Archives for October 2008

The Bluest Eyes in… Well, Not Texas

One of my favorite pictures I took today was Pumpkin staring in the mouth of a megaphone so that all you could see was her little blue eye. This girl has unbelievable eyes. Quite possibly the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. And it’s funny, both my girls have blue eyes – but they are so different. The Princess’s eyes are just like Hubby’s. They are a very pale blue – but they are blue through and through. Pumpkin’s are almost an ice blue with an almost navy blue rim around the edge. She has stunning eyes.

And I don’t know how or why.

(This would be a good time for someone to jump in and explain genetics to me)

Obviously, I know that I carry a blue-eyed gene: both of my maternal grandparents have blue eyes. My mom has hazel eyes, and my dad’s eyes are much like my own – brown eyes that seem to lighten with age (or mood, or with what I’m wearing – often these days, they are more hazel/green than brown). My driver’s license says my eyes are brown, but honestly, most days you wouldn’t think so from looking at them.

Anyway, what’s my point? Really… I have none. I just wanted to post this picture – it would have been my picture of the day but I opted for one with more of a Halloween tinge to it, so that when I looked at them next year, I’d remember the prevailing theme of the day was Halloween (and bless my kids who after an hour of firmly denying my requests for candy finally gave me a mini Kit Kat and a mini Butterfinger – and who doesn’t love a Butterfinger?).

When I Get Goofy…

The other day was another day in my life where I didn’t really seem to do anything of note, and I really had no idea what to take my picture of. So… when that happened, I decided to turn the camera on myself and be silly.Instead, this is the one I submitted because I figured not everyone needed to see my eye-rolling, tongue-sticking out goofball side. Instead, this is me just being goofy. Without being goofy.

And YES, I totally own a hairbrush – I had just taken my pony tail out though, so it’s a little crazy.

Friday Fill In

Okay, my answers are bold and italics. No more fancy colors for you.

1. My favorite food seasoning is cilantro or… cumin.

2. Music (or silence!) is music to my ears.

3. Lucky is so obviously speeding when you pass a cop and not getting pulled over.

4. My kids and their health and well being is something I take very seriously.

5. Many people love Halloween, but I’m just in it for the chocolate.

6. Coke Zero, a black shirt and a protein bar were the last things I bought at the store.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I am looking forward to a mini Snickers bar, tomorrow my plans include dressing up in some way for a Halloween gathering (oy), and Sunday I want to sleep in because the girls are spending the night with my mom on Saturday night.

Thursday Ten, Don’t Trust A Ho Edition

1. Um, yeah. The “don’t trust a ho” thing is from some of my new music this week. That lovely gem is from “Don’t Trust Me” by 3OH!3. I’m also listening to: “Sex On Fire” (Kings of Leon), “Especially in Michigan” (Red Hot Chili Peppers), “It’s All Your Fault” and “Please Don’t Leave Me” (P!nk), “You’re Not Sorry” (Taylor Swift) and “Stars” (Josh Charles).

2. Speaking of Josh Charles – he’s pretty awesome. Stumbled over him on Twitter. You can follow him on Twitter (here’s the link to his profile). I’m actually really liking his sound – his voice is definitely very Van Morrison-y. You can check him out on Amazon or iTunes, or visit his web page here. If you sign up for his mailing list, you can get a free unreleased MP3. I have the info to do that sitting in my inbox – I’ve just been too freakin’ lazy to do it yet. Okay – I’m done pimping him for the day… but definitely check him out.

3. Guitar lesson today – I started learning “Taylor” by Jack Johnson. The reason she wanted to teach me was because of all the slurs (No, not the politically incorrect kind that you’re not supposed to do – but with guitar there are things called slurs which include hammer-ons and pull-offs. And I can’t really explain it – if you want to know, you should take your own lessons). I’m either going to be VERY impressed with myself for mastering it at some point, or very annoyed that my fingers won’t work that way.

