Treasures and Home Health

Over the years, I have accumulated a small cache of treasures received from patients. Some people are so giving it stuns me with their kindness. In turn, I have passed on a few trinkets myself because I feel that what goes around comes around and that I am selfish if I just take, take, take of these cute peoples' generosity.

Among the various gifts I've received have been crocheted hot mits, hand embroidered day-of-the-week flour sack towels, a sewing pin cushion/scissor holder/rubbish bin (very clever), an autographed original book of which the author was my patient, and a number of other random bits here and there.

Today was the mother of all treasures though and had it been a gift, I wouldn't have taken it. I had a feeling the cute little lady who gave it to me was indeed going to "give" it to me but the poor girl is living in subsidized housing and obviously pinching pennies. Not to mention the item in question is worth a bundle! I am absolutely in LOVE with antique oil lamps and this woman had about 8 of them high on a shelf in her apartment, very dusty and not in use. I commented on them because I always comment on beautiful oil lamps. I told her someone might want to buy those if she was willing to sell them. She said the thought had never occurred to her. I bought it on the spot and she cleaned it up for me and gave it to me the next time I saw her.

I'm ashamed to say how much I bought it for. Okay, $50. But I now know, since checking e-bay, it's worth twice that and so, since the beautiful lamp sits right in my daily line of sight I'll never forgive myself for ripping off an little old lady so I'm going to pay her the rest. But don't you just love this lamp? Is it just me or is it not divine? This lamp has been in her family since she was a little girl and it was one of the primary lamps they used for light. I think that's a wonderful story. I can see this lamp being an heirloom in my family too. At $100 I still think I got a good deal.

A Teenager And A Baby

My sweet friend B had a baby girl last night. She was named Macey and is a beautiful 9.5 oz chubby girl who meows like a cat (for now, lol).

B is a junior in high school and made a mistake that sadly many girls make but she got pregnant unfortunately.

I just came from visiting her at the hospital and both girls are doing very well. B has decided to place the baby for adoption with a very nice young couple who want a family very much. It has been a tough decision for B, understandably and she has vacillated over the past 9 months but who wouldn't?

I told her that knowing what I was like when I was her age, I just don't think I could have made that responsible choice and that I'm so proud of her for doing it. I know it's been hard but as for knowing how she feels, I don't. She walks that road alone.

I look at some of the really rediculously difficult things that people have to go through in their lives, decisions like the one B made and other things like losing a child, losing a spouse, your home being destroyed in a fire...just to name a few really tragic things - and I have to say that I lead a pretty charmed life so far. The worst thing I've probably been through in my adult life is a divorce, and while that is very devastating and horrible, it's not nearly as bad as some of these other things on my list. I just can't even imagine.

When you think of hard events like this, the first thing most people think is, "I could never cope with that - I just wouldn't make it!" but people do. All the time. They make it through somehow. I don't know how, and I'm sure for a time they are just ripped to pieces and they have to completely re-invent themselves in a new world but they do.

I am constantly impressed and amazed by peoples' strength - like my sweet friend B. I know she made the right choice and I'm glad she did for that baby, and for the adoptive family - and for herself. But I cry for her when I think of this next little while and what she'll be going through. 17 - and already doing what most people shudder to think about. What a strong and beautiful spirit she has. I just love that girl.

A Sunday Well Spent

My house is trashed. Literally trashed! I'm so grateful there's no school tomorrow because Bugs and I can get down to business and sort through this trash pit. I would be so embarrassed if someone stopped by right now! Did I mention to you that I have a one year old Tazmanian Devil living in our midst? Her name is Tinkerpot and chaos follows her.

But instead of chasing my little devil around the house with a broom and trashcan, I sat here...

and watched this cutie...

and this cutie...and this Marshmallow and a 4-wheeler wrestle with a boxwood bush.

It was a very nice relaxing Sunday.

Happy Birthday Josh, wherever you are!

Yard Work Has Begun

and the roses are finally all pruned! I wasn't quite sure but it turns out that I have eight rose bushes. And while I am very capable of pruning roses, they don't intimidate me because I learned how to do it, sadly I have never pruned the roses here at this house and this will be our 4th summer here. I know I talked about it last year but seriously, I had a brand new baby AND I was recovering from a C-section. It wasn't happening.

