Selasa, 29 Juni 2010
Life List: Sewing Machine
One of the items on my Life List is to get and learn to use a sewing machine.
Consider the first part of that item done!
My friend, Chantel, bought me a sewing machine at the garage sale this past weekend! (Isn't she awesome?) The owner said she only used it a few times and it looks to be in great shape. All I need to do is to get some bobbins (the only part that was missing) and ...
LEARN HOW TO USE IT!
Ahhhhh!!!
That part is a little unnerving and a little exciting all at the same time. I keep coming across all these cute things I would make if I had a sewing machine. I can't wait to start cranking out little this-and-thats with my new tool.
Now if you will excuse me while I go and do a little happy dance along my way to find someone to teach me to use this sewing machine.
Consider the first part of that item done!
My friend, Chantel, bought me a sewing machine at the garage sale this past weekend! (Isn't she awesome?) The owner said she only used it a few times and it looks to be in great shape. All I need to do is to get some bobbins (the only part that was missing) and ...
LEARN HOW TO USE IT!
Ahhhhh!!!
That part is a little unnerving and a little exciting all at the same time. I keep coming across all these cute things I would make if I had a sewing machine. I can't wait to start cranking out little this-and-thats with my new tool.
Now if you will excuse me while I go and do a little happy dance along my way to find someone to teach me to use this sewing machine.
Rabu, 23 Juni 2010
Pick a Movie, Any Movie (But Toy Story)
My son LOVES Toy Story. He especially loves Buzz Lightyear, who he calls "Buzza."
Last night he wanted Toy Story on yet again, so I told him, "Let's go and pick another DVD to watch." I lead him to my room where I have the DVD's hidden from his chubby little fingers.
After I showed him 101 Dalmatians and Monsters Vs. Aliens, he shoved my hand away and started looking through them for himself. All he could see was the side of the boxes, as they are stacked in a row.
I could see his bright eyes scanning the row of DVD boxes, and then stop. He squealed "Buzza" and grabbed for Toy Story 2.
That little bugger recognized it by the logo on the side of the box!
As he ran to the living room, DVD in hand, I realized that there is no way I am going to pry "Buzza" out of his mind any time soon. He is too in love.
Last night he wanted Toy Story on yet again, so I told him, "Let's go and pick another DVD to watch." I lead him to my room where I have the DVD's hidden from his chubby little fingers.
After I showed him 101 Dalmatians and Monsters Vs. Aliens, he shoved my hand away and started looking through them for himself. All he could see was the side of the boxes, as they are stacked in a row.
I could see his bright eyes scanning the row of DVD boxes, and then stop. He squealed "Buzza" and grabbed for Toy Story 2.
That little bugger recognized it by the logo on the side of the box!
As he ran to the living room, DVD in hand, I realized that there is no way I am going to pry "Buzza" out of his mind any time soon. He is too in love.
Wait...What?
Yesterday I stopped into Walgreen's on my lunch hour to pick up a couple things. When I checked out the cashier hands me my receipt and one of those coupons that prints out when on a little machine next to the cash register. I shoved it in my bag and hurried through the heat to my car not really too concerned with whatever it was because it was so humid outside.
After I got out to my car and cranked the a/c up to the blasting arctic setting, I take a look over the coupon. I was hopeful it would be something useful to me. (Like the time the printed coupon was for a free lipstick. Score!)
Much to my disappointment it wasn't anything I cared about. It was a coupon for $3.00 off a home pregnancy test. Yeah it is a good deal, but not really all that exciting or useful to me at this point in time. (No I am not pregnant, so don't even go there.)
As I look over the coupon, because I am a dork and like to inspect advertising in detail, I notice at the bottom is a little picture of what looks like a makeup bag and text that reads: "For a free keepsake gift visit www.saveyourstick.com for offer details."
My first thought was "oh free stuff!" but then it dawned on me "saveyourstick" would imply that the little makeup bag looking thing wasn't a makeup bag at all. It was a bag to store your peed on pregnancy test as a keepsake to look back on throughout the years.
EWWWWWW!!!!!!!!
I am not sure there are enough exclamation points to express how icky I find saving a pee smelling pregnancy test in a fancy little bag.
Mind you when I managed to get pregnant with Ian after five years of struggling with infertility I was so excited. Our pregnancy test stayed on the counter in the bathroom for the day so I could look at the two little lines in awe that it was really happening...finally.
Then about a half day went by and it started to smell. So in the trash it went.
Last night I couldn't sleep thinking about this stupid website and how odd it was. So I turned on my computer intent on writing this post about it, and linking to the site. But the site on the coupon does not exist. For some reason that makes me disappointed and gypped out of my unwanted keepsake.
Perhaps they shut down the offer because they realized how stupid it is to save a stinky pee stick in a fancy bag after all.
