Coming Soon: the Fall Family Schedule and other fun stuff

I'm on an organization bender.

I got tired of having dates and times and to-do's all jumbled up in my can't-take-it-anymore brain.

So I've spent a total of 3 or 4 or a billion hours at the computer picking fun fonts and pretty colors.

There are weekly schedules and planned date nights and apple cider play dates and leaf stamping in the works.

And closet overhauling.

And it all starts next week.

Look out, world, this family circus is on. a. schedule.

The Fall Family Schedule is currently marinating on my computer hard drive, but it will make its appearance next Monday.

Amazing things are about to happen.  Fall activities are falling out of our ears, and the good news is: I like to share.  Our Fall Funtivites calendar is coming soon to a blog near you! =)

I wish I had a picture to share with you because posts without pictures are kinda lame.

Today can't be lame.  You can't start a Monday out lame because if you do that, the whole week could potentially be lame.  I can't handle a lame week to send summer off.  It just wouldn't be right. Summer has to go out with a bang.

So, here you go, a Fall Flashback:

(Fall 2010....just look at that roly poly baby boy!  I want another one.)

Happy, happy Monday!

*I'm going to toss a little prayer request out there because prayer works, and I really want this to work...we have had our house up on the market this spring and summer, and we've gotten a few bites but nothing to send us packing. With fall coming, we're getting anxious and really hoping to sell before winter sets in. We'd appreciate any prayer concerning getting this puppy sold soon!  Thanks, friends!

That's why its called fishing and not catching.

I have a post in the works about my weekend, the only problem is that I'm lazy and the pictures span two different cameras and its Monday and that just isn't happening. Oh my goodness.  Its not Monday.  Its Tuesday, which should really only further explain why that just isn't happening.

Where is the coffee? 

Yes, I know its 1 o'clock in the afternoon, but I've recently become addicted to a series on Netflix and have not been getting to bed before midnight. So I'm only functioning on half of the sleep necessary to keep track of days of the week. ...Where is the coffee?

In the meantime, I'll give you a hint what we did for my birthday weekend:

 Two tin cups plus 80,000 gallons of water...any guesses?

In other news, we went fishing last night. It was after dinnertime, a real risky move.  But we are nothing if not ambitious, so we loaded up the car and hit the park to drop a line before bath and bedtime.  Newbie was content to sit in his wagon and slobber a bobber while his daddy fished and I snapped a few pictures. 


We had been out for about 20 minutes when I looked at the Hubs and said, "Babe, we're not really catching anything."

That's when I got schooled, and the Hubs replied, "That's why its called fishing and not catching."

 

  (If you're asking yourself if this is a choking or bio hazard, the answer is probably both.  But worry not, this lasted all of 5 seconds before I played the Mom Card and swiped it.)

 

 

 

 I wish it was called catching because it would have been nice to see a fish or two.  Maybe next time. =)

Happy Tuesday!

Giving Thanks

I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 7:17

(Image created by http://www.trudyholtzphotography.com)

Happy Sunday, friends!

Pressing matters like watermelon bricks and acceptable consumption of chocolate birthday cake

The past couple weeks I've snuck in some crafting time during naps or Clifford viewings.  I've recently discovered Pinterest.com, this handy little site where you can collect pictures of stuff you find online and put them all in one place.  See?

I've got a "Feelin' Crafty" board on my Pinterest site full of crafts and do-it-yourself projects just begging to be made.

So over the past two weeks, I've scrounged for supplies around the house and pulled off a few fun projects in between playing with Newbie and telling Opie to GIT OUT while I'm unloading the dishwasher.

Project 1:  Fancy Schmancy Stop-Dropping-All-Your-Stuff-on-the-Counter Catch All Shutters
I snagged the shutter for 3 bucks at a flea market and had the Hubs chop it in half for me, then I spray painted that sucker out in the backyard and whala!

Project 2:  Once Tacky Turned Cutesie Porcelin Chicken
Bought that chickie at the same flea market and used the same spray paint to convert it into a fun little piece for the kitchen.

Project 3: Love God, Love Others Banner
I've had a blank wall chilling out in the playroom forever and finally ran into a fun project I thought would fill the space perfectly.  I found this little dandy here and then drew out the letters, glued them to some scrap fabric, cut them out and strung them together.  I love that our mission is strung up as a reminder throughout the day.  ...and who doesn't love pear and apple fabric???

