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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

GIVEAWAY!!!

Giveaway on My Giveaway Today

Thursday, July 1

Winner announced on Friday, July 2

Be there or be square!

2 Year Check Up

The good news is....Quinn is happy and healthy and was a very good boy at the doctor's office.

The bad news is....I am (apparently) a bad parent. One of the questions that they ask for development at 2 years is if he has 50 words. Q has about 10 at this point and he doesn't put any of them together. He tries to say things, but nothing even remotely like the word comes out. He can sing the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle without a single letter or word coming out, but he has the tune down pat. So, I asked the doctor for a referral to an ENT. We thought that this was a good place to start because Quinn has a history (if you haven't noticed) of ear infections, Chris and his sister and her son have all had tubes, and the girls had surgery a couple of years ago to correct the attachment of their upper lips and tongue. Here's how it went down...

Me: I'd like to look into taking him to an ENT, just to be able to rule those problems out.
Dr: Does he take a pacifier?
Me: Really, only for naps and bedtimes.
Dr: Well, I won't even consider giving you a referral until he is completely off the pacifier. Pacifiers cause speech delays, ear infections and buck their teeth. You are not doing him any favors by giving him that pacifier.
Me: *dumbfounded, tail between legs* Ok.
Dr: And I wouldn't worry about his speech delay. Between the pacifier and the fact that he is the baby of the family - I'm sure his sisters are talking for him and that he has gotten comfortable with pointing and grunting - this is typical. Take that pacifier away from him and then we'll see how he is.

I seriously was in shock. The girls had their pacifiers until they were 2. They did not have a speech delay, ear infections or buck teeth. The plan is for the pacifier to be taken away completely this summer - but not while we were traveling and not while we have company this weekend. And while he does point and grunt, he also tries to say words and can't. He also does not imitate speech (like when we say, "Say 'thank you'", he says "unc unh".) the way that we feel he should.

Ugh. Just frustrated. And feeling like a terrible mother.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Sometimes You Just Need to Put Yourself in Time Out

Quinn's Big Boy Room


{reproduction vintage airplanes a la Home Goods}

Remember, way back in the spring, when we moved all the children around and gave Casey and Chandler their own rooms? Well, Q's room is finally all put together! We figured that since he is only 2 that he wouldn't notice that his walls were seafoam green, there were porcelain ballet shoes hanging on the wall and a butterfly lantern hanging from the ceiling. All he really cared about was his new big boy bed. So this morning, I met my friend Katie at Starbucks (outstanding company!) and Chris got busy painting. (Even though you can't really tell in the pictures, I swear the room is actually a pale blue.) He even enlisted help from the girls. I was sure that when I got home I would have to put on painting clothes and grab a roller, but they were done! The room is huge (its above the garage) so this was quite a feat.


{drawings of Ben Epps' airplanes from 1907 through 1930 that have been passed down in Chris's family}


{vintage postcards}


{Americana bench that my stepmom found for me about 12 years ago, airplane quilt from Pottery Barn}


The rail is really a nice (but necessary) touch, isn't it? The mattress isn't up on the top bunk because my godson will be sleeping on the mattress on the floor in the other room later this week. Just in case you were wondering.


After I arrived home, Chris took the girls to lunch at Burger King so they could play and he could read. When they came home, we put the room back together. Here's Chris, delegating tasks...

Chris: Chan, I want you to get the screwdriver and the plates for the light switch and put them back on. Casey, I want you to slide all of the rubbermaid tubs back under the bed.
Casey: *saluting Chris* Yes, sir! Casey, reporting for sliding!
Chandler: *saluting Chris* Yes, sir! Chandler, reporting for screwing!
Chris: *through laughter and tears* Please don't ever say that again, Chan.

And that's what I have to share for now.

ps - Mark it on your calendar! Thursday, I will be having a giveaway on My Giveaway Today. WooHoo!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Massacre




There was a massacre at my house this morning. We have knock out roses in the front of our house. I massacred them. But only half of them. And then there were flying bugs...and a big mess...and it was really hot...and my wrists hurt from the vibrations of the cutter. The whole operation seemed a little shady, if you ask me. I felt like I needed goggles. And a pith helmet. And perhaps some sort of head to toe netting. This was the conversation about this particular task....