If that is the case they can send me a bag anyway. I could use it for my makeup.
I would love to know what you think of saving a pregnancy test as a keepsake. Seriously if someone thinks that is a great idea I really want to know why you think so. Help me understand.
After I got out to my car and cranked the a/c up to the blasting arctic setting, I take a look over the coupon. I was hopeful it would be something useful to me. (Like the time the printed coupon was for a free lipstick. Score!)
Much to my disappointment it wasn't anything I cared about. It was a coupon for $3.00 off a home pregnancy test. Yeah it is a good deal, but not really all that exciting or useful to me at this point in time. (No I am not pregnant, so don't even go there.)
As I look over the coupon, because I am a dork and like to inspect advertising in detail, I notice at the bottom is a little picture of what looks like a makeup bag and text that reads: "For a free keepsake gift visit www.saveyourstick.com for offer details."
My first thought was "oh free stuff!" but then it dawned on me "saveyourstick" would imply that the little makeup bag looking thing wasn't a makeup bag at all. It was a bag to store your peed on pregnancy test as a keepsake to look back on throughout the years.
EWWWWWW!!!!!!!!
I am not sure there are enough exclamation points to express how icky I find saving a pee smelling pregnancy test in a fancy little bag.
Mind you when I managed to get pregnant with Ian after five years of struggling with infertility I was so excited. Our pregnancy test stayed on the counter in the bathroom for the day so I could look at the two little lines in awe that it was really happening...finally.
Then about a half day went by and it started to smell. So in the trash it went.
Last night I couldn't sleep thinking about this stupid website and how odd it was. So I turned on my computer intent on writing this post about it, and linking to the site. But the site on the coupon does not exist. For some reason that makes me disappointed and gypped out of my unwanted keepsake.
Perhaps they shut down the offer because they realized how stupid it is to save a stinky pee stick in a fancy bag after all.
If that is the case they can send me a bag anyway. I could use it for my makeup.
I would love to know what you think of saving a pregnancy test as a keepsake. Seriously if someone thinks that is a great idea I really want to know why you think so. Help me understand.
Jumat, 18 Juni 2010
Baby It's Cold...Inside
Inspired by a Tweet by @showmyface "Guess we'll be sleeping in the Recliners of Death - a/c guy can't come til Saturday."
I remember growing up in a house where the only a/c we had was a window air conditioner in the living room. On the hottest of nights the whole family would camp out in the living room to sleep. We would make up a bed of blankets on the floor in between the sofas and under the dining room table (my parents dining room and living room are all one big room together.) Someone would sleep on each couch, a couple of us on the floor, and usually my little brother would sleep under the dining room table. At the time it probably was a big pain in the ass for all parties, except us kids who just thought it was fun. Now that I am older I can appreciate those memories and look back on them with fondness. However, recalling those nights of camping out in the one cool area of our house really makes me appreciate the luxury that is air conditioning. On those days when it gets up over 80 degrees, I just can't imagine how the folks without a/c manage.
I am glad that @showmyface will be getting her a/c fixed soon. Until then I hope she can find some way to make sleeping on the "Recliners of Death" a little bit fun and maybe even a little bit memorable.
I remember growing up in a house where the only a/c we had was a window air conditioner in the living room. On the hottest of nights the whole family would camp out in the living room to sleep. We would make up a bed of blankets on the floor in between the sofas and under the dining room table (my parents dining room and living room are all one big room together.) Someone would sleep on each couch, a couple of us on the floor, and usually my little brother would sleep under the dining room table. At the time it probably was a big pain in the ass for all parties, except us kids who just thought it was fun. Now that I am older I can appreciate those memories and look back on them with fondness. However, recalling those nights of camping out in the one cool area of our house really makes me appreciate the luxury that is air conditioning. On those days when it gets up over 80 degrees, I just can't imagine how the folks without a/c manage.
I am glad that @showmyface will be getting her a/c fixed soon. Until then I hope she can find some way to make sleeping on the "Recliners of Death" a little bit fun and maybe even a little bit memorable.
Kamis, 17 Juni 2010
A Work In Progress
Recently I started painting again. When I was in high school I would paint all the time, and I just loved being creative. Somewhere along the way the crazy schedule of college, life and the lack of money for supplies put to much distance between me and art that I pretty much forgot about it and how much fun it can be to create.
After living in our house for five years I have finally decided to put the finishing touches on a few walls I always felt needed a little something to fill the space. I looked all over for affordable art: garage sales, Goodwill, online, Etsy. I found so many things that would be just perfect, but none of them were anything I could afford. So I gave up and decided to buy some canvas and paint in the colors that would get best in the spaces and paint something myself.
