Quote of the Day

Mississippi River divides this land in two,

Like the way we tend to think of things;

Black and white, red and blue.

If they can keep us fighting about marriage and God,

There’ll be no one left to notice if the leaders do their jobs.

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People Look Around

by Catie Curtis

Ten Things

well, I wasn't tagged, but I read Andrea's, and she was tagged by someone who just tagged everyone who read her site, so I figured I would just do it.


TEN THINGS

1. I take daily baths. Sometimes two. Only in extreme circumstances do I go a day without one.
2. I just started a teapot collection. So far I have 3. Soon I will have 4.
3. Sometimes I drink half and half instead of milk. I rarely drink less than whole milk.
4. I hate stopping to fill my car with gas. Will avoid it if at all possible, until I really need to.
5. I hate wearing things that show my knees. I think my knees look deformed.
6. When we move in a year, the only thing I will be really upset about is not living near Andrea anymore. It's been awesome living so close to her.
7. I will never smoke another cigarette, even just in a social situation. I have promised my daughter I wouldn't.
8. I hardly ever wear lipstick. I feel uncomfortable with it on, it seems to accentuate my mustache.
9. I love naps, but only if they are an hour or longer. Any shorter and I get grumpy.
10. I have just recently decided to decorate my future kitchen in mostly red.

the butterflies must SHOW!

Here we have another look at Kaia's...unique....style... of dressing. You can't get the full picture, as her sweater is covering up her shirt. For the most part this outfit is nondescript. On other days, she chooses more interesting choices. She goes for what she likes, regardless of whether it matches in color or style. I hope she never loses her absolute certainty she looks beautiful.

This outfit wouldn't normally be shown off as an example of her style, which can go WAY beyond what this shows, except for one notable aspect....

If you look at her boots (close up pic to follow) you will see she has cunningly folded one sock over the top of her boot. This is a cool sock, you must understand, and it would be a shame to hide it under the pants. It has dangling butterflies, people. Unfortunately, she long ago lost it's sister, and so must pair it with a less fancy sock.

The Done

But! On a brighter note! Here's what I've done today.....

cleaned the ENTIRE living room, vacuumed, dusted, organized and de-cluttered.

Put DVDs in little white envelopes to protect them.

dishes

laundry

more dishes

made cinnamon rolls, with spelt flour. they turned out a little odd, but all right....the spelt is a little .....a little....harsh? maybe? not sure...Mike was happy though.

refrained from going crazy with three kids here. (actually, overall, they've been fine. a little LOUD, but fine. minor squabbles are to be expected and were dealt with.)

started tomato seeds in my little peat pots. only enough for two plants, gonna experiment with my new tomato coats I got....if it works, I'll have tomatoes for a much longer time, since I'll be able to stagger plantings.

PUT MY CHRISTMAS TREE AWAY. I don't want to talk about it. :-)

Had an enjoyable, though busy, morning with my family and friends about.

Later, Andrea and John are coming over for dinner. I'm making curried chicken and corn chowder, which is DELICIOUS. Even Kaia loves it.

Gotta go start some spelt bread and another load of laundry! Have a wonderful Sunday, folks.....and hug someone today.

The Undone.

SO MUCH TO DO. my gosh. I have plans, people! plans! and ideas! and so little time and money to do them with....here are a few of the things I want to do....

Get a smaller desk so that we can move the table so we can move the bookshelf so we can move Kaia's kitchen to a spot that is out of the way of Mike's toes and knees. I have not stubbed or bumped anything on it in months, but Mike just takes up more room than me I guess....

Replace the bookshelf in my room that is about to crash down...or at least, it looks that way...here's hoping I'm wrong....

Get a garden shed, and a garden shelf, and get all my gardening stuff organized out back, removing it all from the dining room.

Get more of my scrap booking done. This is more something that will take years, if it's ever done (as I keep taking pictures) but I'd like to get a bit more caught up.

Get a couple more little wood things to keep DVDs in. They are at Michael's for like two bucks each...and then decide...should I paint them? stain them? lacquer them? I have a feeling what will happen at first is I just put the damn DVDs in them. which will be a good thing, anyway.

Get a new file cabinet, and consolidate all my files into one place, making copies of really important stuff and putting it in a safety deposit box.

Get Kaia's desk sanded and repainted so she can start using it. Right now it's at John and Andrea's, sitting forlornly out in the cold, waiting for me to come show it some love.

Then set up said desk in an easily accessible yet out of the way spot for Kaia to do her homework on.

so any of you interested in being my unpaid assistant and constantly reminding me of these things? possibly even helping carry them out? no? really? there are cinnamon rolls in it for you......still no? alright, that's okay. They WILL get done.

