Serendipity Speaks

Shit Knitters Say

2012-02-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

My sister knitters will get this. The rest of you will just be mildly entertained (or confused).

I'm currently nursing a wicked head cold. Which explains my awful sinus pressure this week. And I was blaming it on drinking too much Prosecco at Bunco.

Puerperium Cardigan

2012-02-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

I finished the Puerperium Cardigan for my niece who is coming on Tuesday. This was such a simple pattern and my very first sweater. It has certainly encouraged me to branch out a bit with my knitting and start more complicated knits.

I'm linking up with Linda from Natural Suburbia for Creative Friday. Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Just A Bunch of Randoms

2012-02-06T23:07:00.000-08:00

1. We went to a bulldog show this weekend. Here is what I learned: those people are really old and are bad dressers. I felt like I was in a documentary about people with strange hobbies. I have way too many other things going on than to get sucked into some bulldog cult. Luckily my kid ran across the showing ring and was almost kicked out -- so we probably won't be asked back.

2. I went to a crab feed in Winters this weekend. SO MUCH FUN. A few thoughts on Winters: all the women are really skinny (coke?), small towns are pretty much all the same and those people know how to party. On a side note when I told my Dad that I went to a crab feed he told me he doesn't like crab feeds because he "doesn't like to eat like that...you know...getting your hands all dirty." Um, WTF?

3. I'm soooo close to finishing that little sweater for my niece. And as such I am going to procrastinate until the day before and then stay up until midnight sewing a million tiny buttons on it while cursing.

4. I really want to go to Stitches West later this month. Except that I'm too broke to actually attend anything but the Public Market - where I'm pretty sure I will spend whatever money I would have spent on taking a workshop on yarn.

5. My husband's new project is out of town and he hasn't been getting home until 6:00 - 7:00pm every night. If this is what it feels like to be a single mom...well, it sucks.

6. If I could write a skit about Americans it would be how we are constantly trying to outdo one another about how busy we are. It would go something like this:

Meg: "I can't possibly attend that Board Meeting. I've got to work 17 hours today, take the kids to baseball practice, bake two dozen cupcakes, mop the floors, finish my dissertation, polish the china and replace the brake fluid in my car."

Pam: "You think you have it bad. First I need to take my disabled parents to water yoga and then babysit five kids for playgroup while sewing the Halloween costumes. Then I need to prep for an art project for 200 students, write a blog post, finish the photo shoot with the Clark family and serve as emcee for the charity auction."

Fran: "This is exactly why I homeschool my eight children. It's important for all of us to be together. We each do our morning chores, clean the chicken coops, tend the garden, finish our knitting, read the Bible, do four hours worth of studies, bake homemade bread and granola and wash out the cloth diapers."

When in reality all of us are on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, FourSquare, Words with Friends and Angry Birds contemplating the brutality of our First World lives.

Am I right?

A Little Bit of This...A Little Bit of That

2012-02-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

This month I'm tackling a new knitting project - a baby sweater. I've never made anything with...arms. For some reason it seems daunting. And then I got the word that my sister-in-law is having a C-section on Valentine's Day. Which gives me a little over a week to get this finished. Ha!

I've been working a lot lately. Which is dangerous. Because after being in tennis shoes for the past seven years getting into a suit and heels feels damn good. Sometimes you forget what it's like to be in the professional world. I'm so professional that I actually got real business cards made. (Only because I have to.)

Finally, I've been taking a lot of photos. Most of which I don't share except in a little corner of the Internet. But here are some of my favorites.

Cabbage = beautiful

#febphotoaday challenge = a stranger

Waiting in line for kinder registration = a nightmare

A few weeks back when it was icy in CA = Californians are babies

Fruit stuffed sugar cones = happy kids

Thank you for all the book recommendations. It spurred me into cracking open a book that has been sitting on my shelf for almost a year. More on that later...

Knit One, Read One

2012-01-30T20:39:00.000-08:00

The past week has been crazy busy with work meetings and community meetings. I like a full plate but some weeks everything comes crashing together.

So when I get home the last thing I want to do is housework or blogging or any of the other necessities.

Instead I've been knitting and reading.

I made this Giants hat for my husband's birthday. I used the Brandon Ribbed Beanie Hat pattern via Ravelry. Although I wasn't fond of the yarn I chose I think the colors were perfect. And I think I found a pattern that actually fits my husband's head. (My sons and I have very large heads -- it's freakish, really.)

And I started a book for the first time in months. I have a stack of books on my shelf but I decided I really needed a mind numbing book. When my mom offered Stephen King I snatched it up. I used to read Stephen King as a teenager -- I have to say he is one of the author's that really got me into reading. Of course I moved on to different genres as I got older but King will always be one of my favorites.

What are you reading these days?

Things I've Learned This Week

2012-01-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it's only Thursday. But it's never too early for a little list.

1. Killing people with kindness has been my motto early on in my career. I have stood by it even when others suggested that I should be harsher. Twenty-two years later, I'm still right.

2. When in confrontation with another person, pregnant pauses do not need to be filled. Let them linger in the air until you can no longer breathe. Nine times out of ten the other person will fill them for you and dig themselves a hole.

3. If you are in doubt of what to say when someone you know is facing trauma, loss or sickness, do not hesitate to make the phone call anyway. It won't matter what you say it will matter that you cared enough to try.

4. A friend from high school posted a photo today of the foot/hand prints of his baby boy that passed away in utero. They were the tiniest, saddest and most beautiful feet and hands I will ever lay my eyes on. And it proves to me that when a child is wanted the loss is unbearable. Luckily his community, friends, family and church are surrounding him.

5. It's okay to talk about mental illness. Really. You would be surprised at how many people live with it and/or have faced it at one time in their lives.

6. Sit with your kids and play at least once a day. Even if there are dishes in the sink.

Drive-In Movie Birthday Party

2012-01-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

January birthdays are the worst.

And in this household we have several.

My big boy will turn seven tomorrow and on Saturday we threw him a very small party. Usually each year I invite a bunch of kids and really theme out the event. This year I told him to just invite a few friends from school so we could do a "drop-off" party.

As I was complaining to friends about what to do during the winter my friend and fellow blogger Kim gave me a great idea: the drive-in movies! Sacramento is lucky enough to still have one of these relics around.

So the birthday theme was "Drive-In Movie" and I searched around on Pinterest for some ideas.

I downloaded these invitations from Trillustrations. They were perfect.

I got the idea to make popcorn inspired cupcakes via Under the Table and Dreaming. These were so incredibly easy to make and looked professional. Even my brother-in-law who is an event planner asked where I bought them!

I set up a snack bar so the kids could grab some treats to take to the movies. It was kind of gross actually.

We were the first ones to the drive-ins and the kids went crazy running around. It was my husband and I against a handful of kids. Yet somehow it felt like us against 300.

Here they all are piled into the back of our minivan. Anyone wanna guess how long before the first kid had to go to the bathroom or complain that someone was sitting on their foot? Yep, about three minutes.

It really was a great experience for everyone. The kids had a blast while my husband and I cracked jokes in the dark. And my battery died...of course. Luckily they are prepared for that. Only a momentary interruption.

My recommendation: smaller parties are more manageable and fun!

Fingerless Gloves and Some Love

2012-01-20T07:39:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law lost three fingers in a car accident a few years ago. She is really self-conscious about her missing appendages. I tease her, of course, because that's how I deal with things. And after it first happened I promised I would knit her a pair of fingerless gloves.

Losing fingers is one of the most painful things. She has been through a lot of rehab. Just learning how to bend them again is awful. My father-in-law was shot in the back and also blew off one of his fingers in the Army. He said the missing finger hurt so much more than the gun shot wound.

But I digress.

So now that she is on the mend and can start to do a lot more with her hands again I decided it was high time to knit her a pair of gloves.

This super easy pattern can be found at Creative Yarn and also on her Ravelry page here. I'm set to make another pair of these for one of my BFF's. I'm thinking a more vibrant color would really make the stitches pop.

And one of my favorite bloggers, Linda, over at Natural Suburbia published this cute Valentine, Heart Shaped Trivet Pattern last week. I have so much left over cotton yarn that I thought this would be a great little way to use it up.

Now that I know how little yarn it takes I am going to use some of my pink cotton stash to knit a few before the big V-Day hits.

I'm linking up with Natural Suburbia today for Creative Friday. Enjoy your weekend!

The Friends I Keep Around

2012-01-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

I have friends that span many decades of my life. I'm pretty good at keeping in contact with people. And I make an effort to try and get together with them -- even if it's just a few times a year.

Case in point: annoying Terminix guy comes out to do our yearly inspection. It's the exact same annoying Terminix guy from the year before. I cringe when I see him pull up in the driveway. So I text my friend who bore witness to him the year before.

And my other friend who is one of the craziest mamas I know. It's a kid party 24/7 at her house. She loves being a mom and is funny to boot.

I mean, who would buy their kids this game for Christmas?

And who would pull out a huge box of McDonald's toys that they have accumulated over the last year for the kids to play with? Without even a hint of embarrassment or apology? (Because you know I wouldn't admit how much we eat fast food at my house.)

I think most of us need some friends like these in our lives. Right?

A Cautionary Tale of Bulldog Love

2012-01-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

Here is Violet. Look at how sweet she is. A little cuddle monkey.

Except when she tears the crap out of everything in the house.

Like our leather couch.

Every piece of wood furniture we own.

My favorite pair of black high boots.

The palm of my hand.

Happy Friday everyone!

Eleventh Hour Blanket

2012-01-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

My niece, Heidi, is due to appear in this world next month. I knew I wanted to make a blanket for her but with all my Christmas knitting I didn't think I would have enough time.

I saw the Purl Bee's Eleventh Hour Blanket and I knew I had found a winner. I have made Eleventh Hour scarves before and I loved the feel of the chunky wool and large needles in my hand. The only catch to this blanket was I needed to learn how to do an attached i-cord.

I used the recommended needles: US #36, 40 inch circular needle and two US #17 double pointed needles. I used Cascade Yarn's Lana Grande wool in two colorways (6010 and 6034). Since this is a baby blanket I used one less skein than the recommended 7 skeins. It is large enough to be a good "tummy time" blanket as well as a crib blanket.

I hope Heidi loves this as much as I do. I'm thinking this would be a great lap blanket for myself if I ever found a deal on chunky wool. It knits up quickly and the pattern is simple enough for new knitters.

420

2012-01-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

I hit 420 posts. In honor of this special number I'm going to share this picture with you.

It is my youngest son looking at Hanukkah candles with those special glasses. Have you ever used them? You put them on and you can either see dreidels or the Star of David. It's all kinds of awesome.

My friends husband sent it to me with the title, "Dude, that's a trip!"

And if you have no clue what the reference to 420 is I'm sure you can Google it.

You are welcome.

Christmas Vacation

2012-01-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

My kids officially go back to school tomorrow. Can I get a Hallelujah?

Christmas break wasn't so bad. We filled it with lots of activities and playing with the new dog. Here is a recap of the last two weeks. I'm linking up with Kim from Yep, the blog for her:

I got my husband a meat injector for Christmas since he loves to smoke meat lately. {I'm going to keep it clean, people.} And this is the turkey he cooked for us. Fan-fucking-tastic!

My father-in-law was a drill sergeant in the Army. This year he bought all the kids fatigues for Christmas. I was a little weirded out.

Sometimes this kid is my favorite date.

My kid went to baseball camp -- a hitting clinic to be exact. The best part for me? The coach eye candy. There, I said it.

The kids were Kings for a day.

My husband and I took an impromptu trip to Napa sans kids. We went to the restaurant my brother-in-law manages, Zinsvalley Restaurant. The owner recommended this drink and the food below. It was delicious! You should stop in there the next time you are in Wine Country.

We had more play dates with pals. This little girl, Miss Charlotte, is by far the cutest baby girl I have ever seen in my life.

I took some boys to the park to run around and play. Instead they huddled around an iTouch. What is wrong with kids today?

Gawd I love my dog. Violet literally passed out after a doggie play date underneath the kitchen table.

I'm working on a knitting project that uses GIANT needles. It's kind of fun.

I drank some champagne with pals in my old stomping grounds.

And then some more wine and sushi and chocolate cake. Ok, so I didn't eat the cake because I stuffed my face with a rather large donut before dinner. I'm sure Jenny Craig would approve.

I hope you all survived Christmas break. I'm going to be enjoying a nice long day to myself tomorrow. Or rather, I will be working my butt off on projects for my consulting business. But at least I will be doing it in peace and quiet.

That T-shirt Scarf Tutorial

2012-01-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

If you are on Pinterest you have probably seen that T-shirt scarf tutorial. You know, the one where you take an old T-shirt and rip it into strips and make a lovely scarf?

Like this picture:

Source: Pinterest

Because I love to try things I've seen on Pinterest I decided to see what I could come up with. I found some old maternity shirts (OH MY GOD WHY DO I STILL HAVE MATERNITY SHIRTS) in my armoire.

Side note: why after like 700 washes even a maternity shirt becomes a midrift shirt on me? It's not fair and does real damage to one's self-esteem.

Okay, so I took these shirts and ripped them up. Here is what I got:

There are a number of problems here.

#1. I can't take good pictures of myself in a bathroom mirror

#2. I think I cut the strips too wide

#3. The shirts I used have a side seam which is visible and distracting

#4. I may need a boob job

#5. I don't think this craft is up my alley

Final verdict: not a keeper

And reason enough to be reminded that I should stick to knitting as a hobby.

Childhood Crushes

2012-01-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

The other day I sat down with my kids to watch The NeverEnding Story. The movie was made in 1984. I completely remember going to the movies with my best friend to watch this. We ate Triscuits and cheese and Shasta cola (snuck in our purses).

Source: IMBD

Anyhow, while watching the movie with my kids I remembered how much of a crush that I had on the main character, Atreyu. Wow. What a great looking kid.

Source: IMBD

The power of the Internet led me on a Google search to find out where the actor was today and what he looked like. I mean, isn't that why the over 30 crowd loves facebook? We can see what people look like after 20 years.

Anyhow, here is what the actor looks like today. Still good looking, in my opinion.

Source: Human Archives

But that's not what this blog post is about. This is about the other pictures I found of the actor on the Internet. The media photos from the 1980's, I'm presuming.

FOR ALL THE IS GOOD AND HOLY. WHAT THE HELL WERE HIS PUBLICISTS THINKING??

Source: Google images

I don't even have the words. And we are worried about the oversexualization of kids today? Look at what was happening in the 80's.

Leap

2011-12-29T07:13:00.000-08:00

For the past four years I've been taking night classes to get all my science prerequisites done so I can apply to nursing school.

Four years.

That's a long time, especially when several of my classes required me to be gone from 4:30pm to 10:00pm two nights a week. It was so damn hard. And my family supported me through all of it.

But now it's done and I have to apply to nursing school. And I'm feeling a bit ambivalent about it.

Nursing school is another ball game entirely. Most nurses I talk to say it was the hardest thing they have ever had to do. Which is a great way to sell anything to a mother with small children at home. {insert sarcasm}

So now I'm standing on this precipice. I've climbed to the top and I have to put on some skis and a helmet and sail blindly into the unknown. And I have to take my family with me. Or, in this sense, I have to leave them behind.

I've been a stay-at-home mom for seven years. That's almost a decade. And I've made a lot of great friends and built this little empire of things that stay-at-home moms do. Like volunteer a lot and make sure that I'm at drop off and pick up and homework and camps and practices and games. It was new to me seven years ago but now it's all I know.

I guess I'm writing all this to put it out there to the universe. I'm going to make a great leap and hope for the best. And it's scary as hell.

Happy Things

2011-12-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

This was one of the best holidays I can remember. For many reasons.

1. I restrained myself with gifts for the kids. And you know what, they were still happy. Cuz they get so much stuff from the rest of the family that I don't need to go overboard.

2. Christmas dinner with the in-laws was actually enjoyable. No one fought. Everyone was on their best behavior. And it was the first time in over 10 years that we were all together for Christmas. It made my MIL so very happy.

3. I ate killer food but didn't overstuff myself. Which is amazing for me.

4. We handed out homemade cookies to the workers at the local gas station on Christmas Day. Because working on Christmas Day has got to suck.

5. This recipe for the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar. Or as my brother-in-law called them "The Ultimate Stoner Dessert".

6. The knit socks that one of my BFF's gave me. She just picked up knitting a few months ago and she is already making socks.

7. This locket that holds a picture of my three favorite men in the entire world. Best gift ever.

8. Gift certificate and cash to spend at the local yarn store. I'm making a fat ass baby blanket for my niece that will appear sometime around mid-February.

Now to survive two weeks off with the kids. I'm looking forward to 2012. But that's another post entirely.

'Twas the Week Before Christmas

2011-12-24T08:13:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Christmas. I honestly love the night before Christmas. It means that everyone is home and we are prepping to be with our family.

This week we were busy...

We went to my MIL's house to decorate her tree. (She took off her neck brace in this photo, no one in our family can recognize her without it.) We took our niece to dinner and then went to the Theater of Lights in Old Sacramento.

I made breakfast for my kids. This is exactly why they prefer my husband to me.

My kid wrote this awesome note to his Dad. I swear I didn't put him up to it. On a side note, why does the man in the picture have his pants laying next to him?

We threw a holiday party for the 1st graders. My little man has a crush on the girl sitting next to him. According to him, "she is the prettiest in the whole class." Excuse me while I have a panic attack.

My big man decided that it was high time to teach the boys how to do push ups. Lately I've been catching my husband in the backyard dropping and doing 50 push ups. His Dad was a drill sergeant in the Army. Can you tell?

We went to a Hanukkah party on Friday night. Oh I love me some latkes!! And homemade applesauce and sour cream. It really is my favorite party of the year. I even let the little kids light their own Menorahs. Imagine 15 small children with flames...

I hope all of you in blogland have a great holiday!

Handmade Christmas Things

2011-12-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

I'm still obsessing over Pinterest and all of the ideas. Here are some things I've made lately.

Fudge in cookie cutters. The fudge making was simple. Getting it to lay down perfect in the cutter, not so much. But it was easy and fun. I handed it out to all the neighbors.

Idea from Betty Crocker

I fell in love with this idea. It's perfect for the teachers. I bought the small animals at Michael's. I have also been saving old glass jars. I hot glued the animals down and spray painted the tops. Pop in some candy or art supplies and it's done!

Idea from House to Home

Finally, since I made my oldest son a knitted cowl for Christmas I couldn't leave my little guy out. With some nice tweed yarn I whipped him up a hat. I hope it fits - we Thetfords have big heads!

Pattern is Head Huggers

This Week

2011-12-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up with Kim from Yep, the blog for an edition of :

My little one goes to preschool three days a week. I walk past this truck every day. I am completely enamored with this sticker.

I went to the doctor for the annual "get naked and die of humiliation while a doctor sticks things up inside you" visit. It wasn't that bad, actually. Cuz I kept my socks on.

We are lucky enough to live about 10 blocks away from Candy Cane Lane which is two blocks of awesomeness. People come through with limos and people roam the streets looking at lights. It's an annual tradition in our neighborhood.

Even more awesome? Santa is out on the weekends for kids to tell him their wishes.

My oldest told Santa, "I don't need anything for Christmas. My wish already came true. We got a puppy."

Another reason I look forward to weekends...my husband takes over breakfast duty.

I hope you are as close to finished with your shopping as I am. This week will be all about wrapping in my house!

Ridiculous Things

2011-12-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

It's been a nutty week over here. As a gift to you all here is a roundup of ridiculous things I have seen this week:

Sooooo...my neighbors are bartenders. The other night we heard all this commotion and came outside to some very drunk people in Santa gear getting ready to ride around town. THIS guy was hysterical. His poor girlfriend (with hands shamefully over her eyes) kept saying, "Pull it together!!"

I went shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond which is the home for "As Seen On TV" items. Here is a cardboard box that you can buy for your kids to decorate. Yep, a cardboard box. Who the hell buys this shit?

Remember my post on Forever Lazy? Oh my God y'all I don't have to buy it online or over the phone. It was at Bed, Bath and Beyond too.

I was at the mall (bleck) taking my MIL shopping. At Glamour Shots they had this photo in their window. That dog is ridiculous. And of course I loved it. Next year people, next year.

We don't have girls. So we bought Mama a little pink fleece sweater. Isn't this the most hysterical thing? Or have I officially gone crazy?

Wait, don't answer that.

The Women in My Family Are Talented

2011-12-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

There is talent in these genes y'all.

I am constantly amazed at the talented women in my family. We are knitters, crocheters, sewers, artists and all-around crafters. Here is just a bit of the Trujillo-Thetford magic:

First up, my cousin Jenni. She can pop out crocheted hats like no one's business. She hosts a Monday Night Hooker Club for all her friends and she has been teaching them how to crochet.

Next up is my cousin, Kayla, who is a amazing artist. She just landed in Colorado to attend art school. She has so much promise in her future.

My cousin Melissa, is my knit-spiration. I can't say enough about her knitting skills.

My aunt Gloria does cross-stitch. Every year we get a little something in the mail at Christmas. I know nothing of cross-stitch but my mom says this is perfection.

My cousin Christine is an all-around good crafter. Here is a jam that her crafting club won first prize in. She also makes amazing cards.

My mom crochets. And now she has taken up quilting. This is her very first project. Let me tell you...there is no way in the world I would have the patience for quilting. Talk about labor intensive!

Finally, here is my latest work. A little boy cowl for my big man. He has been begging me for one for months. This will be in his stocking for Christmas.

It feels great to be in such a fabulous family!

Week Wrap Up

2011-12-11T13:27:00.001-08:00

This week I learned a lot about myself. First and foremost I have finally realized what tips off my anxiety: change in my routine.

And December brings about so much change. All the rearranging and decorating and events and gift decisions. It really sends me into a tailspin. Add a new family member into the mix and I'm a goner.

But the week wasn't ALL bad.

First I went to a big trade show and was treated to a fantastic lunch and walked away with a gift bags full of goodies. I like free stuff.

The husband and kids hung the lights. I really appreciate that the older my kids get the more they can help out and I can just supervise.

I couldn't help but post this picture. Gah! Makes my heart melt.

I went to a Naughty/Nice gift exchange with some awesome friends. The highlight of the evening was a certain someone rubbing KY jelly vigorously on my hand to show me how it "warms". I didn't walk away with any of the sexy stuff but I did come home with some awesome nail polish.

We went to our neighborhood holiday progressive party. Which is THE funnest party of the year. Seriously. By the time everyone ends up at the dessert house for the gift exchange you forget that you have to see these people at the coffee shop every day and lots of inappropriate things are said and done.

I had lots of prizes in my hot little hands -- every one was stolen. So I ended up with this Seal CD from 1994. Still wrapped in plastic. Any takers? I'll mail it to you no questions asked.

The kids helped decorate our tree this morning. I sat and supervised.

Finally, the best part of the week was something I've been waiting for for a long time.

For the past four years I've been taking night classes to finish my science prerequisites to apply to nursing school. I took my very last final yesterday. It's been such a long road with two small kids, working, and managing the household. But it's done. :)

Image via Etsy

It Started with a Tiny Rubber Penis

2011-12-08T21:30:00.001-08:00

This is what my dog had in her mouth this morning after she emerged from underneath my bed.

Yes. A tiny rubber penis.

After recovering from my horror I realized that

a) she could have choked on this thing

b) thank goodness my children didn't see it before I did, and then

c) what the HELL is under my bed?

Because I haven't cleaned out from under my bed in a long, long time. So long in fact that this tiny rubber penis is from my bachelorette party in 2002. There were a bunch of these tied to my veil that I wore all night. I also had a large penis water bottle I drank out of...I have no idea where that ended up.

And then I realized that there was probably a LOT of things under my bed that I needed to rescue. I have a habit of saving mementos but scattering them all over the house instead of putting them in one place. So I began the task of finding out what was under my bed.

Exhibit A: unfinished wedding album from 2002

Exhibit B: random pictures of our younger days. I think this was our hike to Grouse Lake back in the 1990's.

Exhibit C: our wedding videos and DVD that I was sure I lost somewhere

Exhibit D: porn ???

I mean, who really watches porn on DVD anymore?

Exhibit E: boxes of old photos. Like this one of me back in the late 1970's with my first ever dog, "Stoney." I swear my parents weren't hippies.

All in all it was a good way to rifle through some old memorabilia and try to save things that I don't want this dog to chew and ruin. I have to get under the boys' beds tomorrow and do the same. Although I doubt my findings will be as exciting as my bedroom.

This dog is lucky she is so cute.

Funny Texts this Week

2011-12-07T09:54:00.001-08:00

I need a lot of laughs this week because I'm slowly moving from suicidal to homicidal with this puppy in my house. Here are a few texts that have brightened my day:

The first one is from my brother-in-law. Epic auto correct fail.

The next one is from my friend Erin who dislikes the "breeders" on her street. She is always good for a laugh.

I could stock up on that card just for my Thetford family alone! If there is one thing we are good at it is making babies.

Grab a Beer

2011-12-04T20:31:00.001-08:00

I'm linking up with Kim from Yep, the blog this week for:

Baseball season is coming up. If you don't have boys you probably don't know that. But I do -- hence many afternoon sessions of practicing hitting and catching. I actually enjoy playing ball with the kids. Board games...not so much.

I've been watching all these pictures on facebook of all the Christmas decorations going up in all the houses across the county. As much as I would like to be as organized and "spirity" about it we always seem to wait until mid-December. In fact, this is the sole decoration in our house. I'm okay with it.

We surprised the kids with an English Bulldog for Christmas. She is stinking cute. I mean really, really cute. Except when she is Cujo or the fact that I have to chase her around the house all day long or the fact that potty training a puppy is a biotch.

But this face makes me melt.

I'm going to turn into one of those creepy dog people who post incessantly about their fur babies, aren't I?

No, I promise you I won't because I know how annoying that is.

But you may have to remind me, okay?

And then I got this little beauty in the mail. All I can say is, "WHY IN THE HECK DID I WAIT SO LONG TO UPGRADE?"

Finally, every year my husband's union hall hosts a Kids' Christmas Party. They hire entertainment and the kids get to sing and dance and enjoy the Christmas spirit. And then they rush to stand in line to get a gift from Santa...which I refuse to stand in because they should organize it better...so I make my husband do it.

But the absolute best part of this tradition is THIS man. He has been hosting the event for 57 years. I think he is pushing 90 years old. And every year to close out the show he dances with "Grandma"...a life-sized doll. You know how I feel about dolls, right?

One year he even made out with her on stage in front of the kids...I'm still trying to erase that image from my mind. But mostly I know that whenever he isn't able to dance with Grandma on stage I will be sort of sad.

Crazy, right?

Because We Are Crazy

2011-12-01T13:00:00.001-08:00

The last few months we have kept a big secret from our kids. We have been plotting, searching and sneaking around.

All because of this sweet little girl right here.

Welcome to the family, Violet.

And lets hope mama gets some more sleep tomorrow night.

Breeder Privilege (Part Two)

2011-11-29T07:48:00.001-08:00

Remember my post about my friend who is caught between three neighbors with a million toddlers using her yard for their late night partying? Well they are at it again.

After I tried to offer suggestions to keep these nasty breeders away from her, she came to this conclusion:

Rampant Breeder Privilege. That's my new motto.

99 Bottles of Wine On The Wall

2011-11-27T21:42:00.001-08:00

My best friend turned 37 today. In celebration of her birthday we spent Friday night together in one of our favorite towns: Livermore.

Where is Livermore, you ask? It's nestled between the Central Valley and the Silicon Valley and boasts its own wine country. It's a small town but draws large crowds for its annual Harvest Festival and wine tasting events. The main street of town is filled with little restaurants and bars to keep you busy.

Our first stop was Tap 25. I'm not much of a beer drinker but they have a nice selection of beers on tap, including several IPA's. The BFF got some Lagunitas and I sampled some Apricot Saison.

Our next stop was Swirl on the Square - a lovely little wine bar. Here we had one of the best bottles of red blend I've had in a long, long time. The wine maker is "Occasio" and they are located right in Livermore. That bottle went very quickly.

We made our way down to the First Street Alehouse, one of our favorite spots. They moved into their new, larger location on First Street. Although I miss the smaller location they still serve some of the best bar food I've had...complete with a Tootsie Roll pop.

As we sauntered down the main street we ended up at the Wild Vine. We had another bottle of wine...I think it was a Malbec. It was open mic night. At this point things started to get really silly.

We got to meet Elvis. He gave us a guitar pic and everything.

We managed to walk down to The Sanctuary Ultra Lounge. There was a DJ spinning some tunes in the back room. I'm pretty sure he tried to gauge the crowd by our ages because he started with "Celebration" by Madonna until we all told him we were more hip than that. We danced a long, long time. I spilled a lot of wine.

I loved my warm hotel bed until about 6:00am. Here is where things got dicey. Lets just say I really wanted to be horizontal but ended up vertical over a trash can.

You know things are bad when you stare down at the cold bathroom tiles and consider laying your head there exposing your face to foot fungus and bacteria.

So when I woke in the morning to find this lovely little note pad for "Notes to Self" I wrote one:

Around 11:00am we managed to find some In 'N Out which is the Holy Grail of hangover food.

Although I really could have gone for a tall bloody mary, extra spicy.

Gifts for Sureya

2011-11-26T20:59:00.001-08:00

My cousin Melissa is having a baby girl, Sureya, any day now. She is one of the people who inspired me to start knitting.

I was completely intimidated to knit her anything because she is such a fantastic knitter. It's like baking Martha Stewart a sugar cookie.

It took me awhile, mainly because the leggings called for size 1 double pointed needles and tiny sock yarn. Which for those of you who don't know it's like knitting with toothpicks. I thought I was going to have permanent hand cramps. But I did finish just in time since she is like 38.5 weeks pregnant.

Baby Ball Rattle pattern by Jessica Gutoski found here.

Baby Leggings pattern by Ruth Bendig found here.

I also made her some girly burp cloths.

I was super excited for her to get them and lo and behold she published a blog post about it. She knows my fear of baby dolls so she made sure to cover up the face with one of the burp cloths.