Me: Chris, I think I can trim the bushes. That can be my thing on the list.
Chris: Are you sure?
Me: Yes. Absolutely. I think I'll be good at it. (I mean, really, you have to have a spark of creativity when it comes to bushes, and I have creativity.)
Chris: Can you operate the machine?
Me: Do I get to wear gloves and goggles?
Chris: No.
Me: Oh. Well, yeah, I can operate the machine. *and then I made a chopping motion with my hands*
Chris: You know its electric, don't you?
Me: *eyebrows raised* Really? We have electric trimmers?
Chris: Yes. They are electric. With a cord. Which also means that you have to make sure that you don't cut the cord. You'll electrocute yourself.
Me: *scoffs* I won't electrocute myself. *roll eyes*
Chris: This isn't going to be one of those things that you do and then I have to go back and fix it, is it?
Me: *appalled* Noooooooooo. I can totally trim the bushes. *completely annoyed*

So, I went out there and gave it my all. I was so sweat. (That's how the girls used to say they were hot and sweaty when they were little.) So, very, very sweat. And I had no clue what I was doing. I thought I might be able to trim little Disney characters (perhaps the dwarfs) in the bushes, but I was wrong. And then I went with the mentality that it had to be done and it couldn't look any worse than it already did. I was wrong about that too. So I turned in my electric trimmer and asked for a refund.

And then Chris reminded me of the above conversation and told me that I had to at least pick up all the trimmings...and that he couldn't "fix my mess" until Wednesday. Today he's busy cleaning the garage and tomorrow he is painting Q's room. The bushes will be Wednesday.

I will be sitting inside, where its cool, doing what I know how to do....read my book, blog, and make a few new pieces of jewelry.

And until then, we will look like those neighbors. You know, the ones that have no idea how to take care of anything except the grass, with crappy bushes and a pile of trimmings.


***and just for the record...these are the after pictures...the roses were a good foot and a half taller.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

The Weekend in Review...and a Glance Ahead

This weekend was actually a busy one...
  • Thursday night we celebrated Father's Day at Chris's parents' house. We ate steak and the best potatoes ever. They were so moist that I had to have 2. Quinn only broke one thing.
  • Friday I went to the big sale at the Gap. If I had paid regular price for everything that I bought, I would have spent $612. But I didn't pay regular price...it was 40% off all of their clearance items. So I paid $149. Jeans for the kids? $4.18/pair. Hellooooo, Gap! I love you. (And really, I have always loved them. I worked there when I was in high school. Just so you know.)
  • Saturday we celebrated Chris's nephew's birthday at Pump It Up in Athens. I think it may have been the best day of Quinn's life. Seriously. The boy was a sweaty mess. I also hope that it was the best day of Jonah's life too. Since it was his party and all. Following the party, the girls spent the night with the Wylies. I am not even going to tell you why Frankie called me twice. Some things are just best left to the imagination. While the girls were gone, Chris's mom came over for dinner and to give Quinn his birthday presents. He received a Harley big wheel. It's awesome. It is also now his favorite place to just sit and hang out. Chris's dad had to work and Q just couldn't get over it. He must have asked us 800 times, "Pop Pop?" And then we'd explain, yet again, where Pop Pop was and why he wasn't there.
  • Sunday, we went to church, ran by Target, ate lunch, Chris scrubbed (and I mean scrubbed!) the girls' bathroom and I cleaned out the linen closet.
This week? Ugh. My cousin (whom I love dearly) and her son are coming down from Chicago to stay with us Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Then we are all heading out to my mom's to spend the night on the 4th. I have a list a mile long of things that I would like to get done before Thursday. If you would like to volunteer to take my children off my hands for the next three days, that would be great.

An Artist I Love


These are the two prints that are hanging in our downstairs bathroom. They make it my favorite bathroom to use. (Well, the prints and the kelly green walls.) The first one is a painting of UGA campus - from the Arches allllllll the way back. I love looking at the "map" of where I spent 5 years of my undergrad and graduate programs. The second is a painting of the Georgia Theater (prior to the fire) with R.E.M. (one of my all-time favorite bands) on the marquee.

I had long admired the work of Jamie Calkin in the shops of downtown Athens before I ever knew him as a person. We go to church together and I love seeing him and his wife and their 2 daughters every week. They are delightful people, with strong faith and kind spirits, which makes his art even more fabulous to me.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Happy Birthday Quinn!


Happy Birthday, Quinn! 2 years ago, we welcomed Quinn into the world, and the world hasn't been the same since! Throughout the majority of my pregnancy, I told Dr. Elder that I was going to have a small baby. 6lbs sounded good to me. He asked why I thought that and I told him it was because the girls both weighed under 5lbs. Then he reminded me that technically, I carried over 9 lbs of baby with the girls and that that was what my body could handle. So, no, I would not be having a small baby.

I believe I cried after that.

And Quinn exceeded even the doctor's expectations - 8lbs 13 oz and 22.5 inches long. (He had 4lbs and 5 inches on the girls.) I felt like I was holding a 4 month old baby.

