laugh 'til something comes outta your nose

i like surfing.
the net.
not the ocean.
well, that's maybe not a true statement.
i have never surfed the ocean.
i might like it.

anyhoodles...

i enjoy blog-hopping.
web-stalking.
trolling sites.
and occassionally i come across some really great ones.
the ones where these gals know how to get a room just so.
or, the writing is profound and thought provoking.
or, the ones where the writer shows you God in their photos.
or, the one with great tips and tricks to dyi-ing.
or, the one that makes me wanna have a beach house.  right smack dab in the middle of suburbia.  until i realized that although everthing starts out white, off-white, pale-est blues and yellows, with 2 littles, a dog and a furball?  yeah, splotches of browns and other what-not stains would quickly pilfer that image.

anyhoodles...

......my new fave is this site:

catalog living

and it did not hurt that my beloved
uppercase living "chore chart"
was highlighted one day not too long ago.  seriously, some of her entries?
let's just say i have almost needed a tissue a few times!

happy lol-ing! 

you're welcome!

limey. fun.

i shall make these tomorrow.  yup.  i will.
i *heart* most things chock full of limey goodness.
a little something for a summer afternoon...

lime sugar cookies

these badboys (or girls?) need a couple of ingredients that i do not have on-hand.  like limes.  so when we go get ant traps.  yeah, ant traps.  those wee little turds seem to think that the hotness outside means they can scurve their way into my home.  oh. no. you. did. n't.  ant traps shall be end of those unwelcome visitors!

 

oh, and hubs needs toothpaste.  has enough for 1 more day.  i told him that we have like 10 travel-sized ones in a drawer.  either he did not hear me, or he was acting like he did not hear me.  yeah, none are the exact kind he currently has.  but they work.  right?

 

this is "the-week-before-my-entire-world-changes".  because, well, when my oldest goes to kindy-garten next week it is all about me, right?  (just kidding....really i am.  we'll both be fine.  eventually.) 

 

so we three girls are whood-dee-shoop-dee-ing it up. 

 

daytrip to the children's zoo so they could ride ponies, pet goats, feed llamas, cuddle up a rabbit and a rat...

 

sharing some sonic-happy-hour-deliciousness.

 

a swimming playdate.

 

another playdate.  but with a new classmate/friend.

 

"hydrant" party...fairly certain that nea is gonna "freak" when she is allowed to run in the water.  in the street.  oh.  my.

 

late-evening sight-seeing drive.

 

scones with an auntie.

 

a best friend's birthday party.

a visit to the children's museum.

splashing at a water park.

 

new school open house/ice cream social to get ready for the year.

 

and then finally.  "the day".  totally going to not let her see me cry.  seriously.  and i think she will be just peachy and big and brave and all things kindergarteny.  although she did tell me the other evening when i did tuck-in, tuck-in that she thought she might miss me during the day and that maybe she should have more than just saturday and sunday off.  hoy.  boy.

 

stayed tuned for more the "momma meltdown".  if that kinda thing interests you...

gone to the dogs (alternative title: love is a many splendored thing)

this sweet girl is ruby.  she was a rescue dog.  she was a breeder surrender.  and although i think that she was not abused and was basically kennel potty trained.  and i think that most of her basic needs were met - food, water, shelter - i think that one was not.

love.

when she came she was timid.  had a bit of a funky odor to her (no, it was not flatulence.  that is entire different story.  ahem.).  she seemed to have some muscle atrophy in her hind quarters.  she did not know how to go up, or down, stairs.  she did not bark or growl.  her fur seemed dull.  her eyes had a sadness to them.  she had no interest in treats.

but there was something about her.  something that drew us each to her.  and her to us.  her & i became good buddies quickly...me being home during the day was good.  i would sometimes carry her on my shoulder like a baby.   the girls and i taught her to go down the stairs to the basement.  before she would sit at the top of the stairs until we came back up. 