4. Halloween tomorrow – got a last minute invite to a party requiring a costume. Fantastic. Not many options if you don’t want to be a slutty nurse, or a slutty… anything. I think I may just try to find some cat ears, wear all black and call it good. Unless y’all have better ideas? Lay ’em on me.

5. I should totally get bonus points for not forgetting to eat lunch today. While I was running errands (trying to find stupid cat ears), I hit Panera for some soup. Note: Soup is not travel food. Whooops.

6. So, Halloween is tomorrow. I will not be trick-or-treating. Instead, I’ll be waiting for Hubby to get back with the girls so that I can raid their candy.

7. Yesterday, the 365 kicked my butt. Some days, there’s inspiration everywhere and I can find things to take pictures of. Somedays, I take random goofy pictures of myself making funny faces. There’s entirely too few pictures of me sticking my tongue out. Or rolling my eyes. I don’t love having my picture taken – so here’s hoping I don’t have to do that much!

8. Stepson is nearly 13 and in 7th grade. Last night, after listening to approximately two hours of him struggling with math homework with Hubby, it became pretty clear that the kid doesn’t know his multiplication tables at all. Way back when dinosaurs roamed the land and I was in junior high (oh, let’s be real – WAY before junior high) there was that whole memorization of the multiplication tables dealy. And it WAS memorization. It wasn’t thought. It was basically drilling into your brain, “9×1=9, 9×2=18, 9×3=27…” and so on. That way if asked, you could spit out an answer without thinking about it. Stepson can’t. And I don’t know if it’s that they don’t teach it like that anymore (entirely possible) or if he just doesn’t get it? Any ideas? Honestly, I never really struggled with math until my freshman year at University of Michigan in Calculus II which basically drove me to tears and I think I got a C and decided maybe that would just be it for math… and the Engineering program for me.

9. My little Starbucks dude asked me if I was “dressing up for Halloween” tomorrow. He can’t think of a costume. He wants to be Obama but doesn’t want to step on any toes. And I can totally borrow his apron and be a Starbucks person if I want. I don’t even know what to say but it’s good for a laugh.

10. Tickets to see The Killers in concert go on sale tomorrow. I want to go so badly… anyone want to be my date?

You may want to visit Blissfully Domestic and check out other links via “I am Blissfully Domestic” . Blogger seems to not love my COOL “Blissfully Domestic” badge. But check the link – some awesome stuff out there!!


A Little Soap Box-y

Hey. Less than a week.

Well That’s MUCH Better

Today, The Princess happily boarded her bus at approximately the right time (her bus driver is notoriously late), and I dashed Pumpkin off to daycare and then…

Siiiiilence.

Amazing, blissful silence.

And now, though I am completely and totally wiped out and ready to just crash (and it’s only 9-ish – what’s up with THAT?), having spent a day on no one’s schedule but my own was just what I needed.

I got some work done. I got a lot of laundry done. I played a little bit. I got a good workout. It was enough for me. I feel a bit more like myself and a bit less like some house-bound drone (Oh, I’m so dramatic).

Around 4 when The Princess came home, she walked in the door saying, “Hey mom! The ups guy was here!” (And yes, she said “ups” and not “U-P-S”). “Somebody got something from the ups guy!”

And that somebody was me!

A co-worker had sent a belated birthday gift: these funky collapsible measuring cups. Totally awesome. He’s on a silicone theme, he said. Last year was one of those silicone baking mats and a cool spatula. This year, the cups.


The card, in case you can’t read it also says: “Here’s to another year of excellent cookies!” Chances are, me and Pumpkin will pick up some sugar and chocolate chips tomorrow and make a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to send to the office. I may not be the sharpest stick in the eye – but I get the hint. And who wouldn’t want my cookies? I admit, they’re pretty freakin’ good.

So a blissed-out afternoon and a present too. Way better than yesterday.

Staff Development Day? Bite Me.

Today was a “Staff Development” or “Inservice” day. This meant that The Princess didn’t have school. That meant that we didn’t have her little buddy come over to wait for the bus in the morning. Rather, her buddy came over later, for several hours and I had to feed her lunch too, and then keep watching the clock to make sure I didn’t miss the time she needed to walk back home.

