjorn
we just got out of the car
& walked around a bit
hello?
where is my gold medal?)
officially it's called
a day out with thomas
but like to call it
holy crap look at all of this free stuff for kids to do
the actual train ride on thomas did cost money
which we did pay
but only for the boys to ride
miss m & i hung back
& did girl things
like shop for a thomas t shirt for Q
& paint our nails with thomas blue paint
the cool thing was that
you didn't have ride thomas to get to do all of the stuff
& if we lived in hood river
we would have been there every stinking day
-coloring activities
-a bunch of train tables set up
-a bouncy castle
-play structures
-a petting zoo
-hula hoop & giant ball area
-plus free thomas tatoos
hello 2 year old heaven
-gift shop filled with thomas stuff
-a tent just for changing babies & nursing mothers
(in reality a 6 foot long table & plastic chair in a tent
but better than the
'sitting on a bench in the middle of a crowd
casually covering yourself with a blanket
while trying to get your baby to latch on' senerio
plus they had a container of wet ones)
-corn dogs & elephant ears
hello 31 year old mommy heaven
(actually my idea of heaven
has a lot less
high on cotton candy kids in it
& a lot more
me being fanned with palm leaves
while being shown the secret new season of the office
but you can't discount elepahant ears...)
brian made an observation that it looked like
someone said
'hey where is the biggest gravel area we can find?
yes!
let's set it up here
if it's hot the combination of
cranky kids & insane parents
will be just right...
& hey do you know anyone with a
plastic play structure in their back yard?
oh, does joe have one?
great!
tell him to drag it over
we'll put it on top of a big piece of carpet
those crazy parents will never know...'
(did i mention my husband totally cracks me up?)
yes that is exactly what it looked like
but we are not complaining AT ALL
Q had a blast
we were there for like 2 hours
it wasn't hot
so we were H-A-P-P-Y
:)
also you parked a little ways away
(hey that sounds like i'm from the country!)
& rode a school bus to the site
so when it was time to go
we just said
'hey want to ride the school bus next?'
pure genius
there was also a singing trio
i know
this sounds like a recipe for disaster
hot cranky kids
parents insane from a train ride with hot cranky kids
add a bunch of chipper people singing
'she'll be coming round the mountain'
& you might as well just call the police on arrival
because some one is going to get hurt
but this trio was good
(& wouldn't it have been nice if i had noted their name?)
they had just the right combo of
kids & adult songs
'froggy went a courtin'
&
'closer to fine'
(by the idigo girls
just in case you forgot your mid ninties song reference guide)
very good indeed
if this event comes anywhwere near you
& you know the password
'sir toppem hat'
go
go get your tatoo
& have a blast
ps i do feel an obligation to tell you
there is a booth to get your picture taken with sir toppem hat
or meet him or something
for those of you not immerssed in thomas culture
sir toppem hat owns (?) the railyard
or something like that
mostly he walks around yelling at the trains
& generally being very grumpy
yipee
you really want to meet him don't you?
anyway
it's a guy in a costume
& it is scary
giant head
doughy body
vacant eyes
plus the costume is so hot that every half hour
a man comes by & says
'sir topem hat, time to check your schedule'
so sir topem casually walks away
but i'm sure the minute he is out of child eye range
he is ripping the head off
& pouring ice water down the neck
when Q heard his name
he wanted to go see him of course
but the minute he got to his turn he clung to brian
like i would want him to to if he ever came in contact
with 6 foot tall giant headed dough bodied vacant eyed man..
good job Q!
trust your instincts!
besides that it was perfect
thanks thomas!
peep! peep!
:)
10 July 2006
goin' to the chapel & other congratulations...
congratulations to my dear little sister, kate
& her guy ryan
they are engaged!
& cute as can be:)
they are getting married in december
& sadly she has nixed the idea
of giant winter coats & sweat pants for bridesmaids attire
not even an exception for the 'matron of honor'
(watch soon for an entire blog devoted to the hatred of that term...)
so the working out begins...
