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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Life Lessons


Note: This post was written 1 week ago and somehow I forgot to post it. I blame the nerves and stress leading up to the adoption.

Peanut is not the most gentle child.
When she was about 2 and up to the age of about 4, she broke a lot of toys.
(Never her OWN toys... toys that belonged to her sister.)

~ Numerous times, she took her baby doll by the feet and would beat it against the door frame. And then she would laugh like a little maniac.
~ She also killed her little MagnaDoodle by slamming the little pin down on it over and over again.
~ She used to play with these little Disney Princess cake toppers from Button's 5th birthday. She slammed one down onto the Cinderella cake topper so much that Cindy's head finally broke off.

And most recently, she killed her water bottle.
It was a small CamelBak, like the one pictured below:

For these kinds of bottles, you have to use your teeth to slightly pinch the mouth thingie open and then drink through the straw.
She basically chewed that thing like a dog with a new rawhide bone. And over time, she bit off a little piece or two and the damn thing kept leaking everywhere.

We threw it away a few months ago and she's been without a water bottle. (Meanwhile, Button has had a similar one for about 2 years longer and it's still like new.)

My husband and I refused to buy her a new water bottle for this summer due to the fact that we kept trying to get her to stop biting that straw so that this wouldn't happen.
She has money in her piggy bank.

So we gave her 2 options:
1) She could go without a water bottle.
2) She could use her own money to buy her own water bottle. (We did inform her that if she ruined this one, she'd have to buy another one. And that she could potentially spend every dime she had on water bottles over the years.)

She thought about it for a minute and then said "I don't think I have enough money".
LOL. She had plenty and we told her that.

So she made her decision. She said that she wanted to buy her own bottle so that daddy and I can save our money so that we can move sooner. I swear... she cracks me up.

And now, she has a brand new water bottle with Barbie on it.
No biting required... it's a straight up straw.
And we will be checking for teeth prints.



Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Weekend Recap: Memorial Day 2013


It's been a great weekend for us. We are all still riding the high from the adoption last Thursday. The kids didn't want to go to school on Friday and we were really tempted to keep them home. But since they were going to be out for Memorial Day, we figured they should go.

Plus, on Friday, their school had a picnic for the students and any parents that wanted to come by.
We surprised them. We ate with Peanut first since she had the earlier lunch.
After she was done eating, she was freezing. (It was sunny that day but terribly windy and her class sat in the shade. So we moved over into the sun for her last 5-10 minutes outside.
She spent that time laying on my lap and it was not easy convincing her to go back to class.

Button came by about 3 minutes after Peanut's class went back inside and was thrilled to see us. She picked up her lunch and tried to eat the entire thing while laying in my lap.

We came back a few hours later and picked them up early instead of sending them to the Y.
Our plan was to go to Bachman's and pick out some flowers for our garden. The kids were THRILLED and loved helping and looking at all of the beautiful flowers.

A few of the flowers that we picked up:







We drove home to drop off the flowers before heading to visit Grandpa and found more flowers on our front step:

These are from my mom and my step-dad. The 12 red are for momma (me, yay!), the 2 pink represent the kids, and the yellow in the middle is for my husband. Really sweet. My mom is thrilled to be able to say that she's a grandmother!

After visiting Grandpa, we hit up our favorite malt and burger shop and then spent the rest of the evening at home.

And for the rest of the weekend, the kids were playing and being weird. So, being normal.


Yeah, the best thing Button had going here is that her skirt in the second pic actually matched the colors of her PJ's. She's a trip.












And Peanut, well.... She's doing her classic facepalm in the first pic, telling Daddy not to touch her with the garden glove hands, and then praying for a knife to cut up an elephant for the elephant bbq sauce that she was making. (Ah, kids. Their imaginations run wild.)

We spent the weekend being a family and being happy. It was nice, even with the temps dropping and 20 mph winds trying to blow us all over the place.





Monday, May 27, 2013

Stars and Stripes: Memorial Day Mani


Happy Memorial Day!
I did up my nails for the holiday.


For this mani, I used these polishes:
China Glaze White on White
OPI Oui Bit of Red
Elevation Polish Pic de Sotllo

Stars: Cheeky4 plate using Konad White

I will have a post tomorrow with a weekend recap.

