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Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Ride Home

This was the conversation that took place on the ride home from dance and piano tonight:

Chandler: So, Mama, did you have to pay for us to take us home?
Me: I have no idea what you're talking about.
Chan: At the hospital. Did you have to pay for us when we were born?
Me: Well, yeah, there were bills from when you were born. Why?
Chan: Just wondering for when I get pregnant...so I can be prepared. But I'm thinking I don't want to pay for kids, so I'll just adopt.
Casey: Yeah, I'm thinking of adopting too. Kieran and I definitely want to have kids, but I don't think I want to be pregnant. It sounds really hurtful. Adopting sounds better.
Chan: Yeah, I'm gonna adopt 5 kids...Hope, Faith, Angel, Mercy and I haven't thought of the 5th name yet.
Casey: I think those kids already come with names. You don't get to name kids when you adopt them.
Chan: And I don't know about living with a boy. You know they only think about 3 things.
Me: What would that be?
Chan: Football. Baseball. And having a skateboard.
Me: Oh.
Casey: And I am really scared about driving. Being on the road with all those other cars. I'm going to talk to Kieran about living somewhere where we can just walk or drive a golf cart. 

And then I pulled into the garage.  The end.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Three


How sweet are these three?  Quinn adores his big sisters (as he should) and they adore him (which is somewhat shocking to me).  The girls are so loving and patient and kind to him.  They play with him.  They help him.  They even let him sleep with them.  I love how my children love each other.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Ike: A Photo Story








This is Ike trying to sleep between Chris and I while we sat on the couch together Saturday night once all of the children were in bed.  It is a hard, hard life that this shelter dog has these days.

For a Friend

 My fab friend, Meg, put in a custom order over the weekend (you can do that, you know).  She wanted something super long and loved the fall colors of the pottery beads.  Something that could be wrapped three times.  So I worked on this little ditty last night.  
Picture 1:  Wrapped three times!

 Picture 2:  Wrapped twice with a long layer and a short layer.  I love this look.

 Picture 3:  Wrapped twice with even layers.

Picture 4:  Oh my!  Super long!

ps - Please excuse the poor picture quality.  I meant to take pictures earlier in the evening, but clearly, that didn't happen!

Hindsight is Always 20/20

I hate that saying..."Hindsight is Always 20/20"...and right now, I feel like its mocking me.  It might as well be my mother on my worst day saying, "I told you so."  (For the record, my mother has never said that to me on my worst day.)

As I was fluttering from room to room tonight...chasing children, chasing the dog...I realized (as I often do) that not a single room in my house is clean in the sense that I would want someone to see it.  And its only Tuesday.  This is a problem.  And then I think of our old house...

It was about 1200 square feet with a living room, breakfast nook, kitchen combo, three small bedrooms, 3 small closets, and two small bathrooms.  The laundry "room" was in the kitchen with bi-fold doors to the washer and dryer.  It took approx 2 hours to clean the whole thing from top to bottom.  And it was often quite clean.  The yard was beautiful.  My mother had given us a tremendous amount of plants that she had split from her own yard.  Twice a year - Spring Break and Fall Break - we would spend an entire weekend planting and trimming and mulching.  We (and I do mean both Chris and I) worked until our our hands were blistered and we had a line of sunburned skin on our lower backs from our shirts riding up while digging in the dirt.

And then we decided that with a third child on the way and both of us in grad school and that one day the girls would want their own bedrooms that we should move to a bigger house.  So we did.  And doubled our house payment, our square footage and our yard.  At first, it was amazing!  So much room!  So many closets!  Big beautiful bathrooms! 

Now?  I miss that old house.  I am in awe of how we have completely filled this space in the past 2.5 years.  And our yard?  Ugh.  Don't even get me started. 

Hindsight is always 20/20.  And if I had to do it all over again?  Well, now I know, bigger is not always better.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Conversations Overheard in the Bathroom

While I was giving the dog a bath tonight, this is what I overheard coming from the little toilet room.

Chandler:  Quinn!  Quinn!  No!
Quinn:  Yay!
Chandler:  Quinn, leave the periods alone!
Quinn: *clapping hands*
Chandler:  No!  Don't put the periods in the toilet!  No!
Quinn:  Yay!
Me:  What's going on in there?
Chandler:  He opened up one of your periods and threw it in the toilet!  He's trying to flush your periods!
Me:  You mean a tampon?
Chandler:  Yes!  He's trying to flush a tancon!
Me:  Quinn!  Come out here with Mama.

Quinn and Chandler both help me finish washing the dog.  Quinn helps by throwing all of his toy boats back in the tub with the terrified dog.  Chandler helps by singing him a song. 

Sunday, September 26, 2010

A Story About Leo Quinn

 This is my son.  His name is Leo Quinn.  We had decided on the name Quinn for a boy or a girl before we knew what we were having.  Then, once we learned that it was, in fact, a boy (and Chris did a happy dance) we set about the task for finding a name to go with Quinn.  Since the girls are both named after people, we decided to name Quinn after someone...my father...Leo Alfred Jr. 
 Yesterday morning, Chris took Quinn to a Little Gym with our friend Melinda and her son, James.  All of the children and parents there sat in a circle and the group leader asked all of the children their names and ages.  Quinn responded that his name was, "Heo."  and that he was "TWO!!!!!"
We call him Leo Quinn at home, periodically, because we don't want for him to be confused when he starts Kindergarten and they call him by his first name.  But, apparently, that's what he would prefer to be called.  Which makes me feel terrible....us calling him Quinn if he really feels like a Leo.  And then again, maybe he just wanted to go incognito at the gym. I asked him about this yesterday afternoon.
Angie:  Honey, what's your name?
Quinn:  Me.
Angie:  Is your name Leo or Quinn?
Quinn:  ME!  *while pointing to his chest*

So, we're just going to stick with Quinn until he tells us otherwise.  But, just a heads up, there might be a name change in his future.

ps - picture 1 - he said "Cheese!" and I missed it.  So we did it again, which is what picture #2 is.  Picture 3 is just your basic "Oh no!" which we hear a lot in our house.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Fall is in the Air!







