Adventures in Games of Big-Rig Chicken, Part a million

It seems this happens to me quite a lot, although I've only had the opportunity to write about it once before.  But today on the highway, with the boys, as I was traveling between a ginormous big-rig on my left and a line of utility trucks on my right, I suddenly noticed the big-rig slowly venturing into my lane.  And he wasn't paying attention.  So I put lots of lovely pressure on my brakes, trying not to panic, only to see in the rear-view mirror another big-rig weaving almost out of control.  He'd been traveling so close behind, when I put on the brakes, he almost couldn't avoid me.  It gave me that warm, fuzzy, "I'm so safe on the highway" feeling.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASHLEY!!!!

Here's to being in your prime, and a great mother. Thanks for all the wonderful, kind things you do. You are truly awesome, and have the kindest heart. We love you! Oh, and happy birthday to Jon, too!

Cuteable find of the century

Today on Cuteable, this picture was posted:
Well, I instantly fell in love and followed the link all the way to Lindsay Brackeen's Etsy page, and fell even deeper in love. I may be her stalker, now. She may need a restraining order. And I absolutely cannot choose my favorite. I mean, is it Amongst Magic? Or Peacock Girl? Or perhaps Me and Hoo? (I mean, an owl? And I must have that skirt...) Or maybe it's one of the others entirely. This question may still linger on my lips on my deathbed... Seriously, I love this stuff so much, it makes me nauseous.

Way-back Wednesday

Apparently we cut my hair using tweezers and a chisel. Except for those bangs... man, those are the straightest thing I've ever seen!

9th grade.

Camp. Eek.

A balanced diet

Doughnuts in our house are a rarity. I think I can count on one hand the number of times we have gone in our five years of marriage. (I mean, I know I drink a lot of Coke, but something about doughnuts... the sugar, the fat... while tasty... ick.) So when Bryce came home with a $25 Krispy Kreme gift card they gave him at work, I decided to take the boys for breakfast this morning. There was one left on the table in the box, and I thought it was safe out of reach. I left the room for a minute, and came back to find this:

Then this:


It was every so slightly reminiscent of this last picture. When we very first moved into our house, our oven didn't work for a month, and we were living on take-out and T.V. dinners. Our new neighbor had bestowed upon us a caramel-apple-pie-cheesecake, which we discovered Ewan devouring. He was only 18 months old and he'd gotten the fork himself, and was being very resourceful and serious about his endeavor:

Daddy hero

I'll let this one speak for itself.  

Come back, Spring, you fretful Mistress

Well, there's nothing too exciting here today. Although I complained about the lingering warm weather back in the fall, I'm ready for its return. Today was such a tease, and the boys and I spent lots of quality time enjoying the outdoors. Poor little Fynn, as a way to protect his foot, since he still can't wear real shoes, I put him in socks with these ugly little sandals that still let his sore breathe. He was quite...um... let's say interesting-looking in his little ensemble. So all in all it was a swell day, with fun had by all. And even though I know the warm weather will be gone tomorrow, meep, I am loving this major wind we have going on. I love a strong, powerful wind that rocks the house and makes all the trees whisper furiously. It's the perfect lullaby, only second to a violent thunderstorm.

Soooo tired, mustn't leave couch...

R.E.D.

Ever since Ewan started in primary, it has been my favorite part of each Sunday to sit in the back with my class and watch him in Opening Exercises. It's all I can do not to run up to the front, grab him and squeeze him right in front of everyone. Bryce and I have only been doing very sporadic Family Home Evenings with him since he was about two. Neither one of us grew up having Family Home Evening, so it's something we have to remind ourselves to do, and even then half the time we're clueless how to do it. So I've enjoyed being able to see what he's learning just in Opening Exercises, then to see what he has to say after church when we asked what he learned in class. (The answer is usually, "I don't remember," but with some prodding we can get something better out of him.)

So this morning in Opening Exercises, Sister Hutchinson was talking about the scriptures and how important it is to read them. She told the kids even one verse a day, and for them to go home and tell their parents they wanted to do this. We do read four verses every night, one for each member of the family, and the reactions from Ewan have been mixed. I know lately he's been confused because every night it seems we're talking about Nephi's vision. At any rate, today after primary, we were sitting out in the foyer during sacrament, when Ewan grabbed my scriptures and proceeded to "read." It was sweet, cute, hilarious and inspiring all at the same time. I couldn't believe the stuff that was coming out of his mouth. Tonight, he did it again, and I was able to get it on tape. He always begins with "Behold," and somewhere in there he says, "The still small voice is Heavenly Father speaking. Don't do anything wrong." And, "The scriptures are true."