(ummm yes,
it was supposed to have begun about
hmmm
5 years ago
so i'm a little behind
strike that BIG behind:)
hooray for kate!
she is planning like a mad woman!
so much fun!
much more on this to come
be sure of that:)
you can kind of see her ring
in the picture
(well, you can tell she has one i guess:)
it's a sparkler!
also a big congratulations to some of my friends
who have been trying to get pregnant for a while
jamie & matt
holly & jeremy
plus
nozomi & michael
& a mystery friend
who is still too early to widely announce
(& no it is not rachael:)
congratulations!
i am so excited for all of you!
we have now ended the congratulatory portion
of the blog
more to come...
including:
thomas
4th of july
&
weddings
& musings on:
spit up
movies
&
something to add to the
when-i-was-your-age
file
stay tuned...
;)
03 July 2006
land that i love...
i can
listen
speak
choose
worship
do
eat
create
befriend
give
say
think
grow
draw
read
marry
birth
love
drink
enjoy
go
watch
hear
write
wear
look
celebrate
sing
cherish
raise
discover
thank
vote
dream
believe
&
be
whatever i want to
God bless america
my home sweet home
:)
listen
speak
choose
worship
do
eat
create
befriend
give
say
think
grow
draw
read
marry
birth
love
drink
enjoy
go
watch
hear
write
wear
look
celebrate
sing
cherish
raise
discover
thank
vote
dream
believe
&
be
whatever i want to
God bless america
my home sweet home
:)
27 June 2006
school's out for summer...
so i know for most of the population
summer just means
that you don’t have to go 20 in school zones anymore
but for me it means
brian is home!
this is the first summer that neither of us is working
(except for the 4 weddings we are doing
but that just means we are working together:)
i realize not a lot of people have this luxury
so i’m not going to brag
(too much)
but on my goodness
it is so nice
like some days i go to empty the dishwasher
& it is already empty!
& not because Q took all of the dishes
out to his wading pool
& i could take a shower every day if i wanted too
not that I will
but i COULD
& if we wanted to we could just hop in the car
(oh yeah we could just hop,
after an hour of packing up everything under the sun
though, those of you with more than 1 kid
do you notice that after the first
you kind of decide
oh she/he’ll just have to be fine
without all of the comforts of home?
like one time with Q
we packed up the swing
(not a travel swing)
to take to rona’s house
because he could not function without it
now we’re like
set her on a blanket
with something near to look at
person
television
whatever
& she’ll be fine…)
anyway
we could hop in the car
& go to the grand canyon
or target
it’s really pretty cool
& Q LOVES having daddy home
finally someone to wrestle with
instead of these stinking girls
who
for some reason
don’t love to be surprised from behind
with a wiffle bat to the head
dad on the other hand loves it
okay so much for not bragging:)
to those of you in Oregon
(& you know who you are hopefully)
is it hot enough for you?
we went to fern ridge lake yesterday
a place where the potential for comedy
is boundless
if you’ve been there you know what I mean
jeff foxworthy would have a field day
the bottom of the lake is soft as can be
i try not to think too much about why it’s so soft
& it seems that they've added bark-a-mulch
in an attempt to soak up the water
(i'm just guessing)
so every time you walk
you are followed by a cloud of bark
ahhhh
how could i not expose my children to the natural(?) wonder that is
fern ridge lake...
anyway
Q loved it
it took him a while to get used to it
he's kind of a cautious kid
at first
after he gets used to stuff
well
then he's he's just wild
not sure how this personality trait will pay off in middle school...
:)
Q & brian played for hours
brian throwing him in the air
& Q
'A-gin? A-gin?'
so cute!
it was really nice though
to be in the water
& just near it
i put so much sunscreen on merra
she looked like i was planning to bury her & roast her
like we were getting ready for a luau
(is that too gross?
i really would never do that…)
it did pay off
she hardly looks like she has seen the light of day
& she really didn't hate the water
she didn't love it
but she didn't scream
i count that as a victory!
we also have gone to barnes & noble
2 times now
our kids ages are perfect for it right now
Q would set up at tent
& live next to thomases train table
if we let him
& merra does one of three things
(she's very advanced)
sleeps
sits on one of our laps
or lays on a blanket kicking & cooing
(what a cutie bootie!)
i read thought provoking literature
like US & entertainment weekly
brian researches photographic equipment
(because we don't have enough...
kind of like me & scrapbook supplies:)
it is so nice
& i do realize that when miss m starts crawling
this lovely little dreamy state will be no longer
so we are all moving into the tent with Q
& having our mail forwarded...
