Home Sweet Home: Navigating Through Life as a Stay At Home Mom

Celebrating 34 in the City By the Bay

2011-02-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

Todd tried to surprise me with a night in San Francisco for my birthday. I say "tried" because I begged him to tell me what we were doing so I would know what to wear. I have this thing about needing to know what to wear and it drives him nuts. I am a challenge to surprise because of this :). But he did a great job planning our little getaway and I had a wonderful birthday. I think it was just great to get away from the kids, dress up and visit a restaurant that didn't have paper tablecloths and crayons!
We spent the night at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square. Our room was on the 28th floor with a view to die for. And seriously, the Westin has the most amazing beds. A little slice of heaven wrapped in sheets. The view from our room:

Union Square

We then had dinner at Chaya in the Embarcadero.

De-li-cious!!! The salmon ceviche appetizer just about melted in my mouth. I still fantasize about it! Chaya's customer service was excellent by the way. As much as I love SF, there can sometimes be an obnoxious level of snootiness. For dessert they brought me this tasty number:

Molten Chocolate Cake

Because the restaurant is located on the waterfront the view leaves little to be desired, even on a rainy night:

Sorry the photo is not super-crisp. Couldn't exactly fit a tri-pod in my purse and had to hand-hold my camera at a slow shutter speed. For those of you not familiar with SF, this is the Bay Bridge. Looks great at night doesn't it?!
After dinner we had a night cap at the hotel bar. That whole snootiness attitude I mentioned earlier? Our bartender embodied it. But I did try Oprah's favorite new drink, Moscow Mule. Quite refreshing; great for a hot summer day.
The following morning we had breakfast at Sears Fine Food. It has been in SF for over 70 years and consistently has a line out the door. Breakfast did not disappoint and since we ate at the counter we didn't have to wait in line. Score! Loooved the Eggs Benedict. After all of the food I consumed during this birthday celebration poor Todd had to roll me home.

Outside Sears Fine Food. Todd's still smiling because he doesn't know he will have to roll my ass the home :)!

Look up and you will see the Sir Francis Drake

Little Man Turns Two & It's a Circus!

2011-02-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been crazy busy. That kind of busy where you just fall into bed at the end of the day because you are so wiped out. It all began with Lucas' second birthday. 2!!!! I can't believe two years have flown by so quickly! Really, how does it happen so fast? At two he is ca-ray-zy busy. Fascinated by outlets and anything with buttons, a climber of shelves, stools, tables, and chairs, a lover of being "ow-side" (outside), obsessed with Barney and coloring, and lightning-fast (especially when he A. has something he shouldn't or B. was just caught doing something naughty.) Despite all of his shenanigans he is quite the little charmer. Everywhere we go people make a fuss, especially the women. Lucas just turns on the dimples and eats it up. Since he was a year old he has had a thing for blondes (traitor!). Already discriminating hair color at such a tender age! Although he has his dad's dimples and flirtatiousness, he has his mom's attitude. During a phone conversation I was lamenting to mom how Lucas can be whiny when he wants something or things are not going his way, and how it is a down right temper tantrum (with kicking and screaming) when he can't have his way. To which my mom replied, "You were the same way." Now I am sure she was smiling on the other end of the phone thinking, "Payback's a bitch isn't it?!"
We celebrated this wonderful occasion with a circus themed party. The decorating possibilities were endless! Between the running, playing with friends, cake eating, and gift opening Lucas was exhausted. But the most important thing was that he had a blast. The candy buffet was a hit with the kids. Shocking I know! I had a lot of fun with the candy buffet and tried really hard not to go overboard. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck with enough candy to feed an army. I also created a photo booth and provided a bunch of props. It was quite entertaining to see what people came up with for the photos!

Here is the invitation I created in Illustrator. Wanted to use all of the skills I have learned in my classes! I put the invites in vintage popcorn bags.

Centerpieces: Mason jars (from our wedding!), filled with flowers and placed in popcorn boxes with raffle tickets. The tablecloths are also a wedding relic :).

She is just hilarious!

I found these great cake toppers on Etsy and created my own. Here is the link to the Etsy version

It's amazing what a little frosting in the hair will do!

Soooo tired!

Project 365, Week 2

2011-01-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

I am getting into the habit of this photo-a-day project. I will admit some days are better than others. But it continues to be more fun than work (thus far!)

Running a few errands after I picked Maddie up from school. While stopped at a traffic light I was able to snap this photo. Here we are, rushing to get everything done.

Furniture shopping. Ugh! Trying to converge our two styles plus our needs. Might just be impossible! We each gravitate to different styles. Didn't know this task would be so much WORK!

Relaxing with a well-deserved glass of wine after two days of working on my photo-blog for Pixel Pages (& furniture shopping). I think my butt is permanently flat after sitting in front of the computer all that time.

Lying in wait... Tilly biding her time until food drops from Lucas' breakfast. It reminds me of lions stalking their prey in Africa...only this is my living room and we have no zebras or gazelles(pretty sure there is some sort of city code against that).

Lukey all snuggled up to Tilly. She quietly waits for opportunity & then sneaks in one giant "slurp!"

The weather this week has been glorious! This is why I love living in Cali. We had a month of ~~miserable~~ freezing weather. This week's temps (high 60s) was a welcome respite. This evening was still a little warm and everything had a lovely orange & purple glow. Spring is coming & I can't wait!

This is what 8 hours of school looks like, and it ain't pretty! I look so bad I was tempted to touch up the bags under my eyes, but I am keeping it real folks. Jan. 18th, my first day back at school. 8 hours in front of a computer is going to be a struggle.

Variety has been my biggest challenge so far. Because I spend so much time with my kiddos most of my photos are of them. So I am attempting to branch out when the opportunity presents itself. After all, this is Project 365, not 365 Days of My Kids. But when you are a SAHM most of your days are filled with kids and the photos reflect that.

Quinoa Pilaf with Lemon & Thyme

2011-01-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

I found this yummy recipe in our local newspaper. Even the hubs liked this healthy meal! Can't wait to make it again!

Quinoa Pilaf with Lemon & Thyme
1 onion minced
1 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and dried on a towel
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbs. minced fresh parsley, basil, cilantro, or scallions

Combine the onion and oil in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 8-10 minutes.
Stir in the quinoa, increase heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the quinoa is lightly toasted and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, lemon zest and thyme and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the quinoa is transparent and tender, 16-18 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat, lay a clean folded kitchen towel across the top of the pot and replace the lid. Let sit for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Stir in lemon juice and fresh herbs. If you like season with salt and pepper to taste.

Side note:
I omitted the salt from the recipe and did not miss it all. There were so many rich flavors from the broth, lemon, and herbs. I almost feel that salt might ruin the medley of flavors. For the fresh herbs I used cilantro. It's zesty, fresh flavor makes it one of my favorites. This side dish was a great companion to the salmon my husband grilled on our BBQ using a wood plank.
I did not rinse the quinoa and it was fine. But after researching I found out why all recipes call for this additional step. The outer coating of the quinoa leaves a bitter taste and rinsing it helps remove it. Who woulda thunk it? Although I will try it next, I did not notice a bitter taste with this specific dish.

Project 365, Week 1

2011-01-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

After reading the Shutter Sisters Blog I became inspired to do my own Project 365. I figure it would help me actually stick to my New Year's resolutions. The goal of Project 365 is to take a photo everyday, which is one of my resolutions. I have decided to post the photos each week. This will help keep me on track for my "post to my blog at least once a week" resolution. Shutter Sisters has some amazing photos on their blog. Because it is a glimpse into my day-to-day life I anticipate some mundane photos, but their blog definitely gives me something to aspire to. This project will force me to not be so complacent in my everyday surroundings while achieving personal goals. Wish me luck!
Here are the links to some of my favorite Shutter Sisters Project 365:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindascannell/5316969959
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23113159@N03/5317414927
http://www.flickr.com/photos/closetartist/5317339857

These little self-portraits are outside of Maddie's classroom. Every month her teacher has them write a new speech bubble. This month the speech bubbles are their New Year's resolutions. I love to snap a photo of Maddie's each month.

My never-ending battle with laundry.

A glimpse into the day of a typical SHAM: drop off at school, grab some coffee & breakfast, & head my smorgasbord of daily errands. Target Greatland being my favorite.

Some of the projects that are on my to-do list: places to camp this summer, our route for my girls' trip with Maddie, how to become more bloggin savvy, and the constant pursuit of learning new photography skills. And what is a good book without some Tootsie Rolls?!

A visit to Lowe's for a home-project. This photo is so typical of Lucas; getting into mischief, while his right shoe & sock on the floor below him.

Todd & I had my in-laws sister-in-law, neice, & mother-in-law over for dinner. Lucas thoroughly enjoyed the dessert they brought over!

I volunteer in Maddie's class for writer's workshop. It has become something I look forward to every week. I love to hear what Maddie and her fellow classmates have to say. Each student has their own unique voice & they are so excited to have someone to listen. Love those stories!

Musical Menagerie

2011-01-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Michael's sells these great instruments. They are not too pricey, especially when you add one of their 40% off coupons. Santa brought Lucas several for Christmas and he loves them. I realize the thought of a two year old and instruments is a rather frightening concept when it comes to preserving your ~~sanity~~ hearing, but they are not too bad. It has become a fun family activity that we all get into. Do we we all look like complete dorks? Yup, but it is so worth it! Lukey's face lights up as he bounces to the beat and sings his own little made-up ditty. And to watch both kids make "music" together is so sweet it makes my heart ache.

Maybe Those Nudists Are On To Something....

2011-01-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing we need less of in this house it's laundry. I can't help but think that if we were nudists we would have a lot less laundry in this house. Although, becoming a nudist is, well, I just can't do it. Especially after two pregnancies and two c-sections. The bod is just not the same after that kind of weight fluctuation! But after two years I just cannot get over how much f'ing laundry our family of four generates!!! What this photo doesn't show are the stacks behind the ones in the front, the loads in the washer and dryer, the dog bedding that never even made it to the washer, or that I ran out of detergent before I finished the laundry. Laundry just never ceases to amaze me....

I Resolve...

2011-01-04T23:54:00.000-08:00

...I've been thinking long and hard about this year's resolutions. What do I really want to accomplish in 2011? After a lot of contemplation, I decided to narrow it down to a few simple, yet very important life changes. Here are my wants, goals, and desires for 2011:

*Focus on building my photography business. I need to create a concrete plan, increase my clientele, continue to learn new things, and set/accomplish goals for the future of this business of mine. Right now I am working on my logo and cannot wait to reveal it later this month!

*Do some form of exercise five days a week. I fell off the wagon in September. I had school, my parents' illnesses, and the hubs/kiddos. My plate was full and something had to give. Gravity has taken a firm grasp on my butt. It also didn't help that my gym closed my nearest location. Now I have to hop on the freeway and commute two cities. Not. Gonna. Happen. It is challenging enough just to get a couple of miles down the street! But this does not mean I can't walk or take the dogs for a hike. Must get back in the habit, my dogs and saggy booty will thank me!

*Take a photo every day. Just something I thought would be fun. Record the mundane as well as the spectacular. Becky Higgins' Project Life was my inspiration for this resolution. I spend so much time taking photos of others I sometimes forget to shoot pics of us. Aaak!

*Start a new photo project. One of my past photo instructors had an interesting photo project, taco trucks. Totally random, but quirky and fun. I am not sure what I want to do yet. Maybe San Francisco. Cliched? Yes. Overdone? Definitely. One of my favorite places? Hell yeah! Incredibly dynamic? Fer sure! But the jury is still out on my topic...

*Continue to try new recipes. I have got to work my way through that ever-growing stack of recipes I insist on collecting. By the way, have two yummy ones to share with you!

*Blog more. My goal is to start with one entry per week and work my way up to a few per week. I love it, but don't always make time for it. Just need to make it into a habit.

Our Maui Vacay

2010-12-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

These past three months flew by and I am finally getting around to posting photos from our Hawaii trip. It was so nice to relax without the kiddos! You kinda forget what life is like without the holler of "Mama! Mama! Mama!", the dogs needing to go out/come in on a constant basis, someone being hungry and/or needing something 24-7, etc. Not that we would trade it for the world, but was is quite nice to have a week without all of hubbub that seems to consume our daily lives. I'll be honest, it took a few days to get used to. Those first two days we, along with our friends, were a little on edge. It was as if we were waiting for one of our kids to fall in the pool or something. This trip was one of the few shining lights in an otherwise daunting fall/winter in 2010. Our week in Hawaiian paradise:

Seriously? We're in Maui without kids?!

Can't go to Hawaii without shooting the cliched sunset picture :)!

One of our favorite eats! Great fish tacos!

Our hotel: Westin Time Shares

Christmas Magic

2010-12-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Well, our stockings are hung with care and the tree is decked out to the nines. I cannot believe Christmas is almost here! Although stressful with the many projects I have been working on, this has been one of the most laid back holiday seasons. So nice! This year we sort of mapped out what we were going to get everyone, and did a lot of shopping online (Amazon, Snapfish, etc.) Only one trip to the mall and that was for just one item I wanted to get for Todd. I just did not have the desire to wait in long lines surrounded by cranky shoppers and disgruntled employees. Of course there have been several trips to Target and Michael's, but that is nothing unusual for us. Costco, Target, and Michael's are our playgrounds. Although the closer it gets to the 25th the more I try to avoid these places.
I am not sure if I am getting more jaded as I get older, if it's the economy, or what, but I just don't like the superficial aspect of this time of year (stores displaying Christmas stuff before it is even Halloween? Really?!) Yes, I love to give and receive presents (who doesn't?!) Giving is what this season is about - goodwill toward others. But I don't like the mob mentality, self-absorption that people fall into, the constant pushing of retail purchases, people buying crap just for the sake of giving something with little thought into the gift itself. Gifts should come from the heart, have some meaning behind them, or be something the recipient genuinely wants or could use.
Not looking to throw money down the drain, this year we really challenged ourselves to find gifts that measured up. It took some serious thought, but it was fun. Working hard to hard gifts with meaning and purpose. I will admit, there are some family members who are very challenging!
In addition to our quest for thoughtful gifts, we have also spent a lot of time decorating the house. It is so fun to watch the kids' reaction when their home is turned into a Christmas wonderland. Maddie gets so excited and Lucas is just in awe. Despite our objections he loves to play with the ornaments on the tree. I think at this point it has become a game for him. Maddie gets so happy she glows when she sees how we have incorporated her projects into our Christmas decorations. She made some paper houses with Grandma this year that I added to my chipboard village. Watching the two of them reminds me of how magical Christmas was as a child. Everything was so spectacular, the world around me seemed to sparkle! Nothing was tainted with the hustle and bustle of shopping, or the overall grumpy attitude people seem to have.
That magic is my goal. Remembering the actual spirit of the season. Don't let the other stuff get in the way. It is so hard not to get caught up cesspool of holiday worries. Projects to finish, class parties to attend, gifts to wrap, etc. But we need to remember, is it the end of the world if the store is out of boxes? Is it really necessary to berate the employee when the store is out of the size/color you want? Five years from now is your child going to be scarred for life because they did not get the must-have toy (that will more than likely end up collecting dust by March)?

As we dive headfirst into Christmas tomorrow stop and take a breath. Take a moment to remember how magical it all used to be. The surge of excitement December brought. The importance of kindness towards others. And let's all try to recapture some of that, because that is what meaning of Christmas is all about.

I Heart My New Iphone

2010-12-04T23:51:00.000-08:00

For the longest time I was against getting an IPhone. I just couldn't justify paying an additional $30 a month for Internet service. And really, it wouldn't be $30 a month. If I got an IPhone, Todd would get jealous and want one as well. That's $60 per month, which winds up being $720 a year. Ouch! Almost a $1,000 per year just for the IPhone? That's a lot of camera goodies I could purchase with that $720, or art classes for Maddie, clothes for Lukey, you name it! Consequently I could not hop on the IPhone bandwagon no matter how desperately I coveted one.
Then the 4G/new Internet package was introduced and I began to waver. That $15 per month plan only equals $360 per year! That is a lot easier for me to justify in our single income household. Thus with the purchase of our IPhone I have discovered a new love. Now that I have it I don't know how I ever survived without it. It is my calendar, my video camera, my phone book, my point and shoot camera, my entertainment, my on-the-go internet (which has come in handy more times than I can count!), my notepad, sigh...basically my life. So sad considering how anti-PDA I was. My little tree-hugger self has officially entered the new millennium. In honor of my fallen pride, here is a random assortment of IPhone pics:

"All done with breakfast, Mama!"

Afternoon stroll in our neighborhood

Maddie decorating the kids' tree

Todd enjoying shaved ice in Maui. Sooooo gooooood! Vanilla ice cream, shaved ice, root beer syrup, topped with coconut milk. Yuuuuuuuuuuum!

The hubs and his "perfect" Christmas lights

Like yogurt much little dude?

OUCH!!

2010-12-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week Lucas ran out of our bedroom and into the wall. There were some sobs and tears, but he calmed down rather quickly. Didn't think much of it. Fast forward a couple of hours and here is what I found on his poor little melon after his bath:

I guess he didn't hit the wall so much as he hit the corner of the wall. AAAK! Poor lil' man! His bangs were hiding this big, gnarly lump. Of course, by this time Todd was at work and it was just me at home (these never happen when he's here to help.) All I could think of was what if he has a TBI (traumatic brain injury)?!? What if he goes the way of Natasha Richardson?! I swear after she died from that skiing accident I have never looked at head boo boos the same! What if I take him to the hospital and they think I did it?! Fortunately my mom is a nurse. I called "Nurse Grandma", got some medical advice, and kept him up another hour watch for sings of a concussion. In the end, all was OK and Lucas proceeded to get a few more lumps and bumps from various accidents throughout the week. Sigh, boys....

Where Does She Come Up With These Things?

2010-12-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

As I am driving Maddie to her dad's tonight we passed one of the larger Christmas tree farms in town. She took one look at the trees all neatly lined up and exclaimed, "Wow! They got the hook up!"

Apparently my eight year old has a new catch phrase... These things just tickle me :)

October Re-Cap

2010-12-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

Since I have been gone so long I figured I would just post a photo re-cap from October's festivities. It was a great month. My parents were doing much better, we had Halloween, I got to make Maddie's costume this year (love homemade costumes!), we trick or treated with good friends (including Sarah's mom who was visiting from Nebraska!) and family, our October tradition: Lemos Farm, the Half Moon Bay K9 trials, Todd's birthday, Lucas discovered my shoes (so stinkin' cute!) and the magic of colored pencils (when he wants to color now it's, "col!"), pumpkin carving, and just hanging out/being a family. All in all, a great month!

Blog Sweet Blog...