The first thing I painted came out ok on this 24x36 canvas. I wasn't super happy with the turn out but the colors work so I decided to hang it anyway. It now resides over my couch in the living room. If you look at it upside down it sort of resembles a rotten banana, because of this I named the painting "The Wrong Banana."
On to working on something to hang in the dining room. There is this wall space above the bookcase that looks very unbalanced with the dark bookcase below so I decided to put something there to help balance the space. I got a canvas that I believe is 18x36 and went to work on it not really knowing what to do with it.
I started out painting colorful circles all over the canvas, and filled in the spaced in between with black. After standing back to look at it I found that it didn't really look like it was was it was suppose to be. I grabbed a 4 inch paint brush left over from painting the walls in the house and swiped it back and forth across the canvas. For some reason the speech from Independence Day kept going through my mind. "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on." So I decided to name the painting "We will not go silently into the night" and it kind of looks like the colors are trying their best to pull themselves out of the blackness. Overall it came out a lot darker than I thought it would; but my thought on painting is that I can decide to paint and what colors to use, but the painting decides what it is going to be.
After living in our house for five years I have finally decided to put the finishing touches on a few walls I always felt needed a little something to fill the space. I looked all over for affordable art: garage sales, Goodwill, online, Etsy. I found so many things that would be just perfect, but none of them were anything I could afford. So I gave up and decided to buy some canvas and paint in the colors that would get best in the spaces and paint something myself.
On to working on something to hang in the dining room. There is this wall space above the bookcase that looks very unbalanced with the dark bookcase below so I decided to put something there to help balance the space. I got a canvas that I believe is 18x36 and went to work on it not really knowing what to do with it.
I started out painting colorful circles all over the canvas, and filled in the spaced in between with black. After standing back to look at it I found that it didn't really look like it was was it was suppose to be. I grabbed a 4 inch paint brush left over from painting the walls in the house and swiped it back and forth across the canvas. For some reason the speech from Independence Day kept going through my mind. "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on." So I decided to name the painting "We will not go silently into the night" and it kind of looks like the colors are trying their best to pull themselves out of the blackness. Overall it came out a lot darker than I thought it would; but my thought on painting is that I can decide to paint and what colors to use, but the painting decides what it is going to be.
Selasa, 15 Juni 2010
Good News/Bad News
The good news is that today is over and I have a tasty caramel covered brownie in my tummy.
The bad news is that most of the day sucked thanks to iPhone 4 pre-order hell and a phone activation that took over 90 minutes when it should have taken no more than 10 minutes.
The good news is that I still have a chance of beating my husband in the weight loss challenge because the month isn't over yet.
The bad news is that neither of us have lost anymore weight because of things like the brownie mentioned above.
The good news is that I have read Ian 18 different books in the last 15 days and should have no problem meeting my new goal of 30 different books in 30 days.
The bad news is that I can't manage to read to Ian daily so my original wish to read to him for 30 days in a row is not possible.
The good news is that I am not in jail and my neighbors are still living safe and sound.
The bad news is that I found myself on my porch last night at 11pm screaming at them to quiet down and thinking murderous thoughts.
The good news is that the neighbor's dog means well and is generally mild mannered.
The bad news is that he got into our back yard and now Ian's soccer ball is no more.
The good news is that I will FINALLY be getting a smart phone for my very own self in 15 days.
The bad news is that I still have to wait 15 more days!
The good news is that we are having a Hasbro Game Night party on Saturday and all the people I hoped could come most are planning to be there!
The bad news is that I still have a lot of cleaning, shopping for food, and learning how to play the games before Saturday.
The good news is that I managed to find a moment to write a blog post.
The bad news is that I only have time to write two lines on all the things I would love to share with you.
The bad news is that most of the day sucked thanks to iPhone 4 pre-order hell and a phone activation that took over 90 minutes when it should have taken no more than 10 minutes.
The good news is that I still have a chance of beating my husband in the weight loss challenge because the month isn't over yet.
The bad news is that neither of us have lost anymore weight because of things like the brownie mentioned above.
The good news is that I have read Ian 18 different books in the last 15 days and should have no problem meeting my new goal of 30 different books in 30 days.
The bad news is that I can't manage to read to Ian daily so my original wish to read to him for 30 days in a row is not possible.
The good news is that I am not in jail and my neighbors are still living safe and sound.
The bad news is that I found myself on my porch last night at 11pm screaming at them to quiet down and thinking murderous thoughts.
The good news is that the neighbor's dog means well and is generally mild mannered.
The bad news is that he got into our back yard and now Ian's soccer ball is no more.
The good news is that I will FINALLY be getting a smart phone for my very own self in 15 days.
The bad news is that I still have to wait 15 more days!
The good news is that we are having a Hasbro Game Night party on Saturday and all the people I hoped could come most are planning to be there!