While we have learned that boys are very different from girls, we have also learned that this boy has an immeasurable amount of love to give. He is good at sharing and giving hugs and kisses. He is also the most wonderful child to take to the doctor's office or to get a haircut.

And, I know that I often complain about him (who doesn't complain about their 2 year old???), I also can't imagine life without him.

Friday, June 25, 2010

The Good Thing About Vacation...

The good thing about vacation is that I took a break from the business of making jewelry. I thought it might be rude if I sat and worked at my father's kitchen table (which is similar to the table at the last supper and would be a great place to just spread things out). The bad thing about vacation is that my head was swimming with ideas by the time we came home. Wednesday, we slept most of the day, which means that I stayed up half the night to put some of these ideas into reality. And I made this little treat for myself. I am in love. Just so you know. But, I was inspired by this shop, and so therefore, nothing like this will be going in my shop. :)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Honeycomb, Limelight, Bubble Gum and Chantilly Lace


Honeycomb Earrings - in the shop - {$10}

Limelight Earrings - coming soon! - {$10}


Bubblegum Earrings - coming soon! - {$10}


Chantilly Lace Earrings - coming soon! - {$10}

What I am Reading

So this is the book that I picked up for our trip. Now that the trip is over, I just don't know if I can finish it. For those of you that know me well (like, really, really, well) this is huge. I never abandon a book. I have the utmost faith in authors. When a book is bad (in my opinion), I always think to myself Surely, it will turn around, and it will be something that I enjoy. My aunt took one look at this book this weekend and said, "Ang? Are you reading this?" She had this look on her face when she said it, too. This look of have you lost your mind? And then I explained to her...
1. I really love reading nonfiction. Especially biographies or autobiographies.
2. I love the Vanderbilts.
3. It won the Pulitzer this year for nonfiction.

The problem is that it is dry. And confusing. I have absolutely zero schema for steamboats and for the first 150 pages (that's how far in I am), the word "boat" has been on each page approx. 87 times. Last night, I read 9 pages in an hour. NINE PAGES! Again, if you know me well (like, really, really, well), this should be shocking information. I am quite sure that my father or my brother would be finished with this book by now. It would definitely be up their alley.

I'm giving it the rest of the week. If I can't get into it, then, well, onward Christian soldier! Whatever that means. :)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Home...Safe and Sound!

It really was an "up there and back" trip. And for the first time, this one involved a relatively uneventful drive...Thank God! Here are some random things from the trip that I have to share...

1. Prior to leaving for the trip, we had new tires put on the van, the oil changed, and Chris put on new windshield wiper blades. The windshield wiper blades are always a must before a trip because of this experience. We lucked out though - no real rain to speak of this time. Which was a good thing. Chicago had disastrous storms on Friday during the day and they moved through Louisville (where we spent the night) around 6am Saturday morning. By the time we left around 8am, it was really just down to a drizzle. We were on I-65 when Chris turned on the wipers. They worked without a hitch for about 3 swipes before tangling into each other and threatening to fly off. It was terrifying. All I kept picturing in my head was the wiper flying off and creating this massive accident. So we exited, parked and Chris went about examining the wipers. After about 5 minutes out in the drizzle, he opened up the door to the van and said, "I need the chip clip."

Um, excuse me, what??? "The chip clip from your chex mix...I need it." Um, ok.

So Chris just out his trusty pocket knife, pulled the silver spring part from the chip clip and and proceeded to rig the blade onto the wiper arm. Then we crossed our fingers that we wouldn't actually have to use them before getting a replacement.

I told Chris that I felt like we were massive rednecks - driving around with our wiper chip clipped in place. He told me that he felt like MacGyver. Sure.

The bottom line was that it had to be replaced pronto because Chris feared pulling into my father's driveway with a chip clipped windshield wiper blade. He swore that my father would notice it and respond, "What the hell is that?" and then Chris would have to explain himself.

2. My stepmom does not know how to cook for a small group of people. Sunday we had a small party for Quinn's birthday and Ger cooked for 75. I am not kidding. And it comes out in courses like you wouldn't believe. First the antipasto trays - salamis and pepperonis, marinated artichokes, cheeses, olives. Veggie trays and dips. Then the main course - burgers, Italian sausage, Italian beef, and side dishes out the wazoo (including grilled potato wedges and pizza from the Italian store). And then dessert - at least 10 different choices. It was Heaven. Absolute Heaven. And then we had more for dinner. And then we ate it again on Monday and it was divine.