Until then, have a great holiday!
Stay safe and if you drink, do it responsibly.


Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Best Day. Ever.


Hello all!

Today was a long day and 6 months in the making.

My husband, the girls, and I went downtown to the Juvenile Center for an adoption hearing.

I am officially their momma!

Their bio mom signed away her legal rights to them back in early December, after asking us to start the ball rolling for me to adopt them.

It has been a looong day that started at 7am and I got about 3 hours of sleep. So the details will come later. For now, pictures!!!!!


After the hearing was over, the Judge let the kids sit in his chair and use the gavel.
They were amazed and he was super nice.


Button's turn to hold the gavel.


Peanut's turn!


All of us with the judge after the hearing.


My girls.



My daughters and me.


I am on cloud 9 right now but my energy is draining. It's been a day full of anxiety, happiness, love, and exhaustion (not to mention 6 months of nerves and endless waiting).

I need a nap.




Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Weekend Recap


It's been raining. A lot.
We need it, yes.
But the humidity is doing nothing for my curly hair.
At this point, it will be pulled up for the rest of spring.

We didn't do much this past weekend.
Friday night we went to our favorite burger and malt place for dinner.

Saturday, we drove to Lakeville to the only Cracker Barrel for MILES AND MILES.
(Sad. Down south, there are Cracker Barrels everywhere it seems. But MN only has the one.)
~ The kids played outside, jumping rope. Peanut is finally getting the hang of it.
~ Button hung out with me, watching videos on my phone while Peanut 'put on a show'.
~ After we came in, we all piled on the couch and watched my old Disney videos from Christmas/New Years 2006/2007. The kids REALLY want to go see it all decorated for the holiday season.

Sunday, it poured.
Seriously. Our driveway was under water. There was a stream running through the yard.
~ After Button had a bath, I painted her nails. Peanut needs to stop eating hers if she wants them painted. It's hard as hell to paint nails that are too short.
~ Sunday night after the kids went to bed, I did my nails with a new water marble.

Left hand, as always

Rarely seen right hand

For the water marble, I used:
China Glaze Liquid Leather
China Glaze White on White
China Glaze Aquadelic (also on thumb and middle fingers)
OPI Ogre the Top Blues (also on pointer finger)
Barry M Cobalt Blue (also on pinky)

I may not be around for a few days. But when I come back, I hope to be in the best mood ever.
Hopefully more details to come!




Friday, May 17, 2013

Friday Funday


The weekend is here and I feel especially lazy. So you get pics today instead of words.
Okay, there's a few words.

My husband and I were out and about running more errands on Thursday near St. Louis Park and Golden Valley and we saw this:

It seems that Barbie got hungry (about time) and drove over to get some Asian Noodles and Egg Rolls. I know that she's an icon and all and probably has a large head about her celebrity... but did the skinny ho have to take up an entire spot for her convertible? So inconsiderate.


In fashion news, the newest thing with girls ages 7-10 is the Lawn Leaf Sack:


One size fits most and it could slightly hinder your ability to jump rope.... or see at all.
But it's all the rage on our block.


Have a great weekend!






Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Things I Can Do Without


Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on
I'm talking to you
Come on

I am making this an ongoing series of posts, changing it over from Things I Don't Get. The decision is possibly driven by my love of Tears for Fears. Possibly.
The first 3 posts can be found here, here, and here.

Let's do this.

ABC announced that they are canceling the crime drama Body of Proof. This is after a cast shake-up happened after last season. And it's after ABC giving the show a half season each of the 3 years that it's been on television.

Now, after the cast change, I thought I might not like it.
But I love it more. The changes they made were good and the writing is great.
I do hate that it doesn't air until February each season and it ends in May with all of my other shows.
But what can you do?

The show is the 3rd highest watched show on the network, behind Castle and Grey's Anatomy.
And their ratings have IMPROVED this season since the changes were made.
So, 3rd place isn't good enough anymore?
Hell, 3rd place gets a medal at the Olympics.
And hasn't ABC spent some time as the 3rd most watched Network in the past?
And 11 millions viewers is nothing to sneeze at, ya know. That's 2 million or so more than what Duck Dynasty is breaking records with!
Firefly would have had a full season 10 years ago on FOX is they'd had 11 million viewers.
Meanwhile, ABC Family is THRILLED when their highest rated show gets 3 millions viewers.

