How To Make Korker Bows

So, I was asked several times how to make the Korker bows that I showed a couple of weeks ago in a post. It's taken me several times to actually get the pics together to do an instructional post so if you see lots of different colors of ribbon, that's why.

These are the supplies you need to start with. I use 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and for the white bow I finished, I used 1/8" grosgrain ribbon for the middle although it works better to use 1/4" for the whole thing. Just a thought. The dowel I use is also 1/4".
Cut the dowel into pieces that will fit inside your oven preferably on a cookie sheet. Secure one end of a piece of ribbon onto the end of the dowel as shown and wind it all the way down the dowel. Secure the other end, snip the ribbon.Bake the ribbon for about 25 minutes at 275 degrees. Remove and let cool.
Unwind the ribbon.Cut the ribbon into 3 1/2" to 4" pieces. I cut 4" pieces and then shape at the end although I've found that cutting pieces several different sizes makes for a fuller bow and you can singe the ends (discussed later) before putting them on the bow and that's easier than doing it later.
Using a lighter, take each piece and burn the ends to prevent fraying. This is the best method I've found for doing this. Don't try this with every type of ribbon though as some discolor. Grosgrain ribbon just burns well usually without discoloration unless you burn for too long.
Cut about a 7" piece of 1/4" or 1/8" ribbon and lay it down covered with all of the curled pieces of ribbon. I do 10 to 14 pieces although I've seen 18 pieces that made a very full cute bow. Just mess around with it.
Tie the ribbon into a double knot.
Turn over - this will be the top.
To prepare the barrette: For Bug's hair, I use these double pronged clips as they seem to stay in her hair better. For babies, I use the pointy clips that can easily stick into headbands, etc. Use what you feel is better. The preparation is the same.
Cut a 4" piece of the ribbon you've chosen to cover the clip with. Singe both ends.
Lay the clip down flat to determine it's top & bottom sides. Apply a small dab of glue to one end of the ribbon and glue it to the open the clip and apply the ribbon to the inside of the top part back near the hinge.
Wrap the ribbon up and around the top applying glue along the top all the way up over the hinge.
I put glue all the way inside the hinge and then put a tiny bit of glue on the end of the ribbon and wrap it around the back. You should have barely enough.
Once the clip is ready, take the korker and turn it upside down. You should have two dangling ribbons on the back. Put a small dab of glue on the inside of the clip on top of the ribbon already glued there. Then, wrap one of the dangling ribbons on the korker around the clip, making sure that the other side of the korker is aligned properly on the other side of the clip. Hold the dangling ribbon over the glue until it dries (you have to hold the clip open while you're doing this).
Clip the dangling ribbon you just glued and singe.

Put another dab of glue on the top of the ribbon you just cut and then wrap the remaining dangling ribbon from the korker up around pulling sort of tight to make sure the korker is secure on the clip. Hold until dry. Don't let go of the clip at this point because any excess glue that oozes out from the ribbon will adhere to the clip and you'll not get it open again. It's a pain.
Clip the remaining dangling ribbon and singe.

Depending on how the korker ended up getting glued on, you may have to turn it over to the top and align it properly on the clip adding a little extra glue on the clip to make sure it's straight. I have to do this abou 50% of the time.

This is what you should have now...If you like, you can now shape it by cutting off little pieces of ribbon from wherever you'd like. Just remember to singe the ends you cut.Ta-da! You're done!

It's Done

My hair's gone. It's a beautiful thing. It's not even styled and I already love it.

The Mop's Going Down

You Guys. I'm so excited! If there is no other reason for growing my hair to the point of hating every single strand every single moment of the day, it is to be so excited for the day when you get to chop it all off!

And that, my friends is what I am doing. Do you remember me from days when my hair was really short? I know. It's been a long time. Well over a year since I began this painful process of growing it out, and for what? To look like crap every day? I guess so. Because I do. I know.

But that's all about to change. Wednesday at 3:30 my whole outlook on life will change. I'm going for the cut and color and I wish I could just fast forward to then. Here's a pic of me about 3 1/2 years ago...and that's where this mop is headed. I LOVE my hair in this picture - it's the "me" I look for in the mirror. (Isn't Bugs so cute in these pictures? It almost makes me cry to see her so little again.)

Things To Do That Don't Cost A Lot of Money

Poverty can cause one to get creative in terms of entertainment. And while I'm not necessarily down to the last pennies in my jar, it's getting close and frugality has become a rule.

I have managed to keep myself busy these past few weeks and it's been fun. As I look back at most of the activities I've been doing, I've discovered that most of them have been pretty crafty and/or domestic. Well, that's my life.