3. We drove home through the night last night and totally lucked out - no traffic, no construction, no rain. But it still took us 13 hours. At 4 am, Quinn was having a milk and cookies snack while watching the Wonder Pets and the girls were texting each other on their DS's in the back seat. I am really excited to see what tonight brings for us.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Pictures


Casey and Chandler

Brother Tony

Dad, me, Tony


Grandpa and Gram and their spastic grandchildren. (I am not claiming any of these weirdos.)

So, once again, I have brought my camera somewhere and then failed to take pictures. These were taken in the last 10 minutes of being at my dad's house. My brother, Joe, didn't realize we were leaving and missed the picture taking event because he ran out for a little while. Hence, it was just Tony and I posing together. I think I might get Frankie to photoshop Joe in from last year's picture.

We are leaving tomorrow. I have so much to share with you. Really, though, its all about food. You know how I love the food at my father's house!

I wish there was a magic carpet ride to get us home. I have resigned myself to the fact that it is going to take us a minimum of 14 hours home and no matter what time we leave, or split the drive into two days, we are going to hit traffic in multiple cities. Awesome.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Arrived!

We left our house yesterday at 6pm. At approx. 6:04pm, I asked Chris if we had put my purse in the van. He had not. So we turned around and headed back to the house. At 6:08pm will left our house for the second time.

We hit traffic on both I-75 and I-285 and it stayed thick all the way to Chattanooga.

At 1:15am, Quinn began arching his back and screaming bloody murder. We stopped in good ole' Elizabethtown, Kentucky to get a room for the night. But, like always, they were all full. So, we drove into Louisville and checked in to the Hampton Inn at 2am. Quinn was very excited about the middle of the night arrival, the fact that he was finally having his 2am party and it was in full effect since we let him have a capri sun and a movie from Elizabethtown to Louisville. He was also excited about the elevator, the new room, the room with 2 beds, the room that mom and dad and Quinn would all be sleeping in. And because I don't trust him in a bed without rails yet, he and I slept together while Chris had a bed to himself.

To make a long story short (because I am super tired) we arrived at almost 4pm this afternoon. In one piece. And I think that Q may forgive us one day for having him strapped into a car seat for hour after hour after hour.

This is a nugget of great storytelling from this trip that I will have to save for a time when my little fingers are not so sleepy and my brain is not so overwhelmed. But, be on the look out for it. :)

Friday, June 18, 2010

Party? 2am? Sure! No Problem!

Q decided that 2am was his time! His time to want to watch T.V., his time to try and talk to us, his time to kick and roll, and stack stuffed animals on top of me. No. The stuffed animal part came at 3am when I took him back to his room to lay down in his bed with him. I don't think that he ever fully went back to sleep. And at 6:30 this morning he was poking my face. That is when I took him back in our room to wake Chris up. Chris had him at the sitter's a 7am. Then he cleaned the kitchen floor while I slept. It has thrown my whole day off. I should be napping right now, but I slept until almost 11am, so...

1. I am not tired enough for a nap yet.
2. I slept through some prime "getting things done" time.

I did add the new necklaces to the shop last night. I decided to name them the "Seaside Line". That's catchy, isn't it?

I still have a lot to do, but I don't really want to do any of it. I hate that feeling. Big sigh. But, press on, I must.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

I Have a Twitch in My Left Eye.

All day long my lower left eye lid has been twitching away. It is harassing me that I have not packed yet. We are leaving tomorrow for our trip to Chicago and I have not packed yet. This is serious. I usually start laying clothes out approx. 1 week prior to the start of a trip. This time? It will be less than 24 hours. I also have not packed Quinn. I typically lay out Chris's clothes before and didn't do that this time either. He announced earlier this afternoon that he was going upstairs to pack and that I don't get to complain about what he packs. The conversation went like this...

Chris: I am going to pack my bag.
Me: Ok.
Chris: So you don't get to complain about what I've brought to wear since you haven't told me anything.
Me: Ok. But that worries me. Please don't pack your F.O.I.L.* shirt.
Chris: I am going to pack my Cubs shirt and my Spain shirt.
Me: Please don't pack your Cubs shirt. It has 2 holes in it.
Chris: Dually noted.

So I am slightly concerned. Just sayin.

I did go to the grocery store this afternoon to load up on food for the trip. This is what my grocery list looked like:
  • starbucks
  • larabars
  • bananas
  • juice boxes
  • milk boxes
  • wheat thins
  • slim jims**
  • pinwheels
  • cookie snacks
  • ritz peanut-butter crackers
  • combos (which they didn't have and I had to settle for Bold Chex Mix)
  • AMP Energy drinks
I can't remember when I bought so much junk food before. Oh, right, last summer when we drove to Chicago.