Our Plan For the Day

  • Chris took Quinn to meet up with our friend Melinda and her son James to play at a baby gym.  I am quite interested to hear how this goes.  Quinn is sometimes....um....a little on the rowdy side.  Just sayin.
  • I am taking the girls into Athens this morning to visit with Frankie.  Chan came downstairs last night and asked if she could call her.  Just because.  So she did.  And they talked.  We might take some time to look for new church shoes.  Mainly because I am horrible mother and when I measured their feet a few weeks ago, realized that they have been shoving their feet into shoes that are almost 2 sizes too small.  Kind of like Cinderella's step sisters.  This happens to me every summer though, so I should be better prepared for it.  They wear flippies all summer and their feet grow and I don't really even notice it.
  • I am trying to do just a smidge of cleaning before we go...to surprise Chris when he gets home.  You know, to maybe tip the scales to 70/30 for the week.  I am quite proud that I got up, fixed some coffee and loaded the dishwasher.  I call that a success.
  • Hopefully later tonight I will have some new creations to share with you.  I am SUPER excited about some new beads that arrived this week!  But, I am trying to pace myself.  Its not summer, you know...when I could stay up until 2am working.  
  • Ok, I am leaving you now...to fold some clothes, get another load in the washer and vacuum the living room.  Hip Hip Hooray!  It's Saturday!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Today is Better

Today has been a better day. 

Chris finished reading my post last night and responded with, "Is the pity party over now?"  Very kind and sympathetic, huh?

I truly appreciate the comments and emails...it helps knowing that I am not alone.  Seriously.

My friend Jules posted this phrase on her blog:  Fake it til you make it.  And I think that is going to be my new mantra.  My old one was "In the end it will all be ok.  If its not ok, then its not the end." But there are really only so many times that I can say that to myself.  Perhaps the new one will make me feel all sorts of sassy and then I will end up in a better mood.  Cross your fingers for this.

In the meantime, I started writing this post earlier and in between now and then this is what has happened...

Quinn is insistent on helping with the laundry.  He loves taking clothes out of the dryer for me to fold and putting the wet clothes from the washing machine into the dryer.  Tonight, he pulled the dryer screen out and licked it.  Because nothing makes a better snack than some yummy dryer lint!

Quinn has yet another, most fantastic, trick.  Laying on the kitchen floor and drinking out of Ike's water bowl.  Awesome.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

I Feel Like a Failure

If you have joined me looking for a brief little glimpse into my crazy life, or some obnoxiously funny post about my children or my dog, or perhaps just some pics of some new jewelry pieces, this is clearly not the post for you.  In fact, you should really just x out and call it a night.  I am having a pity party.  Cause sometimes that just has to happen.  And this is kind of like a novella...it may take more than just a few minutes, and for that I am going to apologize up front.

Right now, at this point in my life, I feel like a failure.  I will share with you my list of current failings.  I have used logic and reason and know that in the grand scheme of things I am not a failure, but they are my feelings and don't really need justification...nor am I looking for reassurances because no matter how many of them I get (and please don't feel like you have to give them...seriously), I just feel the way I feel.  Ultimately, they are all petty little things and there are many (MANY) people out there with bigger, more serious problems....but its my blog and if you are reading it is because you like me (or at least I hope you like me) and you already understand that I understand that.  ...the bigger more serious problems bit anyway. 

1.  Right now, I feel that I am failing as a mother.  Last night, as we were going to bed, Ike ran into Chan's room (because she left the door open...ugh.) and there were multiple wet towels left on the floor...in the room and in her walk-in closet.  I wanted to wake her up and take it out on her hiney.  But I talked myself off the ledge (that was good of me, wasn't it???) and went to bed on the verge of tears because I am failing.  In my head, I understand that the towels are a small thing, but to me, the towels symbolize so much more.  They don't listen to me.  I feel like my feelings are inconsequential to them.  I feel like they don't respect me or follow directions...I've asked nicely and politely, I've told them, I've demanded, I've taken things away, I've rewarded them for the times that they do as they are asked...but nothing sticks.  And this is just one of the many issues that I am having with them right now.

2.  Right now, I feel that I am failing as a wife.  I don't feel like I am present in much of my life.  Our household is not split 50/50.  Its really more like 80/20.  With the 80 being Chris.  He cooks, he does the vast majority of the cleaning, before this summer and my disastrous hedge trimming I had never worked in the yard at this house, he packs lunches, does homework with the kids, bathes Q and gets everyone to and from school.  In the past two weeks, he has done the laundry and I didn't stop him.  I have guilt.  Massive amounts of guilt. I then I catch myself feeling bad about myself (having a little pity party in my mind) and thinking that I should just let him.  Feeling that maybe I am just not needed very much.

