8.31.2008

And the Gold Medal Goes to...

...Jane Doe, walking along the streets of Lexington, MI.
Tim and I were walking about this little vacation town yesterday...Tim was pushing Lorelai's stroller up a rather steep hill, when a lady walking towards us looked at me and said "You pushed her out! C'mon, you could push her up that hill!"
*sigh*
At the time, I was like "Uh...well, I've pushed her all over town...it's HIS turn."
I wont tell you what comes to mind now that I've had time to think about it. I can't believe how WATCHED I feel when I'm out with Lorelai. I honestly believe that taking a baby out it public gives you a small taste of what it's like to be a celebrity. People of all sorts have come up to us this past year saying all sorts of things...one stranger even wanted to hold her!
I'm not trying to complain about it...bad or good, it's all part of the whole parenting experience. It's just some funny stuff!

8.29.2008

Five Years

Tomorrow will be our 5th wedding anniversary! It used to seem that every year our anniversary would come around, I'd feel like we had just gotten married...that it couldn't possibly be another year gone. BUT...since we've had Lorelai, we've changed so much...and I feel like our wedding was millions of years ago!
A few years ago, our lives were very difficult...but we've gotten double the blessings the last year and a half...we've grown closer through having Lorelai and learning how to care for and sail our very own boat. It's been a neat year...a year that we've (many times) looked forward into our impeding old age with the promise of always sharing many memories with Lorelai AND with sailing. Let's hope our boats get bigger just as Lorelai does! I love you babe! CHEERS!

One of our engagement pics...it was fate...a boat was in our future!

at our wedding shower

not a day goes by that I don't think about how I love that dress...same goes for the guy :)

our hut at the little poly in rarotonga




simply the best honeymoon EVER!

8.26.2008

Swingin' Fool



Lorelai loves the baby swings at the park. When it was time to leave, she refused to hold my hand and walk back to the car...instead, she turned around and started crawling back to the swings.
Aw!
I will also say that she used to ALWAYS sit back in the swing...but ever since she saw Lilah swinging like this, she decided this is the best way to swing :)

Do-It-Yourself Carpet Cleaning...You Really Can!

