Monthly Archives: May 2009

More Thursday ‘This & That’

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The weeks just seem to jam all together and I don’t get a chance to jot down all the things I want to write about, much less write actual coherent posts. Or maybe by the time Thursday rolls around, I’m really only able to think in bullet points. At any rate, you get another Chaos ‘This & That’ update today.

  • The toe. Thanks for all of the advice, I knew I could depend on the internet to answer my questions. I did call my doctor just to talk to the nurse, and she suggested I have an x-ray, just in case. Since I broke my big toe right after J. and I got married all those years ago – and still have problems with it, I gave in and dragged the girls to the doctor on Tuesday. It is indeed, nicely broken, but clean and the bone is not displaced – so I should have full use of the toe in a few weeks. It is taped together and I’m hobbling around a little bit – but it looks so much better than it did earlier in the week. When I removed the tape the nurse just stared at it and kept saying, “Oh My God! Oh My God! How did you do this again?”  Um. Yeah. It was not pretty the morning after, even worse than when I took the photo for all of you to share in my anguish.
  • Since I haven’t been able to run this week, (apparently those toes – while not appearing very useful – do indeed have a little say in the forward movement of my body) I have been extreeemely crabby. Well, that and other unmentionable reasons that seem to sneak up every single month on me. You’d think I’d learn, but no. I sit and try to figure out why I am so grumpy and impatient, and then wake up, “Oh! Yeeeaahh.” That is probably the reason.
  • Despite the toe, the crabbiness, and general ever-present chaos, I agreed to a playdate yesterday. Em asked if she could invite Avery over and Addie asked if she could invite Avery’s little sister (also named Emma) over. Totally reasonable. Then Em asked if she could invite Audrey, too…and since the four musketeers have to stick together, Peyton as well. Well….yes, I suppose so. And then she says, “Mom? Can girls have a boy for a best friend?” I told her “Of course they can, Daddy was my best friend before we got married.” She smiled, “Good. Because I like Buckley and I think he is one of my best friends too. We should invite him, because he might feel bad if Peyton comes but he doesn’t get invited.” (Peyton and Buckley are twins.) Sure. Why not.

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  • So I had seven, count ’em, SEVEN kids to feed and entertain yesterday afternoon. And you know what? It really wasn’t that bad. I’m not saying I want to go all Jon & Kate, and fill the house with 8 kids, but we had a really fun afternoon. And then they all (except 2 of course!) went home.
  • I realized after the playdate that our afternoon was exactly what I had hoped for when I envisioned being a stay-at-home mom. I hoped that the girls would bring their friends home after school and be able to hang out. And for their friends to feel comfortable at our house, and think it is so FUN, they just don’t want to leave. And maybe there might even be some homemade cookies for them to munch on. Ok, so there definitely WERE NO cookies yesterday, but we’ll work on that part of the vision.
  • And I also realized that although I complain about the constant chauffeuring and volunteering, the projects I get roped into doing and the hectic social calendar (the girls’ – not mine!) – secretly (or not so secretly now, I guess), I LOVE this. I love this gig. Even on the absolute worst day, it is one more amazing day I get to spend with my babies. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Crafty Tuesday

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Painting and sewing, sewing and painting. But, none of it is what I would call exciting or photo-worthy.

I finished the 20 tunics last week and I have three more for this week. Didn’t get to Addie’s little dress, and she is quite upset over it, but I guess she’ll live. I love how all of you knew exactly what those types of dresses were called though! Pillowcase dresses. I love it. Hopefully next week I’ll have  Ad’s done to show you.

Over the weekend we all went to help paint sets for the church spring musical, and I also have some homework. I’ve been painting the map of Paul’s second mission tonight. Complete with Macedonia, Crete and the whole Mediterranean area. It is truly a work of art. Like I said, not really “photo-worthy.”

I do have a question for my nurse friends and veteran moms out there. I must add a disclaimer here though, if you are drinking your morning coffee or eating anything, or are easily disgusted – you might not want to look at this.

Ok, ready?

Really?

Here goes…

What do you think?

toes

And no, not “she seriously needs a pedicure.”

Do you think it is broken? And there isn’t really anything they can do even if it is broken, right?

And excuse the blood, I just took the bandage off of it, apparently it has not stopped bleeding from about five hours ago. That probably isn’t good either, huh?

Now you know – no more wondering where my graceful girls get it from. I actually managed to have a “run in” with the table while I was trying to whisk a whiny Addie off to timeout.

So I’m off to mix some more paint, and whine about the incredible pain in my toe. Show me the GOOD craftiness you have today, won’t you?