2010-12-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

...Oooh how I've missed you!
It has been a ca-RAY-zeee four-plus months since I blogger. In the span of two weeks I almost lost both of parents to serious (yet unrelated) medical dilemmas. Dad had a hemorrhagic stroke and Mom was so busy taking care of Dad that she ignored her own illness until it was almost too late. She came down with a severe case of pneumonia and sepsis. No one should ever have to get a phone call that their mom has been found on the floor unresponsive. UGH! What an awful feeling!!! But both are doing well and are on the mend! Yay for my parents!!
In addition to medical brew-ha-ha Todd and I took an adults only trip to Maui. The trip was great except for my 24 hour bout with the flu. That royally sucked! Fortunately there was only one day where I was really down and out. Due toa lack of appetite my first few days post flu I think this was the first time I came home from Hawaii weighing the same as when I left! No matter how much sun block I used I still got a killer tan. Todd was pissed. He is the one with Middle Eastern heritage and I'm the one who, despite my Western European heritage, gets a tan after being in the sun a mere 30 minutes. Apparently Todd inherited all of the Scottish genes and none of the Syrian. But some of my Maui favorites were the soft velvety sand on my feet, listening to the waves crashing as I drifted off to sleep, the amazing seafood (Duke's!), lounging by the pool with a good book, the shopping, and most of all being there with good friends. Sigh... I love me some Hawaii!
This fall I began an Adobe Illustrator class. With all that went on early in the semester I had to drop my other two classes. But this one has kept me pleasantly busy. My teacher rocks and Illustrator is a program I have grown to love (maybe even more than Photoshop!)
Thanksgiving left us with lots to be thankful for this year! Just having us all here and healthy was reason enough for me! Our little home was filled with laughter, joy, and some fabulous food. My Martha Stewart mashed potatoes and apple crumb pie had enough butter to clog more than a few arteries. My mom's stuffing was to die for! Thick chunks of bacon in stuffing, who woulda thunk it? We had turkey and stuffing sandwiches the next three days. Although delicious, I think I have had my fill of turkey for a while. Even the dogs discovered turkey surprises in their food. I just can't believe I didn't take any photos!
Now we are in the throes of Christmas decorating. Tree up and decorated, check! Department 56 village displayed in hutch and china lovingly packed away, check and check! Chipboard houses on fireplace mantle? Check! Stockings hung with care, check! Wreath above fireplace and a fresh pine scent lingering in the house? Check, check! Plus I have my dining room table decorated, Todd hung the lights outside, and I have my yard decorations displayed along our walkway. All that is left are decorations for the entertainment center, garland along the stairs, decorating the kids' tree, and hanging my banners. I swear, we have been like two busy,little elves since Sunday!

Solution for Doorway Clutter

2010-08-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

There are countless items that we keep by our door. Which means there are countless obstacles for me to trip over when trying to exit the door. Between Maddie's backpack, Lucas's lunchbox, my purse, car keys and garage door openers, dog leashes, and so on.... For ease and to maintain my sanity I like to keep these items near the door so I am not scrambling around looking for them as I try to dash out ( and by dash I mean running late.) One of my many attempts at trying to stay organized I guess (not that I am always successful at it.)

While visiting friends a while back I noticed they had hooks on the wall next to their garage door. This is where their three kids put their backpacks and all other necessary items. Inspiration struck! This was exactly what we needed in our house. I knew I wanted something to visibly designate each person/dogs' hook. After a lot of inspiration shopping and Internet browsing I settled on an idea.

I purchased six plain wood plaques and dark bronze coat hooks at Walmart. The rest of the supplies came from my craft arsenal. I determined each hook would have a family member's photo and the letter of their first name on it. I used papers from one of my K & Company pads (I think it might have been one of their Amy Butler collections) so all of the plaques would have a cohesive look. Then I added little details as I went along. Here is the final result, they are hanging next to the door as you go out to the garage:

Yummy Fruit Shake

2010-08-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Who needs Jamba Juice when you can have one of these? (Although it is nice to have someone else deal with the mess/dishes!)

Yummy Fruit Shake

1 handful each: ice, frozen berries, frozen pineapple, fresh blueberries (preferably organic)

1 banana, sliced into chunks

1-2 tbs. ground flaxseed (high in fiber and Omega 3 fats!)

dollop or two of non fat Greek yogurt (I usually go with vanilla or blueberry flavor)

1 spoonful honey

about 1 cup low fat soy milk

put all ingredients in large cup and blend with a hand blender or a regular blender (I prefer the hand blender, less mess to clean). Add a straw and voila! a tasty breakfast or lunch!

Boys Should Come With a Warning Label

2010-07-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Seriously. One big, fat, ha-uge warning label. This label is really needed when the only experience you've previously had was a mild-mannered little girl who was content to sit quietly, and play with toys for hours on end.

Imagine my surprise every time my darling son gets himself into a "predicament." We've learned a lot in the past 19 months, but he continues to surprise us. Most recently was last week when he got his arm stuck, STUCK!!!, in between the slats on my dining room chair. Not sure what happened when he tried to climb it, but there the arm was. For the record, said chair was pushed in so he could not climb it. Joke's on me I guess. I could not get his arm to slide past his chubby little elbow. He was screaming, I was panicking, and Todd was sleeping after a night working the graveyard shift. Crap!! Double crap!!! What do I do?!?! Soap! I need something slippery! Todd! He needs to wake up and help me! Do I call the fire department? Are we going to have to saw the chair? But what about his arm? What if they accidentally saw his arm! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Oh it gets better, his arm was stuck in such an angle that I could not put him down, I had to hold him so he wouldn't break it. Here I was, holding a screaming baby, we were both in the throes of utter panic as I tried to carry him and the solid oak chair through the living room, over the baby gate, to my bedroom. Halfway there I put Luke and chair down to get a better grip. Somehow that put him at the perfect angle where his arm could slide right out. SIGH! He was fine, I was shaking and in need of a drink just to calm my frayed nerves. Unfortunately it was only 10AM.

Here are some other glimpses into the toddler boy mind that nobody warns you about:

*Outlets are fun and can be mastered by the time you are 10 months old.

*If you want to watch your mom break a sweat climb onto the computer chair and bang away on the keyboard. When she puts you on the floor to fix the computer take off running out the screen door into the backyard. Make sure to squeal gleefully the entire time!

*Chairs and sofas are for climbing and jumping, not sitting.

*Anything that can support your weight provides great leverage for reaching the TV. Just put your makeshift stool in front of the TV, step up and the buttons are there for the taking. Very entertaining to watch Mom and Dad freak out if you happen to own a flat screen. Gosh, they act like I'm going to ruin the screen or something!

*When Mommy or Daddy serve you a food you don't like, or when you are done eating throw it on the floor or the wall. The dogs loooove it!

*If you can sneak into the kitchen pull out all the cookie cutters and watch Mommy hop around on one foot after she steps on one. While she is hopping around proceed to pull out as many sandwich bags as you can. Then as she stuffs them back into the box pull out some tupperware and go splash in the dog's water.

*If after all these shenanigans your Mommy still has some semblance of her sanity left poop in the tub, works like a charm every time! Please note, it is best to wait until after she has dumped in all of your bath toys.

The Dreaded "D" Word, Part 2

2010-07-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

When I began wracking my brain about how I wanted to go about changing my eating and exercise habits my goal was to find something I could and would live with. How many of us begin these things with the best of intentions only to fall off the wagon a week later? That scenario is my M.O. I knew whatever I did, it would have to be something I could live with and not get discouraged with. Here is my list of what I wanted from this change:

*I want to eat healthy and NOT be deprived, therefore I need a cheat day once a week

*I want to have more energy, mid-day is the worst for me

*I want to do a smaller workout 4-5 days a week

*I don't want to spend and hour and a half at the gym, it's hard for me to be motivated to go when I know it's going to take that long. There are other things I want to do with my day!

*I want to firm up, well, everything!

*I want to be a good (read: healthy) example for my kids, especially my daughter

*No fad diets or exercises. I want something that is real and works!

My goal was get down to 115 pounds (which meant losing about 17 pounds.) Now this is my goal. If I feel great, look toned and all my old size twos fit at a different weight then I will be happy with whatever number that is. To me it is not about the number on scale, but about how I feel and how my clothes fit.

Here is how I have had success so far...

*I now try to eat complex carbs. I ate whole grains before, but now I eat gluten free bread with sprouted wheat. My pasta is gluten free as well.

*I upped my fruit and veggie intake in a BIG way. I try to eat fruits or veggies with lunch and dinner, as well as snacking on them when I get hungry. This is waaaaay more than I used to eat. I used to just have a salad with dinner, maybe one piece of fruit and that was it. Now I have a fruit shake for lunch, a gi-nor-mous salad with dinner, and a piece of fruit or cucumber and hummus for a snack. I try to buy organic as much as I can. I doubt it helps with weight loss, but it is so much better for you and the environment.

*I began to drink a lot more water. I still have my two cups of java in the morning because let's face it, with two kids I could not function without my beloved cuppa joe! I try to suck down at least three 16 ounce glasses throughout the day. Aside from coffee and maybe one Diet Coke, I try not to consume anything but water. Throughout the week I will have a few glasses of wine. I love me some wine and can't get rid of it. But due to its calories I don't like to drink too much alcohol. I would rather eat them than drink them.

*Meat: Todd and I are not big red meat eaters. We mostly cook chicken and ground turkey rather than ground beef. It is good to make the switch if you are trying to eat healthier. A lot less fat and calories. I still have a burger about once a month. Can't give them up! But as much as I like the occasional burger or fillet I hate how sluggish it makes me feel after eating it.

*Eat less sodium. The bottom line is it is not good for you and makes you bloat. This means no more salami (my fav!) and using reduced sodium turkey for sandwiches. If a recipe calls for salt I either leave it out or reduce the amount. The exception is with baking. I use what the recipe calls for.

*Exercise: For me it was and continues to be hard to find the motivation to exercise. Quite frankly there are other things I would rather be doing. I absolutely LOVE the way I feel afterwards, it's as if I could conquer the world after a workout. So I try to use that feeling to encourage myself. Sometimes it works, other times I just have to drag myself kicking and screaming. The other hard part was finding the time. I just did not have time to do 45 minutes of cardio and another 30 minutes on weights. Just not feasible for me. I try to workout four to five days a week, but I have reduced the time to 45-50 minutes. This helps, what's one hour a day? I alternate between my Tracy Anderson Method DVD (Volume 1 of the Perfect Design Series) and walking on the treadmill. For my treadmill "hikes" I walk at 2.4 mph at a level of 11 or 12 for 40-45 minutes with a 5 minute cooldown. A good friend of mine used to do fitness competitions and recommended this type of cardio. It gets your heartrate at the ideal fat burning zone, firms up the butt, and strengthens your core. To get the optimum workout do not hold onto the treadmill. The idea is to stand up straight and suck in your core to support the lower back. A sore lower back while walking will tell you if you are not holding in your core. The DVD kicks my butt, and I am definitely sore the next day. But sore in all of those hard-to-reach places (ie. the flub that hangs over my bra between my arms and chest, the crease under my booty as well as the sides of it, and that dreaded muffin top that hangs over the back sides of my waistband.) Here is a comical review of one of the Tracy Anderson DVDs. I will be honest, if you have no training in dance (which I don't), do this DVD in the privacy of your own home with the curtains shut. During the dance sequence I swear I look as if I am having a seizure, my white girl moves are in full effect. Just not attractive. Let me tell you, both of these workouts kick. my. ass. But I do see a visible change in the firmness of my body.

The reason for these posts are not to brag about my success, or to act like an expert because I'm not one. I am just a typical woman talking about one of the issues and pressures most of us face day to day. I face weight struggles, motivation battles, fight the urge to snack on goodies when I'm bored like everyone else, and feel the bombardment of physical perfection every day. And let me tell you, it SUCKS! It's time we stopped dieting and exercising purely for weight loss and started focusing on our health. When feeling good about ourselves is the motivating factor it seems much more achievable rather than the size 0 Hollywood standard.

The Dreaded "D" Word

2010-07-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Diet that is.

We're going to Maui in two months. One month ago my excitement began to mix with pressure and dread. The pressure to not only live in a bathing suit for a week, but to look awesome while doing it. To be honest, I don't know any woman that is super-excited to publicly live in a bathing suit for a week.

For the past three years I have not been happy with my body. I got married (which also coincided with my foray into cooking) and started a new job where treats were in constant abundance. The result of these two major milestones was a whopping 20 pounds in six months. This was also the year I turned 30 and my metabolism decided it was time to slooooow waaaay dooooown. I hit a number on the scale I hadn't seen since I was pregnant with Maddie. Then I got pregnant with Luke and gained another 40. UGH! I lost the pregnancy weight and some of the marital-bliss weight, but the scale seemed hell bent on not budging past 132. Given the size of my frame and a closetfull of clothes I was unable to fit in, this was not a weight a I was happy with. A 9 pound baby and second c-section did absolutely nothing to help matters. Everything seemed to jiggle and hang where it didn't used to, and if it did jiggle and hang before, it was now considerably worse.

Combine this with all the pressure we women feel every day of our lives to look perfect. Hollywood and society have presented us with these unattainable standards. The bevvy of stick-thin starlets who claim to be skinny by "fast metabolism" alone is enough to make me gag. I mean, really? Your size 0 is not the result of constant dieting and exercising (read: starvation)? I. Don't. Buy. It.

So here I was: miserable with the current state of my figure, tired, kind of depressed about the whole damn thing, and I felt as if I had lost my glow, my spark. And I had been dealing with this for three years! Oh yeah, and bathing suit central (Maui) was heading my way at warp speed. I began to think, "Eff this. Enough is enough. Isn't three years long enough? Time to make a change!" No crash diets, they just don't work in the long haul. The ankle had healed enough that I could now return to the gym, so that excuse was out. Finally I made the choice for a lifestyle change. I wanted to do something I could live with. Something that would make me happy, not feel as if I was deprived every second of every day. I didn't want to feel as if I was a slave to the gym. At this point in my life I just don't have the 90 minutes to 2 hours to spend there on a daily basis.

Well it is now one month after my life change. I am excited to say I have lost 5 pounds, five inches, and have a heck of a lot more energy than I used to. In general, I just feel better. And I am more confident. It feels good to have my confidence back.

So what did I do? No miracles, just lots of hard work and dedication. Although I ate fairly healthy, there were still lots of tweaks to be made to my diet. I cut out a lot of the excess carbs and watched my portions. I greatly increased my fruit and veggie intake. I try to drink a lot more water. Todd and I have a cheat day once a week. We plan for it. We live for it! As you can tell from my posted recipes, I don't believe in deprivation. I love my food. I don't put as much pressure on the gym either. I now exercise 45-55 minutes four to five days a week. No more 90 minute gym sessions.

Tomorrow I will post part two of "The Dreaded D Word": what worked for me and things I learned along the way.

Thrift Store Treasure

2010-07-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

I found this a couple of weeks ago at a thrift store for $2.50 and instantly knew it would look great in the kids' room. All it needed was a fresh coat of paint and candles. I have been into spray paint in a pretty big way lately after checking out Three Men and a Lady. Love that blog!!! She has a lot of great ideas. Amazing what a couple coats of spray paint can do!

When I first brought this home Todd just looked at it and asked, "Why would you waste your money on that?" Fast forward to today... "Wow! That looks great! I like it!" How I love it when hubby is humbled :)!

The print is a vintage rodeo ad I found on Ebay (Luke has the cowboy version) in a barnwood frame. It was on sale at Michael's for 40% off (woo hoo!). I went to Tap Plastics and had them cut plexi-glass to fit in the frame (it hangs over the bed and we live in earthquake country.) The vintage rodeo ribbon I found several years when shopping in San Anselmo with my mom.

Panna Cotta with Fruit Sauce

2010-07-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

I can't remember where this recipe came from, maybe an old issue of Oprah. I have a habit of tearing out recipes that sound and not using them until many months (or years!) later. So unless I jot down the source I forget. I have a three-inch binder that holds a gathered collection of recipes from over the years. I am now trying to use them and slowly whittle this binder down. Some of them have been in there for years and have never even been attempted! This panna cotta recipe was one of those. It was super-easy and tasted divine! Despite all of the half-and-half it was not too rich. Although that could be a bad thing because it makes me want to eat more! So without further ado here it is:

Panna Cotta with Fruit Sauce

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tbs.)

3 c half-and-half

1 c sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c frozen berries

*Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tbs. cold water in a small saucepan; let stand a minute to soften. Heat on low, stirring until gelatin dissolves, 1 minute. Remove from heat.

*In a large saucepan, bring half-and-half and 1/3 cup sugar just to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin (it may need to be scraped off pan with a spatula) and vanilla. Ladle into 8 (1/2 cup) ramekins (*I used small glass bowls from Anchor Hocking that I use for feeding Luke. They work just the same.) Cover and chill at least four hours or overnight (I was in a pinch and did four hours. Trust me, the molds will hold up better if you do it overnight!)

*Make fruit sauce by cooking berries and 2/3 cup sugar over med.-low heat, stirring occasionally, until berries release their liquid and begin to break down, about 20 min. Blend with an immersion blender (or puree in a blender), strain, and chill for 1 hour.

*Serve panna cotta in ramekins or on plates. To loosen, dip each ramekin in a bowl of hot water for 3-4 seconds, run a knife around the edges, then invert onto a plate. Spoon fruit sauce on top and garnish with berries if you like.

Makes 8 servings

Photo courtesy of: http://recipebuddys.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!

SAHM-dom, What I Know Now!

2010-07-17T14:05:00.001-07:00

O.K., I meant to do this post several months ago on the one year anniversary when I quit my job and officially became a stay-at-home-mom. But that was about the time I injured my ankle and school was in full-swing. Time got the best of me and I am doing it now several months after the fact. Before I start my list of revelations I have to acknowledge that I used to think SAHMs had a pretty sweet deal. They hung out at home, played with kids, got some housework done, went to the gym, hung out at the mall and Starbucks. Seemed pretty relaxing, non-stressful. All the time in the world to get things accomplished. The house would always be perfect and clean, because hey! they don't "work". Uh, yeah.... I was totally, completely, utterly mis.in.formed. This past year and a half has been what Oprah would call an "a-ha" moment. I have a whole new profound respect for SAHMs that I never had before. Things are a little different in our home though. When my husband works, I am basically a single mom. He works twelve hour graveyard shifts. Unlike a lot of other SAHMs I don't get a reprieve in the evening, that is when he is leaving to begin his "day". I pretty much fly solo all day long. That kind of changes things a little. But we have managed to work around his schedule after a lot of trial, error, and some bickering. You learn to adapt, overcome and roll with the punches. So here we go:

SAHM-dom: What I Know Now

*It's not glamorous. I actually used to think it was. Now I know it is down-in-the-trenches dirty. I used to see the mommies at my daughter's school drop their kids off and then head to gym as I drove to work, thought they lounged over coffee at Starbucks with their girlfriends afterwards. Little did I know that the gym time was probably their only time to themselves all day long. And "lounge" at Starbucks? Forget it! Gotta head home, get to work, and hopefully squeeze in a shower.

*The house is not perfectly clean and organized all of the time. It is a challenge to clean the house while entertaining a wee one. And even if you are cleaning, that sweet little darling is right behind you making new messes. Erma Bombeck summed it all up in one quote, "Trying to clean the house while the kids live there is like trying to shovel the walkway in a snowstorm." Amen sister! I mistakenly thought my bathrooms and kitchen would constantly be sparkling, no crummies on the counter, the floor vacumed, house dusted, beds made, laundry neatly folded and put away. Yes those things happen in my house, but not on a daily basis. If the kitchen and bathrooms are gleaming that means the laundry is piled up. Of the laundry is put done and put away the floor is most likely in need of a good vacuming.

*Being on one-income sucks. So much more financial freedom when we had two incomes. My money always went to the fun stuff like clothes for the kids, extra-curricular activities, clothes for me, scrapbooking goodies, outings, household goods, etc. I could buy what I wanted when I wanted. Sigh, no longer the case. I will admit, I miss that extra money so much that I often question my decision to stay at home.

*It is a thankless job. Society never really says "thank you for quitting your job and raising decent human beings." No one ever says "thank you for doing the laundry, scrubbing the toilets, etc."

*Nothing compares to seeing your baby achieve milestones for the first time or your child's face light up when you are there to pick them up after school. These are precious moments I would have missed if I worked. The "MAMA!!!" I hear when Maddie sees me as the classroom door opens warms my heart. Everyday without fail it is the same joy and excitement. Luke's first creeps and steps, his first word, and all those cute little quirks. I am proud to say I was there for them all. I remember witnessing that first wobbly, rocking step. Priceless memories!

