Theme Thursday: Black and White (And/Or Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String.)

It's that glorious day of the week again where we take pictures of whatever and post them according to some sort of theme. And this week? The entire bloggy universe should participate because Black and White is easy peasy.

That's right. The theme is black and white. Or white and black. Or whatever. Do you have a pet zebra? You're in! Or just a black and white filter on your phone? That works too. And is probably way more legal than a pet zebra. I just googled pet zebras... technically not completely illegal but a lot of work nevertheless.

So moving on to my black and white.

This is my grandma's cake stand. I just got it. I love it. It's classic but fun. I adore that if anyone comments on it when I use it I can say "Thanks it was my grandmother's." Things like this make me want a daughter to pass things down to. I can't believe this almost slid through the cracks of the house cleaning out/selling mess. It is a treasure and bonus... my treasure. 

This is my pineapple cookie jar. I bought a matching set at the church garage sale in 2008 on dollar bag day. My brother has the other one. It's quirky because it actually doesn't match a darn thing but somehow works. I love it.

A close up of some of my Trixie Belden books. I have them all. I began collecting them when I was 7 or 8. Definitely before age 9. Have you read them? They're really good. It took forever to track 'em all down. I love them.

This is basically a late five favorites post... oh I am two short. Blogging and Cari setting up a fundraiser for Dwija. Those are my other two!

Once upon a time in grad school I was having a debate with my friend about Chelsea Clinton's nose job which led me to Beth. And after I had read her entire blog I clicked over to Colleen who led me to Cari and Dwija and Hallie. Small little world this blog world. Help a Dwija out with her laundry room! And link up your 5 Favorites if you haven't already with Hallie and your black and white with Cari.

Poetry.

Ode to the Deep Blue... Carpet*

Oh my deep blue carpet how I detest thee

You show every drop, speck and crumb

They show up so easily. 

Oh my deep blue carpet I treat thee with TLC

A Dyson Ball to suck the dirt

And Hoover Wet Vac to deep clean

Oh my deep blue carpet please be kind to me

All I do is clean you up!! 

Please show some sweet mercy. 

Oh my deep blue carpet, whatever can I do?

I want you gone and out of here

But it seems I'm stuck with you. 

Oh my deep blue carpet we'll meet later on

For the crumbs and dirt keep piling up

And while I clean with a smile, know I want you gone.

*This bit of artistry brought to you by every speck of anything being noticeable and subsequently eaten by my toddler. To counteract such activities a diligence in cleanliness is required and... A'int Nobody Got Time for That! 

We're Home

Our whirlwind of travel is over for a while. We had been on an every two week traveling kick, which were all good reasons and things I would have been sad to miss so I do not regret it one bit. But boy oh boy is it good to be home.

I'm not going anywhere for days. Maybe for a walk. But since we have a monsoon today even a walk isn't going happen. Oh and I'd have to assign Husband to get milk at some point. But I'm not going anywhere. No I am not.

C is ready to be done traveling I think too. He really really is a good little traveler, but he had that one year appointment and 7 days later got a fever/rash from his shots. Which is all normal and I was warned about it. PLUS he's working on his two front teeth. PLUS I had a cold and I bet he got some of it, but he couldn't tell me he had a headache or a stuffy nose. But all that, plus a graduation party with all sorts of people made for one unhappy little boy. He's more cheerful now that the fever broke and we're home but things can still go from zero to crisis in seconds. I am trying to savor the snuggly moments because who knows how long those will last in the grand scheme of life. He is a good snuggler typically but SUPER DUPER SNUGGLY ALL THE TIME when sick. It's only annoying at 4:30 in the morning I swear.

I'm glad to be home though. There really is nothing like it.

Theme Thursday Water

I had big plans for Water Week.

I was going to go down to the river, which is a long walk from my house or a 2 minute drive and snap pictures like crazy. Then you know edit them so they looked good.

Instead I got one of those charming, not cold and flu season colds. And that was that. So I am phoning it in this week. My apologies.

I can't believe this was over a month ago! This was C's first time through the sprinkler. He liked it. And I feel like a terrible mother for letting him swim in his swim suit but you guys, those are 6-9 month swim trunks and rash guard. To say nothing of the 12-18 month ones I actually bought for this summer.

