Answer Me This 4

Here We Are Again. 
Linking Up With Kendra. 
For Answer Me This. 
6 Random Questions and Answers. 

1. How often do you take public transportation?

Never. When I lived in the Twin Cities I took the light rail a few times. To Twins games. And I take a bus to the State Fair every year. But other than that... never. I have never used the bus system or The Loop. So my use of public transportation is limited to my yearly bus ride to The Great Minnesota Get Together. (12 Days of Fun Leading Up to Labor Day!) 

2. How many cousins do you have?

8 on my Mom's side. 
5 on my Dad's. 

C has 2 cousins. I imagine that is all the cousin's he'll get on Husband's side. I also imagine someday there will be cousins on my side. 

3. Have you ever fired a gun?

Do Super Soakers count? I did use my brother's air soft gun once or twice. 

I have never fired a real gun though. I'd like to. I have actually been wanting to take a gun safety class, just because. It's kind of a vicious circle though--you can't take the class without a gun and you can't buy a gun unless you've taken this class. I have zero interest in buying a gun, I just would like the knowledge in case I was faced with a situation with a gun. 

4. Do you ride roller coasters?

Sort've. I haven't in many years. And I was pretty selective about the ones I would ride in my younger years. The last time I rode a roller coaster was the summer of 2011. And I didn't really enjoy it. So I think besides the Magic Kingdom roller coasters I'll pass. 

5. What's your favorite flower?

I like tulips. 
I like daisies. 
I like zinnias.

They're all neck in neck for favorites.

6. Are you allergic to anything?

Well... I am allergic to amoxicillan and ceclor the antibiotics. 
I don't eat Kiwi because the last time I did my tongue got itchy and swell-y. 

I had allergy testing once that showed a ragweed and tree pollen allergy but those are pretty manageable.  

Enjoy your week everyone!

Nesting, Raffi and Harry. 7QT sorta.

1. Where did June go?

You guys. The 4th of July is next Friday. Like NEXT Friday. That really snuck up on me. July is going to be good though. I am willing it to be.

I think we'll do pulled pork sandwiches for the 4th. That sounds good.

2. The Beginning of Nesting. 

On Wednesday I washed all the dishes. All of them. Like even the lunch dishes moments after we ate lunch. This maybe doesn't sound so nesting like until you keep in mind that I HATE doing dishes and gave up paper plates for Lent because I love them too much.

Last night I cleaned up the living room/dining room, did dishes, wiped down the kitchen counters, a load of laundry and started packing for this weekend. Between 7:30 and 9.

It's that the mess is starting to bug me. I don't know if that counts as nesting. But whatever.

3. Ducks Like Rain. 

By Raffi. I will spare you a link because you either know what I'm talking about or you don't. Someone in the house is obsessed with this song. And sings it all day long. Which is cute. And begs to listen to it all day long. Which is less cute. But only because I am sick of the song. And in fairness he uses his words very nicely to ask. "More Ducks Like Rain Please?" (Hint: The someone I am talking about is not me. Or Husband.)

This morning we've been listening to Raffi's Box of Sunshine. 3 CD Set.

I am a Raffi girl. It was my first concert you know. And I still have my Baby Beluga Concert Tee Shirt. True story.

4. Reading To Do

Which means only one thing. It is time for my yearly re-read of Harry Potter. I used to do the last week of July, a book a day, leading up to Harry's birthday. (July 30 for anyone who is not a complete Harry loser as I am.) I am quite certain that I cannot pull that off this year. So I resolve to 7 books in the month of July. That I can do.

5. Playing Outside

It's been a weird rainy month with lots of interuppted outside play. And when we do get to go outside we have some trouble leaving nature as nature. (Picking flowers. Peeling bark off the tree.) But he has so far left the tomato and pepper plants alone except for the very first day. So... let's call it a draw.

6. I've Got Nothing Left

7. Have a Great Weekend Friends!

Theme Thursday: Swim

It's Thursday.
Time for my favorite little internet get-together.

Theme Thursday hosted by Cari at Clan Donaldson. This week's theme is "Swim."

A great summery theme for a great summery linkup.

For my dude's birthday we had another family come over to celebrate. They have two boys, one older and one just a few months younger. They swam. Those 3 boys giggled like there was nothing better on Earth. A water table. A kiddie pool. Some watering cans and cups to throw the water about. Actually ... there may actually not be anything better on Earth than listening to little boys laugh. So it was all around a perfect day in the backyard. 

So, come on, let's see pictures of your kids swimming. I know you have them. Or pictures of you swimming. Or pictures of a fish swimming. It's all fair game on Theme Thursday. And I'm going to go there, fair warning... come on in, the water's fine! 

Happy Thursday! 

Short Little Update on Baby

We had our follow up ultrasound today.

Because it was going to be a shorter appointment we even brought C to see his baby. He told everyone he saw "See Baby." I think he wasn't too impressed with the ultrasound but Husband did a good job explaining and pointing for him. He did like the children's area in the waiting room so let's chalk it up to a win. (He most likely won't ever be going back to the office but we didn't want to find a sitter for such a short appointment.)