:)
keep cool
enjoy the sun
& don’t forget the sunscreen
(like i did…yikes!)
:)
summer just means
that you don’t have to go 20 in school zones anymore
but for me it means
brian is home!
this is the first summer that neither of us is working
(except for the 4 weddings we are doing
but that just means we are working together:)
i realize not a lot of people have this luxury
so i’m not going to brag
(too much)
but on my goodness
it is so nice
like some days i go to empty the dishwasher
& it is already empty!
& not because Q took all of the dishes
out to his wading pool
& i could take a shower every day if i wanted too
not that I will
but i COULD
& if we wanted to we could just hop in the car
(oh yeah we could just hop,
after an hour of packing up everything under the sun
though, those of you with more than 1 kid
do you notice that after the first
you kind of decide
oh she/he’ll just have to be fine
without all of the comforts of home?
like one time with Q
we packed up the swing
(not a travel swing)
to take to rona’s house
because he could not function without it
now we’re like
set her on a blanket
with something near to look at
person
television
whatever
& she’ll be fine…)
anyway
we could hop in the car
& go to the grand canyon
or target
it’s really pretty cool
& Q LOVES having daddy home
finally someone to wrestle with
instead of these stinking girls
who
for some reason
don’t love to be surprised from behind
with a wiffle bat to the head
dad on the other hand loves it
okay so much for not bragging:)
to those of you in Oregon
(& you know who you are hopefully)
is it hot enough for you?
we went to fern ridge lake yesterday
a place where the potential for comedy
is boundless
if you’ve been there you know what I mean
jeff foxworthy would have a field day
the bottom of the lake is soft as can be
i try not to think too much about why it’s so soft
& it seems that they've added bark-a-mulch
in an attempt to soak up the water
(i'm just guessing)
so every time you walk
you are followed by a cloud of bark
ahhhh
how could i not expose my children to the natural(?) wonder that is
fern ridge lake...
anyway
Q loved it
it took him a while to get used to it
he's kind of a cautious kid
at first
after he gets used to stuff
well
then he's he's just wild
not sure how this personality trait will pay off in middle school...
:)
Q & brian played for hours
brian throwing him in the air
& Q
'A-gin? A-gin?'
so cute!
it was really nice though
to be in the water
& just near it
i put so much sunscreen on merra
she looked like i was planning to bury her & roast her
like we were getting ready for a luau
(is that too gross?
i really would never do that…)
it did pay off
she hardly looks like she has seen the light of day
& she really didn't hate the water
she didn't love it
but she didn't scream
i count that as a victory!
we also have gone to barnes & noble
2 times now
our kids ages are perfect for it right now
Q would set up at tent
& live next to thomases train table
if we let him
& merra does one of three things
(she's very advanced)
sleeps
sits on one of our laps
or lays on a blanket kicking & cooing
(what a cutie bootie!)
i read thought provoking literature
like US & entertainment weekly
brian researches photographic equipment
(because we don't have enough...
kind of like me & scrapbook supplies:)
it is so nice
& i do realize that when miss m starts crawling
this lovely little dreamy state will be no longer
so we are all moving into the tent with Q
& having our mail forwarded...
:)
keep cool
enjoy the sun
& don’t forget the sunscreen
(like i did…yikes!)
:)
26 June 2006
file this under i-wouldn't-believe-it-if-i-hadn't-heard-it-with-my-own-two-ears...
warning:
the following blog contains one or more
slightly offensive words
(i say one or more because
it really depends on what words you find offensive
some people really hate the word 'anyway'
because some people use it too often
some people use it so often
that whenever there is a pause in a conversation
their 2 year old son says
'um so anyway...')
i apologize to anyone that this offends
i feel that it fits in the context
of my subject matter
& plus it adds shock value
which let's face it is severely lacking in this blog...
so prepare to be shocked
& awed
on with the show...
sampling...
in music
not of snacks
(though i have nothing against that, for sure)
it's a lovely trend
a new song with a bit of an old song
it's cool
it makes you feel connected to the past
or something like that
sadly the only example i can think of at this moment
(this moment being 3:18 am...thank you miss m:)
is jessica simpson's
'boy i think that i'm in love with you'
where she samples
'jack & diane' by john cougar mellencamp (sp!)