So link up your water links with Cari over at Clan Donaldson. Then stay a while and click through the water pics of others. Comment. Read some new (to you) blogs. Make some friends. Because yeah yeah looking at pictures of  theme is great but finding some new blogs to read is even better!! :)

STRAWBERRIES

At the grad party we wound up going to on Saturday, two of Husband's cousin's spouses and I were chatting. I hope that made sense and even if it didn't... it's not that important. The moral of the story is that they don't like strawberries. I don't know why not. Because they are missing out.

Strawberry picking was awesome. I mean C only put one strawberry in his basket and put most of them in his mouth. As well as walk up and down the strawberry rows. He loved it is what I am saying. It wasn't too hot, or sunny or buggy. It was perfect.

And we left the farm with 19 pounds of the sweetest, most delicious and beautifully red strawberries I've ever ever had.

We saved some just for eating. We froze 2 gallon ziplocs full of whole strawberries for smoothies and things. We got a bunch ready for jam, strawberry rhubarb bars and other recipes.

And... I made the most delicious strawberry ice cream sauce. I want to take a bath in this sauce. And because I am nice I am going to share my secret. If you like strawberries and/or strawberry topping for ice cream (though gosh I am sure it would be good on pancakes, cheesecake and other things too) make this sauce.

You Will Need: 

2 heaping cups of strawberries
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla 

What to Do: 

1. Clean and chop the strawberries. Chop them as chunky or as not chunky as you'd like your sauce to be. Pour 2/3 of the strawberries into a pot. 

2. Add sugar to the pot. 

3. Cook for 5-10 minutes over high-ish heat and stir occasionally. It's going to smell good. But it will be hot. It will bubble and get thick. When it's a nice syrupy consistency take it off the heat. 

4. Stir in vanilla and the rest of the strawberries. 

5. Let cool then store in fridge in air tight container. My guess is it would be good for a few weeks but it probably won't last long enough to find out. 

7 Quick Takes

1. You know how with any decision you make regarding your children people are going to have an opinion? Food. Clothes. Diapers. What have you. I wrote about my opinion here. Well that's all good and fine. But if you have children. Or grandchildren. Or could play a role in a child's life I right here challenge you to brush up on car seat safety. There's no reason not to. (Like checking your blood sugar often.) PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE and know your car seat. 

2. In other news C has his 1 year appointment today and all the fun that comes with that. It was supposed to be last week but... it wasn't. Some insurance issues that thankfully we were able to work out. (Not our fault I might add.)

3. Um... see this is supposed to be quick takes and I am already running out of things to write so...

4.

Picture of my Baby as #4

5. It's Father's Day this weekend. And while I'd like to pretend that I have some major plans for Husband... I don't. I probably will need to figure that out but hey, I have a card for C to scribble in and I'm going to make a Prime Rib Roast so that should earn me some points. 

6. My Husband's hometown is SO funny. I wish I could link to their news site but that would be weird since you wouldn't really care. But this week the news has had gems like "Oversized Truck Blocked Traffic for 15 Minutes." Or an entire article about the rumor about the high school gym being replaced. SPOILER ALERT. It's not. It's just a rumor. 

7. Yep. Still got nothing. Have a great weekend and have a good one with the fathers in your life!

Dads! Theme Thursday

Today I am linking with with the Theme Thursday over at Clan Donaldson  because Cari rocks and has fisher cats. Well okay, mostly I'm linking up because I always link up and especially since I love the topic of Dad this week, but fisher cats are right up there. 

But on to the theme. I am so lucky. I have an amazing dad.

At my wedding. Obviously. Did I just caption that as if you couldn't tell? 

I didn't always appreciate him the way I should have. I once made him an award that said World's Meanest Dad. But then I got guilty and added "And Musical." He still has it. And he references it all the time.

I have so many good memories with my dad. I can't even begin to express how wonderful he is. One of my favorite memories include watching telenovelas on mute while he did the voices. Somehow they were always fighting and crying about lasagna. But oh I am giggling to myself just thinking about it. I just love him!

He is wonderfully supportive and always available. Even now when I call him at work, I say "Hi Dad are you busy." And he will say every single time "I'm always busy what's up?" But he takes the time to listen. My dad is the champion of war movies and television viewing hats. Nobody sings the "Lupe is a pickle girl" better. He taught me to love hockey and how to cook/bake. Even if I do stir "left handed." He gave me his sense of direction, inability to appreciate bright lights and intolerance for tardiness. "Five minutes early is ten minutes late." Was, is and always shall be the motto we live by.

