Quirky

I was making my lunch today (which, by the way, I was WAY too excited for...) of a ham and cheese sandwich with mustard, on good ol' square, white bread. I've been having whole grain bread for the last year or so- bleh. Dumb health. Anyways, I was creating my simple, yet delightful feast when I realized something: I always put the cheese right next to the mustard. I don't like them to be apart. Reflecting on this oddity I was inspired to compile a list of other quirks I have, not because I think you will read them and all of a sudden say, "wow, that is a super cool girl right there!" but merely to give you a little more, albeit unwanted, insight into the off-kilter workings of my brain. Lucky you.

• When putting on socks I always start with the left foot
• For lotion and makeup application, I start on the right side of my face
• I put my left contact lens in before my right
• My three pillows have to be arranged in an upside down U-shape for me to sleep
• I eat the center of cinnamon rolls first, then the outer rings
• Apparently I never hold my silverware the customary way
• I like grapes, but hate grape-flavored things
• My bedding must be un-tucked all the way around
• Books in a series must match- I do not mix paper back with hardback anymore (oh, the follies of youth)
• If something is cute and small, I will most likely want it
• I really like kittens but I'd be fine if I never saw an adult cat again.

Something tells me I better stop here, lest ye be overwhelmed with the absurdity.

Jack-O-Lanterns

All Aboard!

My train of thought, while I was washing my hair and looking out the window:

Yay, it's not raining! I hate rainy days... What's that saying, about saving stuff for a rainy day?... Food storage... I like to stock up on things when they're on sale... Cereal was on sale a couple weeks ago... I like cereal, but it doesn't keep me full for very long... It's good we have so much because it is easy to make, just add milk... Too bad we don't have a cow, then we'd be set!... Actually, no because there's no way I'd drink milk straight from a cow... eww, what if it was still warm... I need my dairy products pasteurized... What is involved with pasteurization? A lot of heat?... I'd just burn the milk if I tried to do it myself... The 1800s aren't for me... Neither are the Middle Ages... Knights are well and good to read about, but if it was my field they were jousting in I wouldn't much care for them... I need to get that King Arthur book from Borders... Arthur is coming live to the Rose Garden next month, I wonder if it's about His Majesty, or that cartoon animal from PBS... What the heck is he?... Maybe a mouse?... Aw crap, the hot water is gone.

Pumpkin Patch!

We went to The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island this week, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be! I've been really excited to get some pictures of Tony atop a pile of pumpkins, so I was overjoyed to see the huge mound of orange at the entrance.

After pictures at Mt. Pumpkin, we journeyed into the fields with a trusty handcart as Tony's chariot.

We selected the gourds that best represented each of us, and soon our cart held three pumpkins and a Spud.

Here is the obligatory one-arm-out family photo.

We lucked out with the weather; it was sunny and warm! In fact, I would have liked to take off my coat, but considering my choice of an orange shirt combined with my short & squat physique, I was afraid I'd be camouflaged amongst the produce...

Friends

Tony had his friend Jonah over on Saturday morning. The last time they saw each other Tony was only 2 months old, and he was more interested in his bottle than in socializing. But this time they had lots of fun. Tony showed Jonah all his favorite things:

Inauguration Day

Our dryer died last week, and despite Don's efforts to achieve an electrical resurrection, it has remained dead. We went shopping for a new one on Saturday and though our washing machine still works great, we figured we might as well get a matching set. We got a great deal at Lowes, and the new machines were delivered Sunday morning. I decided it was an occasion that deserved to be documented, so I took a few pictures.

The Inaugural Load

It all fits- hooray!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm 25 today. I don't really mind being that old, but it is such a remarkable milestone (not remarkable like "amazing!", but rather, a day to be remarked upon). A quarter-century, halfway to 50, etc. I am so lucky to be who I am, and to have the life that I do. I can honestly say that I have everything I've ever wanted: an amazing husband who loves me, a baby, a house, a dog, and as of 12 am this morning, the first season of The Jetsons on DVD. What more can a girl ask for! I am thankful to all of you who have made these 25 years so wonderful, and I love you!

I've Never Felt Worse

Tony woke up screaming tonight, but I couldn't tell what was wrong. There have been times before where he's cried for no obvious reason, but this wasn't "I'm sad" crying, this was like getting shots times a million, screams of agony. I thought for sure his arm was dislocated or something had ruptured inside. Don was away (with our only car), and after 20 minutes of both of us sobbing, he finally calmed down. It was a blessing from the Lord, because I was one minute away from calling 911. He's fine now, and back asleep, but it was by far the most scared and helpless I've ever felt in my life. I've heard other parents say how awful it is to know there's something wrong with their child, and to feel bad for not being able to do anything for them, but I didn't really know until tonight.

What's even scarier is knowing that this is only the first of many times I'll feel this way throughout his life.

My heart hurts.

Movie Review: The Duchess

Two thumbs down. Fun costumes, but depressing story. Definitely not worth 20 bucks. Also, the popcorn at Clackamas Mall theater gets thumbs down as well; too salty.

A Thief in the Night

I've never been a very good sleeper. For various reasons which are best saved for a therapist, I have a hard time going to sleep, especially if I wake up in the night. Consequently, I have been known to do a great deal of late night reading. At some point early on in life, I realized that a good book is best enjoyed with a good snack (another issue I should probably take up with a professional). When a person is the last one awake in a house full of forbidden treats, it is only natural that a wily youngster like myself might seek out that which can only be had on the sly.