I've been talking for at least a year now (ok, fine, 2 years) about renting a carpet cleaner from Lowe's. We have a condo that is a little over 1000 square feet (80% which is covered in white carpet). Since we enjoy having indoor plants, dirty shoes, food, and a saltwater fish tank, our carpet takes a beating. We also have a black cat...well, black kitty and white carpet don't go together...ESPECIALLY since our cat likes to go on a puke-fest a couple times a year. He also uses the breaks between puke-fests to barf too. Arg! I could write about the 3 diagnoses we got on this cat (all from the same Dr. in the same week), but the point of this post is to convince you what a beautiful thing it is to clean your own carpet!
Like I said, I kept blowing hot air about how I was gonna rent this machine and get the job done...last nite I was having a pity party about the fact that Tim was out in Nebraska. We all know that the best way to end a pity party is to start a BIG project.
I drove over to Lowe's and talked to the lady at the service desk. The first thing she told me was that "It's EASY!" She was in fact correct. They have 2 different sized machines for rental. The smaller is $20 and the larger one $26 for a 24 hour rental. I would have rented the smaller machine to save $6, but only the larger was available.
In addition to choosing your machine, you pick which kind of cleaning solution you want to use. They have 2 types. I chose the one that had some oxygenating effect (since I'm a fan of oxyclean). They sell like 3 different sizes of each type...I picked the largest since my carpet was HORRID!!!
You also have the option of renting what they call a Hand Tool...it connects to the machine so that you can clean upholstery or, in my case, stairs (all 32 of them!. This was an additional $3.
For the machine, cleaning fluid, and hand tool, i was set back about $51.
So, I came home with all my loot and reviewed the directions pamphlet. It really did look easy. Once I put Lorelai to bed, I got started.
The Wide Track machine that I rented has a 3 1/2 gallon capacity. I filled it up with the proper ratio of hot water and chemical and got to work on the dirtiest areas (because I knew I'd want to go over them more than once). I made my way through the TV room, office, hallway, part of the bedroom, and 1/2 of the stairs.
At first, I wasn't sure if it was making much difference...but I proceeded to cover the dirtiest areas 2, 3, even 4 times (the directions say not to go over the areas that much...well...I have a bit of a "Tim the Tool Man Taylor" syndrome).
Honestly, it made a HUGE difference! I'm so happy with the results, I'll definitely be cleaning my carpet myself again. Even if I could have hired a company to do it for the same price, I really don't think they would have taken the time to cover the worst areas multiple times.
I really wish I had taken before and after pics. That thought occurred to me as I was cleaning the last 3 steps. Shoot. Let's put it this way: my bottom staircase looked like we were running a coal mine down there. The area by the TV was definitely suffering from the fact that we do a lot of eating there. The carpet was originally white...but it was looking tan! There was a large dark gray stain at the top of the stairs that I had tried cleaning with 2 different carpet sprays- no help. There really were spots in our carpet that I thought were permanently ruined!
But, now...the carpet is white again! I want to be like one of those models on the carpet ads...you know, the ones in cocktail dresses caressing their carpet while they sip a glass of red wine. Hmm...maybe later.
Here are some tips and tricks if you want to clean your carpet too:
1. The actual act of the cleaning is a one person job, but you may want some help moving the furniture and dragging the machine in and out of the car (or up the stairs as in my case). The large machine, which I rented, probably weighs close to 50 lbs once it's full. If you do it all yourself, 2 Advil does the trick.
2. I chose to do the bulk of my cleaning at night so that it would be dry by the time Lorelai got up...this was great.
3. If you don't own at least 2 fans, borrow some. BEFORE you cover areas more than twice, you really want to get them somewhat dry...again, the directions really recommend you don't cover areas more than twice, but it worked for me.
4. Berber carpet is a little different...pay attention to the directions if you have it.
5. Don't be in a rush to put furniture back...lots of items have metal feet or screws in the bottom...you don't want rust on your carpet!
6. I found this time of year to be perfect for this job...not too hot that i couldn't leave the windows open while I worked, but not so cool that I couldn't crank the air up to help with the drying.
7. Cranking up the ceiling fans really helped things dry.
8. If you have trouble lifting/dragging heavy things, you might want to stick with the smaller machine.
9. The even though I have a small place, I'm glad I got the bigger machine...I didn't have to refill it as often.
10. Don't worry about moving ALL your furniture. If you aren't planning on re-arranging things anytime soon, just do the main drag.
11. Pulling the machine backward while pushing the button does the cleaning...if you are planning on re-doing some areas, you can also go back over your work WITHOUT pushing in the button...this will help suck up some of the excess cleaning fluid
12. The bottle of cleaner (the largest) I bought said it would cover 900-1800 square feet. Well, my place is only a little over 1000 square feet (and I didn't clean all of it since I left all the big furniture in its place), but since I added the upper amount of what they recommended AND went over some areas multiple times, I used about 4/5 of the bottle...be aware of that.
Any questions? Ask! Obviously I'm errily excited about this since I wrote such a long blog about it!

A Little Less "Arg".

Thanks girls, for all your input. I knew I'd recieve some great input on my current case of the "blahs".
I do want to add something to my life...I'm not sure what yet. I'm not willing to settle for just anything...I've had too many jobs that literally bored me to tears! Ideally, whatever it is I end up doing needs to meet some critera:
1. It will be done from home.
2. It will bring me maximum joy and minimum pains in the rear.
3. It will use my talents.
4. It will bring home some bacon*
*It does not need to bring in a ton of bacon...if it ends up bringing home a ton, I will not complain.

I've taken a recent interest in blogging...I'd like to see my efforts be paid for a bit...I'm still in the process of finding out how to make that happen. I know that I'd need to get more traffic through here and spruce things up a bit...we're in the process. I'm interested in reviewing products, but some of the websites require my blog exist for a bit longer first. That's ok...no rush.
Etsy has been on my mind. I love to craft...I'm just not sure what I want to make. I have basic sewing skills, love working with paper and photos...I'm not sure how it will all come together, but I need to do some research and see what I can do.
Always happy to hear your thoughts!

8.25.2008

Arg!