The bad news is that I still have a lot of cleaning, shopping for food, and learning how to play the games before Saturday.
The good news is that I managed to find a moment to write a blog post.
The bad news is that I only have time to write two lines on all the things I would love to share with you.
Rabu, 09 Juni 2010
Best Intentions
I had so much ambition for this month a few days ago. My goals were to check a few things off my life list while blogging every single day. I managed to get a week in and then all that ambition has left the building.
Failed Goal 1: Read to Ian daily. This has been a complete fail. I read to him for three nights and then he had a rough couple of nights where reading time was replaced by tantrum time. Then work stuff drained me of my will to do anything above the most basic, necessary tasks. So we managed to read 4 days out of 9 so far. Perhaps we can still manage to read 30 books in 30 days at least.
Failed Goal 2: Blog everyday for the month of June. We can thank that will sucking job stuff for this one. I missed a few days because Monday and Tuesday were rather busy and stressful at my job. All things I would normally do in the evening (like blogging, laundry, and reading to my kid) were replaced by eating Nutella with a spoon and just wishing the day was over already. (Don't worry today was a better day and I am starting to catch up on my work and dig out of the hole. Yay!) So, just blogging more often than usual will have to suffice.
Failed Goal 3: Lose weight so I don't lose the weight loss challenge with my husband. All I have to say about that is that Nutella and stress eating do not go well together when weight loss is considered. On the positive side here, the Nutella will be gone after two more stressful days. If I can manage to not buy any more then perhaps I can still loose a little more weight before the end of the month, and the end of the challenge.
Sometimes the best intentions are not enough to get the job done. I am ok with that. At least I am still doing the best I can.
Now it's time for a spoon of Nutella!
Failed Goal 1: Read to Ian daily. This has been a complete fail. I read to him for three nights and then he had a rough couple of nights where reading time was replaced by tantrum time. Then work stuff drained me of my will to do anything above the most basic, necessary tasks. So we managed to read 4 days out of 9 so far. Perhaps we can still manage to read 30 books in 30 days at least.
Failed Goal 2: Blog everyday for the month of June. We can thank that will sucking job stuff for this one. I missed a few days because Monday and Tuesday were rather busy and stressful at my job. All things I would normally do in the evening (like blogging, laundry, and reading to my kid) were replaced by eating Nutella with a spoon and just wishing the day was over already. (Don't worry today was a better day and I am starting to catch up on my work and dig out of the hole. Yay!) So, just blogging more often than usual will have to suffice.
Failed Goal 3: Lose weight so I don't lose the weight loss challenge with my husband. All I have to say about that is that Nutella and stress eating do not go well together when weight loss is considered. On the positive side here, the Nutella will be gone after two more stressful days. If I can manage to not buy any more then perhaps I can still loose a little more weight before the end of the month, and the end of the challenge.
Sometimes the best intentions are not enough to get the job done. I am ok with that. At least I am still doing the best I can.
Now it's time for a spoon of Nutella!
Senin, 07 Juni 2010
Way To Glow
The other night we played with a glow stick. You know, those little plastic tubes that glow when you break the capsule inside. There was one in our old first aid kit, and so I thought it would be fun to play with for the heck of it. It had been raining pretty much all day, so it could have been a really fun way to end the day before Ian's bedtime.
Yeah, no! The moment the lights turned off Ian started howling and begging for the light to be turned back on. He could careless about the stupid glow stick. Good figure!
So after he went to bed I decided not to completely waste a perfectly good glow stick and I made a sad attempt at making some light photos with my one and only camera, the trusty point-and-shoot.
Not too bad for a point-and-shoot camera set on twilight mode, but not really that good either. However, it does make me want a DSLR that much more. Imagine the fun I could have had if only...
*The night light and light creeping in around the window shades just adds a little something to the awesomeness of my crap pictures doesn't it?
Minggu, 06 Juni 2010
How Does Your Garden Grow
One of the items on my Life List is to grow a vegetable garden.
It is one of those things that I really want to do on an annual basis, but I am not sure I have the skill to handle. I have been struggling with the idea of digging up one of the few places in my yard that grows grass in order to plant a garden that I might very well kill within a week.
So I researched my options and found that some of the vegetables I wanted to grow can thrive in a container garden. So I researched what variety of vegetables would grow in pots and what size pots would be needed to give them enough room to grow. I settled on three plants: green beans (the bush variety), bell peppers, and zucchini.
I marched to Menard's and picked out the three pots I would need to grow my garden and then wet off to pick out the plants. Finding the green beans were easy, but it too a bit to locate the bell pepper that looked best among the rows and rows of plants. I spent about 20 minutes looking up and down trying to find a zucchini plant...any zucchini plant with no luck. I thought perhaps it wasn't the right time for them yet and gave up.
