The Whole Kit & Caboodle

Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was...

Today was one of those days that just doesn't seem to ever end. I'm pretty accustomed to being a bit behind with everything but I've gotten seriously behind and today its become too apparent for even me to ignore.

 The laundry pile on my dresser that I am refusing to look at even though I cant really see the wall behind it any longer? It fell. On my daughter. Evidently a stuffed cat of hers had somehow become buried or tunneled in or whatever, but she saw the tail and tugged. Honestly, I couldn't find her for a minute. I could hear her screaming but I couldn't tell where she was because it was so muffled. By the giant pile of neglected laundry. It was clean laundry though, so no worries. Eventually our cat sniffed her out and I just grabbed a foot and tugged. She popped right out. The laundry is still there, looking smug.  Drat. Now that I know its dangerous I'm going to have to fold that stuff.

Tuesday is dance night, which roughly translates to - scrounge around for a pair of tights that don't have holes or dirty knees, stuff wriggling 3 yr old into said tights, frantically look for tutu that was under 3 yr olds bed where she stuffed it so I wouldnt know she was playing with her dance tutu thats supposed to stay in her dance bag. Scrounge for a pair of gym pants for me (because dance class is thankfully at our gym) that simultaneously make me look amazingly fit and have that "these old things?" vibe. Stuff something resembling a healthy meal for my daughter into her bag since she will insist on staying a "super long time" in the daycare room at the gym after class where she eats more of her dinners than I think I'm willing to admit. Bundle up, drive to gym, strip bundles off mama and twirling toddler, wish for spring, rinse, wash, and repeat. Long story short, I'm pooped. No, I'm super long time pooped.

My baby girl is amazingly sweet though and that sometimes makes up for everything. The girls line up on the wall when dance class is over and wait while all the moms come in to chat with the teacher. Tonight though, Emma broke rank and ran over to me to give me a leg hug and kiss and tell me, b/c I hadnt heard it in 45 minutes,  "I lub you mama" before running back over to stand sweetly in line with the other girls. Melt.

I was so touched that I forgot, for the whole ride home- all 7 minutes, about the lurking piles of stuff waiting at home. I'm behind on my orders, my goals list, housework (okay, I dont actually do housework much, but I'm behind on even feeling guilty about it), products that need photographed, my to do list, my might actually do list, eating food....you get the idea.

Thankfully the day has finally come to a much anticipated end, even though that damn lambchop song is stuck in my head now, I'm grateful for all the wonders this and every day has brought . I'm off to bed for some much needed beauty sleep. Wish me luck, I have to get past that dangerous laundry avalanche to get to my bed. I hope my husband made it okay...

Oh the shame

Before I worked up the hootspah (yes, that is a word, though I am pretty sure thats not how you spell it!) to get my blog ball rolling I had something I wanted to post about everyday. Now, of course, I got nothing. Nada. Zip. Seriously, its not that I am that boring. It's more like that feeling of blankness you get when you walk in a music store and cannot for the life of you remember what on earth you like to listen to!

In my defense, I joined facebook, an event that I blame entirely on my friend Stacey. There are so many old faces on there. Its like a time warp into my angst ridden teen years, back when my hair was frizzy and I drove a geo. Something about seeing all those little thumbnails of familiar faces under the oddly ominous "people you might know" title has given me a week long case of butterflies in my stomach.
Am I a total nut?
I can't be the only one out there who isn't entirely nostalgic about the good ol' days? I've been chatting with a few old friends and avoiding self effacing comparisons. I'll let you all know how that goes.

Gotta go to yoga.

I totally rocked a bomber jacket in high school. Anyone else have one of those??

Mall rats and Cake Wrecks

Too. Tired. To. Post.
I went to the mall with two teenagers and a toddler today. We had fun and I even tried on some fun clothes that I can't afford...but now I am very sleepy and just want to crash on the sofa for a bit.

But just because I have been thinking of you....I'll give you something fun to do in my absence. Presenting: Cake Wrecks! Unless you want it spewed all over your keyboard, I wouldn't suggest drinking or eating while on this ride. Have fun.

This one isn't funny but it is awesome. Matt said he wanted a Mario cake like that for his birthday. I've done horrible, unmentionable things to decorated a cake or two in my day, but I'm pretty sure that if I tried making this, Mario would never be the same again. But then I could submit the results to Cake Wrecks. Hmmmm.....

(photo courtesy of CakeWrecks.blogspot.com)

Two jars in one post. Wierd

I'm not turning out to be a very diligent blogger, am I? I promise that I am thinking of you, dear blog. If only I could dictate my posts! How wonderful that would be. Because, truly, some days I don't even want to look at my computer. I am that sick of it. I couldn't live without it, of course. But our passion has fizzled this late in our relationship (so to speak).

Today is a new day though, and I am making sweet biscuits with blackberries and cream this morning. Who could feel stressed with sweet biscuits baking in the oven? Not me, I tell ya! I have a bit of time before they are done. Let me tell you what I've been up to.

