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Sunday, February 27, 2011

My Perfect Dinner


I am not kidding when I tell you that, today, I stumbled upon the fact that I have gained (gasp!) ten pounds in the past two months.  I think it may have something to do with the fact that I have seconds when Chris cooks country fried steak, white rice and gravy for dinner.  And maybe it has something to do with the pecan pie and cannolis that I ate last week. 

Regardless of why, the fact of the matter is that this is just not ok.  And not because I am not ok with the weight, but really because I can't afford to buy new pants.  And I probably can't really afford to continue eating the massive amounts of food that I have been eating.

Tonight was a meal that made me SUPER happy though.  I love grilling weather.  Chris made steak, grilled squash, zucchini, onions and asparagus with a side salad drenched in my mother's recipe for red wine vinaigrette. 

And I did not have pie or any other bakery treat for dessert.

p.s. In case you didn't know, I have milk at dinner every night.  That's just the kind of girl that I am.

Craft Room Makeover

If you recall, this is what my craft room looked like on Friday....


A horrid mess, right?  How could I possibly be creative in a space like that?  Well, I was, but it was difficult.  And I would cringe and make all sorts of ugly faces every time I sat down at the table.  It was well overdue for a serious makeover.  So, Chris and I decided to swap the couch (which was in the front room) and the desk, so that the front room had more of an office sort of feel and the craft room felt more, well, crafty.  Kind of like a studio sort of space.  And then we got busy.

This is the final product...


It's really lovely, isn't it?  I know the orange isn't for everyone, but oh how I love the shade and the gray on the bottom, and not that its new to the room...I just wanted to gush about it for a minute.  If you notice the scrapbook frames of my children above my desk, the paper in it is a gray and orange combo and that was the inspiration for the color choices in the room.  

Basically, this is what we did...moved in the couch, decorator table and coffee table from the front room.  (The couch is a few years old from Rooms to Go, the decorator table and skirt - a la Target, the coffee table is from IKEA.)  Then we flipped the table (from IKEA) up against the wall, moved out one of the cubby units (closet maid) and slid the bench that was with the table up against the wall and stacked my drawer pieces on top of it so that it had a purpose.


That chair at my table?  My mom bought it for me when I was in 8th grade.  Not kidding.  I love it.  And I'm sure that it is not good for my back, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to get rid of it. I should have taken a closer picture of them, but the little pictures in the gray frames...they were my aunt's.  My Aunt Patti had this amazing collection of sketches from different cities that she had been to and I drooled over them all the time - since I was a little kid.  She used to have them hung in her kitchen.  I loved them.  Like, really, really loved them.  And I used to joke with her that when she died I wanted her to will them to me (along with her statues of the Beatles).   And then when I moved into my first house, she sent them to me (along with some other things that I'll share in another post) as a house warming gift, and I cried.  They've been on my walls ever since.  And they make me happy and I think of her every time I look at them.  (I'll take a better picture of them next time!)
 

I didn't have enough drawers to fill the cubbies, so I bought two more packs to finish it out and I am so glad that I did.  I was debating on moving both sets of cubbies out of the room, but am so glad that I left this one in here.  Love it.  I especially love that I am able to use my photo props on top (thanks, Molly!) for a cute knick knacky touch, but am still able to move them easily for pictures.  The jars to the right side are filled with cut ribbons that I use to tie my boxes.  I saw this idea in a picture of on Nest Pretty Things blog and loved it!


The only things that I ended up buying for the room were 4 more drawers for the cubbies, the pillows on the couch from IKEA, and the hardware storage boxes that are now on my table.  I went to Lowe's last night to get him and the guy helping me kept trying to talk me into some cute little box with a handle.  And so I finally just grabbed one of these of the shelf and said, "No, I think I'm gonna go with this one.  I like the drawers."  And he then went on about how he has one of those himself and then he almost died when I put a second one in my buggy.  "You sure must have a lot of little nails to keep up with,"  he mumbled with his mouth wide open.  "Yep, sure do,"  is what I replied as I made my way down the aisle. 

I will say, half way through, I was doubtful about how the room would turn out.  But I really, really love it and now I think I am going to spend the rest of my day in here.  Well, with the windows open because it is almost 80 today.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

I Heart Pillows


Its true.  I heart pillows.  I especially heart pillows from IKEA.  And my birthday present pillow from my in-laws.  While I love IKEA, it is a difficult place for us to shop and ineviatably, in the middle of the trip, I begin to feel overwhelmed and start panicking.  Which is always fun.  And we don't live close enough for me to just go to visit one section of the store at a time.  Oh, what is a girl to do???  But, my mission for the day was pillows and I feel that I was successful. 