I don't get it and I don't like it. These Networks are all nuts. It's like they still think we are back in the 80's with 5 channels and most people are home each night.

With over 200 channels available to us these days, online streaming, DVD's, DVR's, and the rare obscure VHS taping a show here and there, we don't all watch TV at the same time, the same way.

We don't watch our shows until AFTER the kids are in bed and I know we aren't alone.

3rd highest ratings on the network and they cancel it.
Come on, ABC.
I'm talking to you.
Come ON.

Hopefully, we fans of the show might not feel the need to bombard ABC with emails and hate mail. It seems that ABC Studios is shopping the show around trying to find it a home on cable. (TNT and USA would be a great place to start!) If it gets a new home, the new channel should be happy with potentially over 10 million new viewers a week. And they are trying to do it fast so that the writers don't have to leave and seek work elsewhere.



Also? I could do without waiters in restaurants disappearing for looong lengths of time lately. By the time they usually get back from Narnia, I am so irritated and usually so thirsty that their tip starts shrinking like a guy's family jewels submerged in ice cold pool water.

If I see them at the other tables, I'm fine. I get that they're busy.
But when not one of the tables in their section has seen them for over 15 minutes, that's totally uncalled for and makes me want to go get my own food or drink. If you have to disappear for a while, have someone cover your tables!
Come on, waiters.
I'm talking to you.
Come ON.




So Proud of Minnesota!


Back in November, my husband and I were just two of many that voted to reject an amendment that would have banned same sex marriage in Minnesota.

There was talk when it got rejected that Minnesota was on it's way to making marriage legal for same sex couples. Honestly, we figured it would take a little while.

And yet just six months later, it's official.
Last Thursday, May 9th, the Minnesota House passed the bill.
The following Monday, May 13th, the Senate advanced the bill.

On Tuesday,  May14th, Governor Dayton signed the bill as promised. As of August 1 this year, same sex couples can legally do what millions of us have always had the freedom to do... GET MARRIED!

Governor Dayton signing the bill:

Photo from Star Tribune



St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman ordered that the flags on the Wabasha Street Freedom Bridge be changed in honor of the signing. Also, the name of the bridge as temporarily been changed to the Wabasha Street Freedom to Marry Bridge.

Photo by Tim Nelson

What an exciting few days!

I am beyond thrilled that Minnesota is the 12th state to allow same sex couples to marry.

Our family is thrilled! We told the kids and they were really happy. (They think that you should be able to marry whoever you love. And we did NOT actually teach them that. They came up with that on their own.)

Marriage is a legal union, no matter what anyone might want it to be.
You can get married in the church of your choice but if that license is not signed by witnesses and an officiant and sent in to the county, you ain't married.

This was about marriage EQUALITY. No one group should be excluded from being able to get dolled up if they choose and marry... and then boogie the night away to songs they love with friends and family. And eat cake. I love me some wedding cake.


I am so proud to be living in Minnesota during this time.
And I really hope that more states follow soon.

Approval of same sex marriage is getting higher and higher.
It's like a tidal wave: You know it's coming. Depending on what you do, you'll either be riding the wave, shooting the curl.... or it'll knock you down and drag you under.
I'm going to enjoy the ride.

Pic from GLAAD





Mother's Day 2013


I hope all of you moms reading this had a wonderful day on Sunday. I know that I had a great one.

I went the entire day without having to do laundry, dishes, or getting onto one of the kids. Both kids were trying to make it the 'best Mother's Day ever'.

When I finally rolled out of bed, the kids were excited to give me the cards.

Peanut made this at school:


I laughed when I saw the age. My mother wanted to know when I started going backwards. I think it's just fine and we'll go with that.
And I love that she tried to use an ampersand for Mac and Cheese. Looks a little like an 8 but I think she did great and I'm proud of her for trying.
I don't have a favorite food so it makes sense that she left it blank.
She told me "I didn't have time to finish it". This is SO 1st grade Peanut. And I love it.

She got this card for me at Hallmark:



So that you don't have to squint as much, this is what she wrote on the inside:


She is such a sweet kid.
And I'm the 1st best mother!