He is so amazing I named my baby after him. Because there's no one in the world I would rather him be named after!! My dad is just that awesome. I mean I know everyone says they have the best dad, and I know that most everyone has the dad that is the best for them. (And I am sad for you if you didn't.) But really, my dad... he's... one of a kind.

This is my current favorite picture of my dad. Because he's smiling. So of course he hates it. He has perfected the closed mouth smile with raised eyebrows. In fact that is his go to look. But here is a picture of my baby, and his grandpa. My dad. Gosh I am lucky.

Happy Father's Day!

And I think you should link up your awesome dad! I would love to hear about him and why he's so great.

What's Up With Us Wednesday

A long overdue standard mommy post.

The sun has finally come out. Now I don't anticipate it sticking around but nevertheless we were able to get out and enjoy the nice days.

Monday we went to the zoo with our friends. C really really liked the zoo and I am considering getting a membership and going weekly. It was such a nice walk and it really is just the right size. It would be a nice addition to our weekly activities. Plus then we could go on the weekends sometimes as a family too.

Then we have been playing outside and enjoying our yard! C has been playing on his climber that he's had for a month and hasn't been able to use in 3 weeks. (Rain.) And the Cozy Coupe moved outside officially. Plus he got an outside ball from his cousins. So with those outdoor toys, grass and dirt we've stayed pretty busy. Well we have been doing lots of activities lately--even if it's just going on walks. It's amazing what one can accomplish when it stops raining!!

Hopefully this weekend we will be able to go pick strawberries!! We could go to a grad party too but it is looking even less likely that we'll go. And I also have an eye appointment that day because I found my glasses so hooray! This means new contacts, new glasses and maybe even give the famous Firmoo a try Oh plus it's Father's Day so I guess we'll have to celebrate that somehow.

Mostly we've been keeping busy and keeping house. Which is just fine by me. Normal is great. Hopefully the weather holds out so we can keep enjoying everything the world can offer.

Anyone Know What This Is?

We have two flower beds filled to the brim with perennials.

Husband likes them but thinks we need to trim them back and I think they're a big meh.

We struck a compromise and I can do what I want with the bed that I can see from the window and he can do what he wants with the one up against the house since I can't see it.

But does anyone know what this plant is? It's in both beds and before I dig it out of mine I am curious if anything pretty is going to come from it.

7 Quick Takes

This post brought to you by...

1. My brother's high school graduation.

2. The class of 570.

3. He was a long time ago.

4. Husband and the baby went home already.

5. We are at O. I should be used to it. Since my other brother's class had 890 or something. But I am four.

6. Now were are at P.

7. I am not linking up but Happy Graduation broseph!!!!

Theme Thursday. Girls. Or the best I could do.

I don't know from girls. I was the only girl and I am definitely the only girl right now. I didn't see any friends this week and I was thinking I'd just skip Theme Thursday this week. 

But how could I when we were given a button? 

And America's Got Talent started this week. (I actually really like that show and seriously did you see this?)

So I have been thinking for days about: 

So here's my version/take on Girls. 

The very best G.G. series in the world in all their glory. 

And you know, some spice. Because they're spice girls. 

Seriously I should be banned from Theme Thursday. I always do ridiculous things like not taking pictures of girls. Whatevs. I don't have any. And I considered taking pictures of girl things but I don't even wear makeup and that left me with tampons and just... no. 

So sorry I went and said tampons. Link up your much better and cuter girls over at Clan Donaldson. I promise to you right now that if I am not banned forever I will post a really good picture for Dad next week. I even have the post all ready to go. In my head. :)  

Warm Woolen Mittens

Linking Up Again With Hallie for 5 Favorites. Because it's fun. I like stuff!

I'm keeping it real here with my 5 things.


1. My wedding band and engagement ring. They are separate. Not fused together. The jeweler doesn't fuse them and way back in 2009 when I was looking at bands I thought that was weird. Blessing!! I cannot count the times when it doesn't make sense to wear the engagement ring. I love the engagement ring, it is exactly the ring I wanted and the only one I ever liked. But when I was pregnant and swelling it was nice to still be married sans engagement ring. And at things like the color run. Or changing a diaper. It's really handy two have two pieces is what I'm saying.