So thanks to Tiffany and her resource list of various blogs dedicated to little girls' hair, Bugs and I have had much fun in the past few weeks doing her hair lots of different ways. It's a mother/daughter thing as she helps decide which hair-do we're going to try today. Today was this...The other day, we tried this...My friend, Kim has been coming over fairly regularly and we've been making some fun things. Last Friday we made bow boards. If you look around for things to hang on your wall to keep all your hair bows, there isn't a huge selection. But I found this so we decided to make them. It turned out SO cute. I think I'll be selling them soon. If you're interested, I can customize them however you want and they'll be $15. I also made 90% of the bows on this board. I'll probably be selling these too so if you see something you like, they will be competitively priced. Just lemme know! I'll be adding to my Etsy shop soon. (if you click on the pic, it'll enlarge so you can see everything better).I also decided that PJ's are too expensive. It's summer now and that means summer PJ's. I don't want to buy any so I decided to pair regular boy's T-shirts with these cute shorts that I made. I made several different pair in bargain-priced fabric or whatever I had leftover from other projects. We love these ducks & frogs! I just realized it's the same fabric as the bow-board! See, I'm getting the idea of frugality!

Well, That Didn't Work Out

Tinkerpot is 12 lbs now and quickly growing out of the 0-3 month old clothes I have for her. So today I ventured into the abyss of my storage room and found the 3-6 mo. clothes and started going through them. The memories...so sweet.

Anyway, I got thinking back about when Bug's wore these clothes. She was a runt of a baby, born in May and didn't wear 3-6 month old clothes until Christmas. Hence, nearly all of the clothes are winter clothes. Gah! It just figures! I have this HUMONGOUS stack of clothes that Tink will probably never wear and a small stack of things like boring old printed onesies and ugly shorts. There are only 2 dresses and one of them has long sleeves.

Fortunately I was gifted (thanks Katie) several large bags of girl baby clothes today that will supplement what I have. What a blessing they are though - without them, I'm afraid I might be needing to go buy summer clothes for Tink, and right now just isn't a good time for that.

Not Really a Funk - More Like Bad Habits

When does reading a book become a bad habit? When it takes over your life. I used to judge a book by its thickness. If it wasn't thick, I didn't even consider it. I wanted a book that would capture my attention for at least 3 days vs some of these thinner books that I can get through in one night. And then I met "The Trilogy". Ahhh. What a wonderful little invention! I can escape for weeks on end!

And then...I became a mother. And escaping for weeks on end is not a good thing. It's scary and irresponsible. But I'm like a freakin' kid in a candy shoppe. I get my hands on a good book and it's the worst addiction EVER. And right now I'm into a "trilogy" that's not really a trilogy but more like a seven-ilogy. Whatever THAT word is. But it's so awesome!

(*my head bobs to "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It") OM - I LOVE that song! Yeah, I'm awful - but at least I don't play it when my kids are around.

I download the books from the Salt Lake County library and they either can be transferred to my little PDA (like a palm) or just read them on my computer...which I do...ALL DAY. Think I'm wierd, I dare ya. It's alright - I'm okay with it.

So I'm not doing much else right now. Ya, the laundry is getting done slowly and I seriously have to force myself to do it. I clean - if I have to. Stuff gets done but the bare minimum just so I can read.

And I know I need to do something about it. I'm praying about it. No seriously. I am! And things have improved a bit. I don't read every single minute of every day. I've shifted my attention a bit to other things. Here and there I've made some more girly bows for my kids, and I made a "blankie" for Tinkerpot. I plan to weed one of my flower beds today before the soil dries out too much. And we're going to the pool this afternoon. And really folks...that's progress! Last week, I finished 3 of the 7 books in 5 days. It's just pathetic. It's a sickness. I'm sick.

Holey Jeans - The Solution For Girls

I've been complaining of holey jeans for about a year now ever since Bugs decided her favorite occupation is to be a kitty. Thus, lots of crawling around on her knees ruining pair after pair of perfectly good pants, new pants that cost a lot!

My friend Kim was over the other day telling me what her sister does. At the end of every school year, her sister cuts off the legs of all of her kids' pants (the girls), and sews ribbons and/or lace onto the bottoms. So Kim and I went to the store and bought some cute ribbons. She has a daughter the same age and has similar problems with pants.

I spent a couple of hours this afternoon fixing several pairs of jeans for Bugs. And now I don't have to go buy any shorts for summer! What a great fix! Thanks Kim!

Bumbo - My Friend

Bumbo first came out when Bugs was about 18 months old, and when I saw it for the first time I could have cried that it wasn't available when she was an infant. I recognized its value immediately.

When I found out I was pregnant this time, it was one of my very first purchases. I buy them quite frequently for baby gifts too. They're about $35 depending on where you get them - and you can buy them anywhere, Target...WalMart...TJMaxx... ShopKo...KMart - wherever.
When all else fails to please Tinkerpot, I put her in Bumbo and she is entertained for more time than I can even imagine. She sat in Bumbo at the pool for 1/2 hour without her binky, just watching all the kids and splashing in the water.

Tonight, she was quite fussy but I needed to get dinner made. In Bumbo, she sat watching me without her binky again, just so happy to be upright and near me.
I love you, Bumbo!

p.s - you can buy a small tray for Bumbo so it turns into a smaller version of a highchair or a place for them to play.

So Happy To Be Me

Bugs at 6 M0.

