...

boys & girls are different
you may be saying to yourself
ever so sweetly
'duh'
& i never really thought that they weren't different
but
yesterday i got a little hint
in real life...
the whole fam on a walk
& miss m walking from one flower to the next
saying
'flala'
(you can not tell me that you have ever
heard of a better baby way to say flower
you just can't
i won't believe it
& i won't listen
flala is the #1 way
& yes i am an open & accepting human being
honoring diversity
why do you ask?)
so miss m is flala hunting
& Q is doing this...

riding a bike
okay so this post is so disjointed
because of course i know that boys & girls both ride bikes
bikes: equal oppurtunity vehicles
(i'm designing the new ad campagn for bikes, you see)
the thing that seemed funny was
that Q was never a flower picker
he would point & say 'flowe'
(which is the #2 cutest baby way to say flower in case you wondered)
but never really interested in having them
miss m
she wants them all
& she arranges them all in her right hand
as she points for you to give her more with her left
& she holds them so tight
that she is gently squeezing the life out of them
(although i guess technically
when i picked them for her
i was the one to take their lives
so that's good
the less amount of guilt on a 16 month old the better)
anyway
just cute i guess
& i suppose if we are really being technical
i could have just written that hmmm?
'just cute'
& left it at that...
nahhhh

also before anyone goes & calls
the national federation of helmetless children
NFHC, for short
this was Q's first little stint with the training wheels
& we were all so excited
& it was so fun
& i was taking pictures
& as we walked back into the driveway
we realized that he wasn't wearing a helmet!
oh my goodness
no wonder this kids has already had two broken arms!
but now we have one
NFHC approved
:)

hope you are all enjoying your summer
we are
our family
2 boys
2 girls
2 fun
(oh for cheesey, i know
but i couldn't resist!)

:)

ps i meant to add something to the last post...
the parts they were audtioning for:
serious three year old boy with head turned to the right
confused curly haired girl with head turned to the right
&
excited dad sitting next to his favortie cartoon character of all time
& guess what?
they got the parts!
:)

while i was working...

they were auditioning
:)

flutterby...

i'm teaching a class next week in eugene
my friend jill is hosting it at her house
she has a super cute little house
(actually it's pretty big:)
& she will no doubt have the scrapspace decorated to the hilt!
we will make the little box that is pictured up there
& then two layouts
& a card
plus you get the entire cocoa daisy june kit
such a deal!

thursday july 26
6pm-9pm

let me know if you are interested
i would love to see you there...
emily(at)cocoadaisy(dot)com
(don't you just love that tricky code?)

what's up with that...

a list of my life in this past week...

new job...
alrighty
so
let me just start this bit out by saying that
i don't want a job
i don't want to work
i don't want to be away from my husband while he is home all summer
& away from my sweeties while they are little
but sometimes you make choices
& you don't think that maybe you will have to
make up for those choices by getting dressed
& kissing everyone goodbye
& going to work to sell things to rich people
but then that is exactly what happens...
that said
i really like my new job
really
i really like that i have to dress in something
other than the black v-neck t shirt
with cute little crochet trim
that
i got at jcpenney
(who knew!)
that now has aproximately 5 holes in it
but is so
stinking soft
& comfy that i can not put it in the goodwill bag
(who am i kidding?
goodwill would throw it in their goodwill bag)
i get to wear cute clothes
i HAVE to
it is a requirement
which wasn't the case when i worked at jerry brown's texaco
strangely enough...
& i am even going to sew a skirt for myself
because i think i just might be able to...
where is this magical place you ask?
passionflower in eugene oregon
come see me...

sunriver
or euphoria
as we like to call it in our family
never a bit of litter
everyone says hi & smiles as you ride your bikes past each other
every house is just so
roads are called things like
duck pond lane
gosling lane
pinebough lane
winners circle
&
leisure lane
no kidding
we actually stayed on leisure lane
& it was lovely
as sunriver always is...
thanks, dad & tam!

patches...
while in sunriver
brian & i took mr Q on a little bike ride
Q in the trailer
& b & i on our own bikes
(in case you wondered
though just once i would love to squeeze in that little trailer
& get pulled around
how blissful does that sound?
well, not the squeezing in part)
we drove down to the horse barn
(of course they have a horse barn)
& they had pony rides
& how could we pass up pony rides?
& we didn't
& oh my goodness he loved it
though you couldn't really tell by his face
Q: (very serious, stoic face looking directly at the back of the horses head)
me: are you having fun, bug?
Q:(turns to me, giant smile, entire face glowing)
YES!
(turns back with very serious stoic face looking directly at the back of the horses head )

i love that kid...
pictures will be forthcoming...