This is going to be a quick trip. Really, just back and forth and for the first time in the 24 years that I have lived in South, I am not super excited about going. I don't really know why. I keep thinking back to our trip up there 3 summers ago. It was the most perfect trip ever - we stayed at Dad's for 10 days, he and Ger offered to babysit the girls so that Chris and I could do some grown up things while we were there (i.e. going to the Taste of Chicago, the Field Museum for the Darwin exhibit, the Frank Lloyd Wright tours, seeing Jenny Owen Youngs at Schubas, etc.) and the girls got to do really great things while we were there to - Navy Pier, bowling, the Arboretum, etc. And I just don't think there will be another summer trip as wonderful as that one. Big sigh.

Post Edit: I was upstairs folding a load of laundry (after cleaning and vacuuming Q's room) when I remembered that I had put this * and this ** in the post and then did not explain those things the way that I intended. So, here goes....
* Chris has this black (which is now actually in the brownish/grayish family) t-shirt that says on the front, "F.O.I.L. ... Keepin' Algebra Fresh" (You know, first, inner, outer, last) with an algebraic example on it. His best friends, Nick and Liz, bought this shirt for him many, many moons ago (which is partly why he loves it so and will never, ever part with it)...which explains the fading, the seam tear up the side of the shirt and the bleach marks. He has not be allowed to wear this shirt out of the house (aside from functions with his family, as Em noted in the comments) for a good 2 years. But every time I am not at home when he gets dressed, he wears it. And he leaves the house in it. It may be in his bag to Chicago right now, as I type.

**When making the list for the trip, I said, "Oooohhhh, I have to get some slim jims. I love slim jims on road trips." And Chris's whole face fell and then dropped into a look of panic.
"No. No. Please don't buy slim jims. You know what those things do to people and I don't want to be stuck in the car with you after you've eaten 3 feet of slim jims."
I bought them anyway.

Do you see how our relationship works? I say, "Don't leave the house in the FOIL shirt," and he does. He says, "Don't buy slim jims for the road trip," and I do.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Hello. My Name is Angie and I Have a Problem.


Forgive the pictures. Its 10pm. Not really prime daylight hours to take pictures in (and there is a part of me that is embarrassed that I have just posted these horrible pictures for everyone to see), but I have a problem. Its called, "I can't wait. I can't stop. I can't wait. I can't stop." This problem is how I got myself into an etsy shop to begin with. See, over Thanksgiving break I decided that I would make a "few" necklaces for myself and perhaps a "few more" as gifts for people.

And by the end of the week I had 30 necklaces and Chris said, "Um, so what are you going to do with all of those necklaces?"

And I said, "Errrr, I'm going to wear a different one every day of the month and then start again?"

And Chris said, as he rolled his eyes and scoffed at me, "I think you should maybe sell some of them."

So, I did.

But I digress (which is exactly what my high school Latin teacher, Mr. Dennis said approx every 8 minutes).

So I had this vision of what I wanted to do with these shell beads and I am super excited about how they turned out! I think of these as my "beach" line. You know...these are the necklaces that you would wear when you have your family pictures taken at the beach...posing in the sand in your white outfits with the water and sky behind you (the perfect Mother's Nature backdrop). I love those family pictures. Not that I have ever had one of them made. That would require actually going to the beach and that's just not so much me. Sand? Ugh. Children and sand? Double ugh. It makes my head spin just thinking about it. You're probably thinking about calling the authorities right now, huh? Child neglect case...I haven't taken them to the beach. Next summer, I am going to let my mother-in-law take them. She doesn't know about it yet. And as a beach trip surprise, I am going to make her one of these necklaces, so I think she'll be ok with it.

Q.


I ran some errands this afternoon, came home, and went to load some pictures on the computer. These are the pictures that I found on my camera that Chris took while I was out.

Yes, Q really, really loves nutella. Really.

Those are the grossest fingers I have ever seen. Don't you agree?

Coming Soon!

Yep. Its a Charmingly Bright necklace with a twist! 2 strands of fabulous stone and glass beads mixed with metal hoops. They're not in the shop just yet, but will be SOON! (Along with styles in antiqued silver and aged brass!)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

This is Hard.

Ok. So this is hard. Much harder than I thought it would be. Actually, to be perfectly honest, I didn't even have this thought before tonight and I am pretty sure that if I had had this thought prior to now, I would have changed my mind about the whole thing and they would not be there.

My daughters, at this very moment, are at best, 12 hours away from me. If they get hurt, it is going to take me half a day to get to them. Even if I flew - driving to the airport, arriving early enough for security, the flight, and then driving to them would take at least 6 hours.