I knew even before I had Lorelai that I wanted to stay home with her...but lately I've been a little in the dumps about being home all the time. I mostly think this is a case of "the grass is greener" syndrome. At this time of year, everyone is talking about either going back to school OR taking their kids back to school while they go to work. I feel like every magazine/book I read details the life of someone that has a super-cool job. blah, blah, blah.
Basically I just want someone to tell me I'm doing the right thing. I know.
Lorelai isn't as needy these days. There are times that she is awake that I very well could plop down and read a book...but I feel guilty if I do this...WHY?
Ok...somebody say something!

8.20.2008

PPY HDAY

Yesterday was my 1/2 birthday...nobody remembered. It's ok. I realize 1/2 birthdays are a product of being an only child...and since there aren't a ton of only children, well, there aren't a ton of 1/2 birthdays. My mom always remembers it though...well, not this year. I'm going to let it go because she spoils me all year long too ;) Tim remembers (if i give him a few days notice...which I didn't). I'll probably whine about it when he gets home...maybe he'll get me some ice cream.
ANYWAY...Lorelai and I had a fun day together. I took her to the Sterling Heights library to pick out kiddie books for the 1st time. Lorelai LOVES to "read". She really likes when I open up her closet and let her puruse her vast array of board books. She flips through the pages and points to the pictures, while uttering all her fake words. It's so charming to me...and every time I watch her do it, I think, "Maybe she'll be a reader just like Rory on Gilmore Girls and go to Yale!"

I really thought Lorelai would pass out from the sheer extacy of seeing all those kids books in one place...but all she wanted to do was crawl up and down the isles. I took the liberty of picking out some books for her. We brought home 2 of the Madeline books (because french things are so chic) and a book called "What's So Great About Being An Only Child?" (I picked this one for obvious reasons...it may very well sum up my whole life...but we didn't get past page 10 yet).

We also took a walk around the grounds of the library (which also include the police station and the civic center (whatever that means). There really are some pretty places to take pics...but Lorelai was really stuck on the crawling thing...so I didn't get many. Lots of statues, flowers, a big fountain, and a children's reading library. You should check it out!


After the library, we came home for lunch and a nap for Lorelai. After her nap, we were off to Kroger (you'd think the lady who checked my ID would have noticed it was my 1/2 birthday...nope!). We rushed home just in time to do our little tradition for dinner: mac and cheese while we watch a Gilmore Girl re-run on ABC Family. I also picked up some Ho Ho's (which I probably haven't eaten in a decade) for myself to celebrate my day...did you know that they put 3 in a package now?
After dinner we walked to the park...mommy was walking home from there kinda slowly...we had a long day...but it wasn't 1/2 bad!

Blog Olympics


Watching the Olympics for the past week and a half has caused me to develop a loser complex. Those olympians are amazing...I saw a story about one of the swimmers who won the first ever gold medal for her country 4 years ago. When she returned home from Greece, people were NAMING THEIR BABIES AFTER HER. And then there's Phelps with gold comming out his wazoo...and women more than 10 years older than me who are chisled like greek statues and running for miles and miles...you get the point.
Well, it's MY TURN NOW! I got my first ever blog award from
amy !!!
And since this allows me to award someone else, I am hereby awarding my friend andi . If you havent stumbled upon her blog yet, let me tell you, this is good stuff. Andi is a super green mom...she just began using cloth diapers...she is such a great recycler and she only sends about 1/5 of the trash bags that I send to the dump each week...PLUS, she has some great stuff for sale on etsy...AND rumor is that her husband (known to the blogging world as "B") cooks dinner every nite (*collective "oooH, ahhh"*).
The frustrating thing is that even though I've been awarded, I can't get this thing to show the links to amy and andi's sites. Guess I'm not really a blog olympian...I'll just show them the old school way...
http://amyclary.blogspot.com/
http://my-scraps-of-life.blogspot.com/

8.19.2008

Things We Make Fun of...#3

I've thought long and hard about wether or not to chose this as a topic...but 99% of the time I'm writing on here I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing...maybe I should just start writing whatever I want and not worry. Sheesh.
I have to post this one...because last nite it had me laughing so hard that I couldn't even go to sleep. Tim was SO annoyed! Without futher ado...the 3rd installment of "Things We Make Fun of" :