more to come...
for some reason
i am tired
even after a relaxing weekend plus...
isn't that the ulitmate irony?
i need a vacation to recover from my vacation
pitiful is more like it...
although
could you really describe a vacation with a one & three year old
relaxing?
i think it is more like
the same old chaos in a different location
not that i am complaining
not even one bit
i'll take my chaos any place you want to invite us...
;)

must make list...

i know lately
(read: past 24 hours)
i have been seeing some really cool stuff
& wanting to share
i know i should just compile it
& make a cute little list
titled
'em's gems'
or something darling like that
but i won't
i'll just do 14 posts a day til i run out...

oh yes
here's another...

this guy takes pictures of abandoned buildings
insides
& outsides
it is all very artsy & cool
i found his site through my most favorite blog right now
posie gets cozy
who is this great girl who lives in portland
& writes about
everything under the sun
food
crafts
travel
old memories
her dog
hanging out
& more
in the sweetest voice you can imagine
she is funny
& real
& goofy
& sweet
& sometimes she gets mad
& even that is sweet & funny

i just love her blog
& i wanted to share...
:)

ps the picture is my favorite right now of my kiddos
it is so them
miss m with her shirt hiked up
& Q with his jack nicholson eyebrows
(don't you think? i'll have to do a side by side comparison someday)
a hint of the cast
little miss getting ready to bolt
& a bit of wacky hair for both...
i love it.

:)

for the love of trash...

i can't even tell you how much i love this idea...
doubtful you will be seeing them
round my house any time soon
right now we are just trying to afford
plain white trash bags, thank you
maybe i'll get out the paint...
then you'll know why the light is on
in the living room at 2am...
just hanging out
watching reruns of conan
decorating trash bags
yep.

:)

yummy yummy...

hey guys!
you know how i get to work for this super fun scrapbook company
cocoa daisy?
well we have teamed up with another cool company
deja views
for a contest
& let me tell you you can win some really great stuff
paper & embellishments with names like pear, mango & cherry
get your spoon...

an apple a day...

my dear brian just gave me this great article to read
it is the commencement address by steve jobs
to the graduates of stanford in 2005
here's a little bit...

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

& the rest is
here

i would love to know what you think
& if you have some stories of your own...
:)

ps just wanted to say
i love you guys
really
really
really
love you
(even those of you who don't comment)
:)

to do: redeem my good name & use links as much as possible...

alrighty
so i've been accused of being
a blog flirt
a buzz builder
a cartoon villian
(from the evil laugh that left coast sister gave me in the last comments)
& contestant in a reality show involving george clooney & flank steak
(if anyone hears about one like this
please let me know...)

it is time to set the record straight!

actually
i must confess
i was using my blog as a to do list
just not wanting to forget what i wanted to tell you all about
i know, i know
get a note pad, lady!
& then
(oh the nerve!)
i never had the chance to expand on the list
& THEN
(it just gets worse)
we went on vacation!
& i didn't want to say
'we, the gulka family
who live at 00000 blah blah blah drive
in happytown, oregon
are leaving our house full of matchbox cars
& recycled popsecret boxes
for 5 days
please come take everything'
so i just gave a little 'i'll be back...'
darn me
(yes, dad & tam, that is what i meant)

(ps
i am not accusing anyone reading of wanting to
break into our house
& rob us...
just trying to be safe
since i don't use the fabric cart protectors on the kids seat of my shopping cart
i thought i should be cautious in other areas)
:)

on with the circus...

strawberry pickin'...

so we are in this play group
oh it is really a
wonderful
fun
crazy
happy
lifesaver
bunch
& in this play group
we have a family who owns a farm
oh the joy!
so in october we do the pumpkin patch
& now in the summer we do
the strawberry patch...
L-O-V-E
love it.
& it was fun!

no matter that after we paid for our strawberries
& Q wanted to put his little container in a brown paper bag
& then he proceeded to swing the bag
to & fro
& then when we had to leave got mad
& flung the now squishy berries
onto the new deck of the henderson home
causing the bag to burst
& squishy berries to go everywhere
much screaming
& punishing ensued
(screaming by him
punishing by me,
just to be clear.
though i must say as i was cleaning
up strawberry goo
& making him help clean
i was feeling a bit punished
& wanted to scream more than once)
no matter...
strawberry picking=fun
:)