Motivation

I have very little will power. Unless I have a good reason to do something that isn't fun, I can talk myself out of it easily. It doesn't even require talking!

This is why the first 3 times I tried college it didn't work. I hadn't figured out what I really wanted to DO. However, since I decided that, I've gotten A's and B's in all my classes, and I'm looking forward to going when we move.

If no one is going to see my house, it takes me all weekend to clean it......if someone is coming over, and they are someone I wish to not see the Sty, it takes me only the time that I think it will take them to get here....for instance, if they are coming at 3, and it's 11, my house will be spotless at 2:50. If it's 11, and they are on their way, and they live half an hour away....my house will be spotless 20 minutes later...

I cannot trick myself. I've tried. "self....." I've told myself..."self! someone is on their way! they will be here SOON! they are clean freaks! they will look down upon your unvacuumed carpets! your unmopped floors! they will peer in at your clean laundry, so heaped upon your closet floor!"

doesn't work. I say back, "no, self, no one is coming...." and I sit back down at the computer....or with a book....

people write about motivation. Give yourself a goal, they say. and a reward! two weeks of working out! then, and only then, can you have a chocolate orange!!

Why? I say. and pick up the chocolate orange. No one is stopping me from eating it NOW. see?!?! I HAVE IT. and I am EATING IT. NOW. so why work out for two weeks, did you say? what's in it for me? oh....health? better abs...hmmm..yes, that sounds good....but this chocolate, man, it's good....and I have a book I'm really into...oh, and I haven't blogged for awhile...and did I mention how I love sleep?!


oh....I should get back to cleaning....

only one more night and day to do it....

so that means I don't have to tonight, right? I mean, hey, I can get it all done in a day...a whole DAY, I mean, that's a LONG time......

awww...she made a friend!

Making friends is not easy for me. It's not that I'm not friendly, it's not that I don't try. I just don't seem to have that...thing...that some people have, that thing that lets them bond with other people easily. I've usually been odd one out at the workplace, and was at school, too. Nobody disliked me, really, and I was included in conversations at work, but I was never invited to out of work activities that other co-workers went to. When my sister got a job at the restaurant I had worked at for 2 years already, she immediately made fast friends and fit right in. She was invited to the nights out, the parties, and in on all gossip. I still wasn't there when I left two years later.

I've finally made peace with it, the not making friends easily bit. Partly because where I live now is temporary, and it would suck to make a really good new friend then have to leave, but partly because I've realized I have some really good friends already, and honestly? don't really have time for more.

Then a few weeks ago at work, a woman walked in with her daughters. (she also has two sons at home)

We hit it off right away! She's very funny, and we have the same sense of humor. We decided to get together sometime. Today we did! We went to lunch, she brought her 6 year old son, then to a movie. I really enjoyed my time with her. And yes, in a year, I'll be leaving. We'll see how things go then. I've kept in touch with Andrea for 20 years, while only living in the same town for 2 of them. And I could do that again, if I found someone I wanted to make the effort for. Even if that doesn't work, having another mom to hang out with will be fun in the meantime.

again, honeycrisp apples are the best!

Yesterday I was starving! I forgot my yummy curried chicken and corn chowder, and so only had a couple things to eat. I'm trying to have things available here, such as yogurt and cheese sticks, that way I just have to bring a main thing. Doesn't really work when I forget or don't make a big dinner the night before!

But I really need to get serious about gaining some more weight. I am going to wait until I try on my bridesmaid's dress before deciding how much I should gain before the wedding, but I am still going to work on instilling the habit of eating more during the day.

I went to the store this morning, and got some more yogurt, chicken, banana, energy bars, V-8, and a donut. Oh! and some cereal to just snack on. Life, if you're curious what kind. I also brought an apple from home, and already had water and milk here.

Here's to eating!

Here's to weight gain!

Here's to health! and energy!

Oh, and Mike and I didn't do the ab workout this morning...we chose to do cardio instead! ;-)

Correction!

I was wrong. My brother didn't hang up on me. He was disconnected. He's okay, just trying to solve some problems....whew!! He said he'd talk about it when it was all resolved.

Mick and Katie

My younger siblings and I are not close. Before you take that the wrong way, I don't mean we don't get along. We do. Fabulously. But my brother is 5 years younger, and my sister 6 years younger. When they were born, my mom was a single parent, and I helped take care of "the kids". When spoken to me, and often to others, saying "the kids" didn't included me. I was separate- a child, but the oldest one, the one who helped out.

They, of course, will tell you tales. Tales of me getting them into trouble, tricking them into doing things not allowed, threatening them with dire consequences should they not obey me.