Button made me a card, too. She worked on it at home each night once her homework was done. And she did a great job:





She cut out little circles to glue inside the heart. And the balloons.
Button was very proud of her card making skills and I loved it.

This is the card that she picked out at Hallmark:


I have the sweetest girls. They loved that they had 4 cards total for me.

I also got a sweet card from my husband.

At Target on Saturday, Peanut asked Daddy if they could get some flowers for me. And she took a few minutes to pick just the right ones. When she gave them to me in the store, she was VERY proud.



Lastly, they went to buy me two more charms for Pandora bracelet. The girls LOVE getting charms for it. My husband, the kids, and my mom have all gotten me charms so the bracelet means a lot to me.

During late afternoon, we all headed outside to let the kids get some running around time. I sat in my nice big chair and enjoyed the sunshine while laughing at them.

They spent a little time playing Tag but Peanut is still pretty bad at it. If she actually manages to tag Button, she sort of just stands there and doesn't run. And then Button tags her back and runs off.
(Peanut would tag her more if she'd pump her arms when running instead of flailing them around like she's being chased by bees and laughing like a maniac the entire time.)

They also spent some time playing with their jump ropes. Again, Button is a little more skilled with sports. Peanut looks down at her feet and jumps once... so hard that she almost plants herself in the driveway leaving no room at all for the rope to clear her feet.

It was a great day free of laundry, cooking, and cleaning.
I wish more days were like that.




Monday, May 13, 2013

Weekend Recap


This past weekend seemed to fly by.
Possibly, it's because we were out and about doing tons of errands.

Friday:
My husband and I had to hit up storage, Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, and the recycling center before we picked up the kids from school.
We picked up this necklace tree from BB&B for Button for her room:


The top extends upwards so there's room to hang longer necklaces.
I spray painted it white to match her room more.

Since she got her ears pierced and will surely have a lot of earrings in the future, I ordered her a tree for those from Pottery Barn Teen last week:


The info said the letter trees are white but it was really off white. It looked really off white. So I spray painted it white as well. Looks much better.

Friday night, we took the kids to eat at Red Lobster, mainly because we love the cheddar biscuits. Oh, heaven. I could eat those all day. But I tried to be good and only had 2. That's a record for me.
And we ended up at Best Buy looking for a phone case for me... one that I actually like. Sadly, I left empty handed.

When I got home, I created this years Mother's Day manicure with the brightest green that I own and my most favorite blue. I felt that since the weather was getting brighter and happier, the nails needed to match:


The green is China Glaze I'm With the Lifeguard, the blue is Elevation Polish Pic de Sotllo, and the white is China Glaze White on White.


Saturday:
We ended up out and about again. This time, we went to Target to get Peanut a new bathing suit and get a few groceries. We also stopped by Hallmark to get Mother's Day cards for the grandmothers. (Yeah, we should try to get to that earlier.)
I made a stop at Joanne Fabrics to get some fleece to make a blackout shade for Button's room. I put one in Peanut's room over a month ago and she sleeps so much better now. Button requested one so it will let her sleep in a little on weekends.

And then I went to the one place that I usually refuse to go: the Mall of America.
Normally, I wouldn't go near it on a Saturday but since I just had to go to Nordstrom and it has an entrance outside, we braved it for the Trish McEvoy counter. We were in and out in less than 8 minutes.

We ended the night at Sonic since it's been months since any of us have had the deliciousness that is Sonic. I wanted tots. And a coney. And everything else.
I have a love/hate relationship with Sonic's menu.
There is SO much to choose from which is a blessing and a curse.

Sunday:
I'll make a separate post for Mother's Day.



Saturday, May 11, 2013

It's Whatever Day I Need It To Be


Technically, it's Saturday morning but I'm posting as if it's still Friday.

Thursday night, Peanut had her first grade performance.




















It was the first time that she has had a performance at school.
Button went through it for the fourth time over a month ago.
(And Button was having a blast. For the first time, she got to sit with us while other kids were standing in front of a huge crowd singing.)

I don't think I have ever mentioned this on the blog before but Peanut is a neurotic kid. I'm not kidding. She cannot sit still when she's nervous or uneasy about something.