& if you are in the lane county area
& want to go strawberry picking
head over to thistledown farm on river road in eugene
(& you thought this was an ad free blog...)

flank steak...

for brian's birthday
all he really wanted was flank steak at my parent's house
& that is what he got
now i will admit
that i have no idea what part of the cow the flank is
it sounds familiar
& i keep trying to conjur up the picture
of the divided up cow from the hebrew national commercial
('we answer to a higher power'
more advertising!)
& i think that it must come from the 'good' part of the cow...
who knew that 15 years later i would be wishing i had been in FFA
instead of FBLA?
life is funny that way...
anyway
flank steak
two words
yu-mmy
(thanks, dad & tam)
(i figure if i mention you often enough
you will start commenting)

water fountains...
otherwise known as
'i carry my camera almost everywhere
& on the one day i don't
we end up playing
in the coolest water fountain in corvallis
both kids soaked
& happy as sunshine'
oh well...
still fun as all get out
:)

sewing up a storm...
so i had put my sewing machine away for a while
i was sad but knew that it was the right thing
(i answer to a higher power too:)
i was just too busy
& the little quilts & such were heaping guilt upon my shoulders
& God knows what every mom needs is more guilt
so away it went
into the cupboard
& then suddenly my schedule freed up
(see post dated may 29 titled (sigh)
subtitled 'i now have time to sleep')
so i've been plaing around
with some fun stuff
kiddo aprons
baby quilts
other things...
tease!
tease tease tease!
pictures will be forthcoming
really they will!
during the time that i was not sewing
a few babies were born
& it killed me to not make little blankets for them
(& to be honest i go in spurts
BIG spurts
so like for example
kelly's little guy
he was not born in the non sewing time
just in a 'oh i want to make something for henry
but when can i?
& what will i do?
& oh no now he is too old for a baby blankie'
time
but i have some fun ideas for belated
'you were just born' gifts
(i guess those are otherwise known as birthday presents...)
anyway
i do tease.
just wait for it
:)

george clooney...

don't we all begin & end with george?
no?
well, okay...
around a month ago or so my dearest friend
of 19 years
(except for the few months when we weren't)
angie
called me & asked me go see ocean's 13
during the day.
without children.
oh the joy!
& we did
& it was good.
& george was handsome
& funny
& smooth.
& so was angie!
:)
okay she was cute funny & smooth..
& we reminiced about the movies we had seen together
well actually we reminiced about the movie theaters that we had been to together
we got to go to the new regal cinemas at valley river center
(will the shameless ad hocking never end?)
(or is it hawking?)
we had been to many movies at the old regal
(behind mucho gusto)
& before that at the theater that was where the olive garden is now
hello old school...
thanks ang!
loved it!
& you:)

now i must go before there is more shameless plugging...
i'm off to target in my old navy & nike shoes...

:)

ps
note to lcs:
there will be an FBLA post coming soon
oh yes there will
hopefully with pictures
& as former FBLA president i expect some lengthy comments from you, missy!
:)

pps note to jmb mommy:
thank you for your help with links
i think i like them...
:)
i still can't figure out a banner
but i am super duper thankful for your help...
:)

that's how she rolls...

i'm going to be gone
for a little bit
not long
but i will be back
with pictures...
so watch out.

:)

& don't worrry
i haven't forgotten about flank steak
or george
:)

just for fun...

giant grin
& eyes that become little slits
crazy hair
& dribbles down the front...
my sweet little wild thing

coming soon...

strawberry pickin'
flank steak
water fountains
sewing up a storm
&
george clooney

stay tuned
:)

35!

happy happy birthday brian!
we love you
& are so blessed to have you!

love...
e, q & m
:)

good grief...