3.  Right now, I feel like a failure because I have a tendency to say that I am going to do something and then don't follow through.  Like going to the gym...for example.  And I need to go to the dentist.  And the gynecologist.  I have let those things slide past me for far too long.  I need to take better care of myself and maybe not drink as many diet cokes as I do.  I try to justify it by saying that there is water in diet cokes.  I should also maybe cut out my pop tarts for breakfast addiction.

4.  Right now, I feel that I am failing with my jewelry.  I love making jewelry.  Seriously.  I think about it throughout the day...what I am going to try next...what I want to make for myself....what I want to put in the shop.  But my sales are down.  And I don't really know what to try at this point.  I am trying to be patient, but some days, patience just isn't enough and I really need a game plan.  Or at least a business plan.  This pains Chris.

5.  Right now, I feel that I am failing as a blogger.  Sometimes, I feel like I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the computer with nothing to show for it.  In January, I decided to buckle down and post everyday and for the most part, I hold myself accountable to that.  I have taken a day off here and there, but I wanted to push myself to write something everyday.  For me.  For my children.  As a record of my life.  But lately, I feel like I don't have anything worthwhile to contribute to the blog world.  I mean really, how many times do you want to read about my children and their stinkin' towels or my dog pooping in the house?  I have considered giving up blogging for the new year, but I really enjoy it, and besides that, I don't know if I could.  But I also didn't know if I could blog everyday either and I managed that one.l;.....

6.  And speaking of my dog, right now, I feel that I am failing as a pet owner.  Poor Ike.  He is crated during the day (to keep him safe...God only knows what he could get into during the day and to protect our house...God only knows what he could get into during the day!) and then is wild at night.  He bites the children for attention...he thinks of them as other puppies.  And there are only so many directions that I can be pulled in in one evening and because he bites them, he really doesn't get the play time with the girls as I thought that he would have.

7.  Right now, I feel that I am failing as a friend.  I have very few close friends...but I am horrible about calling, and even more horrible about making plans with them.  Especially when I feel like this.  And then I force myself, and suffer from immense guilt because I have left Chris (remember the 80/20?) with the kids.  There are people that I wish that I could develop better friendships with, but I can't commit myself to the idea of the time and effort that it takes to grow a friendship.  And then I feel lousy.  So I try not to meet new people.

8.  Right now, I feel like I am failing as a member of my congregation.  Have you ever looked back on something and realized that your moment of Camelot had come and gone?  Last summer was my Camelot...and I didn't know it.  But now, looking back, I know that I will never have a summer like that one.  I went to prayer group.  A lot.  I prayed with other women and then we had fellowship lunches together.  I felt connected.  We had a book club at church and I loved it.  Sometimes we even had book club AND prayer group together and I loved those days.  I went to UMW meetings.  This summer?  Not a single prayer group meeting...or book club...and its been almost a year since I've gone to a UMW meeting.  I feel bogged down when I volunteer for things because of my guilt associated with #'s 1, 2, 6 and 7.  And then I feel bad if I don't do something because that means that someone else has to do it and we are a small church, which means that there are plenty of jobs already for everyone else.

9.  Right now, I feel like I am failing as a member of the education field.  I have so many plans and dreams for my media center, but with the way the testing atmosphere is, it is sometimes hard to get people on board.  My 2nd year of teaching was another period of Camelot that I wasn't aware of until it was over.  I loved my coworkers and my administration and my subject areas and most of all, my students.  Towards the end of my time in the classroom, I really thought that some of the things that I loved most about my 2nd year would return and that I would once again feel that passion.  But now I am three years into it and all I can think about is how I would love to be able to stay home so that the tables could be 20/80 and my guilt would be relieved from items #1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.  But, financially, I can't stay home.  And I have 3 degrees...and the student loans to show for them... and then I would have guilt about that.

10.  Right now, I feel like I am failing as a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, etc.  I don't call my grandmother nearly as often as I should.  I come from a very tight knit family.  And there are LOTS of us.  19 grandchildren, to be exact.  One of my cousins is getting married in June...on a cruise...for 5 days...to Grand Cayman Island.  I hate not being able to go, but I have a whole list of reasons why we can't.  And yet I still feel such guilt.  I love this girl and I want to be there.  Big sigh.  But I can't.  My grandmother's 80th birthday is next month.  I can't be there for that either.  And the guilt....ohhhhhhh the guilt.

So, there you have it.  My 10 failings in life right now.  I don't know yet if I feel better or worse now that I have taken the time to enumerate them.  I'll know the answer to this when I lay down in bed tonight.  But thanks for listening.  

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Not a Whole Lot

Today is just one of those days where I there's just not a whole lot to say. If you know me, you know that these days are rare...the ones where I don't have a whole lot to say. I even tried to talk Chris into posting for me tonight. His reply?

I don't have anything I could write about tonight other than my current dislike for Ike.