The rooms as a whole are still a MAJOR work in progress,  but the couch?  Ahhhhh, big sigh.  I love it.  The smaller center pillow is from here and all the others were purchased at IKEA this afternoon.

And because I had the camera out, this boy was right in the mix, yelling out "Cheese!"  So I had to take his picture, of course.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Score!

I have secured a babysitter (shout out to CB and Drew!) and we are heading to IKEA tomorrow!  I have been craving my spring trip to IKEA and knew that Chris would never agree to going with our 3 children in tow.  So, enter a playdate at Loralai's house and Woohoo!  its off to IKEA we go!  I keep telling Chris that I love shopping with him (its true, he's a great shopping partner) and he shakes his head and wonders how he got himself into this mess.

These two rooms are in desperate need of a little attention.  The front half (with the built-in books, courtesy of our good friend Drew) is our front room, seen from the foyer, and currently serves as library/seating area/jewelry photo studio.  Chris wants this room.  Like really, he wants it to be his room...with his desk.  He'll consider letting me keep my books on the shelves.


This is the craft room.  (Yes, it should technically be our dining room, but we lived here for a year and used the dining room twice, so we sold the dining room furniture and changed it into a craft/office space...much more useful for our family.)I love the orange and gray.  But the rest of it?  Ugh.  As you can see, it is a DISASTER!  And I'm not really sure what is the best way to conquer the mess.  The cubbies are a complete waste of space and are going upstairs to the girls' closets.  They just aren't functional for me.


And Chris's desk?  Double ugh.  Because of where it is in the house, everything just gets dumped on it.  And then everything sits there until Chris cleans it up. 

So, Chris wants to move his desk and such into the front room, and move the couch into my craft area.  I think that I want to put my table up against a wall and get some hardware organizers from the tool store to put supplies in.  I also want a world map and a map of the US....just so I can put little push pins in to show where I've mailed things.  Because the teacher in me thinks that would be super exciting.

But tomorrow my main focus...throw pillows.  Even though there is a good chance that they will be destroyed in 48 hours upon entry into my house...I need them.  I can't live without them any longer.

ps - Chan ordered Mu Shu Chicken last night at the Chinese Restaurant for dinner.  We usually don't get that, but I let them order for themselves last night.  I figured she must have tried it when out with my mom at some point, but no....When I asked her why she chose that she replied, "Well, I read the description and I thought to myself, I do like chicken and I do like pancakes, so I figured I would like it.  So I ordered it."  I think she may have been expecting fried chicken and a waffle.  Just sayin.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

A Month of Birthdays


February is really just a month of birthdays around here.  Tonight we took our dear friend, Bob, out for Chinese to celebrate his 93rd birthday.  Then we went back to his house for cake and ice cream and to dance the night away in his living room.  :)

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mama Said Knock You Out

 This is me.  Today.  With a shiner. 
I would like to tell you how I got it, but really, I have no idea.  It wasn't there yesterday afternoon, and then it was there when I looked in the mirror while brushing my teeth before bed.  So it occurred some time between 4pm and 10pm.  Go figure.


Chris says that at the rate we're going, he's going to be taken away...his wife has a black eye, his son won't stop repeating swear words and one daughter punched a kid a school last week.  He must be to blame.

In other news, today is my dad's birthday.  I love that guy.  He is, by far, one of the funniest people that I know and I strive to be like him everyday.  According to him, his age is relative...the 80 year old ladies at work refer to him as the hot young guy.  So there you have it.

**alternately titled, Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Funny? Not So Much.

1.  The Birthday Cards that I bought yesterday?  A bust!  Its true.  After the whole "I filled my buggy with nonsense items and had to park it at the front of the store while I went back to the card aisle, blah, blah, blah...."  Ugh.

So I bought the recordable cards.  Because those are fun when you have kids.  Only it was 8:30, a half an hour after their bedtimes, when I realized that I forgot to have them record something and the cards HAD to go out in the mail today.  So I dragged them out of bed.  They recorded cute, cute messages and then I sent them back to bed and came back downstairs to listen to them one last time and mail them off.  Um, yeah.  They didn't record.  And I couldn't make myself have the children do it again.  Especially because (and I didn't realize this in the store because I felt rushed and I have difficulty buying cards under pressure) the cards were not only recordable but then after the customized message they played some HORRIBLE country song.  Now, to be fair, I like a lot (A LOT) of country music...but definitely not this particular song.  So, there's that.

2.  I told Casey that her dance teacher had really nice things to say about her today and she replied, "I get my dancing from you.  I get my funny from Dad."  And then we had this conversation...
Me:  So you don't think that I'm funny?
Casey:   Wellllllll...Dad was a clown.
Me:  So you don't think I'm funny?
Casey:  Ummmmm, welllllllllll, sometimes you are.  And sometimes, well, just not so much.