Well, yeah. I was still a kid, and I wasn't perfect. and I was big enough to make them listen.

I have a picture of my brother and me. He is about 5 or so, and I am therefore around 10. We are both sitting on the floor, he in my lap, and I am holding a cloth to his head. We both have sorrowful expressions. It is the Hallmark picture of sisterly love and devotion. What isn't told in the single snapshot is that the reason I am holding a cloth to his head is that I just minutes before beaned him with some toy or other--on purpose. The love is still there, though.

As we grew up, all three of us were totally different people. My brother being the only boy, I didn't really bond with him. I spent my time wishing for an older brother. and my sister....well, she wasn't the type to follow her older sis around and try to be like me. She was her own person through and through and her views of me were more like her views of our mother. Someone who meant well, but didn't, well, didn't really get it, you know?

As we became adults, we got over our squabbles. Mick and Kate got along much better as adults than as teenagers, and I continued my good terms relationships with them.

I got moved out, got married, got divorced, moved back. By the time I moved back, they were on their way out. Then we were all gone, out of our parents' house, on with our lives.

My brother went to war. and for a time, though he was farther away than ever, that connected all three of us. But I was in another town too, so couldn't spend time with Katie. My brother came back, and he was different.

He has always been a fragile kid. The Army "fixed" that. But I think they broke something else. and I think he's having a hard time fixing that part. and I wish we were closer. I wish we were the type of siblings that I could call him up and say "hey little bro, what is going on?!"

and I wish he'd tell me. 'cause I've tried the call. and I've visited him and hung out with him, and I get what we all get. Him grinning his grin, and shrugging his shoulder, and saying it's all good, it's all good.

In the last few days, my mom has been down. She told me it wasn't something she could talk about, that she'd made a promise. Now, I AM close with my mom. And the only two people that she would make that promise to, and keep it even from me are my brother and sister. Katie is planning her wedding, and though that's stressful, she's having a blast. So I know it's Mick. I called him, and he hung up. HE HUNG UP ON ME. I called back, and left a message. I hope he listens to it.

I wish I were closer to both of them. They are my blood, and they have my unconditional love. I hope they both know that, deep down in their bones. There aren't too many people in this world I'd kill for. Mick and Kate hold unmoving spots on that list.



Hey bro. what's going on? Let me know if I can do anything, okay? .....love ya baby bro.

It's Wednesday. And it's Good.

Happy Wednesday!

I'm in a fairly good mood today, despite the fact that Jason left on vacation, so I won't have him to talk online to during the day. :-(

Mike and I got up for the second morning in a row and did the stretching and ab workout. Both our tummies are sore, but that's a good thing! We took pictures of them so that when they are flat and sexy we can look at how far we've come.

Mike is going tonight to get the part he needs to fix our washing machine so I can wash the rest of the laundry! I didn't get any of my whites or blacks done last weekend, and both are quite necessary!

So you know-- Honeycrisp apples are the BEST.

Gonna try and be more positive today. My life is a good one, and I am blessed. I have so many wonderful people in my world. I have a place to live, enough food and clothes, and many unnecessary material things for my enjoyment.

Life is good, people.

oh! remind me! There is an awesome passage in the book I am currently reading that I keep meaning to post....

Tuesday Morning

This morning went a little better.

Mike and I started our new habit of getting up early and doing some stretching and ab dvd's. The ab one is brutal, she keeps saying "only 4 more" then after 4 more, saying "ok! now double time!" After 6 minutes of this (the ab workout is 10 minutes long) Mike says, for both of us, "Crazy Bitch!" We both enjoyed the workout though, and plan to do it every morning.

I went up and woke Kaia up a little early, then we lay in bed and cuddled for a few minutes. I didn't bring up last night, just told her that I loved her and hoped she had a good day today. She's excited because she starts ballet at preschool again today, and swimming is tonight after school. I'm excited about that too! That's Andrea's and my time to sit and relax.

Work seems to be getting a bit more....something. I haven't had very many new activations, and I have had lots of pissed off customers. Nothing we did here, but stuff on their bill and such. Or they just aren't paying attention, or not reading it, so they don't understand the charges, even though they are legit. Have to get over this glitch....this feeling lately I've had of just not being fully involved in my life...or being fully happy with it...or something....it'll pass, I'm sure, and overall, I'm doing well.

can't think of a title

Tonight was a first in my Firsts Of Motherhood. Or will be, to be exact.

My daughter, on the way home from the library, screamed she didn't love me, then shrieked she hated me, then wondered why she couldn't have any of my pop, also in a high, screechy voice. She then misbehaved in multitude other ways, and so now will be going directly to bed after dinner. I don't believe in sending her to bed without dinner. I have never sent her to bed directly after dinner before. Nor has she ever said she hated me, either.