I have me another thumb sucker! If you know me at all, you know I love me a little thumb sucker!

How lucky am I?

Getting The Real Story From a Five Year Old

The other day, Bugs came home from a friend's house with this weird doll thing made from a bedpost that she said "Polly gave it to me me". Who's Polly? Polly isn't one of Bug's friends that I know of. Turns out, she's her friend's next door neighbor. Ok.

"Why did Polly give you that?" I ask.

"She gave it to Lindsey!" Bugs says. Ok. That's clear as mud.

"Well then why do you have it?"

"She gave it to me!"

Alright, I think. Whatever. If someone really wants this thing, someone will call. At this point, I'm not really expecting anyone to call. Have you seen this doll? It's odd - like from the 1970's or something.
A few days later, I'm still wondering who Polly is - not like I'm worried because if Bug's friend's mother lets her daughter play with Polly then I'm sure she's harmless. I trust this friend's mom. So Bugs is prancing around with the artifact from the Natural History Museum and I say, "so is Polly a kid?"

"No."

"Why did she give Lindsey the doll?"

"Because she was on the floor in her garage and Lindsey saw her."

"Did she fall?"

"Yeah. She's old and she can't get up." A-ha. It's making sense.

"She's old?"

"Yeah. She's really old. She has bumpy skin - really REALLY bumpy skin."

I see now. It's all in the details.

Birthday at the Preschool

Bugs is turning 5 at the end of this month and since she won't be in school anymore, they're celebrating it tomorrow at school.

So, for the first time of probably many times, I made cupcakes (from scratch!) for the class to deliver tomorrow during their little celebration.

I would post pictures of the cupcakes that I just finished baking but I am mortified at their turn-out. They are the ugliest cupcakes I have ever seen. And the only thing that makes them look edible (to a 5 year old) are the liberal sprinkles and the single M & M on the top. I hope I get better at making them (maybe I should just buy them).

However, if you can get past their appearance, these cupcakes are the yummiest thing I've eaten in a long time, and I'm not a huge fan of cake. They taste like the moistest brownies in the world and the frosting is a cocoa buttercream that has more of a gourmet flavor than the Betty Crocker frosting in a jar at the grocery store. I'm in love with it. I will eat it straight. Right now. Excuse me please.

I'm Ever Evolving

I have a friend who has many times, spoken to me of her "black soul" - a virtual quagmire of darkness (I'm putting words in her mouth but the feeling is the same). She says that her cheery disposition and friendly outer shell are merely a disguise for the evil lurking beneath. She's serious. And although I don't entirely believe her self-loathing observations and criticisms, I can understand where she's coming from.

I believe this about myself... I am selfish. Beyond anything you can imagine about me. If you know me, you probably aren't aware of how much I only think of myself. The only time it's not all about me is when it comes to my family...mainly my kids. But even in some of those cases it's all about me too. No lie. I am swimming a sea of unforgiveable selfishness. I honestly shouldn't even be allowed to have children, and sadly that's probably why God gave me children in the first place because I am less selfish than before they came along.

I know all of this sounds like a bunch of self-pity but it's not. It's self-reflection. It's a road to self-correction. I'm sick of me being like this. I'm 35 years old, not 16. Self-centeredness is a phase I never grew out of.

The other day I got thinking about a friend I've had for a really long time and how a number of years ago, her daughter got married. I recollect getting an invitation. That was so nice of her to invite me. Do you know what I did? I looked at the invitation...categorized the event as "too much trouble" (Bugs was probaby 2 or something and I'd of had to take her with me *oh no! - of all the horrid things!) and promptly filed the invitation in the "inconvenient" pile and forgot about it.

Years later, I think about that. I am so ashamed that I didn't even respond to the invite. Sent a gift, a letter, a note, made a phone call ...SOMETHING. But no, I didn't - Worst of all is that I do this type of thing all the freaking time! It's not occasional. I've missed baptisms, baby blessings, weddings, baby showers...all sorts of events that are important if not to me, than to someone. Important enough that the invited ME to commemorate the occasion with them, and all I could think of was that it was probably an "FYI" type of thing and consider it inconvenient for my life right now. I'm so embarrassed of myself.

My friends and family are too forgiving. They always forgive me and I love them for it. I'm going to change this. I'm not sure how, but I'm going to change this about me. Please pray for me. I have a long way to go.

Just Stuff

I barely averted what I thought was oncoming bronchitis. Bronchitis is not my friend. In fact, it is my worst enemy. And now that I have asthma, I fear it even worse. Since my pregnancy, my asthma has not cleared up. I've been meaning to blog about it for a few days now but whenever I run, I feel like someone is inside my lungs with a feather - yeah it tickles & burns when I run. I've taken to running with my inhaler. But yesterday I woke up to what felt like the startings of something really bad. I prepped (lots of medicine, cleared my schedule, made contingency plans for kids etc.). But I woke up today and felt reasonable good...and that is so good. It is. Because next time I have bronchitis, I know I'll be in the hospital. True story.