But then I have these thoughts...
1. I loved having time with my Aunt Patti. If ever there was a woman who knows how to spoil a child, it is her. And I want the girls to have this time with her. Some of my best childhood memories are because of Aunt Patti and some of their best childhood memories should be of her as well.
2. She is taking them in a limo to Navy Pier in downtown Chicago to see Cirque du Soleil Shang Hai tomorrow. How much better can their lives get???
3. My Aunt is responsible and calm and levelheaded. She can handle a crisis (if there was one) and she loves them almost as much as she loves me. Which is a whole, whole, whole lot.
4. Its only 3 days. From when I was 8 years old until 16ish, my mother went without me for 2 months while I spent my summers in Chicago. I can manage 3 days.

I may not have any nails left after the next 3 days, but aside from that, I can manage 3 days. And perhaps you should remind me of this when I am wanting to kill them on the ride home from Chicago next week.

Giveaway!!!

Holy June, Batman! It's another giveaway! Apparently, this is what happens when I am off for the summer and may (or may not) have too much time on my hands. :)

Enter at My Favorite Things! Giveaway is open until Friday!

Flying

Right now, as I type, my 8 year old daughters are flying to Chicago with my aunt. I used to fly with them to Chicago before Chris entered our lives and there were then 2 drivers in the family. They first flew when they were 4 months. They were perfect angels. Slept the entire flight. When we got off the plane, the businessmen that were surrounding us, pitched right in. One carried one baby carrier, another man carried the other, I carried half of our carry ons and yet another man in suit and tie carried the rest of our stuff. They were so kind and even though I did not speak to them on the flight or learn their names afterward, I will never forget them. What a wonderful act of random kindness. They flew again when they were 16 months and again at 3. That was their last flight. They have been nervous about it for the past week, but this morning....super excited! This will be their first flying experience that they will remember. Aunt Patti also flew with me for my first trip (ever, also happening to be from Atlanta to Chicago) when I was 8 years old. It was a dinner flight and they served lasagna. I was desperate for seconds and told the stewardess so. She apologized and said they didn't serve seconds. I was crushed. But, somehow, she rounded up an extra serving for me. I swore it was the best food I had ever eaten. I'm sure the Italian side of my family would have been appalled.

Chan called the house yesterday while I was at work to ask a favor of Chris. But Chris was outside with the boy, so she left us a message. It went like this...

"Um, hi Daddy. I left Claire on my bed. I forgot her. So, if you could bring her with you in the van at the end of the week, that would be my pleasure."

Then she talks about random things for approx. 3 minutes and finishes with this...

"Ok, well, I guess that's it. From, your loved one, Chandler."

We're saving that message, never to be erased.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Wiped Out!

Seriously. It hasn't been that long since I spent a full day at work, so why was this so hard? Well, for a multitude of reasons.

1. I have successfully slept (or at least stayed in the bed) waaaaayyyy past my normal too early wake up time for during the school year.
2. I have successfully been staying up waaaaayyyy later than I would on a normal school night.
3. A glorious thing has happened. While Q has decided to give up sleeping until 9:30 (boo. hiss.) we has learned how to wake up pleasantly, open his door, run down the hallway to our room, enter, close the door behind him, climb up in our bed and wait for Chris to turn Ni Hao Ki Lan on for him. This is glorious because it allows us to pleasantly wake up (rather than the jolt that a screaming child brings) and it is really wonderful to be able to cuddle and snuggle in the morning.

But, I spent the day at work in a Leadership meeting. Then went and had the tires changed on the van. Then came home and ate McDonald's for dinner. Ugh.

Quinn fell over himself twice onto the concrete trying to catch up with me getting out of the van when I pulled in after my long day. It was both wonderful (that he missed me and was so very excited to see me) and sad that the boy couldn't stop falling.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

DONE!

Hooray! The good news is...Recital Weekend '10 is DONE! Over! Fine'! The bad news is...I didn't take any pictures either day. Way to go, right? I mean, really, what kind of mother puts their children through a full year of dance, schelepping to the dance studio twice a week, pays a gillion dollars for recital fees, costume fees and tickets and then doesn't take a single picture on either performance day?

In my defense, my head was not in the zone. (Obviously.) Chris's illness threw me for a loop, we've been taking care of the neighbors' dogs, I was in charge of packing the girls for 10 days in Chicago and 2 days at Meme's...throw Quinn into the mix, and well, I just wasn't in the zone.

Anywho, there will be more recitals in the future. The sad thing is that I devoted a 6 page scrapbook spread to their last recital. But that was pre-Quinn. When I had nothing better to do but take pictures of my beautiful twins and then scrapbook said pictures.