Having a buddy over was actually good for The Princess – it kept her entertained while her sister napped and I jammed at work (and oh my god, I was swearing under my breath as I reversed some of the work I’d done late last week – knowing full well that tomorrow I would have to do the reversal I did today – WHEE!).

By four o’clock, I realized that not only had we not left the house today, there was a good chance I was going to go crazy-nuts if I didn’t do something soon. I threw the kids in the car (well, not really. They walked. Whatever) and we drove to the Starbucks drive thru because a) maybe coffee would help and b) maybe fresh air would help and c) the Starbucks that is closer to me but missing a drive thru for some reason, their coffee is way more… acidic than most other Starbucks. I don’t like it.

Did it help? Sure, if for no other reason than we easily killed an hour that would have otherwise been spent doing nothing but tell the kids that no, it was not time to watch more TV, and I dont CARE if “Wow Wow Wubbzy” is on (AGAIN), but if I have to listen to any more television or whining, I could well just go completely overboard.

So, problem solved.

Tomorrow, life returns to normal. Better than normal actually – Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best of the bunch. I need a Tuesday really badly. Really.

Green Acres Is the Place To Be

Because of 365, I’m taking pictures all the time. And I tell people all the time that I live in the middle-of-freakin’-nowhere and that to get to anything worthwhile, you have to drive for miles and miles and miles.

So, I took a few pictures on my way home from shopping today so you can see the kind of stuff near me:
And a pretty tree on a road surrounded by farm-ish stuff.

Yeah, all within a few miles of my house. I am not a country girl. Farm living is NOT the life for me.
So there you go – a few snapshots of my drive.

Saturday’s Highs & Lows

Lows (cuz I’d like to finish with the good, right?):

Tonight, The Princess mentioned that for our 3rd annual Cookie Party, she’d like to invite the daughter of my exboyfriend from college. Now that the teacher has moved their seats so they are table mates, they are becoming SUCH GOOD FRIENDS. The Princess tells me not to worry, because “I have her phone number and address already, mom.” Cringe.

Michigan lost to Michigan State today. Granted, Michigan has had a ROYALLY crappy season. I mean, really really really crappy. But… they held their own for much of the game and completely lost it during the fourth quarter. I’m so grateful my sister (the Michigan State fan) was willing to send gloating text messages for the last four minutes of the game – otherwise, I might not be aware that my team was not winning. Ahem.

I got my eyebrows waxed this morning and the wax was too hot. I think I’m going to have a nice little red mark under my eyebrows. Both of them. Dang.

Somehow, Hubby and the kids ended up with three more pumpkins today, bringing the total of pumpkins needing to be carved to SIX. That’s a lot of freakin’ pumpkins.

Highs:

I have received “blessing” to head out sans kids tomorrow, which will be a nice break since Hubby has been gone all day today at the football game.

Picked up a new book to read – and I’ll start once I make a dent in my pile of magazines.

My kids looked pretty cute in their costumes once I de-slutted The Princess’s costume. A lot less skeezy with leggings underneath. Go me!

I made my kids’ day by taking them to McDonald’s for dinner. Because I think MickeyD’s is crap and I don’t eat it, I picked up some Chinese food for myself on the way home. I almost never have Chinese food because my husband hates it… and now I have so much leftover, I think I’ll be burned out on it soon. Yuuuuum.

How The Princess Made Me Laugh

She got really close to my face and then said in a very serious voice:

So, a patient walked into a doctor’s office, and he can’t speak. And the doctor
said, “Ohhhhh. I get what the problem is: You’re a horse.”

Seriously, y’all – I have no idea why this was so freakin’ funny to me (It’s been that kind of day, I suppose) but she said it five minutes ago and I just stopped laughing.

(Oh, and now that I just finished typing it, I’m wondering if she meant “you’re hoarse” – which makes more sense, but still… Oh well. That’s a six-year-old’s comedy skillz right there).