but the other day
a new one
on KDUK
the 'popular' music station round here
& apparently popular means mostly rap
because that's what i usually hear
when i push that button
ANYWAY
the song
'if you're sexy & you know it clap your hands'
ummm
yes you read that right
so after i died laughing
& then clapped my hands:)
i thought
it's about time
yes
those rappers have tapped into a market that the rest of music has forgotten
preschool mommies
i mean really, look what they've done for bitches & ho's
& now here it is
a song we all know & love
carefully rewritten
& what is next
i would like to wonder
the wheels on the pimped out bmw go round & round?
the itsy bitsy halter top?
twinkle twinkle giant diamond earrings with matching bracelet & necklace?
oh how i would love to hear your ideas
creative friends....
:)
ps as i was thinking up new ones
i was picturing a well loved dvd we have
'elmo sings kids favorite songs'
so now i have elmo's voice in my head
plus
if you're sexy & you know it...
will i ever get to sleep?
pps i just did spell check
because i couldn't spell my way out of a dictionary
& guess what word came up on Bloggers spell check?
blog
oh how i love irony
:)
the following blog contains one or more
slightly offensive words
(i say one or more because
it really depends on what words you find offensive
some people really hate the word 'anyway'
because some people use it too often
some people use it so often
that whenever there is a pause in a conversation
their 2 year old son says
'um so anyway...')
i apologize to anyone that this offends
i feel that it fits in the context
of my subject matter
& plus it adds shock value
which let's face it is severely lacking in this blog...
so prepare to be shocked
& awed
on with the show...
sampling...
in music
not of snacks
(though i have nothing against that, for sure)
it's a lovely trend
a new song with a bit of an old song
it's cool
it makes you feel connected to the past
or something like that
sadly the only example i can think of at this moment
(this moment being 3:18 am...thank you miss m:)
is jessica simpson's
'boy i think that i'm in love with you'
where she samples
'jack & diane' by john cougar mellencamp (sp!)
but the other day
a new one
on KDUK
the 'popular' music station round here
& apparently popular means mostly rap
because that's what i usually hear
when i push that button
ANYWAY
the song
'if you're sexy & you know it clap your hands'
ummm
yes you read that right
so after i died laughing
& then clapped my hands:)
i thought
it's about time
yes
those rappers have tapped into a market that the rest of music has forgotten
preschool mommies
i mean really, look what they've done for bitches & ho's
& now here it is
a song we all know & love
carefully rewritten
& what is next
i would like to wonder
the wheels on the pimped out bmw go round & round?
the itsy bitsy halter top?
twinkle twinkle giant diamond earrings with matching bracelet & necklace?
oh how i would love to hear your ideas
creative friends....
:)
ps as i was thinking up new ones
i was picturing a well loved dvd we have
'elmo sings kids favorite songs'
so now i have elmo's voice in my head
plus
if you're sexy & you know it...
will i ever get to sleep?
pps i just did spell check
because i couldn't spell my way out of a dictionary
& guess what word came up on Bloggers spell check?
blog
oh how i love irony
:)
19 June 2006
carstrucks..
that's how quinn referes to them
why put the 'and' in, right?
or even take a breath between sylibuls (sp!)
anyone within 2 feet of us at any time knows
he LOVES cars
with a capital L
(or would it be a capital c?)
so taking him to see CARS the movie
was a total no brainer
last weekend
(when was the last time i went to opening weekend of anything?)
we did a last minute
babysitting plead
(thanks dad & tam!)
& brian & i took Q to see cars
it is so good
i recomend it to everyone young & old
with or without kids
Q did so good for over an hour
just sat there eating his popcorn
one kernal at a time:)
with about 15 minutes left he started to get antsie
now another parent might have said
'okay dear son, you've done so well
& if you are ready to go then we shall leave now'
we are not those parents
we needed to see how those animated cars ended up...
how could life go one without us knowing if lightning mcqueen won the race?
so out came the emergancy candy
(something i highly recomend)
& i gave it to him piece by piece
because every good mother knows that
it lasts a lot longer if you dole it out like that
the seconds it takes to pass it from your hand to theirs alone
must add up to at least a minute
anyway
it was great
& so fun to have a little date with our boy
in conclusion i must give a hand to disney
CARS is everywhere
gummy friut is not half as good if isn't shaped like mater
a scrape will heal so much faster if it has a sally bandaid
& what do you imagine mr Q will
be getting for christmas this year
when it comes out on dvd?
i would call it a racket (?)
but i'm too busy collecting all 7 happy meal toys...