Tomorrow? All day Leadership Meeting at school and getting new tires put on the van. And then the rest of the week? Doting on Q as an only child, visiting with friends, catching up on the cleaning and packing the rest of us up for Chicago.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Recital Weekend '10

This is where I spent the vast majority of my day. Out on the lawn, in front of Pearce Auditorium on the Breneau Campus. It would have been perfect...if it had been about 15 degrees cooler with at least some kind of breeze. But it was 90, and a sticky 90 at that, with nothing to cool us off except for the shade of the tree. There is something to be said for watching your children sit on a blanket and have sweat dripping down the sides of their faces.

The girls have been in dance this year - Casey in tap and ballet, Chan in hip hop. This will, more than likely, be their last year of dance together. Casey is sticking with it, but Chan is moving on to piano next year. Today was the big dress rehearsal. So the pictures below are not actual show pictures. (I know, you're very disappointed.)


That's my child, in the back on the right. She is wildly swinging her rope and shaking her hips. Note: she is completely in her own world.


That's Chan...front and center...praying before the dance begins. No, really, I think she was actually praying. Its important to pray before you dance. I do, before I take the dance floor at weddings. A good prayer never hurt any dancer.


Casey: "Please, Mama. Its so hot." I'm not sure what she thought I could do about that.

But we survived. Casey's performance is tomorrow. Chan's performance is Sunday. This is our original plan:
Tomorrow, I will stay home with Q and Chris and his parents will take the girls.
Sunday, Chris will stay home with Q and my parents, my aunt and I will take the girls.

I say "original" plan because Chris's fever has now turned into vomiting. Awesome. He may, or may not, be attending Recital Weekend '10.

ps - The giveaway is still open!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Well, Well, Well...

I can cook something! Yay! I made dinner. Nothing burned and everything was edible...and tasty. And, because I knew Chris would not being eating with us, I made something that I enjoy and that he won't touch with a 10ft pole. Tonight's dinner? Bowtie pasta, pesto sauce, black olives, artichoke hearts and feta. The good news...


They loved it!

These next two pictures...oh my...they were actually taken quite a bit apart. This is just his "cheese" face. Attractive, isn't it? He's going to get all the ladies with it. No wonder Loralai can't resist him. He also enjoyed his dinner along with the rest of us. (And yes, he is drinking out of a big boy cup at dinner. Although tonight he had it taken away. He didn't get it that his glass of milk was not the place to put his fork in between bites for safe keeping.)


Pictures From Today


Charmingly Antiqued Gray $26 {in the shop}


And these earrings match that necklace perfectly! $10 {in the shop!)


Or, if you like a bigger look...these earrings would also look SUPERB with the above necklace! {look for them in the shop later tonight!}



How sweet, sweet, sweet are these children??? Pic from last night...it was a slumber party at the Wylie's with a little swim time at Mrs. Rebecca's house. Gotta love those kids!

And here she is!!! This is my new, fabulous, niece! Janie Atwood Fennell was born this morning (she decided not to wait for her scheduled c-section time next week) at 11:20, weighing 7lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long. Mother and baby are both doing well. The girls are sooooooo excited to finally have another girl in the family!

ps - The giveaway is still open! Go enter! And check here for a special post!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Random Information

This is the email that I sent to my mother earlier today:

Ok, you have to go to the Pioneer Woman website today...

http://thepioneerwoman.com

look under the "cooking" tab

Please make the rosemary skewers and the linguine salad for me.

Please. I am begging you. As your only child. Feed me, Seymour!

And I love you.


Angie :)

I have spoken with her since she read the email (it made her laugh) and she will, in fact, make these dishes for me. Chris does not particularly care for this type of food, so I feel bad begging him to make them for me. Especially because they seem labor intensive. But, I am not above begging my mother. And now you have proof that the way I write on my blog is also the way that I write to my mother. You should feel special.

I discussed the issue of the fighting children with Frankie. She is often a wealth of parenting (among other topics) knowledge for me. She has 4 children of her own, so she is my expert. Right next to my grandmother, who had 6. Anywho, this was the advice offered. With her children, they live by these two rules...
1. If you do not treat your siblings with respect during the day, then you do not get to snuggle and sleep with them at night.
2. If you use your hands to hurt, then you have to hold hands with each other for the rest of the day.

I think this is great advice and I will be implementing it at once.

Quinn has escaped twice from his room during nap time today. He did this by popping off the safety cover on the door knob. Um. Yeah. This is not okay. Nap time is the time where I get to regain my sanity. He cannot escape from nap time. So, Chris will be turning the door knob around to put the lock on the outside of the door. Just in case its needed.

