"Look Mama, Did It My Own Self!"

Yes, it's been a week of firsts for the Critter.....first the tricycle, now the sandals.....sort of.

Stuff Portrait Friday: the Bedroom

Q: What do you get when you mix a move to a new city while seven months pregnant, 2 babies in 2 years, MANY unexpected home improvement outlays, and a husband that travels?

A: My boring master bedroom!

Also, I'm still a bit hung over from the food poisoning, T-I-R-E-D of playing single mom, and ready for Daddy McAustin to get back to the US. Not feeling very creative tonight.

How about that for a rivetting intro to make you want to scroll down asap? Here we go....

Our bed...the linens really are clean, it's just a trick of the lights. Geez, I can't even take a straight picture, I really need to go to bed.....

My dresser...notice there is only 1 baby picture...have the other one (and I really do love him just as much!), just haven't gotten around to putting it in the frame. Baby monitor, cell charger, and phone strategically placed so small hands can't make any more overseas calls. Can you say BARE......we're not much for the tchochkes. Can I just tell you that in my not-so-observant current state I almost got my head cut off by the ceiling fan trying to take this? Yes, I'm that dedicated!

My favorite "jammies"....these are what I wear when I'm lounging, which would be ..... NEVER! OK, when I'm sick I wear these. Enough said.

That concludes our program for today. Now WAKE UP and go see Kristine to find someone else's that's more interesting.

"Headin' Down the Highway"

Watch out! He's got wheels, and knows how to use them!
As we were playing out on the deck yesterday evening, the Critter called out to me "Look Mama, feet on the pedals!" I look up to see him roll by on his tricycle, pedaling like a pro, with an intense look of concentration on his face. He has accomplished the time honored toddler rite of passage of 'learning to ride a tricycle'!
Little bit was a great cheerleader, but REALLY wanted in on the action. He got on his own "cycle" and said "feet..cliunnaklje ....pedal" only to look down to discover that his doesn't have pedals.
And he's off! Yay, Critter!

About 2 hours later......
Stupid orange juice.
Yummy, fresh-squeezed, UNPASTEURIZED orange juice.
It was hot out, I was thirsty, OJ looked soooo inviting.
Noticed the BRIGHT ORANGE warning label, and thought "It's a good thing I've never had a problem with the stuff."
Famous last words.
Up all night.
Hugging the toilet.
Stupid food poisoning.
Better now....11.very.long.hours.later.

Moral: NEVER make fun of your friend for choosing non-nitrate, unpasteurized hotdogs triggering a case of mild listeriosis by saying "Yeah, listeria is soooo much better than nitrates!" It WILL come back around to bite you in the a**.

Way Back Wednesday:Bad Hair

I didn't get to play The Kept Woman's WBW last week due to the phone line problems, but I'm back this week.
Bad Hair. Hmmmm. So much to choose from.
I could have posted the pic from the '80s with the mile-high bangs (MANY to choose from there), or the one with the Mary Lou Retton cut (truly sad), but I thought I would give you the "piece de resistance" - but I can't find the photo! So, I'll give you this to give you an idea of what it looked like.

Yep. I decided that my naturally strawberry blond hair needed a bit more oomph, and thought it would look great just a little bit redder. I thought 'how hard can it be?'
Before a New Year's Eve party.
A party that was also first date.
WHEN I WAS 23!
Yes, old enough to supposedly know better, and definitely the only date with that guy.

I ended up with traffic-cone-orange hair. The style was actually decent, but I was a walking freak show. I called my mom in tears, she kept saying that I must be exaggerating, it couldn't be as bad as I thought, and then proceeded to VISIBLY RECOIL when she saw it.

Yes. Exactly. That. Bad.

I had to go to my salon and explain to my stylist (mortifying) what happened and BEG for an appt. to make it better. The colorist did a temp. rinse that darkened it just enough that it didn't GLOW anymore. I and had to have my hair stripped later in the week. I had hay for hair for about 3 months after that....and wore a lot of hats.

Moral of the story: NEVER take advice from a grocery store cosmetics counter clerk about do-it-yourself color.

Of Summertime and Abusive Haircuts......

Ahhhh, summer!
It's hot, sticky, and EVERYONE's hair seems to grow at double the rate of any other time of the year. We McAustins are HAIRY people. These boys came down the chute with full heads of hair and it has been growing long and strong ever since. As a consequence of being hair prodigies, my sons must have haircuts about every 3 weeks. Now this might not sound like a big deal, BUT IT IS.....especially to them.