(Exhibit A: Our house, 9:30 am. Exhibit B: Our new Clifford the Big Red Dog obsession.  "And her love made Clifford grow so big that the Howards had to leave their home..."  Yes.  I can quote both the theme song and the entire first three episodes.  Thankyouverymuch. )

We haven't been doing a whole lot around here lately, which is why I've had time to do some crafting...and some Cliffording.  This weekend, however, we broke the mold and got out of the house for a visit to the Reading Festival.  G-Mama has been working with a team to plan and throw the Reading Festival all summer long, so we were excited about checking it out. 

Newbie had a blast hollering at all the characters walking around until they came close, then he clammed up and kept his hands to himself instead of offering a high-five or his newly famed "hi!"  He didn't even hollah back at the character from one of his favorite books, The Best Mouse Cookie. Poor mouse.  He got the shaft after walking all the way across the street to say hello. 

They even had a Hook-A-Book at the dam where Newbie reeled in some new reading material for his rain gutter bookshelves.

                                                (We take our book fishing very seriously.)

We hit the characters, the book fishing, and the Paws for a Cause tent, which was full of fuzzy little golden retriever puppies-LOVE!  But Newbie's favorite was definitely the fire truck.  He's really starting to get into cars and trucks, "vrooming" when he sees one and pushing his cars across the floors at home.  It was fun to see him play around on the big fire engine.  He went bonkers when he saw it and took off in an instant.  He ran right up to the fireman and got a shiny Fire Deputy badge sticker. He even got to sit in the front of the truck!

We hit up G-Mama's house for the afternoon and evening after the festival, and I stumbled into a Little Tikes car my sister and I used to play with in their basement.  I 409ed that thing then set it out in the kitchen for Newbie.  It was vintage 1980's plastic car love at first sight. Never mind that the Hubs was all, "If you're gonna spray paint everything in our house, why can't you at least spray paint the girly purple car?"  Whatevs.  Its an authentic 1980's Little Tikes, baby.  You don't mess with 1980's Little Tikes.

We're looking forward to the Hubs getting home a little early from work today after working a few hours this weekend.  The weather here has really cooled down- its been in the 70's lately- so we might hit the park for some fishing or go for a walk on the nature trails.  Opie better pull it together if he wants in on the fun because he's got two strikes against him already, and he's working on a third.  Who told this dog that I need to know each time the wind blows outside or every time a neighbor gets into a car across the street?  My ears hurt.

While we're asking questions, who took my deodorant?  I can't find it anywhere, and I'm ashamed to say I've spent the better part of two days smelling like Old Spice's version of Tahiti because I can't find my own copy of antiperspirant.  Help.

Also, I made P-Dub's watermelon granitas Thursday night, except I skipped the "scrape the top of the frozen mixture every hour" part, so now I just have a 9x13 brick of watermelon sitting in my freezer.  What do I do?

Happy Monday!

The day the stromboli sassed me

This morning Newbie had a quick appointment at the doctor to get a booster shot.  The Hubs and I came up with this brilliant idea to give him the complementary lollipop before and during the appointment, as opposed to the usual end of the appointment, in the hopes that the artificial grape flavor would distract Newbie and keep the tears at bay. 

It was not as brilliant as it sounds.  Moments after this picture was taken, the nurses walked in, poked him, and the flood gates opened.  He was fine as soon as I scooped him up off the table, but the bottom line: lollipops don't cut it, Sugar.  Shots are still the stink.

Also, we ran into my OB in the office waiting room.  I probably don't need to tell you that there are about 87 reasons why that was awkward.  It was a lot like seeing your teacher at the grocery store.  What is she doing here?  Doesn't she live at school?  It just. shouldn't. happen.  The end.

After the appointment, we went to the gardens just long enough for Newbie to get soaked by the fountains then zipped over to Jimmy John's for some freaky fast subs before the Hubs hit the road for work.  Newbie loves his daddy and has been such a ham lately.  I'm not really sure what he's doing in this picture, but you can bet he's yucking it up for his daddy-O.

 

This afternoon I cleaned the house,  (I have a thing for clean houses going into the weekend) and let me tell you something: cleaning the house with a toddler in tow in not easy.  It is a full fledged workout and then some.  Which means its totally OK that I threw an extra handful of sugar into the watermelon granitas I made tonight. 

After cleaning the house, I was a shadow of the woman I once was. In an attempt to make dinner easy, I pulled up a Stromboli recipe I found online a couple weeks ago and decided to give it a whirl.  The recipe was advertised as "quick and easy", so I figured it was a shoo-in.  Shoe-in.  Shew-in.  Shhhooooo-in.