fast forward almost 8 months:

this lil dog is very active - we call her "wiggle tooshie" because of the way her hind end goes when she is excited.  she walks with more confidence.  the funky odor is gone.  her fur shines.  her eyes sparkle.  she loves being a lapdog.  or couch dog.  or middle-of-the-bed dog.  we have also met her basic needs.  the girls take turns feeding her.  watering her.  giving her a treat to "kennel up" (we often call her a "treat seeking missile" now!).  taking her out to be a "business doing dog" (although sometimes she does not let us know she needs to go out and will go in the girls' bathroom and poop - but at least it is the "right" room, right?!).

but what i think has made the most difference:

l.o.v.e.

between the 4 of us, i think that we may over-indulged her in that need.  but that's okay.  sometimes you have to make up for it.  we are all together a family.  oh, and the cat, too.

in the past couple days i have finished a book that had a dog as one of the main character.  it is called "lost & found" written by author jacqueline sheehan.  it was good.  so good that last night i stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it.  way past.  and then today the girls & i went to the movie "marmaduke" ( we love the kids' summer movie series - cheap admission and free popcorn!).  talking dogs and cats was right up our alley!  it was a very sweet, funny and engaging story.  will it win any big theatrical awards?  no.  but it was a winner to us pet lovers!

“we should all do what,

in the long run,

gives us joy,

even if it is

only

picking grapes

or sorting the laundry.”

― E.B. White

a day not for sissies...

oh, monday, monday.

all a bit tired.

that good ole middle-o-da-night thunderstorm disturbed everyone's sleep.  leaving me disturbed more this a.m.  because, unbeknownst to mr. stormy-mc-storm-storm:

we have an uber busy day!!

breakfast?  check!

conference call for my work?  check!

pool/play date scheduled?  check!

shower?  check!

bags packed for said pool/play date?  check!

girls dressed for a full day of business?  check!

so we were off!  first stop:  nea's 4-year-well-child-check-up.  she was so excited about being the center of our ped's attention and his nurse.  well, that is until our ped told her there'd be 2 shots at the end.  delightful.  although she is brave, she is a screamingly loud brave girl.  sigh.

so, one in each leg.  screams loud enough to scare the other poor people with monday appts half to death. and we were outta there!  oh - along with ballerina bubbles and 2 free kid's meals from applebee's.

and this is where the day has reached it's crest and is now on a downward slide.

nea is certain that she cannot walk.  and not a quiet certain.  so i hoist up her full 39# of unhappiness and try to get us to the lobby without much more of a "scene".  but, she decides that her skirt cannot touch her bandaids because it hurts too much and so we must re-position.  and then we must look at every. single. sticker. in. the. box. to make our decision.  sigh.  and then we are finally in the car.

since nea was the picked on one, she got to choose where to lunch:  applebee's.

again i must carry her.  after we order, we all need to use the restroom.  and i decide to utilize this bathroom trip to get us all sunscreened and suited up for the pool/play date.  it is technically wren's pool/playdate - meeting a little friend of hers from church at the pool to play together - and well, we are kinda a "package deal" so to speak.  so nea and i are going along.  it is in the applebee's bathroom that nea really crumbles.  pulling her pants will hurt.  no, she cannot possible change her clothing!  so i toss out the "well, if your legs hurt this much, honey, you won't be able to go swimming...besides you cannot have bandaids on you body in the pool - it's kinda yucky" (please remember those last 3 words later on in this here story, 'kay?!) and with that she decides she can change into her suit.  but that i cannot put sunscreen on her legs.  fine.  she is able to even walk back to the table.  until the 2 steps up to the section where our booth is.  sigh. 

luckily the rest of lunch goes well.  girls eat.  girls drink.  nothing is spilled!  i pay and we gather up our things to leave.  but when prompted to walk, nea crumbles.  imagine knees bent, trying to walk.  and alligator tears rolling down her cheeks.  and so i carry her.  and in the car i tell her that the bandaids will be removed in the car while in the pool's parking lot before we go in.  she has decided that she can swim, but that i will probably have to carry her into the pool.  sigh.

we travel to the pool to meet our friends.  oddly, the lot is empty at 2pm, when the pool was to open at 1:30pm.  and then there is a posterboard sign that is posted (sure wished i'd had my camera with me!):

"due to someone pooping in our pool,

we will attempt to open at 3pm today

trying to get chlorine levels down."

(okay, remember me telling nea that bandaids at the pool is yucky - pretty certain pooping in the pool totally trumps the bandaids!)

so after determining that a 3pm pool/play date really won't work for either of us mommies and we will have to reschedule, the girls and i travel on.

we get home and i, again, have to carry nea.  and she has spent the rest of the day scooting on her bottom to get around - because walking hurts too much.

it is tough being a four-year-old on shot day.

and on an entirely separate rant:

i want to personally thank the makers of barbie.

while i have "rules" about the girls attire/clothing selections (that includes certain body parts have to be covered, shirts must be long enough that when arms are extended above our head our tummies do not show, skirts and dresses must have shorts under them, no words on the bottoms of pants/shorts...those are the "big" ones...)...

i love that i have to try to explain to them about why don't barbie's pant go up far enough to cover her polka-dot panties and why her shirt isn't long enough and can she pretend go out in this outfit??  oh, did i mention that the outfit that the doll is dressed in initially is a super cute dress that covers all the parts that should be covered?  that it is the extra outfits that are well...

as my girls both said,

"inappropriate".

at least they understand the meaning of the word.

sure wish that barbie girl did.

projects...

one sunny, lovely summer afternoon while my girls were doing this:

and this:

and trying to spy....

. . . this:

(yup, wren caught a butterfly moth in the net/holder thing that blew into our yard in june and no one has ever come to claim it...)

so while that was going on in the sunshine,

this was happening in the shade:

poor, overturned, brown bench, you say?

naugh, it's en route to be "happy"!  but first?

primed.

and sat up properly.

and those markings on the grass?  yea, nothing a mowing won't take care of!

besides, drop clothes are so over-rated.

so are protective gloves.  hey, it's fun to go places with primer, paint, stain, what-not all over your hands because you could not wash it off.  even if you had some lava soap.

don't be all acting like you do not know what lava soap is.

you do.  or at least you should.

anyhoodles....

this what a little of my time, a coat of primer, two coats of behr's "blue tequila" paint can do for a drab bench in desperate need of a make-over:

i have painted the lower half of the entryway wall...and had been struggling with what color to do the upper parts in. 

we have a very open floor plan and the entryway gives way to the stairway, to the living room, to hallway to the girls' rooms and the laundry room. so i need to choose a color that will not only coordinate with the "granite grey", but the "fern green" living room wall, and the leather sectional and chair, my ikea curtains AND eventually the kitchen around the corner.

schwew!

it was daunting.

and i spent time online.

trolling paint sights that i could select colors and "paint" a room with my palette.

that was sorta helpful.

but do you know what was more helpful??

when the clouds parted and heavens sang!

or...when the lights of target shined and the voices in my head said "that's it!"

and it was.  is.

this little rug incorporates each of the colors that will occupy the entryway. 

AND it provided the upperwall neutral that will work throughout the rest o' our humble abode!

(my husband, at this juncture, would probably say, "i love it when a plan comes together.")

 

another

anyhoodles...

and another afternoon, only this one was rainy, and i decided to do something about the 5 colored tees i had purchased on clearance for wren.  each was a mere $0.75 (yeah, that's right:  seventy-five cents, babee!).  but alas, my 5 yr-old told me that she really does not prefer just plain shirts and that she probably would not wear them.  ummmm, ooo-kaaay...

so what is a momma to do?

put them away and hope that the younger sister will wear them?

(and risk hearing her say the same thing next summer??!!)

no way!

you go and

get fuzzy, cute kitten iron-ons!

that's right!

and with a warm, dry iron.

about 2 minutes per shirt of my time.

these previous $0.75 boring, plain tee shirts

suddenly become a-freakin'-dorable!

for about $1.34 each!

and the 5-yr-old who loves wearing them??

priceless!

what, or where, is your wonderland?

"there is no use trying,' said alice; "one can't believe impossible things." 

"i dare say you haven't had much practice," said the queen.  "when i was your age, i always did it for half an hour day.  why, sometimes i've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

-  lewis carroll