2. Deodorant. I ran out last week so I thought I'd pick some up while I was out. Well Sam's Club didn't have my brand or scent so I picked up a new kind. Thought I'd venture out and it was priced well. Nope. The scent gave me a headache. I'm going to donate the unopened extras to the troops or the tornado victims. and I went out and bought my real kind. There's really nothing quite like knowing you don't stink.

3. Amazon Prime. I love the streaming videos (and 2 day shipping) and now there's a new agreement with Nickelodeon. I watched Gullah Gullah Island today. I loved that show. And I am pretty sure I will watch all the available seasons in the next few weeks.

4. A clean house. Oh my. I cannot be the only one who rests easier and is generally happier in a clean house. Because we had a babysitter Saturday and Husband's aunt and cousin dropped by on Sunday our house is in good shape. Laundry is clean. Beds are made. Toys are put away. Oh it is so nice.

5. Strawberries. I love them. C loves them. Husband loves them. We are going through a heck of a lot of strawberries. (And I never asked my doctor or anything and just went with it. ) I love C's reaction to strawberries. I even ask him if he wants some and he runs right over to his high chair. :) I love strawberries.

Running In Color. The Recap. (With Bonus Tips!)

Well. We did it. I wouldn't go so far to say it wasn't fun. But I don't know that I would repeat it.

The color run was an experience. We had a homespun local charity color run, not the trademarked major touring run. But I am quite certain the end result is the same. Colored. If you haven't heard about the color runs that are quite literally coloring the nation, you run/walk/jog a 5k and at various intervals you are attacked by color. The color is cornstarch with paint in it. It is food grade and safe. That still doesn't mean you'd want it in your eyes or lungs. Our run gave us super awesome 80s glasses to wear to keep the color out of our eyes. My Tip is to keep your mouth shut!


It was a beautiful day. Just perfect. Most runs are in the morning. Ours was at 4:00. But it was sunny (and after all the rain that was amazing.) There was a breeze and it was never hot. It was a perfect day. My Tip Wear Sunscreen. At the end you will scrub off color. Scrub. If you are sunburnt that's going to hurt.

After leaving C with a sitter we hightailed it to the race and I had previously scouted out a parking spot, not too far from the race but not too close either. We got there plenty early so we could get in the correct line up section and brace ourselves. These runs are notorious for selling out and this one was no exception. Because it was a first for the town it was capped at 3000 people. And it was nuts. Some people were using the extra packets of color (each registrant got one packet and then you could purchase more.) already but we wanted to wait til the race to stop being white.

Before

Before

We had a timed race though we never looked at our times. We were in the "jogging not quickly" group and so for the first bit we did jog but then we slowed down to a decent paced walk. People were SO excited for the race that jogging not so quickly was really an all out jog for the first bit but whatevs. The old ladies in tutus and leis didn't pass me so it's all good.

The colors really really varied in how enthusiastically the volunteers colored us. While there is little to no evidence that I went through the red, yellow or purple zones at all (I did.) I am still finding blue and green on me, after 3 showers. (Including blowing my nose which is gross but interesting.) This may be because I am so pale however.

Some people would stop in the color zones and roll around in the street I didn't care that much. And I'm not much good at stopping during a wog (slightly more than a walk?) because if I stop moving then I'm done for. Husband doesn't have this problem and would occasionally get ahead of me a bit.

As is my belief with 5ks there are never enough water stations or they're in a completely useless spots and this held true of the color run. Obviously it wouldn't have made sense to have water 5 times (with each color) but they would have benefited from a second water stop after the final color just to rinse your mouth. The first water stop was after two colors which really was a good spot. I had my water bottle with and was able to rise out a few times after though as well as actually drink a bit.

While I am glad I didn't bring my iPod because it would have been GROSS at the end I wish I had it for the music/pace. Another tip... if you don't have any spectators to hold your stuff and are forced to have it with you at a color run... ziplocs are essential. I had everything in a ziploc and even still some of that fine powder made it's way on to my stuff. I'm told it really messes up your camera so I didn't even try to take pictures during the race. My Tip A good old fashioned disposable camera would have been fun to have.

Then the 5k ended, and I was glad because I was tired by that point. We turned in our timing chips and I was questioned why I had two. (Because our friend wound up not racing and didn't want to mail her chip in.)  Then it was time for the after party. This was fun. There was a band. Free food from the local grocer. (Pulled pork sandwiches, chips, cookies, water, pop and beer.) After we rehydrated and got some food we took our after pictures and headed out.