Everything looks great.

And they are sticking with GIRL.

Which in my gut I knew but it was nice to have visual confirmation!

So we are moving ahead with a girl room and I am going to begin sorting through the newborn clothes to see what is gender neutral enough to wash and have out. I think there are lots of cute animal onesies that will be perfect. Obviously I will need to get some fun girl stuff for her but I'm not super stressed out about it.

I would post pictures but since it wasn't the big ultrasound I didn't get digital copies and I haven't scanned them in yet. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Life As We Know It

I am deep in the trenches of the battle of everyday life. Not that it is particularly hard but, you know how it is right? Sometimes it is the monotony more than anything that gets you down. This weekend was a nice change of pace and while it brought it's own moments of stress and weakness it was all-around a pretty great one. 

We had a wedding on Saturday. I slept in just long enough to totally scrap all my "get ready" plans for the day. I know you know what I mean. Instead of a face mask and doing my nails, a regular shower and removing the gross chipped nail polish would have to suffice. 

This was further exasperated by Husband getting squeezed in for a haircut last last minute. He needed it and I am ultimately incredibly pleased he got a haircut for many reasons but it meant I had to get myself ready and a toddler packed and prepped for a day with relatives. We are fortunate that Husband's uncle and aunt live a few minutes away and are willing to watch C occasionally. (For free!) 

I know I talked about this on Friday, but my drive to get C all settled and on the road was all because of the dismissal by rows thing. I hate getting stuck in the back. It's the worst. But I, of course, stressed for no reason and we got delightful seats. We did bypass the "sign the guestbook" line at the church in order to accommodate my seating preference. But since guest books are always at the reception too (and it was) it didn't make one bit of difference and all was well. 

The wedding was really great. The bride's grandfather is a Deacon so was presiding over the wedding. (The groom's family is not primarily Catholic so it wasn't a full Mass.) He gave probably the best wedding homily I have ever had the pleasure to hear. I am sure it helps that it was his granddaughter he was speaking to, but the basic gist was that you can have God in your marriage but if you lose focus on each other and ever stop seeing your spouse for who they are that's when the trouble begins. 

The rest of the day went well. It didn't rain. The food was good. The reception venue was beautiful. It was exactly the bride's style. Which... was distressed vintage glamour. The only downfall of the distressed vintage aspect was that the air conditioning didn't work very well. At all. The room sat solidly at 80 for the duration of the evening. But once you just accepted the heat it wasn't so bad. I clearly wasn't drinking anything but water so that helped as well. We had a really good time. And when we picked up C to take him home he slept right through all the transferring so that's about as ideal as it gets. 

Yesterday my Dad and brother came to visit. Which was really great but incredibly teasy because the few hours we were able to see them wasn't really enough. I thoroughly enjoy my family and really wish seeing them could be more regular. And it breaks a mom's heart to hear your toddler say "Bye Bye Grandpa." He even woke up saying that this morning. (They left at bedtime.) 

But all in all it was a successful weekend. We have another wedding this weekend too in Husband's hometown and C will come to that reception so it should be equally fun but in a different way. We are going to have him nap as normal which will take place during the ceremony. I hope it proves to be just as much fun as Saturday's wedding! 

And that is pretty much what we did this weekend to combat the everyday monotony. This week should be pretty low-key to recover and prepare for travels. Hopefully the weather turns less rainy and we are able to get outside a bit. 

Answer Me This: 3rd Times the Charm

It's another round of Answer Me This! Hey-O! This week is especially fun for me because I was tagged by Kendra. Which made me feel all famous on the interwebs for about 10 minutes. It's always startling when the people with a bajillion followers take notice of the little guys. 

1. When's the last time you got a new bathing suit?

August 2012. It still fits. Or it did in April... I am sure with #2 taking up more room that it will be snug soon. I don't go swimming often but when I wore it in Florida I was actually quite happy with how modest it was--there's no falling out of this suit, there's not even any cleavage! I didn't remember that from 2012's trip to Florida. At that point I was just excited to go swimming! 

I actually just got it at J.C. Penney which was surprising and it was really inexpensive. Not a lot of people were buying the swimsuits in August. (I think school had maybe even started... or was JUST about to.) 

2. Who made the last incoming call on your phone?

My mom. I talk to my mom daily. On Skype always and the phone usually when someone is not on Skype or not answering. We have a variation of the same conversation the first minutes of every conversation. 

Person Who Answers: Hello

Caller: Why aren't you on Skype/Why aren't you answering/I called you. 

Person Who Answers: Why do you always call when we are eating/I am walking into Walgreens/We are at the playground/My phone was upstairs

Caller: Well Push Tosh About It**/Fellow has to go to bed soon/How did I know you were going to Walgreens?/Why do you even have a phone if it's not by you?

Person Who Answers: I'll go on Skype right now/I'll call you when I get home. 

End Scene. 

