My kids are so awesome--they'd totally do this!

All grown up

Yes, it's crazy late--but here's my Littlest Girl--and she's all grown up! She's a thriving two year old and while we couldn't be more proud of our little girl, I don't think the DH or I can believe that it's already been two years since she made her way into our lives!

And a big thanks to Patty Young of ModKidBoutique whose little Frida dress pattern was a breeze to sew. Little One loves to model for me and "SMILE" for the camera!

I think I just...

Today I was rubbing my nose. A few minutes later I licked my lips. I think I ate a booger. It was gross.

I've seen the signs of summer... and I'm afraid.

I find that all the crazies come out in the summer. When you've been cooped up in the house all winter and spring starts to peek through the snow banks people in NY start traipsing around in flip flips, shorts and tank tops if the temperatures sneak up to the high 40's. If it should soar into the 50's in March, as it did here last weekend, you may catch a glimpse of a young blond teenie-bopper traipsing out of the tanning salon in her cut off shorts and bikini top and hot pink hair tie beckoning summer to come a little quicker. Let me be quick to reassure you that I was not the teenie-bopper, I am fully aware that hot pink is not my friend and I certainly wasn't sporting a bikini!
The warmer weather also brings out all of the "observers". These are the kind folk that like to sit in the rocker on their porch and check out all the goings on in around their home. They are expert members of the Neighborhood Watch program. They have all of the emergency numbers, Town Hall and the local dog catcher on speed dial and their cordless phone sits right next to a tall glass of lemonade on a cute little wrought iron end table, conveniently close to their rocking chair. They may sit alone, or with their lifelong partner. Perhaps a sweet grandchild plays with sidewalk chalk out in front of their home. Occasionally they'll call out a greeting to a passerby, holler for the kids racing down the hill on their bicycles to "take it easy" or walk off the porch to offer a neighbor a helping hand with that fiddly lawn mower.
Then you have your "porch monkeys". These are the rednecks or the social misfits that hang out on their porch for lack of anything better to do. They'll sit out on the porch smokin' a pack of joes, yelling conversations back and forth to whoever chose to stay inside. They typically aren't alone. Their mode of operation usually includes bringing enough company to overrun the supply of seating on the porch. People will sit on the rails, stand on the porch steps or, if it's really a party, a few members of the overrun crowd will have to hang out in a beat up truck, loudly idling in the street. They'll laugh raucously, talk about whose kid "ran and smacked hisself on the coffee table and busted his head wide open" with an unsettling amount of indifference or ask "who's got a bud?"
If you're lucky, you might have the garden variety of porch monkeys in your neighborhood. These aren't really rednecks as much as they're just underprivileged people. They're mostly harmless. These are the people you see walking downtown with a shopping cart. On a good day, their cart is loaded full of cans and bottles on their way to the redemption center. On a bad day their cart is full of dirty laundry. On an okay day, that cart full of laundry has a jug of detergent balanced on the top. These are the sorts of porch monkeys I interact with most frequently. My favorite neighborhood porch monkeys have a rich brother in law that owns not one, not two, but THREE huffy bicycles. He brings his own alcohol: two cans of Budweiser in a plastic grocery bag that dangles off the handle of his bicycle. They also have family members who are "well off enough" that they not only own a vehicle, but it's registered. And it has gas in the tank. I could go on and on. And on. And on. But I think you get the picture.
I have seen the porch monkeys out in frightening numbers this spring. I am actually afraid of all that this summer has to offer.

Cheap Lotto!

So the other day my Little One was standing on the toilet watching me brush my hair and amusing herself when all of a sudden she decided to investigate the shiny silver lever on the side of the toilet tank. It wiggled, it jiggled, it was great fun! Before long she figured out how to flush the toilet and as soon as she heard the whooshing of the water she threw both hands high up in the air and shouted, "Yay! Hailey Won!!"

Hey, cheaper than airfare tickets to the slots in Vegas!

Spring is coming!