And they all lived happily ever after.

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Once upon a time there was a fair maiden, who at the ripe old age of two, got her very first bike from her grandma, Queen Debby.

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Our Princess E. was really quite interested in the trike…

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…but preferred to be pushed around on said tricycle by King Daddy, and didn’t really ever get the “hang of” pedaling the wee bike.

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Time went by, another princess, Princess A., was born into the family and the princesses’ aunt, Duchess Meesh, decided that it was time for Princess E. to receive a “big-maiden” bike and pass along the trike to Princess A.

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This time it was Queen Mommy who ran along beside Princess E. and tried desperately to help her steer down the right path. But even with the training wheels, Princess E. never really seemed to be too interested in bike riding.

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More time went by, (but no more princesses were born into the family!) and Princess A. was given a “big-maiden” bike complete with training wheels by a friend, and Princess E. started to ride her own bike fairly well.

So Queen Mommy removed the training wheels in hopes that her Princess E. would learn to ride sans-training wheels. But, alas, Princess E. just took over Princess A.’s new bike (which still had training wheels on it) instead. Occasionally Princess E. and Queen Mommy would take her training wheel-less bike out for a “run” but it usually ended in the Princess madly exclaiming, “BUT YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN’T LET GO!” And she would return to the second bike that still had the training wheels.

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Then one afternoon King Daddy coaxed the Princess into easing through the courtyard BY HERSELF with NO TRAINING WHEELS. And it was decided that the “big maiden” bike was just simply not big enough. Our princess had grown two very long legs. And knees…that kept hitting the handlebars.

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So a new, even bigger “big maiden” bike was purchased. And it just seemed too big for the Princess. So the training wheels went back on this newest bike.

But ‘lo – cousins and friends from villages afar, and schoolmates who live nearby, were all learning how to ride their bikes. And that may have just been the push that our Princess E. needed.

Last week, it finally clicked. First, on the training wheel-less bike. Princess E. finally understood the glorious feeling of the wind in her hair as she biked round and round the park. Only stopping when it was mandated by Queen Mommy “time for bath!”

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And yesterday, King Daddy was yet again able to coax Princess E. into trying her new bike without training wheels.

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And now…she can officially ride a bike…

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And they all lived happily ever after. (Until her first big crash, at least.)

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The End

We are on high alert…

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Emma has a loose tooth. At last! After recounting numerous “lost” teeth stories from her friends, cousins, and schoolmates, and developing a growing angst over being six (!) and still no missing teeth (!) – It looks like she may have a story, and a gap, of her own pretty soon.

So we wait. And wiggle.

Relaxation ~ Theme Thursday

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Thought I’d hop back in on the Theme Thursday train. I haven’t joined in since it moved on over to Amy Jo’s house, but she suggested Relaxation for today’s theme, and I happened to have some photos from last weekend that might just work.

One of my absolute favorite things to do is eat alfresco…I love to eat outside. Thankfully we can eat outside nearly year-round, but most of the time, we save it for the summer months.

Most days during the summer the girls and I will take a picnic to the park for lunch, or take a cooler of snacks to the beach, or just host playdates, appetizers and drinks (for the Mommys, of course!) on the patio in the late afternoon. I don’t really care what it is we are eating, it is just so relaxing and fun to be eating out in nature.

A lot of times during the summer we will grill out on Sundays evenings and eat out on the patio. This past week we resumed that summer ritual.

Addie relaxing while waiting for dinner…

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Emma recently discovered that she LOVES salmon. Plus we grilled asparagus, another of her favorites. Perfect dinner for her.

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And yummy in-season berries with cream for dessert?

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That is one delicious and fun way to relax…

Ease on over for some more R&R photos.

Happy Birthday Nena!

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I’m a little late on sending our wishes because first of all, I am in denial that it really is the 20th of May. Really?! Wasn’t last week Emma’s birthday? Wasn’t last month Christmas??

And secondly, I know that Nena is down in Orlando and won’t see this anyhow – but we are sending Birthday love and hugs to you, Nena!

Hope you have a great day, fun week, and super year. We can’t wait to see you next month!

Love,
J, C, E & A

A little of this and that.

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1. First of all – I didn’t get a chance to give a little shout out to J. last week. He was promoted. He is now a VP, although he has always been a ViP to us. We are proud of you, Daddy – good work!