Her blog post on this is all kinds of hilarious so you should stop on over here and check it out. Apparently I didn't realize how phallic that baby rattle turned out. Perhaps it was overstuffed?

Things I've Made From Pinterest

2011-11-23T18:53:00.001-08:00

It's no secret that my newest obsession is Pinterest. I've been pinning things for months now. And while I see a lot of people pinning scores of items daily, I really only pin the things I know I will truly make.

Like these for my Halloween party:

Source: Cornflake Pumpkins via Smashed Peas and Carrots

And these for my jewelry drawer:

Source: Jewelry Holders via Bead Up: the journey of homemade jewelry

And for Thanksgiving, these:

Source: Cake Mix Peanut Butter Chip Brownies via Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker

So who is going to help me eat these??

In Absentia

2011-11-22T22:54:00.001-08:00

Do you ever feel like you have been gone awhile and don't know where you have been? I literally had to go through my photos to remember what I've done in the last week.

Early Alzheimer's? Balancing too much? Short term memory loss from all that pot smoking as a teen?

Probably all of the above.

In any event, in the last week I have:

{1} Gone to San Francisco

{2} Attended the season's last soccer games and soccer parties. We left the house at 8:30am on Saturday and didn't get back until 8:00pm.

One soccer Team Mom made these cookies for their "last snack".

The package also included personalized jersey cookies for players and coaches.

Then the Team Mom from the other soccer team baked this cake.

{3} And I was like, "Pshaw I can totally do that." So I made these cookies for my little Henry's 1st birthday.

And they turned out looking like my 4-year-old made them so I told everyone he did.

{4} To soothe my baking sorrows I went and ~~swooned over naked teenage boys~~ saw Twilight Breaking Dawn: Part One

{5} And made a total fool out of myself so that my kids will get a laugh in the morning

That was pretty much my week. Tomorrow I will brave the grocery store on the day before Thanksgiving with two small boy children. Because I am clearly suicidal.

How Breeders Look to Single People

2011-11-16T21:12:00.001-08:00

I have this wonderful friend, Erin, who makes me laugh daily with her sarcasm and self-depreciating humor. One of the topics we get the most laughs about is parenting versus the single life.

Here are a couple of funny tweets she has sent me in the last month which exemplify how us mommies look to single gals in Sacramento.

Evidence #1: Post-Halloween text

Evidence #2: Her home is surrounded by families with wayward toddlers

These are the things that get me through my day. And what I find most refreshing about our friendship is I can complain about my kids and brag about my kids all in one breath and she puts up with me. In turn, I get to hear all about the dating world and random nights out in Sacramento bars. It's a win-win for both of us.

Cheers to friends outside of our daily social circle!!

Things I Want To Make

2011-11-14T20:19:00.001-08:00

I'm finding Pinterest and Ravelry evil these days. Too Many Good Ideas.

Here is a look at some of the things I have on my list to make.

Pattern found on Rewind Knits and Crochet

Leather clutch tutorial found on Transient Expression

Cute jar tutorial found on House to Home

That being said, I have about a million other little projects going on right now. Namely a piece of knitting that I can't seem to finish for the life of me. And it needs to get done very, very soon before the arrival of its owner. I will say no more.

BIG NEWS!!

I bought my own domain name. You can now find my blog at: www.serendipityspeaks.com

The name "sweetpea" is a nickname my mother gave me. When I started this blog in 2007 there was no intention of anyone reading it except for me. My blog has changed and grown over the last four years and the name domain name of "sweetpea810" just doesn't make sense anymore.

So if you are a reader please note the change. Thank you.

And if you have never commented but are a reader, I really won't bite. No pressure. A little hello in the comments section won't make me stalk you or anything. Well...maybe not.

Veterans Weekend: Instagram Edition

2011-11-13T19:11:00.001-08:00

A three-day weekend entails the following:

{1} Drinking with my boss. We got sooooo much accomplished.

{2} Making waffles for the kids. Weekday mornings usually consist of cereal and a crabby mom.

{3} Shopping therapy after finding out our Thanksgiving plans have imploded.

{4} Donut morning before three soccer games.

{5} Knitting. I needed some knitstant gratification so I quickly made a dishcloth.

{6} Riding my bike around Hawaii in a bikini with my husband. Oh crap, this isn't MY life.

{7} Watching this kid play soccer. Oh I love him.

{8} Kids movies are great. Especially with alcohol. My boys said they were going to call the cops on me. Pshaw.

{9} Someone named Kim sent me an app to play M.A.S.H. I totally married The Rock and had 420 kids.

{10} Bowling birthday party. Which was actually fun.

How was your holiday weekend?

Things That Are Confusing Me

2011-11-09T22:09:00.001-08:00

{1} Why I am liking country music this week. It's starting to scare the little headbanger living inside my heart for the last 25 years.

{2} How do tampons magically come out of their wrappers inside a compartment of your purse?

{3} How can young boys get raped over decades and no one reports anything to the police department? I'm pretty sure their number is still 9-1-1, fools.

{4} The fear our culture has to use the word RAPE. You can say it. It's not a dirty word. You won't burn up on the spot or turn into a leprechaun.

{5} My left hand feels like it is getting arthritis. Can you get arthritis at 36?

{6} Friends and family members who tell me, "I just don't believe in medication. With positive thoughts and exercise you shouldn't have to take antidepressants."

Really...no, really...shut the flying f*&k up.You have no business speaking on this topic. That's like telling a cancer patient that if they would have just eaten more vegetables they wouldn't have cancer.

{7} Mormons. They confuse me a lot. But I am completely enraptured with them.

{8} The CVS Pharmacy down the street selling cardboard boxes that you can fold into "castles" in their kids' Christmas isle. For $19.99. In the words of Kanye West, "I'm not sayin' she a golddigger..."

{9} The OccupyWallStreet Movement. I believe passionately in what they are about. But dammit they have to get rid of the drummers. It's starting to look like a music festival.

{10} How in the hell is it almost Thanksgiving?????? And more importantly, why did I just quote Kanye West?

Why I Don't Hate Daylight Saving Time

2011-11-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

I think I'm the only mom of young children that doesn't hate the "fall back" time of year. Yes, yesterday was a long day. But today was awesome.

The entire family was up an hour early and we got to spend the morning getting ready lazily rather than the mad scramble that usually happens. I wasn't the crazy, yelling, nagging mom that I usually am. In fact, I didn't have to rush anyone to get ready at all.

I got to enjoy some of my favorite things this morning.

Old School Country music on Pandora. I heart it. I grew up listening to 80's country music and it still resonates.

Catching up on my Scrabble games. It's really an addiction for me.

Eye makeup. I actually had time to put on eye makeup. Like with real eyeshadow. Why? Because I was bored and had the time.

I walked around McKinley Park this morning for two miles while listening to Black Eyes Peas, Michael Jackson and Rhianna. Good stuff.

Followed by a morning run to the place that shall remain nameless because they are infiltrating the entire planet. But damn they make a good Chai latte.

Happy Daylight Saving Time to you!

Home Tour

2011-11-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

You know how those other websites and blogs give fantastic tours or remodeled homes? I thought it high time that I give everyone a peek into my home.

But my version is way, way cooler. I'll be showing you "Shit That Is Broken In My House."

#1. Here is what my kitchen floor looks like. Remember the kitchen remodel I showed you before? Well, in the midst of the remodel we screwed up the floor. It's been over 6 months and it is still not fixed. Luckily my friends own a hair salon and let us use their floor mat to cover up the exposed floor.

My favorite question from friends and family is, "When are you guys going to get the floor fixed??"

I want to answer, "Oh I really like it like this. Especially cutting my foot on the jagged laminate."

#2. The trim around the kitchen window that was finished in MAY has still not been installed. According to my husband, "It just needs to be painted." Uh huh.

#3. I broke the hinge on the screen door. Out of anger. Yes, it was bad.

That was like, three years ago. It is still missing. So our screen door doesn't close right. It just sort of hangs open sadly.

(Never mind the cobwebs.)

#4. My kids broke the door to their bedroom. They literally pulled the door off the hinges. How in the world is that even possible? So now it either doesn't close or you have to align everything just right to get it to close.

Add it to my list of #shitmykidsbroke

#5. Our new neighbor moved in last year. About two weeks after she moved my husband and the kids were playing baseball in the backyard. This consisted of, "Lets see how hard we can through the ball at the fence."

And THIS is what happens. My lucky neighbor gets to see our messy backyard all the time.

#6. And just for fun, here is our poor dead spider. He was killed about 4 years ago in our front door jam. Now he just sits there waiting for someone to give him a proper burial. And we just continue to ignore it.

He is like our family pet greeting everyone as they enter our house. Welcome!

And that concludes our home tour. Hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have!

Forever Lazy

2011-10-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

What happens when I stay up until midnight watching the SciFi channel about hauntings and exorcisms? I watch a lot of infomercials.

And, really, I thought I had seen it all when the Snuggie was introduced. In fact, I even bought two for my kids because they were so ridiculous.

But nothing prepared me for Forever Lazy. Nothing.

Since I cannot embed the infomercial into my blog -- which I really wish I could because it's all kind of hilarious -- you will have to make do with my play by play with pictures. (Or go to their website and watch it because it's well worth it.)

It's the "One Piece, Lie Around, Lounge Around, Full Body Lazy Wear!"

It comes in three stylish colors.

And the best feature?

Looky here

"Uh oh, gotta go?"

Has Zippered Hatches in Front and Back, for Great Escapes When Duty Calls

Yes, friends, don't worry about wasting your precious time getting undressed to go to the bathroom. You can be so lazy you can unzip yourself in the back so you can sit on the toilet. Incredible!

The testimonials are the best part, though.

You guys are absolutely genius!! I remember they days of footy pj's (I was born in 79) and brown winter coats with one white stripe, two if you were cool. You have no idea how many times in the past 15 years of my life that I have thought to myself "Why won't anyone offer footy pj's for adults?!". You have solved this dilemma for me and with champion design! Removing the feet should award you a Nobel Prize!!
-Jonathan

Now that i see that you've put work into optimizing a childhood comfort garment by putting some THOUGHT into it -- i'm kinda interested to wear this mother fuc*** to the casino / club / wherever just to get some reactions. and i'm sure it'll be tight for online poker players that slouch around all day in front of their computers.
-Colin

I can't take this damned thing off!! It's too comfortable and fun to wear!! That is why I just order three more colors last night so I can jump outta one pair and right into another without suffering any or very limited withdrawals (don't want no Uni-Lazy DTs!!!).
-Arlen

Now you know what I want for Christmas! It was made for lazy Americans fo' sho'.