She is usually doing one of the following:
Picking at her cuticles
Biting her nails
Sort of smiling but looks like she's stretching her face
Blinking really hard over and over
Swinging her arms
Tapping her feet
Shrugging her shoulders

During the performance, she was doing at least 4 of them all at once.
It looked like she was going to explode.
Poor kid. We are doing everything we can to teach her to calm down.

But she did great. And she seemed to have fun.

After the performance, we gave Nana her Mother's Day gift early... a Living Locket.
She loved it. I gave her a brushed gold one filled with a a lot of hearts:
a heart with Nana stamped on it
a heart with Mom stamped on it
birthstones in the shapes of hearts for the girls, my husband, me, and my brother-in-law

The kids have less than a month of school left this year. Whoa.
Where in the heck did the school year go?

We are all looking forward to summer and some traveling.

But first?
Hello weekend.




Wednesday, May 8, 2013

What I Love Wednesday- May 8


Finally, it's Spring! Yesterday, I sat out in the sun for a bit with no sleeves, sandals, and capris. And then realized that I needed to paint my toe nails for the first time in months.

Today for What I Love, I am concentrating on smells.
Sense of smell is so powerful.
It amazes me how certain smells can bring back memories of things long forgotten.


~ My #1 favorite smell ever?
Clean sheets.
Oh, how I love the smell of freshly clean sheets, right out of the dryer.
Sadly, I suck at changing sheets often enough. I'm lazy.
But when I wash them, I use a fabric softener that smells good, usually Snuggle Wild Orchid and Vanilla. I don't use that natural dye and perfume free stuff.
Dryer sheet? Try 3.

~ Another smell that makes me happy is a candle from Yankee Candle.
As a whole, I love most of the scented candles they offer, although some don't smell much when lit.
But my absolute favorite is their Blueberry Muffin.When I burn those candles, it really smells like I have muffins baking in the oven.
I first got one years ago and loved it.
And then, as normally happens when I find something I love, they discontinued it.
Last year when I was in there scouting for new scents, I told the girls at the counter how much I loved the Blueberry Muffin scent and they agreed that their Blueberry and Blueberry Scone scents were just not the same.

Then one of them made my day... my year.
Yankee likes to re-release a few old favorites that have been discontinued and they were about to release my favorite again for a short time.
I had them hold 4 of the large jars for me the next week when they came in.
And I use them sparingly. I'm scared I'll run out.

~The smell of coconut is a huge love of mine.
Whenever I smell coconut, I think of Pina Colodas. And that makes me think of my favorite place, Hilton Head Island. Being on HHI is where I am most at peace.
Lip balm, candles, drinks... anything coconut makes me breathe deep and relax.
Oddly, I hate eating actual coconut.
I hate Mounds and Almond Joys and I never like Hostess Snowballs.
Coconut or German Chocolate Cake? About the only times I will turn down cake. Ever.

And just about anything baking the oven: lasagna, dressing, casseroles, cakes, pies, etc.

How about you?
Any smells that you love or bring back good memories?



Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Abercrombie and What?


I cannot remember the last time I shopped in an Abercrombie and Fitch store. I do remember that I couldn't hear shit due to the LOUD music pumping through the speakers. And I do remember noticing that they were sizing their clothes down.

After what I read earlier today, I'm glad that I stopped giving that store my money.
And this is not the first time the CEO, Mike Jeffries, has come out and bashed bigger people.

He refuses to sell clothing larger than a size 10 for females. And his '10' is more like a 6 or 8 last time I checked. And if you want a shirt larger than a Large? Sorry. No dice.
(Even though, have you seen some of the teenage girls walking around? They have bigger racks, naturally, than most of their own mothers.)

Just out of curiosity... have you seen the CEO, Mike Jeffries?



See, I am one of the last people to make fun of someone for how they look or their size. But this guy? I just cannot contain my disgust.

He looks as far from a 'cool kid' as you can get.

And he's an openly gay man. He should know better than most about how hard it is to get through life when you are in a group that is perpetually bashed for being different.

I told my husband about this right after I read the article... after I had calmed down enough to speak.
My husband made an observation that was sort of scary but dead on.

Hitler hated who he was. He hated everything about himself and chose to persecute those that shared those same qualities with him.