My kid said I was not funny....by way of the phrase, "not so much."  What is this????  Ridiculousness, is what it is.  Absolutely ridiculous.  Not funny.  I scoff at "not funny."

And for the record, I really am not a good dancer.  I am a confident dancer and there is, most definitely, a big (BIG) difference between the two.

3.  The other morning while Chris was waking Quinn up for school, he responded with, "No Dayeah, stop wakey me up."  So I think I'm going to use this now too.  Stop wakey me up.  That's funny, right?  I called the people at TBS and they said it was funny, but my 9 year old said, "not so much."  Scoff.

Monday, February 21, 2011

And Another Thing...

I am thinking that I would like to look into a blog/etsy shop make over.  I really like the girl that I used last year, but am having trouble getting in touch with her.  :(  Anybody know of anybody good, fun and reasonable?

Grocery Store Fail

I had to stop by the grocery store after school today to get the following items...
1.  birthday cards
2.  eggs
3.  trash bags
4. napkins

I was 10 minutes into the trip when I noticed that I had the following items in my cart...
1.  bakery cannoli
2.  bakery pecan pie
3.  pita chips
4.  blueberries
5.  trail mix
6.  Chinese noodles
7.  nutter butters

Clearly, I have a problem.  As I headed to the beer aisle, I texted Chris, begging him to talk some sense into me.  He didn't respond.

I continued on my wild shopping spree.  I threw in some yogurt and fancy creamer while I was at it.

And then I checked out, feeling quite pleased with myself.  I scratched off the items in my mental list and realized that I had not purchased the birthday cards...the original impetus for the trip to the store.  So I had to park my buggy full of groceries at the front of the store and go back to the card aisle.

I'm not sure if you know what kind of card shopper I am or not, but I am the kind that has to read at least twenty cards before settling on one.  This is ultimately why I just don't buy cards any more.  Prior to having my third child, I bought cards all. the. time.  I gave cards to people for every reason under the sun.  I kept up regular written, sent through the mail, correspondence with several people in my life for a very long time and kept on hand a multitude of note cards for whenever I felt like sending someone a little something.  But now, not so much.

Almost 15 minutes later, I was loading my groceries AND cards into the trunk of my car, wondering how I went in to get 4 things and came out with a whole trunk load of beer and sweets.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

And Now Its Over





So yesterday was like a 9.5 kind of day and then today was a 5.  And going from that great to so-so, is really not all that fun. 

High point...getting my birthday present from my in-laws.  A beautiful, beautiful, fun, retro throw pillow that I have been drooling over on etsy and a gift card to Old Navy.  Woohoo!  Yay!

Low point...the realization that something that should take about 30 minutes ends up taking 3 hours in this house of little people and pooch. 

All those earrings above?  Yep.  They're new.  And in the shop...along with several other new things.  I think you should check it out. 

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Wiped Out!

 {Amazonite Necklace}

 {Amazonite Earrings}

 {Lady Luck Earrings}

I can't wait for you to see all of the new stuff that will be posted in the shop in the next few days!  Hooray!  

We are wiped out! Exhausted!  Each and everyone of us, I do believe.  And I love it when that happens...when the kids and the dog have all run enough in a day to be falling down asleep at the end of the day.  And this is why...
We went to the dog park at Sandy Creek today.  It is an enormous fenced in area (ENORMOUS) that we rented for an hour for the children and the dog to run wild and free.  We picnicked and no one wanted their picture taken.  But LOOK!  its Ike and all three kids in the same frame.  Pretty rare.
 {Quinn, Casey and Chandler}

We spent a lot of time blowing bubbles.  And Quinn popped the bubbles in mid air with a big stick.  He ran in circles shouting. "Get back here!  Get back here!" to the bubbles.  The bubbles were not good listeners and this became a frustrating game for Q.  Go figure.



And then the children ran some more.  


Following the dog park, we went to Verizon and upgraded to (gasp!) iphones.  Me.  Us.  We have iphones.  My previous phone was a $10 flip open phone.  Seriously.  We are getting ready to make to transition to cell phones rather than the outrageous land line bundle that we have.  I have decided that anything having to do with cell phones is pretty much the equivalent to buying a car.  Really, that's what it felt like.  I left Chris to figure it all out while the kids and I had Dairy Queen in the food court.  
After that, we headed over to Target, then Michael's, then the Ho Lo, where Casey fell in love with a little singer sewing machine that she is now saving her money to buy.  

On the way home I used my new *smart* phone to look up the number to Johnny's pizza and order it while Chris drove us back from Athens.