It was torturous, let me tell you! A rose that has gotten away with itself for a number of years is quite difficult to reign back in. They get huge and wild and very thorny and quite like a child grown up without discipline. But it's complete now and they are back to bare bones...literally. I, on the other hand, have many scratches and thorn-pokes to show for my labors.

Here are some before and after pics of my adventures with stern clippers and a no-nonsense attitude. I took no prisoners:

This one's right outside my front door & is a beautiful rose.
oh my gosh! It's naked!

Rose bushes OUT OF CONTROL!

These two bushes are ancient! Many dead branches and old trunks.

Rose bushes ready for a new season of growth...

Adventures in Domestication

It's been on my radar for a couple of years to learn to crochet. And not because I'm just dying to know how really. I come from a line of excellent crocheters and unfortunately the art will completely fizzle out when my mother dies. And if this doesn't strike you as tragic, then you don't understand what sorts of heirlooms an excellent crocheter can leave in her family. In my case alone, not even counting my sisters, I have two beautifully thread-crocheted (not yarn, people - THREAD) blessing dresses for my daughters and their posterity. Beautiful dresses with hats, booties, blankets etc. And my mother has made one of these for each of her granddaughters (and in my oldest niece's situation, she will have one for her daughter because my mom was a little late on the upswing for that her first grandchild). And not only that, but she has made me several absolutely stunning doilies. And before you say what good are doilies except to adorn the house of an old lady - well, then you haven't seen these doilies. They are works of art and should be framed. I don't usually put doilies on tables because they can get ruined. She also crocheted the absolutely darling little hat that Tinkerpot is wearing in her 11 month photos, among many cute little things she's made over the years.

Bugs at 3 monthsTinkerpot at 3 months

I don't want to lose that skill in our family! I want to be able to get good enough at it that I can make beautiful things for my children and their children. I want to make heirlooms, things that last longer than me. Things for my family to cherish because my hands made them. And I suck at quilting and it bores me so this might be just the thing.

Fast forward to today. I chose a cute little beannie hat for Tink and Bugs and we started out. I was feeling pretty awesome - making good time, my stitches were even and not sucking too bad. I was enjoying myself and my mom is a fantastic cheerleader. Until about row 12.....I handed it over to her thinking I had done something wrong. I went to the bathroom and when I got back, her whole demeanor had changed. She was packing up her stuff! She said that she had picked the wrong pattern for me to start with and it was her fault but I had screwed up so royally that she couldn't even figure out what I'd done wrong. She'd pick a nice hotmit (what? a freakin' hotmit?) or a little blanket or something nice I could start with. I mean it was late - like 8:30 and I know she was tired but seriously I almost started to cry! The Marshmallow was sitting over on the couch with his lips totally zipped shut but he winked at me like "hey, don't worry - I don't think you suck...". And then she was outta here.

Soooooo. Um, not sure what I'm going to do with this. Maybe knitting will be easier?

Me and Laziness

are old friends, let me tell YOU! Mainly in the morning though and I do make solid attempts to conquer it. I exercise in the morning faithfully. Ok, not so faithfully but I faithfully make ATTEMPTS to get up and exercise every morning. I make it about 75% of the time which I suppose are good odds for someone as lazy as me.

Do you want to hear how lazy I was this morning? I'm almost ashamed to admit it and if The Marshmallow knew about it I'd be so busted. I mean so seriously busted I might even lose my job. :)

I meant to get up early this morning and either run or swim. That was the plan. It fell through right about the time my alarm went off at 5am. My inner devil convinced me in one of the multitudinous ways it has that I can't possibly get up. So I didn't. I snuggled down and went back to sleep.

Fast forward to 7:30.

Bugs climbs into bed with me. At this point, we're already 1/2 an hour off our of morning schedule which puts me in a funk. But I knew we could catch up if I was really chasing her around (bad idea #1), so I didn't worry and closed my eyes again. Have you done this? Ya, I know I'm not alone out there! Why can't school start at 10am?

At about 7:50, Bugs volunteers that she has a sore throat and that she probably shouldn't go to school. I give her the obligatory, "Are you sure?", hoping against hope that she will say yes. Am I bad or what? This is not my typical behavior. I'd normally never let her get away with that one. I'm too consistent, too stern or whatever that is that makes you send your child go to school despite the best excuses.

I let her stay home because I didn't want to get up and get her ready!