Now, actually, she's in the corner for whining about dinner.

sigh.

Why doesn't motherhood come with a How-To book??!

Finally! Good sledding weather!

Me.....having a blast, by the way....

Having a bit of a rest before another climb.

Me and John...I'm getting snow in my face!

Katia and Liam

Andrea

John

Backwards!

Sled Run!

Heading up the hill.....

Ready, Set, GO!!

And we're off!

Whoops....we spun around....

Whew! It's over! LET'S DO THAT AGAIN!

Snow Study

It makes sense, really....

New category! My gosh, hopefully I'll be able to keep up with all these...anyway, feel free to add your own contributions to this, especially if you're a mom. Words come out of your mouth that you never realized could be said in a serious tone....here's an example, from today....

"Bring the booger and the frog in here! Now!"

Evergreen

This was also taken this past summer. This is a motion shot, taken from the back seat of our car....

an intro to my blog, of sorts....kinda late in the game, though, huh?

Oh for heaven’s sake! You may be saying to yourself. (or not.) Della! You are making me dizzy! First you talk about the customers at work, and not always very nicely, I must say. Then you regal us with the admittedly adorable things your daughter does and says. Next we get completely unasked for descriptions of the state of your ass, and then we move on to movie reviews and drink recipes! Just WHAT is this blog ABOUT!? What is the underlying, unifying THEME?!

After I pick myself up off the floor from laughing, since you really should know by now that my idea of “sticking to the subject” is rather hazy, I will answer you.

Well, you see, what my blog is really about is…..

Ahem….

What the POINT of all of this actually is, is…….

Ummm….

Okay, here’s some reasons, in no particular order, that I blog.

1. keep family and friends (and a few strangers) updated, sorta, about the life of this little family.
2. keep a fairly accurate running picture of who I am, for my children to read when they are older. I would like them to eventually realize I am more than “Mom”.
3. To vent a bit when I feel the need.
4. I have discovered a love of comments, which is why this isn’t listed as Private.
5. I have never, in all my attempts, been able to keep up with a paper and pen journal.
6. I like it. It's fun.

I am at peace with the fact it will never be as popular as other blogs I enjoy (Y got OVER 400 comments on one of her entries...OVER 400!! I don't think this entire blog has even been VIEWED 400 times...), which I will introduce in another post, as they deserve their own entry.

So there you go. And yes, there will occasionally be things you probably don’t want to hear about. I am not sorry! According to one reader, I am a “free spirit”. I’d be freer, but my parents read this blog. Also, I don’t know which random additional relatives my mother may have given the link to. Hi Aunt Gertrude! (just kidding. I don’t have an Aunt Gertrude. However, I do believe my biological paternal grandmother is named Gertrude…but that’s neither here nor there nor in Arkansas.) Hopefully there will mostly be things that entertain you.

Maybe I should rate my entries? Parental controls of an opposite sort? They would also function as warnings when my children are old enough to read this, since neither of the generations surrounding mine probably want to hear about the rug burns on my ass. But then I have to figure out a rating system, and really, I have other things to worry about. Like the fact that my daughter is STILL asking how the seed gets into the Mama. And the fact that I am blogging while I should be vacuuming the store. And the fact that I keep forgetting to buy chicken, and it’s on the menu for dinner tonight….

And the fact that, honestly? I’m not really worried about it. If you feel the post is too personal for you, then move on. Cause I only plan on gettin’ freer…..more free? Whatever…

I’m enjoying this life. I plan on enjoying it to the fullest. And through this blog, I plan on sharing that enjoyment.

The Only Alabama Slammer I Call Friend

So I forgot where the recipe for Alabama Slammers was, so googled it. And came up with all sorts of variants.

So here is THE recipe*. and yes, I am FULLY aware of how little alcohol is actually in it, that's it's SECRET. you can drink a bunch, but don't get overly toasted, and if you want to, you can pretend there is more alcohol in it than there truly is, and later you can artfully blame it on the "alabama slammers, man!"


one or two shots of Disaronno. (yum) put this into a largish glass.**
pour in cranberry juice until 3/4 full.
add a splash of clear soda (I use sprite, but I'm sure 7-up will do, or whatever. just anything clear okay? and carbonated...and preferably not overly flavored on it's own)
squeeze half of a lime into the glass.
stir. (or, if you have the appropriate apparatus, shake it, it might be tastier. let me know)

Drink.

make more.

make some for friends.

make more.


*the other recipes had considerably more alcohol. so feel free to google.
**yes, I am paraphrasing. is it that obvious?!