*It is far more exhausting than any of my past jobs. At the end of the day I am beat.

*I miss dressing up. Pulling out the clothes and getting the outfits together for work got old after awhile. But now I that I don't do it on a daily basis I do miss it. All those fabulous high heels in my closet don't get nearly as much use as they used to. Although I love not having to dress up every day, it would be nice to do it a few days a week.

*I look forward to bedtime. The kid's bedtime that is. After they are snuggled in their beds it's Mommy-Time. My time to relax with a glass of wine, catch up on one or two of the shows I have recorded on the DVR, mess around on the computer, read, scrapbook. It's like dessert to me, I covet that time.

*All that crafting I thought I would get done? Not a chance! Most of those projects are still tucked away in my craft closet because I just don't have the time. Sigh, someday...

*I need a SAHM of my own! How nice would that be?!

*It is humbling. Some things are no longer as important as they used to be. Most of those being material things. Dashing to the grocery store without make up is no longer unheard of. When you become a SAHM priorities shift. Some of it is just a natural progression/evolution and others are just out of necessity. But I have to admit, I like the humbling process of being a SAHM.

Yummy Potato Salad

2010-07-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from our local newspaper. It puts a different spin on the generic ol' potato salad. Seems like a Greek version to me. Tasty and light!

Potato Salad with Feta Cheese and Olives

2lbs. red potatoes

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup imported black olives (I used regular black olives from a can)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tbs. white wine vinegar

2 tbs. fresh dill (I used 1tsp. dried)

2 tbs. chopped fresh mint

fresh ground pepper for taste (I used white pepper for a milder taste)

1.) Cook potatoes until tender (about 15-20 minutes), drain. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in bowl.

2.) Add onion, feta, and olives. Toss.

3.) Pour in olive oil and vinegar. Add dill and mint. Toss. Season with pepper. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

Hubby liked it so much he took it to work the next day!

*photo from http://www.kitchenscoop.com/

Summer is Here!

2010-07-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Finally! After months and months of rain summer is finally, really here! In the midst of El Nino we would get these teaser days of glorious weather only to be pushed aside by week-long monsoons. Living in Cali. I realize I have no room to gripe. It's not like it gets that cold, we have no driveways of snow to shovel, but still.... the sunshine and its warm embrace is a nice respite!

I seem to have fallen off of the blogging bandwagon. I got sidetracked by a severely sprained ankle that does not want to fully heal, in addition to the hubby, kids, dogs, and oh yeah! school. Four classes about killed me. I guess I was overly ambitious. Learned my lesson the hard way. But I am happy to report I got three A's and one B. Woo-Hoo!!!! And that damn ankle? Aside from being laid up for a while (which is the ultimate test in patience for me), it took me four times as long to do any and all simple tasks. Plus I am such a do-er that asking anyone to do anything for me was foreign. I can't tell you how many lectures I received from Todd about asking for help is a necessity not a sign of laziness. Almost three months later and I am finally able to return the gym (albeit a few pounds heavier, UGH.) Unfortunately I am not really able to run or jog, but walking at a steep incline is do-able. It feels so good to be active again. Now if only I can get my butt to stop migrating south... We began our summer vacation with a roadtrip to Yellowstone. Two looooong days of driving each way. We purchased a new tent trailer this year with this trip specifically in mind. The thought of sleeping on the ground for six nights did not appeal to Todd. So thankful for the trailer and its heater once we got there. Nights were a frigid 20-30 degrees. Fortunately most of the days were decent to warm. The trip was equal parts fun and work. Camping with a very active 18-month old definitely has its challenges. Sharing this experience with Maddie was a lot of fun. So exciting to see all of the wildlife and natural wonders. I had been there twice before and could not wait to experience it with my family. Maddie's Yellowstone favorites were the different types of wildlife and our hike on Uncle Tom's Trail (a trail of 328 stairs that takes you down the Upper Falls at Yellowstone Grand Canyon.) She surprised us with how much she liked the hike. The return trip is quite grueling, especially at 8,000 feet. Quite a hike for a seven year old! Her least favorite part of the trip was the drive. I find this perplexing since she watched DVDs most of the time. I could not believe the "When I was your age" comment came out of my mouth. I felt soooo old! But out it came, "When I was your age I had to play with toys and read books in the car." Lord have mercy, not books and toys! I can't wait until next summer's road trip!

Here are some of the highlights from our trip

"Geyser Country":

This is where most of the geysers, including Old Faithful, are. Some of the geysers we missed or did not get good photos of due to the steam. It was cold outside both days we went, which left us lots and lots of steam to look at rather than geysers. Can't see much through it. But we did see Old Faithful. We had lunch at the historic Old Faithful Lodge. A gift from my in-laws :). We walked the Upper Geyser Basin loop. The entire trail is 3 miles, but Maddie pooped out around two. We headed back before catching a glimpse of the Morning Glory Pool. That is another must-see for our next trip.

"Roosevelt Country"

The highlights here are the Lamar Valley and Mt. Washburn. Lamar Valley is known as the "American Serengeti" with its wide expanses of prairie land. There is a lot of wildlife that strolls through here. Unfortunately all we saw were more buffalo. Really hoping to see a bear or wolves. But breathtaking in its beauty. Mt. Washburn was awesome. It is 10,234 feet. We would have loved to have hiked it, but too challenging with the kiddos. It will have to wait until next year. But we did treat ourselves to some delicious ice cream at Tower Falls. Sooo good. We had planned to treat ourselves after hiking the falls, but we ran out of time (for hiking that is!)

"Mammoth Country":

We stopped at Beaver Lake for a picnic and saw our first black bear. Fortunately he kept his distance! Sheepeater Cliffs were awesome! Fascinating to look at and they made for great rock climbing for Todd and Maddie. Other sights were Roaring Mountain, Obsidian Cliff, the hoo doos, the Golden Gate, and Mammoth Terraces. We drove around the terraces rather than hike. Didn't have the time and they have lost most of their water. Not quite as spectacular as they once were, but still pretty nonetheless.

"Canyon Country"

The Yellowstone Grand Canyon is 4,000 feet wide and 1,000 feet deep. It has two waterfalls: Upper Falls and Lower Falls. Lower Falls is twice the height of Niagra Falls. Needless to say, it was pretty spectacular!

The dreaded 328 stairs on Uncle Tom's Trail. They are bolted to the side of the mountain. If you don't like heights stay away from these bad boys!

This was what we woke up to the day we left. Fortunately it turned out to be a beautiful day and most of the snow had melted by the time we left!

Grand Tetons National Park:

Loved the lodge at Jackson Lake. The windows are 60 feet high. Talk about an amazing view while eating lunch! Unfortunately this was the day the storm began and the lodge was all we really got to see :(

The Yosemite wildlife we saw: bison (baby and adult), elk, moose, black bear, grizzly cub, big horn sheep, coyote, pronghorn, and a bald eagle.

For the rest of the summer I plan to craft, hit some garage sales, thrift stores and antique stores/fairs for some fun DIY projects, work on the house, finish landscaping the backyard, book some photo gigs, and catch up on my genealogy project and blogging. Hmmm.... maybe some R n' R will be squeezed into that agenda ;). Stay tuned for summer updates and projects!

A Great Dinner When the Family is Hungry & Kids Are Losing Patience

2010-04-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

I tried this recipe for the first time last night and it passed the Hubby-Test. Not only was it delicious but also super-quick and easy to prepare. For us this is an ideal dinner entree when Lucas is losing his patience, Maddie is dying of starvation, the dogs are mooching at my feet, and I'm flying solo because Todd is at work. The recipe is from here.

Acini de Pepe With Spinach and Feta

1/2 lb acini di pepe - or orzo (I used orzo)
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. dried hot red pepper flakes
3 scallions - chopped
10 oz chopped frozen spinach (thawed & squeezed dry)
1/2 C crumbled feta

*I added:
shredded chicken for protein (An all inclusive meal is better for those crazy evenings) and a little bit of bacon bits (real bacon, not that fake stuff) for extra flavor. The chicken came from Trader Joe's. It was pre-cooked and cut into strips. All I had to do was heat it in the microwave and shred with a chopper.

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and transfer to a covered bowl.
Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and scallions. Saute until garlic is golden brown (about 2 minutes). Add spinach and cook, stirring, until heated through (about 4 minutes).

Toss pasta with feta, chicken and bacon.

Serve warm and enjoy!

The Difference Between Men & Women

2010-04-12T13:01:00.001-07:00

As we all know, men and women are different in a variety of ways. We communicate differently, we prioritize differently, and as witnessed at our dinner table Easter Sunday, we value table linens differently. That last part comes as no big shock to any wife. But my husband's blatant disregard for linens left me momentarliy speechless at our Easter feast.

After serving all of our guests their dinner entrees I sat down just as Todd finished pouring the last glass of wine (red wine). And then, without a second thought, my darling husband took his white Williams Sonoma napkin and proceeded to wipe the dripping egde of the wine bottle. My mouth dropped open as I gasped loud enough to send the windows rattling. Our friend Darin, seated across from me, burst into laughter as everyone else whipped their heads around to get a glimpse of all the commotion. According to Darin the look on my face was "priceless".

At this point Todd turns to look at me and blandly states, "What?" He has no clue why I could possibly be disturbed by this."You. Wiped. Off. The. Red. Wine. With. My. White. Williams. Sonoma. Napkin."

Still no clue...

"Uhh... Todd, red wine stains. And that is a white napkin. A white Williams Sonoma napkin. Not a $1.99 napkin from Target."

Still didn't get it.

There is quite a streak of irony in this tale. Three hours earlier as I gleefully set the table Todd questioned my use of white napkins because "well, they're white. White stains."

How soon they forget....

Finally! A Completed Task!

2010-04-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

The majority of tasks never really seem to be 100% complete in this house. And. It. Drives. Me. Nuts! Something else always seems to pop up. Kids making messes, everyday chores, a new and urgent project, Todd's work schedule, you name it. This is something I am slowly attempting to change. But here this a project that I had been trying to get completed for some time now (probably a year. How sad is that?!) It was an antique mirror I purchased over ten years ago when I was at Chico State. A fabulous $5 bargain at a thrift store. The mirror had an old patina to it (which I loved) and an art deco frame. My grandpa and I fixed the aging frame. I then painted it white and hung it in my apartment.

After I moved home it was stored in the garage with countless other possessions I had no room for. A few years ago the mirror was broken. I couldn't bear to part with it. I loved the frame and it was a restoration project my grandpa and I worked on together before he passed away. I guess you could say it had some emotional baggage attached.

Fast forward to 2010. The mirrorless frame, now falling apart, was sat in the garage driving Todd nuts. To him it was junk taking up valuable space. To me, it was a memory and a future project.

Finally this project's time had come. I was in dire need of a bigger bulletin board over the desk. And voila! The antique frame was transformed into a bulletin board.

Step 1: Applied wood glue to the sides that were coming apart and clamped them overnight.

Step 2: Used sandpaper (I think 50) to rough up the frame a little

Step 3: Painted the frame green (which we already had in the garage)

Step 4: Attached cork to frame back (found a 2'x4' roll of cork at Office Max or Office Depot for $13) with a staple gun

Step 5: Attached toile fabric that I purchased on sale for less than $8 (for 2 yards) at an interior decorating fabric outlet

One project down, countless others to be completed!

The Great Poop Caper

2010-04-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Scene of the Crime: Kids’ bathroom, in the bath tub
Date of the Crime: Tuesday, March 30 at 6:30pm
Perpetrator: Luke
Victim: Mom and the bath tub

I am sure lots of parents have been subjected to this crime. But Tuesday was my first. I made it seven and a half years without falling prey to the” bath tub poopie” (BTP for short.) Luke was happily splashing around in the tub, content to give the surrounding areas with a good soaking. I was settled down on the floor in the no-splash zone mindlessly flipping through a magazine when I heard it. The pre-emptive poop groan. The one that tells you your sweet little angel is about to present you with a big, odorous gift. In one swift move I threw the magazine aside, leapt to my feet and yanked him out of the bath. Too late. There it was: the BTP! UGH!!! GROSS!!! Of coarse these types of situations only occur when Todd is not home. I am never blessed with reinforcements.
Damage control began. I swear, Moms should be in charge of FEMA. We can swiftly assess the damage, then create, prioritize, and execute a plan of action. Dry off baby, begin draining tub, stop baby from throwing more toys into tub of fecal water, pull bath seat out of tub, dispose of offending poopie, grab Chlorox wipes, grab all toys and dump into sink, wash hands vigorously with TONS of soap, wrestle naked baby back into the bathroom after gleefully running away, de-cootie-fy tub and toys with Chlorox wipes, remove plunger from baby’s firm grasp just before he puts the handle in his mouth, pray that I don’t lose sanity, rinse tub, re-fill tub with clean bathwater, put baby in tub, fantasize about how great a glass of wine would be right about now, call husband to bitch about BTP, pray this never happens again.

Creamy Spinach Ricotta Pasta

2010-03-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a recipe I tried the other night. The Rowlands were my guina pigs. Not only was it a hit, but it was uber-easy too. Loooove easy and tasty recipes! Recipe from Family Circle Magazine

Creamy Spinach Ricotta Pasta:

makes 8 servings
prep 20 min.
bake at 425 for 25 min.

1 lb. rigatoni
1 can (15oz.) diced tomatoes
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
1 cup chopped onion
1 box (10oz.) frozen chopped spinach
2 1/2 cups jarred Alfredo sauce
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/3 seasoned dry bread crumbs
*I used plain and added Italian seasoning. It's all about what I have in my cupboards!
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbs. olive oil

*Heat oven to 425. Coat 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
*Cook pasta. Drain and return to pot. Stir in tomatoes, onion, Italian seasoning, and fresh garlic.
*Cook spinach in microwave according to package directions. Squeeze out moisture. Transfer to a a bowl. Add Alfredo sauce, ricotta, and pepper. Stir.
*Transfer spinach mix to pasta pot; toss to combine. Transfer to baking dish.
*Mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan, and oil. Sprinkle over pasta and bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Crumb mix should be golden brown when pasta is done.

For a different variation you could add chopped, barbecued chicken. That would add a little more protein and a smokey flavor.

Maddie's Story

2010-03-30T14:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday while I was floating around the blogoshpere I popped onto Design Mom for a bit. For the duration of her pregnancy she has been posting readers' birthing stories. You can find them all here. I thought, "what the hell, I'll submit Maddie's birthing story." For those of you who don't know, my Maddie was not a planned pregnancy. I'm very open about it and despite the opinions of others, I feel there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Although she was a surprise (to say the least!), she was and is loved and cherished beyond measure. So here is my story:

My pregnancy happened by surprise. I was twenty-five, dating my boyfriend for a little over a year, and getting ready to finish my BA. The last thing I planned on was getting pregnant. But two little lines on a pregnancy test abruptly changed my life FOREVER. When I saw the results my heart sank, and I uttered “Oh my God…” All these thoughts came rushing at once: What do I do? My life is OVER! How do we tell our parents? We are not financially prepared for this! And then there was a thought. The thought. I could get an abortion. And yet, despite my liberal views I knew I couldn't’t do it. I knew abortion would be something I would regret my entire life. And I am so glad I chose her. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for my daughter.
Unfortunately in the last four weeks of my pregnancy I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. My doctor prescribed total bedrest and a scheduled induction at thirty-nine weeks. At that point I was so swollen, tired, and uncomfortable bed rest seemed like a three week spa vacation!
The night before my delivery her father and I could hardly sleep. All I could think was, “Tomorrow you will meet your baby! Tomorrow you are going to have an actual human come out of your body! Holy crap! Come. out. of. my. body. ACK!”
At 6AM, November 11th, 2002 I was induced. Some parts were good (hearing the gallop of her heart beat.) Some parts were not so good (the attempts to place a catheter between her head and my uterus before I got my epidural. YOWZA!) But then I got the news from my doctor, my baby was showing signs of distress. They would have to attempt the fetal catheter again to monitor her heart rate more closely. And just as they inserted the catheter it happened. Her heart rate dropped, and continued to drop. That heart beat that I found so soothing before was now bringing me to tears. It was so slow. That gallop had turned into trot. Alarms were buzzing, people rushing into my room, my doctor yanking wires out of monitors to transfer me into the operating room for an emergency c-section, and all I could do was sob and think, “I have come too far to lose my baby!” Her father stood there in shock as a nurse shoved a smock into his hands so he could join me in the OR. My mom, a nurse, tried to soothe me words of encouragement. My dad just burst into tears.
My doctor, God bless her, stayed calm through the entire ordeal. And after what seemed like forever my new daughter was pulled out from my stomach at 1:40PM. All I could think was, “Please let me hear her scream. Please let me hear her scream. If she screams it means she’s breathing.” And scream she did! The baby that was so distressed scored a ten on her APGAR. She was healthy; she was perfect. And she was a blessing. She may not have been planned, but my little Madeleine Kay was one of the best “things” to ever happen to me. For that I am thankful. Thankful for her and thankful I didn’t make a different choice.

To summarize the ending, her father and I split two years later. We weren't right for each other. Todd and I reunited a while later (we dated in high school. Makes for a great story when people ask how we met!.) Five years, one wedding, another baby, and two dogs later here we are. Maddie's father has also remarried. They are expecting their baby this fall. He and I share 50/50 custody. For me, I am blessed that Maddie was so young when Todd and I started dating. When it came time to introduce and integrate her into our relationship we took it slooooow. But all of her memories include him. In her eyes, Toddy has always been there. I love that. There was no awkward adjustment, no fears of losing Mama to a new man. We were fortunate.

I am open with this story because I want to show people unplanned pregnancies can and do have happy endings. With my pregnancy came unimaginable responsibility, but it also came with a love and a passion for another human being that I never knew existed.

And for the record, I am still a die-hard pro-choice advocate. Just because I didn't choose abortion doesn't mean I don't approve of a woman's right to choose. I feel fortunate that I had that choice available to me. It is not only a personal decision, it is also a choice based on timing and life circumstances. I had a job, I had medical insurance, I had the support of both of our families and our friends. Not everyone is so fortunate. My choice would have been dramatically different had I been an eighteen year old, unemployed college student.

Thanks for letting me share my story and my thoughts!

The Insanity of It All

2010-03-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

This year it feels as though my life is like a runaway train of activity. We have so much going on that it is mind-boggling. I am taking four classes and my fifth begins tonight. Ugh! Seriously, what was I thinking?!?! Granted these are digital media and photography classes. Therefore they carry less academic weight. But that just means I have to take more classes to officially qualify as a part time student. It feels as if I am constantly juggling a variety of tasks. Schoolwork, housework, childcare, dog care, and, oh yeah...I think I have a husband in the mix of all that! Suffice to say, between my education and Maddie's I am eagerly anticipating summer vacation.

Speaking of the kids, they are doing great. Maddie just got her report card and scored some awesome grades. Such good news!! As a mom, few things make you feel as good as knowing your child is doing well in school, both academically and socially. She struggled for a while there, completing her classwork on time. But after a few changes in her diet and with our home routine, she is now working hard in class. This year Maddie told us she wanted to participate in the science fair. After some deliberation she chose volcanoes as the focus of her project. Together we built a volcano (lots of great links out there on the web!) and then studied the three different types of volcanoes. Last semester's Geology class came in very handy for this project. Nice to put my education to good use. It was a lot more work than I anticipated! I now know why people groan when they hear the words "science project"!
Lucas turned one a couple on months ago. He is such a charmer! Everywhere we go people just ooh and aah over him. He then seals the deal by flashing a smile and those darling dimples, and then they just melt. We like to say "it's a good thing he is so cute"; it compensates (somewhat) for how much trouble he gets into. He is into EVERYTHING! Constantly! The kid has a plethora of toys, but why play with them when there are so many forbidden objects around the house (ie. frames, books, magazines, the cable box, cabinets, remote controls). His walking is slowly progressing into running and his vocabulary is growing. Not surprising he has learned the word "no" already. And the temper... Hell hath no fury like Lucas when he can't have his way. The flailing. The arching. The screaming. Oh my! I shudder to think of what year two brings! Todd and I have an adults only vacation planned this fall with our good friends Ryan and Jamie. I think that may just be our saving grace this year :)! A little escape to Maui should do us some good. A week of drinking, relaxing, and drinking some more will be a welcome respite. I can't wait! Aaahhh....Hawaii....