My sons HATE having their hair cut.

With the Critter, it was such an ordeal to take him to the kid's cutting place...even with the fancy firetruck seat, even with the Elmo video....you would still think the evil woman was slowly cutting his head off with a pair of dull, rusty garden shears. But I continued to take him anyway, believing what she said: that he would get better each time. He didn't. At all. Not even the slightest amount. And then Little Bit started needing regular, "real" cuts - more than just me trimming the edges on the sink in the bathroom. The trip to the salon was more than I could bear, or afford. (That's $510 a year for all you non-math whizzes. For toddlers. Insanity.)

Now, as I've said before, I'm cheap. Shelling out $30 to have to put my kids in some as-yet-unnamed wrestling hold so that a stranger can hack away at their heads while they scream as if having burns debrided flies in the face of all that I hold frugal and sensible. I can abuse them at home for free.....and maybe even make the experience a little more pleasant for us all.

So that brings us to our project for today. The cleaning up of last night's "hacking off of the hair". You see, this is a two day process. Day One we clip away the bulk as quickly as possible, taking as much time as the child will bear, and the contortionist hold will allow. Day Two we go back and TRY to straighten up the edges. All of this occurs while any number of diversions is employed (sometimes all): watching Sesame Street, singing songs, being allowed to sit on the tractor and turn the "tractor wheel", etc.

Is it any better at home? Sometimes. Do they LIKE it? Absolutely not. Do we still fear being turned in to Child Protective Services by well-meaning neighbors if we play barber outside? Yes. Do they tolerate it better than at the salon? Usually. Have we saved $500 by the end of the year to go toward something that's actually enjoyable for everyone? Undoubtedly.

After the ordeal, we went outside and blew bubbles. (See, I'm not all sadist.)

All is forgiven.....at least until next time.

Can You Get Much "Weirder"?

I LOVE my city.
The city motto is "Keep Austin Weird", and there are many OUTSTANDING reasons why this is appropriate.
Just a few here:
1. Leslie..... homeless, middle-aged tranny and mayoral candidate pictured above.
2. Highest per capita of homeless under the age of 30. (WH likes to refer to them as "outdoorsmen"...even though a great percentage are not men.)
3. Freaky festivals abound (as well as some really cool ones:ACL)....exhibit 1: Eyeore's Birthday Party...a family event




Yes, it's a GREAT place to live...always something to do.
All this from a liberal-at-heart town that is not-so-slowly moving to the right....sigh.

A Good 5 Lb. Sneeze...

Ughhhhh. The weather is driving me nuts. Or maybe it's this unborn child. Whatever. The theme of this pregnancy seems to be allergies, no make that A L L E R G I E S ! ! ! I have awakened EVERY morning since about 6 weeks with a congestion headache....literally every morning. Some days it goes away by itself once I'm upright, some days not. Lately, with all the hurricane/tropical depression/ barometric pressure hell, I have it all day. And now the sneezing has come.and.will.not.stop. If I could just let go with one really ....productive ...sneeze I swear I could clear five pounds of the .....gunk....from my head. Instead it's just drip....drip...drip. And I can't take much to alleve the symptoms. What I can take causes crappy sleep. So the choices each evening are : 1. take the meds and be able to breath with the hope of getting some sleep due to the fact I'm falling asleep standing up because I'm so tired my body will override the stimulant effects, or 2. be able to sleep soundly for a few hours while the meds from the day wear off, and then wake up in the middle of the night sneezing and gasping for air, hoping that I'll go back to sleep because I'm so tired. It's a toss up most nights. It seems that with each of my pregnanies there has been an ailment theme - you know, one that wasn't just the come-and-go mess that everyone has. With the first it was nerve issues causing hand numbness. With the second it was MASSIVE leg swelling due to vein problems. This one, I think I'm allergic to this child. Sorry to unload, but I just needed to whine for a minute.

So what was your (or your parnter's) pregnancy ailment theme? Share, so I'll feel better...I'm sure you all have worse stories than mine.

Technology Rocks!

WH is in Japan for the week, but we got to have breakfast together this morning....sort of. Here's what was at Daddy's end of the table.....on the laptop screen....


Daddy McAustin's self-portrait from LoRS

We have had an uneventful Sunday so far, nothing even remotely blog-worthy, so I'll just leave you with the pics of the boys having their afternoon snack, and one of Little Bit at Schllitterbahn on Friday.

The big "cheese"

Sharing cherries with Sprinkles....he has such a good heart!

Look at those cheeks..don't you just want to pinch 'em?