Fairy godmothers and... elf godfathers?

*And oh, yeah, thanks to my dad for bringing dinner and Tylenol and laundry detergent.  We really do appreciate it.

So, after my hellacious week, I just wanted to say a thank you to everyone who has helped me and mine and been so generous. Thanks to Mary Ann for taking care of Ewan and for watching Fynn while I went to a real pharmacy.  Thanks to Keith for coming out of his den of recovery to give Fynn a blessing, and thanks to Shannon for sparing him.  Thanks so very, very much to Ashley for coming to see us and for making Ewan's day with a new train and for giving Fynn a new sleeping buddy (and for the chocolate and Coke, can't forget that!).  Thanks to Sarah for feeding me while I was having a nervous breakdown and thanks to everyone else for your prayers and kind thoughts. It would definitely seem the prayers are being answered, because Fynn seems completely normal - you'd never know his leg was broken.  And I have faith the rest of him will heal quickly without incident.  

Recuperation and a swishy fish

This picture is from before Fynn's splint was removed. This was about all he could do, and he doesn't really like to look at books much, so to see him sitting there is rare. Now that he's out of that thing, even with his sore foot, he is walking everywhere, which they told me not to let him do too much. But he won't stop! And the nurse did tell me it's a stable fracture, so it's not going anywhere, but he'll be sore if he doesn't stay off of those feet. And I'll spare you the pictures of his pressure sore, it's really awful, and it gets uglier by the hour. It really is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen.

Okay, I know, maybe three's a bit much. But I've discovered I really like these fish! And originally I wanted a bright blue one, but they never had one. Naturally when I go to the store without the intention to buy fish, they have a beautiful blue one. So, what else was I supposed to do? I only wanted one picture to show you his color, but the other one turned out so awesome:

Shows his color, though he's more blue in real life.

Click on this one. Look into his eyes. Sing him love songs.

Way-back Wednesday

I hereby solemnly swear to never send one of my future daughters to school wearing a Scarlett O'Hara reject dress.  Or one with bells sewn into the hem.  Or with that haircut.

Wow, if I didn't already suffer from "cross-eye" in this picture, those glasses would have certainly created that illusion.  Wow, I think I'm wearing a blue sweater vest over a blue polo.  My eyes weren't that bad; what was wrong with me????

Not really that way back, 1999, but I had to post something decent-looking after that last picture.  This was a cast party after I performed in Grease in college.  (Check out the mug on that guy in the chair.)

Good news and funky news

Fynn had a follow-up appointment with an orthopedist today, and the good news is that the break is minor enough that he doesn't need a cast or splint.  I can let him crawl around as normal, and the doctor seemed to think it would hurt Fynn enough to walk that he would keep weight off of it on his own.  He doesn't know Fynn very well.  He's just limping around like it's nothing over here. But the doctor wasn't at all concerned about the bone.  What he was concerned about, however, was the huge pressure sore on his heel.  It's basically like a bed sore.  The splint didn't have enough padding on the heel, so it wasn't getting any blood flow.  When this happens, the body cuts off the blood flow to that area and the skin and surrounding tissue dies.  This can happen in as little as two hours, and they told me it takes longer for these to heal than the bone itself.  The doctor seemed very concerned about this, and two residents came in with him to check it out.  Fynn has to go back in two weeks, not even to have the bone checked, but the sore.  Apparently they can be dangerous if they get bad enough.  I have to watch for the skin turning black and breaking down.  He'll be barefoot for a while, as his heel needs to stay dry and aired out.  I did hear the doc say that the area hadn't formed a hard casing yet, and it's not an open sore, so I guess that's good.  It looked awful at first, just this huge purple bruise-looking area with a white circle around it.  It has now faded to red, and I am hoping that because he is so young and active, it will heal quickly.  But I still have the what-ifs in the back of my head.  So while I'm not one to usually ask people to pray for me, I am asking that now.  Please keep Fynn in your prayers and heart that we can just sweep this all under the rug soon and move on.  And the poor guy, it really hurts him.  He cried the whole way home from the doctor.  

Bright Side

I've been becoming increasingly frustrated because several of Fynn's socks are missing.  I have about five half pairs out of his maybe dozen total.  But now it doesn't matter.  I now technically have more socks than ever before, since he'll only be wearing one at a time.  And oh, yeah, by far, his X-rays are the cutest thing I've ever seen, although still a little sad.

The chubby leg in the splint

Meep to the Meepest Degree of Meepishness Meeping

If a day like today is what is necessary to have something to blog about, I'd rather be blogless, thank you very much.  