As I'm working my way through the first steps of the recipe, I'm seriously beginning to question both the "quick" and the "easy".  I was exhausted and the steps seemed a bit labor intensive. All I wanted was something fast for dinner.  I coulda just made mac and cheese, for crying out loud, but I chose this path instead because I thought I could trust the cook behind the recipe when I read "quick and easy".  

Ya think ya know a guy.

You can imagine my irritation when I looked to the recipe and read: "Now, this kind of dough can be tough to pull apart, so just be patient." 

That's when I lost it and started talking back to the recipe card.

"DON'T YOU SASS ME!  Don't you know I just cleaned the entire house?!?!  Who says you are quick and easy?!?!  I AM ABOUT TO GO KUNG FU ON YOUR STROMBOLI HINEY!"

And then I did.  I went kung fu on that sucker and threw it in the oven and choked it down in all its "quick and easy" glory and then I vowed to never ever make it again because what kind of recipe throws that kind of sass at a momma who is just trying to find a viable substitute for mac and cheese? 

And you know who else wasn't a big fan of said "quick and easy" Stromboli? 

This guy:

That is one very unhappy camper, folks.

From now on, we're stickin' to mac and cheese.  And yes, I will be fishing green beans and Stromboli out of Newbie's nose tonight at bathtime.  Do not let anyone tell you raising a toddler is anything but glamorous.

Wishing you all a happy Thursday free of recipe drama. =)

Ready for the weekend...

 

July's Nooks and Crannies

I have searched through all the nooks and crannies of the first three weeks of July to bring you this motherlode of a post.  We've crammed a lot of summer fun into our July despite our change in plans, and BOY HOWDY do I ever have a post for you!  Fourth of July, chocolate chip cookies, farmer's market- today I've got it all.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride...

July 4 (aka our biggest parenting fail to date)
We got home from our beach house vacation just before the 4th, and my grandparents were in town to celebrate with us.  We kicked the day off with a picnic on the curb while we watched a local parade.  Newbie was a HUGE fan.  He loved the Tootsie Rolls and the red wagons.  Not sure what it is with my boy and wagons, but when he sees one he screams and points and looks up at us to make sure we aren't missing the majesty of the red radio flyer in all its glory.  It was so fun to watch him enjoy himself! 

After the parade we hit up the 'rents house for some good 'ol fashion fire crackers.  Newbie tried his hand at a few poppers and loved watching them fall from his little fingers and snap against the concrete.  The smoke bombs and fire dancers (the Hubs and Aunt Corndog) were my personal favorite.  After amateur firecrackers in the driveway, Uncle J and Aunt Corndog busted out the heavy artillery at the bonfire in the backyard.  Newbie was shaking and crying and I've never felt like more of an idiot.  The Hubs and I had to bail on the bonfire shindig and drive Newbie around in the car for an hour before he settled down and fell asleep.  NEVER AGAIN.

(Fire dancer: Aunt Corndog)

(That's my man.  What a STUD.)

(Don't worry.  This child was fully supervised by his over-protective mother, his grandmother, and his great-grandmother- all at the same time- for the duration of fire cracker activities.  Also, that is an empty box.)

(Mutte loves baby feet as much as I do.)

I heart my grandparents.
Mutte and GD were in town the entire week of the fourth, and they got some quality one-on-one time with Newbie while my parents helped the Hubs and I get to and from the hospital and downright survive the week.  Newbie now knows his Mutte and Great Grandad by name, and he had a BLAST playing with them.  Since they live down in Texas, Mutte and GD haven't gotten a lot of time with our little man, and I was so happy to see them building such a fantastic relationship with Newbie in such a short amount of time.  And we have grand ambitions of starting some monthly video chats on Skype soon...as long as we can figure out all those fancy buttons. =)

Good Best Friends
The Hubs and I were THRILLED to get to spend some time with some excellent friends of ours over the past couple weeks.  The Hubs' friend came up from North Carolina and spent a day with the Hubs golfing then the two of them made it back in time to have dinner with the fam. 

Newbie loved Uncle C, which was exciting because he hadn't seen him since Christmas, and we weren't sure if he was going to opt for a freak out.  I didn't get any good pictures of the two of them playing together.  Boo!  After dinner we told Newbie to tell Uncle C "goodnight," and -I KID YOU NOT-Newbie looked at him and waved and said, SAID, "nigh nigh."  It. was. precious. 