We were too busy making sure no one drowned, so here's the only pic from Schllitterbahn...and I'm pretty sure the only time this child sat down all day!.....

My Words Exactly...

We spent all yesterday at Schllitterbahn, an enormous water park. Tons of fun, but way too much sun, not enough napping, lots of chasing going on. The boys had a BLAST. Were COMPTLETLY wiped out. Hubby left for LoRS this morn. Of course I'm hoping kiddos would sleep just a bit later than normal.... no such luck. Little Bit, who has inherited my (usual, non-preg) habit of early rising ready to go is up....singing.....talking to the cat who is stuck in their room....and I hear the Critter moan (takes after slow-to-wake dad) "Goodness, Little Bit LOUD! Be quiet."
I couldn't have said it better myself......
Let the race begin!

Stuff Portrait Friday: What's For Dinner?

Welcome to Casa McAustin! Our friend Kristine at Random and Odd requested a tour of the kitchen today. So come on in, and I will be your guide.

We will start our tour today with our most beloved kitchen appliance. I introduce you to......


the Capresso Coffee Team Luxe coffee grinder and brewer.

There are no adequate words to describe the deity that is this machine. It grinds the beans (using superior burr grinder technology), brings the water to the perfect temperature, brews the coffee, keeps it hot.....AND IS READY, WAITING when our customers stumble, caffeine-deprived, into the kitchen each morning. One has only to set it up the night before. BLISS.
(Pricey, but WELL worth it; we here at Casa McAustin award it our highest rating of 5 forks, and strongly recommend you invest. If you are a slave to the java, it will save you the equivalent of a child's college tuition in avoided trips to Starbuck's.)

Our next stop is the food that is always available here at Casa McAustin. Behold.....



....Fresh Produce

Those of you who are familiar with the staff here at Casa McAustin, know that we are particular about what we serve, and what our customers consume, especially those just discovering the Wonderful World of Solid Food. It is true that children come with their own set of likes and dislikes, but it is equally true that they will eat what you give them, provided that's their habit. We have unique young customers that will sometimes make meals of nothing but broccoli, blueberries and corn. Also, WH is a salad hound. We ALWAYS have fresh fruit and veggies.

And that brings us to our last stop, the signature meal here at Casa McAustin, which we must explain. Our kitchen is open virtually every night serving a nightly dinner special, thus we don't really have a signature meal per se. So here we have our dinner offering from last night.





Our menu last evening included grilled asparagus and corn, balsamic roasted sweet and gold potatoes with onions, and Ribeye steaks (rare-medium) with sauteed mushrooms. The chef here at Casa McAustin was a bit weary after the INCESSANT POUNDING, BANGING, SLAMMING, AND STOMPING from the roofing crew, so it was Grill Night. Yes, sports fans, it was all cooked on the Weber....the dishwasher thanks us.

This concludes our tour of La Cocina de la Casa McAustin. Thank you for visiting, and come back anytime. Have a lovely day, and don't forget to tip your guide on your way out!

I AM LOSING MY MIND!!!!!!!

Yes, this just may be the last straw to the small amount of sanity I do possess.
The house we currently live in was bought under the assumption that we would have to get the roof replaced in a few years. It's been three. NOT A SINGLE GOOD HAIL STORM TO BE HAD!!!! In three years. It is now at the point that we must do it, or risk damage to the rest of the house from stormy weather. So as I sit here and listen to EACH AND EVERY slam above me, from the TEN workers, yes that's 20 lead feet, and watch particles of acoustic ceiling popcorn (hate that stuff) fall EVERYWHERE, there is the audible great sucking sound of THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of dollars draining from our accounts to pay for it because the hail did not come. Not to mention any duckets that will have to go toward replacing anything that gets broken....and the rolls and rolls of paper towels that will have to go toward cleaning up this mess....and the time...and the fact that my kids will be in pissy moods this afternoon/evening due to poor quality napping...and we can't play outside for fear of being stuck by falling (thrown) debris. Luckily the Critter & Little Bit's side of the house was finished this morning. I am still amazed they are sleeping at all. We will leave the house this afternoon, or I will kill someone....probably a limited-English-proficient day laborer wearing Red Wings.

Oh, See Can You Say......OC?

I was just catching up on my blog reading (after 2 days of phone line problems, and therefore no internet)and read Baby Poop and Business Suits's account of passing on traits to her daughter, and angst that comes when we see ourselves in these tiny "mirrors". I happened to look up at that very moment to see this....