After a morning of boring errands, Sarah headed over so we could walk with the kids to the park.  While Ewan ran around like a maniac, and after letting Fynn toddle around a little, I took him up to go down the slides, which he loves and laughs with pure joy every time.  So our third time down, we went down the slide, and his shoe caught on the side, jerking his leg back. His laughing turned into the strangest cry I've ever heard.  It was just a complete wail, and I had a bad feeling.  After comforting him a little, I decided to try again on the slide thinking it would cheer him up.  That didn't work.  I speculated maybe he'd sprained or even broken it, but I knew there was no way that was possible.  After we got home I changed his diaper and wiggled his legs all around, and he didn't cry.  But after his nap, he couldn't stand up on it and was in hysterics.  My doctor directed us to the ER.  Try standing room only ER, I literally sat on the floor.  I got there at probably 3:45, perhaps earlier, and just got home at around 10:15 pm.  I was shuffled from waiting area to waiting area, while listening to one woman freak out because they wouldn't give her her psychiatric medication, then enduring the same woman staring at me quite intensely for a very, very long time, then listening to a mother worried about her 17 year old son be told to F*** off by both her son and her husband.  It was simply grand.  And then the grand finale:  Fynn's tibia is broken. Which, in case you don't know, is the big shin bone.  Can you believe that?  Broken.  It's what they call a "non-displaced fracture" or as we would call it - a crack.  The poor baby just learned how to walk, and now he has a giant splint on his leg and can barely even crawl.  I am so upset, I just can't even put it into words.  I am speechless (though not "typeless" apparently). I also hadn't eaten any lunch at all, so I was near passing out the entire time at the ER.  Luckily Mary Ann was able to get Ewan early on, so he was comfortable in his own home with Grandma and Grandpa.  Bryce was able to join me much later, and he took Fynn home when we were released so I could get me some food.  

Here is when the day got even better.  On the way to get food, I noticed a CVS Pharmacy with "Open 24 Hours" on the sign, so I wanted to get his prescription filled.  They told me they wouldn't fill it because they closed at 10:00.  I was walking out when I realized it was 9:50, and my sister spent years and years as a pharmacy tech, so I know it takes five minutes to fill a prescription.  Well, combine an entire day with no food, the anxiety over my injured baby, plus nearly seven hours in a crowded, flu-ridden ER, and rude pharmacists... it wasn't pretty.  Don't mess with a tired, hungry Mama Bear.  I stormed to the back and said, "Excuse me, it's 9:50, I have a baby at home with a broken leg, and you won't fill his pain meds?"  (Thinking, Why does your sign say 24 hours?)

"Ma'am, we close at 10:00."

"I understand that, it's 9:50."

"We close at 10:00."  

"So my baby will be up crying all night in pain because you won't fill his prescription even though you aren't even closed yet."  

Then the situation really deteriorated with the other pharmacist yelling back at me, and I just left.  And you know, I know it won't hurt CVS or anything, but I will never set foot in one again.  Ever.  It may not affect them, but I'll sure feel better.

Thanks so much to Keith for giving Fynn a blessing, we appreciate it so very much.  My poor Fynn.  My poor Fynnicus Fynn of the Fairest of Fynns.  I can't even make this better for him.  

Meep.

Swooning part deux

I don't have quite as much this time, but here we go:

Etsy artist Dan-ah Kim. I unfortunately don't remember where I found this, but enjoy her gallery. This Wind-up Bird was my favorite, and I also loved Lady Hitchcock and Meet Me by the Water.

I found this one one Cuteable, Baxter the Love Pirate. Found at the Etsy shop here, Tiddlywinks.

And here is the website Missy referred me to, Kindergallery.com. And Isak is my favorite artist on there.

Once

I am just coming off of a soaring high from watching the movie Once. I read about it a year ago, and have been dying to see it ever since. It is amazing. Yeah, it's rated R, so sue me. But I don't care. This movie is a masterpiece. Coincidentally, I understand my sister Amy posted something about it on her MySpace page. Anyway, it's so good. So very good. Bryce and I had bought the soundtrack off of iTunes before we'd even finished the movie. Now I must buy the movie.

Random Tag

I'm still going to post some cute finds, but it will be later, today has been quite busy.  Danielle from Old Memories, New Hope has tagged me, and I must post five random factoids about me.

1.  I watched Bosom Buddies avidly as a kid (with Amy) and swore I was going to marry Tom Hanks.  I still have dreams about him sometimes.

2.  When we were little, Ashley and I shared a room that we never cleaned.  Once we were fighting about it, and she swung her little girl purse and hit me on the head.  The glass bottle of nail polish she had inside broke.  Ouch.