I'm saying it. I said it. I admitted my worst laziness EVER. I can't believe I did that. Don't t;hink I'm awful. I won't let it happen again. I'm not really that mom. I just have a problem. An addiction to my bed.

Crap.

Dear Tinker,

My sweet little snugglebug. Tonight, at 10:15 you woke up and were crying hard in your crib. Most of the time when you do this, I watch you on the monitor for a few minutes to see if you'll find your binky and go back to sleep. But tonight I worried that you were hungry and so went in to calm you myself. I picked you up and took you to the rocker where you snuggled down into the crevices of my body. You didn't wear socks tonight so I played with your toes while you drank from your cup for a minute. You weren't interested in eating. Just snuggling. That was fine with me.

You're a busy little girl. From sun-up 'til bedtime you're discovering, exploring, running, searching, and climbing. I rarely get you snuggling let alone absolutely still for even a moment. But tonight, I held you with both arms wrapped around your chubby little body and my nose buried in your fuzzy bald head. I didn't look up at the clock. I didn't think about putting you back in your crib. I just held you and rocked and nuzzle your sweet smell for about 20 minutes. And you fell asleep in my arms. I held you for a few minutes more knowing that tomorrow I'll wake up and you'll be two, then three then 15. I can barely remember you as a tiny baby.

I'm grateful for these moments of clarity that the Lord gives me; these times when I can fully take advantage of the benefits of being a mother. There are good times, laced with lots of hard times but you, little girl are one of two suns that my heart revolves around. I will never forget how your little body felt in my arms tonight.

Your Mamamamamamama

How I Got a New iPhone - Do Not Try This At Home

Don't let your 1 year old play with your iPhone. I repeat: Do Not Let Your 1 Year Old Play With Your iPhone. She dropped it repeatedly.

Ok, to be fair, I dropped it numerous times. I carry it in my back pocket and whenever I *ahem* drop my drawers, it falls onto the tile (better tile than in the toilet's all I can say). Needless to say, it's been dropped many times. And then the baby got hold of it and dropped it hard 3x in a row.

So the button on the front would not work and this is a problem. This is a problem and for anyone who has found this blog post because their button is now not working, I found this forum which explains what was wrong with my phone, confirmed by the AppleStore folk: So check it out.

I took the phone to MacDocs early the next morning because I was literally freaking out about not having my phone, a fact that The Marshmallow was very frustrated about. I got a lot of crap about being that addicted to an inanimate object. MacDocs was unable to fix iPhones - just so you know. So I took it to the AppleStore at Gateway.

The two guys that were assigned to my case took one look at my phone and I heard one murmer to the other, "check it for water damage". I piped up and said, "I totally dropped it in my drink a month ago!" And he said, "Wow! That's some honesty!" I said, "Well I don't have AppleCare (the warranty) so it's not like I have anything to hide!"

About twenty minutes later, they came out and handed me a brand new phone. Keep in mind that my alternatives were these:

1) take a replacement phone for $200 or
2) take the upgrade on my account for $200

Either way, once I found out that they don't "fix" phones, rather they just replace them, I knew i wasn't getting out of there for less than.....$200.

But back to the part where they handed me a brand new phone. It was free. F.R.E.E. He said I was honest and nice and they just wanted to do me a favor.

You guys, my hair was A MESS, I wore no make-up and I was not cute so it can't be anything remotely related to anything like that. All I can say is that perhaps honesty was the best policy here.

Big Shout-Out to the AppleStore at Gateway.

Amazing Finds - and Not So Amazing

I have lived in my house for nearly 4 1/2 years and in all that time, I'm going to admit right now that I have NEVER cleaned out under my bed. Like, I've never taken everything out and vacuumed it all up. There is a lot of dust under there and who knows what else!

The height of my bed off of the ground is about the height of a shoe box so it's not really convenient to climb under there and pull stuff out - hence why I've never really taken the time. Out of sight, out of mind.

But the other day, I happened to sort of look back there and noticed some little things that I couldn't identify. There's not much light so I couldn't see what they were and then I decided I needed to get under there and clean.

So I did.