Procrastination Works!

2011-10-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a big believer that if you procrastinate something for long enough the answer/solution/miracle will show up eventually.

Here are some some things I have put off for months and months that finally materialized for me:

#1. Nursing Study Guides
I need to take the TEAS test to get into nursing school. Buying the study guides has been in the back of my mind for several years now. One of those expenses I really can't afford but need to invest in.

This week an acquaintance from one of my classes just happened to post on facebook that she is selling her assortment of study guides for cheap. Guess who bought them?

#2. Shoe Basket

I have been complaining for many, many months about how my front porch is a graveyard for shoes. They just get scattered everywhere. And my kids can't ever find their shoes -- especially when we need to leave that very second.

Everyone kept saying, "Get a basket for your front porch silly!" Which sounded great but, again, an expense I just wasn't willing to sink my money into.

So I bit the bullet and went and bought one. At least, I *thought* I bought it. I looked at my receipt and noticed they never charged me for the basket. So...this nifty little basket was actually FREE.

#3. Knee-High Boots

As you can tell from #1 and #2 I am very cheap. I hate to spend money on things that aren't necessities.

However, I have always wanted knee-high boots. But I would never just go to a store and buy my own pair. Unless it's at Thrift Town, I'm not buying them.

Just my luck, my friend Kim bought a pair that didn't fit her short little legs. She just *happens* to be my same shoe size. Guess who bought them off of her to save her the unfortunate hassle of shipping them back??

#4. Dirty Stove Grates

Okay, this one has nothing to do with money. More like laziness, apathy, and lots of failures.

My stove grates are all kinds of gross. I've tried many different types of cleaners and elbow grease to no avail. Then I saw this blog post on Pinterest. I decided to give it a whirl.

Guess, what? It freaking works!

Image via The V Spot Blog

Now I just need someone to magically sell me some inexpensive but lovely couches and all will be right with the world.

Catching Up

2011-10-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

My kids are crazy. This is a typical Saturday morning donut-fest in my house.

When I lock them outside and force them to play in the sunshine this is what they come up with.

But they are also very sweet.

My Dad's dog, Precious, died. My Dad sobbed on the phone with me for twenty minutes. He loved that dog so much that it was almost annoying. So my kids and I sent him a card.

I love them.

A preschool mom called me over to look at this.

So I took a picture. Because we have dirty minds.

This is my version of washing my car: the family, eating McDonald's and a drive-thru car wash. A good twenty minutes of cheap entertainment.

This is what happens to my blog statistics when my friend Kim links to my blog from her blog. I bow to her awesomeness. It's looks like my blog is going into cardiac arrest.

I found this nifty little photo on Pinterest.

And it kind of sums up how I picture myself in my 80's.

Hope you are all having a great week!

Holiday Slippers?

2011-10-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make slippers for awhile now. My blogging pal, Stacy over at Golden Bird Knits, has an Easy Slipper pattern on her blog.

I wanted to do a test of the pattern for myself before I gave them out as a gift. I had two skeins of leftover rust-colored yarn sitting around for over a year now. (Whatever was I going to use it for?? The color is atrocious.)

Here is the finished product:

I completely messed up the toe ribbing -- which you probably can't see unless you are a knitter. And one size is bigger than the other. And they happen to be much too big for my feet.

ANYHOW. I think with some different colored yarn and some help with the toe ribbing these would be a good holiday gift.

My other thought is that I should try to felt these to hide the knitting flaws and shrink them up a bit. Any knitters out there have thoughts on this?

Gifts

2011-10-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

I've been feverishly working on lots of baby gifts lately. My cousin Windy is expecting a boy next month. I just sent a care package down to her house with all these items.

She sent me a text that read, "Everyone wants one of these hats now!" That makes my heart happy.

And we recently got "Boo'ed" by a preschool friend. Have you ever been "Boo'ed?"

It's a cute idea. You fill up a treat jar with Halloween goodies and secretly leave it on a neighbor's doorstep with an enclosed sign. The recipient has to send out treats to two or more of their friends. You can see how quickly it spreads through the neighborhood by leaving the sign on your door.

I found this cute sign on Organized Christmas. Which is confusing because it's Halloween...but whatever.

My kids got THE BIGGEST KICK out of it. We left at dark and parked the car several houses down from each recipient. My oldest rang their doorbell and ran back to the car. We watched from afar as each person answered their door and found nothing but the treat bag.

I have to say it is great to teach my kids how awesome it is to give gifts. Almost better than to receive *in my opinion*. (Although a new iPhone wouldn't hurt. Ahem. Santa.)

Winner Winner!

2011-10-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

What type of yarn is the best yarn?

Free yarn!

I won a little giveaway over at Creating a Family Home. I love all the yarn goodness on Kelly's blog. I entered her blogiversary giveaway and won her Treasure Pouch pattern and some yummy yarn:

I think this will be a post-holiday knit for me, myself and I.

Thank you Kelly!

Willy Wonka Birthday Party

2011-10-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have this friend that throws AMAZING themed parties for kids.

Last weekend she threw a Willy Wonka themed party for her daughter. It was over-the-top with details that reflect the movie, complete with the soundtrack playing in the background.

Here is how guests were invited.

Entrance to the "factory"

Contract to sign. (The real contract, folks.)

Gift bags

Oompa Loompa photo prop

Candy filled trees

Lollipops

Wonka Bucks

Factory doors

Wallpaper licking contest

All the kids on the bed where the "Old People" sleep

Fizzy Lifting Drink

Burping contest

Top secret creation bag to hold...

candy made by the partygoers...

who decorated a long cake for the birthday girl.

Remember Augustus Gloop? Yep.

They had to fish him out of a chocolate river.

Bubble blowing contest to win Wonka Bucks

Giant, handmade gumball pinata

Chocolate fondue complete with bananas, marshmallows, and pretzel sticks.

It was an ooey, gooey mess of goodness.

The kids got to spend their Wonka Bucks at the candy store.

Wow!

Right?

AMAZING

Creepy Things I've Seen Lately

2011-10-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

I confess, I get creeped out very easily. My short list of creepy things includes:

1. Dolls

2. Clowns

3. People with a lazy eye

4. People who don't notice they have white stringy saliva that hangs off their lips when they talk because their mouth is so dry.

5. Men in any sort of spandex

Lately I have been exposed to almost all of these items on my Creepy List.

I have two cousins who are into the fiber arts. They make lots of stuff for babies. Mainly because my family likes to breed -- every time I turn around someone else is pregnant. Which is reason #324 I'm not moving to Washington state. I'm very concerned there is something in the water.

In any event, they have posted several photos of their creations on ACTUAL dolls. *shudder*

This baby has bigger boobs than me.

This baby just plain scares the crap out of me.

On Saturday I went to a costume party at a local bar. This event really deserves a post of its own. Let's just say I love costume parties. Oddly enough I'm always WAY overdressed when I go to one on Halloween.

This guy dressed up as the cop from Reno 911. It didn't leave much to the imagination. Incidentally, his gal pal led us to The Citizen Hotel for drinks which was an awesome suggestion. She was also seen later that evening vomiting into a red plastic cup whilst balancing her head precariously on said cup.

Oh my. This guy jumped on stage and stole one of the singers' microphones.

My friend was convinced he was wearing Spanx under his fat Elvis outfit. But if you could have seen a close up of his ill-fitting crotch area you would beg to differ. I hope he has already procreated because I'm afraid he was permanently disfigured from this costume.

Am I the only one creeped out by these things??

Friday Night Lights

2011-10-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last night we headed down to Manteca to celebrate their Homecoming and watch my Godson Danny play football. What an AMAZING game it was!

I can't speak highly enough about my little man. A senior this year, he is making the local papers every single Friday night leading his team to a 7-0 record so far.

The game was neck and neck the entire time. Every time Manteca scored Sonora came back with their own touchdowns. Last night my Godson scored several touchdowns. One was an 86-yard touchdown that helped give them the lead. He had 12 carries and a total of 129 total yards in the game. Frankly it was an awesome game to watch.

Final score: Manteca 34, Sonora 32

Oh! And you can read about him HERE and HERE.

Here are some really blurry iPhone photos to commemorate the night.

Me and the BFF.

Waiting for the kickoff.

The team.

Post game interview.

Me, my baby, and Grandma.

Final score. (Oh and my cute husband.)

How To Scare the Crap Out of Your Kids

2011-10-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are those type of parents. The kind that love to scare their kids.

When my oldest was two-years-old he was tall enough to ride almost every ride at Disneyland (cuz my kids are giants). Since most rides at Disneyland scare the beejeezus out of kids anyway we decided we were just going to take him on everything. Space Mountain. Matterhorn. Big Thunder.

Freaked the poor kid out. And lesson learned: wait until your kids are old enough to not be scared before you spend the big bucks at Disneyland.

I don't know why we find it hilarious to scare our kids. Maybe we both have sick senses of humor. In any event, we went to Spirit Halloween yesterday to let the boys pick out their Halloween costumes. I have never been into one of those stores before. Um....wow.

Here are just a few of the things we unintentionally subjected the kids to:

Finally my littlest guy said, "Um, I think I want to go home."

But not without buying this little gem and decorating our front yard.

So far...no nightmares. Yay!

My Week in Pictures

2011-10-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up with Kim again for:

Courtesy of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese....Halloween! My kid kept telling me how much he loved me after I served him this. Boys are so freaking easy to please.

The moistest, most delicious pumpkin muffins ever. I adapted my recipe from here. Seriously even if you don't bake you have to try these.

I bought this CD for a certain someones birthday. It's my version of the really annoying toy for toddlers in a "Happy 7th Birthday" edition. I'm sure her parents will appreciate it.