How is Mike Jeffries any different?
I doubt very much he was the 'cool kid' and he's not really a model size. And since he actually was married in the 70's to a woman, he obviously hid his true self until it was okay for him to come out. I imagine he spent a good part of his life unhappy and trying to 'fit in'.
And yet he chooses to say what he does and run his company in a way that makes most people cringe.

Not to mention, people like him are what drive young girls to have eating disorders. They so badly want to 'fit it' and be like their classmates who wear A&F. They end up purging their food or just not eating so that they can fit into those tiny doll clothes.

People like this man make me ill. It is sad and irritating to watch someone like this rake in tons of money, hobnob with the rich, fly all over the world, and have an influence on teens yet be such a downright disgusting person.

Button does own 2 shirts from A&F Kids. We bought them over a year ago in a mad dash to find something green for her to wear for St. Patrick's Day. But they never fit her right since she's a shrimpie. And at the time, she had a little gut action going on.
According to Mike Jeffries, she wouldn't be one of the kids that he would want to be wearing his clothing.

And when we toss them tomorrow, we will tell Button WHY we are tossing them.
I bet money that she gets sad first and then says that she wants to punch the guy in the neck by the end of the explanation. Especially since I couldn't possibly wear anything from that store. By this man's definition, I am fat and not cool enough to wear those clothes.

She'll be angry with him... and I bet I get a huge hug.




I Will Now Support Your Competition


Commercials.
They can be quite entertaining.
They can also be annoying as hell.

And just like anything else in this world, people have different opinions.
What is entertaining to one is annoying to another.
And vice versa.

Some commercials end up being great because I might find a new song/artist featured that I had never previously encountered. (An old T-Mobile commercial brought me The Hives and the Internet Explorer commercials introduced me to Alex Clare. I don't care about either product/company but I liked the music.) 

But some commercials make me stabby. (I'm looking at you, Axe Body Spray/Shampoo.)
And if they irritate me too much at all, I won't buy what they're trying to sell me.

First up: Activia
Seriously. I don't give a damn about your digestive system and I'm guessing I'm not alone in this thought. And the older commercials? Where the ladies taped themselves everyday? Come on. Who in the hell would really do that? And why would you think ANYONE, except maybe your doctor, would care about your bowel movements?

Second: ANY infomercial
I am AMAZED at the actors they find for these.
WHY must you make every day activities look sooooo hard?
I generally don't end up thinking 'wow, that task is pretty difficult and that product would save me so much time and energy. Must call now! '.
I end up thinking 'you're a dumbass if you seriously cannot manage to hang your clothes on a hanger without them falling off. Maybe stop swinging the hanger back and forth?'.

Third: He went to Jared!
I really don't care where he went. Those commercials just make me want to punch someone, ANYONE. I don't have a problem with the actual stores but I just.can't.handle.the.ads. At all.
I refuse to set foot in one of their stores because of the commercials.
When my husband and kids were shopping for beads for my Pandora bracelet, he refused to go to Jared.

Fourth: Fruit Roll-Ups
That kid. That kid that sees the box. That kid that sees the box and says pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaassssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeee throughout the ENTIRE store until the dumbass mother caves in and gives him the box.
Are you freaking kidding me?
Number one, if one of our kids tried that, they would be grounded until after high school. (They know better.)
Number two, giving in to kids? Yep. That's why the zoos and theme parks are filled with selfish little brats who must have it NOW.
I have to mute that commercial immediately or I run from the room.

Five: Quilted Northern
No. No, it is NOT time to get real about what happens in the bahthroom. (You know you just said that EXACTLY the way she does in the commercial.)
Bathroom time, as we have told our kids, is private time.
And the rest of it.... like it's a NEW idea to feel clean?
It's a new and unheard of idea that feeling clean is sooo important?
And it's amusing to me that they never say 'poop', 'pee', or anything else that would make it more 'real' about what happens in the bahthroom.


Is it any wonder why I refuse to watch anything live?
If I cannot watch it on the DVR, I just don't watch it.






Monday, May 6, 2013

And There Goes My Lunch


I have never claimed to be 'normal'.

So, if any of this makes you think of me as slightly 'off', I really can't do anything about it. Hell, I KNOW that I'm slightly 'off'.

There are things in this world that make me want to wretch... or punch someone.
Sort of like how some people have a problem with the word 'moist'. (Dead Like Me cracked me up with a story about that. The mom couldn't STAND that word.)