OLD SCHOOL WORSHIP SONGS

There are 2 old worship songs that particularly get us going. I really don't know how this started for us...these songs are really never played anymore (at least not anywhere I've been lately).
#1 is "Horse and the Rider"
#2 is "King of Kings"

Here's a cut of "Horse and the Rider"

"I will sing, unto the Lord, for He, is glorious.
The horse and rider thrown into the sea.
The Lord, my God, my strength, my song,
Is now become my victory

The Lord is God and I will praise Him,
The Lord is God, and I will exalt Him!
This is my God and I will praise Him,
Just like my fathers, I will exalt Him!"

These words aren't exactly the ones I remember (but I am famous for not being able to hear the words right, making up my own, singing the song wrong for years...) I really thought that it was "I will sing unto the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously" ANYWAY, that doesn't matter. When Tim and I start joking about this song it absoluely has to be combined with the official "Horse and the Rider" dance. I should video myself doing it so you can see. Basically you stand in one spot and alternate kicking your legs in and out. If you are really cool, you put those hands up too.
My favorite thing to do with "Horse and the Rider" is to sing "I will sing unto the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously, the HORSE AND THE RIDER THROWN INTO THE SEA, bum-bum-bum-bum-BUM-BUM-BUM!" while doing the dance. This is exactly what i was doing in the hallway last nite at 10 pm, while Tim was yelling "you'll wake the baby up!" (nothing ever wakes the baby up).

Moving on to "King of Kings"

If you attended just one church service between the '80's and '90's I am SURE you heard this ditty. It was a hot one back when flowered dresses with shoulder pads and stirrup pants were in. Here's a cut:

" He is the King of Kings
He is the Lord of Lords,
His name is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, JESUS! OOOOOHH! He is the King"

When you really got going with this one, you'd hold out the "OOOHHH!" as long as you could while spinning in a circle with your hands up...once you were about to hurl, you'd end it with a good, loud "He is the KING!"

For some reason, these popped into my head last nite and I just couldn't stop. Tim just wanted to go to sleep...he had a big day ahead of him...and there I was dancing and singing. I shut up for a few minutes...he probably though I was finally going to let him go to sleep. Then, I said to him,
"did you see the most recent headline on MSN?"
"No" says Tim.
"The Horse and the Rider were thrown into the sea!" I say.
LOL!

8.18.2008

"Lorelai" ....the soundtrack


My friend is taking a bunch of the pictures from Lorelai's 1st year and making a....well, I don't know what the official name would be...I suppose a slide show set to music.
I chose the pictures easily...the music....well, I kinda put that off for awhile...I was afraid it would be too hard! I'm funny about music...I have all sorts of tastes in music. If I hate a song, I really hate it. Songs and smells are kind of the same to me...just like a certain perfume can take me back to a vacation or phase of life, a song can "take me back", motivate me, depress me, or make me feel good. I know that this view is probably true for everyone, but I really think that I am especially sensitive to it. I can listen to a song now that I was a big fan of at a certain time in my life and it can drum up all the things I was feeling at that time...good and bad....it's like hoping in a time machine!
Sometimes a song will become a mascot of sorts for a particular time in my life...but the words in the song will not line up with that particular time...but it doesn't matter, because, in my head, it drums up all the right emotions...here's an example (since you are so confused and ready to see what other blogs were updated today):
When Tim and I made our grand entrance at our wedding reception we had the DJ play Boston's "More Than A Feeling". The title sounds right, but if you actually know the song, you'll know that it's about a guy who sounds pretty depressed...he keeps thinking about Maryanne...but the darn chick "slipped away"....perhaps she left the dude....the lyrics are vague...she could have died for all I know. BUT, if you've ever heard this song, you'll know it's SO full of energy! It's happy-rockin'-sunshine-omigod i think I'll run and extra mile today! When Tim and I were dating, he introduced me to Boston (popular in the 70's). I remember blasting their music when we'd be driving somewhere on a sunny summer day, windows and moon roof open, in Tim's black Jetta.
So, I knew that the music I'd pick for Lorelai's video might not be your typical baby music. Without further ado...
1. "Where You Lead I Will Follow" Carole King
Well, this one is an obvious choice if you're a Gilmore Girls fan...it's the theme song! The original version of the song is really about a woman and a man, but at some point she re made the song with her daughter and changed the lyrics to suit that relationship.
2. "Lorelei" Styx
Tim and I were pulling out of the driveway one day...this song was playing, and I said "I like the name Lorelei...maybe if we have a girl one day we can name her that." Obvious choice for that reason alone...here's a cut of the lyrics:

