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Chipping Away at That List

I stopped at Target on my way home last night to do the dreaded task: swimsuit shopping. All I've got right now is my old maternity suit that (thank god) no longer fits. So I had to get a new one and quick because we had plans. Is there any woman on the planet that ENJOYS swimsuit shopping?? I mean aside from the unnatural supermodel ilk? I doubt it. But I managed to find something acceptable and home I went.

We actually (*gasp*) went to our neighborhood pool. We packed a picnic dinner and walked over for some fun in the sun. The kids could hardly eat they were so excited. After “dinner” we turned them loose on the sprayground.

Ben, my BOY, went at it with great gusto. He delighted in all of the sprinklers and waterfalls and fun. He ran around on the foamy surface, laughing and growling and screaming. He was a sight to behold. Timid Tabby held back and it wasn't until I agreed to run around with her that she would get very close to any actual WATER.

I sincerely regret that I didn't take my camera with us. Ben was especially hilarious, running around soaked, grinning up a storm. I apparently need it surgically implanted on my person (anyone got a good reference?).

Slowly, but surely, we're tackling our summer to-do list. Hard to believe this weekend is the Fourth of July!!

PS My new toy showed up yesterday, but as I was knee-deep in website edits (done on the treadtop? walkstation??), I hardly got to play at all. Hopefully I'll have some show-and-tell soon.

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Treadputer?

Last night my darling hubby installed his latest project on our treadmill. At my request, he built me a laptop holder for our treadmill, based on some instructions from somewhere on the web (don’t remember where now and we didn’t really follow them anyhow,so I won’t bother to find them). It’s made of PVC pipe (3/4″, I believe) and tied on with bungee cords. Certainly not the most elegant or beautiful solution, but it’s secure, it came together quickly and it was CHEAP! Sucker probably cost less than $10.

So now you’re probably envisioning me playing Sims while jogging along at a good clip. WRONG! I plan to use this for a couple of things: 1. To watch stuff on the web while I run (TV shows, etc. from Hulu or whatever) or 2. To do light web browsing (google reader, Facebook) while I walk slooowly. I tried it out a bit last night and it will take some practice. I also think I might want a little arm extension on the right for a mouse platform … I am terrible with the trackpad.

Now we just need to do something about the name. Treadputer doesn’t really roll off the tongue. Lapmill? Treadtop? Walkstation?

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In Search of Slow

Matt and I work very well as a team. Our strengths and weaknesses tend to compliment one another. He is amazing at research for any purchase we have to make. That stuff bores me to tears, but I am awesome at keeping an eye on the bottom line. He is amazing with the execution of any project and he always finishes what he starts with a great deal of perfection. I have an eye for design and a creative streak that provide him with many projects or refine his ideas.

But like any couple, there are some areas we struggle with. He is extremely high energy and while I fancy myself to be fairly high energy as well, there is no doubt that I prefer more of the quiet life. He would go-go-go nearly 24/7 if it were up to him. I would go not nearly so much. When you compound the situation with the fact that I work away from home and he works at home, sometimes we clash.

We have been monstrously busy lately, and honestly, it's as much if not more me than Matt lately. We've had plans many many nights, additional work to accomplish, and not enough of us to go around. So this weekend, I wanted some peace and quiet.

There was still plenty of go-go-go. I assisted in the hosting of and attended a party. We went for a hike in a new spot. We had to get grocery shopping done. But there was some nice quiet time too.

The kids went to stay with my parents on Saturday night while Matt and I worked on some individual projects completely uninterrupted. We then had popcorn for dinner and hung out, just the two of us, no movie, no restaurant.

Sunday after we got home from the errands we had to run, we worked around the house as a family. Then we spent a very nice hour and a half outside together. Tabby rode her bike while we pushed Ben in the stroller. We made dinner together and had popsicles afterward. It was nice and slow.

I want just a bit more of that. More time at home. More doing next to nothing. More playing with the kids. It's nice.