Here is a list of a few of the more notable things I found, besides enough dust to make me take a puff on my inhaler:

1. a shoebox filled with tampons (yay! I was about to go buy a super duper big box of them)
2. a super cute pair of brown boots I forgot I owned!
3. a badly needed mousepad
4. a work badge that I thought I lost about 2 years ago
5. 2 clothespins
5. 5 Q-tips
6. my golf sandals
7. 4 bobby pins
8. a tin of cookies (i wonder who these belong to?)
9. an old dish network satellite box
10. several mangled pairs of slippers
11. an extension cord

Do you want to know what the most un-awesome thing I found under there was? Dry, crusty cat poop. The cat got stuck in there one day, I remember. I can't believe we never smelled it! Maybe that's when I was burning Scentsy in my room every day and it masked the smell. No, I wasn't burning Scentsy BECAUSE there was an awful smell, lol although I wouldn't put it past me! I guess I'm just glad it's gone. Almost makes me want to change bedrooms! I almost barfed when I was able to identify it (it was the unidentifiable from the first paragraph).

The Fascinating Details of My Life

Rather than try to concoct some random tidbit you care nothing about, I'll instead bore you with the most interesting part of my day.

Well, my day was really actually full of mundaneness, mundanity, mundanishness. It was ya know, a typical day.

Except that I got my first Western Union. I received an hCG payment via Western Union today and it was my first experience picking one up. Wow, it's really sad when the most interesting part of my day is something so drab. However, I've always wondered how this process works and so it was interesting to me! Let me briefly enlighten you if you've never had this fascinating experience either!

So, a person sends you money. Period. They give you a WU number. You go to any place that "does" Western Union. You fill out a brief form, sort of like a shipping label at the Post Office. You have to identify who you're expecting $$ from, how much and them hopefully provide the number the person gave you. Evidently, WU has a server that stores the information and when your WU locale logs into the server, it identifies you (via a driver's license) as the correct recipient. Then your WU locale prints a check for you that you can cash right there, or take to your bank. You sign a little form saying you got the $$ and wah-la! You've got cash! It took 7 minutes and 43 seconds.

So...sorry to bore you with mundicracity of my life but there you go. Not all days can be supercalifragalalisticexpialadocious.

Something I've Noticed

A great number of healthy, little, old ladies have got their crap together! Like, their houses are perfectly tidy, everything is organized to the nines, they have a laundry day, a paperwork day, a gardening day, a day to ... I don't know...dust their miniatures.

They stick to these too. It's amazing!

Now let's scrutinize this a bit though. First off, they don't have as much going on in their worlds as when they had kids in the house, tons of hefty callings at church, a job to go to, an exercise regimine to adhere to, a crapload of errands to run, housework etc, etc, etc.

They also don't have a load of kids running around their house messing up everything that was just tidied. Their time for that was here and gone.

So I realize that old ladies have a better chance of sticking to these organizational routines that I lust after but I still want to have my organization nit picky like that too. My chances are nill right now.

Have you ever thought that these old ladies get it perfect after years and years of working toward it. And just when they've got it down...swoop the grim reaper comes and messes it all up! That's just so not fair! I want to wallow in my life-long-learned organizational bliss when I'm 90 for a few years before I have to give it up!

Re-Filling The Closet

Have I mentioned my terrible and boring taste in clothes? Ya, I thought I had. And it literally petrifies me anymore to go shopping on my own. I find myself veering toward the old lady stuff and while I won't go anywhere some unnamed stores (CC), I find myself in the "Women's" departments at department stores. More B.O.R.I.N.G.! Not to mention that I don't hardly have anything in my closet that either fits me, I can wear to work, or doesn't carry some emotional baggage with it. It was time to put some new things in there.

So I ran into an old friend at a wedding the other day, an old friend might I add that always has cutting edge style. I LOVE shopping with her. She opens my eyes to possibilities, stuff that I'd never normally go near. But she encourages me to try things on, look at outfits in a new way and imagine myself in clothes that have always been taboo for me for body shape reasons.

I set aside my whole day today to go shopping with her and I had A BLAST! Not only is she super fun to hang out with, she's like my own little cheerleader the whole time, telling me how cute this will make me look, how I should try this on, holding up accessories to me and literally expanding my horizons moment by moment.

I won't tell you how much change I dropped (but at least it was cash!) and I'm thinking of the things I bought and thinking how funny they must look among my drab wardrobe hanging there in my closet but it's a start! I bought leggings, short skirts, shrugs, those long draping sweater/shawl thingamajigs, a funky coat, and a few accessories that I'd never have picked out myself before, and a dress that I still haven't figured out how I'm going to pull off with my ...ahem...other underthingies.