I loved today.  I do believe that it was my favorite day of February.

Off to a Great Start!

We are off to a great start this morning!

Here's how the punishment rolled out last night...Chris actually walked across the parking lot from the middle school to the  elementary school to have a chat with her during his lunch yesterday.  Then I talked to her when she came home yesterday afternoon.  Here's how it went down...

The other girl took Casey's snack.
Casey told her to give it back.
The other girl ate it and then told Casey that she wasn't brave enough to do anything about it.
So Casey hauled off and punched the girl in the stomach.
The girl told the teacher.
They both had to sit out at recess.

Punishment at home is that she lost DS, TV and computer privileges for the weekend.  I am not even all that upset that she hit the girl (because clearly that girl was mean), but I am upset that she hit the girl because she was taunted and peer pressured into it.  What's going to happen when she is in high school and the girls are drinking (or whatever) in the bathroom and tell Casey that she isn't brave enough to do it with them?  I want her to know that it is braver to be able to walk away.

We also talked about how school is supposed to be a safe place and because Casey hit this girl, she may not feel safe there any more.  We also talked about how the other girl's mother might feel knowing that her child was hit at school and how sad that would make me if the tables were turned.

And, of course, we talked about alternate routes that she could have taken...telling the teacher, ignoring the girl, telling mom and dad when she came home.  And that perhaps she should consider the friends that she is making (she considered this girl a friend).  And, for good measure, we talked about disappointment and unconditional love and forgiveness and making better decisions in the future, learning for your mistakes, and the such.

But TODAY is off to a great start!  I am up and showered, everyone is dressed...Chris is taking the girls to the bank to cash their birthday checks and then I am going grocery shopping, picking up a picnic lunch and then we are heading to our reserved, private run at the dog park for the afternoon.  Woohoo! 

AND, I have a few new things to put in the shop later!  ;)

Friday, February 18, 2011

My Three Really Spectacular Children

I have three really spectacular children, right?  I wouldn't trade any of them for anything.  Ok, I might trade one of them.  Like the one who resorted to violence today at school to teach another kid a lesson.  That one might be traded.

True story. 

We got an email this morning from a teacher stating that one of my children had their snack taken without their permission at school this morning by another student and rather than let someone know that this happened, they decided to just punch the thief in the stomach and take their snack back.  Both children were made to sit out at recess today.

Now, here's my beef.  The girls have a problem with physical violence at home.  I don't know why.  They just like to hit on each other (sometimes its kicking, biting and slamming doors for good measure).  And I have repeatedly told them, "This is not the way to solve problems.  If you hit someone at school, you will be sent to the principal's office." 

Because this is how it works in my world.  As a teacher, when it comes to getting physical with another student, I have always sent them to the office.  Sometimes, I just want it to be a scare tactic.  And, believe you me, this would most definitely scare the bejeezus out of my kid.  Because the lady in the front office is ten trillion times scarier than I could ever be.

But, this teacher did not do that and now, well, now Mama is a big fat liar.  Big sigh. 

I'll report back on how we handle this one.  Although I am thinking that trading the kid out might not be a bad idea.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Spring is in the Air!

 {Charmingly Bright Spring Necklace - $26}

Thank God, the weather has been beautiful here lately!  And its supposed to be 76 tomorrow!  Hooray!  I am certain that it will turn cold again before it is actually Spring, but my, oh my, this is doing wonders for my mood.  I snicker at that commercial on TV about the Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I honestly suffer from it.  I hate winter.  Hate. Winter.  So, I really needed this little break...a breath of fresh air...literally, since we've been opening the windows.  :)

Having said that, I am oh so tired.  This week has been crazy.  Tuesday night I had PTO at my school until almost 8pm and had an excruciating headache by the time I got home...took some meds and went to bed.  While I was at PTO, Chris loaded the kids into the van, dropped Casey off at dance, took last year's clothes to the consignment sale drop off, had to make a pit stop at Kroger for Q to use the potty, and then go back and pick Casey up from dance.  Whew!

I shopped at the consignment sale last night.  I spent $120 and bought ALL of Quinn's spring and summer clothes.  He needs a pair of shoes and that's it.  Really.  Everything all the way down to his swimming trunks.  Score!

One last little goodie... 

Quinn always gets really excited when I start taking pictures of jewelry and begs for me to take his picture too.  So, I always do.  This is what today's pictures turned out to be...


I really have no idea what he is doing in either of these pictures.  But he is weird, isn't he?  :)

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

I feel like I haven't written a real post in, oh, you know, forever!  It happens sometimes...when trying to sum up my day or share a funny anecdote becomes just a little overwhelming.  And I do hate it when that happens.  And so, after my ho-hum weekend, I opened my computer Monday night, stared at the blank screen and said (as I often do), "Honey, you should guest post for me."