So with a relatively clear schedule today I frittered away most of it like I do most every day until I decided to do something productive. I made some of these...
They were really easy. If anyone would like the instructions, I took pictures of the process and would be glad to post an instructional how-to. Here's Tinkerpot with it on...
... ok, this headband is a little overwhelming on her - how about this one...
You get a better idea with it on Bugs:
A little while later, I decided to throw together some pasta salad. And I began to muse about food. Olives.When I was young, my mom never bought sliced olives! She'd enlist the crew she'd born to cut them up into slices rather than pay the extra money. Imagine my surprise when, as an adult, perusing the grocery store that I found that you could actually buy them that way! Whodathunkit?

Lastly, peas. More specifically...canned peas. Who likes these things? And why in all the world did I buy a case of them for my food storage when no one in my family can stand them? What do people do with them? If anyone out there has an idea of what I can do with an entire case of gross green peas, then please - I'm begging you...enlighten me.

Oh Puh-leeze!

Don't you just love how kids can gag on demand?

Why Is It So Hard?

It seems like no matter what phase of life I'm in, I go from one event/crisis/project to the next always working on them in what seems to be the last minute. Just like this blessing this past weekend. I really knew about it for the longest time but all of the details crept up on me in the last week and it was hellacious!

That done, I thought I'd have a week or two to just relax and soak up the fact that the blessing thing was done and I had nothing more than routine stuff to do. Do my daily tasks each day and then have the rest of each day to do any number of projects I've been wanting to get to: making ribbons/flowers for the girls' hair, genealogy, detailed de-cluttering, blogging, organizing closets, making pajamas, canning, whatever...

But alas, no.....I completely forgot about The Marshmallow's and Bug's birthdays coming up in just a few days. The Marshmallow turns 40 on the 21st and has requested a bash. Hmmm - I'm sort of running short on time for this one. I'm going to have to think fast. Fortunately I've already sort of been planning Bug's party at the end of the month. She turns 5 and wants a pool party at the rec center. I've already ordered and received most of her party stuff but I haven't shopped for either of their presents, and forget details like cakes and stuff like that!

When I was in grad school, life was even busier than it is now of course. I had to plan way in advance for anything and I seriously was the master time manager - ask anyone. I had a reputation for it. I used a calendar and a PDA (like a palm pilot) and had every single minute of my day planned out for months in advance. People used to complain that it was harder to get time with me than it was the President. I was booked solid but so organized! Where is that me now?

I want to get ahead of things. I want to be planning the 4th of July festivities right now so that they don't creep up on me. I want to have Halloween costumes done and ready by the end of the summer. I hate things going to the last minute; it's just so not my style...except since I've had children. I'm afraid my reputation is lost. Maybe if I get super busy again like I used to be, I'll get super organized again. I know my organizational skills increase incrementally with how busy I am.

Meanwhile, I have a few last minute parties to plan...

The Economy and Why It Sucks To Be Us

You might remember a post I made about 2 years ago about where we'd really like to be living. Well, as much as I really do love my house and all, I do have bigger dreams, or at least more humble. Not like I lust after the big house on the hill or whatever - that's not really me. But I would like a newer house and some land for my kids to frolic upon.

That dream has never been further away than it is at this moment however. With The Marshmallow being self-employed, I can't see a bank lending us a single red cent which is all the more disappointing because of how inexpensive the housing market is right now! Even if we put our house up for sale and broke even...*gasp*...we'd still be buying a nicer home for probably not much more than we bought this one for 3 1/2 years ago!

So...what to do, what to do. The Marshmallow does have employment opportunities but has been resisting them in hopes that his small business will take off. Thus far, it's doing what it's supposed to be doing...paying our bills, keeping us in our house without me working. But it's difficult to turn down this an awesome opportunity - if he would get salaried employment, we could move finally. It's a hard decision. I've given him my opinion but since it's his job, I'll let him make the final decision.

Blessing Day

Ahhh. It's over. Little bit of a stressful day up until about 2:30pm when all the food was out and everyone was just relaxing and enjoying themselves.

The morning was another story though. Tinkerpot only sleeps for about 2 hours in the morning and I had a whole lot to pack into that two hours and then The Marshmallow kept slamming the front door and woke her up half way through her nap. I was so mad! He said, "Well, I've got so much to do I don't have time to carefully close the door every time!" No duh! Like I'm just sitting on my tush waiting for Tink to wake up!

But it was okay. We got to the church in time although Marshmallow and I each had to make individual trips back to the house to get things we forgot. The blessing, given by Renee's husband, Scott was beautiful and very moving. A few cute ladies in my ward wrote down the whole blessing word for word and handed me the transcript after it was over. Those ladies are so great! Putting their shorthand to good use!

Tinkerpot slept for 11 hours straight last night without waking up. And because of that I should have slept like a log but I didn't. I was up every other hour checking to make sure she wasn't dead! I would have gotten more rest if she'd have just woken up once to eat! I can't help but worry.