3.  I once married my cat.

4.  I actually like the smell of skunk, as does my sister Amy.  (In our defense, I once read an article that said there is a small percentage of the population that for some reason doesn't get the full essence or something, so skunk is pleasant to them.  It smells different, not gross because of some weird, scientific reason.  I was relieved that I wasn't a freak, because we were afraid to admit it to anyone.)

5.  I think the Crocodile Hunter was one of the coolest people who has ever lived.

I tag Sarah, Ashley and Shannon.

Deprivation

It's always been a minor pet peeve at stores that they don't put my 20 oz. Coke in my bag.  If I'm buying several things, like groceries, and grab myself a Coke, they always put it right in front of me, without even asking where I want it, assuming I want to carry it out.  No, my hands are full thanks, what with the two giant children and fifteen grocery bags.  I always end up putting it in a bag anyway.  It graduated from a minor pet peeve to major one today when I got home from the store, itching for my cold Coke... and realized it's not here.  Probably still sitting on the counter where the checkout girl put it.  

Insert clever title here...

I don't have a lot to say today.  It was a mostly low-key day; I ran to the store for Shannon & Co. since they all have the flu.  She is always such an awesome friend to me when I'm sick, showing up at my door with DVDs and large Cokes, and it was good to be able to pay her back in some way.  Just think, someday when I've won the lottery, I'll be able to actually pay for the groceries for sick friends!  Bryce thought he was going to be late getting home and miss our chance for dinner at Pappasito's (an unintentional Valentine tradition), that he said I could have lunch there.  So I called Sarah last-minute and talked her into coming with me.  We sat on the patio, and the weather was lovely. Then I came home, I hung out with the boys, I made a boring dinner. The End.

Missy sent me another cool link today... I think I'll do one of those "Look What I Found" posts again tomorrow, when I have the time, because I had a lot of fun posting that last week, and I'll include something from the link she sent me.  That one will be separately titled "Look What Missy Found."

So, I'm totally wiped out, and must scurry off to the land of nod.  

Asking a ridiculous favor...

I have been wanting to paint our living room for two years now, and I've had a very specific color in my head. A color which is hard to define, but which I usually describe as the of the wings on my Tinkerbell figurine. Then Miss Black Apple posted some pictures the other day, and I realized that her bedroom is the very color I want. I have some paint color card thingies from Behr, and I am trying to figure out which one matches! If any of you have some time, click on Behr, from there click on "Start Color Smart" and do a search these colors: Botanical Tint, Sweet Rhapsody and Cool Jazz. Which one matches? Or are they both wrong? HEEEEELLLLLLPPPPP. I don't want to regret my living room paint like I regret my kitchen paint!

Way-back Wednesday

There just aren't a whole lot of candids of me, that's why these are all studio and school stuff!

Dorky though I may look, I think I'm pretty dang cute here.

5th grade.  I was in love with Jamie Stewart.  This was taken on the very day I was devastated to overhear him and another girl talking about how I needed deodorant.  Oh, yeah?  Well, your hair was ugly, Jamie!

8th grade.  Another example of how I dressed so unlike me for picture day.  I never wore button down shirts, or pink!  But I did love those earrings.  I still have them.  And at some point, you will see me wearing them.  Because I still do.

At least I don't steal...

Sadly, I cannot find a link to what I want to post.  My favorite magazine of all time is Lucky (thanks, Amy), and when it comes in the mail, I immediately pounce and scarf it all down in one sitting.  It's the only magazine I actually pay for, the rest I won for free.  Anyway, this month, they have a Spring Style Guide that is 26 pages long, dividing the styles into categories like "ballet-inspired," "safari," "schoolboy," etc.  And then there is the crowning jewel of any style magazine or website I have ever seen.  The category entitled "bohemian florals." Holy friggin' cow, people, my magazine is wet from the drool.  There was one blouse in particular I wanted to post about, but I can't find it anywhere online.  But even the other categories have tons of awesome finds.  Between the paisleys and slouch of the bohemian stuff, the peacock details of the safari, and the frills of the ballet page, I am one coveting gal.  And I'm not really one of those people who seeks to be rich, but oh, my gosh, this month's Lucky pretty much obliterated any hope I had of keep the "do not covet" commandment. Get thee to a magazine stand and buy it.  Proceed to want.  

Hormonal Hayride

The Internet fast went fairly well today.  It was just a bit of a chore to catch up on all of the blogs at one time, but all is well, and my day was better for it.  At least up to a point.  