The next day on a whim I stopped at a tent set up on the side of the road in town. It was a temporary set up from a greenhouse located just outside of our town. Since it was a rare trip when I was out on my own without a husband or childing coming along I thought it would be nice to browse the plants just for fun, and see if they had zucchini.
The displays of plants were so organized, and just about every single plant looked to be in good health. I was very impressed that I found a zucchini without even trying. As a rounded the corner I noticed several large pots on the ground with rhubarb in them. It stopped me in my tracks.
I LOVE rhubarb!
I asked the price and was about to buy my zucchini plant and leave when she told me the rhubarb was nearly $15. Then I thought to myself that a plant already that size would be well worth the cost, and well I LOVE rhubarb. So I bought it.
Due to the size it will grow there is no way that plant will do well in a pot, so now I have to find a good place to plant it and dig up my stupid grass anyway. Oh well! In a few months we will enjoy a delicious rhubarb dump cake and I will check having a garden off my life list.
My mother-in-law's Rhubarb Dump Cake recipe:
Put the following ingredients into a greased 9 x 13 pan in even layers in the order that they are given. Do
not mix.
4 to 5 cups of cubed raw rhubarb
1 cup sugar (or Splenda)
1-small pkg. strawberry jello (may be sugar free)
1 white or yellow cake mix (just the dry cake mix)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
Bake in 350 oven for one hour. Delicious served warm or cold. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
It is one of those things that I really want to do on an annual basis, but I am not sure I have the skill to handle. I have been struggling with the idea of digging up one of the few places in my yard that grows grass in order to plant a garden that I might very well kill within a week.
So I researched my options and found that some of the vegetables I wanted to grow can thrive in a container garden. So I researched what variety of vegetables would grow in pots and what size pots would be needed to give them enough room to grow. I settled on three plants: green beans (the bush variety), bell peppers, and zucchini.
I marched to Menard's and picked out the three pots I would need to grow my garden and then wet off to pick out the plants. Finding the green beans were easy, but it too a bit to locate the bell pepper that looked best among the rows and rows of plants. I spent about 20 minutes looking up and down trying to find a zucchini plant...any zucchini plant with no luck. I thought perhaps it wasn't the right time for them yet and gave up.
The next day on a whim I stopped at a tent set up on the side of the road in town. It was a temporary set up from a greenhouse located just outside of our town. Since it was a rare trip when I was out on my own without a husband or childing coming along I thought it would be nice to browse the plants just for fun, and see if they had zucchini.
The displays of plants were so organized, and just about every single plant looked to be in good health. I was very impressed that I found a zucchini without even trying. As a rounded the corner I noticed several large pots on the ground with rhubarb in them. It stopped me in my tracks.
I LOVE rhubarb!
I asked the price and was about to buy my zucchini plant and leave when she told me the rhubarb was nearly $15. Then I thought to myself that a plant already that size would be well worth the cost, and well I LOVE rhubarb. So I bought it.
Due to the size it will grow there is no way that plant will do well in a pot, so now I have to find a good place to plant it and dig up my stupid grass anyway. Oh well! In a few months we will enjoy a delicious rhubarb dump cake and I will check having a garden off my life list.
My mother-in-law's Rhubarb Dump Cake recipe:
Put the following ingredients into a greased 9 x 13 pan in even layers in the order that they are given. Do
not mix.
4 to 5 cups of cubed raw rhubarb
1 cup sugar (or Splenda)
1-small pkg. strawberry jello (may be sugar free)
1 white or yellow cake mix (just the dry cake mix)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
Bake in 350 oven for one hour. Delicious served warm or cold. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Sabtu, 05 Juni 2010
Update: Weight Loss
Just a quick update on the weight loss challenge. On the date we originally were going to end the challenge I lost 3 pounds, and Chris lost between 4 and 5 pounds. (Thank you our crappy scale for being so precise.)
With those results I would have lost the challenge if we had not extended the end date to the last day of June.
(I still have a chance. Thank goodness!)
This week was less than helpful to our cause, however. Between our Memorial Day weekend overeating and going out to eat for lunch and dinner on our eighth anniversary (Wednesday), I wasn't able to lose any more weight this week. Chris has not weighed in for the past few days, but I would expect him to have about the same results.
But next week is a new week and we will be back to the eating healthy, family walks (if the rain ever stops), and a little Wii Fit Plus action. Let's do this!
With those results I would have lost the challenge if we had not extended the end date to the last day of June.
(I still have a chance. Thank goodness!)
This week was less than helpful to our cause, however. Between our Memorial Day weekend overeating and going out to eat for lunch and dinner on our eighth anniversary (Wednesday), I wasn't able to lose any more weight this week. Chris has not weighed in for the past few days, but I would expect him to have about the same results.