**My mom had a co-worker who misheard "Pish Posh" and said "Push Tosh." That was in 2003. It stuck. We say it a lot. Some times it is shortened to PTAI in both text and speak. 

3. If you receive communion, do you receive it in the hands or on the tongue?

The hands. 
I know we have been encouraged to receive on the tongue but I don't for two reasons. 

First, it wigs me out. I know that the spread of germs isn't really likely but I somehow can't get past it. 

Second, I have a very small mouth that doesn't open very wide so I would assume that would make it harder for the Priest. (I make a solid effort to only get in the Priest line regardless of where I attend.)

4. Do you have a tattoo?

Maybe. Maybe not. 

If I do it is not one that you would ever see. 

If I don't this question is irrelevant. 

5. How many dinner plates are in your house?

This is a loaded question. When we registered we picked out dishes based on simplicity and multi-use. We didn't do the fancy/casual thing we just got one set of dishes and silverware for everything. We picked based on look. (The now discontinued Sausalito in Blanca from Pottery Barn.) We didn't look at the size of plates. 

So when we moved into our townhouse after our honeymoon, we were unpacking the kitchen and putting away our brand new everything and discovered the dinner plates didn't fit in the cupboards. They were too big. So we had a plate drawer at the townhouse. When we moved they relocated to a lower cupboard. We have 12 of these unpacked and another 6 in a box in the basement in original packaging. 

But because they're so big we don't use them frequently we use the salad plates as our dinner plates. We have 8 of those. 

So... take that as you will. 

6. Do you have an accent?

I don't think I do. But I do have a bit of Minnesota that comes out. I know I go all hard Minnesotan when I say bag, bagel, bars etc. 

And in those online dialect tests I am definitely Minnesotan because I say Pop, Hot Dish and play Duck, Duck, Gray Duck. 

I am pretty sure I am going to buy this onesie for newbie.
Actually I want one too! 

It's Friday! Time for some Quick(ish) Takes

7 Quick Takes! In which I spill all my secrets and give you all my best tips. Oh also some opinions. You know, normal me.

1. The Secret to a Good Chocolate Chip Cookie Part 1 

My first secret is why my chocolate chip cookies are so darn tasty. It's so easy. Salt. Break all the baking rules you know and use the salted butter. THEN add the (optional) salt. It seems like a lot. But that is why cookies taste so good when you buy the dough from the store. I swear. Try it just once. Salted butter AND the salt. And tell me it didn't make a tastier than normal cookie.

I was searching for stock photos and thought... why not reuse a picture from last year's Theme Thursday?

2. The Secret to a Good Chocolate Chip Cookie Part 2 

You can find all sorts of "science of cookies" articles on the interwebs. I know. But most of them will skim over how to form the dough. Husband and I once had a lengthy experiment to find out what makes the best cookie. Obviously your personal preference will dictate your perfect cookie, but if you like a more done edge and a less done middle (crispy outside/chewy inside or chewy outside/doughy inside) then you need to be forming your cookie dough into cylinders.

It's all about the cylinders my friends. Again, try it just once. You'll be sold. And if you're going for a picture perfect cookie, after they're cylinders add a chocolate chip or two to the top of the dough. It will melt beautifully and look wonderful.

3. An Opinion On Motorcycles. 

Would someone please, please tell me why motorcycles? They just seem dangerous. And for all the road signs that say "Start Seeing Motorcycles" I want to say "Stop Being Annoying" The speed limit is not just for cars. The lines on the roads are also not just for cars. Just because you can weave in and out of cars does not mean you should. They're also loud. And you'd get to places smelling like exhaust I'd imagine. And you'd either have crazy wind hair or helmet hair. I just don't get it. Can you explain?

*I know some people on motorcycles must be great people who always wear helmets and drive the speed limit and follow all the rules of the road. They should move to my town because they are few and far between here. If you are one of those people please tell me why you love your motorcycle.*

4. Wedding Season 

We have a wedding this weekend and next. I am gearing up. Tomorrow's is local, which is nice. They are doing dismissal by rows, which is not nice. Dismissal by rows is it's own circle of Hell. We are getting there early so we're not stuck in the back.

5. In Other News

We get to go back and see Baby (Girl... probably) next week. I am looking forward to it and at that point I will start figuring out how that room is going to go. 24 weeks Sunday!

6. Hello Flo First Moon Party 

I know that videos in blogs go mostly unclicked. But oh my gosh I died. So so funny. And Hello Flo is on to something with this package of feminine products delivered with goodies right in time for cycles. The postpartum kit looks like a nice, if a little unusual, baby gift. Especially for moms who may have a lot of baby gear already. I am pretty sure that I would absolutely attend a first moon party if I was invited!

7. Husband's New Job

Husband officially applied for the job he's been doing for a while. It's a formality and his new job title and raise will kick in on July 1! Best news ever! The best part is he will also be eligible for the bonus program. It wouldn't actually pay out for us until next July but baby steps and the potential for a bonus is great! Lots of exclamation points but I'm kind of excited. So I am exclaiming.

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekends!