I Win … I Win!!!

Lovely Marisa, who is getting married like 10 minutes from now (actually, I think it's like 3 days) was kind enough to give me a blogging award.


Thanks! And best wishes for a fab wedding.

I get to pass on the good cheer to other blogs I enjoy:

Yvett, cuz she always makes me laugh, especially while I'm drinking MILK

Ani, cuz she's a sweetie and makes yummy things to eat

Kristi, cuz she's always got something interesting to say

Lisanne, cuz she takes beautiful photos and sees lots of good in the world

Shannon, cuz she cracks me up with her goofiness and her kid is an absolute stitch

Chas, cuz she always has an interesting story

Wil Wheaton, cuz he's a fine piece of nerd man

Links Galore

Anyhoo … Lisanne shamed me (though she had no such intention) into posting a new round of links. I have come across some really good ones that I should definitely share, so it was high time. But the linky posts, they consume LOADS of time to write and time is one thing I have had very little of. Without further adieu:

KIDDOS
• Love this room I saw on Ohdeedoh, especially that book rack! I am so having Matt make one of those for Tabby when she gets a big girl room in the not-as-distant-as-I'd-like future.
• I also thought this idea for a house/kid's room/whatever was really interesting.
• Love this art centerpiece!
• Clean the kids. Clean the bikes. In your DIY Kid Wash!
Mysterio T'shirts predict the new baby's future.
• Another blog to love: Simple mom! Filled with good tips for kids and organization.
Parenting techniques for raising independent, thoughtful and kind children – sign me up!
• I totally dig this rolltop chair
things to do outdoors with your kiddos – a great list

COOKING
• these cookie chip chocolates look really intersting … chips of cookie inside melted chocolate
microwave chocolate cake for one
• how about french toast kabobs for breakfast?? sounds good to me
• make pickles in under 3 hours
• good for a warm night: avocado soup!
baked peaches with amaretti stuffing
no-guilt cocktails
cream cheese stuffed cupcakes
• gotta try this “fast dinner”: thai chicken with basil
• use up those CSA veggies: summer squash and potato torte
butterfinger cake?? sign me up!
• bring on the coolwhip! no-bake desserts for summer
• gotta love how this zebra cake looks Continue reading “Links Galore”

Beads for Baby

I saw this cool project somewhere in my travels (possibly before we even decided to have kids??) and knew I had to try it out someday. You take wooden beads (available at craft stores everywhere) and paint them as desired with acrylic paint. I decided to varnish them too, since I was worried they might not be too durable without it. Plus, it made them all shiny. Then I strung them up with elastic cord.

I decided on a pink/green motif since Tabby is so into pink right now. She picks pink everything if given the choice. I presented them to her and while she seems to find them fun to look at and play with, she will not keep them on! Luckily, I made it long enough that it should be big enough for her to wear for a couple of years yet. I think she'll probably be into accessories before too long.

Whizzzing by

Another weekend full to the brim with friends, family, fun and HEAT. Matt and Tabby spent Friday together, hanging out and running errands and we had dinner at my parents' house that evening.

Saturday we got up early and went to the zoo before it got too hot. Tabby is fascinated by animals at the moment and the zoo was a MAJOR hit. Every other word was “seeee?!” She walked ran all over the place on her short baby legs and was tired more or less the rest of the day as we did grocery shopping, gardening, cooking and hanging around the house. Today it got hot even faster. We went for a run this AM and took our half-way point break at a playground where she could play. After breakfast and some play time, she and I both took a long nap. Then we ran out and did a couple more errands. The afternoon was spent at my great uncle's 90th birthday party. Then the mad scramble to get ready for the week to begin.

I got quite a bit accomplished this weekend. I used up a lot of our spare veggies by making a couple of quiches. They both turned out very well. I also did a project I've been wanting to do for a long time … I painted a bunch of wooden beads and made them into a necklace for Tabby. It turned out very well, so of couse she has no interest in wearing it. Hehehe.

Hope you had a good one.

The Dog Days of Summer

It's been some kinda hot here lately. And then it keeps threatening rain which makes it humid. Though to my knowledge, it's mostly just closed pools and ruined perfectly clean cars. We Coloradans are kind of whiny about humidity. It gets even a weee bit steamy and we whine. We're just not used to it. It's semi-arid here usually. Mr. Loki has been sitting near/ON TOP OF the A/C vents and stealing sandwiches (though I don't think this has much to do with the heat). Maybe we should have named him Yogi.

Boot camp is almost done, which is bumming me out. I've really enjoyed getting up at the crack of dawn and doing insane things to my body. Lord only knows why. Due to scheduling conflicts, I can't sign up for the next session either.

Work has been nuts too. I am working on some new projects and I have very little help and a steep learning curve, so when I hit a wall it's just me and the help files. They're not as helpful as their title might lead you to believe, either!.. But now I'm remembering some tricks of my old trade … if I get up and walk around for a while and chat with someone, I usually get it all figured out. Though actually, my old trick was to play a game of tetris. Wonder which would take less time. But in any case, by the time I get home between the heat and the brain drain I'm fit for little interesting or fun.

Weekend, please!

Signs You Spend Too Much Time Together

Last Thursday as we made the long journey to The People's Republic to pick up our veggies from the hippies (more greens, did I mention?!?), Tabby got a bit cranky. So we did what almost always soothes her … we sang. We take her classic kid songs and improvise … so Old MacDonald has had some way funky things on his farm. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Democrats, Republicans and all manner of animals that do not belong on a farm. So I start in with …

Old MacDonald had a farm
Tabby sings the EIEIO bit
and on that farm he had a slug
Tabby again sings the EIEIO bit
with a …

and at this point, Matt and I both simultaneously start making gross slurping sounds and then laugh hilariously because even though we'd never done “slug” before, we both made the exact same slug sound.

Then this weekend, we went into the grocery store and there was a guy there giving away free Denver Posts and (I assume) selling subscriptions. He asks us if we'd like a free paper. We politely decline and continue walking to the produce section. Just as he's out of ear shot:

Matt (in his Nelson voice): Dude, your medium's dying.
Me (also in a Nelson voice): Ha-ha.
As a reference to this Simpson's episode. I was kinda ticked though, because I wanted to say the first line.

Weeeekend!

We had a fab weekend. So so so busy. And it was so hot out. Our babysitter has requested Fridays off for a while and so Matt and I are splitting our time with her on Fridays, which is awesome. So Friday my mom and I took her to Denver's Children's Museum. She played and played and had a great time. We went to get sushi for dinner. After dinner, Matt and Tabby went home and I went with my mom and Kelly to see Mama Mia, which was really great.

Saturday morning, Matt and I went to a special co-ed bootcamp. It was such a kick seeing the guys getting down and dirty and doing the things we've been doing for weeks. Matt's a weee bit sore. Mom and Tabby and I spent a bunch of the day shopping and then Tabby spent the evening at my parents' while Matt and I had date night! We put our new sleeping bags to good use by creating a movie theatre in the back yard with my laptop and a borrowed projector. It was great fun.

Today we collected our darling daughter and ran errands. Costco. Grocery store. Etc. Tabby and I took a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. And then this evening we harvested our garden and made a mozzarella/tomato/basil salad that was the best we'd ever had. Soooo yummy. We also used up all of our spinach from our CSA share and made spinach pesto. I highly recommend it.

Hope you had a nice weekend!