After. He barely got colored. 

After. 

 And for the real indicator of how colored I actually got: I give you my wrist close up.

So... my paley pale arm did not get tan. It got smurfed. 

My Tip Sign up! Why not? Even walking a 5K is better than sitting on the couch! 

Life At One Years Old

Oh my dear sweet little boy. I just can't stand how big you are. And you're still pretty pipsqueaky, which suits me just fine. I really enjoy staying home with you, you are so sweet. So let's document a typical day with you and me. Since I'm sure next week it will be different and I will be sad. You've changed so fast, which is fun but sad all at the same time.

6:30-7:30 You wake up! Daddy comes and rescues you and gets you a clean dry diaper. Then you get your crib toys and a show on the Kindle. Sometimes you go back to sleep. Sometimes you just entertain yourself.

8:00 Whether your show is over or not, you know it's time for me to come rescue you so we can go downstairs for breakfast. You have started to be finicky, so even though we all know you like oatmeal and scrambled eggs, you decide when you want to eat those. Silly boy.

8:30 PLAYTIME. You run back and forth taking a survey of any cleaning we did when you were asleep. Then promptly pulling out the drawers and things off the shelves.

9:00 Morning Learning Time. Sometimes we work on colors, or shapes or coloring. It depends. Some days it's more successful than others. You are so good at stacking your rings, identifying animals and you're just starting to figure out your colors. (Or you are a superb guesser.)

9:30 More Free Play Time. Your current favorites are balls and anything with wheels. They keep you entertained all by yourself but it is even MORE fun if I roll balls or play cars with you.

10:00 Story time. We read as many books as you have patience for. Sometimes that's one or two. Sometimes that's the entire shelf. I couldn't even pretend to pinpoint which book is your favorite, I swear it changes daily. So far, the only books you don't like is if they're too long.

10:30 Free Play Time. Again! You're starting to get a little cranky by this point so we usually sing a lot of songs. Ittsy Bittsy Spider and other songs with hand actions are especially fun right now. It just melts my heart when you do the hand actions with me. "Out came the sun" is especially cute with your hands over your head! But I am extremely biased.

11:00 Nap time. You are a good napper.

1:00-2:00 Wake up from nap and look out the window. Then run around the upstairs and play with some upstairs toys for a few minutes.

2:00 Lunch Time! (See the breakfast description about your finicky habits that just started.) You really are a good eater. You love most everything but fruit is the very best.

2:30 Free play time. You've got to make sure all your stuff is where it's supposed to be in case I moved it while you were asleep.

3:30 Jeopardy! You love it so so much. You definitely don't just sit and watch but you check in as you play.

4:00 Outside play time. If it's not raining. If it is we play on the porch. We talk about what we see and hear and we make this some learning time. Usually a book or two is read but mostly we explore the world.

4:30 Occasionally we watch the other Jeopardy! But usually we're too busy with other activities.

4:45-5:30 We wait for our phone call from Daddy that he's close then we go watch for him to welcome him home!

6:00 Dinner time!

6:30 Wheel of Fortune/Playtime with Daddy. You both love this show. All the clapping and the letters are fun! Plus the running around chasing Dad and other fun things. You will also show off your new tricks.

7:00-8:00 More playtime and Skype dates. (Usually you'll talk to Grandma, Grampa or Uncle P but sometimes Uncle S or maybe your P-Pa.)

7:45 Bath time. You love "slam dunking" your bath animals into the hoop and this skill has transferred to you putting any toy in any basket. Also singing "Old McDonald" and boy does that farm have some strange animals to round out the normal ones. (Octopus? Dolphin? Hippo?)

8:00 Bed time. You 9 times out of 10 go to sleep really easily and sleep all the way through. Occasionally you will wake up and lose your nuki and someone will need to rescue you but you're a good sleeper.

That's kind of your life right now Buddy. Exceptions involve playgroup on Wednesdays and Vacuuming/Carpet Cleaning on Thursday. I don't know why you love the vacuum so much, but you just adore it. You love watching it. Looking at it. You've figured out how to pull the canister off which is hysterical and scary lest you spill all the dust back out.

Some days the schedule is a little bit different but you do like your routine and too much change makes you kind of upset. You are the sweetest little boy, who likes to give hugs and likes to be praised. It still surprises me how extremely active you are, you run everywhere. Run. I love that about you. What a burst of sunshine you are for the world.