I don't normally like to be cliched and talk about "hormones," but I swear mine are having some sort of raging kegger inside my body, causing me to be completely irrational and to feel weird.  Yesterday, I spontaneously started trembling in the early afternoon, which lasted until well after dinner.  I have a tendency to tremble at times, and that alone makes me an emotional mess.  Today early on was very good, although busy.  Then I ventured out of the house to run some errands, buying diapers and such, and started ruminating over some minor events going on, and became so irrationally emotional that I was near tears in the store.  For no reason.  I was even having a logical dialogue in my head to talk me down, to no avail.  (Can one have a "logical" dialogue going on in their head?)  To make matters worse, I had grabbed one of those little $1 buckets of Teddy Grahams for the kids to snack on, and at the checkout counter, Ewan spilled every last one, save maybe ten of them, all over the floor.  The girl behind me, who had already been looking at my children like they were some sort of parasite, got even crankier-looking, and couldn't have stuck her nose further up in the air if Superman had flown by.  The check out lady was less than gracious, and the girl who came to sweep it up was quite irritated that I had made her work for her money.  Then Ewan peeks into the nearly empty cup and says, "I need more."  The evening culminated in Ewan refusing to eat his peas, Bryce backing him up by giving him a piece of chocolate and me shouting, "I don't even know why ya'll have a mother, you can obviously raise yourselves!" and slamming myself into the bedroom, where I flopped on the bed and devoured an InStyle.  

I'm okay now.  Really.

Snacking between meals...

The above title in reference to my Internet diet. I've managed to stay off all morning, thanks to preschool. But I figured I could sit down and check in with the world while the kids are occupied.

Missy sent me this link, and I love it so much. Would make a lovely Valentine's Day gift, since I've never gotten one before (cough, hint, cough, hint, Bryce, cough!).

Found at Under the Moon Jewelry Store on Etsy. Thanks for sending it, Missy!

I'm addicted to you baby/You're a hard habit to break...

I know some people probably thought it was pretty gloomy, but I loved the weather today. Overcast, not too warm, not too cool, and especially the soft breezes.  It was absolutely heavenly while the kids and I played outside. Inside, however, was not so nice.  Ewan, who used to be the ultimate vegetable connoisseur, and I have been having the same dialogue all too often lately.  It goes something like this:

Ewan:  Mommy, can I have a cookie?
Mommy:  No, not right now.
Ewan:  (throwing such a huge fit I can actually see fangs growing)  Oh, but I want one, please let me have a cookie!  (Screams something indecipherable.)  I want one right now.  Yes, now!
Mommy:  No, you have to eat all of your (insert veggie here) first, then you can have one.
Ewan:  Okay.
...
...
(Ewan continues not eating.)
Mommy:  You won't get a cookie if you don't eat those...
Ewan:  I've just changed my mind, Mommy.  I don't want a cookie.

How can I win in the face of that logic?  But I can grow my own fangs, so I usually do end up winning eventually.

Tomorrow for the first time I'll be hosting the preschool.  It should be interesting, as my entire house is the size of most of the kids' bedrooms.  Okay, okay, so maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but only very slight.  This means I have to get up and vacuum.  And who wants to do that?  My dog's hair is woven so tightly into my rug, that if I could just find the right means of lifting it out while leaving it intact, I could have a whole new dog hair rug for the boys' room.

Now for my little announcement:  I'm going on an Internet diet.  That's right, I'm cutting down, trimming the fat off of my surfing habit.  The thing is, I rarely sit and just spend lots of time at one time, but all day as I'm running around the house, I stop and do a quick e-mail check, or news check to see if anything catastrophic has happened either in the real world or Hollywood.  Ugh, it's sickening.  I always go on and on about how we keep the TV off, but spending so much time on the Internet throughout the day isn't any better.  So, I'm checking all messages in the morning, because you know I'm so important that the President will check in with me during the wee hours, and then I am shutting it down.  I'm saving all of my writing for my evening session.  So, I'll pretty much be MIA via e-mail and blog until late in the day.  

As if you were interested.

Pros and cons

If this picture doesn't make you want to have a baby, I think your ovaries are dried up.  Seriously, I want to devour that neck.  If your ovaries aren't dried up, and you are looking to get them that way, then this creepy thing should do the trick.

Hard Lessons and the Question of the Day

Right before I tucked Ewan in, we were having our "talking time," and he asked me what "nerd" means.  Not really knowing what to say, I hesitated for a long time, and finally told him it kind of means goofy.  He asked me, "Who is a nerd?"  I don't want him to ever make fun of people, or to ever censor himself in any way, so I gave him the most truthful answer, "Everyone is a nerd in some little way."  So he then asked me in what way Natalie is a nerd.  I told him I didn't know, but to not call her that because people don't like it.  So if he calls any of you or your kids a nerd, it's not personal, I'm sure he means it as a compliment.