Fridays at the elementary school. They are my favorite! Music blaring, kids dancing, and Popsicles at the end of the day. A great way to kick off the weekend.

I had lunch with these two handsome men on Friday. They were good dates but a little on the messy side.

An impromptu sleepover. All these kids had really important things to do in the morning. I was strict about going to bed on time and sleeping.

I heard them at 11:30pm planning on sneak attack on the candy dish for midnight.

Needless to say my kids were a wreck the next day.

The other parts of my week consisted of working and studying. Gah! I can't wait until school is over with. The good news is it is midterm time next week. The bad news is I still have at least six more weeks left of Pharmacology. It is really cutting into my knitting and drinking time.

Things I Love About Fall

2011-10-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

I am not a summer girl. I live for the fall.

Here is a little list of my favorite things.

{1} Sweaters, jeans, high boots, and scarves.

{2} Getting requests from my family to bake them goodies. Specifically my banana bread and chocolate chip cookies.

{3} Fires in the fireplace.

{4} Watching Californians fight for the closest parking spot available because if a drop of rain hits their pretty little heads they will melt.

{5} Pumpkin patches and Apple Hill.

{6} Trying to figure out how much drama my in-laws will cause over the holiday season. Because we all can't be together in one room.

{7} Curling up on my couch with a blanket doing any one of the following: snuggling my kids, watching a movie, knitting, reading or taking a nap.

{8} Trick-or-treating with all the neighborhood kids.

{9} The heater. I grew up in a family where we didn't ever and I mean EVER turn on the heater. As an adult I relish this luxury in my own home.

{10} Fall stews and soups.

My gift to YOU is one of the best cider recipe I have ever tasted, courtesy of my friend P.:

1/2 gallon unfiltered apple juice

1 quart apricot juice

3-5 cinnamon sticks (to taste)

1-2 tsp whole cloves (to taste)

Place cloves and cinnamon in a steeping bag. Put all ingredients in a large pot, simmer 20-30 minutes before serving. For hard cider add a shot of rum to each serving.

A Good Sunday Night

2011-10-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Can I tell you how much I love technology? It never ceases to amaze me how much smaller the world is when you incorporate technology. One of my best friends moved to Alaska -- which is very sad. But we have found a way to drink together virtually. Let me set the scene.

Evening in Sacramento

An entire bottle of this

My iPad

Her and I on FaceTime

Oh crap! Wait! That's not us.

Here we are:

We talked face to face about these important topics:

1. Knitting

2. Our husbands

3. Bad Haircuts

There is nothing like polishing off a *mini* bottle of wine while laying in bed gossiping with one of your pals. Even if is has to be over the Internet.

Cheers!!

Last Week of September

2011-10-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! I'm linking up with Kim from Yep, they are all mine for Grab A Beer and Look What I Did Last Week.

This week was riveting, I tell ya'! I will try to not bore you with the small details. We will just hit the high points, alright?

On Tuesday I took three kids to the zoo. This picture sums of the behavior of what I deal with on a day-to-day basis.

My oldest son brought this home. I'm so glad he knows himself so well.

I went to my mom's to learn how to use a sewing machine. She took this picture so she could prove just how domesticated I have become.

The result of five hours was just a few burp cloths. But for a first sewing project I think they came out pretty sweet. More to come...

We went to an ice cream party at Big Spoon. My kid was sticking his fingers in the leftover yogurt on the machines. It was pretty gross.

Here is what all the kids were gaping at:

Friday was one of those days that was one catastrophe after another. Getting up late. Slamming my kid in the automatic sliding door in front of the parents at school. Stabbing myself in the hand with a butcher knife. Almost getting in several car accidents. I was just a huge mess.

When my husband got home that night all I said was, "I shouldn't be driving."

On Saturday the kids had soccer. Half-time oranges are their favorite part of the game.

I went to my BFF's house for a baby shower. I made these cake pops/balls. They looked like my kids did them but dear God they tasted good.

I hope YOU had a great week!

Knitted Things

2011-09-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

Knitting and cursing seem to go hand-in-hand. At least in my world it does.

Despite my frustration with knitting this tiny little pumpkin I think it came out pretty cute. The pattern came from Natural Suburbia. It's actually very simple -- especially if you have the right yarn and needle size (which I didn't).

I also have been working feverishly to finish a cowl using a Feather and Fan Stitch. My cousin, Melissa, wrote this pattern. You can find it here. She is such a great inspiration to me. I asked her for some advice on blocking and my stitches popped out beautifully! I can't wait to wear it this winter.

There are a total of FOUR babies coming between now and February. My poor little hands may not be able to keep up with all the ideas in my head for the babies. I'm kind of glad I didn't know how to knit when I had my kids -- we would be broke by now.

FUNNY STORY:

My oldest son turned to my husband tonight and said, "Mom took us to the yarn store. She says that where she spends all of your money."

Without missing a beat my husband says, "It's better than spending it at the mall. Trust me, son."

I take this as a sign he approves of my hobby.

What I've Been Up To

2011-09-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't felt like blogging much. But tonight I drank a bottle of wine and whaddayouknow I feel like sharing my life again!

Here is what has been going on around this hizzouse lately:

We went to the circus after my mother-in-law demanded she take us. I really don't like the circus. Especially when said mother-in-law starts nodding out about 10 minutes into the show. I found my way to the restrooms and spent a good 30 minutes surfing the web from a tiny stall.

I've been baking a lot lately. A neighbor gave us some peaches. At first I thought they were from her peach tree (which she doesn't have) and then found out her mom loves to buy tons of fresh fruit and then force it on everyone. Which was good for our family!

I've been drinking a lot of coffee, chai and pumpkin spice lattes. I seriously can't wait for cooler weather. Red hair + light skin + too much sun = a sunburned cranky white girl.

My oldest invited his best friend to sleep over. I remember sleepovers as a kid. And I love to watch my kids experience it as they make new friends.

I'm really digging this parenthood thing these days. My kids are turning into these really cool people that I actually like hanging out with. Even when they are talking about poop and balls and boogers.

Twitter is Funny

2011-09-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've heard some of my fellow bloggers talking about losing their blogging mojo. I feel the same way. It's like I have nothing to say. Just going through the motions.

Then facebook went all crazy today. I'm trying to pretend I'm not perturbed by the changes but frankly I'm kind of irritated. Call me old school but I like things to be simple. Spoon feed it to me, facebook, don't make me figure it out.

This is why I appreciate Twitter. I love seeing what people can come up with in 140 characters throughout the day. And I follow so many random people that just scrolling through my feed makes me giggle.

Here is an example of this mornings feed:

"This October's issue of 'Playboy' will only cost customers 60 cents. So for the price of a cup of coffee, you could help feed a naked woman." - Conan O'Brien

Followed immediately by:

"For women, there is nothing nostalgic about sexism." - Ms. Magazine

Now that folks, is called irony.

Here are some other gems:

"I made a bag. It's good for books, and for warning assholes not to fuck with you." - The Bloggess

"Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) reacts to his DWTS elimination." - People

"Not everyone deserves to be a parent." - The Stir

"I just realized something really important about myself. I don't like paisley." - The Pioneer Woman.

I think I might need to get a real job. Soon.

My Top Five

2011-09-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl I would watch my mom do her beauty routine every morning and night. I was mesmerized by her makeup and all her beauty products.

Not knowing any better I used many of the same products she swore by. I used the cheap razor that nicked up my skin (bad). I used pore clogging makeup remover for years. I used foundation that was awful for my sensitive skin.

My point is that you have to know your body and what products will work best. Over the years I have found some things I love. In fact, many of the things I love end up in the "Drug Store Steals" sections of fashion magazines.

So, here are my Top Five Beauty Products:

1. Cetaphil Products

I've got sensitive skin. Really, really sensitive.

A dermatologist recommended Cetaphil products years ago and I have used nothing else since. I use their cleanser at night and their moisturizing lotion in the morning and night. It is so soft and doesn't make my face feel like I've stripped all the moisture out.

2. Moroccan Oil Products

My hair stylist turned me on to Moroccan Oil. She used the products on my hair and the smell alone made my mouth water. If you want to get rid of fly aways and make it easier to style your hair, I highly recommend this line.

3. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

This mascara ends up on the Best Drug Store Mascara list in almost every magazine. And I couldn't agree more. It just works. It doesn't get clumpy and there are no gimmicks here. It's just real good, real cheap mascara.

4. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

Okay, this one is a bit on the expensive side. I actually love all Dermalogica products. But my budget doesn't. However, this little bottle of wonder is worth a splurge. Over the years several aestheticians noticed that my pores were clogged. Instead of using that one apricot scrub that shall remain nameless because it strips the crap out of your skin I was turned on to this little gem.

I use this in the morning in the shower to get rid of all the dead skin cells. It leaves my face feeling so incredibly clean. I always follow it up with some Cetaphil Moisturizer and I'm pretty much ready to face the day.

5. Teeth Whitening Trays

Okay I'll admit it, I'm totally judgmental when it comes to white teeth. I find yellow or discolored teeth distracting and kind of gross, actually. Especially on people who take care of themselves in so many other ways. If you drink coffee or tea, at some point you are going to need to whiten your smile.

I went to my dentist to get trays made. And I'll admit it wasn't cheap. But there are over the counter products that work just as well. My mom started using White Strips and it improved her smile immensely.

Take the time to take care of your teeth!!

Those are my must-haves. I'm actually very interested in what yours are.

Anything out there that you depend on? Something you found that works great? Even if you are a no-makeup kind of person (which most of my friends are) I'm sure there is something you can't go without. Spill it!

A Few Things

2011-09-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

{1} My soccer banner tutorial was featured on One Pretty Thing. Thank you Rachel for including me!

{2} My good friend and awesome photographer Christina Reffitt is having a Photo Contest on her blog. She is looking for photos showing "your California pride." The winner will receive a free photo session, a free disc of edited images and 15% off future sessions. Click here for more information. Tomorrow is the last day to enter.

{3} I am officially addicted to Pinterest. You can find me here. I was avoiding it because...well, I just don't need another website to waste time on. But this virtual pinboard is a-mazing!

{4} Can I share a pet peeve with you all? Okay. Please, please, please, for the love of humanity, shave the backs of your husbands/boyfriends/significant others' necks.