Despite the weatherman's assurance that it would rain, we took Emma to the State Park on Wednesday. I don't know why we haven't taken her there before! There is a little deck that runs along a trail where they house some birds that cannot be released back into the wild. Emma loved that.   We looked closely at the ground on the trail for treasures to bring home with us. (I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to remove anything from a State Park, but it was just a leaf and some acorns. Please don't tell!) We stuffed everything in my pocket, to place in a jar when we got home to keep as a reminder of our day. Emma thought this little guy might like to live in the jar too.

Lucky for him, we convinced her that he would not.

What else? Oh, well I'm off to play poker with the ladies tonight. The ladies being some friends from Emma's playgroup. I'm curious how this will turn out, considering 1. I don't really have  firm grasp on how poker is played exactly and 2. I'm a bit of an oddball in this group. But still, a night out! The planets must be in alignment or something.

I've been meaning to share this with you. I found the idea on Little Paper Dog's blog and just about fell out of my chair. What a spectacularly simple and genius idea. I've already jotted down two little things this morning. I think I'm going to need a pretty big jar.

I think my biscuits are ready now. I hope you have a lovely morning.

The Queen of Nervous Chatter..

I've been thinking of my blog all day, with equal parts excitement and trepidation. Like its prom night or something.  I told myself I wouldn't over think this thing.

"Just let it happen, Andrea." the little voice said.
"But maybe I could just make a few lists, write some posts in my notebook, edit them..." crazy me protests.
"No! Just type. You can do this." little voice says encouragingly.

So here I sit on my sofa, a little sick with the plague an end of  summer cold, with my laptop on my lap and headphones on, trying to relax and figure out what to say. Its peculiar being on this end of a blog. When I'm reading a blog I love I feel a connection to the writer, like  we are just chatting over tea. But on this end, its just me and a keyboard. I don't feel connected to anything yet.

Except maybe my sofa. I rarely get to stretch out on the thing. Man is it comfy! No wonder the hubs is on it so much.

I guess a blog is about putting yourself out into the world without knowing what, if anything will come back to you. So here goes guys.

Things I love, hate, and don't understand:

• I love lists. Lots and lots. They are like unicorns with rainbows and sugar on top.
• I hate mean people. I know everyone says that, but really. Meanness makes me cringe and shiver a bit. With so much need in the world, it just doesn't make sense to put that out there.
• I don't understand football. Not one little bit. The hubs doesn't understand how that is possible.
• I love to read. I go through obsessive phases where I consume as many books as I possibly can and then burn out or something. I'm currently into Edith Wharton. I want to lie in the grass and read everything she has ever written. The bugs won't bother me. It wont rain. This is Edith Wharton. Nature bends.
• I hate blue food & drinks. Not like blueberries or anything. Love those. What gets me freaked is like blue Gatorade and gumballs and stuff. I mean really, that color is not natural. What does the end digestive result of that look like? Eww. Just say no to blue stuff.
• I don't understand super moms. You know the kind, the ones that have it all together, work & kids with bows in their perfectly coiffed hair. I cant even manage to brush my little peanuts hair everyday.  The dishes are never done around here, and there is a chair in my living room whose sole purpose seems to be to hold unfolded laundry.
• I love to make stuff. This affliction has worsened since I discovered Etsy and gotten positively out of control since I opened shop there. The other day I made little fabric liners for my cars gunky cupholders.  Pretty sure thats not normal. I think the hubs wishes I would just watch more TV with him.
• I hate the way my son dresses lately. Love him, cant stand the clothes. But I'm a freespirit right? So I try to be supportive of  his need to look stupid express himself. Kid, if you are reading this, I'm sorry and I love you, but puhhhleeease wear another color besides black. At least I can't see his underwear. I would give him such a wedgie.
• I don't understand what folks have against Harry Potter. I'm taking this opportunity to sway the minds of the millions of people that might eventually read this. There is nothing wrong with those books! I've read them. The only thing that will happen if you & your kids read them is that you will have something to talk about. Good and Evil exist in the world. Literature gives us a way for out little brains to grasp it. Censoring what your kids read is impossible, particularly for all of you who put computers in your kids bedrooms. Get over Harry everyone. Hes a good kid.

How long have I been typing. Oh geesh. I talk too much when I'm nervous and this prom dress is getting  hot.

Night all.

Who got me into this?!

I woke up this morning with a nagging anxiety. Then I remembered. I have a blog. It needs attention. And posts.
One more thing to do is not really a good thing right now. That being said, I'm so excited to finally have a place to put my thoughts. Nervous, yes. Who will read this thing? Will you like it? Will you like me?

But still very, very glad that I finally took the first step.

So this is how this whole blog thing is gonna go down. I'll post some random nuttiness here and you stop by everyday and read it. We'll be BFF's. When I can't figure out how to do something with this silly thing I'll rant and rave and you'll make me feel better. Sound good?

Oh, and I should mention that I have been blogging in my head for a while now. Since I didn't have an actual blog, I've just made little notes to myself about what I want to blog about when I finally got one. I was a blog poser. Oh the shame. But some of those notes are blog gold, so on occasion we are going to break free of the time space continuum and  do a "Once upon a time there was a girl who didn't have a blog but if she did would have blogged about this" post. Kay?