No Pillowpants in my........

alright, to understand the title you have to watch Clerks II. And don't watch it unless you thoroughly enjoy Jay and Silent Bob movies. But seriously, I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard. We actually had to pause in a few places to laugh. then rewind and watch the parts again.

Then we had.....oh, anyone under 18, shut your eyes!! And ask your parents before watching Clerks II.....oh hell, watch it anyway, it's a HILARIOUS movie. Just don't tell them I let you....

anyway, where was I? Oh yes! The rug burns on my butt.

Alabama Slammers, man. The drink of the Gods. Not to mention my husband has a marvelous PTE. and no, I am NOT going to tell you what that stands for. hee hee..... (and I know you don't really want to know.)

seriously, watch the movie. pillowpants.....sooooo funny.

I'm still giggling....

down with clouds and ripples in the water!

Feet are where it's AT!!!

(damn, her feet have gotten bigger! check out the first picture in this series....that one was taken this past summer, 2006. This one was taken in early December, 2006.

disaronno+cranberry juice=no more snarkiness

Today was a bit.......

no.

I was a bit snarky today. Just all over kinda pissy. Thanks goes to Jason for putting up with me, and continuing to talk to me even though I wasn't contributing anything worthwhile to the conversation.

I get this way sometimes. Just moody with no reason. and no, it's not PMS. I get that too, but it's not as overt as this kind. It just hits me sometimes and everything gets the same cynical reaction from me.

Was getting overly irritated by customers. It just bugs me when people oh-so-seriously tell me they NEED their phone, and they NEED me to give them a replacement NOW. Seriously, people, you will survive, and won't even remember this dismal time of phonelessness.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be more like my usual optimistic self. Gonna take a hot bath tonight, and get some lovin' from my man. (and dare I hope, a back rub?! mmmmm.....) He was so sweet and went to the store for juice and the liquor store for Disaronno. Yum. Alabama Slammers, anyone? yes, please.

no drugs necessary....

Here is another shot Kaia took this past summer. Not really sure how. But I think it's cool.

Budding new ArtEEst.

New Category! Introducing.....

Photography By Kaia!

New one daily! well, maybe not daily.....New one mostly daily! Occasionally weekly! But probably more than monthly!

There's orange things in my loaf!

Feeling blah today. tired, mentally....restless, but without any energy to do anything about it. did get some housework done, but not as much as planned. I really wish laundry folded itself. I think when I can afford it, I will splurge greatly on a weekly maid type person and have them fold my laundry and put it away. and sweep and mop and vacuum. and wash the windows. I don't know. Maybe I'll decide that's too extravagant. maybe.

I wish I had another day off. I wish I could only work part time. It's not that I don't like my job, I do. I just want more time at home.

Gonna go to Goodwill at some point and look for jeans. If I can find some there, it'll save a lot of money. We got this semester's financial aid, so are doing a few fun things. Mike got some stuff he's been wanting, a new keyboard for his computer, some headphones. I am going to order all my seeds and plants for my garden!!! I am so excited about it. Andrea is ordering a bunch of stuff too, and we are sharing the cost of quite a bit of it, saving both of us a lot, since neither of us need a whole seed packet of most of it. Here is a partial list of what I am growing:

Peas
Beans
Tomatoes
Some herbs
Zucchini
Tiny pumpkins
Basil
Stevia (a sugar substitute)

More than that, but will post a longer post about it later.

I did manage to plan dinners for this week, which I didn't do last week. I like it so much better when I do, we actually eat balanced meals on time.

Kaia and Mike have tomorrow off, for Martin Luther King Day. They are going to go grocery shopping, and spend the day together.

We had a good weekend, spent Friday night at Andrea and John's, spent Saturday with them, and then just hung out today here at home.

Making meatloaf for dinner. Trying something new, I shredded carrot into it....we'll see.....

Exercise in Futility-of a lighthearted sort

I hate cold. Have I mentioned this? I'm sure I have, but it bears repeating since I live where, right now, at 9:44 am, it's ONE FRIGGIN' DEGREE OUTSIDE.

This morning, when Kaia and I left, there was frost on the INSIDE of my windows. The frost was so COLD that when I tried to scrape it off (without gloves, forgot them, again) I couldn't even get to the lower layer. I turned my car on, turned on the back defroster, and sat for a few minutes...then got out and tried again. I got some off the back window, since it had been defrosting, but still no luck on the front, so sat for a few more minutes.

I glanced at the back window, to see frost REFORMING.

ON THE INSIDE.