Yes, that would be Critter, the older son, painstakingly lining up the plastic play food from the pretend kitchen. He has always been a precise child...doesn't want to get food mixed up or off the plate, hates spilling anything on his clothes, etc. He also has always been extremely focused. For Christmas he received a set of (discontinued) Discovery Toys Safari Gears, which he will sit and play with...correctly...for 45 min. at a stretch. Yes, he's Daddy's little engineer. The thing is, I'm not sure if this is something I pushed him into (having just a few of those traits myself) or if it's something he came with. Little Bit, who has had the same exposure to my clean-freakishness and order-centrism, is sooooo NOT that way. He is very mechanical, but has zero interest in order of the OC variety. In fact, not half a beat after I snapped this photo, he flung himself into the middle of the food arc and destroyed the lovliness that it was, belly-flop-snow-angel-style. The Critter heaved a big sigh, and started over......

We Don't Put Things In Our Nose!

Gross. Weird. Downright freaky.
This morning Critter woke up early at 6:47 crying. I mean the really upset kind: the hiccupy-multiple-intake-of-breath, hyperventilating king of crying. All of a sudden. Something must be REALLY wrong. A little background. We have been blessed with two sons who are GREAT sleepers...each of them slept a solid 9 hours at night starting at 10 weeks, and have never looked back (barring the occasional fever/congestion/illness stirrings). I mean these kids LOVE their rest, and will TELL you when they are ready for bedtime or a nap. Usually I leave them in their room until 7:30 (no matter what time they wake), but since C. was SOOOO upset, I went to get him. He couldn't tell me what was wrong other than that he needed a tissue. He calmed down after drinking some milk, and kisses and cuddles. So the morning commenced- coffee, getting breakfast ready, getting the paper, etc. We sat down to breakfast, began eating, and C. asks for a tissue again. I look at him and notice he's dripping a bit, so I get him one and help him blow his nose. I take the tissue away, and it feels like there's something hard in it (I had recently read MrsDof's account of her clot, and curiosity got the better of me)......so I looked.

And there nestled in the tissue (among other..um....stuff) was.....a button! Not a big one, but about 1/2 inch in diameter. The funny thing is, I have NO IDEA where it came from. I mean, before it got into his nose. He doesn't even have any clothes that have that kind of button, much less was he wearing them recently. Weird. He did seem in a much better mood after it was free.
For your viewing pleasure.....cleaned up, of course.


...this is the way WE blow our nose......

SPF: Memories, movies, mousse.....

Yes, this was a flashback kind of week. First we had prom pics from The Kept Woman on Wednesday, and now for SPF three more items to make us look back and cringe.... Kristine at Random and Odd asked us to post '80s theme items: something we can't let go of, a picture of ourselves, and a CD or movie. As I was looking for the prom pic on Wed., I ran across all these other pics spanning '81-'89. Here is just a sampling. I should have this stuff in albums, don't, but do have it all contained in one box, along with plaques, flowers, etc. from the era. I would have to say that the pics have made the "keep" cut more times than any of the other stuff. Second, I have a photo from 1987, my Jr. year. I must have burned all the others, because I know there were MUCH higher bangs and bigger earrings in my past than these! I can tell you that this was probably the most "high-maintenance" hair I ever had, though. I have naturally curly hair, and lived in humid Texas; I remember just the hair taking an hour to straighten and then re-curl. Yowza! And we won't even get into the percentage of my paychecks that went toward products...Third, I have a Footloose soundtrack cassette tape....I don't even remember when I got my first CD player, but I know I was probably in college, the '90s. I was IN LOVE with Kevin Bacon. Who wasn't? I remember my girlfriends and I learned all the dance sequences, and I'm fairly certain there was a talent show act based on them at one point, sorry no pics of that. I'm pretty sure this was my second copy of the tape, as I had worn out the first.Ahhhh, memories....wouldn't go back if you paid me!

Something I can't let go of...

A PIcture of me in the '80s

Music from the '80s...How many times did you see it?

WAY Back Wednesday...to a time and place which should probably be left there...

The Kept Woman asked us to the prom.....This was the only pic I could find, as my scrapbooking proclivities didn't surface until the digital age. And as evidenced by my date's half-head, my Mom's photographic abilities hadn't yet developed at the time. This is me and my date Chris, in 1986 for his Senior Prom at our HS. I was a Sophmore, and not officially supposed to go, but no one kicked me out. The dress was one I'd seen at NM, and WAY too expensive, so my talented Mom copied it.....down to the sewn-on sequins on the appliqued organza flowers. She even made matching shoe clips with the same flowers.....remember those? We had previously been friends, and this was our first date. Anyway, we had a great time. Later I heard he had started playing for the other team.....the all male one....no wonder he had trouble planting that goodnight kiss.