:)
why put the 'and' in, right?
or even take a breath between sylibuls (sp!)
anyone within 2 feet of us at any time knows
he LOVES cars
with a capital L
(or would it be a capital c?)
so taking him to see CARS the movie
was a total no brainer
last weekend
(when was the last time i went to opening weekend of anything?)
we did a last minute
babysitting plead
(thanks dad & tam!)
& brian & i took Q to see cars
it is so good
i recomend it to everyone young & old
with or without kids
Q did so good for over an hour
just sat there eating his popcorn
one kernal at a time:)
with about 15 minutes left he started to get antsie
now another parent might have said
'okay dear son, you've done so well
& if you are ready to go then we shall leave now'
we are not those parents
we needed to see how those animated cars ended up...
how could life go one without us knowing if lightning mcqueen won the race?
so out came the emergancy candy
(something i highly recomend)
& i gave it to him piece by piece
because every good mother knows that
it lasts a lot longer if you dole it out like that
the seconds it takes to pass it from your hand to theirs alone
must add up to at least a minute
anyway
it was great
& so fun to have a little date with our boy
in conclusion i must give a hand to disney
CARS is everywhere
gummy friut is not half as good if isn't shaped like mater
a scrape will heal so much faster if it has a sally bandaid
& what do you imagine mr Q will
be getting for christmas this year
when it comes out on dvd?
i would call it a racket (?)
but i'm too busy collecting all 7 happy meal toys...
:)
15 June 2006
in the car...
on the way home
from having lunch with tam aka grammy
'okay quinn, should we head home?'
'yeah, head home, feet home'
& now our heads & feet are home
:)
from having lunch with tam aka grammy
'okay quinn, should we head home?'
'yeah, head home, feet home'
& now our heads & feet are home
:)
14 June 2006
hey who's that cutie?
let me tell you 'bout my best friend...
he's
funny
kind
hard working
smart
strong
compassionate
super cute
creative
silly
talented
great dad
awesome husband
&
he turned 34 today!
happy birthday brian!
without you my life would be so boring
& sad
i love you...
:)
13 June 2006
ode to the boots
he would wake up
& say
boots!
& when getting ready to go someplace
anyplace
time to get shoes on
boots!
even when it was 90 degrees out
sticky & yucky
the chant was the same
boots!
& one day i found him
napping away
couldn't do it
without
boots
no matter what he was wearing
jammies
shorts
t shirt & diaper
no outfit was complete without
boots
now he's on to the next
next car
next truck
next bucket
next bat
next ball
next mr. potato head
but i didn't want to forget
or leave them
forgotten
in memories
for the love of boots
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
so what do you not want to forget?
:)
08 June 2006
happiness is...
today on her blog
my friend ali
asked
what is your happiness today?
& it was so fun to read everyone’s hapinesses
so fun that i am going to do it here
so anyone reading
no matter if it’s today
or in ten days
tell me
what is your happiness today?
i said mine was
a healthy little guy
(he got what i had
& let me tell you
it was not pretty)
& miss m trying to smile & nurse at the same time
so cute!
but i must add one
a less deep, not so sentimental one
it is my new dessert of choice
i call it…
well, i don’t call it anything
except
hey i think i’ll have some of that darn good stuff
oh!
darn good stuff
that is lovely & inviting name, no?
anyway…
one slice of pound cake
(frozen from costco)
one layer of raspberry jam
(canned from winco)
one spray (okay, 3 sprays) of whipped cream
(canned from costco)
yummmm
(i’m sure it would be equally if not more
delish if all of the ingredients were fresh
but hey
i work with what i’ve got:)
i was going to post a picture of it
but our internet is running so slow right now
that by the time i got to it
this is all that was left
:)
okay so on with the show…
happy things please…
:)
ps here’s ali’s blog
it’s a great one
you should check it out:)
http://aliedwards.typepad.com/
some day i will figure out how to post a link in a word
(i really will, jenna!)
until then
cut & paste it is…
my friend ali
asked
what is your happiness today?