That's kind, isn't it? His dislike for Ike. *Scoff* Ike is kind of being a pain though. He is officially part of the family (now that we have hit the 2 month mark) and he thinks that he can get away with anything and we will still love him. Such as:
1. pooping in the front room
2. pooping in the upstairs hallway
3. stealing pull ups out of the trash
4. sleeping on Chris's side of the bed

Which explains Chris's current dislike for Ike. We were referred to one weekly trainer in our neck of the woods but the current session is on Tuesday nights (the night Chris tutors) and the next session is on Thursday nights (the night the girls have dance and piano). We were then referred to a lady that does board training, but the cost was cost was just about the cost of our groceries for 2 months. Or 6 weeks worth of daycare. Or 10 weeks of my car payment. Or a nice weekend vacation for Chris and I. Or new living room furniture. You get the point, don't you? Its hard to swallow that kind of cost. Especially when Chris thinks that for that kind of money we should be getting back the most perfect dog ever and there is no guarantee of that. Big sigh. But everyday it is becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore the smell in our house. Just sayin.

Apparently, I may have had a little more than not a whole lot to say. Sorry to have been so misleading. :)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Furman University


This is where Chris will be traveling in a little over a month for a fun filled homecoming weekend with Dr. Ayers. He (Dr. Ayers) will be the oldest alumni attending. He was a part of class of '39. We (Chris and I) are so excited to have been able to make this weekend possible for him. Yay!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Have I Told You?

That Arthur (with Dudley Moore) is my all time favorite movie? I just spoke about it earlier and now it is on my brain and I may have to watch it tonight. It reminds me of my childhood. And egg sandwiches. And my mother's glorious laughter. Ultimately, it just makes me happy. Period.

But here's my Arthur story... When I was a child, my mom's husband traveled quite a bit and when he did, my mom made sure that we had at least one night where she made breakfast for dinner (hence it reminding me of egg sandwiches), which we ate sitting on the floor at the coffee table in the living room (usually a big no-n0), and we rented one of these two movies:
1. Sixteen Candles
2. Arthur

After a while, it became obvious that there was no need to mix it up...Arthur had become our household favorite. I was young and really had no idea what being a drunk meant. I just thought he was one of the funniest people I had ever seen and just his laugh made me laugh. Things that make me laugh just thinking about them...

Arthur: Hobson, I'm going to take a bath.
Hobson: I'll alert the media.
Arthur: Hobson, would you like to run my bath for me?
Hobson: Its what I live for.

Arthur: Engine room! I need a drink!

Arthur: If you knew Susan, like I know Susan...oh! oh! I need a drink.

Oh, how I love this movie! I refuse to see the remake. Because this movie is more than just some early 80's comedy to me...it is am irreplaceable connection to my past. There are times when my mom and I just randomly say these lines to each other...for no reason...just because we know that the other will know exactly what we are talking about and laugh.

And just in case you were wondering...rounding out my top 5 (in no particular order)...
  • Little Women
  • The Godfather
  • Cinema Paradiso
  • Love Actually

Sunday, September 19, 2010

New Necklaces!


{Charmingly Brass Double Strand $28 - coming soon to the shop!}


{Pleasant Hill Necklace $25 - in the shop!}

Like always, on Sunday night, I am asking myself, "Where did the weekend go????". And, like always, I have no idea. We really didn't do much anything - laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, church. That pretty much sums it up.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Crazy Girls

The girls spent the night with their friend Elizabeth last night. She had a Project Runway birthday party - fashion, hair and make-up. Then they had a fire pit with s'mores and they waved around some sparklers. These are the morning after pictures. I am pretty sure that Casey was still a little wound up. Just sayin.

Timeline of Friday

6:45am - left home to go to work
7:15am - arrived at work
8:07am - I feel as though the day began without me. Like I was left at the starting line with my engine sputtering. I continued to feel this way until 2:45.
2:45pm - left work to go home
3:20pm - arrived home
3:22pm - took Ike out
3:24pm - fed Ike
3:30pm - took Ike out again
3:35pm - loaded Ike up for a trip to the vet's office
3:55pm - SURPRISE! Ike has worms! How *awesome* is that??? Ugh.
4:12pm - arrive back at home
4:18pm - Chris puts the chicken pot pie that he made Thursday night in the oven (we use the PW recipe that's in her book...YUM!)
5:00pm - leave the house to take the girls to Elizabeth's slumber party and for the rest of us to bring the chicken pot pie over to Dr. Ayers' house for dinner.
5:06pm - we had this conversation in the van
Chandler: Oh, no! I forgot the card that I made for Elizabeth!!!!
Me: Did you bring the card and giftcard that we bought at the store?
Chandler: What card?
Me: The one that Dad just took you to buy on the way home.
Chan: I don't even know what happened to that.
Chris: What do you mean? You carried it in the house.
Chan: Well, um, I don't know.
Me: Do you have it with you or not?
Chan: Um, no?
Chris and Angie: UGH!
5:09pm - continue on our way without turning around...already feeling a little bit late
5:30pm: drop girls' off
5:35pm: stop to get gas.
5:50pm - arrive at Dr. Ayers' house...have a most enjoyable evening...Quinn could have been better...but he also could have been worse. Chicken pot pie? Outstanding. As usual. My husband is the best cook in the world.
8:00pm - have Q changed into jammies, head home
8:06pm - realize that it is going to take forever and a day to get home. Saturday is a home game for UGA and the parties have started.
9:04pm - arrive home. Carry Q to bed. Spend the next 3 hours trying to tire Ike and putzing around doing stupid stuff...like watching the Kung Fu Hillbilly on youtube (thanks for that, Kathy!)
12:04pm - go to bed

As a side note...Quinn slept until almost 8am. I think the girls have been waking him up at the crack of dawn.