We bought a new tent trailer last month. Todd really wanted it for our trip to Yellowstone. The thought of sleeping on the ground (on an air mattress, I can't rough it that much!) did not appeal to him. Therefore the tent trailer seemed to be a good option. Still rustic, yet we are off of the ground. Plus it will make future camping trips a lot easier. Now all we have to do is pack food and clothes. I can't wait to try it out!!!

A Third Party In My Bed

2009-12-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

Todd I were super-excited to have our bed returned to normal after Lucas arrived. No more cumbersome preggo Buddha belly between us. No more sleeping with multiple pillows to support the aforementioned belly. Ahhh…bedtime harmony restored! Tilly would occasionally bunk with us at night. But she is tiny and gets down the moment she begins to feel warm.
At night we would hunker down in bed to watch TV, Todd, Tilly, and I. We tried to encourage Roman to join us but he would have none of it. We felt guilty about the snuggle-time he was missing out on. Yes, I know he is a dog and could probably give a damn. But the stabs of guilt coupled with his sad brown doggy eyes was more than we could bear. We tried lugging his unwilling, heavy body up onto our bed (which for the record is about four feet high) only to have him fight us every step of the way, fall to the floor, and scramble under the bed to curse his stupid pet humans.
Finally one night we got him into bed. We. Created. A. Monster. Now that he has experienced the joy that is a pillow-top mattress there is no removing him. A typhoon could hit our bed and he would not move. And personal space? No such thing for our velcro canine! His favorite spot is wedged between Todd and me.
Yes, I know, we did this to ourselves. And to be honest I really don’t mind. On nights when Todd is working late it is nice to have to “someone” to keep me warm. Yes he smells like dog and licks his butt, but the doggy snuggles more than make up for it.
Let’s face it this dog has a whipped!

Making the Cut

2009-12-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

Lukey got his first haircut a couple of weeks ago. The kid was blessed with a great head of hair when he was born. Everyone tsk, tsked it would fall out, but that never happened. All he had was a bald patch from rubbing his head on the carseat. No infant balding for this kid. And then it grew. And. Grew. I knew it was getting long. As I poured water over his head in the bath it would cascade to his shoulders. Hmmm… maybe it’s time I thought. I certainly never wanted him to look Celine Dion’s kid! But then I would procrastinate. After all, he is just a baby. Until one day when Todd and I were shopping at Michael's. Lucas was in his stroller, looking all dapper wearing his “Little Brother” shirt. Todd waited (and silently cursed himself for coming along) while I meandered. Women approached him because who can resist a dad and his smiling baby? He beamed with pride until they told him “what a cute little girl” he had. The I got the look. The look that says, “Dude!!! Give the kid a haircut and call it a day! No one calls my SON a girl!”
Auntie Courtney did the honors. She is a hairdresser and a mom. Therefore she knows how to be fast and patient, yet able to cut in a straight line. To have Auntie Court do the first haircut made it a lot more meaningful as well. It is always fun to share these moments with someone special.
Lucas was a great “client”. He sat patiently in his booster seat and noshed on his puffs. No tears, no hysterics. It was so fun to watch. My little man getting his first big boy haircut. The little ham even posed for the “after” photo!

Can those bangs be any longer?!

The finished product:

I am a Gleek

2009-11-29T21:19:00.000-08:00

It's what people are now calling avid fans of the Fox TV show, "Glee". I heart Glee! These days I find myself counting down to Wednesday just so I can watch it. This is a far cry from my college days. Several years ago I eagerly anticipated the drinking bargains at Riley's on Wednesday nights. Now I just get giddy over television. Sad but true.

Anyhoo, I just bought the Volume I soundtrack. Love, love, love it!!! I highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of the show. Even the kids enjoy it. I caught Luke bouncing and clapping along to track 1, "Don't Stop Believin'". So if you have $13 to burn and enjoy catchey music, pop into Target and grab a copy!

Catching Up

2009-11-29T10:08:00.000-08:00

Wow! Two months have already passed since my last post. Damn, time really flies. Life has been a whirlwind since school began for both Maddie and me. First grade suits her well. We just had our first parent-teacher conference a week ago. She is meeting all of her benchmarks and has lots of friends. She is a bit of a dreamer though. Unfortunately this leads to several bits of unfinished work that can easily pile up. I get it though. It’s the artist in her. I have been known to be the same way. Only difference is she is soooo MUCH worse. But Mrs. Maher told us Maddie is very empathetic to the feelings of others, very kind, and is considerate. Honestly, I would rather she excel in empathy and be somewhat of a daydreaming lollygagger. You can’t teach empathy like you can the Three R’s. This is not to say we aren’t holding her accountable for her unfinished work. I requested the teacher add some of it added on to her homework. Maddie is not a fan of this solution, but then again that’s the point. Despite the lollygagging and daydreaming I am very proud of my sweet little girl. I love that she thinks of others. I can’t say you always find that quality in people these days….
A lot has happened since my last post. Luke has grown TONS! He is cruising everywhere. Nothing is sacred in our home these days. If it is within his reach it is fair game in his eyes. OY! Like his older sister, Luke is quite the social butterfly. He will readily flash those dimples to anyone who gives him an ounce of attention. He finally got his first haircut a week ago. It was getting ridiculously long (just ask Papa!) and everyone thought he was a girl (even when he wore his “Little Brother” shirt.) Now he looks like such a big boy. Luke is too smart for his own good. He seems to figure EVERYTHING out. He will watch you do something once and then he seems to pick it up. Keeps me on my toes that’s for sure!
Madeleine turned seven this month. SEVEN! Where does the time go?! She is such a good-natured little girl (most of the time…) often offering to share with her family. She is an amazing big sister. It still surprises how well she has adjusted to having a little brother. I think she loves having a real-live baby that she can pick up and tote around (no matter how much me protests.) Thursdays she looks forward to having dinner at Nana and Papa’s after Mom gets out of class. And the weekends bring overwhelming joy when she gets to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.
I am taking two classes this semester because I am a glutton for punishment. It’s not like I didn’t already have my hands full in SAHM-dom. And my sanity? Do I really need to keep it? Although stressful it keeps my mind fresh. I think without it I might get a little mentally mushy. So I am taking courses to finish my BA and photography/visual communications courses. Sort of nice to get some “me” time.
Todd is busy working and helping me not go crazy. He is such a good dad/bonus-dad. He really steps up to the plate and does what it takes to give our children a good family oriented foundation. He and I manage to get some dates in here and there. Although we enjoy the rugrats it is great to spend time as a couple. Plus we love getting out and visiting friends. As a result, his days off are a complete whirlwind for us. Cleaning the house, visiting with friends and family, taking the kids places.
As you can see, I am finally settling into my role as a SAHM. Waking up to my son’s poopy mess has now become the norm for me. I still have not made it glamorous or easy (if anything I less glam now. ACK!) But I still keep trying and the adventures still keep coming my way.

Crawling, First Grade, College, and More Crawling...

2009-09-04T09:01:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe how quickly time has passed since my last post. Lately it feels as if we are simply passengers on the Bullet Train of life, watching everything zip by. Maddie started first grade at the end of last month. My baby is in first grade! When she started kindergarten it was heart-wrenching. She had become a full-fledged kid, running down the hallway at school into the open arms of her teacher (whom we LOOOOOOVED!!!!) It was both sad and exciting to see her grow up. Fast forward to first grade and the excitement is palpable: my child is going to be in school ALL DAY LONG! The world is my oyster, I now have six hours to get stuff done! Ya-hoo!!! That excitement is dampened somewhat by the fact that I have a very busy seven-month-old who seems to be magnetically attracted to anything that is off-limits (consequently, once it is in his possession the item inevitably makes its way into his mouth.)

Now that Luke is crawling and getting into who knows what and Maddie's school load has quadrupled, I figured this was the perfect time to spread myself even thinner and try to wrap up that bachelor's degree I began eons ago. In my defense I took a break after my grandpa passed away, got pregnant, and then changed my major (as a result I had to do almost all of my upperdivision over.) Plus squeezing in college between Maddie and work was its own unique challenge. So here we are... I am taking a geology class online, geology lab, and a photo class for fun. And by-the-way, can I tell you how OLD I feel going to school with a bunch of baby-faced kids fresh out of high school? We were discussing the effects of earthquakes/plate tectonics in my geology lab when I looked around and had what Oprah calls an "a-ha moment". These kids were not even a zygote when we had had the last "big one" (Loma Prieda, 1989). UGH!!! At thirty-two I don't feel old, but to these kids I am. Their biggest worry is whether that cute boy in biology will text or MySpace them, meanwhile I'm at home trying to dust off my algebra skills (circa 1997) for a geology equation while simultaneously prying an electrical cord from my son's mouth. But with age comes wisdom and a confidence that I did not have my first time in college. And with that age and wisdom comes a, I guess you would call it, smugness. Life has taught me all kinds of lessons that they have yet to learn. I now know that while getting your heart broken may seem like the end of the world, it really isn't. Having children will teach you a love you never knew existed and that miracles really do exist. Being married is soooo much better than dating. Life won't wait for you, so make the most of it while you're here. While I do miss the carefree days of my youth, I certainly wouldn't trade it for what I have now.

Maddie-kins

2009-08-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

Little Fish in Swimming Lessons

First Wednesday Street Fair After a Rare June Rain

Photoshoot in Tahoe

Enjoying Soft Serve at the County Fair

Puppy Love

I can't begin to express how much I love you Maddie-kins. You were my first. All of my Mommy adventures began with you. Thanks for teaching me how precious the title, Mama is.

Milestones

2009-08-14T22:09:00.001-07:00

Unless you have worked in special education or the medical field developmental milestones in a baby/toddler may not be a tremendous concern. A thought it the back of your mind? Definitely. But something you think about everyday? Maybe not. With Maddie I didn't read too much into them. Her dad, who works in the medical field? Totally different story. Always looking for milestone achievement.

Several years later when I got a job in special education I began to realize how vital these milestones were. Consequently I have turned into one of those nutjobs who is aways on the lookout for milestone achievement. Omigod?! Did he coo at two months?! Did he sit up at four months?! Is he social and responding to my voice?! Suffice to say, they have become a mini-source of anxiety for me at Luke's well-baby check ups. The nurse and doctor ask me the usual barrage of questions and I answer with bated breath, eagerly waiting for his progress report. Is he development on track? Are we meeting, exceeding, or behind in development. Tell me! TELL ME!!!! HOW IS MY CHILD?!?! Clearly Todd is the calm, level-headed person in this relationship (ie. the normal one.)

At his six month check up we were told Luke is doing great and meeting all of his milestones. Apparently all the dog hair he had ingested during the first six months of life had not been to his detriment. PHEW!

Honestly though, I am so grateful his development is on track. It is a tremendous blessing to have a wee one that is thriving.

So this is where Luke is right now with his development: he is crawling, has begun to pull himself up, has started to throw little temper tantrums when he can't have what he wants (I swear between these three things alone my last shred of sanity is coming to a screeching halt), he says "da da", "ma ma", "ba", & "la", he is obsessed with the remote control (clearly he is his father's son!), is curious about EVERYTHING (the best way to explore anything is to put it in his mouth, his favorites items being being flip flops and electrical cords), and he love love loves to flirt (yup, totally his father's son.) Right now he is infatuated with his sister (who dotes on him constantly unless something better is on TV), the dogs (patient despite all the hair pulling and climbing, I guess this makes up for them being assholes the other 80% of the time), and the outdoors (can't get enough of the trees. Yay! Mama's got herself a little green tree hugger :)!!) He is finally beginning to nap. He was not too fond of them the first four to five months. I got the newborn that would stay awake for four to six hours, take a ten minute catnap, and then wake up (it was rough!) Now the dishes can actually be washed or I can waste a lot of time on the computer.

I cannot believe time has passed us by so quickly. It feels like yesterday he was my beefy 9 pound newborn wanting to be held constantly. Now I have a six month old who would rather crawl and put germ-laden shoes in his mouth rather than be confined in my arms.

Golden Shower and a Caffeine Delay

2009-08-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Not the way I really wanted to begin my day. But it is what it is. For the record, despite having kids I am one of those people that needs to ease into my morning. Ease into it verrrrrrry slooooooooowllllllly. Thank the good lord above I married someone who has the same morning needs. This is key for a successful marriage. Trust me, I have tried it with a morning person. UGH! The happiness! The AM joy! It took all of my strength not tell him to go fuck himself. Anyway, I digress. Where was I? Right. This morning. First I wake up to very poopy diaper. Which I proceeded to migrate onto my hands when I tried to clean it up. Now, I may not have gagged like other people (TODD!), but really, the thought of fecal matter on my hands first thing in the morning does not appeal to me. Call me crazy, but it just doesn't. After I finished wiping the aforementioned poo from my son's butt the diaper came unfurled. Now, as you all know, when a "Number 2" diaper (filled with "Number 2" wipes!) becomes unrolled it is no easy feat to re-roll it into the neat little hockey puck you began with. Especially with shit on your hands. Combine this with me: have not had so much as a drop of coffee and mentally functioning at a pre-school level. Therefore I gave up and just dumped the entire mess into the garbage can (no, not an inside garbage can. All Number 2's go into the garage. We are old skool here people. No Diaper Genie. Such rebels we are!)

Since my hands were tainted I just laid the unfolded diaper over Luke's necessary parts while I disposed of the hazardous waste. I can hear the collective sigh from all of the "boy-moms" out there. They know where this is going and at this point are probably wondering if I have not learned the boys-and-their-parts-being-exposed-to-fresh-air lesson. Yes, I did learn that lesson. Many times in fact. That is why I tried to cover the parts. It was only for a moment! Really! I just needed to throw out the diaper and wash the poo off of my hands. Unfortunately I am not talented enough to hold my poo hand in the air as I pin my son down and deftly change his diaper with one hand. I missed that class on parenting.

Just as I returned Luke pulled the diaper off, felt the cool morning air upon his goods, and doused himself, the Boppy, and the porta-crib in a golden shower. Since he was on his back he sprayed directly at his face. Poor kid had to squeeze his eyes shut and turn his head to avoid hitting himself in the eye. Might as well start setting aside money for the therapy that looms in his future. I can see it now:

Over Priced Therapist: "Can you tell me where your anger towards women and relationships stems from?"

Traumatized Luke: "Why yes. My mother missed the class on one-handed-diaper-changing and consequently almost blinded me with my own urine. It has all been down hill since then, Doc."

At this point I assessed the damage and, to be honest, it didn't look too bad. I began to think, "maybe I can clean this off with a wipe and wait until after I finish my coffee to give him a bath." But as gave his backside a once over (and contemplated the over-priced therapist's reaction to that little nugget of a childhood memory) I realized a bath was imminent. Although the front looked good, the pee had apparently shot over his head and ran down his back. Both head and shirt were soaked.

Let's review the first three minutes of my morning:

* I put my hands in shit

*My son showered himself in piss

*In addition to college I now have to start saving for my son's overpriced therapist because he almost blinded himself and it WAS ALL MY FAULT!

*My mental capacity is somewhere at a three year old level since I STILL HAVE NOT HAD ANY CAFFEINE!

*I now have to give Luke a bath because he is covered in his own bodily fluids.

All I have to say is thank God pee is sterile!

Tana-Banana

2009-08-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

It's my own unique nickname for our adorable niece, Tana. She is now nine months old and is growing super-fast. While trying to hone my photog skills I have been looking for subjects other than my own two darling rugrats. After spending some time in the pool last weekend Tana gave me an impromptu photo session. We all had a blast, except for the other swimmers. They were subjected to a HORRIBLE view of my butt, clad only in a bathing suit while being thrown in the air as I crouched down on all fours while I shot some pix. I am not sure that is a view even my husband could love (and I can't say I blame him!)

Here are the shots I took. Some of them have been Photoshopped with the House of Three supplies I received while taking my Jessica Sprague class (she rocks and her classed are very user-friendly.)

Here are a couple of before and after with some of the Photoshop effects:

Before:

After:

And finally, here is my favorite. I love, love, love this shot!

She is such a sweetheart. I feel so blessed to have and her parents in my life. I heart them. The only thing I was not able to capture was her "cougar growl". She will crawl on all fours and give this growl deep in her throat. It is the most hysterical thing to watch! The perfect Chewbacca impression. That is soooooo going to come back to haunt her during her teen years!

All Hail Betsey Johnson

2009-08-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

She is by far one of my favorite shoe designers. Her shoes actually make me swoon! I am one of those people who believe that the shoes make the outfit. Even Todd has commented on this when I have worn "boring" shoes. I even wore four inch fuscia stillettos under my wedding dress. I bought my first pair of "Betsey's" for my 3oth birthday. It was a gift to myself. The leopard! The rhinestones! They were fun and fabulous. Oooooh how I love those shoes!!! Seriously, they are one of the things I would grab in case of a fire. Yes, I know they are shoes. But there are shoes, and then there are shoes. These are shoes. Anyhoo, since leaving a good paying job to work in public school I took an extremely painful paycut. As a result, the shoe fetish had to be tamed a little. It's not the money it's the personal reward you get from working with children, right? That's what I kept repeating to myself at least (truth be told, it was very fulfilling, even without all of the extra shoe funds.) Fast forward to now, my shoe slush fund is non-existent since I no longer work outside of the home. I had to sacrifice "things" for quality time with my kids. I just have to repeat that "personal fulfillment" mantra when I find myself leaving a trail of drool through the Nordstrom shoe department (which is best just to avoid at all costs.)

Todd is a groomsman in a rather formal wedding this month. I was hoping to fit into a fabulous dress that has been patiently waiting in my closet for the perfect debut. But, SIGH!, my body is not quite ready for the dress(read: still has its fair share of post-baby lumps and bumps.) Therefore I am left with a simple black cocktail dress (that also camouflages all those flaws I am still working on.) I was bummed about the whole dress issue (not to mention the post-baby bod!) But Super-Hubby to the rescue! Todd was kind enough to buy me a fabulously sassy pair of Betsey's that I had been coveting as a consolation prize.Seriously ladies, how many of you can say your hubby bought you sexy designer shoes?!?! Sorry, still giddy and I had to gloat. For one night I will get to feel like Cinderella and not a frumpy SAHM.

How a Baby Can Bring a Man to His Knees With a Single Bowel Movement

2009-08-05T13:31:00.001-07:00

Todd got his first, shall we say, "explosive diaper" the other day. No leakage, just insanely FULL. Please keep in mind that Luke is now six months old and Dad has only had to change a few number twos. For some reason I am the fortunate one who finds the poop.

But while I am upstairs all I can hear is, "OH MY GOD!!!! You have got to see this! HOLY SHIT!!!"

I pear downstairs, "Why yes, Todd, that is a poopy diaper." I have seen enough in my lifetime to not be impressed, no matter what the magnitude of poop is. I have had my "fill" so-to-speak.

Then I begin to hear gagging. Gagging people! "Are you gagging?!?!"

Disgruntled Husband: "Yes! This is disgusting!"

Bemused Wife: "O.K., for the record, when you are at work and discover a dead body you don't gag?"