She got her shots this morning and has slept all morning, poor thing. I know vaccinations are so important but it's a sad day when you have to endure your baby going through pain and then not feeling good. No more for a few more months, thank you.

I took pictures at the blessing of Renee's family, a few of her daughter Brooke and my mom. I'll post them all as I get them done.

Waterpolo Angels

My sister, Renee, phoned this morning and said she was at our local recreation center watching her oldest daughter play waterpolo. She said she was going to stop by between games. I thought she'd come and just visit for a few minutes.

A short while later, she pulled up in front of my house and a car full of teenaged girls piled out holding pots of flowers they intended to plant in my flower beds in preparation for tomorrow's get-together. My sister had orchestrated the whole thing!

The girls got to work planting all of the flowers and they looked beautiful - the flowers looked great too! I was amazed at how fast they got the job done.

Renee has been so instrumental in organizing tomorrow's event. She practically created the menu, figured out the best place to buy all of the stuff, where the bargains were, helped buy some of the stuff, is personally making 1/2 of the menu, planted those flowers today, and helped to make sure we're not missing anything. I'm pretty sure it would have been a complete bust without her help.

Anyway, just a shout out of thanks to the Tooele High School Girl's Waterpolo Team and especially to my sister, Renee for their help today! You're awesome!

Family Quarrels

My sisters and I are entering an age where death is more prevalent among our elders (grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles etc.). Many of them have already died or are somewhere in the process of planning for that inevitable day unfortunately.

So my topic for today is "their stuff". What to do with it. And I'm not talking about useless bottles, unwanted rugs, old clothing. I'm talking about the stuff we DO want. That EVERYONE wants.

When my grandmother (dad's mom) died a year before I was born, his sisters "swooped" (isn't that the word everyone uses in this scenario?) in and absconded with all of the highly desirables before her children even made it there. Her children did not have the chance to inherit things like personal china, special furniture, sentimentalities. I don't own a single item of hers and unfortunately neither does my dad. I was visiting my great-aunt (grandma's sister) two years ago and she showed me the china she had taken, and there were a number of Ethan Allen furniture pieces that she owned as well. I plan to offer to buy the china when my great-aunt starts her will. The question is, was it fair of the sisters to do that? Was it right? I can't imagine doing that to my sisters.

There has already been a bit of contention about what items will go to whom when my other grandmother, Marilyn (my mother's mom) dies. She's been very open about her will and it's created a lot of conflict. I think I might ask to be taken off the will and after everyone receives what he/she wants, I might pilfer through the remaining to merely get a token of her after she passes.

My mom also has begun, in small part, to list her more precious items. I know the items she intends to give to me but I wonder how my sisters will feel about it. I don't know what they're receiving.

Similarly, in the past several years, occasionally she (and my grandma, Marilyn) will offer up items of worth that they no longer need. These items usually go to whomever has most recently expressed an interest or a need. Sometimes when the other sisters find out about it, there is hostility, and if not hostility than occasionally jealousy. There are fairness issues among about a zillion other things to consider. I recently received a dehydrator (the one I was talking about in my post a few days ago) from my mom. It has been in my family since I was a young girl. My mother didn't ask my sisters if they'd like it - she offered it to me first. It was a loan but yesterday she retracted the loan and then gave it to me. She said I should share it with my sisters. I plan to if they want it.

In thinking about the dehydrator and a number of other things that have been given to me and my sisters, I wonder about the fairness of it all. I know life's not fair but I know that this particular issue in many families has created such conflict that it has ruined relationships. My sisters are my best friends - no single item that any of my relatives own would be worth jeopardizing those relationships that are my most prized possession.

I've decided that from this day on, if something is offered to me from my elders, I will request they ask both of my sisters first if they would like it. That way they don't know that it has been offered to me first. Everyone will feel like they were asked first. Then, if they both turn it down, I will feel like I received it justly and no one will be angry. I think I'll even go back to my mom and grandma's wills and ask them to do the same thing.

Change of Plans

I left the house full of intention. I had lots of things to do in just a short amount of time.

So I get to the doctor's office after properly medicating Tinkerpot for pain. My appointment was set for tomorrow. They couldn't fit her in today. I rescheduled for Monday. Well, that freed up an hour which sort of made me happy.

The nail place wasn't open until 10 (it was 9) so I went to the flower shop to get corsages for my mom and grandma to wear to church on Mother's Day. Note to self: start saving now for corsages for next year. Those suckers are pricey!

Still, with time to kill, we hit Great Harvest for their free bread. But I felt like a hoser so I bought some bread while I was there. Another note to self: next time ask for a small piece to avoid the 1,000 calories I hate in BREAD. No, no one was forcing it into my mouth but I felt an honest compulsion to lick the crumbs off the table after eating the whole thing in 4 seconds.

Now it was 10 - so I ran over to the nail place. Another car pulled in at the exact time I did but since I had so much to get out of the car (slow kid + backpack full of activities to occupy her, kid in carrier + baby accouterments, me + my purse, blanket + everything else we might need FOR ONE HOUR) they beat me in there, and took my spot with the lady who does my nails - the only lady I'll let do my nails now. I had to reschedule for tomorrow.