so like i was saying
was is it with the arm slings for kids these days?
so granted i have had more experience
with child sized arm slings than most people do in a whole lifetime
& some may argue since that is the case that i should just keep my opinions to my self
no one else cares!
but you know me better than that...
onward i go!
so last year in march & this year in june
the sweet boy has to wear a sling for his broken arm
the same design both times
what do these things look like?
you wonder
a choice of solid colors?
so that a child may choose their favorite?
um no, hospitals don't give choices
unless sitting in an urget care waiting room for four hours
with a three year old with a broken arm is considered a choice
then yes!
they give you LOTS of choices...
okay you wonder
back to the slings
are they just a nice little design
like the baby blankets that they give the newborns
with small birds & woodland creatures in an array of pastel colors
(actually i hate those too
why is just plain white not okay?
i obviously have issues with hospital fabric choices)
anyway back to slings
no it is not a subtle little design
it is a loud primary display of the peanuts characters
yes
charlie brown
lucy
sally
linus
his blanket
& snoopy
(who Q calls sniffy
talk about cracking me up
oh i laugh everytime i think of it much less when he says it
& i make him say it a lot.)
anyway
the whole peanuts gang
the peanuts whose comic was discontinued
like 15 years before Q was even born...
it's like a well meaning woman in 1967 accidently
ordered 100 dozen slings instead of just 1 dozen
(this recently happened to curious george with donuts
so it is a real life example)
'oh' she thought 'the next twelve children with broken arms will love these'
& little did she know
that the next 1200 children over the next 40 years
would have to pay the price for her ordering mistake...
honestly, mabel
even the monkey noticed that he made a mistake
& tried to fix it...
i have nothing against snoopy
(or sniffy)
or charles shultz
or even peppermint patty
(though she really isn't too bright)
my grandpa loved them
& really whose grandpa didn't?
but peanuts?
for three year olds?
in 2007?
although now that i think of it
Q did break his arm because i was holding the football
for him & as he ran to kick it
i pulled it away
& he flew up in the air & landed on his arm...
or did he trip & fall as he was running to see the great pumpkin?
or as he was dancing without moving his arms?
hmmmm
maybe it was a good choice after all....

:)

a weekend in pictures...

our weekend started like this...


& ended like this...


with a little of this


& this


& this

thrown in for fun...

it's an exciting life...
that's for sure
well, eventful anyway...
:)

ps the answers to your questions:
pic 1
-the concert was great
-he didn't sing 'your body is a wonderland'
-or mention jessica

pic 2
-he broke the two bones in his right forearm
-he fell off of a bar stool
-yes, rachael & i are starting a 'no three year olds on bar stools campaign'
you'll be able to buy t-shirts soon
-yes, a similar thing did happen not 15 months ago
-he is all drugged up
& will get a cast later this week

pic 3
-it's the four gulka cousins
-& even though they aren't looking at the camera
it's my favorite picture right now...
love it!

pic 4
-yes they are both three (one week apart)
-yes they did start off with grandma rona's good jewelry
& then when all of the moms realized it
& went 'agghhh!'
& scared them
grandma gladly got out the play jewelry
-yes, they are both three:)

pic 5
-yes-sir-ree it's all natural curl
-she gets it from her mom (that would be me)
& grandma ro (i'll do side by side by side pictures someday...)
-& yes i did dress a one year old in a white dress
-& yes it got so dirty
-& yes i loved it:)

additional answers
-yes, i am a total dork for not taking a single picture of the birthday girl
(kate send me a pic or two & that group one maria took!)
-i agree that going to two barbeques in the span of 4 hours is not really the best diet plan
(but it sure was yummy...& now we're back to beans & rice)
:)

& many more...

happy 30th birthday, kate!
you're as cute now as you were then...

i love you
:)

sweet as can be...

wowie you guys...
i just have to say that if this is the outpouring of sweetness
& compassion
& encouragement & sympathy for
the demise (thanks for that word, jmb:)
of a three month old
web site
i am confident that i would be covered in
love should anything worse ever happen

i have been in tears for the last few days
reading your comments on the blog
some kind emails from rp, kw & jmb
getting sweet phone messages
from rpx2:), ar, em & kw
& one very sweetly worded
'get up & move on things will be fine!'
phone message...thanks miss ef:)
also a lovely little
'i thought you might need a little something' care package from bt
(that's my grandma by the way:)
& lots of hugs from brian
& Q
who
(& i know they say that kids can sense it when something is going on)
hugged me & then patted my back & said
'it's going to be okay'
& told grandma
'if i clean up my room it will make my mommy feel better'
talk about tears
(by the way the room is still not clean
but with that sweet comment
he's excused for a few weeks:)

anyway
thank you all
you are too sweet
(word of the day, pee wee...)
& what some of you said is so right
i will have more oppurtunities later
& this just wasn't the time for it
& i won't run out of ideas
ever
(always too many in that catagory:)

i am overwhelmed with love
thanks for letting me be me
here
on this giant blogosphere
but where these last few days it has felt really cozy
:)

i'll give a few more details later
maybe
my embarrasssment may lead to avoiding it
(i'm quite good at that huh, rach:)
but we'll see
maybe it is a new me
willing to look idiotic in order to be real & true...
but don't count on it
i am still human:)

love you guys...
truly i do
:)

(sigh)

this is what i posted on go-mom-go today...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sometimes you have a great idea....
& you work on it & it becomes everything you dreamed it could be...
sometimes you have an idea & things happen & choices are made & things don’t turn out the way you had hoped...

it is with a very sad heart that i announce that the go-mom-go site is now closed.

thank you so much for making it part of your web stop & for the support & comments & help & fun...

thank you so much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

& more details will come for you...
a different day this week, though
now i'm going to hide under the covers...