The white sparkly dress, the dinner jacket....didn't we look snappy!

Exhaust Fans, CRAZY Children & A Locked Bathroom Door.....

Setting: MMC's Master bathroom, last Sunday morning while getting ready for church
WH: Muffin, why don't you use the exhaust fan? Is there something wrong with it?

MMC: No, Honey, I'm guess I'm just not in the habit.

WH: Well, it smells ALL THE WAY OUT HERE. Could you please turn it on...it only works well if you shut the door completely.

Setting: 3 days later, WH has been OOT since the previous scene. (dialogue in italics is MMC's thinking)

MMC: "I REALLY need to use the restroom, I'll just go in here for a minute while the kids are busy playing in their toy box in the bedroom. HMMMM. Things are quiet, Little Bit & Critter are both reading books on the floor. I think I'll try out that exhaust fan."

MMC goes into the water closet, shuts & locks the door (so that the fan works properly, and no short people barge in) and flips the switch for the exhaust.The tiny room is filled with a loud mechanical whirring.... but smells pleasant.


A very few, short, moments later....

(Child's voice, muffled, from somewhere outside the door): "I s...kji, I...sk, lp....Mama!"

MMC (as she opens the door & turns off the fan, and thus eliminating all previous benefits from the fan): " What's going on out there?!"

Critter: "Jump, Jump...HI, MAMA!!"

MMC: "Critter, what are you doing? (Now that fan is OFF and she can hear)

LB: "whimper, Help!"

C: "JUMP, JUMP!"

MMC: "Critter, what's LB doing"

LB: "I stuck, I stuck, Help Mama, I stuck!"

Critter: "Little Bit stuck in Mama's big bed!"

MMC hurriedly gets herself together, and runs into the bedroom to find Little Bit, wedged between the footboard and mattress, feet dangling, as the Critter jumps up and down on the bed trying to free him.

THAT'S WHY I DON'T USE THE EXHAUST FAN. ALL NOISE COMING FROM A ROOM WITH UNSUPERVISED CHILDREN MUST BE HEARD!!!!

"I stuck, I stuck...Help, Mama!"....but still willing to say "cheese!" for the camera! LOVE that kid!

Now EVERYONE can comment!

I didn't realize the default for the comments was set to Members. Sorry, now EVERYONE, (you don't have to be a member of Blogger) can comment, so send them on!

Profile View

Face View...Head on the left, stomach on right.

"Hi, Daddy!"

Sugar & Spice......

Today I went in for my 24 week sonogram - Yes kids, 24, not 20...being of "advanced maternal age" - their term, NOT mine, I'm only 35- I get a later show. Everything looks great, and she is perfect! While I had just the standard sono, and although my pics aren't as good as Amy's fancy ones from the nifty 4d contraption (which has been outlawed in TX by the way), I still think it's amazing to be able to see anything at all. She waved while the tech was rolling around my belly - there really are 5 fingers, just the angle is weird in the picture.

I am completely wiped out this morning. The Pyrenees Beast woke me up at 3 a.m. barking at...the wind, fireflies, who knows?....and then I was totally awake after trekking down,

and back up,

2 flights of stairs to lock him in the garage. GRRRRRRR! So there I lay, willing myself to go back to sleep, knowing that I had to get up early - kids up at 7:30, babysitter arriving at 8:15, Dr. appt. at 9, morning traffic.... As I reached for my lovely bottle of cold water on the nightstand....and couldn't find it, I remembered that I couldn't eat or drink anything until after the appt. (My glucose screening was this morning, as well, so I had to fast from midnight on. I usually drink about a liter -no lie- of water at night, so this was HARD.) So of course I immediately was thirsty beyond belief. I finally drifted off and woke up feeling like I had a hangover at 6:15. But I treated myself to a yummy breakfast at La Madeleine after it was all over, and now I feel great.