Now for the real question of the night, also courtesy of Ewan:  "What would happen if your eyes were on your teeth?"

And I shut my eyes, I swear I could hear the sea*

I don't like to talk much about death, which is why I didn't mention the recent deaths widely reported, like Heath Ledger and most importantly Gordon B. Hinckley.  I just don't think anything I could say would do anything justice, so I keep quiet.  I haven't yet seen Gordon B. Hinckley's funeral, or perhaps I'd have something to say about it.  At any rate, I just read this about Heath Ledger's funeral, and I think it is so cool.  Perhaps it's the way it should be.

*The above line is from a Better than Ezra song called A Lifetime.

Swooning

Bryce has a "man date" with Keith tonight, playing Guitar Hero. So while I wait for Ewan to fall asleep, I've been browsing the Internet, looking for things I would buy right now if I had a ridiculously substantial bank account. Here, I'll share what I found, Cuteable style:

~~I would probably never actually use this, but so cute I'd pull it out just to stare at the image instead of the mirror. Find it here at Modishhandmade.com.

~~I'm very fish-minded lately, and adore this fishy abode, found here at Wrapables.com.

~~My heart stopped when these popped up on my screen. Click here for their natural habitat at Givesimple.com.

~~So delicate and pretty, would make a lovely Valentine. Home at Lochers.com.

~~This wants to be in my living room. It told me. But it said to get a new rug first. I found it at Designhole.blogspot.com. View.

~~Tweet tweet, also at Modishhandmade.com.

"Someday," by Yellena. This may be my most favoritest thing I have ever looked at. It's not even expensive. Doesn't change the fact that I'm seriously considering robbing a bank so I can do some major shopping on the main website, Yellena.com. Thanks to Poppytalk Handmade for leading me there.

Toadstools and Moongazing

Referenced in my previous post, I saw this mushroom at Target today in the garden section, and without a nanosecond of hesitation, bought it. I usually mull purchases over, and I wasn't even at Target to spend money, but this just would not be left behind. I think it goes perfectly with this moon-gazing fairy that Vanessa gave me a few years ago, which has always been one of my favorites. I love this fairy so, and am glad I have been able to give her some shelter from the rain and somewhere to rest and ponder. They reside together on one of my living rooms shelves. I'm extremely pleased.

Hoot, Hoot

I won a free subscription to House Beautiful, and recently got my first issue.  As I was looking through, they had this fabulous, whimsical print of a cute owl.  I loved it.  So I tracked down where to find it and - lo and behold! - it came from Anthropologie!!!  Imagine that.  Behold it here.  I think I'd have Britney Spears shave off my hair for it.  (The bird print is pretty darn cute, too.)  I know owls are actually quite trendy right now, but I've always loved them.  I've always loved anything woodsy, birdie, fairy, toadstool, whimsical, etc.  Hence the blog header Missy made for me.  I think it comes from a childhood of devouring all of Lucy Maud Montgomery's books.  I used to sit in my classes in high school and doodle mushrooms all over everything.  I think people thought I was a big of a druggy. And speaking of mushrooms, I'll be posting a picture of another cute find a little later.

Lost?

So, thoughts on the show tonight? So much... polar bear skeleton in the desert with a Dharma collar, plane underwater, bullet-proof vests...

Plug

Okay, so Missy totally rocks. I love the new header, and she was so incredibly nice to have done it for me! If you haven't noticed, in two of the squares are the silhouettes of my boys that she did from some pictures I took. Awesome. I love it. She really needs to set up her Etsy shop. Anyway, I didn't want the rest to be plain, because I'm ridiculous that way, so I chose the tree. And I think it all looks smashing together. Hopefully the fresh, new look that is more Me-ish, Skillywidden-ish, fairy-ish, Coca-cola-ish, owl-ish, tree-ish, bird-ish, etc. will give me some fresh, new inspiration and I can write something spectacular.

Finger lickin' good

Okay, so I totally stole this video off of Dooce's website, but it was so stinkin' cute, I couldn't NOT post it.  I want the soundtrack to this, and I'd listen to it on repeat as I went about my household chores.  I mean, seriously, this is cute at its cutest.  I'm totally against all that stuff they say is in our future, like picking what color your baby's hair and eyes are going to be, but if it were possible, I would soooooo pick a kid with an English accent.  

Way-back Wednesday

I'm going to run out of pictures soon; I really don't have that many.

Mom, me and Ashley.

Some random guy had a little horse in our neighborhood, and for some reason, we got pictures on it. Yeehaw.