Also, I have determined that the reason I ever have any pictures to share anymore is because I never take them. Because now I am back at work. And a side effect of that is....no more pictures.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Last Night I Went to Bed Early

Last night I went to bed early. I was exhausted. I felt like the week had already been a whirlwind...Monday was our day at Our Daily Bread and then I went out for dinner with my dear friends, Anna and Donna, and then Tuesday was a 12 hour day at work...a regular workday, faculty meeting until 4 and then a PTO meeting. So last night, I was pooped. Seriously.

Especially after what happened to me last night. It may sound familiar. It has happened to me before. Chris was gone. Dinner was on the stove and almost ready when Q came running to me telling me that he had to go potty. So I ran with him to the bathroom, yanked down his pull up and discovered a nasty, poopy bottom. And I had no wipes. And he had to go potty. And then the timer started going off that dinner was ready. And Ike was trying to get in the bathroom.

So, I sat Q on the toilet, told him not to move an inch and ran for the kitchen. Ike chased me. I turned the stove off. Dumped the pasta into a culendar, shook it around, dumped it back in the pot, mixed in some sauce and ran back to the bathroom.

The boy was standing up against the wall. The toilet seat was covered in poop. Like he had rubbed his bottom all over every possible square inch of the seat. The bottom of his shirt also had a ring of poop on it. Awesome.

So I scrubbed the bathroom and the boy (and then my hands) and ate lukewarm pasta for dinner.

Needless to say, by 9pm I was exhausted. Like, going to fall over and pass out, kind of tired. So I went to bed. And Ike came with me and was insistent that his bone should also go to bed with us. It took half an hour for Ike to believe me that he was not allowed to have a bone in bed. Finally, I fell asleep.

Then Ike woke me up around midnight. I stumbled out of the bed and somehow managed to make it outside with the dog. We went back to sleep. He woke me up again at 3am. I took him back out and then put him in his crate downstairs. It was for his own safety. If he woke me up again before the alarm I was likely to kill him. Just sayin.

I have now learned my lesson. No early bedtime for me. Its just a tease. And I was more tired this morning than I was when I went to bed early last night.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Things Heard in the Library

Kindergarten Student: Mrs. Pendley?
Me: Yes, dear? Do you need help?
Student: *nods head*
Me: Well, what kind of book are you looking for?
Student: Um...I want to read that book, "I Like to Move It, Move It."

Me: What can I help you find, kiddo?
3rd Grade Student: Do you have any nonfiction books?
Me: Oh, yes! What kind of nonfiction are you looking for?
Student: The interesting kind.

I really do love working with kids. I especially love when I leave the media center and I hear throughout the hallway, "There's the library lady! It's Mrs. Pendley!"

I kind of feel famous then.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

These Children...

These children? I miss them. For some reason, our schedules have been jam packed and I feel like I am not as present in their lives as I want to be. I actually have this secret (or not so secret) desire of staying home. I would like to be the one to take them and pick them up from school (well, clearly if I stayed home, Q would be with me), and to make their lunches and do homework. But I feel overwhelmed. And of course, financially, this is not in the cards for me right now. And when people say things like, "Oh, cut back." I would like to counter with, "Where?????" Because, clearly, we cannot sell our house for what we paid for it. We owe more on our vehicles than they are worth. And, you know, I can't force Q to stop wearing diapers. So, I just have to suck it up and get over it. Me, working outside of the home, is what is best for my family at this point in time.

I know that this is an old picture (you know, so ooooooold, from this summer) but I love it because it shows the stage that my children are in right now. The girls were taking some advertising pictures for a local boutique. Q didn't know what they were doing, but he did know that he desperately wanted to be a part of it. Whatever it was. And regardless of the fact that he only had one shoe on. And that's just how he is right now. He loves the girls so tremendously that he has to be a part of whatever they are doing. They are his favorite people. And I must say, the girls have grown increasingly better with him - more patient, more attentive, more loving, more responsible. It is amazing to witness their bond to each other strengthen and grow.

Monday, September 13, 2010

A Day of Service

Clearly, I am never going to post another picture of my children. Ever. It certainly feels that way, doesn't it? :)

Chris and I both decided to take a personal day to volunteer at Our Daily Bread. It is something that we have wanted to do for quite some time and haven't been able to make it happen. But today was the day! We arrived at 9:30 this morning along with several other members of our church and began food preparation. I sliced bananas for fruit salad for over an hour. Chris was in charge of the strawberries. Neil, Madeline, Jim, Gail and JoBeth prepared the chicken and rice casserole and green beans. It was an amazing team effort. With the casseroles in the oven and everything else good to go, we ventured over to Mama's Boy for a cup of coffee before the time to serve the lunch crowd. I am constantly amazed (and I'm not really sure why I am) at the kindness and generosity of the members of our church. I am so very glad to be a part of this group.

We served a delicious, made from scratch, meal to 100 people in an hour. The guests of Our Daily Bread were so polite and grateful, and took the time to thank us on their way out.

(This was a very difference experience than the one that I had in high school when I went with a youth group to volunteer at a soup kitchen in Athens and a homeless man threatened to bite me if I did not make sure to give him plenty of meat in his serving. And he wasn't joking. )

I know that due to our work commitments and our children commitments that we won't be able to volunteer as often as we would like, but I am definitely planning on going back.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Our Day

We went to church this morning. And then we went to The National for lunch with our dear friend, Dr. Ayers. I had the iron skillet eggs on top of a veggie mix that was outstanding. Just in case you were wondering. Following that, we went back to his house for dessert. And then dancing. Yes, that's right. My almost 93 year old friend was very pleased with himself because he recently bought a new Bose CD player along with Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong CDs. So, we danced. All of us (Quinn and Chris included). It was delightful. I hope that when I am 93 that I still feel in the mood to dance.