But next week is a new week and we will be back to the eating healthy, family walks (if the rain ever stops), and a little Wii Fit Plus action. Let's do this!
Jumat, 04 Juni 2010
Toe Jam
It has been raining on and off everyday this week. I don't think that the ground has had time to dry even once in between the rain showers and scatters storms.
If you were capable of understanding the various things my son says he would tell you that wet grass is the worst thing in the world. Worse than bedtime!
Our driveway is gravel and grass. After just two days of walking on the damp grass to get to and from the car for day care Ian decided that he was no longer interested in setting foot on the driveway EVER again.
When I lift him out of the van and go to place him on the ground, he lifts his feet as high as he can and clings to my arms so that I have no choice but to carry him into the house. I don't know how he manages to hold on so tightly with those tiny little hands.
I am not sure how much more rain I can take before my back goes out. Rain, rain go away...this kid weights at least 27 pounds and I can't keep carrying him everywhere while the damn ground is wet.
If you were capable of understanding the various things my son says he would tell you that wet grass is the worst thing in the world. Worse than bedtime!
Our driveway is gravel and grass. After just two days of walking on the damp grass to get to and from the car for day care Ian decided that he was no longer interested in setting foot on the driveway EVER again.
When I lift him out of the van and go to place him on the ground, he lifts his feet as high as he can and clings to my arms so that I have no choice but to carry him into the house. I don't know how he manages to hold on so tightly with those tiny little hands.
I am not sure how much more rain I can take before my back goes out. Rain, rain go away...this kid weights at least 27 pounds and I can't keep carrying him everywhere while the damn ground is wet.
Kamis, 03 Juni 2010
Life List: Read to Ian
One of the items on my life list/101 things in 1001 days list was to read to Ian every single day for a month.
Getting Ian interested in books has always been a very high priority for me. I have spent a small fortune buying books for his collection. The moment he could hold them, I supplied him with board books so he could learn to hold them and turn the pages. Most importantly I wanted him to learn to take care of his books and treasure his reading time. Several books have taken a beating but Ian can now look at a paper paged book without doing much damage.
We usually read here that there, and Ian has access to books anytime he wants via his cubbyholes on our book shelf. He knows which books are his and what cubbyhole he can take books from what what ones are off limits.
So I decided that June would be the month I attempt to read to him every day instead of just here and there.
Last night after I tucked Ian into bed, I got in bed next to him and read one of my old Berenstain Bears books to him. Occasionally Ian would reach up and touch the book, or try to flip to the next page but mostly he just sucked his thumb and listened to the story.
I really hope that this can turn into a tradition for us. We have more than enough books to read a different book every night for two months without repeating. I will check in at the end of the month to let you know how it went reaching my goal of 30 books in 30 days.
Getting Ian interested in books has always been a very high priority for me. I have spent a small fortune buying books for his collection. The moment he could hold them, I supplied him with board books so he could learn to hold them and turn the pages. Most importantly I wanted him to learn to take care of his books and treasure his reading time. Several books have taken a beating but Ian can now look at a paper paged book without doing much damage.
We usually read here that there, and Ian has access to books anytime he wants via his cubbyholes on our book shelf. He knows which books are his and what cubbyhole he can take books from what what ones are off limits.
So I decided that June would be the month I attempt to read to him every day instead of just here and there.
Last night after I tucked Ian into bed, I got in bed next to him and read one of my old Berenstain Bears books to him. Occasionally Ian would reach up and touch the book, or try to flip to the next page but mostly he just sucked his thumb and listened to the story.
I really hope that this can turn into a tradition for us. We have more than enough books to read a different book every night for two months without repeating. I will check in at the end of the month to let you know how it went reaching my goal of 30 books in 30 days.
Rabu, 02 Juni 2010
The Mystery Box
Chris ordered a mystery box recently from MidnightBox. Basically they offer a mystery gift for a certain amount of money, and they guarantee what you get is at least worth what you pay if not more. So he went for it just for the fun of opening a box, and it was less than $10 total.
At least it is in fact worth more than what he paid. The numeric keypad alone is probably worth most of the price he paid for the mystery box, and I will actually get some use out of it when I work on budgeting on my laptop.
The Hannah Montana game is not really that great, but it will make for a really good gag gift for someone down the line.
I have to say that the balsa wood airplane is my favorite item in the box. Ian will probably enjoy watching it fly and than crushing it with his little toddler hands.
At least it is in fact worth more than what he paid. The numeric keypad alone is probably worth most of the price he paid for the mystery box, and I will actually get some use out of it when I work on budgeting on my laptop.
The Hannah Montana game is not really that great, but it will make for a really good gag gift for someone down the line.