Anyway, long story short - I need to get out a little more. Get out of my comfort zone. I found that I really do like to dress up a little bit. I'd forgotten how much I like to wear cute things. I can see perfectly that I'm creating a little monster. But at least the monster won't be wearing sweats.

Who Said I'm A Grown-up?

I mean, really? It's not fair. Why do I have to act like one when I don't even feel like one yet?

When I think of the word "grown-up", I think of a lot of things like parenting, buying a responsible car, writing checks, junk mail, flossing, terry cloth bathrobes, and enjoying the taste of beets. Did I just describe myself? Um, don't tell anyone I'm not cool anymore.

But what I REALLY think of when I think "grown-up" is financial responsibility. Uggh, the dreaded term! Makes me want to run screaming to Nordstrom to blow my whole paycheck! What IS financial responsibility? I'll tell you what it means to me. It means saving and investing and retirement and insurance and college funds. Blech! What about new shoes, going out to dinner, and a new couch? No, those are not on the "financial responsiblity" list.

It's been nagging me forever that I can't be considered grown-up in this category yet because I'm just silly with money. I never learned how to manage it responsibly and the same goes for The Marshmallow. His idea of saving is to go out to have Sushi and not spend $250, just $200. Yeah, I know. How do you think the poor homeless guys that are holed up in the shelter across the street from the sushi joint feel?

So, I'm doing something about it. I started several months ago and I'm really making progress! Bills are getting paid off! The savings account has more in it than it has since we sold our last home and we're going to actually take a vacation this year and pay cash folks. Real. Live. Cash. It's a miracle. I even, get this, opened a retirement account and have, for the past 6 months, diligently been depositing rather large sums of money into it and so far.....have not withdrawn even a penny back out for an emergency. I'm committed to the cash system. I haven't used my credit card in 4 months! You guys, that's serious stuff! I may even convince myself to cut up the credit card...but I'm just not ready yet. It would be like cutting off my pinky at this point. Still just too painful.

We have that independent health insurance where our maternity deductible is $5,000. Whew! It's been a killer for both kids! But I'm happy to say that we will have Tink completely paid off in 2 weeks. She will actually entirely belong to us, at long last, lol!

Well anyway, this grown-up stuff is boring even if it does make me sleep better at night.

Electric Fishes

We drove up to see the Capital tonight because it was dark and you could see it really well and Bugs wanted to see it closer. As we were driving around it, The Marshmallow was explaining to Bugs what went on there. He usually does really well by not talking down to her and using real words to explain things and characteristically, he said to her, "That's where all of the elected officials work."

And she said, "The electric fishes work there?" Honestly, I sort of heard it that way too.

Do They Still Make Paste?

Bugs told me this morning that her teacher kept her in from recess because she wouldn't stop talking. Oh the memories that brings back. It's not astonishing that this is my child because I can't tell you the trouble I used to get in for talking. Anyone who knows me personally will find this not a far stretch for the imagination; I do rather enjoy talking, just give me a subject.

So I told Bugs how when I was in 2nd grade I tried to glue my lips shut with paste. I literally took the dipstick out and smeared my lips with the goop and tried to wait until it dried. I vividly remember standing there looking outside as I stood next to the cubbies waiting for the paste to dry. What I do recall is that it didn't work, but I enjoyed licking the paste off my lips. Yeah, I was one of those paste-loving kids. And if you weren't one of them, then I'll bet you knew someone who liked the taste of that stuff!

Do you know what Bugs said? What's paste? I forgot! They have these awesome little things now called "gluesticks" that they use instead of messy paste. Seriously, do they even make paste anymore? And if not, many a child is missing a wonderful indoctrination by sticking their tongue onto the dipstick and experiencing paste-heaven. Little sweet, sort of gooey and that smell...I'll never forget it. Not like I'd be STILL eating paste, but it is sort of a funny, good memory.

Anyway, I asked Bugs if she wanted to take a gluestick to her lips and if she wanted to try it, it was just fine with me but she might get in trouble if her teacher found out. Amazingly, the child is still young enough to appreciate that I have already walked down that road and she can learn from my experience. For now.....

Tink's Birthday Is Here

My little Tinkerpot is one today. We'll have an extended family party on Saturday for her but today, we had a small celebration for her. It's such a hoot to see a baby eat cake.