DH: "Nope." Gag...

BW: "And when you are at work and see brain matter sprayed against a wall doesn't bother you?"

DH: "No." Gag...

BW: "But your own son's poop, which is 50% genetically your poop, bothers you?"

DH: "Yup." Gag...

BW: "O.K., just checking."

I can't believe poo is what brought my strong, brave husband to his knees. This is why women give birth.

We Took a Family Vacation...

2009-08-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

...and now I think it is safe to say we need a vacation from our kids. Love 'em like crazy, but it was a lot of togetherness. Todd and I took the kids to his parents' cabin in Tahoe for five days. Then we came home and less than 24 hours later took off for another five days of camping in Big Sur. To answer your question, yes, we are certifiably nuts. But in our defense it makes life so much more entertaining! And the amount of crap we had to drag along. My GOD! I felt like we were the Joads, loading all of our worldly possessions into our jalopy (only without the jalopy.) Camping required us to take both of our cars. Fortunately, our recently purchased tent trailer should alleviate this predicament in the future.

Tahoe had some amazing weather. Days in the 80s and nights in the 60s. Rare, but oh-so-nice when you can get it. We packed our days full of activities in hopes of burning out the kids. Our first night there we visited and dined with some of Mike and Gail's Tahoe-Donner compadres. After dinner the lighting was just perfect for some photo ops of Maddie. Unfortunately she was not a willing subject. Apparently the grass in the field was "itchy" and there were "too many bugs". I mean, c'mon! The lighting and scenery could not get any better and she turned me down flat! According to my mother the apple does not fall far from the tree and I have only myself to blame for her aversion to insects. Damn! I hate it when she's right.

The two good shots I got of the weed and bug hater:

Anyhoo, we also visited the pool, took Maddie on her annual pony ride at the Tahoe-Donner stables (Todd even humored me and agreed to a trail ride for the two of us), and we took Maddie for a bike ride along the Truckee River. I was even able to finish reading a book while we were there! Really how, often does that happen when you have two kids. And I'll be honest, it was nice to have the help of my gracious in-laws. Mike took Luke one morning to feed him and told me to sleep in. Sleep. In. People. I could have thrown myself at his feet and cried. For the sake of my dignity and his embarrassment, I said thank you instead and returned to the warm haven of my bed. Sleep! Glorious sleep!

Naptime

Three Generations of Cat Nappers

After five days we returned home to prepare for our next adventure the following day. This would prove the more daring of the two. Most people thought we were nuts. Camping? With a BABY?!? But we figured why the hell not give it a try. We have to break the kid in sometime if we are going to hoof it up to Yellowstone next summer. We were confident that Luke would do fine. Although I will admit, a very small and faint voice said, "What if he becomes hysterical in the middle of the night, and you have to hide in the car to in hopes of muffling the merciless screaming? And everyone in the campground hates you and begins to protest. Then we are ejected from the park in the middle of the night, only to scurry home where we hide under the covers in shame and embarrassment because all of the people at the campground are saying, "I can't believe they brought a baby camping! Didn't anybody warn them? Seriously, what were they thinking?!" Fortunately for us and our fellow campers said situation did not happen. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Luke did GREAT! He loved the trees, the scenery, the fresh air, and being with so may people (especially the kids).

Our friends, the Smiths, joined us.
After camping with them last summer we decided it needed to be an annual thing. For the record, we eat good while camping. I even whipped up some of my Martha Stewart mashed potatoes (they really are to-die-for!) Later that night, we discovered our potato peels were a hit with the skunks. Yes, you read that right. Skunks. There are no bears in Big Sur, but there is quite the skunk population. Personally, I do not care to have a battle of wills with bears or skunks. Both can quite deadly in their own unique ways. So we made a quiet pact with the skunks: you stay on your side of the tent, we'll stay on our side, and no one goes home smelling worse than when they arrived. After that incident, we also remembered to dispose of the garbage every night. The kids had a blast running around, playing in the dirt (especially after taking a shower. They looked like Pigpen with a cloud of dust following in their wake!) We spent an afternoon at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (which is quite the hotspot in the summer, unfortunately. So much for going on a weekday), and another at Andrew Molera State Park. Love, love, loved the jellyfish exhibit at the aquarium. Great photo-ops! Despite all of the fun we had, it was nice to get home and wash the dirt off in my own shower that did require the wearing of flip flops while bathing.

Andrew Molera State Park

Just Another Stinky Boy

2009-07-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yup. That's my son. Just another stinky boy.
Let me back up just a little. We started the day with a refreshing bath and then headed out to the local farmers' market. We were greeted with sweltering temps that were in the low 100s. I was not anticipating that type of heat, and apparently neither were my fellow shoppers. We all were audibly complaining of the mind-numbing heat. It was enough to put you into a sweat-soaked coma. After our heat laden shopping excursion we came home for Luke's nap. Post nap we went to my in-laws to pick up the last of our frozen goods (the delivery man eventually arrived with our much-celebrated refrigerator.) Unfortunately most of the day was not spent lounging next to the air conditioning. When we got home I pulled my sweaty boy out of his car seat, and, wait, WHAT IS THAT FUNK? No. Really. What the hell stinks?! My sweet angel baby smells like sweaty gym socks?
Yes, I know babies sweat and sweat doesn't always smell good. But when it's your baby you just don't expect a funk to be oozing from his every pore. Babies are supposed to smell like lotion and sugary sweetness, not some old P.E. clothes that were shoved in the back of a teenagers locker for six months! i don't ever recall Maddie smelling this way. And trust me, there were plenty of summer days where she too was a bundle of slippery sweat.
Therefore I have come to the conclusion that it's because he is a boy. Not to offend the menfolk out there, but boys are stinky. Now, before any of the aforementioned boys gets their panties in a bunch let me state that, yes, for the record, girls can be stinky too. I will be the first to acknowledge that I do not smell like roses first thing in the morning. Shocking I know, but oh so true. As women, we generally smell good (or at least decent) 80-90% of the time. This is basically because we would be mortified if anyone referred to us as "stinky". It is just expected that we smell good. Just look at all of the yummy smelling products we use: deodorant, perfumes, lotions, bodysoaps, hairspray, blah, blah, blah.
Even our male dog smells a lot worse than our female dog. He is faaaaaaaaaaar more gaseous, and he too just has a FUNK. Can't quite put my finger on it, but there is always a stink about him.
Despite this, I LOVE my boys, stink and all. And on the next triple digit day I won't be quite so alarmed when my baby smells like boys locker room rather than a pink bottle of Johnson's and Johnson's.

Waiting...

2009-07-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last four hours waiting for our refrigerator to be delivered. I swear, this is akin to waiting for the Comcast guy. Only I can survive without cable (well...sort of...) We are living out of coolers in our kitchen and all of my frozen goods are habituating in my in-laws' freezer right now. Therefore if I need to thaw out some chicken for dinner I have to drive to the next city to get it. Delivery man, where are you?

As I mentioned in my two previous posts I am making Luke's baby food. It is easier than I thought it would be. Not quite sure what motivated me to make this choice other than I just wanted to give him some organic homemade goodness for his ever-expanding belly. Thus far we have tried oatmeal and rice cereal (those I bought), peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, and beans. I forgot how entertaining solids can be. The look on his face when he tries a new food for the first time. The way his whole face kinda scrunches up and his lips pucker out as if to say, " Holy crap Mom, what is this explosion of flavor you have put in my mouth?!?" Most foods have been a success, with the exception of that too ripe banana that never made it past the second bite. And peas are only tolerated when paired with carrots. Carrots have been his biggest fave by far.

I have been working on some skirts for this summer. I can't wait to post some pix for you. I found a great tutorial on one of my favorite blogs, Grosgrain. Check it out. So easy and cheap. I got a couple bargain yards ($5!) at one of my favorite quilt shops, Quilter's Inn. Ooooh, I feel like a Mastercard commercial.

Fabric: $5

Elastic: $.25

Thread: $2

Feeling sassy in your new summer skirt, PRICELESS!

It appears my blogging time is up, I have a bored six year old who wants to play.

Oh Crap!

2009-07-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Why is it the fridge has to go out right after you have pureed two and half weeks worth of baby food (that took about four hours to complete start to finish), you have just bought two cases of ribs for your camping trip and you are in the middle of a heat wave? If you have any answers for me I would loooooooooooove to hear them!
SIGH.....

Yikes!

2009-07-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

It has been far too long since my last post. As usual time got away from me. Life is so different with two kids. The days slip by much faster than I would like. But I need to try and set aside some time for blogging every few days. If I just get in the habit...

The kids are getting so big. Maddie has graduated onto first grade. She is enjoying the freedom that summer brings. She spent four weeks in swimming lessons and loved every splish-splashing minute of it. That time in the pool has turned her into our little brown girl. Aside from swimming lessons, Maddie's summer has consisted of walks to ice cream, visits to her grandparents' houses, crafty art projects, reading, and playing. Sigh...what a life!

Luke is now five months. FIVE MONTHS! He is so flippin' big. We call him our moose. He says da-da, is trying to figure out that whole crawling business, and is now eating solids. He was not a fan of peas, but has found them to be tolerable when mixed with carrots. He also loves his sweet potatoes. He is a very good eater. Baby food is a lot easier to make than I had anticipated. Lucas is a very happy baby most of the time. Although if he is tired all bets are off. He has an ugly side when he is tired (just like his mama!) With his constant smile and willingness to charm just about anyone people flock to him. I have been blessed to have two kids who are gregarious babies.

I have been busy working on the backyard, cleaning house, taking care of children and dogs, going to the gym, learning some fabulous new tricks with Photoshop, and trying to squeeze in some crafting time when I can get it. Nothing ever feels 100% done or completed. But I think that is how life is when you have two youngsters who need a lot of attention. Now if I could just learn to accept that... How did June Cleaver do it? And while wearing pearls no less!

Todd is busy working and helping around the house on his days off. We try to cram in as much as we can when he is home. As long as he can watch the news while drinking his coffee and reading the paper in the morning he is happy. We did have a date day in the Napa Valley a week ago. It was so nice, just the two of us.

We are looking forward to our visit to Tahoe and summer camping trip to Big Sur later this month. A couple getaways and some much needed R&R. Not to mention some great photo ops!

The World's Greatest Big Sister

2009-04-27T20:29:00.001-07:00

Luke you are so lucky to have Maddie as your big sister. She loves you sooooo much. Your big sister could quite possibly have been more excited for your arrival than your own parents. And that is saying a lot since you were so big I COULD NOT WAIT TO GET YOU OUT of my stomach during those final few weeks. She began lobbying for a sibling not too long after Daddy and I got engaged. She and Nana were the first two people to find out whether you were a boy or a girl. Maddie was over the moon to hear she was getting a little brother.
You are the first person she greets in the morning after she wakes up. Maddie will creep down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, tip toe into our room and sneak a kiss on your head before she wakes me up for morning TV. And when she leaves for school, she pauses to give you another kiss. It does not matter that your are sleeping, she just wants you to know you are loved. Maddie is so proud of you, boasting to everyone her little brother is "soooo CUTE!"

The tenderness she showers you with never ceases to amaze me. My hope for the two of you is that your love and support for one another continues to grow and blossom. May your bond prevent the rivalry that so many siblings seem to fall victim to. And may the two of you forage a united team, a shoulder to lean on through life's ups and downs. She is the only one who will share your history. The one who will know just HOW crazy your parents are. The only who will be able to laugh with you when you talk about family vacations. The only one who knows how Dad cringes when he hears mom mention the need for a "family day". The only one who will intimately know all of the family traditions you shared throughout your childhood. And the only who will know how good it felt to sit around the evening dinner table while sharing the day's adventures.

The Happiest Sick Baby You Ever Did Meet!

2009-04-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Little Luke is sick with a cold. He is only three months and is already sick for the SECOND time! It is amazing how many more cooties come into the house when you have TWO kids. Especially since one of them visits the mothership of germ warfare five days a week. That "mothership" also goes by the name of kindergarten. Maddie did not get her first cold until ten months. Sigh... the benefit of her being the only child, no strange cooties entering the home in a continuous stream.

And now I have to worry myself sick over swine flu to boot? This may send me over the edge permanently!

Lukey must take after his dad because he sure is not the cranky, incorrigible patient his mom is while is sick. He continues to smile and coo when we hold him or talk to him. If anything, he is even more pleasant while ill. How does that work?!? Not sure and I am not going to challenge it. The kid may be a fussy baby, but pleasant to be around during a cold? I'll take it and run! Fortunately he has only had only one low-grade fever (99 degrees) during this bout of contamination.

But Luke has introduced me to the world of croup. I never had the opportunity to experience this pleasantry with Maddie. Nothing puts panic in your heart like waking to your infant's barking cough at 2am! And for the record, events like this always happen to me when Todd is not home. True to form, he was at work during this event. So Luke and I had a steam party in the bathroom, which we later moved outdoors to the cool night air. The last time I was in a balmy room in the middle of the night was in my twenties and bar hopping. My oh my how things have changed!

Here are some current photos of our little cootie catcher at two and a half months. I am lovin' the fauxhawk! And to answer everyone's main question, no I do not put gel in his hair to get it to stay that way. I just comb it into a fauxhawk after his bath and it stays that way.

Back Off Bitch!

2009-04-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

The dogs and I were lounging in the living room catching up on some of the programs I had saved on our DVR. Tilly abruptly got up and left the room. I heard her thumping around in her crate. A few moments later she returned. As she settled herself down on the floor she nonchalantly dropped a milkbone in between her paws. Then she stared intently at Roman and began to lick the bone, savoring its milky deliciousness. He stared back forlornly, "Why does she have a bone?" She continued to smugly lick her bone and look at him, "Back off bitch! This bone is mine!" This proceeded to continue ALL EVENING LONG! She'd grab her bone, get up, and move somewhere else. A while later do it again. It reminded me of two siblings with candy. One eats their candy right away, enjoying their moment of brief gluttony. The other saves it, only to pull it out later and taunt the other sibling with it. "Mmmm, this candy is sooooo goooood. Too bad you already ate YOURS!" Who knew dogs were capable of intentional torture!

Mama's Love

2009-04-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

It was one of those days. The kind where you just begin to feel overwhelmed, over stimulated, and over being a parent. Luke had woken himself up (read Mom and Dad) several times throughout the night. I returned from the gym and began working on a garden project when he began to fuss and wail. SIGH....yet another project put on the back burner. Before you think, "What a horrible mother!" let me set the stage. My house is a disaster. You caught a glimpse of Maddie's room in the previous post. I have yet to scratch the surface of that monstrosity. I have laundry in three stages: needs to be washed, needs to be folded, and needs to be put away. The "needs-to-be-put-away" pile is currently gracing my dining room table. I have plants in their original pots that are waiting to be planted in my backyard before they die. My house needs to be vacuumed from Sunday's get together. In the kitchen, the dishes need to be washed, the floor has enough dog hair on it to actually breed another dog, and the dishwasher is patiently waiting to be unloaded. And my dogs are in dire need of a walk. All I want is to check ONE F-ING THING OFF OF MY TO DO LIST!!! Argh!

I bitterly load Lucas into the Baby Bjorn to calm him down and decide to take Tilly for a walk. Hopefully my tired, fussy boy will take a nap while I walk. As we start off I am still so irritated at having to leave yet another project half completed.

We begin to walk our normal route. And as I stroll onto the trail and cross the creek that leads to downtown I hear a rustle in the water, something begins to move under the cement bridge! Then I see rapid motion in the water. I can't believe it! A gaggle of ducklings. They are ushered and chastised by their mother, "QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!! Can't you see there is a human and big white beast headed in our direction?! HIDE! HIDE! QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!" As we get closer one more duckling darts out, followed by several more. Finally out comes the other mama. She is vehemently quacking at them now and scurrying them along with her wing. It was an amazing scene to watch unfold. A lot of you may think, "Uh, big deal, they were just ducks, dude!" But catching a glimpse of the maternal instinct in wild animals is what struck me. Watching a mother care for her young, wrapping her body around them and urging them along. This inherent need to care and ensure the safety of your child. It is alive in ALL mothers, not just humans. Watching this made me think, "Surely I can deal with, if not embrace taking my child on walk to ensure his peace of mind. The chores will be there when I get home, and there is always tomorrow."

This is what we do as mothers. The sacrifices we must not only make, but embrace. If we do not embrace them, surely they will eat us alive. We all have things that we want/need to get accomplished throughout the course of the day. And when they are not checked off of our to-do list and begin to pile up, we feel the frustration and strain of motherhood. Being pulled in two directions. Providing love and support to your children, yet maintaining a home and family. But in the end the children always win. And that is the way it should be. Because there will be a time when they no longer need me as much. Although it feels like it will be eons from now, this time will pass me by a lot quicker than I realize. Those ducks reminded of the importance of a mama's love.

By the way, when I finished my walk I came home to a clean kitchen. Todd unloaded the dishwasher, cleaned the counters, and washed the dishes. That, my friends, is a hubby's love! Awww...

Operation Shock & Awe

2009-04-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

This must what your house looks like after the cops conduct drug raid! WOW! It is amazing the mess five kids can make in the course of a few hours. Talk about leaving no stone unturned!

We had several friends and their kids over for dinner Sunday night and this was the wake of destruction that was left behind. In case your are wondering, this used to be Maddie's room. Now, I know her room is under here somewhere! I have to tell you, I don't really mind the mess. I know this is what happens when you get a gaggle of kids together. The way I see it, now that all of the toys have been unearthed I can go through and purge the ones that are never played with.

On Monday Todd and I went to San Francisco for the day. It was our first "date day" since the arrival of Luke. The funny this is, it took more effort to get doggie daycare than it did childcare. And while on our date we received a phone call. One of the phone calls all parents dread while out on a date. The kind that makes you think, "Oh crap! Do we have to cut our excursion short and rescue a child from immanent danger?!" Only this call was not for our child, it was for our DOG! Roman had to learn the hard way that it is best to leave bumble bees alone lest you get stung. Fortunately the little bugger was not allergic so we did not have to rush home.

As we were getting ready for date day, Todd and I began to think it was becoming more trouble than it was worth. Aside from arranging dog care and child care, we also had to load an arsenal of Luke supplies for Grandma and Grandpa. It felt like we were preparing for forty days and night on Noah's Ark!

Two outfits - check!

Four bottles - check!

Formula for four bottles - check!

Boatload of Diapers in case of multiple blowouts - check!

Toys for hours of entertainment and distraction - check!

Two binkies - check

Another binky in case first two fall on germ tainted floor - check!

Burp cloth - check!

Blanket - check!

Plethora of wipes to clean potential massive blowouts - check!

Baby Bjorn to rescue grandparents in case of hysterical meltdown - check!

List complete! Ready to load baby into car. SHIT!!! Forgot the porta-crib!!!

Dash into house with baby and carseat carrier in tow. Dismantle porta-crib and cram into bag.

Porta-crib - check!

Finally! We arrived in The City. I wanted to visit North Beach and take a self guided walking tour. Check out some places we have never been to and get some exercise. I cannot even begin to tell you what a phenomenal day it was in San Francisco! It was 91-friggin' degrees! 91!!! It never gets that hot in The City! I cannot remember the last time it was so hot that I broke a sweat in San Francisco. We had a delicious brunch at Cafe Divine. And it was divine! We hiked to Coit Tower and burned off our meals. That hill and stairs are brutal! My calves hurt just thinking about it. I had never been to the top of the actual tower. With the beautiful weather yesterday was a perfect visit to the top. AMAZING!!! A panoramic view of San Francisco and the bay. Moments like that make me stop and appreciate living in the Bay Area.