Over the years, Mom's treat stash was mysteriously depleted. At first I'd only take one cookie, or a few Heath Bar pieces but, as so often happens with criminal ventures, it spiraled out of control. Soon, whole bags of M&Ms were missing, as were all the blue Freezer Pops (not a good thing to sneak- they stain when they spill). Rows of Symphony bar were gone, and near-full boxes of Mystic Mints would suddenly have only 3 left. On any given day, a peek behind my blue pillow would have revealed a jar of peanut butter and a bag of chocolate chips.

I thought all this stealthy hording was behind me now that I'm a grown up, and all the treats are mine (hehe), but no. The other day I bought some Mint Milanos and when I got home I actually put them in my closet beneath some shirts. I must just miss the game. Or, I need to find that therapist sooner than I thought.

Peanut Butter

All my life I have loved peanut butter- it is a yummy topping for practically everything, it is great in sandwiches, but it also has a rare quality not often found in spreads: it is just as enjoyable on its own! As a child there were few snacks I liked better than a spoon full of PB.

I recall an evening many years ago, when I was like 3 or 4, that I'd helped myself to a homemade Jif lollipop, and made a mess of my clothes. Mom sent me to get in my jammies, and when I came back to the kitchen she was nowhere in sight. I must have figured I deserved a reward for my prompt obedience, so I grabbed the jar of gooey goodness. With time being of the essence, I decided to forgo the spoon and just scoop out a glob with my hand. I ended up darting out the back door to finish my treat, perhaps just to enjoy the beautiful evening, but more likely because I heard Mom coming back. Despite my evasive action, she knew what I had done. Even if I'd been able to lick clean my hand and face, there was no hiding the sticky state of my Cinderella pj's.

Flawed

Though this may come as a surprise to you, I do, in fact, have some flaws. One that is most noticeable on days like today is that when I have a goal, but I'm coming short of the mark, I tend to give up. Not entirely; I'll still have the goal generally, but I'll say to myself, "Well, today is a lost cause, so I might as well..." My reasoning is that though I blew it for now, I can start trying again tomorrow, or next week. I take some small comfort in the fact that I don't throw in the towel completely after one misstep, but I could do better. Instead of waiting until tomorrow to get back on track, I should make the most of what's left of today. I know in my brain that this is what I should do, and I'll even think it to myself as I'm falling off the proverbial wagon, but that is often not enough.

Therefore, as I was eating some sworn-off pop tarts and watching Friends on DVD, I decided to make a new goal. And as we all know, a person is more likely to accomplish a goal if you've told someone you set it, so I have decided to post my new goal here. I invite all of you (ok, the 5 of you) who read it to ask me how I'm doing on occasion. My new goal is this:

To have, and live by, a new motto: "It's not too late!" To no longer say a day or week is a lost cause, just because it didn't get off to the most productive start.

Wish me luck!

Quotes

I like quotes. In high school I spent countless hours reading random quotations by famous (and some not so famous) people, and I'd copy & paste them onto word documents. Then I sorted them into categories and printed them in a notebook. So much time and effort went into the creation of this little project- time and effort that turned out to be wasted.

A few years ago I walked into Borders, and on the Bargain Books shelf there was a 1000 page book called Quotationary. Yep, it is just what it sounds like: a dictionary-like arrangement of quotations, first organized alphabetically by subject, then cross referenced by author. Ten dollars was the price of this masterpiece, whereas the price of my feeble attempt was measured not in dollars, but in precious minutes that I'll never get back, eyeball-aches from staring at the computer screen so long, calluses on my copy & paste fingers, and sheet protectors for each and every page lovingly placed in that 3-ring binder. Ten dollars- a bargain indeed.

Toe Touches

Tony found his toes this week. He is now constantly reaching for them, which is nice because he is able to entertain himself for a few minutes while I do stuff around the house. His favorite time to grab them is while I'm changing his diaper, but this frequently messes up the positioning of the clean one. His new skill has caused more pee leaks than I'd like to admit. And so it goes.

Num-Nums

Tony had his first tastes of baby cereal this weekend! We gave him a little bit of oatmeal mixed with formula.

He didn't really know how to swallow it, so it mostly just ran out of his mouth and all over his face.

We gave him some again on Monday, and after each bite I put his binky in his mouth to help him get used to swallowing it. That actually worked pretty well, and he ate about a teaspoon.

Guitar Progression

When The Spud was born my mom suggested taking pictures of him with a specific object, to watch him grow in comparison. Since he is 4 months now, I thought it might be a good time to show his progress so far. Unfortunately, we didn't plan this super well, and its hard to catch him stretched straight out, but at here it is anyways.

1 week old

4 weeks

9 weeks

12 weeks

15 weeks

18 weeks

BeeBees

Tony has a BB gun. Our good friend Pat wanted to give him a 'manly' present, and that is what he chose. It apparently is a good one- Red Ryder, or something...When I see it in the garage, I can't help but remeber my own BB-ing experiences.

When Seth and I were younger (10/12 ish) we had BB guns. We also had a stack of targets that we could staple to a tree and shoot at. Dad taught us safety things, like don't keep it loaded, don't put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot, and don't aim at each other, the house, the cars, or Sarah and Whitney. Got it.

He never mentioned the bees.

Along the edge of our front yard was a strip of ivy, and every summer it was swarming with bees. We determined that, since were were such expert marksmen, we deserved harder targets than paper circles. Our quest for more formidable foes was short, as we both looked out from the front deck and our eyes settled on the vile weeds, all abuzz.

Our relentless attack on the small invaders was a costly one. Many a tear was shed when they retaliated, and when Mom discovered the fault was our own, we, brave hunters and defenders of hearth and home, were stripped of our weapons. And grounded.