While that word doesn't bother me, other things do.

For starters, I cannot stand watching people eat (in person and on TV.)

WHY are there so many commercials that show EXTREME close-ups of people eating? Close-ups of people putting food in their mouths. Close-ups of people chewing... with mouths slightly open. Close-ups of people licking their lips with food on their tongues.

*Shudders*
And it's so much worse when it's a commercial for anything chocolate.
Seriously, it looks like a mouth full of sh*t.

And while we are on the mouth subject, I cannot handle seeing blog posts about lip gloss and/or lipstick swatching. It makes me want to gag. Seeing the shade on YOU doesn't help me see if it'll be the right shade for me. So, you're just making me feel ill.

I have no idea where this intense hatred came from about lips/mouths.
Like I said, I never claimed to be 'normal'.


Oh, and another thing about lips and TV/movies!
Do they stick microphones IN their mouths when the actors kiss?
The sound sends me diving for the remote to mute it as quickly as possible.
In real life, I have NEVER heard the smacking lip and mouth noises that loud.

It's like listening to kids play with Gak in a plastic cup.

It seriously sounds like they are trying to suck their faces off. I start thinking I am watching Aliens. But then, I actually enjoyed that movie.

I guess the next step for the cameras is to be in the esophagus and record the inner workings of the noises that mouths make.







Friday, May 3, 2013

Some Things Just Perplex Me


Happy Friday!

We got SO lucky yesterday with the weather. While it was about 30 degrees colder than it was on Tuesday, we somehow missed all of the snow. It went right by us.
Meanwhile, Rochester got pummeled. While I feel terrible for them... YAY for us!
By the end of the weekend, the temps are supposed to climb back up. Let's hope it stays there this time.

The post today is all about what I don't get... or things that drive me nuts.

1)  Duck lips
WHY are there still people (okay, females) making duck lips while being photographed? It drives me nuts.
One of the worst offenders is Shay Mitchell. I think she's really pretty but in almost ALL of the photos she posts of herself, her lips aren't in a natural smile. (And when she takes photos with Ashley Benson, they BOTH do it.)

Example: from fanpop.com


Why does she do that? I get why almost ALL of her photos show her left side. She obviously favors the left side when being photographed. And she almost ALWAYS tilts her head and swings her gorgeous hair around on her shoulder. If I had a mane like that, I would do it, too.

But the lips. It drives me batty. Just SMILE.


2)  Kim Kardashian. 
I don't get why anyone is fascinated with her, in a good way. Now if the fascination is simply something like watching a train wreck, I get it.
She still claims to never have had surgery?

photo supplied by itsjustshowbiz.wordpress.com

Seriously? NO ONE'S face changes like that naturally. And she's heading in the WRONG direction. Another few years and she'll be in the same boat as Joan Rivers and making commercials about not being able to tell if she's smiling.

And how much money do you suppose she spends on make-up a year? (Or does she just NEVER take it off?) I read that she spends $15,000+ on a freaking workout bag so it's not hard to imagine that she spends thousands on make-up a year.

Beauty wise, I prefer more natural people. ANYONE can look a certain way (I'd say 'better' but Kim never really looks 'better') with a ton of make-up and airbrushing.


3)  Females blaming their mood swings on their periods.
This annoys me beyond belief.
I see little pics on Pinterest all the time showing what women look like during the week of their periods. Please.

I have known MANY females in my 35 years. And I can honestly say that the ONLY girls that I ever known that blamed their moods on their periods where usually the biggest bitches that I had ever met... on any given day. The period never had anything to do with it.

I get the bloating. I get the cramping. And my appetite sometimes changes. A little.
But I DON'T fly off the handle and go into a rage. (Stupidity makes me do that, not my time of the month.) I doubt that I am a freak of nature. Of all of the female friends that I've had and spent a lot of time with, I cannot name one that acts like a raging biotch for a week every month.


4) People Magazine's Most Beautiful (Man or Woman)
Really, People? Have you seen EVERY face in the world?
Why don't you call it Most Beautiful CELEBRITY?
And even then, beauty is too subjective. I can't remember the last time, or first time, that I agreed with the cover of one of those.