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Links for No One

Feels like I'm playing to an empty room this week! I guess everyone's out enjoying the beautiful summer. Me? I'm chained to the computer as usual (though I did get in a lovely early morning run on Monday) but I've found some great links to share! There are so many, I just picked some of my most favorite, but the full compliment, as always, is here. Enjoy!

• Great Father's Day Gift Ideas, maybe for next year
• A guide to printing fabric on your own computer
• Hilarious Napoleon Dynamite Job Interview T'shirt (say what??)
• Make use of the space in your walls to store shoes
• Plant a garden in your gutter?? Am I the only one who sees potential issues with this??
• The Smurfs are invading NYC!
• Love these chalkboard picture frames!
• Say bye-bye to cable?
• Hollywood sets handmade in miniature
• a fun project and good advice for twenty-somethings
• take a look inside the homes of folks all over the world
• the Chinese are apparently renting white guys … sounds like a job I'd excel at (if I were male)
• DIY cupcake wrappers
• cool outdoor table from a couple of IKEA pieces
• fun design board web app that includes stuff from Crate and Barrel IKEA, West Elm, etc.
• Ollie North, eat your heart out: a paper shredding coffee table
• love this raffia painting trick as shown on this lamp
• the food in jars craze marches on – this time: picnic foods!
• a good reminder for all of us
• more great treehouses/playhouses … I want that first one for my office!! (this one would be OK too! or this one)
• very enjoyable appearance by Mark FrauenFelder, Maker icon, on The Colbert Report
• something about this apricot thyme galette looks unbelievably summery and tasty!
• Disney kismet
• I never would have thought of this: massive packing-tape spiderweb
• love to see the Stormtroopers in action
• take a hike on the best hiking trails in America
• just a little over a week 'til the fourth of july – maybe I still have time to make this garland … nah … probably not

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Say ‘Ello to My Leetle Friend

So I made a little purchase yesterday. It’s called a Silhouette and it’s a die-cut machine, similar to a Cricut, or, apparently, as I now know, about 10 other machines (who knew die-cutting machines was a growth industry??). But with this baby, you hook it up to your computer and print your own designs (my thing!). I wanted to get one in town. I wanted to use it this past weekend, but I will settle for whenever the heck the thing shows up. Now I just need to hope it shows up AFTER this weekend, so I can keep my nose to the grindstone, making websites.

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Race Recap: Apex Father’s Day 5K

I really like races (maybe that’s obvious by now). I have to show up (usually early in the morning, which suits me) and run a set distance. I like the adrenaline boost. I like the t’shirts. I like the long-term goal. And on and on. Luckily Matt likes them too and we enjoy running them together.

This was another race weekend. We ran a 5K sponsored by our local recreation district for Father’s Day. Happily, they included jogging strollers in the mix. I was a bit nervous during packet pickup … everything was a bit unorganized and I got accosted by a crazy old lady who thought I was grabbing more than our fair share of swag water bottles (I wasn’t). The start was also a bit weird since we were shoved to the back with the walkers since we had a stroller and the old lady who was holding the sign for our wave kept yelling at us not to go even when it was apparent we should be going. But once we finally got going (and got around a ton of walkers), it was a really nice route, mostly flat. It was just pretty neighborhoods and ended up on a trail to complete a loop. I felt good and ran the entire time (not like it was long) and then really put on the turbo at the end.

My “chip time” was 34.28, which was the same was my “clock time” since they didn’t have a starting pad for the chips. My watch read just under 33 minutes right as I crossed the finish line and I was pretty darn happy with that … I would love to run a sub 30 5K (yes, lame and pathetic and slow, I KNOW) this year.

The low key nature of the race was perfect for the day and we were able to finish, grab a water and walk about 30 feet to our car, get in and drive off without any traffic and go get bagels. It was a perfect start to the day!

P.S. Sorry for the crappy photo quality … my camera phone is only so-so in the best of circumstances, let alone egregiously back-lit. Ugh.

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Happy Father's Day: Tabby's Take on Daddy

DSC_2537An interview with Tabby, age 3.25 about her daddy:

What's your Daddy's name?
Daddy! Also, according to Tabby, I call him “baby” … which I don't.