And, surprisingly enough, he did!  And I am going to continue asking for him to guest post because I liked what he had to say.  Just sayin.

So, what happened in between all of those non posts of the past week?

Well...there was last Wednesday night when Q projectile vomited hot dogs, oranges and a chocolate pudding pop across 5 feet of our living room.  That was awesome.  So we sprayed it and steam cleaned it right away and then Chris took him up to bed.  You know, our bed, where he sleeps every night?  Yeah, he took him there to tuck him in and that's when Q decided he should puke all over
a.  our bed and
b. the wall behind our bed
which was really, really, awesome.  And because he was somewhat laying down when he started, it was also all over the side of his head.  So then he required a bath.  He woke up twice in the middle of the night to throw up again.  He never ran a fever and Thursday he was fine (although Chris stayed home with him anyway).  But then the day care closed early on Friday because it was (apparently) highly contagious and everyone else had it by then.  So, last week was yet another week in which I did not work a full week.  Ugh. 

Chandler has decided that she doesn't want to play the piano any more.  Try as I might, I cannot convince her otherwise.  She wants to run.  Which, I mean, really, of course she does.  Because she has already done ballet, tap, hip hop, cheerleading, gymnastics, soccer, and piano.  So, running it is.  Our friend, Drew, is a girls cross country coach and his wife offered for him to take Chan with him to train with the team when they run this summer.  Chandler screamed and jumped up and down when I told her and then she ran to tell Casey that she made the high school cross country team.  Um, no.  Not quite.

Quinn pronounces his name as, "Kin."  The little girls at day care call him, "Win"  and "Chin."  He doesn't mind because he (clearly) can't say his name either.

I have decided that these two songs (click here and here) are going to be my spring time songs.  They both make me exceptionally happy and I plan on listening to them over and over and over again.  

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day... a Guest Post

So, I'm not exactly what you would call a talker. In fact, in most situations I tend towards anti-social. I was the kid in school that always secretly hoped that the teacher wouldn't make us choose our own groups because the anxiety of actually talking to other people and asking them to accept me into their group was nearly overwhelming (Yes, I realize this is something for which I should seek professional help, but this is not a post about my psychoses).  So the idea of writing a blog entry is absolutely foreign to me.

In case you hadn't figured it out yet, this is Angie's husband. She asked me to guest post for her tonight, and it's Valentine's Day, and I didn't really feel like I could say no even though it was the first word that popped into my head when she asked. You see, I don't really understand the whole idea of sharing the intimate details of my personal life with friends and family, much less strangers all over the country. But my wife does. She feels like these posts connect her in a very real and intimate way to the people in our lives that she cares about, people she doesn't get to see as often as she would like, and even some people that she has never actually met face to face. And this is one of the things that I love about her. That she believes in this connection, however tentative, that exists and can be sustained through 500 some-odd words every day or so.

Warning: For all of you out there who hate Valentine's Day and can't stand sentimentality, I'm going to go ahead and apologize. This is a Valentine's day post and I do intend to extol my wife's virtues and list the things that I love about her. So if you need to jump ship, I completely understand. I would do the same thing in your place, and I won't hold it against you. Why don't you try this article instead about the most cynical explitations of romantic love in history.

Just the saps left? Right, on we go.

So, in addition to my wife' ability to truly and completely believe in the connecting power of this blog, I also love, in a much more practical way, that she is always kind to me here. That she always blogs about me in way that probably makes people think that I am a much better husband than I really am. That she focuses on the things that I contrubute to our family when she could easily use this as a forum to air all of her grievances and conplain about my many faults.

I love that my wife believes in herself. That when she decides she is going to do something she goes after it wholly and completely. She is the type of person that doesn't buy a gym membership for just one month to see how things go; she signs up for a year because she can picture herself in her head being successful. A little over a year ago, she started her etsy shop in full force and she has always believed in her ability to be successful at it. I admire the courage that it takes to wholly commit to something.

I love my wife's small talk... not being on the receiving end of it, but the fact that she make herself at home in almost any company, that she has no problem joining a conversation of strangers or leading a conversation when the rest of us fall silent.

I love that my wife doesn't dwell. She let's things go, moves on, gets over it. I love that she can be so angry that she wants to throw things at me, but then can tell me she loves me an hour later. I love that she knows this about herself and had even told me "I just need to mope for a little bit and then I'll be better."

 I love that my wife stays up all night with me when we drive to Chicago. She could easily close her eyes, sleep through most of the drive, and wake up when we're there, but she stays up and keeps me company. I know this is mostly because she doesn;t trust me to stay awake, but I love it about her anyway.