I must be about 14 here, and I was so utterly, completely, heart-breakingly in love with this guy. It was devastating. Some of you know who he is. I wonder if he ever knew... We still have some common connections, so it's very possible he'll know soon.

R.I.P. Fizzle & Name Suggestions by Ewan

So the first thing we had to do this morning was get the dead fish out of the bowl and take him back to the pet store for a replacement.  We found this pretty little guy, whose fins look very red/blue/pink/silver iridescent in person, or should I say "in fishon?"  I let Ewan help me come up with a name, and he came up with the names Walmart, Pepsi, Building, and Store.  That last suggestion made me think of "Stuart," which he liked, so Stuart it is.

All Creatures of Our God and King

I once drove over 30 miles to an overnight emergency vet at 11:30 p.m. because my pet mouse was dehydrated. I took a different pet mouse to a vet to be euthanized because I could tell it was about to die and was suffering. When my cats have killed birds in the past, I have given them a proper burial. I've driven nearly 50 miles to take an orphaned bird to a bird reserve, I've befriended otherwise unbefriendable wild, stray cats, I've cried over a news story of a turtle being tortured by fire, and I often feel guilty for killing bugs. I think all those convicted of animal cruelty should be burned at the stake.  

I never, ever thought I could cry over a fish. But this fish is suffering.  You can tell he is dying, beyond help, and he's struggling so hard to breathe.  His gills are opening and closing so slowly, but the effort is so difficult that it rocks his entire body.  I am heartsick over it, because I can't stop the suffering.  I guess I could technically do something, but I'm no Jack Kevorkian.  I feel so terrible that I can't help the wee guy, and am anguished that it is taking him so long to die.

When I'm at the final judgement and answering questions about why did I ever drank frappuccinos, my lust for Ryan Gosling, and why I don't even like my own dog, the Lord will look on my heart and see these things I have done and felt over animals, and he'll cut me a little slack. 

You'd think I'd be a vegetarian, wouldn't you?

It is lovely, when I forget all birthdays, including my own, to find that somebody remembers me. - Ellen Glasgow

*UPDATE*  Bryce redeemed himself, totally, by bringing me snacks to make me fatter.  :)
I have such good friends and family who have taken such good care of me on my birthday.  My mother treated me to dinner last night, after which Shannon treated me to a movie.  Sarah took me to lunch today and also ordered me something Black Apple-ish, as did Mary Ann.  It's been wonderful, and I am so blessed.  I, who am so lazy about birthdays, have been treated like a queen, and I am moved to tears over it.  Thank you all, you are so loved and appreciated.

And now for the "Woe Is Me" portion of the evening, and forgive the whining.  I know it isn't attractive, but I simply must:  Bryce is under the impression my birthday should be ignored since we had such a nice anniversary, I made my own birthday cake, without candles, and sang to myself, Bryce is still at work at nearly 8:00 pm with no idea when he'll be home, and my fish is half belly-up, dying before my eyes.  Meep.  Combine these first two paragraphs, and my emotions are paradoxical indeed.

After Fynn goes to bed, Ewan and I are totally watching a movie.  And I'll be having a Coke.

Double decker day

Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad!!! 48 years, can you believe it? Here they are on their wedding day, February 5, 1960.Nine months later, they gave birth (or, rather, my mom gave birth, my dad was in the waiting room smoking) to the boy in the picture below, my fabulous brother Ken, who 17 years after that, posed in said picture with his brand new baby sister, yours truly, the eighth of nine, born on my parent's anniversary. This is the youngest picture I have of me.

On another note, tonight I am wistful. This weather makes me wistful. There's no other word for it. And what a great word wistful is. If it is possible for a word that doesn't describe a sound to be onomatopoeic, then wistful would surely be that word.

27 Dresses

Okay, regardless of how you feel about silly, fluffy romantic comedies... see this movie.  Seriously, just for the clothes alone.  That's all that matters.  The clothes.  Clothes make the world go round.

If I could live in a website...

... this would be my address.

Snips 'n Snails & Puppy Dog Tails

Dread Pirate SlobberBeard

A leap of faith...

Chillin' with Mama

"Gotta hold on tight, hold tight..."