What's his favorite thing to do?
Work! At his computer. And in his shop!

What does he like to eat?
Pancakes and bacon … and macaroni and cheese!

What does he drink?
Coke.

What makes him happy?
Me.

Who does he love?
Papa (my dad). And Grammy and you. And Tabby and Ben and Loki (when prompted with “who else?”).

What makes Daddy mad?
When I talk when he's on the phone.

What does he like to watch on TV?
Football!

What does he like to do for fun?
Play games … bad games (Oblivion, presumably, where things blow up).

What do you love about your daddy?
He's nice to me and tucks me in and snuggles me.

We all like that about him and we are all truly truly lucky to have such a nice daddy and husband!

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Tabby on the Rocks

When I saw The Princess Bride on Film on the Rocks schedule, I knew it was time to initiate Tabby into one of Denver’s best summer traditions. Film on the Rocks, for the uninitiated is a summer even series sponsored by The Denver Film Society. They rent out Red Rocks and show second-run or cult classic films. The setting is absolutely magical: a gorgeous amphitheater carved out of amazing red stone, combined with Colorado’s perfect, 0-humidity, 70 degree summer nights.

So we packed up our picnic dinner (complete with movie candy) and headed out to Red Rocks. Tabby was less than enthused about the inevitable traffic jam to get to parking. But once we got there, she was keen to get going. It’s a hike into the amphitheater, but a pretty one and besides, she was carried for about half of it.

We got in and found some seats and got all set up. Tabby was too excited to eat her PBJ and we passed the time until sunset with people watching, potty-going and the coloring supplies I’d brought for her.

She got a little antsy with the sponsor commercials at the start of the movie, but rallied nicely when Bugs Bunny showed up for the traditional pre-movie cartoon they always show at FOTR. She had *gasp* never seen Bugs Bunny. I felt as though I was failing her as a parent. It was The Barber of Seville and she laughed like crazy.

I’d offered to give her a synopsis of the movie beforehand so she would know the general plot, but she refused and watched the movie with RAPT attention. The eels and ROUS kind of scared her (as they did me at that age), but she loved the story and told me all about Buttercup and Wesley yesterday.

It was great for all of us and I wouldn’t hesitate to take her to another FOTR … though probably not Superbad.

Summer is officially here!!!

 

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Digging, Watching, Reading

Digging
Check out this super-cute mug I got at CostPlus! It looks like a take-away, but it’s really stoneware and the lid/cozy are rubbery like a cellphone cover (kind of like this one, but I didn’t have to buy two). It is perfect for my morning cup (or two) of mint green tea.

I saw an avocado pendant featured on The Kitchn. I went to check it out and immediately fell in love with all her jewelry. It’s only a matter of time, my pretties!

I saw these super cute name labels called Name Bubbles somewhere in my travels. I’m really tempted to order some for Tabby since she is starting daycamp today and needs all of her stuff (swimsuit, towels) labeled. I know sharpie eventually fades …

Watching
Since Blitzen took out my Tivo, I have not been watching much. But before that, I wasn’t watching a whole lot of TV either because it’s SUMMER, yo.

I did watch Losing it with Jillian 2x. I’m a sucker for all things Jillian and I really enjoyed the show, that is when I wasn’t wanting to punch people for being whiny and lazy (I’m mean like that).

I also watched a cute movie, Like Stars on Earth about a little kid living in India. He is a trouble-maker and getting terrible grades, but then he meets a special teacher who changes his future. It’s a bit slow to get going and the story is peppered with musical sequences some of which I loved and others I found irritating. But the story is heart warming and it was fun.

We saw SATC2 for my mom’s birthday. It was a funny movie and I didn’t check my watch nearly as often as I did during Iron Man 2. Nothing deep, for sure and it was kind of like a long episode, but I enjoyed it. The Miranda/Charlotte mommy guilt scene was priceless! Continue reading “Digging, Watching, Reading”