I love that my wife is hot. I know this is superficial and whatever else you want to call it, and I won't go into any more detail because our families read this, but it had to be said.

I love that my wife is always trying to make us a stronger couple. That she asks me if I'm happy, and that she listens to my answer. I love that I can tell her when I'm angry or annoyed or underappreciated and she is never defensive, and that I can leave my clothes on the floor even sfter she's told me to put them in the hamper and she still washes them.

I could go on about the things that I love about my wife, but I think I've put in enough time, and I've officially done my Valentine's Day job.

Chris

Sunday, February 13, 2011

My Birthday Run Down

  • Yesterday I talked Chris into giving me my present early...two new books - A Pictorial History of The University of Georgia and Historic Athens and Clarke County.  I am super excited about them because I love the old buildings in Athens and I am always dying to know the story behind them.  Like The Franklin House on Broad across from the Farmer's Building...I need to know the information on that one.  Pronto.  Because it kills me every time we drive past it.  This not knowing.
  • Chris tried very hard to let me sleep in this morning.  He was succeeding until he told Chan that she could not wear jeans and a t-shirt to church.  So, she came into our room to wake me up to ask me if she could wear jeans and a t-shirt to church.  Ugh.
  • Chris took the children to church and then to Chuck E. Cheese with his family (I just couldn't go there on my birthday.  It would have completely ruined my day...the place, not the company).
  • I went spring shopping.  It was the perfect day for it - the weather here was absolutely beautiful.
  • Chris made beef stroganoff for dinner.
  • I met Molly for a chai latte at Starbucks.  We laughed.  A lot.  I have now spent more birthdays with Molly than without Molly.  Just sayin.
  • In just a few hours, my day will be over.  Big sigh.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

A Thank You Note

I am procrastinating.  Its ok because I am aware of it. 

This week, a little friend at school gave the girls some super cute homemade presents.  She made Casey a yarn doll.  Here's Casey's thank you note:

Dear So and So (Casey wrote the girl's name), 


Thank you for the doll.  I named her May.


Thank you for cheering me up.  You are so charming.


Last but not least, thank you for being my friend.


Casey

Isn't that just the sweetest?

Its 11:45am on a Saturday and My Weekend is Already a Bust

I've been battling this stupid congestion all week and I took Nyquil last night and woke up feeling and sounding worse.  Ugh.

We had a babysitter for today to watch Quinn so that we could meet up with my parents take the girls to the World of Coke (their idea, not ours) for their birthday.  Only the babysitter got sick yesterday which meant that Chris was staying home with Quinn and I was not driving into Atlanta with the girls by myself.  I am ok with driving by myself into Atlanta, but not with them.  I know, without a doubt that I will get lost, and I am ok with that.  I am not ok with getting lost with them in the car with me.  So we tried to come up with a new plan - Casey desperately wanted to go to Babyland General, Chandler wanted to go to Dave and Busters, an agreement could not be made, I feel like death and so in the end, Chris drove them to meet my parents on I-85 for a hand off and they are taking them to the Varsity for lunch and World of Coke without me. 

I have a billion things to do - laundry, grocery shopping, house cleaning, getting clothes ready for the big consignment sale....and tomorrow is my birthday and I am completely down in the dumps about it.  And when I have a billion things to do, I begin to feel anxious, which completely slows me down because I want to do at that point is lay down and cry.  No, seriously, that's all I want to do.

I hate February.  Every year, I hate February.  Have I mentioned that?  And I think its a terrible thing to hate the month that your birthday is in, but there is never anything enjoyable or fun about February to me.  Its all stressful.  And I hate celebrating birthdays because there is just no way to make everyone happy about the plans, including myself.

Big sigh.  My weekend is already a bust.

Friday, February 11, 2011

For Big Girls....or Little Girls!




Aren't these flower charm earrings just darling?  For big girls, or little girls, I think you might need a pair for the spring!  They're in the shop in white, pink and yellow!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Nine Year Olds in the House!


These two celebrated a birthday today!  Well, we celebrated it with them...that would be kind of sad if they celebrated with just each other.  Sad, kind of like Casey's face in this picture.  I mean, really, what kind of face IS that???


This one is a little more like it.  We went out for Hibachi tonight.  After we opened the box from Grandpa and Gram, and Chandler had piano practice.  I love hibachi.  The girls love hibachi.


Ok, so maybe Casey really just loves the fried rice.  Do you see that it is all gone?  She really, really, loves the fried rice.


And we really, really love the owners of the restaurant.  They brought out these enormous plates of various cakes for the girls and had a whole parade with a gong and singing.  LOTS of fun!
 