On my way home, I got a phone call that my grandma was sick and wouldn't be able to make it to the luncheon today. Just wonderful. It seemed like my whole day was turning out to be a joke! While I sat there trying to figure out an alternate plan for the luncheon, since it was kind of important that she be there, it was decided my mom would just come anyway and we'd send my grandma's gifts home with her. They live together. I felt bad but there weren't many other options at that point. We ended up having a really good time and I suppose I need to just be happy that it didn't entirely get blown.

Interestingly enough, I found out today that I was accused of stealing money from a person who is close to me 11 years ago. I also found out that this person has told several others that are close to me that I did it, but this person never told me! How am I supposed to react to this? In the past 11 years, I have gone out of my way to be nice to her but now find out that she harbors a grudge against me and it colors all of our interactions. I'm blown away, hurt and extremely surprised mainly because I absolutely did nothing of the sort! I mean the thought of doing what I'm accused of is so far removed from anything I would ever think of doing that it's actually even a little funny. In matters like that, I am beyond reproach and I can say that and not feel even the slightest bit boastful. Hmmm. I have to think about this on how I intend to proceed. She isn't aware that I know at this point and my gut instinct is to march up to her and confront her. Not sure that's the best approach in this situation though.

Anyway, did get my gardening done today. Wish I'd done it earlier in the day - it's hot! Now that the Mother's Day luncheon is over, I can focus on Tinkerpot's blessing. I love that kid.

Is Today Thursday Already??

Where is the time going? Whatever! My life is flying by and I can't even catch it!

Today some of the craziness actually begins. We've got Tinkerpot's shots in an hour and after the way Bug's reacted to her 5 year old shots (like a freaking screaming mimi, I seriously was like, "Dude, that kid is NOT my kid!"), I am feeling exceptionally tender-hearted about today's round. And, not to sound utterly callous I do hope she sleeps really good after the shots though because I've got a nail appointment right afterward and it's always easier of she's sleeping! It's not really all about me though...just gotta fit it all in!

Later today my mom, Grandma and Renee are coming over for the Mother's Day luncheon that I posted about a few days ago. I made Katie's absolutely delicious Spicy Cashew Salad and will serve it with Renee's chicken salad sandwiches followed by strawberry shortcake. You have to try this salad though - it is wonderful! Here's the recipe and maybe I'll post pictures later although they won't do it justice because I'm using green grapes instead of red and the red ones make the salad LOOK as good as it TASTES.

Katie's Spicy Cashew Salad

3/4 cup cashew halves
4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
1 T melted butter
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

In a large dry skillet over medium heat toast cashews until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool in a dish (slightly).
Next cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and soak up grease with a paper towel. Set bacon aside.
In a medium bowl stir butter, rosemary, curry powder, brown sugar, salt , cayenne pepper with cashews. Set aside.

Dressing:
3 T white wine vinegar
3 T dijon mustard
2 T honey
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

in a small bowl mix all together and set aside.

Salad:
1 (10oz) bag mixed greens
1 pear sliced thin
1 cup red grapes halved

in large bowl toss dressing with salad ingredients and bacon. sprinkle with nut mixture.

Later...after everyone leaves I've got some backyard issues to tackle. Those flower beds that every May need a good overhaul - weeding, mulching etc. I'm actually excited about this because it looks like today is going to be a beautiful day. We're doing the blessing luncheon outside on the patio and honestly, there's a lot to be done out there before we can invite people over to see it. Yikes.

Again...lots to do...better get started.

Tuesday Thoughts & Stuff

I have decided to put Kelly Rippa on my black list of people I hate but also secretly love. It's so easy to hate her and yet love her at the same time. Have you seen those arms? OMG (for the record, that's Oh My Gosh for those of you think I'm swearing)! And she totally wears shirts in the summer just to show them off, people. But then again, so would I! And she's so cute that she's pukey ... but you watch in fascination anyway because she's just that girl next door that is impossible to truly hate. I'm making no sense ... except if you totally know exactly what I mean - and you know you do!

Yesterday me and Bugs processed the very last remaining cartons of strawberries I had amassed in my kitchen since last week. We dehydrated them - a very simple process if you have a dehydrator, might I add, which I do. And I love the thing. I dehydrated like 2 flats of strawberries (yummy!) and 15 lbs of bananas (CANDY!). I also made, with Renee's help, about 45 pints of strawberry freezer jam, which is really strawberry flavored sugar jam. Ooh, that stuff is divine!

I took this picture of Bugs holding the strawberries and as I was checking my cameras settings, she reached down and grabbed a huge handful of strawberries from her rack and stuffed them in her mouth which resulted in the funniest look on her face as she realized I was going to take another picture. She's a poser, and she couldn't pose with her mouth full! But she tried! Shoot, while uploading these pics I realized I don't have one of that mouth full pose. That's too bad - it was awesome.
I got a dose of envy at Renee's house last week when I inadvertenly opened her "medicine cupboard" and found it ultra-organized ... like a nurse would do. But then I remembered, "oh, she's in nursing school!" And then it made sense. So yesterday I was lamenting over the fact that she was more organized than me in this area so I decided to rectify that STAT. Looking at my medicine cupboard, one might think I'm sort of a hypochondriac...when in fact I really just like to be prepared. It's a religion thing...what can I say?