Things I want to remember about her at one:

• the way she says "ooooooooh" when she sees something that interests her
• the way she sings to any song that comes on the radio
• her favorite song is the opener to the cartoon "Olivia"
• her fat little legs poking down from dresses
• when you say "I'm gonna get you!" she grins and runs right to you with her arms wide open
• when I sing to her at night before I lay her down, she immediately rests her head on my chest
• she'll have a binky in her mouth and one in her hand so when I take the one out of her mouth, I'll turn around and she'll have another one in there
• she tries to get both fists into the animal cracker jar and pulls out as many as she possibly can then shoves them all into her tiny little mouth
• I put her first ponytail in her hair yesterday. It lasted 1 hour
• if you say, "give kisses!" she pushes her face toward your face to give a kiss

Nicole (Tink), you, sweet baby, are what I prayed for, what I earnestly asked your Heavenly Father for. I don't know why he felt that I was worthy to be your mom but I'm so grateful to have you in my life. Your sweet bumbling toddler walk makes my heart want to explode with love whenever I think about you. I'm so grateful that you are in our family. We just weren't complete without you. Happy Birthday Tinkerdoodle.

Hershey's Best Loved Chocolate Cheesecake - The Report

As I said a few weeks ago, I decided to make some of the recipes that have been in my files for years. Tonight, because it was Valentine's Day, I decided to try this recipe first. It's actually a Hershey's recipe and since I am a devoted Hershey's chocolate fanatic, thought it would be worth a try.

Suffice it to say that mine did not look like this picture...but it will next time. And yes, there will be a next time. It was absolutely delicious! And I'm not the only one to say that. The Fam practically inhaled theirs and The Marshmallow, who isn't usually very verbal about foods he likes was very complimentary - and so that means he loved it.

I should have cooked it a bit longer but once it was refrigerated, it didn't make any difference other than it cracked big-time. It was very rich and chocolately and the flavor was very cheese-cakey. Worth every single second - and it was pretty easy so that's a bonus. Once I get the oven time right, it will be a recipe I can always make for company. I like those types of recipes. Good stand-bys.

If anyone wants the recipe, let me know in the comments and I'll post it.

One Year Decorations

So my new blogging friend, Lesley gave me a whole bunch of advice for decor for a one year birthday because I was in love with so much of what she did for her little one year old's party recently.

One of the ideas was a black & white photo collage which I thought was a great idea. Pick photos from the first year and decoupage them for the party and then use it as room decor afterward. I've always loved the idea of memorializing the first year in some way so this was right up my ally.

This is what I finally came up with after several hours manipulating photos and then figuring out exactly how I wanted it all to come together. I'm really in love with the final product and now just need to find a place on her wall to place it.

I think I'll do one for Bugs when she turns 6.

Etsy: For A Baby's First Birthday

Because of being a 2nd child, Tink seriously has as many toys as any 2nd child usually has - too many. There is no short supply of toys for any age of development around here since The Marshmallow is also extremely sentimental (more sentimental than even the kids) and has a difficult time parting with anything his precious children have ever played with. No, it's not that bad but close.

So for Tink's first birthday, it's been difficult for me because I don't really need to clutter the house with more toys we don't need and yet in fairness, I need to give her some presents. Not out of necessity but more because she needs to know as she grows that there are some toys that exclusively belong to her. I also need to demonstrate to the first child that not everything in this house is hers and that we do give things to Tink from time to time.

So, I turned to Etsy to see if there were any toys I could really get behind. Turns out, they did. Etsy never lets me down. Such very cute, creative and artistic things - they blow my mind, really! Compared to some of these artists, I have not even a smidgen of a creative bone in my body.

This is what I ended up buying for the baby. The ball is personalized with her name. I thought this was way cute!

I can just see her toting this little monkey all over the house. He's so sweet. I hope she loves him. If not, I'll sleep with him every night. I really always wanted a sock monkey. Weird huh?

There Are No Words

I'm just devastated about the recent, tragic deaths of those two sweet little girls in Layton who died (the youngest, 15 month Rachel just died today) as a result of vole pesticides that were used in the family's yard recently. Just look at those darling faces.

Rebecca died yesterday, I believe. She was 4.

The family has 2 older children but to lose your two youngest (well really, any of your children) just tears my heart out. I can't imagine what that family must be going through. I just can't reconcile these tragedies in my mind but just have to cling to my faith and know that it will all make sense someday. Meanwhile I can only pray for peace for this family, and ask for your prayers as well. They'll need them all to get through this.