And to make it worse, they used airbrushed photos. Well, hell. A lot of people will look better when you mess with their images in photoshop.


So, yeah. I'm easily irritated.
Just wait for the post about "Things That Make Me Want to Vomit".




Thursday, May 2, 2013

"I'm Really a Big Girl Now!"


Yesterday was Button's 10th birthday. And it was a great day, overall.

The weather was icky from the moment she woke up but she said that she wasn't going to let that bother her. (Thankfully, we managed to avoid that snow that slammed into Rochester.)

After school, we picked her up while Peanut stayed in the after school program until we were done getting Button's gift.

We asked her on the way there if she had any idea what her gift was going to be and she guessed the yo-yo. Now, my response was NOT a lie. I said, "just because you ask for something, it doesn't always mean that you'll get it". I wanted to make her forget all about that.

When we told her that we were going to get her ears pierced, she lit up like a tree at Christmas. But then a second later, she said, "wait... is it going to hurt?". (She's sort of a wuss when it comes to any sort of pain. She's the kind of kid to show you her paper cut... 3 weeks after it healed.)

We told her that it would hurt less than last summer when she wiped out in the driveway on her bike and tore skin from her elbow and knee.

Walking through the mall, she gave us another quote to add to my ever growing list of Kid Quotes.

"I really am a big girl now. I got new socks, I'm hitting growth spurts again, I'm getting my ears pierced. And I'm 10!"

I love that the 'new socks' made it in there. Do all kids get that excited by new socks?

She got her ears pierced and only slightly looked like she might die from the immense pain. And then right after, she had to sit because she said she wasn't feeling great. But after a few minutes, she was good to go. (And she perked up lightning fast when I told her that I could MAKE her some earrings for Christmas.)

After that, we headed over to the Cheesecake Factory, big surprise. (If you ever go but have a problem with the HUGE portions and high prices, go before 5. As long as you place an order before 5pm, you can get the lunch portions which are smaller and cheaper.)

Here's Button being a happy, happy girl waiting for her food and showing off her ears:



After dinner, we headed home to have cupcakes and for Button to open the cards from the grandmothers. (She had no idea she had a gift from us.)


One of these days, I am going to sit down and figure out how to take better pictures using the manual settings. I am slowly working on it.


After she opened her cards, we gave her what she really wanted:


Seriously, are kids usually that happy with a yo-yo? I hope she remains this easily pleased as she continues to grow up.


I can't believe this kid is 10.



Wednesday, May 1, 2013

What I Love Wednesday- May 1


Today is the first day of May. And while I am NOT loving the forecast (Mother Nature is back on the sauce), I am loving other things.

Two things, to be exact.


Button: The B-day girl!



















Today is Button's 10th birthday! I cannot believe she's in the double digits now. Yikes.
I love this kid. She's got a heart of gold and almost always has a smile on her face.

We are surprising her after school today by taking her to get her ears pierced! She's never had them done. Come to think of it, she's never even brought it up.

After we get her ears pierced, we will go get Peanut and head to dinner, Button's choice. (I bet we end up at the Cheesecake Factory. She loves it there.)

And then we will come home to eat rainbow cupcakes with chocolate chip fudge frosting that I made last night.

Oh, and she will get that yo-yo that she wanted. LOL.



Peanut:



















I don't think my life will ever be dull with this girl around. She is never boring.
No matter what my day is like, I know that hanging around Peanut will always make me feel better. If nothing else, I will spend the time laughing at what she comes up with at any given moment.

At only 7 years old, she has more personality than most people twice her age.

And she's so smart sometimes, she scares me.
But it's a good kind of scary.


I don't know what my life would be like if not for having these girls. I got so lucky that I found my husband when I did and was introduced to these loving little nutballs.

I may not have birthed them, but I love them has if they were my own.



Make-up Bag Inspires Manicure


I needed a new make-up bag and since I spend too much time at Target, I checked out their selection. And I found one that I loved.

It's from Sonia Kashuk for Target.
She has quite a few patterns and sizes... something for everyone.


I liked it so much that I let it inspire my mani this week. I had naked nails and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I looked over at the bag and had an idea.
And due to the fact that I have too many just enough polish, I had the colors I needed.



I love dotticures. They are usually pretty simple, although they can be time consuming.