Before....


After... yay me (and Renee)...

More Construction

Last week we received notification that construction would begin again on our street. You remember what happened last time there was construction... great!

I could have sworn that construction happened just last year but it was actually nearly two years ago. Wow! Time flies. This time they're repaving the entire street for a stretch of about a mile. That's the trouble with living on a busy street. They're always doing stuff to it. I mean it always eventually benefits me...like with a new awesome sidewalk, and finally a smooth road instead of the incredibly bumpy one we've been driving on for who knows how long.

But it's a pain. They told us we'd have limited access to our driveways for an entire month. I'm not sure what "limited" means but it really sounds like it will be limiting, XD.

Yesterday the tearing out process started and is continuing today which is what this picture is. The Marshmallow knows all the technical terms for this equipment but I just know it's a big, noisy machine that tears up asphalt and spits it into another truck. I don't know if you can see the drop off but it's currently about 12' away from my driveway and if I want to get out, I drive on the dirt for about 1/4 of a mile to the "ramp" they've made to get back onto the normal road.

When they lay the new road I'm sure I won't be able to get in my driveway at all which will suck really bad because I'm carrying quite a bit to the car and back right now with the baby and all. Maybe I'll just go stay at my big sister's for a week. Always looking for an excuse to do that!

What's Going On This Week

I was making a plan of what I wanted to accomplish today and I realized that I actually have sort of a busy week. So I've had to revise my Master Day Plan and change it to sort of a Master Week Plan if I'm to get ready for this coming weekend which happens to be Mother's Day too.

We're having Tinkerpot blessed this Sunday and after, we're having a small family get-together with some brunch items. I've got most of the food for it but I need to take the meats and have them cut into slices at Winegars sometime this week. Salads are being pot-lucked as are drinks and chips. I should think about a dessert or something. Any quick yummy ideas?

Since I'll have company this weekend, I've got to get both spare bedrooms in shape, which ...ehem...means I need to move back into my own bedroom and likewise Tinkerpot. We've been holed up in the same room for the past month to make it easier on mom when she wakes (which she doesn't do much anymore). Really it's so that if she cries for a minute or two, it doesn't disturb The Marshmallow who feels the need to pick her up if she utters a squeek.

So that means quite a bit more laundry..sheets and such.

Renee and I are hosting a Mother's Day luncheon here at my house on Thursday. I have a bit of shopping to do to get ready for that. Incidentally that same day are Tinkerpot's first shots and I'm nervous about that. I've forgotten what Bug's shots were like at that age except for how traumatic it was for me.

So all in all...here's what I have to get done this week.

1. sweep/mop
2. load of laundry a day
3. do 15 minutes of de-cluttering in 1 area each day
4. clean the litter box!
5. hang the shelf to put my plants on
6. work on my next wall of pictures
7. shop & prepare for Mother's Day luncheon
8. shop & prepare for blessing get-together
9. pictures of Tinkerpot in her blessing dress
10. family home evening planned and executed!!!
11. start thinking about invitations for Bug's birthday party

On the personal fitness front, I did run this morning (yay!) with Kelly, who is my newest running partner! We're not going far yet but we are working on it and it feels SO GREAT! I came home and did one of my P90X workouts for core strengthening which sucked. My core is jello right now. I lost 5 lbs. last month doing this P90X thing - then gained back 1. O-well. But my goal this week is to get back on track. I plan to run at least 4 days this week followed by one of the P90X workouts each day, at least 5 days.

My eating needs a little work too. I'm only eating about 1400 calories right now and so far it's not affecting the milk supply fortunately. I have plenty :). But the P90X program, at this phase has a 40/40/20 (protein/carbs/fat) percentage split and my goal is to eat as close to those percentages each day this week. It's not as hard as the last phase was which was 50/50/20. Yikes, that was hard.

So that's my week in goals...like it or not. Gotta get it done. Good thing I'm getting plenty of sleep. Better get working!

The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny brought SP, otherwise now known as "Bugs", a yummy looking hollow milk chocolate Peter Rabbit Easter Bunny (reference pic).

Bugs has a rather unique fondness for all things cuddly. I suppose she thought that this Peter Rabbit Easter Bunny could be cuddly because she refused to eat him on the premise that he was "too cute". So now, I've had this ginormously delicious-looking chocolate bunny (milk-chocolate, mmm my favorite!) on my counter for 3 weeks.

I'm certain she's forgotten about him and would not even notice if the bunny were to end up in my tummy one night. I give myself a lot of credit for not inhaling him already. If it weren't for the possibility that she just might notice, I think I would have eaten him already. What would I say? "He's gone home to Flopsy and Mopsy?"

Ugh! What does a mom do? I want him: I don't want him.

The Grumpy Hole

When SP is grumpy, I tell her if she doesn't snap out of it, she has to go sit in the grumpy hole outside until she feels better. She's still young enough that she has to really inspect my face for truth when I make a statement like that. But I'm like a mime...there's no expression.

I sat in the grumpy hole today for a long time.

I don't know why I was so pissed off all day but it was one thing after another. Tinkerpot bawling away during her nap just put me on edge. SP bawling that "I want my Daddy" - what, you like your Daddy better...well, go get him. Get out of my hair!

Was it that The Marshmallow's transmission did whatever it is that transmissions do when they decide they don't want to do what transmissions do anymore. What the transmission is doing now is costing us $3,000 that we don't have. These blessings that teach patience are not appreciated...yet.

I did not get a shower today. I only got 1/2 of my laundry done. My taxes are STILL NOT complete. My anticipated weekend activities are making me less than enthused. I burned plastic onto my iron. I forgot about Easter: dying eggs, putting up decor, accumulating necessary Easter accoutrement for a 4-year's Easter experience. Do you want anymore reasons? I've got lots..................................................................

I'm feeling much better right now though. Tinkerpot's asleep at my side. The house is quiet. I'm blocking out all of my responsibilities (my compartmentalization personality is awesome in times like this). My time is my own until I decide to go to bed which should be soon if I hope to get the appropriate amount of sleep I need to function in my world.

Sorry to verbally barf all of you tonight. But thanks for your "ear".

My Body's In Here Somewhere!!!

I'm not sure what happened, but my real body has disappeared beneath a few layers of fat! Where did said fat come from? I've no idea! Seems to me I've not discarded my real body anywhere; if anything, I've only contributed to my real body. I've been making offerings to it for months in hopes that it will appreciate the good life it's got around here in the form of Oreos, french fries and Twizzlers! Apparently it didn't appreciate the good life and has since moved onto greener pastures.

What's left? Some bulges over my pants, a closet full of clothing I don't fit into, and a little bulge under my chin that causes me extreme angst.

So after I got the go-ahead from the doctor last week, I decided on a rather extreme dieting and exercise program that if stuck to surely will entice my real body to come back from hiding. I started yesterday. Can you say, "ouch"? I can...everytime I stand up! This is not for the faint of heart people! I'm talking serious ouch exericses daily and a diet that leaves much to be desired...like oreos, doritos and twizzlers (not to mention anything with carbs and/or fat in it since anything like that is disallowed).

You might be saying (and I want to be saying) "come on, you just had a baby not even two months ago. Cut yourself some slack!" Yeah. That's how I got myself into this mess in the first place! Slack Shmack! Cutting slack will make me just like every other overweight mother who after several children has gotten used to her grossly misshapen body and never does anything about it. I refuse to be that mother. I'm a trim mom (I have to tell myself these things). I'm a mom who enjoys exercise (that's not a lie). Now I just need the body to back up these stories, er I mean statements.

Anyway, blah blah - I'm doing this thing. I'm putting myself out there (not so far as to show you my fat pictures because that's hideous), but I have to be accountable. I have a blog for this, of course. It's not a new blog, but rather one I put on hold while I was pregnant. I'm back at it now. Watch me go! Literally.

You Know Those...

tubes of refrigerator biscuits? Anyone else completely mentally compromised and not able to follow package directions? I can't ever seem to get the diagonal paper to tear off accurately and so I have to dig at the crack with a spoon until the biscuit tube explodes...consequently making me nearly pee my pants.

That's my newsworthy happenings from today.

So Sue Me

My Jeep was done around tenish this morning so I was able to make it to my appointment with the accountant to get our taxes done. Is there a more dreaded task? It's as if you sit there and await The Man sending down your verdict. I owe what?

It actually didn't get to that point. I've never actually itemized before and this year because both Todd and I are self-employed, we can't avoid it. I came away with more to do than I can possibly manage in a year to collect all of the information he needs. I guess I know what I'll be doing for the next few days and nights. What am I doing blogging? Procrastinating the inevitable - avoiding, hiding, denial, basically putting my head in the sand. So what?

So the title of my blog is about this next item which I'm sure is very controversial but it's my life and I'm living it. I've mentioned my binky war from time to time - perhaps you've engaged in your own battle at various times in your life. I know it'll be a good thing but I'm having a hard time seeing past TODAY.

So I got some non control top panty hose, and cut strips out of them, tied little knots to the binky and wrapped the loop around Tinkerpot's ears. She is easily able to push it out of her mouth but there's just enough pressure to keep it from falling out every time she moves. There's absolutely no way she could choke on her puke, if that were to happen because the panty hose isn't tight. But it works. She's been in her crib for 1/2 hour now and I haven't had to go in there a single time to stick it back in. It's amazing. Truly.
Before you judge me, know that I talked to at least 5 other women who have attempted this in one way or another. I am not alone in my bad parenting. I'm just a mom working it out!