After Coit Tower we returned to North Beach and strolled down Columbus Avenue checking out shops and restaurants. We found the most charming candy store, Z Cioccolato. All kinds of candies from my childhood and my mother's childhood. They also make the most decadent fudge (which we sampled of course). The owners are a sweet married couple. Both were there with their six month old son. We spent some time chatting with them about babies, candy and chocolate covered bugs (don't ask!) After our purchase we were on our merry way again.

Next stop was the Transamerica Building. Unfortunately you can no longer visit the top for pure entertainment. You now have to conduct business in the building in order to ride to the top. No fair!We then stumbled upon the Wells Fargo museum and figured, "why not, we're here!" Mildly entertaining.

Before going home I purchased some clothes at the Old Navy flagship store on Market. It felt fabulous to actually look human in regular clothes again. I still have a long way to go before my body is back to normal (or at least as normal as it can be after two babies and c-sections, which let's face it, still leaves a lot to be desired!) But at least clothes FIT. This means I can now take some lighter fluid and a match to my maternity clothes!

Finally we arrived back at the Powell Street station and stumbled onto our train tired, sweaty, and fulfilled. All in all, a great date day in S.F.

Success

2009-04-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am learning to garden. Unbeknownest to me, like cooking, it is an acquired art. I am not a patient person, therefore I struggle with anything that is an "acquired art". Why can't I be like that chick in the Matrix? Someone telepathically sends me all of the information I need to be a pro and shzzam: instant-expert! I guess I have to settle for doing things the old fashioned way through trial and error. As I begin to grasp the conept of gardening I discovered that the one thing I love is watching the fruits of my labor grow and blossom. That is unless one of the dogs decides to dig them up or claim them as theirs by peeing all over them. Those mongrels are lucky we love them so damn much!

Last October during our annual trip to my favorite pumpkin patch Todd and I purchased a climbing rose for our backyard. I fell in love with the colors of Joseph's Coat. The rose was pretty much bare root, hardly any leaves and absolutely no blossoms. After six months of tender loving care it has blossomed (literally and figuratively). As I peek at it every morning I can't help but give myself a mental pat on the back for a job well-done. I have a knack for killing plants due to a lack of watering them. Even Maddie told Nana Gail that "Mommy kills all of her plants." God bless her sense of honesty, no matter how humbling it may be! But I am bound and determined to foster a beautiful garden.

Todd and I ripped out all of the shrubbery, therefore we have no choice but to create a successful garden. We tend to have different visions of what constitutes a "garden". This is where that whole "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" comes into play. Todd wants to throw out some bark or ground cover, a few pots and call it a day. I, on the other hand, envision a lovely English garden, overflowing with vibrant, robust blossoms. Fortunately he is content to roll his eyes at me and go with "the wife's plan."And for the record, man I feel OLD, blogging about my rose bushes! WTF?! If you had told me ten years ago that I would be excited about not killing a plant and bragging about it on the Internet I would have fainted from laughing so hard. My mother, the consummate gardener is so proud.

Poop

2009-04-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last night as Maddie was about to get into the bath we had this conversation:

Maddie (sitting on the potty): "Mama, come here!!"
Mama: "What?"
Maddie (hopping off of the toilet): "Look! My poop looks like a butterfly!"
Mama (Pretending to look): "Grrrreaaaat...."
This brings a whole new meaning to modern art.

Slave Labor

2009-04-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

Since Iquit my job I have been joking about my new role in our home (wife, mother, slave) and the sad fact that I am no longer an official wage earner . Tonight on our way home Todd and I had this conversation:

Todd: "Your wages are your cell phone, gym membership, and car insurance. Why should I cut I you a check when I can pay them directly?" snicker, chuckle, chuckle.
Me: "That's not labor, that's indentured servitude!" scowl

Sigh, the dewy-eyed, romantic phase of our marriage is officially out the window (along with my sanity)! The reality of life with two kids and two dogs.

Easter, by the way, was great. I was exhausted from the festivities the day before. Therefore I should say, Easter was about as good as it could get for a tired, cranky, bitchy mommy (and no, I am notover exaggerating the bitchiness, just ask my husband who vowed to love me in good times and pissy.) My friend's parents host an Easter blow out on their ranch every year the Saturday before. The shindig is on a 5-acre ranch complete with horses, a whopper of a play structure, a goat, jumpy house, face painting, an Easter egg hunt, and all of the food you could ever want. My Weight-Watchers-after-baby thing, not so much on Saturday. I brought a whole new meaning to gluttony: fudge, a nacho station, tri-tip, cupcakes, my yummy brownies. Maddie and I took turns riding one the horses. It felt good to get back into a saddle, even if it was for a brief moment (Luke wailed and duty called.) We left the ranch completely devoid of any of the energy we arrived with. Maddie went straight to bed with a solid dusting of dirt from head to toe and I was too tired to really care.

We celebrated Easter Sunday at my in-laws. Maddie was quite excited to discover all of the eggs the Easter Bunny left in Nana and Papa's backyard. Ahhh, the joys of childhood. I wish I had a bunny that left treat-filled eggs for me in my backyard! How great would it be to find eggs filled with baubles from Tiffany's?! Seriously, that's not such a bad idea. Not sure how Todd would feel about it though... Because it was a holiday we loaded her up on sugar 'til she was bouncing off of the walls. Brunch was finished off with a chocolate bunny AND a cupcake. For those of you who have never seen Maddie on sugar, she couldn't be more high if we gave her a few lines of coke. And for all of the naysayers who say sugar doesn't make kids hyper, you have never seen MY kid! So we save the copious doses of sugar for special occasions and holidays. It makes life easier for Todd and me. We continued the Easter celebration into the evening with Skip and Mary (our bonus-parents). We had dinner at Eddie Papas. Maddie did a few more hits of sugar after dinner (all meals are followed with a gratuitous serving of cotton candy.) By the time we got home Todd and I melted into bed we were so tired.

Diva in Training

2009-04-09T23:28:00.000-07:00

What can I say, my little girl has got flare! If only we could all be so blessed with such a keen fashion sense. The right accessories ALWAYS make the outfit!

A Battle of Wills

2009-04-08T15:43:00.001-07:00

Last night as I tried to cajole Roman to go potty before bed I got this response:

The look of, "hey crazy lady, it's raining and I am not budging from this dry spot no matter how bad I have to go." After failing to see eye to eye on the matter I reluctantly let him back in. Score: Roman 1, Yvette 0.

But Roman is not the only one I have had a battle of wills with lately. Maddie has reached the age where she wants to challenge everything we tell her to do or not to do. I find myself saying this mantra more often lately: "Because I said so!" Crap, I have officially become my mother! This is one of those things I swore up and down I would NEVER say to MY kids, and now, well.... All tidbits of loving direction (ie. clean up your mess, eat your vegetables, etc.) or things we deny (ie. no, you can't cut your own hair with your craft scissors) are met with the same squealing response, "But whhhhhhyyyyyyyy?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!" I have to consciously refrain myself from rolling my eyes at her. While we deal with this phase I am sure my parents are in a corner snickering, "vengeance is mine!" Now I know the torture I put them through. And I owe them a whopper of an apology!

But I just have to remind myself that this is only a phase sure to be replaced by something much more annoying that will have us reminiscing, "remember how great it was when she only asked but whhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyy?????"

Despite all of this I still think she is a great kid. It is her job to torture us, otherwise we would not have the opportunity to actually practice that whole unconditional love thing. It is good to know that Maddie only does this to her parents. It is much more troublesome when kids give attitude to anyone and everyone. Yes, she needs to respect her parents, but it is alarming when kids don't have respect for anyone. At some point all kids challenge their parents. Nobody tells you how ugly the trenches of motherhood can be!

Hiatus No More!

2009-04-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

My hiatus from blogging is done. The end of the pregnancy left me tired and cranky (aka bitchy) and with no desire for blogging. Then Luke arrived and he left no time for blogging. That whole adjusting to life with a new baby... Time has finally come for me to return to my blog. So much has happened since my last post. Aside from bringing another human into this world, Todd and I adopted another dog (as if we did not have enough on our plate!) Then again I have never been one to take small steps, rather big leaps. One of my favorite sayings: Go big or go home!

Let me rewind a bit. For those of you who have not heard the great Lucas-Arrival-Story. Heaven forbid I have a normal/non-dramatic delivery. We had a scheduled c-section on January 21st. Fifteen minutes from the time we were to arrive (and as we are exiting the freeway) I recieved a call from the hospital, "So sorry! We have no space for you, we will have to re-schedule!" Now I don't know about you, but when you have a date set and are mentally prepared to give birth on said date, having it come to a screeching halt kind of throws you for a loop. At that point all they had open was the 28th at 5:30pm (translation, I can't eat ALL day long and I am one day shy of 40 weeks pregnant.) UGH! This is torture! You mean to tell me I have to stay pregnant for seven more days?!?! WTF!!! Pregnancy meltdown is commencing! Trying to be ever-so-gracious I pulled it together and carried on. They had me by the you-know-whats, there was nothing I could do to. Now keep in mind I was having tremendous difficulty eating, sleeping, walking, breathing, and going two minutes without using the bathroom. Fast forward to the 26th: my body took matters into its own hands and I went into labor all on my own. Only, I had never gone into labor before(Maddie was induced, which led to an emergency c-section). I spent the day on the couch feeling as if I had the flu and cramps. Todd urged me to call the OB and tell her my symptoms. She instructed me to go to the hospital for a labor check. Crap, now we had to drive 680 North in rush hour traffic! Thank the good lord above for the carpool lane! After we arrived I was hooked up to monitors that measured every blip my body made. Sure enough, contractions eight minutes apart. Granted not heavy duty/active labor, but labor nonetheless. The nurse entered my room, "the doctor is on her way, the anesthesiologist will be in to talk to you shortly." Uh, what? Wait, we are supposed to have this baby on the 28th, not today, the 28th. I'm mentally prepared for the 28th! But Lucas arrived on the 26th, all NINE POUNDS of him. Yes, nine pounds. Now you know why I was too miserable to blog. And let me tell you, he felt that big when he was in my stomach. Those rock stars who carried twins, I salute you!

Luke has turned out to be a great sleeper and eater (one of the benefits of having a bigger baby). In the hospital he slept four hour stretches at night. Within two weeks it was six, occasionally eight hours. Now don't get me wrong, there have also been bumps in the road. Little Man has a temper and fights falling to sleep. When he misses a nap we all suffer the consequences. He will be fussy and cries/screams off and on all day. This becomes a challenge when you have a husband who works graveyards and you're trying to keep the house quiet and peaceful while he sleeps. There have been times when I have wondered, "What am I doing wrong?" But it is just an adjustment from what an easy baby Maddie was and also deciphering Luke's quirks. Finally after two months I am figuring out those quirks and learning it is OK for him to cry it out a little. Things are getting easier and we are beginning to get a routine together. I just tell myself: slowly but surely.From what we can tell he has Dad's eyes and mouth, and Mom's cheeks and chin. The nose has yet to be determined. And that hair, totally from me! Maddie had the same 'do. Luke also has a dimple in his right cheek. Not sure if that came from Todd or me as Maddie also has a dimple in her right cheek. At two months he is smiling and cooing a lot. He is a smitten kitten when you talk and interact with him. He is going to be one active boy though, don't know if I'm excited about that. In-utero he never stopped moving. I felt him move constantly from the time I was sixteen weeks pregnant. He is still this way. His legs never stop moving. From our first night in the hospital he demonstrated the strength of his neck by holding his head up. Now he rolls to his side in the carseat carrier when hanging out in it, scoots himself down in the swing, and lifts his head and shoulders forward off of the Boppy. I have the distinct feeling he will be mobile early and I will be screwed! I was so spoiled with the ease of raising Maddie, now Luke is my penance :)! After a lot of thought and deliberation Todd and I agreed it would be best if I stayed at home with the kids. This was for a variety of issues: the logistics of Maddie being in kindergarten and Luke not, childcare, finances, Luke's fussiness, and ultimately what is best for our kids and my sanity. Definitely weird not having or making my "own" money. That is the biggest adjustment for me. But the trade off is so worth it (most of the time!)

Since things were starting to smooth out and I was going to be home we talked about getting another dog someday. Todd had always wanted a German Shepherd. We thought maybe in a year after we returned from Hawaii and Luke was a little bigger. So I began the application process with German Shepherd Rescue Network (GSRNC.org) thinking, "when we find the right dog the application process will be complete and we won't have to jump through any hoops." Famous last words. I turned in the application and made a follow-up phone call. A rescue counselor contacted me and conducted an initial interview over the phone. After our conversation she felt we were potential candidates for adoption. Although we still needed to have home inspection completed, she thought they may have a dog that was a good match for our family. When I told Todd, he rolled his eyes at me (most likely thinking, "Here we go again!") Long story short: we did the home visit, their dog and our dog met, all was a success and now we have a new member of our family. We named him Roman after Sgt. Romans, one of the officers from Oakland Police Department who was murdered March 21st. Roman has been a great addition to our family. He is sweet, gets along great with Tilly, has done well with our kids, and is a very stable dog. The whole transition has been very smooth and GSRNC was great. A remarkably different experience from when we adopted Mischa. Literally night and day! And Todd's aprehension? Completely melted away within the first few hours of having Roman in our home. While Tilly has been a Mama's girl, Roman favored Todd from the get go. Despite their bond, he is love with all of us. But I am pleased as punch that Todd has found his own canine companion.So now here we are: two parents, two kids, and two dogs. Life is going to be a crazy adventure!

Every day I get my escape when I leave the house and take the dogs for a walk. They are my much-desired respite after a long day of caring for a house, husband, and children. Plus they are helping me burn off the weight! My one hour every day to myself. I loooooooove that hour!!!!!

Here are some additional photos of our Little Luke:

Christmas Recap

2008-12-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

Well, another Christmas has flown by. We had a wonderful time celebrating this very special holiday. The 24th and 25th were filled with copious activities, scurrying from house to house. it was wonderful to spend quality time with family and friends.

We spent Christmas Eve with Todd's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and niece. Maddie joined the celebration around 8:30 that night after celebrating with Dad and his mom's family. Our niece is now nineteen months old, so she is now starting to get the hang of opening presents. It is so fun to watch. Maddie received a Barbie electric guitar from his sister and brother-in-law. She loves it! Todd and I can't wait to repay the favor of noisy gifts for our niece's birthday. Hee hee...

Santa came at some point during the night. Maddie found proof at the bottom of her Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Watching the magic and excitement in her eyes is one of my favorite things about Christmas. Her yelling "Santa came! Santa came!" through the house reminds me of my childhood. I cherish these years because I know they will not last forever. Santa was good to all of us this year. Despite the poor economy we were still spoiled. Santa Todd left not one, but two blue boxes from Tiffany's under the tree for me. I received two shiny charms for heart tag bracelet.

Mine is an "M", not an "A". Apparently there was a theme among the men we know this year. They were all told not to buy jewelry due to the poor economy and high cost of baubles. But they all ignored their wives. My mother-in-law received a new bauble as well as our friend Jamie. I think we were all excited that our husbands chose not to listen to us!! I also got my Cricut cutter (YAY!!) and cannot wait to use it! I have been coveting them ever since they arrived in to the scrapbooking market. Todd and I received our Thule cargo bin for the top of his car. This will be essential for any travel we do with two kids and a dog.

Todd was giddy with his new Thule toy. He never expected to get one and could hardly contain his excitement when he opened it.

Santa brought Maddie a pony, Madame Alexander doll, and some American Girl outfits. We were pleasantly surprised at how excited she was with her Santa gifts.

In addition to Santa gifts she received lots of darling clothes, a new Olivia book (one of her favorite characters), and many new toys.

Due to my bed rest and the pending arrival of our little one, Todd and I decided to do something different for our parents this year. Normally we buy lots and lots of gifts. Instead we went small this year. The "big" gift to both sets of our parents were 12x12 leather bound photo books that we made at Snapfish. Each book contained photos of our families from the past several years. There were pages of the kids and grandkids, family trips, holidays, our wedding, etc. Our parents were so touched. The books may not have cost the same as gifts from past Christmases, but they were the most treasured. Their reaction definitely gave me the warm and fuzzies! My mother-in-law cried. Very hard for pregnant me to hold back my own tears with a reaction like that!!! But I was so touched that she was so moved. Words cannot describe.
After the gift extravaganza we went to our bonus-family's (the Switzers) house for Christmas dinner. My parents and Grandma joined us for this entertaining and delicious holiday feast. We had a great time gabbing and noshing. Plus it was great to see the men in the kitchen doing all the work while the women got to catch up. How often does that happen?!? Celebrating the holidays with our bonus family has become another favorite holiday tradition of ours. It feels so good to watch all three families enjoying eachother's company and celebrating together. It puts an ear-to-ear smile on my face. Here are some photos from Christmas and Christmas Eve:

I also have a recipe to share with you. I made this decadent dessert for Christmas. It was super-tasty and rich! Yummy in the tummy!

Mississippi Mud Pie (Cooks.com)

2 pints vanilla ice cream

2 tbs. bourbon or Kahlua (I used Kahlua)

1 Oreo cookie crumb crust (ready-made from the grocery store)

fudge sauce (see following recipe)

2 pints coffee ice cream

whipped cream

Soften the vanilla ice cream in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, then spread it evenly in the pie crust. Top with half the fudge sauce and freeze for an hour. Soften the coffee ice cream and spread over the now firm first layer. Mound the coffee ice cream in the center as necessary. Top with the rest of the fudge sauce. Decorate with whipped cream and cover loosely. Freeze overnight or at least for four hours.

Fudge Sauce Recipe

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (remember, if you have a dog, keep this out of their reach!!!!)

1/2 C brown sugar

1/4 C granulated sugar

3/4 C heavy cream

1/4 C light corn syrup

2 tbs. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbs. bourbon or Kahlua

Combine chocolate, brown sugar, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and corn syrup in a bowl and microwave three minutes. Whisk every 30-60 seconds. When the mixture has thickened somewhat, whisk in the last three ingredients.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2008-12-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

Here are the photos I promised. This is our family Christmas tree. Some people prefer to have a tree that looks like it belongs in a showroom. Ours is packed full of memories. Memories of Christmases past, trips and vacations, family members, etc. Plus I have several vintage goodies that I have found over the years. Our gold star sits on top. Having a gold star tree topper was something I dreamed of all throughout my childhood. It was not until I became an adult that my wish was fulfilled. Here are some of my favorite ornaments:

These were hand-me-downs from my grandma. I remember them being on her tree when I was a child.

These are from my/our travels: Yosemite 2006 Kaua'i 2008

Maui 2006

Richardson Grove Camping Trip 2008

Yellowstone 1996

I also love to collect chipboard houses and bottle brush trees. Todd says I have enough at this point because they now fill the mantle. But let's face it, a girl can never have too many! This year I created some "snow" and back lit the village with small, white lights. Some of the houses have been gifts from Todd, and the trees were Christmas gifts from my parents. I created the little pink and blue gift boxes this year while on bedrest. I thought the trees needed some presents!

For the past twelve years I have been slowly collecting the Dept. 56 village. All of the buildings have been gifts. I write the year and the giver on each box so I can remember who they came from and what was going on the Christmas I received them. Like I said, Christmas is all about memories for me! This year I put the village in our dining room hutch. Todd and I agreed, this is the perfect home for the Village.

The pub was an early Christmas present from Todd this year. We both loved it. We're not Irish. But we figured our Scottish ancestry was close enough :)!

Here's our ledge in the dining room. Gail's trees at the cabin were my inspiration. The flag banner was a project I began right around Christmas last year, but did not finish until this spring.

Here are some other tchotchkes that I have around our home:

More of Grandma's hand-me-downs. These three little statues are some of my favorites.