We have a busy week ahead. Tomorrow, Chris and I both took personal days to volunteer at Our Daily Bread...the Athens soup kitchen that is housed at our church. Tuesday night I have PTO, Wednesday night is tutoring, Thursday night is dance and piano. Friday? Well, I am just hoping to make it to Friday.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Halloween...

{Bewitched Night Earrings $12}


{Halloween Bash Earrings $5}


{Halloween Bash Earrings $5}


{Bewitched Night Necklace $28}


{All Hallows Eve Necklace $28}

Honestly, Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I was terrified of it as a child. I stopped going trick-or-treating the year that it was uncool for your mom to go with and hold your hand...that was maybe...um...4th grade. So, its kind of hard for me to get in the spirit.

The year that Quinn was a baby I opted to go out with the girls so that I wouldn't be by myself to answer the door. Sometimes those costumes are really scary!

But, I think these pieces would be great for your Halloween festivities AND they would still look terrific at other times of the year too! They'll be up in the shop later tonight!

9 Years Ago

Nine years ago I was a first year teacher. I was pregnant. I had just found out that I was pregnant with twins. My world had pretty much just been rocked.

And then September 11th happened, and my life, and my stresses, and my worries seemed minuscule in comparison.

I was driving to Gordon Street Center from the middle school I was working at when they interrupted the radio programming to broadcast what was happening in NYC. I drove in a daze. And then the Pentagon. I sat in the parking lot continuing to listen. But then I had to go inside to this training class (for Edison Schools - does anyone remember that???) and we were all a buzz, but the trainer meant business and we had work to do. But no one could focus. No one could concentrate.

That night, I went out to run some errands in Athens and there was no one out. The town was so quiet.

For days I watched the coverage. We wore our USA pins proudly to school. We prayed. We cried. We grieved for those that lost their lives and for those who were left behind...having lost so much.

And every year since, I have remembered. I read books like, Fireboat and The Man Who Walked Between the Towers to my children and to the children in my media center in hopes of helping them appreciate the freedom that we have and the strength of our great nation.

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Worst Dream of All Time

I have been debating all day whether or not to post about this, but my other possible post topics all seemed lame. Not that this one isn't lame, but I can't stop thinking about it, so I figured maybe I should just go with it.

I regret that this is another post without pictures. I hate it when that happens. And in case you were wondering (before I get to the actual post that I intend to be writing)...
1. The conferences were fine. The girls are both doing well in academics and are kind and sweet to their classmates. That is really all that we can ask for.
2. The bags from the girls' rooms are still in the hallway and nothing has changed. Toilets are not flushed, clothes are not put away properly and towels are still balled up on the floor. I am considering running away.
3. Ike is driving me crazy.
4. The children are driving me crazy.
5. Quinn pooped twice tonight in his pull up and then told me he had to go potty. Both times I yanked the pull up off, ready for something really exciting to happen. And it did...both times...poop rolled out onto the floor. The first time I cussed Quinn (in my head). The second time I cussed myself (not really in my head).

Ok, so on to my worst dream ever. When you have children, pretty every dream is acceptable unless it involves something terrible happening to them. I used to having reoccurring nightmares of the girls being stolen in the middle of the night. But last night, ohmygoodness, last night takes the cake as the worst dream ever. Now, keep in mind, its a dream...so it doesn't really have to make sense.

I dreamed that the girls were sick...low grade fever, sore throat, upset stomach. I told my mother this and that I thought it might be strep throat (which is going around right now), and she replied "Well, you know how they get with strep throat. You might as well go ahead and take them to the ER." (For the record, they are fine with strep throat and I haven't had to take them to an ER since they were babies.) So, we took them. And they admitted them. And then Chris and I went out to eat. And when we came back to the hospital, they had both died.

At this point, I woke up. It was almost 1am. I couldn't shake the dream out of my head. I contemplated getting up, blogging about it, getting a drink, going to the bathroom and coming back to bed. But Ike was laying on my feet and if I got up, he would get up too and that is not what I wanted. So I forced myself to think happy thoughts and went back to sleep.

And then I dreamed it again. Only this time, I saw them dying. They were fine one minute and then Casey went into cardiac arrest and died and Chandler was so upset (they were in the same room) that she willed herself to die too.

And then I woke up. It was 3am. I repeated my thoughts and steps from the previous wake up.

And then I dreamed it again. Only this time, in addition to the initial death and the viewing of the death, I added my phone call to my father to tell him the news and a party that we threw at a clubhouse to celebrate the girls' lives.

And then I woke up. It was 5am. I went back to sleep. I slept through the alarm and Chris getting in the shower. When I officially woke up for the day, I was very upset. I couldn't believe this is what I spent my night thinking about. I really wanted to stay home from work, keep the girls out of school and just spend the day with them. But then I thought about how they are (eventually and inevitably) going to get strep again this year and then I really will need to use the sick days...for actual sickness...not just a Mama is sick in the head day.

It bothers me that this dream was like Groundhog Day. Actually, everything about this dream and its many versions bother me.