It took about 10 minutes before I said screw it, and just drove. Most of the frost was gone, though I needed to keep the windshield wipers going (Kaia calls them "shields" as in "turn on the shields mom!")

My fingers were bright red and hurt like hell. It hurt to BREATHE this morning.

This is NOT COOL.

On a brighter note, we are spending the night at John and Andrea's, and maybe it will be good sledding weather tomorrow!!

101

So I've done parts of this on my other blogs, but am bored tonight, so rewrote it. here ya go, if you are at all as bored as I am, you can read it!


1. I am ¼ German, ¼ Portuguese, and the rest is a mixture of French Canadian, Spanish, Scandinavian, and Irish (or was that Scottish? oops…)…some Dutch too, I think.
2. I was born in White Salmon, WA in 1977. We lived above White Salmon though, on a mountain, in a cabin in the woods.
3. I love all colors, but my favorites are purple, orange, and red….not all at once, of course.
4. I am a yellow belt in Kyokoshin karate, but haven’t practiced in awhile.
5. I love to read. I almost always have one or more books I am reading, and hate to be without one. I like fiction best.
6. I love having something to Plan. When we moved, I planned for 6 months and had a blast doing it. I am currently planning my school schedule and our future house.
7. I love sushi-not too into the raw chunks of fish, though eel rolls, if done right are yummy. I love orange rolls, and Philadelphia rolls.
8. I am extremely impatient and a very instant gratification sort of person. I want what I want now!
9. I have one daughter, Kaia, who was born on June 26th, 2001. We plan to have one more child, getting pregnant sometime after July of 2007.
10. I am designing my future house. I love Deltec Round Homes. Just ask, if you dare, and I’ll show you my ideas, not to mention my two three ring binders with cut out pictures of houses, rooms, furniture and other decorative house stuff.
11. I have worked in customer service for 13 years. I have never had a job where I don’t deal with the public.
12. The most unusual job was at an adult store. Interestingly enough, that was the place in which dealing with the public was the easiest.
13. I am planning to be an Ultrasound Tech. Sometime around 2012.
14. I don’t like nuts. I love peanuts, but those are legumes, not nuts!
15. I absolutely HATE being cold. I can’t think when I’m cold, can’t function, and get a bit bitchy.
16. I also hate being hungry. I get very bitchy when I am hungry.
17. I adore Johnny Depp. I think he is one of the sexiest men ever.
18. I have a mole on my left shoulder.
19. I cannot hold a tune to save my life. I love to sing though, and do it often.
20. I and all of my bridesmaids were barefoot at my wedding. My sister grumbled about it, but didn’t want to be the only one in shoes, though I gave her that option.
21. My favorite pizza toppings are pineapple, ground beef and tomatoes. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.
22. I have one tattoo—morning glory vines on my right foot. I’d like to get it touched up, and get another tattoo, but they freakin’ hurt!
23. I have my ears pierced, but am highly allergic to all earrings.
24. I have my nose pierced, and have never had a problem wearing whatever I want in it.
25. I played Gay Wellington in You Can’t Take It With You in 10th grade.
26. I love cheap coffee. Denny’s, Shari’s, it’s all yummy. Some sugar, a little…okay, a lot, of cream….mmmm…..
27. I also love tea. With honey, unless it’s in a Chinese restaurant, then sugar makes it taste best.
28. I make really, really good fudge.
29. I have hairy toes.
30. I love vampire novels and movies.
31. I can be very judgmental, but if I like someone, I’m rarely judgmental about them. If I don’t like someone, I’m overly judgmental.
32. The first thing I notice about someone is their mouth, then teeth.
33. I want to learn how to speak Japanese someday. I have it included in my school plans.
34. I try very hard to be a confident person, at ease with how I look and am. I fail more often than I would like.
35. I love chocolate. Dark and milk best. White if it’s high quality.
36. I hate Palmer brand chocolate.
37. I love cherry frosting. It’s hard to find. I will eat it out of the container.
38. I adore thunder storms.
39. I am dissatisfied with the size of my boobs, but I really don’t think I could ever have a boob job.
40. I love to make lists, then rarely remember to look at them.
41. I am trying to gain weight. My goal is 130.
42. Life, the Universe, and Everything.
43. I don’t have a large intestine. It was removed when I was 16.
44. People will tell me in all seriousness that “you can’t live without a large intestine.”
45. I would like to enjoy camping, but just don’t. at all.
46. I am very enthusiastic!!
47. I am very loyal. I don’t make many friends, and plan to keep the ones I have for a very long time.
48. I learned how to drive with a stick shift. I will now only drive one if it’s absolutely necessary.
49. When I took the drivers test, I failed the first time due to “legal loss of control of the vehicle”. I drove backwards onto someone’s lawn.
50. I took it again, and passed just fine.
51. I am a necklace whore. I have about 50 of them, or more.
52. I plan on being the type of grandmother who always has cookies in the oven and a warm lap to snuggle in.
53. I have been married twice.
54. I want to live in the Bellevue/Seattle area of Washington state someday.
55. I plan on building a house on 4-5 acres.
56. I want chickens.
57. Around people I know love me, I am not afraid to voice my opinions.
58. This is not always a good thing.
59. There are 10 men on my List. There were almost 11.
60. I seem more innocent than I am…until you get to know me.
61. I have one sister, Katie, who is six years younger than I am. She’s getting married in April.
62. I will be a bridesmaid for the first time!
63. I have one brother, Mick, who is five years younger than me.
64. I have a half sister who is older than me, but I’ve never met her.
65. I am very close to my mom, and we talk almost every day.
66. I have 2 nephews, Kendrick and James, and 3 nieces, Jennavieve, Jennilynn, and Jada.
67. I have two cats that don’t live with me right now. Joe and Suzy.
68. I also kind of have two chickens, but they never have and never will live with me. They are Bernadette and Ontsie (that one is Kaia’s)
69. Someday I would like to have a dog. I small, non-yappy one.
70. I love working with people, but not in sales, really.
71. I adore getting comments on my blog.
72. I met my husband in high school, but we didn’t start dating until 6 years later.
73. I was dating my first husband all through high school.
74. My husband (now) and I decided to get married after three months of dating.
75. I got pregnant 2 weeks later.
76. I refused to change the date of the wedding.
77. We’ve been married for 5 years, and I have never regretted it.
78. I think my husband is the best dad my kids could have.
79. I prefer dark haired men. There are a couple exceptions to this, but only a couple.
80. I adore goatees, and feel most men look better with them. There are exceptions to this.
81. In my journal, when I was 11 or so, I wrote that I planned to become an alcoholic.
82. I have no such plans anymore.
83. People with addictions scare me.
84. I have lived in a house with no bathroom, and no outhouse.
85. For Halloween I have been – a nurse, a witch (many times), a hobo, a gypsy (many times), elf, fire sprite, corrupted catholic school girl, angel, goth chick, punk chick…and others, I’m sure…
86. I think Valentines day is kind of a silly holiday.
87. I am planning my first garden. Among other things, I will be growing peas, beans, and saffron.
88. Christmas was my favorite holiday as a child. I used to wake up at 5. Pissed off my brother and sister, cause I’d go wake them up too.
89. I drive a 2001 Toyota Corolla.
90. I like to sleep with the covers folded under my feet. Even in hottest summer, I can’t stand to have my feet uncovered.
91. I love Riesling wine, but not many other kinds. I especially don’t like any red wines.
92. I want to go on a Mediterranean cruise someday.
93. I get very friendly when I am drunk. A little too, some would say.
94. I’m very optimistic, and rarely worry about anything.
95. I like all sorts of music. In every genre, there’s at least one artist I enjoy.
96. I am going to learn how to do stained glass some day. and restart pottery.
97. I love taking pictures, but my husband never remembers to, so most of the pictures of me are posed.
98. I love Japanese architecture. I plan to have one room designed that way in my house, and a garden too.
99. I adore scented lotions and bath gel, especially when they come in sets.
100. I love mugs from Starbucks.
101. I think a happy smile is one of the sexiest parts on anyone, man or woman.