& it was so fun to read everyone’s hapinesses
so fun that i am going to do it here
so anyone reading
no matter if it’s today
or in ten days
tell me
what is your happiness today?
i said mine was
a healthy little guy
(he got what i had
& let me tell you
it was not pretty)
& miss m trying to smile & nurse at the same time
so cute!
but i must add one
a less deep, not so sentimental one
it is my new dessert of choice
i call it…
well, i don’t call it anything
except
hey i think i’ll have some of that darn good stuff
oh!
darn good stuff
that is lovely & inviting name, no?
anyway…
one slice of pound cake
(frozen from costco)
one layer of raspberry jam
(canned from winco)
one spray (okay, 3 sprays) of whipped cream
(canned from costco)
yummmm
(i’m sure it would be equally if not more
delish if all of the ingredients were fresh
but hey
i work with what i’ve got:)
i was going to post a picture of it
but our internet is running so slow right now
that by the time i got to it
this is all that was left
:)
okay so on with the show…
happy things please…
:)
ps here’s ali’s blog
it’s a great one
you should check it out:)
http://aliedwards.typepad.com/
some day i will figure out how to post a link in a word
(i really will, jenna!)
until then
cut & paste it is…
06 June 2006
ain’t love grand?
yesterday
sick
so sick
throwing up
& other icky things
i call brian
he comes home early
with
7up
pepto
US magazine
tulips
& a giant Hershey bar
(for when I feel better)
sigh:)
& because of his sweetness
i felt better already…
ps I am much better today
just a 24 hour thing
pps I once heard that the best test of a relationship
is to see how the person is when you are sick…
I think I picked a good one…
:)
ppps…
i was talking to my great friend angie one day
about how i think that there are people who
think i am a boring christian house wife
just cooking & cleaning & diapering
& doting on my husband
now of course i do all of those things
maybe not all in the same day
but i do them
(just ask brian:)
however i am more than that
i am cool
yes i am
so angie
genius that she is
started a blog
& if you
feel
felt
may feel
or know some one
who feels
felt
or may feel
this way
you should check it out…
http://christianhomemaker.blogspot.com/
yep, she’s my friend…
:)
oh & one more thing...
(the girl's got a lot to say...)
i was looking for a birthday card for
my darling sister & i came across this...
oh goodness
i laughed so hard
perfect
for all of us
& our dinner problems...
:)
oh must give credit
this card is from hallmark
fresh ink series
seriously
some of the best cards around...
:)
sick
so sick
throwing up
& other icky things
i call brian
he comes home early
with
7up
pepto
US magazine
tulips
& a giant Hershey bar
(for when I feel better)
sigh:)
& because of his sweetness
i felt better already…
ps I am much better today
just a 24 hour thing
pps I once heard that the best test of a relationship
is to see how the person is when you are sick…
I think I picked a good one…
:)
ppps…
i was talking to my great friend angie one day
about how i think that there are people who
think i am a boring christian house wife
just cooking & cleaning & diapering
& doting on my husband
now of course i do all of those things
maybe not all in the same day
but i do them
(just ask brian:)
however i am more than that
i am cool
yes i am
so angie
genius that she is
started a blog
& if you
feel
felt
may feel
or know some one
who feels
felt
or may feel
this way
you should check it out…
http://christianhomemaker.blogspot.com/
yep, she’s my friend…
:)
oh & one more thing...
(the girl's got a lot to say...)
i was looking for a birthday card for
my darling sister & i came across this...
oh goodness
i laughed so hard
perfect
for all of us
& our dinner problems...
:)
oh must give credit
this card is from hallmark
fresh ink series
seriously
some of the best cards around...
:)
01 June 2006
happy kate day...
standing on the sidewalk
looking up
to
the window
with hope
my mother holds
the newest
up
for me
almost three
29 years ago
she came
&
changed us
to us
sweet girl born
friend realized
sister
a match
well made
~~~~~~~~~~~~
happy happy birthday my sister!
i love you:)
(this will have to serve as a card for now...
more to come soon
i promise:)
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