While my rents put Newbie to bed, the boys and I spent a few hours after the BBQ was long gone swatting at the skeeters and talking.  Those two had me laughing (to the point of tears!) for the first time in a week.  They are two goof balls, and I love it when they let me in on the fun. We were so blessed to have Uncle C come and hang out with us! 

*Pictures coming soon!*

The following weekend we snuck in some time with some friends from middle school/high school who now live in Indiana.  It was so good to spend time catching up.  After spending some time letting Newbie show off a few tricks, G-Mama and Grandad took the little man home, and we went out for dinner and dessert.  Again, laughing until I was in tears and finding myself thanking God for such fun and close friends.  We love them to bits.

To Market to Market to Buy a Fat Pig
We didn't buy a pig.  But G-Mama did get a plunder of fresh fruits and veggies at the farmer's market, and I came home with two bundles of flowers.  Newbie had fun chasing after (more) red wagons, signing "more" any time he saw blueberries, and panting at all the doggies we passed as we strolled the venders' tents.  It was a delightful summer morning!

(Stopping to smell the roses sunflowers.  Check out the sniffer on my boy- he doesn't hold anything back.)

(Wagon chasing.  Our new hobby.)

New Tricks
Newbie grew 5 inches this month.  Not really. But he sprouted up and out of some of his clothes and his summer hats don't fit well anymore.  On top of getting SO big, he has learned a bucket load of new tricks.  He's talking up a storm- repeating his nickname and saying "Gee momee" and "Gan Da" for G-Mama and Grandad, and repeating several things we say.  He caws for birds, pants for dogs, razzle berries for elephants, and snorts for his cousin Mimzy the pug.  He plays golf and hits the ball with the club, and he follows directions.  He laughs when I say "no"- not my favorite game- but he blows kisses which totally makes up for it...sometimes.  My little boy is getting to be a big boy right before my eyes!

Chocolate makes the world a better place
Lately I've really been trying to teach my son about the important things in life.  "Son, when in doubt, just guzzle a bag of chocolate."  He helped me make a fabulous batch of chocolate chip cookies last week.  He's a pretty big fan.

(Don't you wish I would start editing these pictures and stop using the flash?  Yeah, me too.)

Lightening McQueen and all his rowdy propaganda
We are official Lightening berserk over here.  I've caved and bought my son a foam chair covered in bright red polyester and embellished with Lightening McQueen.  He needed a chair, he likes Lightening (even though he's never seen the movie), and it was on sale at Babies 'R Us.  SOLD. Newbie carries the thing all over the house and plops down wherever it suits him.  The living room.  The kitchen.  The dining room.  This tacky red chair follows us everywhere. 

We've also got more than our fair share of Lightening McQueen shirts now, and I'm officially labeling myself nuts because it doesn't bother me.  He LOVES that little red car, and I can't make myself stop encouraging it.  It is such fun to see him recognize something and get excited about it!  He screams and points anytime he sees Lightening.  Lightening t-shirt he sees in his dresser?  Check.  Lightening kick board on display at Bed Bath and Beyond?  Check.  Lightening jammies at Kohls?  Check.  Enormous Cars 2 display at Toys 'R Us?  Check.  You name it, if its got Lightening on it, we are screaming with excitement.  And Lightening is everywhere right now because the new Cars movie just came out.  So we've been screaming a lot. =)

(We have declared this the summer of the denim diaper.)

The Gardens
We are back, baby.  We've been thrown for a loop this month, but we're back home and hitting up all our favorite places again.  After church on Sunday, G-Mama and Grandad came to the gardens with us for the first time, and Newbie had a blast showing them the ropes.  It was such a riot watching my boy run around the fountains in his crocs and denim diapers.  We like to keep it classy. =)

And that exhausts every last picture I have in the archives of July thus far.  We have lots of fun summer stuff coming up, and I'm looking forward to getting back into taking pictures and sharing things as they happen each day.

My little man is setting a football in my lap and expecting a "RED FORTY TWO! PINK FLAMINGO WITH A SIDE OF FRIES TWENTY SIX! JAIMACA ME CRAZY THIRTY EIGHT!  HUT! HUT!" (That is, after all, what quarterbacks say before the ball is hiked, right?) All of that yelling is expected to be accompanied by a world class throw across the living room for a touchdown followed by a finely tuned touchdown dance, all compliments of yours truly. His big blue eyes are getting bigger and bigger as I type, so I better get going.  Football game to attend to. Don't want to keep my little man waiting!

Hope y'all are having a fantastic week!