lessons in mechanics

Whenever my daughter tells me, in her "I'm-five-going-on-18" voice, that she knows everything --yes, she says exactly that--I have gotten into the habit of saying "Oh yeah? Well, how does a combustion engine work?!" and she says "I don't know!" and in my "I'm-29-going-on-5" voice, I say "SEE? You DON'T know everything!"

Today, however, as she tells me that I don't know everything (which I wholeheartedly agree with), she says, "I do know everything and you don't. Cause I know how an engine works and you don't!"

"Oh really?" I say. "How does an engine work?"

"GAS!" she says, and practically preens. "SEE! I asked someone! and now I know!"

"I absolutely love you child" I say, grinning at her.

though, I am not sure if that's how a combustion engine works....cause I don't know everything. But still, the idea that she asked someone, and remembered the answer, is pretty cool.

Fleece---The New Silk

I have fallen in love. I giggle, I stare off into space. I can't help but lose myself in thoughts of my newfound love.

Fleece sheets. yes, I know! Doesn't that sound Heavenly!?! Actually, most people seem to feel that fleece sheets would be too hot. Wierdos. Luckily for me, my sister knows that I am part reptile, some freak of human nature who is always cold, unless I have some external heat source. Up until now, I've used my husband. However, for Christmas, my sister got us fleece sheets.