Well, it's only been a week--that's progress for me! DD2 was home from school for 4 days this week--well, really only 3 and 3/4 days because she went to school on Wednesday and came home pretty early in the morning feeling ill. It was a long week, but a good one as it started out great with a night out; a good friend and I went to the mall for a little window shopping, I got my hair done and we grabbed a bite at my favorite mall eatery: Auntie Anne's! Tuesday night kept the mood going strong with another night out for me--this one was a quiet night of quilting with friends. I'm learning to piece blocks together with a few great gals and getting to know more about them and their families in the process. It was SO relaxing and great fun. The rest of the week has gone by in a bit of a blur, but I know that it did include a family movie night complete with take-out.
To top it all off, Saturday was a great day. Sunny and warm (and when I say warm I mean NY warm: a balmy 49 degrees) were on the menu and I think we all had a generous helping. I'd like to you and say that we even went on a picnic but it was more like we sat in the van and ate so that we could enjoy the sunshine without getting a chill from the breeze.
And now, I'm off to Rite-Aid to pick up some sort of drugs to intervene in my toddler's troubling case of constipation. Lord knows that child eats enough prunes but she's blocked up somewhere and I'll spare you the details but we're all suffering from her bowel distress. :)

Trying to get back into the pool.

I can say without hesitation that this year has been so hard for me to find the time to sit down at the computer and blog. Life has been going by at a whirlwind pace and I feel like I've just been letting myself get carried away with little distractions here and there.

For a while I've felt that I couldn't sit down and blog without offering up an explanation for my absence... so I procrastinated in sitting down to write up my excuse. The simple reason for my delay was that there really wasn't any excuse--I've just been out of sorts. So now, without any pretense, I'll offer to you--my few and humble readers--my apologies for being so absent. I've taken the first step on the road to recovery, I've dipped my toes in the pool to test the temperature and I hope to back and blogging on a much more regular basis from now on.

Cheers to you all!

Yum-O!

Last night we had a fantastic dinner: a yummy roast seasoned with garlic and rosemary along with a big crock of roasted veggies--carrots, celery, potatoes and onions. And of course homemade gravy--the kind you make from all of the pan dripping and then throw in a good dose veggies all mashed up. It was good. I'm thinking it'll be a great lunch in oh, say... 10 minutes or so.

Cuz I'm all about the booty, I mean... Bounty!

Myrinda over at Fabric Hound is having an absolutely fabulous giveaway to celebrate her store's first birthday. Stop over and show her some love and enter to win her great giveaway!! Don't forget to drop by her store too and check out the fantastic sale she's having--especially on those knits!!

My husband, the eternal Sargasm

So today I was browsing the net, looking for something in particular as a favor for a woman I know. She's a little old fashioned and was looking for some hairdo ideas... I just happened upon this:





I thought that the photo was funny... I mean, c'mon. However, I can admire the ability to get someones hair to stay in that shape for any length of time. I'm sure that it's no easy feat. :)


However, my husband's response was different. He's got a mind like a steel trap when it comes to anything science fiction. When I told him that this photo was shot in the 70's he told me to move over: Google Images would yield some gratifying results that were uncannily similar. And then he, rather deliberately, brought up this:




After toggling back and forth between the photos several times I actually started to see where he was coming from. Still, that's awfully cruel. C'mon now and try to tell me he's not wicked...

A New Year and I'm already behind...

Wow. Several weeks since I posted last. A couple of MAJOR holidays have gone by without so much as a peep from me!

Well, all is well here. The kiddos go back to school in less than 48 hours! Time to make sure #1's reading log is all up to date with everything we've read in the two weeks of holiday vacation. Make sure their backpacks are sound for 2009 and come up with a clever little "going forward in 2009" type gift for the teachers. I know it's cheesy, but I think that they expect all of the gift giving to be done right before they leave for Christmas break but I like to welcome them back from vacation with a little something that makes them smile. Problem being that I have one day to find that clever little something and wrap it up for their backpacks. I'm thinking coffee cozies and a little gift card for the local bakery. It's not Starbucks coffee but they make a KILLER breakfast. :)

Oh, the Little One just bumped her head... it's off the net for now!
Cheers!