It's so different with "not the first" child. It doesn't really matter what kid it is after the first, just not the first. You have so much more experience, and aren't stupid in the same ways you were with your first. There was this poor girl in the lab with me getting blood drawn, newly pg, and she was all whacked out about the fact that she had to have it done, and that she had fainted the only other time she had blood drawn. I swear, by the time it was her turn, she almost fainted just getting into the chair. I remember being her, way back when, with my first preg. By the time you take that first child home, you have been observed, poked, prodded, stuck, squeezed, and any number of truly disgusting things that I'll spare you the details of, but you moms can fill in the blanks. Generally, you've been handled so much that you really have no inhibitions left at all. I remember thinking that I didn't really care if it was a janitor down at the end of that table to catch that first baby, just SOMEBODY GET IT OUT!!! It is all so much more enjoyable with prior experience, and these beautiful children are COMPLETELY worth it.....

Quick Hello

Everyone likes playing on the big bed.....

Leavin' On A Jet Plane....

WH has left for SF for the week, and we miss him already. Little Bit & the Critter always ask about him when he's gone, and this time is no exception. Critter is old enough to understand "away", but Little Bit still has no concept of time. So, Daddy, here are your boys this afternoon. We love you and miss you, and are counting the days....

Critter... our little racist

We DO Have Diversity...Short White People, Tall WP, Plump WP, Thin WP...

I admit it. We live in the suburbs, not OFFICIALLY, but for all intents and purposes we do. Our subdivision is a mere 9 minutes from downtown Austin, but demographically is miles and miles removed. We moved here from inner-city Dallas, and the ethnic diversity in our old neighborhood is one of the things I miss most. (Not so much the drug dealers next door, the home robberies, the battles over "gentrification".) However, the schools here are the best in the area (and arguably the state) and the size-for-the-money-while-still-being-close-to-downtown was right. That said.....it is VERY white-bread here. We have a few token Asian and Indian families, but that's about it. Our church mirrors the community. While we go to public spots and travel, our children really don't see "people of color" much in their day-to-day lives, except at the grocery store. I have a confession....I am CHEAP. If there is a deal to be had on things I buy frequently, I will seek it out. Thus I shop at HEB ,which has the lowest prices on groceries anywhere. Their stores are also clean, well-stocked, and they have dedicated "customer with child" parking...I love that. My store is in South Austin, and many Hispanics and African Americans shop there, along with the white folks from the 'burbs even farther out than mine. The other component to this story is Tivo.We Tivo shows that we would never watch on live tv (admit it, so do you!). We Tivo Pimp My Ride.Yes, it's a bit trashy, but in that car-accident-on-the-side-of-the-road kind of way that you just can't avert your eyes from. And sometimes the kiddos are around when it's on.
And that, children, is where our story for today begins......
So we're in HEB, turn down the cereal aisle, and my beautiful older son screams at the top of his lungs: " XZIBIT! From CAR SHOW!!!!!" Needless to say, Xzibit was NOT picking up a box of Fruity Pebbles at my S.A. HEB, but there WAS a very nicely dressed, young African American man wearing corn rows and a dewrag, who, from the back, might have resembled Xzibit to my ethnically-challenged offspring. After making the decision not to turn around and go down some other aisle far, far away on the other side of the store, I told the Critter that it looked like X, but really wasn't him, and that not every young black guy is X. Either the guy was really good at acting like he didn't hear, or he just didn't care, because there was NO WAY he didn't hear.
Geez....we've got to get across I35 more.......

Stuff Portrait Friday

TGIF! This short week seemed to FLY by, and here we are at my first installment of Stuff Portrait Friday. Kristine asked us to take shots of these three things: magazine subscriptions, household pet peeve, and favorite framed photograph. The point of this exercise is for others to get a better idea of who we are, but I think I learned as much as anyone else will. Here are a few of my insights:
1. We receive ENTIRELY TOO MANY magazines! And this is after a major purging of the subscriptions.....my work here is definitely NOT done. (To be fair, several of these were gifts from family or free subscriptions via club points, and for the cost of a couple of single copies you can get a year's subsctiption to most.)
2. I love EVERY photo I have framed in my house, and couldn't decide on just one, thus, the wall.
3. My home was designed by a moron. Whatever idiot thought that having garage and front door entries converge in the same spot was completely delusional.....or had never had to pick up the upteen pairs of shoes/bags/backpacks that accumulate in the foyer as a result. Until next time.....

Budding Picassos?.......

Oh, these children...... Yesterday was 104 deg. with heat index somewhere near 110....yes, oppressively hot. So we went outside, of course! Wednesday afternoons are good for staying home and doing fun stuff, so we painted, and then splashed in the pool to get the (non-toxic, washable) paint off. The critter was more intentional with his style, using long, flowing brushstrokes, while Little Bit just wildly flailed and smushed (and tasted, and fingerpainted, and bodypainted and....)Enjoy the pics.