My pink marabou tree (a gift from my mom). I think I can safely say this is not Todd's favorite! I made all of the little ornaments on it. A project I found in Somerset Studios Magazine.
Here are our stockings. Todd's is from his childhood. This is probably his favorite Christmas decoration hands down. Here are a couple little do dads that I whipped up. I stumbled upon this photo last year on another blog and it inspired me. It's amazing the things you can create with your "spare" time while on bedrest.

Bed Rest

2008-12-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

I know I promised photos of our Christmas decorations quite some time ago. But as soon as I finished decorating our home I was put on bed rest for contractions (pretty much every time I do something I have a contraction.) SIX WEEKS OF BED REST! You have no idea how difficult this is for someone like me! I want to be up doing things, running around. Being so pregnant and slow is frustrating enough, but now to be confined to the bed or couch?! UGH! But you do what needs to be done to ensure the health of your unborn child. So no matter how much I complain, I want what is best for Luke. I am just one of those people who can be very type A when it comes to cleaning the house, getting projects accomplished, keeping busy, etc. Therefore, when anything slows me down I find it very annoying. I tend to go stir crazy after a while. Plus poor Todd!!! In addition to working he now cooks, grocery shops, takes Maddie to and from school, and cleans! Bless his heart, he tries so hard! He even buys the organic foods I like. I do have to admit, I have cheated here and there. Todd has taken me on a couple short shopping trips and out for a couple of meals. He knows I just need to get out of the house and breathe in some fresh air. It can get depressing being couped up inside every day with no sunlight or fresh air to breathe. The weather has been too cold to open all the windows, which can be stifling at times.

Other than the contractions my pregnancy is going well and everything seems to be developing just fine. Luke moves all of the time. He is now so big that his movements sometime hurt. I am convinced he thinks my bladder is a punching bag. He is already so different than Maddie. She moved just enough to let me know she was there and doing O.K. She never kicked hard. Very mellow. She was that way as a baby and is still that way (most of the time!) Luke constantly stretches (which leads me to think he is very quickly running out of room) and I often feel a foot, elbow, or knee poking out my side. But all of this movement makes me very excited to finally meet this little person in my belly (only three and a half weeks to go.) Plus the thought of not feeling as if I have to go to the bathroom every five minutes sounds like heaven to me at this point! Maddie keeps asking when her baby brother is coming. Even her patience is beginning to wain.
While camping out on the couch I have done quite a bit of scrapbooking and movie watching.

My mom and Darin have loaned me a stack of movies. So far I have watched:

Becoming Jane

Little Miss Sunshine

Click

Fool's Gold

The Heartbreak Kid

The Holiday

Nanny Diaries

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Juno

So I Married an Axe Murderer

Lucky # Slevin

Juno and Forgetting Sarah Marshall have been my favorites. So I Married an Axe Murderer has always been a favorite. A classic Mike Myer's comedy.

Tilly is now my couch buddy.

She even has her own blanket (to prevent the couch from turning white due to her thick winter coat). She has become a lot calmer since we no longer have Mischa. Although it was sad to send her to a new home (by the way, she has been adopted and we wish her huge success in her new home) it has been a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine how we would have survived two crazy dogs while I am on bed rest. Speaking of dogs, we are dogsitting Liyongo for two weeks while his mom and dad are in Omaha visiting family for the holidays. He is so easy to take care of, just a lazy hound dog. Plus Tilly loves having her "boyfriend" around.

Maddie is now on winter break. She had a blast her last day of school. Her class had Polar Express Day. They wear their PJ's to school, eat junk food, and watch Polar Express. Such a fun day! She was so excited to show off her new jammies and slippers. And I can't believe I did not get any photos this year! She looked so cute and cozy as she skipped off to school with her Toddy.

Speaking of Maddie, we bought her her own Christmas tree this year. After six Christmases she has quite the arsenal of ornaments. Todd thought she would enjoy having her own tree this year. She could not wait to decorate it. I did lend her a few of mine to fill it up. Many of her ornaments are animated and she enjoys listening to their different tunes. We have restricted her to one ornament at a time to maintain our sanity (really, how many different Christmas carols can you hear playing simultaneously before you lose your mind?)

The Santa tree topper is one of my mom's old decorations. She used it as a tree topper when I was Maddie's age. I love that she now has it on her tree. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions, bringing out old family treasures from the past and relishing in all of their precious memories. Maddie had me chuckling while she decorated her tree. I had to keep reminding her that she needed to put ornaments on the backside of the tree as well as the front. She kept telling me,"No Mommy! I want them all to go in the front of the tree." She wanted to see all of her ornaments on the front. After some cajoling we compromised. All of her favorites went on the front, while the others went on the backside for people to see from the street. Plus there was no way all of her ornaments would have fit on the front.

I think tomorrow I will post the deco photos. This post is long enough as it is, and Christmas Eve seems to be fitting. Merry Christmas Eve-Eve!

Cold Winter Night

2008-12-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

O.K., so it is not really winter, but it sure feels like it. Oh how I love this frigid, crisp weather. Especially at night! Our bedroom is right next to the atrium so we even sleep with the sliding glass door open. It is forty degrees outside and we have our door open! Todd and I burrow under our down comforter and the fleece blankets my mom made for us. Nothing beats a toasty bed while breathing in the frosty nighttime air. Mmmm...we love it.... We are sad that we will have to give this up when the Lucas arrives. Too cold for him! But Tilly loves it, that is the snow dog in her.

We were going to visit Bob's World (http://www.lightsofthevalley.com/Properties/Detail.asp?) tonight with Maddie and her dad. Unfortunately our fun family outing was cut short when we discovered it did not debut until tomorrow night. UGH! What a disappointment! For those of you who are not familiar with Bob's World here is a photo:

Bob's World is one of my favorite Christmas lights destinations. He goes above and beyond most. It is quite the Christmas extravaganza, and he does it all for the children. Maddie first visited Bob's World when she was a few weeks old.

After Maddie went to her dad's Todd and I decided to meander around downtown for a little bit. We had loaded Tilly in the car so she could join us at Bob's World. Neither one of us thought it would be fair to get her excited and then just take her home. So a little stroll down Main Street seemed to be just the thing. It is always fun to people watch and window shop. To our pleasant surprise there were a few shops open. Although, we did avoid the art gallery. Our crazy canine had no business visiting a place with so many breakables! But the pet store, Murphy's Paw was open for an event. Tilly had fun grabbing at all the toys and making new friends. As always, I had to stop and drool over all the pretties in the American Harvest window (http://www.americanharvestinc.com/site/). Oh how I loooooove that store. The window was filled with tinsel trees, mercury glass ornaments, and Cody Foster chipboard houses. Every shabby chic admirer's dream come true! This was one of the houses they had displayed in the window: We have just about finished decorating the house. I have a few odds and ends to put up or away. Todd helped me get some of the projects completed that I could not do on my own (all of the hard to reach places that require the use of a stool or ladder). Tomorrow I will be taking photos to post this week. I can't wait to share!

Everything is taking longer than I would like to get completed these days. I have been having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions lately. Therefore I am trying to take it easy. They feel so different with this pregnancy. I carried Maddie a lot higher, while Lucas is very low. For the longest time I just thought it was him moving in an uncomfortable position. But the further along I get the worse they become. Today it seemed like every time I did something I had a B.R. contraction. Now every time I have one I try to sit down immediately. He definitely needs to incubate longer!!! I am not ready for this bun to come out of the oven :)!

Check back in a day or two and I should have the deco photos posted. Until then, take care all!

Sad News

2008-12-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

Our Sibe, Mischa is going to a foster home tomorrow. Incredibly heartbreaking, but it needs to be done. She was sleeping and Maddie tried to pick her up. She turned around and nipped at her. Granted she did not make contact with the skin and it was a warning nip, but we were all shocked nonetheless (especially Maddie). Was it Maddie's fault? Yes. But we were still upset. We knew Tilly would not have the same reaction. Todd and I agreed if we had another incident like that we would re-evaluate her living in our home and being a member of our family. We did not want to be one of those dog owners whose child suffers a horrible bite and they say, "We never saw this coming! She was never aggressive before!" while there were signs all along. Well, the second sign came and we knew it was time for a new home. Todd tried walking her with a pinch collar on Thanksgiving for the first time. We have used one with Tilly with great success. The collars do not hurt the dogs, but prevent them from pulling and help train them to heal. Plus they are much safer to use on dogs that pull than a choke chain which can damage their throat and the surrounding areas. As they were walking the pinch collar slipped over her regular collar. Todd bent down to fix it, she freaked out and bit Todd. This time she made contact and broke the skin. OY!!! The bite was not bad, but we knew. She has made great progress since arriving tour home in July and is such a loving and sweet dog. But just not the right dog for a family with a six year old and a baby. So we will be returning her tomorrow to BASH.

This decision was so so so difficult to make. And to pour salt in the wound, the liaison from BASH we have dealt with this whole time was not very understanding or empathetic. Being 32 weeks pregnant and extremely hormonal I took it very personally and was devastated! Of course when someone tells you they think you set your new dog up fail (yes, those were her words) and all you did was give her love and affection, it is hard not to take it personally! Fortunately the foster mom has been much more pleasant to deal with. Just frustrating because we did not make this decision lightly and we have always felt dog ownership is a lifetime commitment.

After shedding many tears over our decision and the not-so-friendly email on Monday we had dinner with friends. By the time we arrived home I was feeling a lot better. Only to watch Mischa instigate a fight with Tilly and then bite her in the eye. Devastation a deux!! Fortunately it was right on the rim of the eyelid and not the eye itself (I don't even want to know what that vet bill would cost, and right before Christmas. Double OY!) It was awful! Tilly was clearly traumatized and in pain, and Todd and I were heartbroken. Thankfully the eye is getting better. The swelling has gone down, it does not appear to be leaking or infected, and it does not seem to bother her. The drama! Of course this incident confirmed to us that we were doing the right thing.

In the meantime we have kept the two separated. We are not taking any chances at this point.

So I have been trying to remain upbeat and am crafting for the holidays to keeps my spirits up. It is definitely helping me keep my mind preoccupied so I am not thinking/worrying about the dogs or my grandma (whose dementia is steadily getting worse.)

I am looking forward to dinner with the Smiths tonight. Gay 90s Pizza and fabulous friends!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T20:09:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I realize I am a day late in my well wishes, but yesterday did not allow much time for blogging. For the second year Todd and I hosted Turkey Day. I love to host on the holidays, It must be the domestic diva in me. I am one of those people who believes in the motto "the more the merrier." Nothing beats celebrating the holidays with a house full of people you love! We had a few less people this year, only ten. Todd was super-helpful in preparing the house for all our guests. Everyone lectured me about not overdoing it (which I learned the hard way a couple weeks ago when I overdid it for Maddie's birthday.) I took their loving advice, spaced the work out over three days and two people, and was able to enjoy the day. Plus our Thanksgiving is something of a potluck, everyone brings something. We supply the turkey, which Skip preps for me (I am waaaay too intimidated, and yes I know I have to get over it!), and I baste. I also make my favorite mashed potatoes, which always get rave reviews (seriously, Martha Stewart has the most amazing recipe), and my apple crumb pie (which pleases my husband to no end!)
I always get excited to set our table for the holidays. I get to bust out all of our Williams Sonoma porcelain and crystal that we received as wedding gifts. I use the table runner with cute little retro birds that I purchased on a trip to Tahoe. The silverware was a shower gift from our friend Alyssia. It is a vintage silver set from the 1930s. It came in a beautiful wood box. I swear it is one of my all-time favorite gifts. Every time I take them out of the box I smile. Alyssia and I had a conversion one day about how much we love antique silver. While shopping in an antique store one day she stumbled upon this box of silver flatware and knew it would be the prefect gift for my bridal shower. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness I almost cried when I opened it! And of course, in the center of it all was Maddie's Thanksgiving centerpiece. I beamed every time I told one of our guests that Maddie made it :)!
I had a great time at dinner. We were in such great company! Plus the food was amazing! I swear Thanksgiving dinner (and the day after leftovers) is one of my favorite meals. So delicious and hearty! YUM!!! Overall, a very successful Thanksgiving. Good food, good company, good times!

The Switzers-AKA: Our Bonus Family

My in-laws-AKA: Mom and Dad No.2
My parents and grandma
Todd and me

Tomorrow we begin decorating for Christmas. I can't wait to share some photos! Until then, happy holidays!

2008-11-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Maddie created a lovely centerpiece to grace our Thanksgiving table. She loves to build these little foam scenes and buildings. My only conundrum is what what do you do with them? There is only so much space in our home for all of her art projects. But then I got the idea to have her create seasonal projects that can be displayed for the holidays. We bring them out for the holiday, enjoy their beauty, and then pack them up after the holiday has passed. This also makes them more special since we do not look at them every day, like Christmas decorations. Plus she gets to see her own personal contribution to the family's holiday decorations. But this little Thanksgiving centerpiece is so cute and charming. She did a great job and had loads of fun creating it. I keep trying to fan that artistic flame she's got. It is definitely a genetic trait in my family.

Todd was so sweet last weekend. He came home with an armload of flowers for me. Two bouquets of Stargazer Lilies and two bouquets of Mums. I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband! He likes to surprise me with flowers now and then (gotta love those random acts of kindness!) Plus Todd knows I have fun arranging flowers (I got the bug after my mom and I assembled all of our wedding centerpieces.) I forgot to add picutres of my Halloween banner in my last post. I was very happy with how it turned out, and even got it completed in time for Halloween! I had a challenging time finding trims and do-dads to decorate it with, but ended up having enough after all. This year I hung it over the mirror in our living room. I was precariously balancing on the couch trying to hang it when Todd was not home (yes, I know, not something you should do while pregnant!) Not sure if we will hang it there next year, or find a new home for it. But here it is, I hope you like!

I just a great new book with all kinds of tips, tricks, and inspiration.

I love, love, love it! I was so inspired I got a few pages done yesterday. Lately Ihave felt like I was stuck in a scrapbooking rut and my pages all looked the same. I needed something or someone to push me to try new things. Elsie's book did it for me. She has so many great ideas! What a creative spirit!

I have some new photos of our crackheads, oops, I mean dogs! They are so crazy. Granted it's not all their fault. Now that I am the size of a house, have chronic backpain, and baby is sitting so low, walking is not as comfortable as it once was. Thank goodness we love 'em so much. Sibes and their energy are definitely not for everyone. Mischa and Leyongo sharing his bed. He stayed with us a few days while his mom and dad were in the hospital delivering our niece, Tana. A rare, quiet moment for our girls. Um yeah... This habit is completely my fault. Our nightly routine, cuddling on the couch. Hands off the blanket and no one gets hurt!

I've Been Naughty....

2008-11-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

...and haven't posted in over a month. Sooooo bad! I have two excuses for you: 1-I've been super-busy and 2-When I have not been super-busy, I have been super-lazy (I blame the pregnancy!) Also, I apologize in advance for the photos. I have not had the chance to Photoshop them yet. I just wanted to get them posted.

But I did want to throw out some blog updates before I head off to my pre-natal appointment. First of all, here are some photos of Lucas when we had our 3D ultrasound in October:

Our little sweetie sucking his thumb. Awwww....

At first he did not want to cooperate with the ultrasound and we were left looking at the back of his head. But after some belly-jostling he became more agreeable. Truly amazing to see this little baby rolling around the inside of my tummy. We were able to watch him move, suck his thumb, and even saw his sweet little tushie. Skinny little butt with no fat, too cute for words! Todd and I had the whole family with us to celebrate this special moment: Maddie, my parents, and my in-laws. I wanted everyone to watch the newest member of the family. What a little miracle! There is a lot to be said for modern technology.

Maddie celebrated six last week. WOW!! SIX!! I cannot believe the years have flown buy so quickly. I remember her ultrasound like it was yesterday, and now she is this big six year old. Exciting and sad at the same time. My little baby... sigh... She had a week of celebrating between Dad's house and our house, lucky little girl. We hosted a tea party for her and 10 of her little friends at the English Rose. The girls dressed up in pretty party dresses and were served a real tea luncheon. Lunch was served on actual china, with hot cocoa from a tea pot. I think the girls felt quite regal with their gowns and fancy china.

The following day we celebrated with family at our house. It was much more relaxed and casual, which I welcomed now that I am so hugely pregnant. We had our family and bonus-family (all of the wonderful friends we call family, Maddie's honorary aunts and uncles.) Auntie Sarah and Uncle Darin brought over their new baby, Tana. She is so precious and blonde! Maddie had a great time visiting with her family, opening gifts, and eating cake.

After all of the fan fare died down and Maddie was contently playing with her new toys, I realized how lucky we are, and how lucky Maddie is. We have so many wonderful people in our lives between our families and bonus-families. Maddie is so fortunate to grow up surrounded by so much love and support. This love and support provides her with a feeling of security, which I don't think all kids get to experience these days. With love and security she has the opportunity to grow up confident, happy and self-assured. It really does take a village to raise a child!

We bought Madeleine her first digital camera. Nothing too extravagant or expensive, she is only six and who knows how much abuse it will have to take. But she is so infatuated with Mommy's camera that I thought it was time for her own. Plus it will distract her from trying to use my pretty Canon Rebel EOS (which happens to be my other "baby"!)

At the beginning of the month my mom, mother-in-law (Mom 2) and sister-in-law threw me a baby shower. They did a fabulous job! I loved all of the cowboy decorations (Lucas's bedroom theme is vintage cowboy, Maddie is vintage cowgirl). It was so much fun to celebrate his pending arrival with so many loved ones. Plus he and I got totally spoiled. Everyone was incredibly generous and I cannot thank them enough! You forget how tiny babies are until you look at the size of the clothes. Maddie even got a "big sister" t-shirt to wear on the big day. So sweet! She could not wait and wanted to wear it the next day. At the shower Maddie did a great job being Mommy's helper. She unwrapped the gifts while I read the cards. Todd and I are trying to get her involved as much as possible so she feels included in this entire process. She has really enjoyed helping us prepare for Baby Lucas, and we have enjoyed sharing this process with her.

Busywork

2008-10-18T23:29:00.000-07:00

Not having to go to work has left me with plenty of time to dedicate to busywork. I have to admit, I am a glutton for it! Some people find the idea of being at home sheer torture, others, myself included, absolutely relish it! My home has never been cleaner, home and craft projects are completed, Todd comes returns from work to a home cooked meal, and my scrapbook pages are coming to fruition. Suffice to say I am in heaven!!!!!!!!!!!! Another benefit I love is spending one day a week helping out in Maddie's kindergarten class. Every time I walk in she cheerfully yells, "Mommy!" The overjoyed look on her face when I enter the room makes my heart melt. Plus her teacher rocks; we adore her. Even the girls (aka the dogs) are getting more exercise. Honestly, I think we all are a little happier now that Mom is at home.

Here are some of the projects that have been completed these past few weeks:

The last of the living room curtains:

Before-Vertical Blinds (Ewww)

In our laundry room I have vintage maple buckets to hold rags, laundry lint (for compost) and garbage. (The buckets are one of our wedding decoration relics.) Some time ago I painted them pink, but always meant to decoupage labels on them; dress them up a bit. Now I finally have the time to do it! I labeled the buckets in French because, lets face it, "rags" sounds a lot prettier in French! When Todd asked why and this was my answer he just rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. Thank the good Lord above I was blessed with an understanding (and tolerant!) husband!