And this boy?  He enjoyed going to the bathroom about 12 times during the hour that we were in there for.  He also wanted the waiters to chase him and then scoop him up and deliver him back to our table.   But then he hugged York (one of Chris's former students...his parents own the place) good bye.  

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I Brought a Roll of Toilet Paper to Work With Me

I searched high and low for a pack of purse tissues this morning.  I needed them.  Desperately.  My nose was running, and it was raw from the school tissues I used yesterday.  Only I couldn't find them and we didn't have any boxes of tissues and I was running out of time in my hunt, so I broke down a threw a roll of toilet paper in my purse.  It had come to that. 

And so here are some more bullets....

  • Chandler spent a good portion of dinner tonight humming Beethoven's 5th.  I couldn't take any more and told her to stop.  But then she did it again.  And I told her to stop...again.  She did it the 2nd time because she thought that she could throw her voice well enough that I wouldn't know it was her.  I am not kidding.
  • I ordered the girls' spring and summer wardrobes from Old Navy.  The box came yesterday.  And NONE of the bottoms fit.  NONE.  My children, apparently, are freakishly thin and I have begun contemplating having them drink some slimfasts with every meal.  (Not really, but almost.)  So, I am back to square one.  I hate square one.
And that's all I have in me today.  And there's not even any earrings to share.  What a bummer.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

I'm a Little Under the Weather and Some Black Earrings

 {Black Filigree Earrings - $12}

{Dragon Vein Agate Earrings - $20}

It was bound to happen.  I am just not well.  Stuffy nose, painful eyes, sore throat, achy...overall, I feel like a mack truck has run over me.  And then they threw it in reverse and ran over me again.  Last night I went to bed at 8pm.  With Quinn.  And I slept soundly until 6am this morning.  It is all I can do from not having a repeat of it tonight.  

Aside from sickness, here's what's been going on with us (in bulleted format because that's all I can handle right now)...

  • The girls will be 9 on Thursday!  I don't know how that has happened.  Sheesh.
  • Because they will be 9, they have been throwing some serious attitude in my direction.  Chandler was lucky I was in a good mood this weekend when she shouted, "You need to get me some training brawls, woman!," in response to Chris and I wondering aloud why all of her shirts from last summer seem tight across the chest.  We determined it was because her shoulders have become broader, not her boobalas getting bigger.  
  • We went out of Mexican last night.  Quinn ordered his own cheese quesadilla.  And then he proceeded to stand up in the booth and holler, "Where my guy?  Where my guy at?"  Whenever he was looking for the waiter.  Awesome.
  • And that's really all that I can do.  I am too tired.

Monday, February 7, 2011

New!

 {above and below....All Across the Universe Necklace $34}

Oh, can I tell you how MUCH I love, love, love these stones?  They make me SUPER happy.  They are classy and elegant, yet glittery and sparkly and FUN!  I wish I had bought 12 more strands of them at the bead show.  Then my whole shop could be filled with them and I could change the shop name to Goldstone Blue.


 {Candy Jade Necklace $30}

These jade stones are so bright and awesome!  Perfect for the upcoming spring and summer!  (Imagine how outstanding it would look with that perfect white sundress!)

{Coffee Quartz Earrings $18}

These are sure to become your favorite new go-to earrings!  Do you wear gold hoops?  These are bound to take their place!

There will be NEW postings all week long (both here and in the shop), so stay tuned!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Today I Felt Both Young and Old

Today I felt both young and old.  At the same time.  This is rare for me.  Usually I just feel really old and have to remind myself that I am NOT that old. 

Today I went with my friend Erin to a bead show.  I'll have more to say about the bead show in a minute, but first lets talk about Erin.  I love her!  She also makes jewelry, is a senior at UGA, I love her family AND I taught her when she was in 8th grade.  Can you believe that?  Hence the feeling old and young at the same time.

Back to the bead show....O.M.G.  In the future, I totally need to budget - and budget large - for these sorts of things.  Amazing.  It was slightly overwhelming.  We walked into the convention center and I think that our jaws hit the floor.  We had to quickly come up with a plan of attack to make sure that we
a.  saw everything and
b.  got the best deals.

In the end, I felt like we both had a super successful day, a super FUN, successful day.  And then we ate lunch at the Mellow Mushroom.  I had the Greek salad and avocado sub, which made me very happy.

And now I have 8000 new projects to complete.  So I have to go.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Clearly I Should Not be Allowed...

...to do the grocery shopping any more.  Ever again.  For the past three weeks, I believe I score an EPIC FAIL when it comes to grocery shopping.  Not because I forget key items, or walk out of there minus several meals or without the toilet paper.  No sir, I wish that was the case.  The problem is, I keep going over my budget.  Why?  Because apparently I am VERY hungry at the grocery store. 