Gimme *Updated*

*Oh, my goodness, my mother in law just wrote me and told me she ordered this for my birthday.  I am so excited!*

Something about this just makes my heart soar.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and Fynn the Upright

Ugh, the last time I had a real, decent post was back in the first week of January. That's one long case of the blahs if ever I've seen one. I've had week-long blahs before, and it doesn't usually bother me, but now I'm going on a month! This past week was particularly "blah-ish," as they amount of take-out and Coke I consume, the amount of cusswords I spew out, and the amount of time spent on useless Internet sites are in direct proportion to how high or low my spirits are. I knew I was in dire straits when on the way home from church today, I saw someone driving out of the Jack-in-the-Box drive-through and was way too envious that they could have some take-out and I could not. So, I'm trying to read good books, spend time with the boys, pray more and write something. I have now become a little bothered and concerned, because I feel like I'm neglecting my blog, and therefore any writing at all. So, here I am, determined to write something, anything, worthwhile. I'm going with stream of consciousness to see if anything valuable tumbles out. (Plus I actually have a decent idea for a book, so that's a new project I'll be working on.)

One of the new fish, Pop, lets me pet it. Seriously. I read on the Internet on a betta care page that they will become accustomed to you and recognize you and let you pet them. So I tried it, I stuck my finger in the water, approached him, and sure enough, he was still as I ran my finger along his body. He then started to kind of circle through around my finger, much like a cat when it weaves around your legs. It's very cool, and I can't believe I'm not squeamish about it. I never, ever, in a million years thought I could become attached to a fish. But I am. Fizzle, however, has a little attitude problem, and spends much of his time grounded to his bedroom playing video games and sulking.

Ewan is such a cool kid, and getting so tall and is just a boy. Shannon and I talked about how when they turn three, they are still kind of babies. But once they turn four, which he will in March, the baby is completely gone and before you stands this little man. He has such a funny sense of humor, and now he's figured out how he cracks us up when he imagines or makes stuff up, so now he does it just to make us laugh. And he'll do it over and over again, demanding each time that we laugh. But after twelve times of the same gag, it's hard to laugh, and when we fake laugh, he totally calls us on it. I actually had to have a little talk with him explaining that we couldn't laugh every single time just the way he wants us to, but that it is still funny. Every Sunday we ask him what he talked about in Primary, and he never remembers. Same thing today, but twenty minutes later after "not remembering," he started talking in great detail about the M&Ms his teacher let him pick out. I talked to her later, and she explained her lesson was about making choices. Ahhh, the joys of candy-coated chocolate greatly overshadow the eternal lesson of free agency.

Fynn officially walks now. He'd do it off and on for a while, two or three steps at a time, and I thought he would hold off for a month or so. But then, one day, it's like he literally woke up and said, "Yeah, I think I'll just walk from now on." It's very cute, he still walks like a drunkard, and seems too small to be upright, but he loves it. He's so proud of himself, as you can see in the video below. (Please pardon his "Dumb and Dumber" haircut, that darn hair-cutter lady!)

And now I think it's time for another baby.

Just kidding. But seriously, he will be 18 months old in June, and I totally want to try to have another baby after that. I just want to be prepared, mentally and physically. So now I'm on this huge campaign to add balance to my life, and discipline myself in my daily, hourly choices. It's so hard to make myself commit to anything long-term, no matter how important it may be. Last year was my 30th birthday, and it seemed like such a good kicking-off point to living healthily, better, happier. Well, I'm still in the same boat one year later. I turn 31 on Tuesday, and I just think it's time to grow up, already. Easier said than done.

Other projects coming up in my future: painting the living room, arranging pictures and knick-knacks more attractively, spending more time outside with the kids, journaling, reading worthwhile things, learning, getting closer to God, writing a book and children's stories, spending less time on the computer (unless writing) and just trying to improve my home, my family, myself. It's not a total, instant overhaul, because those are next to impossible, but baby steps and small changes are all I'm looking for right now.

Speaking of painting and arranging my house, check out these badboys:
Those are prints from The Black Apple that Bryce got me for Christmas. I found some really cheap frames ($4.98 and $6.98) and I think they look really nice. The color I want to paint the living room is a very slightly lighter version of the blue in the background of the top picture. I need to redo a lot of the way my pictures are arranged and other stuff, so this is their temporary home.

On another note, I heard the writer's strike may very well end this week. Do you know what that means? More Michaelisms from The Office, and a full season of Lost, rather than a cheated half season. My fingers are crossed, as should yours. Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully this week will be a little better and I'll have some interesting stories to tell and insights to share.

Splish, Splash, I was taking a bath

I've found that if I take 15 minutes in the morning to put on a little makeup and fix my hair, I feel so much better throughout the day. I just feel more put together and organized, and my mood is a thousand times better. So I always make sure to take that time for myself, but it's hard because Fynn is usually trying to grab my straightening iron from me, digging in the toilet or trash, or whatever else he can get into. I now have found a wonderful solution:
It's amazing how much fun an empty bathtub is. Perhaps it is the novelty. They were having so much fun, they didn't even want to get out when I was finished.