:)

every friday...

play group
ahh
play group
it is a wonder
& an essential part of mommy sanity!
(for me at least)

i mean it's not like it's the only day of the
week we leave the house or anything
but it is the only day of the week where we leave the house &
are going someplace
just to
play
& socialize
(i suppose technically any place my kids are
is to play & sociallize

why didn't i appreciate that more when i was three?)
so for ME it is the only time
set asside for playing & socializing
(are you tired of those two words yet?
me too)
today we were at my friend jessica's house
jessica & i have been friends since the 7th grade
(with a few esstranged years in there for good measure)

& she is one of the funniest people you will ever meet
so witty
& kind
& smart
(yes you!)
& now i can add
the greatest yard in the county to have playgroup in
to the list of her attributes...

it was so fun
kids running
& jumping
& yelling
& singing
& fighting
& blowing bubbles
& hammocking
& riding
& digging
yes
& playing & socializing


i love to take pictures at play group
i have known so many of these kid for years
& some even since they were born
(4 whole years in some cases!
:)
they are my kid's friends
& my friend's kids
(& yes, there will be a scrapbook page forthcoming:)

& i love them!
& the sun was shining
(overhead, which is not so good
for picture taking
but that's what photoshop is for right?)
& it was just lovely!

i have included a little selection here
but if you would like to see the whole set
let me know
& i will email you the snapfish linky thing

summer afternoon
summer afternoon
no two better words together
(that is completely ripped off from someone
& not even exactly right
i need to google it...)

& speaking of google....
if you are wondering what kind of a day
yesterday was
around here
(as opposed to the 16 other days i was gone from the blogosphere)
i had to google:
"getting crayon out of carpet"
delightful
:)

i whine & then i play...

*ranting shall commence*
first off i would like to say that i love my blog
i love to blog
maybe is the better thing to say
either which way
blogging is great
however
sometimes my pictures don't show up
then i don't like my blog
but then people comment & say sweet things about the pictures
so some people can see them & some can't
this makes me angry
i know it has to do with server shmerver something or other
but i still don't like it
everyone should get to see
including me!
*rant has thus ended*

anyway
we have been painting & arting up a storm round here...

i had some square canvases that i bought long ago
just knowing that i would need them someday
(story break!
when i lived on the farm
next door to my grandparents (hi grandma!)
i needed some shelving options
i had this cool little box
that could be turned on it's side
& then used as a shelf
but i needed more
or something like it
so i went up to see my grandpa & ask him if he had any ideas
he said 'how many do you need?'
we climbed up a ladder above his wood shop
& there were about 10 of the exact same boxes!
after we got them down i said
'i'm so glad you had those!'
& he said
'i knew that some day i would have a grand daughter who needed them'
i love that story!
plus
it gives me an idea of where i got this from...
the idea that if i save something long enough
it will be of use to someone
i am actually trying to curb that need lately
but that's another post....)

so i had a brainstrom
i love how they come out of nowhere
& just hit!
so
i had Q color on three of the canvases
& then i framed them
check it...



oh i love crayons!
one time i injested a substance which i will not specify here
but it made me very focused
& i spent a good hour melting crayons over a candle...
good info on me.
yes.

i have the perfect spot for these
& when i get them up i will show you
it is that perfect...

oh & yes
as he was creating these masterpieces
he told me what they were called
'this is 'the rains'
'this is 'the other rains'
those could really be names of art pieces!
he has it in him i tell you what...
seriously
this kid
he just makes me grin...

also
a few weeks ago for moms night we went to brushfire
to paint our own pottery
& i made a 'mom says' vase...



all around the inside it says
'mom says. mom says'
& then on the outside i listed things
that i think are good to practice
such as
dream big dreams
don't be afraid to mess up (it's ok)
just be you...you are great
have fun...lots of fun
be kind to everyone
love with all you've got

i'm happy with it
& that's a good thing too
:)

ps i sure miss my grandpa
he was quite a man:)