I have to say that the balsa wood airplane is my favorite item in the box. Ian will probably enjoy watching it fly and than crushing it with his little toddler hands.
Eight Years
Today eight years ago I was marrying my best friend. So much has changed over the years: we bought a house, got full time jobs, had a baby, and about a million other small things. However, some things never change: Chris is still my best friend, we still work well together, and we still love each other like mad.
Excuse the poorly scanned photos, it was eight years ago after all (they were not using digital cameras yet.)
Our wedding was at the Thomas Edison Inn in Port Huron, Michigan. This is by far my favorite photo from the wedding. I like how it illustrates us working together (it is hard to see in the scanned picture, but Chris' feet are around the hole in the green) which I think is the foundation of what makes us a great couple. That is the Blue Water Bridge in the background.
I really didn't care for the veil, but Chris didn't have many requests for the wedding...all he wanted was to be able to lift my veil. So I wore a veil that the bridal shop picked out for me and Chris got to lift it before our first kiss as man and wife.
The bridal party: Matt (Chris' co-worker and friend), Melissa (Chris' sister), Me, Chris, Sarah (a friend of Chris and I, she introduced me to Chris), and Jason (a friend of both Chris and I). Funny how much fashion changes over the years...these dresses are so eight years ago! Ugh!
Our honeymoon was at Poconos Paradise Stream, it was Hawaiian theme night when this photo was taken. Each night had a theme and they would set up a spot for photos. It was so much fun being at an all inclusive place, nothing to worry about except what fun thing to do next.
I am looking forward to the next eight years, and many many more!
I love you Chris!
Excuse the poorly scanned photos, it was eight years ago after all (they were not using digital cameras yet.)
Our wedding was at the Thomas Edison Inn in Port Huron, Michigan. This is by far my favorite photo from the wedding. I like how it illustrates us working together (it is hard to see in the scanned picture, but Chris' feet are around the hole in the green) which I think is the foundation of what makes us a great couple. That is the Blue Water Bridge in the background.
I am looking forward to the next eight years, and many many more!
I love you Chris!
Selasa, 01 Juni 2010
All Done!
This weekend was my sister-in-law, Melissa's wedding. They chose to have an evening wedding on Friday, May 28 the anniversary of their first date. So Chris, Ian and I traveled to his parents house after I got out of work on Wednesday.
Thursday was rehearsal day and decorating the reception hall. In the morning the bride and bridesmaids traveled to the reception site and got to work decorating. We put out potted plant centerpieces, M&M favors, and decorated the bar and dance floor with tulle and lights. It was really coming together. Unfortunately Ian had to come with us, and he was less than impressed with the lack of attention he was getting. I have to give it to him though, he was amazingly well behaved for a hungry, tired and overheated little kid. After a lot of crying, a few runaway attempts, and climbing two rungs up a latter while my back was turned I decided to head back to the house with him for a little nap.
After a very brief nap, Ian was up and at it again in time for the rehearsal. Oh man, if we had to guess by the rehearsal how the wedding would go I think most everyone would have runaway in tears. It was steaming hot in the chapel, everyone was tired, hungry and cranky. I think we all felt a lot like Ian during the one and half hours we were there practicing our timing walking up the aisle. Ian was completely out of it, screaming and crying from the heat. His little cheeks were on fire and were all red from his skin condition (keratosis pilaris) and I felt so horrible that I couldn't do anything to make him or any of us more comfortable. We are so blessed that a family friend, Teresa, stepped up to watch Ian in the basement of the chapel where it was a lot cooler and Ian had room to play.
At the rehearsal dinner Ian was feeling a lot better and ate some food, but he was so tired and we headed out just after the meal to get him in bed. I asked Chris' mom if my parents, who where coming to the wedding, could watch Ian in the basement during the wedding the next day so he would be more comfortable. She said that would be fine, and then the reverend piped up and said to me "I really like that idea." From her tone and the various nasty looks I got from her during the rehearsal it was pretty clear to me that she didn't want a chance of having a crying kid at the ceremony. My feelings were very hurt because I really wanted Ian to be able to be there but I wanted Melissa to have a wonderful wedding so I bit my tongue and I called my parents to asked them to come soon than planned to help out with Ian.
The next day for the wedding, the girls all got their hair done and we did our makeup. Then Melissa treated us to lunch before the wedding. As we were getting dressed for the wedding it become pretty obvious to me that I missed something after we left the rehearsal dinner. Melissa give us all gifts of pink flip flops, a necklace, and some lotions. All the other girls were putting on their necklaces and I knew that I missed learning that we were suppose to wear the necklace to the wedding. I was pretty much ready to cry at this point because the necklace was more than a half hour drive away. As luck would have it Teresa came to the rescue again by getting the necklace from Chris' parents house and bringing it with her.