"when i think of lorelei, my head turns all around, as gentle as a butterfly, she moves without a sound, i call her on the telephone, she says be there by eight, tonight's the night she's moving in, and i can hardly wait, the way she moves...ooo ooo ooo, i gotta say... lorelai lets live together, brighter than the stars forever"

the style of the song instantly causes visions of polyester bell bottoms in your head...i guess it's not your typical lullaby...but hey.

3. "Time After Time" Cyndi Lauper
With a chorus that states:
"if you're lost you can look--and you will find me
time after time
if you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting
time after time"
you can't deny it's a good one to include in a loving tribute to your kid...however, I'll admit that I have no idea what the rest of the song means....here are some more lyrics:
"sometimes you picture me--
I'm walking too far ahead
you're calling to me, I can't hear
what you've said--
Then you say--go slow--
I fall behind--
the second hand unwinds"

HUH?

"after my picture fades and darkness has
turned to gray
watching through windows--you're wondering
if I'm OK
secrets stolen from deep inside
the drum beats out of time--"

WHAT? Maybe you should get a restraining order, some thick curtains, and a metronome?

4. "Everyday See You" Jessica Simpson
This song does not fit Jess' typical mold...I don't want to get into it here, but not all of her songs are exactly like the ones you hear on the radio. This song is soulful...it always made me feel good and warm. The lyrics aren't deep for sure, but the feeling of the song is like the sun breaking though the clouds.
Chorus:
"But I got the sun when I need it
(I got the sun)
I got the moon
I got someone I can talk to
'Cause I get to everyday see you"

We all know that sometimes the only person that can cheer us up is our kid, right? So, this one fits well.

It was fun picking the songs...hopefully someday Lorelai will appreciate my choices.

8.17.2008

No Such Thing As a Bad Picture

Really....there is no such thing as a bad picture! Something can always be done to fix what you think isnt a perfect photo. I'm totally in love with picnik. com for enhancing my photos. I know that not everyone likes the look of a photo that has been played around with...but I do. If you saw some of my favorite scrapbook pages, you'd see that my style is somewhat vintage or perhaps antique. One of the reasons I like this style is that you simply CAN'T screw it up. Often, I add brown ink to the edges of my paper to antique them or even purposely crinkle up the paper. I've found a real freedom in this style of crafting. No more agonizing over whether edges are perfectly straight and pictures perfectly spaced. No more frustration over not having perfect handwriting but rather embracing the fact that my handwriting infact is MINE alone...and that my children will appreciate seeing it preserved many years from now.
I think that the more accepting of myself and my abilities I am at the time I am crafting, the better things come out AND the more fun I have doing them...such is life!
Maybe someday I'll take pics of some of my favorite pages and post them for you.
Anyway, the point of this post was to just show you how you shouldn't ever give up on your photos...here are some examples:

Before:

Perhaps this isn't a highly flawed picture...but it is blurry...and there is a shadow cast on the wall which a professional would probably not care for. Lorelai looks a little sad...and her dress and the stool kinda clash (if you're a stickler like that).
After:

How cute is this? No more worries about clashing...the sepia tone wipes that out. Now Lorelai's serious look complements the antique look of the photo. Her name at the bottom adds some interest and highlights what I think is the mood of the photo.

The next example is much more dramatic. Hopefully Jesse and Amber don't mind me posting this! I really love taking photos...but I didn't want to get in the way with my camera. I decided I'd just take a few pics from my seat and make them work.
Before:

I kind of panicked when I saw this photo...I was hoping to get something really nice that I could pass on to the family for their albums...now that's one good looking wedding party...no problems there! But, obviously the picture is far away...there's an exit sign in the photo (not too romantic if you ask me).
After:


I just LOVE the feeling of this suped-up version...it looks like a movie! It really conveys the feeling of a wedding ceremony to me...the wedding party is looking on and it really does feel like a snapshot of a movie-like moment of time! It's still not a "perfect" photo, but it's so alive and real...this is what their family saw as they were getting married...and those are the memories you want to look back at and cherish.