And speaking of Chris....he is ill. He ran a 102 fever all night (and since Casey was sleeping in Chan's bed, I slept in Casey's) and paid a visit to the immediate care this morning. They said that he has a severe ear infection, but Chris says that it feels more like the flu. Big sigh. Yay! Summer!

ps - Now go and enter the giveaway!

Giveaway!!!

There's a giveaway from ME, moi, on The Blog Guidebook! This time, I'm giving away 2 $30 gift certificates so you can pick anything you want! Go, enter! And good luck, of course!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

I See a Cage Match in Their Futures

We have tried to separate them. Really, we have. We put them in different classes at school. They participate in different extra curricular activities. They have their own bedrooms...not that it matters, they still sleep together every night. When one asks to go outside, the other one wants to go too. When one wants to watch TV, so does the other. We force them to spend alone time in their room everyday, doing their own thing, but clearly nothing is going to solve the issue of fighting.

This morning: Chris was at a workshop. Quinn was at the sitter's. I told the girls to get dressed while I took a shower so that we could leave on time for my hair cut appointment in Athens. As soon as I turned the water off, I heard them. Casey's shrill, angry voice, "Say it like you mean it!!!" and then Chandler screaming her head off. I figured I should dry off and get dressed before making an appearance. I mean, I don't see what good it does for me to referee every single little incident between the two of them. They need to start learning how to handle things on their own. They also need to learn when they should come and get me to settle a matter.

Apparently, I do need to still step in and apparently, they do need some more training on solving their problems and on when to get mom before resorting to violence.

I stepped into the hallway just in time to see Chandler slam the door on Casey's finger. As soon as they saw me, they both began sobbing hysterically and continued screaming at the other one, and to me about the other one, trying to save their own skins.

Here's what happened: Casey came into Chandler's room so that they could jump off Chan's bed onto the air mattress that is still set up on her floor. In the jumping, she stepped on Casey's head. Casey cried foul and began screaming for Chandler to apologize, which she did, but Casey insisted that it wasn't sincere and that she needed to "say it like she meant it." (That was the screaming I heard when I got out of the shower.) Chandler swore that she did, in fact, mean it. Casey got in Chan's face, still screaming at her, and then Chan proceeded to bulldoze her out of her bedroom into the hall. (Her logic being that Casey never asked to come in her room, and while it was all good when they were jumping off the bed, it was not ok now that Casey was screaming in her face.) Only Casey grabbed hold of the door frame and refused to leave. (think Garfield) So Chandler slammed the door on her, pinching Casey's finger in the door.

I took care of the injury, but did not pass out sympathy. They were still yelling at each other and we had to leave so as to not be late.

The rest of the day has been fine. I think they're afraid of what I might do if they behave that way twice in one day.

Is this a twin thing? What do I do? Their fighting is increasing the older they get. Big sigh. Mabry? Erin? Melinda? Anybody?

Monday, June 7, 2010

Just a Few Things...

...before I forget! :) Have you been checking out The Blog Guide Book? If not, you should be. They are having great giveaways and interviews and all sorts of fun things this month. Like the one that ends tomorrow night (June 8)...you could win a free blog make over! Seriously go enter! (Amber, Abby, Katie, Jules and my other blogger friends!) Did I mention, free??? You should get used to clicking over there anyway because I'll be having a giveaway there later in the week. I know, its exciting. Go check it out!

Hamming It Up


{Casey, 8 years, 3 months, 28 days, 8 hours, 18 minutes}


{Chandler, 8 years, 3 months, 28 days, 8 hours, 17 minutes}


{Quinn...doing something very strange...like choking himself with the rocks. Not to worry, he wasn't really choking, he was just being weird. And this is a picture that I shall show to girlfriends in the future. This, I believe, may have been Frankie's favorite picture of the morning. Just so you know.}

Bring on the diva. Seriously. Who are these children?
These dresses? You can find them at Southern Belles and Beaus in Watkinsville. Just in case you were wondering.


They really are beautiful, aren't they?


And oh so handsome.


Love. This.


And I love this one even more. If that's possible.

And I'll let the pictures below speak for themselves. Q is completely the cutest child ever. These are the infamous Easter clothes. You know, the John John that Chris did not want Q to have. Here it is. Its awesome, right? I, for one, am glad that I ignored Chris on this one. The delightful Amber of Baleigh Grace Boutique whipped these up for us and I am thrilled with them!





Today was my favorite session ever. And we've had a lot of sessions. Q was incredibly good - the best he's ever been. And Frankie? God love her. She works magic with my children. You should take your children to visit her. Seriously. She is the best there is. Not to worry...these a sneak peeks, I'm sure you'll see more from this session too. :)