2. In other (almost as exciting) news…my new lens came! Woo hoo! (Thanks again J., girls, and Mom & Dad – one of the best birthday presents ever!) I have been in a bit of a camera coma lately. Pretty much just “recording life,” not really “seeing it” through my camera. I ended up getting a Tamron 28-200mm Macro. I really wanted a macro lens, but also needed something between my kit lens and my 70-300mm zoom.  This lens seems to have a decent (enough for me!) macro, but some versatility as well. It isn’t too heavy and I’ve had it on my camera for the past two days and have been able to shoot all kinds of stuff. I feel like my photography mojo is back, and I want to pick up the camera to learn and experiment.

Some I shot while the girls were playing at the park tonight…

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Eeeeee! So fun. I feel like a five-year old on Christmas morning! Let’s go to the park! Let’s go out into the garden. Let me get my camera!

3. J. is on the road again until tomorrow. He is presenting at a conference tomorrow morning. What does that mean to our household? Mmmm….cereal for dinner. Girls in bed early. And an uninterrupted, guiltless evening full of sewing.

4. Because when he gets back we have all kinds of TV watching to catch up on. Holy cow! We are so behind. Like an entire month behind on Lost!

5. Speaking of catching up on TV… Oh.Em.GEE! Did you see last week’s season finale of Grey’s? I won’t say anything just in case you are further behind than me…but I will just tell you, I sobbed for 10 minutes last night. We are not talking a little teary-eyed – we are talking full-on weeping. I think I scared J a little bit. He actually closed his computer so he could just hold me.

What the…? And now I feel silly, quite frankly. I mean it is A TV SHOW! And I’m not even hormonal, pregnant or postpartum. Sooo…not really sure what was going on there.

6. And speaking also of postpartum, (What? Weren’t we?) I just finished Dooce’s new book that I got for my birthday (Autographed! Niiice.  And thank you very much Jeff & Wendy!). Heather is quite possibly one of the most evocative writers of our generation. And flippin’ hilarious, as well. Seriously. Although I don’t think my post-partnum blues were even on the same scale as hers, I cannot tell you how connected I felt as I was reading about her struggles (and triumphs!). I found myself nodding in agreement, laughing out loud, and even crying a little with her. (I know, big surprise, right? See#5 up there!) I finished it in one day. Granted, I am a really fast reader, but it is one of those kinds of books that you want to keep reading to see what is going to happen, but you don’t ever want it to end because you are enjoying the ride too much. Highly recommended. Plus her dog, Chuck, is just darn cute.

7. So, we just got Addie’s forehead healed up, I don’t know…I couldn’t tell you what she did, but she had a pretty little cut up there. She was supposed to be “resting” this afternoon and she calls down, “Mama, I think I have a little bump on my head.” So she comes down to show me and…UM….

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Yeah, so that is not a little bump! Can you see it? Underneath the lovely purple bruise and cut? A big ol’ goose egg. I tried to figure out how she did it, and I still can’t tell you how it all went down. Apparently she was trying to get a new dress out of her closet and had a run-in with the hanger and closet bar? I don’t know. Again.

I do know that it goes together so beautifully with her purple/pink stained hands…

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I do know how she got those, though. She apparently painted her hands at school. Of course. Crazy kid.

8. I just had to (like, right this minute!) check the earthquake site, because it felt a little shaky in the living room here. But, I am either deliriously dizzy from hunger – or a large truck just rumbled by. The site doesn’t seem to think it was a quakey quake.

Nonetheless, I’m going to go get some dinner cereal (mmm…the best kind!) and check to make sure our earthquake supplies are not too buried in the garage.

And I’ll leave you with another of my favorite photos from the park (and the new lens!)…

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Crafty Tuesday

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Man…I actually DO have a real, honest-to-goodness project to show today. But alas, not very good photos of it. Bah! Sometimes you just can’t win.

So I finished the little dress for Em that has been in pieces for a good two months. I had found these cute little dresses on Etsy and now I cannot find the dresses or the artist. But I tried to eyeball it and make a little pattern that I could use to make some of the dresses for the girls. They are pretty easy, just little slip dresses with ribbons in the collar that tie at the shoulder. Em actually had it on this afternoon, and instead of taking a photo of it on a live model, in good light, I got sidetracked. So you get this photo instead…

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I will take a photo of it actually on tomorrow – she has already decided she is going to wear it to school. Because of the stupid flash I had to use, you can’t see that it has a little glitter stripe in the fabric – so Emma calls it “fancy” fabric. 🙂

I have Ad’s all cut out and ready to go as well, but I am in the process of making 20 tunics for the church’s spring musical. So I’m going to try to power through all of those tomorrow and maybe get Ad’s done for her for to wear to school on Thursday. She is so very concerned that her dress still has pins in it!

What other crafty goodness do you all have that we can gaze longingly upon?