Quick Takes.

Holy Link Up Batman! I am just a link up queen this week. Pretty much this blog. I really need to write a blog post. Maybe I'll schedule a whole bunch this weekend.

1. Today is already one of those days where I'm counting down until nap time. Everything is a crisis today apparently. I missed that memo but my resident one year old is letting me know that I am wrong.

2. If I could ask St. Anthony to intercede for me in the help of finding my mascara, glasses and remote. They have each been missing for a while. I realize they are just not that important of items but given the fact that last night Husband and I spent HOURS. Literally from the time C went to bed at 8:00 until about 12:30 going through our cars, every drawer, cupboard and closet in the house. We made a huge mess and you'd think we'd stumble on one of the three even accidentally. But no.

3. If it doesn't rain, tomorrow is The Color Run. I can't decide if I am hoping for rain or not. That's horrible but true. I think it'd be fun and I'd enjoy the time spent with Husband getting colored. I would also like to just not do the 5K (jogging slowly) and avoid the crowd. It's going to be a mess.

4. With all the storms we are on basement flood #4 of the year. But better rainwater than the raw sewage some people are getting. We have still decided to not do anything yet. All of out possessions are out of harm and even though this is starting to feel normal the weather is quite unusual.

5. We were supposed to have family pictures taken today. But see number 3 and 4. The weather is terrible. Even if it doesn't rain this afternoon (it's supposed to) the ground is too saturated to lay/sit/walk on it. I've spent hours reading through tips for family photos and coordinated (not matching) outfits. We are ready when Mother Nature cooperates.

6. I made a menu plan that included  breakfast and lunch! No more wandering aimlessly through the kitchen wondering what veggies he had last and just putting something on his tray! It's actually sad how long it took me to do this. But already today it was helpful.

7. Well I was on a roll but now I've got nothing. Happy Friday! Thanks Jen for hosting!

Selfies. Theme Thursday.

Oh goodness. Self Portrait Day.

I mean, we all knew this was coming. But... I don't take pictures of myself. I blessedly just missed the "stand in the mirror with your cell phone and make a duck face then post it all over the internet" age range. It's really a foreign concept to me. So I got out the camera and started clicking. Some with the whole here's my arm holding the camera and some with the self timer thingy.

It's a good thing we don't have to post all the pictures we take because lemme tell you, there are some real winners. Lucky for me I found one that didn't completely make me roll my eyes and cry inwardly. (Possibly outwardly... but I'll never tell.)

This was taken on the good camera. On auto focus. Because I was taking a picture of myself. And to take a selfy was challenging enough. Manual focus? As Sweet Brown will tell you "Ain't nobody got time for that."

Then... I played with photoshop. Since we own it and I wanted to. But seriously, I have NO idea what happened. Sorry for my lack of Pioneer Woman-esque photography tutorial. :)

So. There I am.
I don't know what this picture says about me as a person. But it's the one I liked the best so I guess it must speak to me in some way.


Link up your beautiful self so I can see what you look like. I'm curious like that.

Then get ready for June! Looking forward to girls, dad, water and black and white!

Bright Copper Kettles

1. The Wet Brush. Seriously. This brush has DRASTICALLY cut back on the need for conditioner. I have LOTS of fine hair. So tangles are inevitable. Until this brush. I read a review and didn't think that much of it. Then my brother randomly bought one for my mom for Christmas. And I stole it every time I was at her house and she got me one for Easter. I need to buy like 3 more because I like to have a bathroom brush, a bedroom brush and a downstairs brush. Bonus: the rubber coating makes C want to use it as a chew toy. And he does. Multifaceted fun. :) I know like everyone has this brush already and I am late to the party, but if you DON'T have this brush already this is your invite!

2. Ceasar Salad. I am having a love affair with Ceasar Salad.

3. Thunderstorms. I could definitely skip the flooding basement, buckled roads, gnats and mosquitoes growing in puddles and other down sides of rain. But I love sitting inside and watching a good thunderstorm.

4. Pajama days. All the rain has made it very easy to call pajama day. Luckily C doesn't mind, care or notice.

5. My book club. I like having at least one night to get out and see some friends and discuss a book! I love stretching my brain and even though I was a SLACKER this month and read it last night and today (definitely the latest I have ever read the book.) I felt that the discussion was really interesting. Yay!

Happy Wednesday. I really need to get to work on my C is one post but... life is busy! : But I have time for 5 Favorites and I bet you do too. Link up with Hallie!

Happy Birthday Little Boy

Oh C. It is such a pleasure to be your mommy. 

Look how far you came in 365 days! (Okay 358 since this picture was last week.) 

Happy Birthday Little Boy!! I love you so much!

Prepping. The 72 Hour Kit.

Have you seen doomsday preppers? I actually really like that show. I am WAY not a conspiracy theorist and heck if half the stuff those people prep for happens I'd be quite happy to not survive the disaster. But for things like the plot of Revolution actually coming true, I am a worry wort and I love PLANNING.

So that led us to create 72 hour kits. In the event we would need to quickly evacuate our home we would have enough to last for 72 hours (maybe even more to be honest) without any help or aid. Now there are many aid organizations and even in the event of a tornado people come in pretty fast. And if there was a house fire, there would be places to go where our 72 hour kits would be mostly useless. But lest you think I am trying to talk you out of creating a kit, I am not. I think it is incredibly important to be able to care for yourself  in an emergency. I don't have a bunker but I do have 2 back packs.