You know, they have this great haircut and they are fairly clean-cut. And then they turn around and there is all this hair running down their necks into their shirts. It's nasty people. My husband has me "clean up" his neck every few weeks or so with a razor. Believe me, it makes all the difference in the world.

{5} We are going to the circus on Friday with my MIL. I hate the circus. Almost as much as I hate the zoo. I hope they serve alcohol.

Enjoy your Friday everyone!!

80's Arcade Party

2011-09-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

My friends throw the best parties. Last weekend we were invited to an 80's inspired arcade birthday party. And what late thirty-something group of grown adults doesn't like arcade games?

Exactly.

First, some of the classic games available at the party. There were five different television/play stations set up in the house. Each station had a different array of games set up.

Joystick anyone? Really all I need is one button. Thank you.

Arcade Rules...the cursing was the hard part.

OMG -- it had Centipede and Asteroids!

What 80's inspired party is complete without Pac Man?

Of course there were prizes for the High Score winners. We took home the football set.

Yes, that is a life-sized arcade game. And yes, it is still in their living room.

Cake perfection.

Oh! And the best part?

(Besides the food table which included nachos, beer, red vines, and hot dogs.)

There was babysitting available at another house across the street.

BABYSITTING.

Talk about thinking of everything!

Soccer Banner Tutorial

2011-09-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Soccer season can only mean two things: the start of fall and the end of our Saturday mornings.

This season I volunteered to make a soccer banner for my son's team. I knew I wanted to make it from scratch so I scoured the Internet for some good directions.

Sadly, there were only a few to be found. So I'm going to offer some helpful hints on a DIY soccer banner.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1. My first stop was to JoAnn Fabrics for some felt.

I suggest at least two yards for the banner itself as you will be leaving room to attach to a stand. I also purchased one yard of white and a few scrap pieces for decorations.

2. Second order of business: find something to write with. I went to Michael's and found an entire aisle full of products to decorate clothes, felt and tote bags. Choose wisely. I found this stuff for $1.19. I used a total of three of them.

3. If you plan on cutting out the team name and/or players' names with another color of felt, I highly suggest investing in some stencils. My freehand writing is atrocious so I knew I needed help.

4. Lets talk about soccer balls. They are extremely difficult to freehand. My first step was to cut out a soccer ball on white felt large enough to fit the background.

Then I found a picture of a soccer ball. Since I needed it to be larger, I took it to my local Kinko's and enlarged it. I used this as my template and laid it underneath my white felt. I used the black fabric paint to fill in the black spaces.

5. I decided to use PVC pipe to use as a stand for the banner. I ended up with two 7 foot pieces for the legs and one 3-4 foot piece for the top.

The next step required me to ask for some help. In order for the banner to fit onto the PVC pipe I needed to sew "sleeves" onto my felt to slide in the PVC pipe. My neighbor was kind enough to spend a morning with me measuring the PVC pipe and sewing up the banner.

6. Next, I laid out all my decorations onto my background. Then I grabbed my hot glue gun. Really, you can do almost anything with a hot glue gun. Working quickly, I glued all my felt onto the background.

7. Finally, once all the glue dried and I made the final touches I was able to slide in my PVC pipe. If you are not familiar with PVC pipe, you will need two connectors, also called a "90", to connect the corners.

We used rebar to slide under the PVC pipe for a sturdy base.

We always bring a small mallet and sink the rebar into the grass. The PVC pipe will fit right on top and make the banner virtually wind resistant (although possibly not kid resistant).

I hope this tutorial helps other parents looking for a DIY soccer banner for their team!

Saving Money

2011-09-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm a big proponent of buying thrift and shopping local. It really does save money and the environment.

Just last week I went shopping at Thrift Town for some girls clothes. Our friends that moved to Kodiak, Alaska have no where to shop except Wal-Mart (gag). So I got the girls' sizes and headed on down to see what I could find.

I found ALL of this for a grand total of $12.55. I shopped their Labor Day sale and some of their items were 50% off. Almost all of these clothes were from The Children's Place and were in excellent condition. Back-to-school shopping at its finest.

That same weekend I went to the local Farmer's Market . I brought $20 cash with me. This is what I came home with and spent $19. Fruit, veggies and eggs for less than I could get at a grocery store.

I had a great conversation with a woman over the strawberries. She suggested I make some lemon strawberry muffins using a lemon poppyseed recipe. Of course I couldn't resist.

I also had a few zucchini's that needed to be used so I made some zucchini muffins too.

The family has been eating these for breakfast. A great way to start our back-to-school routine.

What are your tips for saving money?

Wight Trash Bash

2011-09-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

I love a good costume party. Especially one that requires me to bring junk food and bad liquor.

My friends, The Wights, throw a Wight Trash Bash every few years. This was one party I could not miss.

Don't ask me how I explained any of this to the kids.

We brought a Twinkie cake and some Bartles & James. Really classy.

Our hosts in their best gettups.

My baby daddy and I

Welcome mat

Some really, really good fruit

Too funny

Love the shirt

I have to get this cookbook. I'm totally serious.

We had a great time and I'm trying to think of where I can wear my T-shirt next...I'm thinking maybe to the river when we go fishing with the crazies. I would fit right in.

Last Week Before I Get My Life Back

2011-09-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

I could not have packed more things into this week if I tried. Two kids out of school for the last week of summer was like staring down that hallway in Poltergeist when she was trying to save her kids and the hallway kept getting longer and longer and longer.

You know what I'm talking about.

You can tell how my week went by this little fact: I made the Best of #SoSueMeKid which was a Twitter contest sponsored by The Stir on CafeMom.com. The title of the article was, "Even Good Moms Have Been Known to 'Torture' Their Kids." You can read the article here.

We went to Micke Grove Park to visit my Dad. So I wouldn't feel bad about what my kid said. My little men were thoroughly bored within two hours. So they started taking pictures.

Then on Friday we went to ~~Hell~~ Chuck E. Cheese. The kids had been asking all summer long to go. I thought I might die.

I teased my friend who brought her pink princess Chuck E. Cheese reusable cup. Seriously, who has those? She blamed the cup on another friend but was clearly happy to fill it up with root beer.

The highlight of our week was a block party put on by some good friends of ours. These hippies know how to through a party. Three bands, beach volleyball, a waterslide bouncehouse, killer BBQ, beer garden and about 300 people. It was a fundraiser to help save the Bertha Henschel Wading Pool.

And my kid decided he needed to pick a winner with both fingers. There is no shame in his game.

Do you see the band playing? Well there were about 200 people watching and we were in the front. That little kid with the two fingers in his nose tried to pull me out in the middle to dance.

There was sand.

I fell on my ass.

In front of 200 people.

Classy.

My butt is killing me today from the fall. As is my ego.

How was your week?

It's OK Thursday

2011-09-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today I'm linking up with A Complete Waste of Makeup for "It's OK Thursdays". For some reason this linky party just spoke to me today.

So here I go.

It's OK:

that I fed my kid dinner from the 76 gas station last night so he could make it to his sleepover on time.
that I looked like a complete fool at Zumba last night. This white girl cannot dance.
when I leave my kids to volunteer on Thursday nights because one day I will be a nurse and can put them through college.
that I don't have a full-length mirror in my house and am sometimes surprised at the outfits I put together.
that I was utterly thankful that my Dad surprised me with money to buy my kids back-to-school clothes. Maybe I can buy them something other than what's at the Thrift Store.
that I haven't had the time to knit.
to be excited to not have my oldest with me all day so I can play with my little guy.
that I won't have to go shopping to dress up for the White Trash Party we are attending on Sunday. I can find everything I need in our closets!!

What are you OK with this Thursday?

Kids Are Like a Mirror

2011-08-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like your children don't understand much about the world but have the most profound and unadulterated words of wisdom?

Today in the car I had two conversations that struck me right in the solar plexus.

Conversation #1

After an excruciatingly long morning listening to my children fight we got on the road to go swimming. While driving with my son and his little girlfriend I say, "Eli, I'm really losing my patience with you."

His friend says, "Moms always lose their patience with their kids."

I say, "Well if you all would just listen to what we say the first time and not fight with your brothers and sisters us moms would have a lot more patience."

Silence, then, "No, I think moms still wouldn't have any patience."

Ouch.

Conversation #2

The kids were discussing how awesome it would be if they could tell their parents what to do all day long and be in charge. I say, "You know, when you are adults you will have to take care of US when we get old and can't take care of ourselves. Then you will have to power to tell us what to do."

My son gets quiet and says, "How are we going to take care you guys and our own kids?"

I say, "Well your Dad and I are responsible for taking care of our parents, just like we are responsible for taking care of you."

Eli says, "Mom, you don't take very good care of your Dad. You never drive down to see him and you don't call him that much. We haven't seen him in a long, long time."

Double ouch.

I guess the morale of my story is: LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

I've got a lot more work to do...

Fishy Funeral

2011-08-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

I was so proud of myself this week. I actually cleaned our fish tank.

It used to be my husband's job. And he pretty much sucked at it. The poor fish were living in the filthiest water and tank I have ever seen in my life. I did not take a "before" picture. It was that bad.

But I did take an after picture.

As some of you may know, fish get stressed. Especially when you move them from environment to environment. We have this pair of fish that look like catfish. They don't like other fish or humans or even swimming. They just pretty much lay at the bottom of the tank.

However, when I tried to catch those slippery little suckers they were almost impossible to catch. In fact, it took me about 5 minutes to catch one and put him back in his fresh tank.

I don't know if it was the stress or the shock of clean water that killed him.

But there he was yesterday...laying upside down near the filter.

Poor, dead fishy.

And because I'm a bit morbid and wanted to teach my children that death is permanent and not something to joke about we had a Fishy Funeral.

Observe:

What I Learned From This Experience:

1. My oldest would make a very good preacher.

2. My youngest seems to love this. That worries me.

3. I really hope the Sewer Gators don't get our beloved fish.

May he rest in peace.

My Week Was Probably Better Than Yours

2011-08-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Only two weeks left before school starts!! I'm totally ~~excited~~ heartbroken.