I say "us" though we all know Mike could probably survive without fleece sheets. Too bad.....just kidding. He's actually being very nice about it, even seems to enjoy them! Yay! I get to keep them! I couldn't bring them back with me on the airplane, so my mom mailed them to me. Last night I put them on my bed, and had such a hard time getting up this morning! now, all I need to do is dryclean the extra thick blanket Mike and Kathy got us, and my bed will be perfectly made.

That might be dangerous. I may not be able to get out of bed. Until summer.

well laid plans.....(aka, fantasy vs. reality in the mommy world)

Having "the talk" with my kids has never been a fear for me. I figured when they reached a certain age, they'd ask about....stuff....and I'd calmly and concisely tell them the truth. Sex to me isn't dirty, or wrong, and I always pictured this open, easy relationship with my kids that would allow heart to heart conversations on this and myriad other subjects.

I didn't really expect to have "the talk" for awhile yet, either. My daughter is FIVE.

Then, last night as we are driving home from Andrea and John's house....

Kaia: Mom?

Me: Yes, darlin'?

Kaia: How do babies get in their mommies tummies?

Me:...................................

Me:................................................

Kaia: Mom?

Me: I'm here, honey, hold on.

I look over at my husband driving, but he seems to be obliviously concentrating on the road. And somehow, at this age, my ideas of open and honest discussion seem a bit...well...too detailed. So I try to give her only what she asked, nothing more.

Me: They grow there sweetie. Their daddy puts something called sperm in the mommy, where there is a tiny tiny thing called an egg. They both travel into the uterus, which is way up inside the mommy, up in her private parts. The sperm and the egg get together and grow into a baby.

Kaia:....................................

Me: Does that make sense?

Kaia: Yes.

She's looking out the window.

Whew! I think, mentally patting myself on the back.

A minute or so passes.

Kaia: Mom?

Me: ummm....yes?

Kaia: HOW does the sperm get INTO the mommies private parts?!

oh shit. drat. thought I'd skated over that well. apparently not. silly mommy.

Me: Well.....umm....sometimes when mommies and daddies are in bed, they get together in a special way, and that's how.

Kaia: Oh. Okay.

So, not at my best. But I think I did okay. at least until she realizes she has no idea what "special way" I am talking about. Which could be any day now. I'm never off the hook for long with this child.

Where the Hell this come from?!!?

Yesterday morning we woke up to a bright sunshiney day. There was a bit of frost, yes, but the sky was clear and the sun was out.

Then at about 2 o'clock, it started to snow. and snow. and snow. and here is what it looked like at 5:15 pm! and here are Mike and Kaia with their beautiful snow man!

Pretty in Pink.....

Here are a couple pictures of the dress I will be wearing in my sister's wedding! This is the wrong size, but you get the idea.....

Overheard.....

Kaia is playing with her horses and her little animals....I am sitting on the couch.....and though I am not listening to what she is saying, this gets my attention--

"oh little fox, we roasted you...yes, we roasted you little fox"

all in a sweet little voice that you'd normally hear saying things like-
"Oh, I love you you sweet little fox" type of things....

I said

"you ROASTED little fox!?!"

"yes, we did" she says.

from the other room, I hear Mike start to lose it he's laughing so hard.

A photo essay......in no particular chronological order...

Disco Fever! yeah, baby.

These were taken toward the end of the night...well, middle...or some such...taken after much alcohol was imbibed.......

Unsure why I'm playing dead...I remember doing it! Just not why...... and I absolutely love this picture of John and Andrea, taken at about 2 am!

We all went out to keep Andrea company while she took care of the farm critters...head lamps on drunk folk are dangerous!

Andrea unsuccessfully hiding behind her daughter......
Me and My Honey! Both of us slightly (!!) sloshed.

Me taking the obligatory pictures of me with another person.....usually if I don't take these, I'm not in the pictures at all!

Then we have Mike tasting a lime.......

And John.....totin' veggies. Yeah, we live dangerously!

Have no fear, we rode horses in the late afternoon, before the really serious drinking began.

Somewhere along here are Kaia and Liam, playing with his new barn.

I learned how to layer drinks! It was quite fun, though as you can see I haven't perfected keeping clear stuff clear....the top layer is vodka.....

This drink was very yummy....Alabama Slammer!

These are only small peeks into the night. Nothing was shot of the Family Guy game that fizzled...( i just don't know enough of the answers!) Or the viewing of Bacon Sandwich's namesake on The Young Ones. Only one picture of the dancing was taken, which is probably a very good thing.