The first step to a 72 hour kit is portability. This is key. The idea is that every member of the family should have their own kit and be in charge of carrying their share. Obviously for small children, their stuff doesn't take up that much more room and a parent would shoulder that responsibility.

It's easy to search out an entire 72 hour kit check list in case you're so inclined but let me first tell you about some of the items I think are the most critical.

• A kit should have a change of clothes for every member of the family. Mark your calendar for every six months and rotate for seasons. I opt for pajamas. In most every scenario that I deem "likely" (fire, gas leak, evacuation of some sort, tornado) the most important thing to me would be comfort in where ever I wind up going. 
• Also a toiletry kit with the personal care items I prefer. Yes the government would give you certain things, but it's kind of like going to the nurse for a pad in middle school. It's not really that great and while it does the job you'd maybe rather have your own. 
• Important documents. I have a binder with copies of our driver's licenses', birth certificates, social security cards, check cards, marriage license, mortgage information, cash, important telephone numbers, emergency contact information, etc. I am even a worry wort enough to have a flash drive with some of the most important pictures and documents from our computers. I also update that every six months. 
• Stuff to do. I have books, a deck of cards, Skip Bo and figet items. I suspect I should add some stuff for C to do. 

The less important items for me is the "wilderness survival" stuff. It seems unlikely that a scenario where I have to live in a tent with no aid from anyone and no ability to travel to say, any relative's home, will occur. But it's recommended so I have all the stuff anyway. But I bought a kit off of amazon. Then added certain things as I saw fit. 

Each kit has enough food and water for a week. None of the food is very interesting-meal replacement bars, some freeze dried meals, canned goods. And Emergency water. I sacrificed taste for longevity. All the food in our kits is good until 2015. I also have Coast Guard approved emergency waters. And again, enough for a week. Just in case. 

We keep our kits in the front closet. I am actually really good about this. No matter how dirty the closet gets the 2 backpacks are always on top and ready for a grab and go situation. Or even grab them on the way to the basement in case of tornado. 

The difference between prepping your house vs. a 72 hour kit is the shelter. A 72 hour kit assumes evacuation or the inability to use your house as shelter. Soon I will write about how we have slightly prepped at home. (We would NEVER qualify for the show.) 

Bodies! The Theme of This Thursday

Oh that Theme Thursday Photo Link Up at Clan Donaldson. It just keeps you on your toes. Sometimes the themes are easy peasy. Boys. Mud. Etc.  Other times I have to really think about it. Animals? Bodies? 

Making me think two weeks in a row? Huh. Wow. But really. I'm looking forward to June. A whole month of easy peasy themes to give my May strained brain a break. 

So I give you my slightly edited cell phone picture of: 

Well Bodied Wines. 

"A 2003 Red Something. Oh I bet it's very oaky and corky and full of fruity legs." 

Gilmore Girls Season 7

You were probably expecting something more like this picture I didn't actually take. 

A statue by Paul Granlund. Fun fact, I went to high school with his granddaughter.

But yet. You are lucky enough to have clicked over here to my little blog world with awesome sauce pictures of wine bottles. And such terms like awesome sauce. 

Here's one more version for good measure. Just so you don't feel you've been ripped off. 

Okay. So. There you have it. If you've stuck it out this far, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your Thursday. May you find excellent bodies to take pictures of. Hopefully I haven't scared you off so much you won't stop back for self portraits next week. I've been practicing my duck face. (Just kidding.) 

Whiskers on Kittens

I am linking up my Five Favorites with Hallie. It's fun. 

1. Plumbing. I love it. I love indoor plumbing. I cannot imagine life without it and honestly I don't even want to try. Plumbing is why I don't camp. That and my distaste for nature. But mostly the no plumbing thing. Well come to think of it there are a lot of reasons I don't camp but suffice it to say I do love indoor plumbing!

2. UPS. I love it. There is really nothing like the anticipation of seeing the "Out for Delivery" notification. Now since the relocation to this dwelling my UPS delivery driver has changed. (Sad, I had a good relationship with Mike, my old guy.) And instead of coming at any normal time I am almost assured an after 3:00 PM delivery but... that's okay. I still love it and getting packages.

3. Amy Sherman-Palladino. She doesn't know who I am. But she is my soul mate and I adore her. I love Gilmore Girls. I love Bunheads. I don't know anyone who loves them with the intensity that I do. Or to the deepest devotion. I for one, am a purest, and would NOT like to see a Gilmore movie. I however would love to see a Bunheads renewal with a full season ordered. More than a fan of the actors, I love AS-P. And I would love to sit down with her and talk for an hour. About anything at all. Even if that would somehow shatter the image I would do it. I am slightly convinced she is the most like me person in the entertainment industry and possibly the universe. More than slightly actually.

4. Dole Pineapple. I feel like pineapple is one of the things that if you don't buy the brand you get a lower quality fruit. And we sure do go through the pineapple. I love it. C loves it. Husband... well if he doesn't love it sure tolerates it because we have it all.the.time. I thought we were out on Monday (we weren't) and I was not happy.

5. Everyone lamented the loss of Twinkies. Not one media outlet discussed the travesty that is the loss of the Donette. Which has been a road trip staple of mine for most of my life. Since I can remember road trips anyhow. None of the other brands are as tasty. It is a major loss.

Have a delightful Wednesday!