And now, I am not going to think about it any more. And I am definitely NOT going to dream about it tonight.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

'Twas I, Father, Who Chopped Down the Cherry Tree

Yes, I know that the story of George Washington and the cherry tree is a lie, but that's ok. Its applicable here.

It was another crazy night here. The girls had dance and piano. There was a trip to the grocery store thrown in. Chris was, once again, home with the boy and the dog.

I've had a mad sweet tooth lately and bought some ridiculous chocolate beehive and cream cake at Publix tonight. Everyone was thrilled with the idea of having a real dessert. We ate dinner and then dove into the cake. Because my mouth is bigger and I eat faster than the girls, I was finished before them. So when I finished I took the dog outside.

The scene I came back in to was, well, a little unsettling. I left the kitchen when it was full of people, full of noise, full of chaos. When I came back in, there was just Chan, sitting at the table, alone and the room was silent.

Chan: Mama. I have something I need to tell you. Can I talk to you for a minute?

Oh, crap! What is this??? Is she in trouble at school? Is she trying to corner me alone?

Me: (I sit across from her at the table.) Yeah, Chan. What is it?
Chan: I...*melting into tears* told *getting quieter* a......lie.
Me: Well, what happened?
Chan: I told Casey that you told me that I could have the cherry off the top of the cake...not her.
Me: Oh. And then what happened?
Chan: Then I told her we could split it.
Me: So did you?
Chan: *whispering and crying* No. We didn't eat it. Mama? Please, please don't be mad at me.

I am silent at this point. I mean, really? What am I supposed to say? My child is bawling and begging me not to be mad at her because she told a lie about a cherry. Why can't she be this worried about me being mad about her not flushing the toilet. Just sayin.

Me: I'm not mad, Chan. Just disappointed. You are better than that. You know that telling a lie is not a good thing and I expect more from you. But I am not mad. And I am glad that you told me about your lie.
Chan: Yes, Mama.
Me: Ok. Go take your shower.

Ugh. Tomorrow is Friday. We are having conferences with the girls' teachers. Cross your fingers that all goes well.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A Timeline of my Evening

I just had one of the most hilarious conversations (ever) with my mother. I was crying and gasping for breath and now, when I try to recreate it, it just doesn't seem as funny. But I must say, I haven't laughed like that in a really long time. Anywho...

Here is a quick run down of my day...
6:45am - left the house to go to work
3:30pm - left work to go home
4:05pm - got home, let the dog out, played with the dog, waited for the family to come home
4:15pm - Chris and kids arrived home
4:16pm - sent girls upstairs to put away school stuff, brush hair, grab a book to take with us to get the oil changed in the car
4:18pm - Chandler comes downstairs - no book, hair not brushed, and no shoes on
4:19pm - Casey comes downstairs...she has lost her book
4:20pm - Chandler is still upstairs, Casey is looking for a book, Chris and I are picking a book off the shelf for her
4:20 to 4:25pm - mass confusion.
4:25pm - Casey, Chandler and I leave the house to head into town to the Honda dealership
5:01pm - arrive for oil change
5:08pm - The girls and I have picked out 12 new vehicles that we would like to have. Especially a van with a GPS. It is super rad.
5:25pm - Oil change complete. Head over to Moe's to pick something up for dinner
5:35pm - order a Homewrecker (which is always just silly to me..."Yes, I'd like a homewrecker, please.") and 2 Moo Moo Mr. Cows.
5:43pm - Girls eating dinner in the car on the way to rehearsal for the Christmas Pageant at church. (When we officially told the girls that they were going to be in the pageant at church, Chandler responded with, "Yes! Oh, thank you, thank you Mama for letting us be in the beauty pageant! Well...this is going to be a surprise, now isn't it??)
6:00pm - We walk into church and my mother-in-law greets me with, "There's the Mother of Year!" And sarcastic or not, I'll take it. It felt nice for someone to recognize my true, award winning, motherdom. My children certainly don't.
7:00pm - head home
7:35pm - walk in the house, Quinn greets us enthusiastically and Ike nips at my leggings. Chris does not have a smile on his face...

This is because when he took Quinn upstairs for a bath tonight he forgot to check if Q had poops in his diaper. Which he did. And Chris took off the diaper, with Ike by his side, and as he was fumbling around trying to find something to wipe Q's bottom with and Ike got ahold of said diaper and proceeded to eat the poop out of said diaper. And then he vomited the poop back up. So all Chris had to say was "This was a sh*tty night."

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Yes, please.


I fell in love with this skirt at Anthropologie this weekend. Chris asked if I wanted it and I told him...

No. That's ok. It would be frivolous to buy it and the only frivol we need be doing is our big lunch out.

(I made up the word frivol - its a noun. I later used the word frivoling - a verb. Clever, isn't it?)

I told him no. Can you believe that? And then I patted myself on the back. Such wonderful self restraint I have. I am amazing. Go, Angie. Go, Angie. (you can sing it with me, if you'd like)

Only now...I wish I had that skirt. I would have worn it Saturday night to Nick and Liz's. And Sunday to my mother's house. And Monday to the grocery store. And today to work. I don't think that I can live without it.

I have the shakes right now because I haven't just gone ahead and bought the skirt.

Honey? If you're reading this, I would (please, please, pretty please) like to have this skirt. Size 4 please. And thank you.