8.12.2008

My Six Unspectacular Quirks

Finally answering the fact I was tagged...

1. I have to have our Brita water pitcher overly full all the time. I look at it when it is empty and think "if we suddenly lost access to water, we'd die in about 3 days....we'd better keep this thing stocked up! It would buy us a couple extra days!"

2. I hate pushing a cart at the store (the exception is grocery shopping for a large amount of things). I'll cram as much stuff as possible into one of those hand baskets just to avoid pushing a darn cart.

3. I personally hold it against people when they are in my way when I am shopping. I'm like mentally shooting daggers into their heads when this happens. Furthermore, it seems like there is always a stock boy either totally blocking off the cheese or the yogurt section when I go to shop. Yesterday, I went food shopping...oh BOY I really think the stock boy could read my mind...I was coming up to the yogurt, he looked at me and proceeded to park his cart so that it blocked off the whole yogurt section.

4. When I go shopping and I DO use a cart, I always have this battle in my head about what to do with it when the groceries are loaded in the car and I'm finished with the cart. We took this parenting class, and I remember discussing how we need to show our kids how to be good stewards of stuff...one of the examples was putting your cart back in the cart coral when you're done shopping. It really stuck with me for some reason...when I was pregnant with Lorelai, i was like the "cart-coral-user queen"....but now that I have Lorelai with me on shopping trips, it's hard...If the cart coral is like a parking spot or two away from me, I'm ok with walking over there...but I refuse to walk across the parking lot to put the cart back while my kid sits alone in the car. When I leave the cart in another parking spot, I have this mental battle that plays out in my head...I have to justify my actions to myself...I'm close to busting out for all that can hear "I know this is wrong, but I can't leave my child alone in the car!" OH brother.

5. I just plain hate telephones. If you notice, I make most of my plans over email. I have a really hard time talking to people on the phone. I think I rely heavily on body language or something...I really feel like I'm only getting about 1/2 of what people say to me over the phone...sometimes after I hang up, I fear that they have told me something spectacular and I didn't even hear it. I find myself just saying "uh huh...oh yes" without even hearing what the person has said.

6. Unlike most women (so I hear) I don't feel the need to wash new clothing before I wear it. What's the point? Do we think that the people at the factory actually have the time to try on the underwear while they are packaging it?

8.06.2008

Look What I Can Do

Incase you haven't discovered it yet...picnik.com!!! I had every intention of becoming proficient at photoshop.
I gave up! That telephone book-like manual sent me over the edge!
This free website has done all the work for me...so I can just have fun!
Here are 3 pictures I edited in about 5 minutes.
You can also upgrade to premium for $25 per year...but I haven't found the need to yet!


8.05.2008

Installment #2 of "Things We Make Fun of"

I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats since my 1st post.
Or maybe you're still laughing about the first post, "Lovin' at Stony Creek", and you're not ready for #2.
Anyway, the topic of my second post took place on our honeymoon. During our stay on the island of Aitutaki, we took a lagoon cruise. We spent a day being taken to all the best snorkeling spots in the lagoon surrounding the island. We found some amazing tropical fish and corals, and, yes folks, some humor that has stayed with us through almost 5 years of marriage.