Anyhow, today I'm linking up with Kim from Yep, they are all mine for:

Now, I don't want you all to be super jealous and stuff but I had a pretty good week. I went up to North Lake Tahoe for three days. I stayed in a 7,000 SQUARE FOOT house overlooking a golf course.

Observe:

It reminded why I should have married rich.

ANYWAYS

We had a lot of fun at the beach:

I met a new boyfriend:

And then there was this one night...think Alice in Wonderland meets three drunk women playing rummy.

I bought a bunch of Go-Gurts for the trip. They didn't get eaten. So when we got home I thought I would try one of those slippery little suckers.

I forgot about elevation changes and law of physics.

I smelled like cotton candy for the rest of the days. The kids were all over me like freaking flies.

Speaking of my kids. Eli wrote this lovely little note about his little brother Austin. I love how much they love each other.

Finally, as I was drinking my coffee this morning in a haze of sleepiness I caught this little gem. I'm totally raising multi-taskers. Their bosses can thank me later.

So that's it in a nutshell ya'll.

Marian Cowl

2011-08-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up with Natural Suburbia today for Creative Friday.

I've had some lovely Malabrigo Rasta yarn sitting in my basket for over a month now calling my name. This yarn was so thick I had to buy a new set of needles to work with it. I found the pattern Marian by Jane Richmond and thought it would be a perfect match.

It can be worn two ways.

I love how soft it is.

I'm actually keeping this one for myself! These could make great holiday gifts, too.

To Be A Woman

2011-08-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a small vacation in North Lake Tahoe. Reflecting on the past few months I realized that no matter what economic or cultural or racial group we come from, we women can relate to one another.

We can share and honor and support each other in ways that most men just can't touch.

Women can bond over births, deaths, boyfriends, husbands, children, infertility, depression, abortion, miscarriage, alcoholism, drug addiction, medication, anxiety, running a household, needing alone time, shopping, weight gain, weight loss, caring for elderly parents, dealing with siblings, friends, enemies, bullies, parenting styles, cancer, anemia, pedicures, finances, dreams, worst fears, children in school, children in sports, Parent Teacher Groups, laziness, sanity, insanity, sagging skin, wrinkles, gray hairs, books, television shows, magazines, celebrities, politics, religion, toddlers, babies, teenagers, in-laws, cheating spouses, education, cooking, baking, crafting, snarkiness, gossip, life insurance, laundry, cleaning supplies, stretch marks, colic, sleep deprivation, social networking, STD's, sex, lack of sex, exercise, bucket lists, blogging, best friends, tattoos, drunk escapades and all of the millions of other topics that makes us who we are.

It is good to be a woman.

What A Week

2011-08-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

Oh the last few weeks of summer are slowly slipping by! I had a pretty awesome week. I'm linking up with Kim from Yep, they are all mine for another edition of:

On Tuesday I was honored to be a part of a traditional Jewish ceremony where children get their first haircut. I'm sure their Moms are so thankful not to be haggling with tangled hair for awhile.

On Wednesday I went out with some blogging pals. It started at the Bonn Lair and ended at The Counter in Roseville. If you haven't checked out The Fountains at Roseville then you are missing out. I could have lounged outside all night.

On Thursday a bunch of my pals got the wee ones together for a Craft Day. The kids got to make Tooth Fairy pillows. Right now my family has been using a plastic baggie for the Tooth Fairy -- this pillow is a welcomed and much less noisy addition to our family.

On Friday my Mom actually asked to watch the kids for a few hours.

Oh what to do!!

So I ended up at Thrift Town. I didn't find anything for myself but found this awesome Star Wars shirt for my oldest. With the tags still on.

I whipped up this little hat for my cousin's baby boy who is due at the end of the year.

Finally, on Saturday, I got to hang with some old work pals and meet their new little babies.

I love babies!

Especially when they aren't mine.

How was YOUR week?

Worst Hairdos Ever

2011-08-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

I lived through the 1980's and 1990's.

Those were some tough years for hairdos.

I, in particular, have had some absolutely horrible 'dos. I used to love Aqua Net. I lived by the mantra "bigger is better". Even when my friends were urging me to do something about it.

I present to you: My Worst Hairdos Ever

Here I am. 1988. I used a hellluva a lot of hairspray and a curling iron. I had a permanent indentation of the curling iron in that top curl. I believe I even used a "mini" curling iron for the bangs.

Never mind the pink Walkman.

Then there was this beauty from 1989.

I added WINGS to my 'do. The top part flattened a bit but the sides grew in great dimension. It was a sad, sad time.

My personal favorite is Junior Winter Formal, 1991.

I washed my hair the night before and made tiny braids all over my head. I was going for the "crimped" look. I was truly successful.

As my date, Frank, said to me a few months ago, "Wait, which one am I?"

Finally, in the early 2000's I decided that I was going to change my hair color drastically. I wanted to go black. With a blonde strip in the front.

I look like a skunk. An angry one, at that.

So there, my friends, is a little run down memory lane.

What's hiding in your old photo albums?

My Brain...on Random

2011-08-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year that I start to over commit. I was so stressed last night that I almost wrote a blog post about it. But I don't believe in "Blogging While Stressing". Those posts get ugly.

So I waited until today when I have a little more clarity. But my brain is still on random mode.

1. Somehow in September I will start a pharmacology class, have two kids on different soccer teams, help my husband with his coaching duties, make money, do school drop offs and pick ups, and manage this household.

2. Having two kids on different soccer teams is going to be hard work. And I only have two kids. I know families with four kids who somehow manage to have each kid on a separate team. I'm not even sure how that's healthy.

3. Do you remember when you were little and boys ages six to nine were awkward and goofy and annoying? They would fall on purpose to make their friends laugh and get silly around girls. Yes, well, I have two of those boys living in my house. And somehow my tolerance for boy-goofiness has not changed a bit since I was six.

4. I don't like mommy-cliques. I'm a person who is inclusive. I worked for a company that had hundreds of members and part of my job was to introduce people to one another, make connections, and make new people feel welcome. I wish that was a standard of conduct for all adults.

5. I love being a stay-at-home mom. But there are times when I miss my two-seater Mazda RX-7. I could only take one other person with me.

On a happier note, I am coveting these earrings:

Source: Max's World

Is your start of the school year feeling the same way? Or have I just been too lazy this summer?

First Week of August

2011-08-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Back to blogging as usual this week! I'm linking up with Kim from Yep, the blog for an installment of:

We traveled a lot last week. On Tuesday we drove from Olympia, Washington back to Sacramento.

All.In.One.Day.

The headphones worked wonders. In fact, the people who bickered were the two adults sitting in front.

Ends of vacation can do that to people.

I did a lot of this:

I started on a baby hat for my cousin's new little man who is set to arrive around Thanksgiving.

I caught up with my awesome neighbors for a backyard wine drinking fest.

Then I caught up with some old college friends.

They like to drink copius amounts of wine.

And play, "Screw your neighbor."

Which did not consist of a large bowl and car keys.

Overall it was a good week. We are finally settled back into our routine.

Except that soccer practice started...which is an entire post in itself.

Bottoms Up!

Some Favorite Pictures

2011-08-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

I don't usually try to be artistic but every once in awhile I'll catch that perfect photo.

Here are a few favorites from summer so far. Shot with my Canon Rebel T1i.

They remind me of why I love summer.

Driving is Good for Knitting

2011-08-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up with Natural Suburbia today for Creative Friday.

All the time spent in our car last week allowed me to get a lot of knitting done.

On the way up to Oregon I finished a few of these wonderful soap bags. I got the pattern via golden bird knits. It was an easy project to finish and had just enough changes in the pattern to keep me focused.

I stuffed them with soaps and handed them out as gifts to everyone who let our family crash in their homes.

I also knit up a bunch of washcloths.

I'm not sure what the lure of washcloths is for me but I find them so rewarding to finish.

Finally, I finished my goal in the New Techniques 2011 Knit-A-Long which was to learn how to knit an i-cord and how to "KFB". For some reason these two new techniques frightened me. I knew that I would be seeing my cousing Melissa, also know as procrastaknitter, in Washington so I saved my project for her help.

She taught me in about 2.5 minutes how to do both techniques. Thank you Mita!

I did two of these Poems Easy Headbands found in 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. I changed the pattern a bit and did not graft the ends together. One I knit extra long for my huge head. The other I put a button on so that its new owner can decide how tight or loose she wants it.

All in all it was great to get several uninterrupted hours of knitting done in the middle of the day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

2,000 Miles and 200 Pictures

2011-08-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

I tried to blog on the road. In fact, I wrote out the same list three times. One time I was even holding a 2-month-old while blogging.

But Blogger had other ideas. Like giving me an error message every time I hit "publish".

I learned a lot of things on our road trip, including:

{1} Boys really aren't interested in travel journals.

{2} Three-legged cats are just funny. Especially ones affectionately called "Tripod".

{3} My family takes really awkward group photos.

{4} Hiding the earphones in the minivan for the past four years was a mistake. I should have used them long ago.

{5} The easiest way to piss my husband off is to lock him in a room full of kittens...until one thirty in the morning.

{6} My kids don't listen when I say, "You can get your feet wet but please be careful not to get your clothes wet."

{7} Four-year-olds take really awful pictures.

{8} Adults have so many more hang-ups than kids. It took my siblings and I half the day to warm up to each other. While my nephew and son were best friends the moment they saw each other.

{9} I absolutely adore my Thetford family. They are like a really old, comfortable pair of jeans that you forget in the back of your closet. The minute you put them on it feels like home.

{10} I can survive an 11-day road trip with my family and not kill anyone, including myself.

In Lieu of a Privacy Screen in my Minivan

2011-07-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning we are headed out for the longest road trip this little family of four has ever taken.

My husband has the patience of Mother Teresa. I, however, have the patience of the Tasmanian Devil on crack.

So I got a little prepared. My friend Ann Marie recommend MomsMinivan.com as the go-to site for ideas and downloads for traveling with kids. I'm hoping with these things plus ~~a bottle of rum~~ lots of movies and games of I Spy we can survive.

This is what I am bringing to keep myself entertained. Luckily most of the people I am visiting knit or crochet so I won't feel like a complete freak.

(Yes, I know some of you roll your eyes at knitting. I am completely secure in my knitting addiction.)