A Story About Pigs

***this is a conversation that took place last night at the dinner table***

Casey: Do you know why pigs lay around in mud?
Chris: To keep cool.
Casey: They don't have any sweat glands, so they have to roll around in their own species.
Chris: When we're done eating, I'll tell you why what you just said was close, but not quite right.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Where Did My Weekend Go?

Good grief, Charlie Brown! My weekend....where did it go?

Since Saturday afternoon it has all been a blur. We went to Nick and Liz's Saturday night. I am in love with their cute little house with their purple bedroom and yellow kitchen. I would like to move in with them. I'm not really sure how they would feel about that, but that is how much I love their house. Their IKEA kitchen kind of makes me want to learn how to cook, too. I said "kinda", which might also mean "not really" but its a nice thought, isn't it?

Sunday morning we left to head out to Mom's. Ike went with us. He and Duke (my mother's black lab mix that currently weighs 102 lbs) are now BFFs. Seriously. Ike was super excited to be in a yard with no leash on and wants to know when he can go back there. I think he has actually been a little on the depressed side today because of it.

We had a poolside lunch - burgers, hot dogs, my mother's salad with homemade balsamic dressing (it makes my heart sing), and her outstanding warm potato salad with avocado. There was some afternoon swimming...not by me though...I couldn't find my suit Sunday morning and then Chris informed me that it was in one of the storage bins in the back of the van. Which is when it had been since the last time I wore it...4th of July weekend. Yikes!

By the end of the afternoon, Q was in one heckuva mood. He had no nap on Saturday, did not sleep through the night Saturday night and no nap on Sunday. Can we say, over tired? And cranky?

He fell asleep approx 3 minutes into our 2 hour ride home. And slept through the night. And didn't wake up until after 8am. Hallelujah!

Today has been, really, just a hodge podge of things - grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, piano practice, homework, etc.

I must admit, I am looking forward to a 4 day work week. Although we are going to be slammed - Tuesday night, Chris is tutoring, Wednesday - the girls have Christmas pageant rehearsal at church, Thursday - dance and piano, Friday....oh, how I will be dreaming of you.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

For Joy


Joy asked me to post pictures of our lunch...so that's what I am doing. I have never taken pictures of food at a restaurant before, so I felt a little funny at first. Until I noticed that the table behind us was filming their lunch. Seriously. With a camcorder. And then I felt perfectly normal snapping some regular, old pictures. This is what we had....avocado egg rolls (they are my fav, you seriously can't go wrong with them), fried artichoke hearts, warm crab and artichoke dip (that had the most delicious sourdough bread to go with it), sweet corn fritters, sausage and ricotta pizette, and Chris's favorite...ahi tartare.


sweet corn fritters


ahi tartare


avocado egg rolls


Chris...thinking this is the best meal ever.

Following lunch we had another slice of Heaven...shopping at The Container Store. And now, I am getting ready to make some peach cups (currently my favorite dessert) and head over to Nick and Liz's house.

ps - Did you see that Georgia game? What a great way to start the season!

Friday, September 3, 2010

In 24 Hours...

...Chris and I will be footloose and child free! For a month now, we have looked at each other, as our children are doing ridiculous things, sighed, and said, "September 4th."

We're meeting my mother (God bless her!) in the morning and she is taking all 3 kids (ALL THREE!!!) for a sleep over. They are going to swim in the pool, run around with her dog, and crash hard at the end of the day.

Chris and I, on the other hand, are going window shopping at Perimeter and having lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. We have decided to order 10 little plates, so that we can try everything that we have always wanted to try. I'll have to remember to tell them not to sit us at a table for 2.

Then, tomorrow night, we are attending a party at Nick and Liz's house in Athens. Yay for us! Liz makes this drink that I adore. Please don't judge me. It's a bourbon slushie. Yep. You heard me right. And I love them.

Now, if I can just make it until the morning.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Super September Sale!






According to Etsy, on September 7, I will have been a registered user for a year. I didn't actually open my shop until December, but it seemed like a good enough reason to me to have a September sale! So if you head on over, you'll notice that there is a SALE section, with tons of great things in it!

ps - This is the exciting news that I promised. Go ahead, be excited. And you can stop calling me now. And I swear, I will never leave you hanging like that again. There are certain people in my life that just really can't take it. Promise.

Cutest Little Boy in the World


He's playing with Ike's balls (hee-hee) in this picture. Just in case you were wondering.


Now, prepare yourself for the below pictures. Rumor has it that Chris's sister, Em, used to dress Chris up in her dance costumes and call him Christina. So, I think Quinn is just trying to follow in his footsteps. Really, though, when you have older sisters, this sort of thing cannot be helped. Just sayin.




***ps....I will post again later tonight! Some super exciting news! (And no, I am not pregnant. And no, I did not win the lottery.)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Night Driving...

...not to be confused with Night Swimming...which happens to be my favorite song by my favorite band - REM.

So I went into the big metropolis of Athens tonight to visit my hair ninja. God, I love this girl. I got a cut and color, which I am very pleased with, by the way.

And then I had to drive home in the dark. It is a long and winding road that leads to my door from Athens. A very dark, long and winding road. And I am a terrible night driver. My heart starts to pound and I clutch the steering wheel, repeating "2 and 10, 2 and 10"...like that's going to keep me safe. And then I start thinking about how ridiculous it is that we have made 3 overnight drives to Chicago. Absolutely ridiculous. And I have resolved never to do that again! Day trips only, thank you very much.

Other than that, it was a Wednesday. My least favorite day of the week. Just sayin.