Before Decoupage After Adding Pretties

I have started on our wedding scrapbook (YAY! Finally! It's only been over a year!) It will probably be at least two volumes. Some may say it's excessive. But I put so much love, sweat, and research into our wedding the album would not be complete if I didn't include the research and inspiration. Plus I have hidden the receipts in the book so we can look at how the cost of weddings has gone up over the years. As I go through the photos, magazine pictures (my inspiration) and other memorabilia I am reminded of how much FUN I had at our wedding. Honestly I would change nothing about my wedding day. It was sooooo very, very worth it. The best part about that is Todd feels the same exact way I do. I love that our wedding day brought us both joy! I hope to make several more layouts this week. Here is what has been completed so far (sorry, they are not scanned, don't have a 12x12 scanner and have not figured out the stitch option in Photoshop yet.) Note there is no journaling yet, I will start on that later.

The Cover:
The book is by K&Company. It had our wedding colors on the cover and looked rustic. As we all know, I am not a traditional-white-wedding-album kinda girl (I did wear fuscia porn-star stilettos under my wedding dress.)

The Venue:

Sugar Bowl in the Truckee-Tahoe area. Sigh...loved it!!!!!!!!!!! Surrounded by mountains, pine trees and wild flowers. We had the entire place to ourselves and our wedding guests from the Thursday before our wedding to the Sunday after. Four days to spend with close family and friends, as well plan and prep for our wedding . This was key in being able to do a lot of our own wedding projects (including flowers).

The Invites: The Sugar Bowl postcard we had made. We found some great vintage replica prints, had the artist change the title from Squaw Valley to Sugar Bowl and printed save-the-date postcards from it. I found quite a few invites that I liked, but did not love. Nothing screamed mountain top wedding without looking cheap and tacky, or being crazy expensive. I was just about to settle for an invite we liked when I stumbled upon Oliostyle (oliostyle.com). I discovered Olio on a blog from The Knot and instantly fell in love. Finally! Invites I loved that weren't a bloody fortune! And the best part was, they could be customized to our colors. Heaven!!!!

Our map (also designed by Oliostyle. They design, you print - much cheaper!!!) and some of our favorite RSVPs.

The Flowers:

The flowers were a big deal for me. I wanted a lot of them. Todd could have cared less as long as it didn't break the bank. The bouquets and boutonnieres were done by a florist in the Truckee-Tahoe area. But everything else was done by my mom, myself, and a few helpers (including Todd who dedicate a few hours to clipping the 700 plus stems on all the flowers when they arrived). Doing them ourselves gave us so much more bang for our buck. Here are the flowers after they were shipped. We clipped all of the stems and let them "drink" for 24 hours.

I ordered them wholesale over the Internet from 2G Roses (freshroses.com) and the Flower Exchange (theflowerexchange.com). 2G was amazing. They are here in Cali and answered every question I had (there were a lot.) Flower Exchange was good, but I had liked working with 2G better. I wanted the flowers to look as if we had gone into the mountain side and picked fresh flowers. Yes, I know, stargazer lilies do not grow in Tahoe. But I wanted to arrangements to look loose and natural. The buckets were an EBay steal (55 maple buckets for $150, including shipping.) Going with the nature/country theme I used Mason jars and small tin watering cans with ribbons tied on them for additional floral containers.

The Cake:

The cakes on the left page were my inspiration, and the cake on the bottom right was ours. The photo above that was from the baker's website (tahoe-house.com). The moment Todd and I saw it, we knew that was the cake. In the world of cakes, Tahoe House has great prices. I just about had a heart attack when I discovered how much cakes can cost. All I could think of was Steve Martin in Father of the Bride, "$1,200 for some flour and water?!" We served our wee guests (the kids) clown cones from Baskin Robbins. They were a hit.
Wedding Favors:

We chose Cd's. Something people will actually use, is economical, and took some thought and effort on our part. The envelopes were made from printed cardstock (in our colors of course) using a template I found on the Internet. The pictures were taken by our close friend Noel above Donner Lake and then printed onto stickers from the Kodak website (they are part of the Martha Stewart collection). The little tags say "love rocks" (I thought it was fitting for a music CD). The love rocks stamp was an Internet purchase and the tags were made with a tag punch. I also included a song list in the CD envelope. I read through all of the song lyrics to make sure they were reflective of the relationship Todd and I have. I spent a lot of time researching songs. Plus, I did not want songs that are commonly used on wedding Cd's, and I wanted all generations to enjoy it. I was happy the CD got rave reviews.

Our ceremony site (at Sugar Bowl):

We loved getting married surrounded by pine trees. What a beautiful setting. It just made for a great backdrop. And it was quiet. We had the whole resort to ourselves. So there were no strange people gawking, no traffic sounds in the background. Todd and the wedding party walked down the aisle to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo Ole, and I walked down the aisle to "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. We were each escorted by both of our parents. Maddie was escorted by my close pal, Tim. Our recessional song was "Swing to the Mood" by Glenn Miller Orchestra.

The Dress:

These were the layouts for the dress shopping process. After looking through lots and lots of magazines I knew what styles I liked. Anyone who knows me well, knows I am SUPER-PICKY. Fortunately I only had to go to one store to find my dress J'aime in Pleasanton -jaimebridal.com . I can't stand all of the pomp and circumstance associated with dress shopping. Help me get the thing on and then leave me alone. Don't bug me, don't pressure me, and don't try to rob me blind (I refuse to spend the equivalent of a down payment on a car for a dress I will wear one day, even if it is my wedding day.) I had my mom, Gail (MIL) and Maddie with me. I narrowed it down to two and returned with two close and honest friends, Tim and Sarah. And I can honestly say, I made the right dress choice and have no regrets about my dress.

I chose the Maggie Sottero "Brittania Lynette". I don't know how such a pretty dress can have such an ugly name, but whatever. I loooooove my dress. The total dress cost was just under $1,000. Still a lot of money for something I wore for one day, but a fraction of what many dresses cost. Tim and Sarah were right, the dress is me. It has a vintage look and is not too fussy. I did feel like a princess wearing it. I have to admit, a key selling feature was the corset. I am not a fan of white, it does not flatter the figure unless you are built like a supermodel (and Lord knows I am not, especially after gaining 60 pounds while pregnant with Maddie and having a C-section!) So when I tried on the corssetted top and knew I could eat a full meal while still looking thin, I was sold on the corset. Who wants to starve at their wedding? I had a full meal, two slices of cake, and lots of drinks, without a big bloated belly. All hail the corset!

That is the scrapbook thus far. Still have oodles of work to do. But it is nice to get a crack at it.

Heaven in a Pan

2008-10-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have a few recipes to share that are to die for. Last night I made Barefoot Contessa's, "Outrageous Brownies" for my husband, Skip, and father-in-law. They are nothing short of amazing! When you see the ingredients you will know why.

1 lb. unsalted butter
1 lb plus 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tbs instant coffee powder
2 tbs real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup flour divided (1c for batter and 1/4c in the chips)
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt

preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2 inch sheet pan. (I used a 13x9" pan. If you do this the brownies will take around 20 longer to cook)
Melt together the butter, 1 lb. chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler (I rested one of my stainless mixing bowls in a pot of boiling water.) Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temp.
Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

The other recipe is what I call "Becky's Lasagna" (it came from our pal Becky). I made a few changes to the original recipe. This is the best lasagna both of us have ever had.
1 package of lasagna noodles
1 lb of ground turkey
1/2 lb Italian sausage (I used Adel's garlic sausage)
1 white onion
large can stewed tomatoes
small can tomato paste
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
3 eggs
1 tsp. each: oregano, basil, rosemary
8 oz ricotta cheese
Parmesan cheese
1/2 block Feta cheese
1 1/2 bags of 2% shredded Italian cheese mixture
3 cloves garlic, minced

Brown meat and onion together. Set aside. DO NOT COOK NOODLES! In a bowl mix stewed tomatoes, paste, and sauce. Add garlic, basil, rosemary, and oregano. In a separate bowl mix 3 eggs and ricotta cheese.
Layer in this order:
Sauce, noodles, meat mixture, ricotta mixture, remaining cheeses. Repeat until done. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake covered for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes.
Bon apetite!

Smothered With Love

2008-10-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

We are so fortunate to have very patient dogs when it comes to children. They may be rambunctious, but they are saints with Maddie. Whether they want the cuddles or not, they deal with them. Granted a child-friendly disposition was essential when we adopted our dogs, but they go above and beyond the call of duty. As she learns what a responsible pet owner is, they allow her a learning curve.

Maddie loves her dogs. Although it is a lot of work raising a child and two canine-crazies, it is worth the effort. Maddie is learning so much from Tilly and Mischa. Maddie is learning responsibility, kindness and compassion towards animals, caring for others, and patience.

Our home is now decorated for Halloween. Last year was the first year I actually began to collect Halloween decorations. So our supply is sparse, but if I add a little every year... My most recent addition is this wreath I made:

I bought the black wreath from Michael's for $3.99. I then bought two different sizes of wood balls with pre-drilled holes. I glittered the medium balls with orange glitter (Martha Stewart glitter) and the small ones with black vintage glass glitter. Here is a tip I did not figure out until I was 3/4 of the way done with the glittering (gotta love the inept preggo brain!): paint the balls the color of the glitter you are using FIRST. Then if the glitter misses a spot you can't see it. The glitter looks much cohesive with paint underneath. Next I found a font I liked and printed out the word BOO on white cardstock. After I cut out the letters I glittered them with the black glitter (can never have too much sparkle!). I cut out the letters with scalloped scissors to add a decorative edge. Then I cut out a slightly larger circle in a dark orange cardstock and mounted the letter piece onto it. I wanted to add a pop of color in the middle of all that black. Next I cut out circles from black and white patterned cardstock. The B and the second O are the same printed cardstock (black with white polka dots). After all of the pieces were done, I strung the balls to individual pieces of wire. I used five orange and two black per cluster. Once I got the clusters arranged I wrapped wire around the clusters to hold them together. I then attached them to the wreath by wrapping the wire around the base of the wreath. Lastly I strung the letters with black ribbon and added a little orange ribbon for extra color. Hang and enjoy! FYI: Be prepared for a glittery mess when you are done! It travels everywhere!

Here is our mantle with the rest of our decorations:

Lemos Farm, Year 6

2008-10-05T08:26:00.001-07:00

Oh what a day we had in Half Moon Bay! I loved every moment of it! When we left I had a huge, satisfied smile on my face. To me, few things top Half Moon Bay Family Day, especially during pumpkin patch season. Maddie was just as ecstatic as Mommy was. We let her pick two activities at the farm. This year she was all about the jumpy-house and feeding the goats (goats are always a hit.) We gave her a generous thirty minutes of bouncing around the jumpy-house. Todd and I figured if we let her get the "wiggles" out first thing, the rest of the time would be smooth sailing. Hypothesis proved correct! As always, Maddie loved feeding and petting the goats. Consequently the dogs were infatuated with the smell of our shoes when we got home. I have to admit, I love the goats as well. The babies are, of course, my favorite. Aside from finding the perfect pumpkin, we also took a photo that has great Christmas card potential. I am always on the lookout for these ever since I discovered how difficult they can be to come by (I have strict criteria: everyone looks "cute", we are all looking at the camera and smiling, clothes look good, pretty background.)

I wish I could pinpoint why I love this pumpkin patch and Half Moon Bay so much. Fall is my favorite season. The pumpkin patch is so incredibly festive it can put anyone in the mood to celebrate the wonder of Halloween. Plus there is the overcast sky and crisp coastal weather. The ground is coated with hay bails and a plethora of pumpkins. Children are running around with ear-to-ear smiles on their faces. The highway is lined with pumpkin patches, nurseries, and fruit/vegetable stands. Seriously, what is not to love?!?

After lunch at the Half Moon Bay Brewery we stopped by a couple of nurseries in search of new climbing rose bush. Aside from finding a pretty climber (Jacob's Coat), I discovered an orchid lover's dream! Next to Pastorino's nursery is a little nondescript orchid greenhouse. Oh! So many pretties inside! I know the moment we walked in and my glazed over Todd secretly cringed and thought, "Lord help me! We are going to be here all friggin' day!" Their prices were amazing! The last orchid dealer I visited (many, many years ago)averaged $40 and up. I bought an orchid on sale for $10, and most were under $25! I did happen to snap a few photos to share:
Yesterday Skip and Mary took us for a spin on the Delta in their Cabin Cruiser. What a beautiful boat they have. I can see why they spend so many weekends on it! We spent some time cruising around and then boated to a tasty dockside restaurant. It had just rained the night before so everything looked fresh and new again. The sky was a mix of bright blue and puffy white and grey clouds. Plus it was just so nice to spend the day with Skip and Mary, our second parents.

What a busy weekend thus far, and it is only Sunday! Before I forget, I have a yummy and easy-squeezy recipe. It makes a great light dinner. This recipe came from the show, "View From the Bay"http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/channel?section=view_from_the_bay&id=5755208

Lemony Chicken With Vegetables and Parmesan

1lb. chicken

2-3 tbs. minced garlic

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

2 tbs. Parmesan cheese

4 leaves fresh, chopped basil

pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken, garlic, and veggies in baking dish. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Mix in salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan and herbs. Bake 15-20 minutes.

It is great with a long grain rice or fresh bread.

Such an easy meal after a late night at work, or when you just doing feel like applying a lot of effort into dinner, yet you want a tasty meal.

Tired With a Clean House

2008-10-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

For the past two days we have been busy little worker bees cleaning our house. It was time for the deep clean in all of our nooks and crannies. Satisfying yet exhausting! Although it is hard work, I love how the house seems to sparkle and glisten afterwards. Now if we can just get Maddie and the dogs to not dirty it up....sigh, pipe dreams!

Tomorrow is the big day, Lemos Pumpkin Patch in Half Moon Bay! YA-HOO! I have waited all year and the time has finally arrived. May the rain gods be kind and not pour on us until we have safely arrived home. I guess we are sue for rain. The past two years have been scorching hot. Because we visit every year I have decided to make a Lemos Ranch scrapbook. A layout for every year. Then we can see how Maddie (and Lucas) has grown over the years. Here is a sneak peak at the photos:

Year 1

Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

I am excited to see what this year brings! Can't wait to make a lunch stop at the brewery. YUM! I guess the fish n'chips is out this year since the doc put a ban on seafood consumption during pregnancy.

Speaking of our little-one-on-the-way, he is just rockin' and rollin'! I cannot believe how active this little tyke is! Maddie was never mover like this. I swear he did a somersault in my belly last night. In fact, there are times he startles me and I jump because I am so caught off guard. Does this mean I am in for trouble when he is born?!? Lord help me keep up with this guy! If John and Kate can raise eight we can surely handle one, right?

Not a Creature Was Stirring

2008-09-28T09:59:00.001-07:00

It was around 10:30pm on Friday night when I realized I did not hear the dogs. Usually this is a cause for concern. Like kids, when they are quiet they are up to no good. After a little searching this is what I found. They had put themselves to bed. I could not help but snap a few photos, it was just so darn sweet.

Friday was also my first day of disability. Between the back pain and the heart palpitations the doc pulled me out at 22 weeks. Although I do feel like a bit of a wimp, it is the best solution not only for Lucas and me, but our family as well. That back pain was making me quite cranky and severely limiting my ability to do much of anything after work. I guess I won't have much of an excuse to not get somewhat caught up on my scrapbooking!

Yesterday we had the privilege of celebrating our friend Michele's 40th birthday. Her husband threw her a surprise party. He did a great job and had a fabulous turnout. She was surprised beyond belief! For the first ten minutes all she could say was "Oh my God!" Nothing beats celebrating your birthday with close friends and family. It truly makes the celebration special. My heart swelled with joy for her! Plus we had a ton of fun visiting with all of our friends. I have not laughed that hard in a loooong time. We were in hilarious company! Finally! My crafting "corner" is complete! YAY!!! Now I have a space to call my own! With Lucas's arrival pending we had to move my craft corner to an alternative location in the house. As it turns out, I like this little nook better. It overlooks the living room. Now I don't feel so cut off from the family while I enjoy my Yvette-Time. Plus, it is still upstairs so I can be near the kids while they play. Todd and I invested in craft cubes (available at Michael's and Target). I was surprised at how handy and efficient they are. Plus they are not too pricey (especially with a 40% off coupon from Michael's.) We then added a "desktop" that I painted, and a skirt underneath to add a little prettiness. It is so comforting to have everything in its place. I still have my craft closet, which is more chaotic than I would like. But I don't see that changing anytime soon. Part of my ribbon stash. A girl can never have too many bows!

Pointy Kitty, a Hillary Lang/Wee Wonderfuls free pattern. He was pretty fun to make.http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/wee_wonderfuls/store/pointykitty.html

My pretty curtain. I have had this fabric sitting around for over a year, just waiting for the perfect project. Lo and behold, that project finally came.

Projects waiting to be completed

Closet of Chaos! Seriously, a girl can never have too much ribbon!

We ordered Lucas's crib. I am super-excited!!! Another big step in preparing for our new little bundle of joy. I found a solid pine crib that came from a sustainable forest. We are trying to go a little more green. Actually, I am trying to go a little more green. Todd just goes along with the program unless it costs him too much green. I found a great website that specializes in green products and furniture, daxstores.com. Our crib looks a little different, we ordered it in white and of course we will have different bedding. But here it is, the Emily Convertible Crib: I owe a tremendously huge THANK YOU to my wonderful in-laws who purchased the crib for us. We are so lucky to be blessed with so many thoughtful and generous family members and friends. I wish everyone could be as lucky as we are. Our family's generosity has been overwhelming and touching. We love them so much. Not because of what they give us, but because of their love, support, and unity. I also have to take this moment to brag. I so often hear people moan about their in-laws. I am blessed to have in-laws I adore and enjoy spending time with! They openly welcomed Maddie and me into their family from day one. I get not one, but two sets of parents that I cherish!

The $420 Dog

2008-09-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Now, I know $420 does not sound like a lot when purchasing a dog, but it is a large pill to swallow when it comes to emergency vet care for your pooch on a Sunday morning! UGH... Both dogs decided to get into the chicken compost I was saving for our backyard. But to them it seemed much more fun to rip apart the bag, spread the "dirt" everywhere, and watch Mom clean it up! Of course Tilly (our pure white dog) decided to lay in it which resulted in a bath. Mischa decided it was better as an appetizer and ate it. These things always happen when Todd is not at home. I am not sure if you have ever bathed a husky, but it is no easy fete. All that hair... Mischa developed a vomiting problem due to what the vet called her "dietary indiscretion". Is that what you call eating chicken poo, dietary indiscretion? Fortunately Todd was home by the time the vomiting began. Unfortunately, she could not wait until Monday when a visit to our vet would have been considerably cheaper. We wound up with a vet fee, x-ray fee, IV fluid fee, and a an anti-nausea injection fee. All to the tune of $420. Damn it's a good thing she is so sweet and pretty! The trials and tribulations of dog ownership!

Todd and Steve flew to NYC last week to see one of the final Yankee games at Yankee Stadium. They had a blast! He was overjoyed to experience Yankee Stadium in person. Todd's dream is to visit all eight original baseball stadiums (apparently a big deal if you are a die-hard baseball fan!)

I was glad that they were able to have such a great trip. Seeing the game and stadium, taking in the NYC sights, visiting Ground Zero, and visiting as many bars and pubs as possible. It was tough for me while Todd was gone. Aside from the dog incident, I visited the doctor for heart palpitations and was laid up with severe back pain. Definitely missing the help that my loving husband provides around the house! But it was not all in vain. He came home with a lovely gift from Tiffany's! I mean, is a trip to NYC complete without a visit to the mother ship? Here is my pretty little bauble:

The ring is part of their brand new line, "Tiffany Notes". I have to admit I was quite giddy to receive a new little blue box. They are few and far between, and saved for special occassions only. Therefore I really appreciate them when one comes my way.

While Todd was gone I finally finished my cubes for our living room mantle. I think they came out pretty darn cute. Lord knows they took long enough to complete!