Also, please keep in mind that it has been about 8 years since I have even attempted to shop without making a weekly menu and shopping list prior to stepping foot in the store.  If I leave the list at home, I have been known to turn around and go back for it.  Or like today, I sat in the parking lot for 10 minutes before going in so that I could make my menu and list.  And I do get everything on the list.  So, proper planning for the trip is not the problem.  The problem (apparently) is that I also get approx. 36 additional items that weren't even close to making the list.

And I have begun a new habit of stock piling.  We currently have 4 bags of bagels in the house, 6 cans of rotel, 6 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of cheez-its, 2 boxes of triscuits, 3 bags of soft tortillas, 4 containers of cream cheese (you need a variety of that to go with the 4 bags of bagels), 10 boxes of pasta, 3 boxes of stove top, and my baking stash?  Yes, its been replenished. 

Tonight, I did pick up a package of freshly made crab stuffed mushrooms (as a side dish to our angel hair pasta tonight.  What???  Who does that???), and then spent 12 minutes having a serious inner war with myself on whether or not I should also get a package of lobster ravioli.  Like I have ever eaten lobster ravioli in my life.  Sheesh.

So perhaps I need to swap some bills with Chris - I'll pay the power, water, catv and phone and he can shop.  Because clearly I should not be allowed to do this any more.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Love Languages

You know that book, The 5 Love Languages?

No, Chris and I have not read it, but he did pull up some online quiz about it a few months ago and then we both took it.  What we found out was slightly disturbing.  We have completely, polar opposite, love languages.  Like, how we have managed to be together for almost six years is pretty amazing.  And so, we did what we always do when we get slightly disturbing news...we made a joke out of it.  Because even though we once went to a teacher workshop together where the big rule was, "There is no place for sarcasm in a relationship,"  that's still how we operate.  Sarcasm and quick wit.  Its actually the foundation of our relationship. 

And now, it can be heard at least once a day in our house, "That's my love language to you."

For example... 

Me:  I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher today.  (Usually one of his chores)
Chris:  Yes.  I noticed that.
Me:  Its my love language to you.

Chris:  My love language to you is upstairs in the dryer.  (Usually one of my chores)

Chris:  Have you tried the new chex mix in the pantry?
Me:  No, I bought that for you.
Chris:  Oh.  Well I really like it.
Me:  Good, I'm glad.  Its my love language to you.

Me:  Awwww, thanks, Honey for favoriting my etsy shop.
Chris:  Its my love language to you.

You get the point?  And so now, everyday, we think about what we can do for the other...not necessarily because we want to (although I'm sure that plays a role in it too)...but more so because we want to have a reason to snicker about the love language.

ps - 11 days until my birthday.  I wonder how many times Chris is going to speak my love language on that day.  :)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Thinking Hardly

Last week, after Chan's piano lesson, her teacher came out and talked to me for a few minutes.  She asked me if Chan ever had this sort of issue...She does something, does it well, you put it away and then the next time you pull it out for her, she looks at it like she's never seen it before in her life. 

Um, yeah, yeah we do have that problem with her.  We like to call it flighty.  Its part of what makes Chan, Chan.

And speaking of, she was there during this whole conversation.  Her response?

"Whaaaaaaatttttt????  Sometimes when I'm doing something I find that I think too hardly and then I have to tell myself (while tapping on her noggin) 'Think lightly.  Think lightly.'"

So, thank you, Chan for providing yet another phrase for our family too use...Thinking hardly v. Thinking lightly.

ps.  My birthday is 12 days away.  If you haven't already clicked the follow button on the right side of the page, could you do that for me now?  Just for fun?  And while you're at it...can you click on my etsy shop and favorite it?  Both of those things - followers on the blog and people favoriting my shop make me ridiculously happy.  It could be your birthday present to me.  And maybe you could tell a couple of your friends to follow and favorite too.  And that would make me really, really happy.  Don't think too hardly about it.  Just do it.

New!

 {Watermelon Filigree Earrings $12}

 {Winter Morning Filigree Earrings $12}

 {Charmingly Wrapped Necklace No.1 $30}

{Charmingly Wrapped Necklace No.2 $30}

I'm sure if you noticed these new things in the shop or not, but I am really excited about them!  The new earrings - such fun (lightweight!) statement earrings!  And great colors for spring...which I am sure is on its way.  (Hey!  There is nothing wrong with wishful thinking!)  I have been practicing my wire wrapping skills and am starting a new line of Charmingly Necklaces - the Charmingly Wrapped line.  I've got a few more up my sleeves this week that I can't wait to share with you.