"THE LEGEND OF CAPTAIN SEA CUCUMBER"

This is a sea cucumber. I'll admit, they aren't pretty. They were scattered in the shallow water on the shore of the lagoon. Trust me, the rest of the island was so breathtaking, they really didn't bother me. I was curious one day and actually did bring myself to touch one...it kinda felt like a plastic bag with water in it. They don't move (very quickly at least). They are kinda like the slugs of the sea, if you ask me. The natives rip them open and eat their insides...they call this "spaghetti", so if you order spaghetti the next time you're in the South Pacific, make sure you're really getting what you want. (I never did see it on a menu, though). Apparently you can rip these things open, throw the skin back in the ocean and little sea cucumber will regenerate, kinda like if you chop a worm in half. I'll stop. The details are kinda irrelevant to the story...what is relevant to the story is what these things look like. If you can't tell from the picture, they are about the size of a banana.
On said lagoon cruise, most of the other people we met were honeymooners like ourselves or older couples celebrating anniversaries. There were a few single guys...one of these guys never put sunblock on the WHOLE DAY. He was scheduled to fly home right after the cruise...I'm fairly confident that he was burned so badly that his skin probably fell off mid-flight in an X Files-esque happening. We still joke about that guy...but it wasn't funny enough to earn it's own post.
The other single guy...
We have no idea what the dude's name was...but we will never forget that LIGHT BLUE SPEEDO. Ok....it was actually a light blue pair of "euro shorts" (i think that's what they are called). Picture a guy wearing boy shorts...ok....yeah, we do call them "boy shorts", so a guy wearing them should be normal...in America, it's NOT the norm...so we found it irresistibly FUNNY (and...yikes...tight).
So...I told you about sea cucumbers.....and I told you about dude's bathing suit...I'll let you do the math.
If you hang out with Tim and I on the beach and a speedo is your style, don't feel bad...we can love you just the way you are...but don't cry if we call you Captain Sea Cucumber!

8.03.2008

Saturday Sail

Tim and I took the boat out yesterday. We hadn't taken out the boat in 2 weeks (since we were at Interlochen last weekend) so we were eager to go. Seriously, I felt like our sailing skills were rusty! It seemed to take me forever to raise and lower the sails...even the anchor felt heavier...but, alas, we had a good time. We began our sail around 3 pm. Between 3 and 6pm it was a little windy for my taste, but as the evening went on, the wind died down. When we were on our last tack (of course!) the conditions turned perfect, which made it hard to go in!
We also discovered that the best $8 we've spent this year has been on an intertube. We came across a nicely sized intertube at the toy store and thought, "boy, it would be fun to float that off the back of the boat." When we dropped anchor for dinner, we tied the tube up to the back of the boat and took turns relaxing in it...boy was it nice!


Losing My Mind? More Like Lost it...

Yesterday, I came home and I was tired. I decided to pour myself a glass of wine. I got out the bottle of wine and began to pour....then I looked down at what I was doing.
I was pouring my wine into a baby bottle.
Wow.

8.02.2008

Pictures

Once in awhile, it happens. I get this urge to take pictures...not just normal everyday "oh, that's cute let me get the camera." It's like i wake up in the morning and i know we have to have a formal photo shoot. When I have this urge, I usually put Lorelai in something cute (or nothing at all) and set up a little studio area in the back of the condo in the afternoon (great sunlight) and snap away. Yesterday was one of those days...and I think we got some great shots. I edited them all in snapfish...cropped them a and made some in black and white. I wish I could post those for you, but you'll have to see the originals. For some reason blogger wont post things I edit in photoshop.








8.01.2008

Goddess On a Mountaintop


Well, if you know me, you know I hold Martha Stewart in high esteem. I enjoy her show, but I don't watch it much during the summer. I'd rather stare out the window at the sunshine and green grass than watch daytime tv in the summer. This morning, I was getting ready and I thought I'd see what was on Martha while I did my hair. Her show was all about babies...too bad I didnt tune in until the end. Martha was having a question and answer session with a bunch of moms. Here is the exact quote:

mom: "What is a good theme for a 1 year-old's birthday party?"
Martha: " Oh my GOSH! CUPCAKES!"

I'm still smiling.

One of my favorite parts of the evening is going in to check on Lorelai before I go to bed. There are days when 8 pm can't come fast enough and I'm rejoicing when she is down for the nite...but by the time MY bed time comes, all those feelings are long forgotten. I quietly open the door and instantly want to pick her up. Lorelai moves around quite a bit at night, and sometimes Tim and I comment that she looks like roadkill depending on how her arms and legs are splayed about. Tim used to not like the fact that I'd visit Lorelai before bed...he worried that I'd wake her up...but he has grown to love the tradition. I'll walk into her room now and Tim is right behind me.