Just before the ceremony was to begin, my parents set Ian up with a portable DVD player they brought with them and I knew he would be happy and cool throughout the ceremony. So we headed upstairs and got Melissa down the aisle and everything went just wonderfully. It was even a lot cooler in the chapel, which was great because we didn't need anyone passing out from the heat.
After a fast side trip to get gas, because having the van run so long with Ian sleeping inside it had us just about out of gas, we went on to have some fun pictures taken. Then onto the reception which went well and for the late hour Ian was very well behaved. Ian ate too many M&M's from the favors, and I ate too much food that my dress got very tight. I had to skip having cake for fear my dress might burst. Lucky for me I was staying where the leftovers were heading so I knew I would get to try the cake eventually.
The highlight of my evening was getting to slow dance with my son. He was a great dance partner and seemed to soak up the moment as much as I did. We got to dance to most of two songs before he leaned over and said to me "All done."
I am so happy that it is all over.
And to anyone who might think about asking me to stand up in another wedding, please don't. I would hate to make you feel bad when I tell you hell no. I am retired from the bridesmaid business for good. All done, indeed.
Thursday was rehearsal day and decorating the reception hall. In the morning the bride and bridesmaids traveled to the reception site and got to work decorating. We put out potted plant centerpieces, M&M favors, and decorated the bar and dance floor with tulle and lights. It was really coming together. Unfortunately Ian had to come with us, and he was less than impressed with the lack of attention he was getting. I have to give it to him though, he was amazingly well behaved for a hungry, tired and overheated little kid. After a lot of crying, a few runaway attempts, and climbing two rungs up a latter while my back was turned I decided to head back to the house with him for a little nap.
After a very brief nap, Ian was up and at it again in time for the rehearsal. Oh man, if we had to guess by the rehearsal how the wedding would go I think most everyone would have runaway in tears. It was steaming hot in the chapel, everyone was tired, hungry and cranky. I think we all felt a lot like Ian during the one and half hours we were there practicing our timing walking up the aisle. Ian was completely out of it, screaming and crying from the heat. His little cheeks were on fire and were all red from his skin condition (keratosis pilaris) and I felt so horrible that I couldn't do anything to make him or any of us more comfortable. We are so blessed that a family friend, Teresa, stepped up to watch Ian in the basement of the chapel where it was a lot cooler and Ian had room to play.
At the rehearsal dinner Ian was feeling a lot better and ate some food, but he was so tired and we headed out just after the meal to get him in bed. I asked Chris' mom if my parents, who where coming to the wedding, could watch Ian in the basement during the wedding the next day so he would be more comfortable. She said that would be fine, and then the reverend piped up and said to me "I really like that idea." From her tone and the various nasty looks I got from her during the rehearsal it was pretty clear to me that she didn't want a chance of having a crying kid at the ceremony. My feelings were very hurt because I really wanted Ian to be able to be there but I wanted Melissa to have a wonderful wedding so I bit my tongue and I called my parents to asked them to come soon than planned to help out with Ian.
The next day for the wedding, the girls all got their hair done and we did our makeup. Then Melissa treated us to lunch before the wedding. As we were getting dressed for the wedding it become pretty obvious to me that I missed something after we left the rehearsal dinner. Melissa give us all gifts of pink flip flops, a necklace, and some lotions. All the other girls were putting on their necklaces and I knew that I missed learning that we were suppose to wear the necklace to the wedding. I was pretty much ready to cry at this point because the necklace was more than a half hour drive away. As luck would have it Teresa came to the rescue again by getting the necklace from Chris' parents house and bringing it with her.
Just before the ceremony was to begin, my parents set Ian up with a portable DVD player they brought with them and I knew he would be happy and cool throughout the ceremony. So we headed upstairs and got Melissa down the aisle and everything went just wonderfully. It was even a lot cooler in the chapel, which was great because we didn't need anyone passing out from the heat.
After a fast side trip to get gas, because having the van run so long with Ian sleeping inside it had us just about out of gas, we went on to have some fun pictures taken. Then onto the reception which went well and for the late hour Ian was very well behaved. Ian ate too many M&M's from the favors, and I ate too much food that my dress got very tight. I had to skip having cake for fear my dress might burst. Lucky for me I was staying where the leftovers were heading so I knew I would get to try the cake eventually.
The highlight of my evening was getting to slow dance with my son. He was a great dance partner and seemed to soak up the moment as much as I did. We got to dance to most of two songs before he leaned over and said to me "All done."
I am so happy that it is all over.
And to anyone who might think about asking me to stand up in another wedding, please don't. I would hate to make you feel bad when I tell you hell no. I am retired from the bridesmaid business for good. All done, indeed.
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