Honing In On Goals

I have had a lot of big thoughts swirling around in my head lately. Mainly having to do with what direction I want to take my life. I blogged about this recently but that was more of the initiation of the thought process and since then, I've really been trying to figure out what big things I want to spend my time on and achieve.

Most recently, I've considered going to medical school which literally makes my heart race partly in excitement and partly in panic. I am really interested in neurology and always have been plus The Marshmallow is totally supportive with whatever I choose. Just the thought makes me giddy, however I've had to sort of put that on the back burner at least until my girls are in school though as it would completely monopolize my life and I'd miss out on some pretty critical years, especially for Tink.

But back when I did that initial post, I was seriously considering something I've been working on for several years...my novel. I've actually started several of them. But one keeps coming back to me, the one I've done the most work on. And so I've decided to finish it. It's what I want to achieve right now that is up and above any of my "other" responsibilities like parenthood, being a wife, my job, etc. It's something I've always wanted to do and would be a big sense of fulfillment for me if I could complete it. Actually this particular novel will end up being more like a trilogy but I can accept that. I love to write, and we all know I have a lot to say when I do write.

So, here I go. I'm actually going to get that thing finished. I don't know when it will be done but I'll set a few goals to get there in a reasonable amount of time. I know it takes some authors several years to finish a novel and literally, I've already been "working" on this one for a couple of years so it's high time I finish it. Maybe a year?????

It Wasn't An Allergy

...to penicillin thank goodness! After that horrible rash kept getting worse and worse, I finally took her back in to her primary care physician (I had been going to InstaCare because their schedule is more flexible - I'm not knocking InstaCare though, for sure!) and she took a good long look at the rash.

Turns out some children break out in horrible rashes all over their bodies as they are recovering from a viral infection! I had no idea! She said some of the cardinal signs are bumps presenting on the palms of hands and the bottoms of feet! Tink surely has them EVERYWHERE, poor girl!

So, there's basically not anything they can do for it besides wait it out. She said it's not very uncomfortable and Tink doesn't appear to be in any distress. The doc said it would take care of itself over the next couple of weeks which would be totally okay if her birthday party isn't scheduled for 2 weeks from today and I'd prefer that she didn't look like she's got chicken pox on a day notorious for being one of the biggest picture days of a child's life.

Pennicilin and Allergies Equal:

.....hives could be worse, she could have had a respiratory reaction!

A Meat Slicer, a High Temperature and a Fat Lip

This was my Monday.

We bought a meat slicer on Saturday and we were so excited to use it. We bought a rib steak and The Marshmallow, after warning me several times of the danger of meat slicers, proceeded to slice the puppy up.

Meanwhile, I am nursing the poor fat lip of my 5 year old who was bouncing around, quite acrobatically, on one of these...
and as she was bouncing around the corner into the dining room, she ran smack into a very sharp corner nearly knocking out her incisor, causing it to bleed and creating a rather bluish fat lip.

In the other corner, Tinkerpot had been fussy all day (except for the 20 minutes it took me to take her pictures). Otherwise, her runny nose was running a marathon and by 7pm, she had a 102 degree fever. So I'm up to my ears in her too.

And then I hear the yelling from the kitchen just as the meat slicer stops running and I imagining body parts on the counter and blood fountains. I go running into the kitchen and The Marshmallow is running around looking for something to soak up the blood that is gushing from his hand. I'm still thinking he'd cut off his finger, but no. He just opened up a gash so big that he had to go get stitches. Needless to say I'm living in terror now of the meat slicer (which was a gift to me...which I did indeed want very much btw). I'm pretty certain that all meat that needs sliced around here will be done by him since I'm sure he's got a healthy respect for the thing now.

So by 9pm, the kids were abed and I was absolutely done and I thought I'd cut my losses and go to bed 'lest I end up with some broken bone or worse since I was the last one left in the family who could still be considered "healthy".

Anyway, that was two days ago. Tink still is running that high fever and I've had some hard days. Hopefully she's on the mend and will have a brighter outlook tomorrow. I pray for this.

In other news, I purchased a little Nikon Coolpix for The Marshmallow for V-Day and was so excited! It's what he's been asking for. It was on order as of this afternoon when he came home and told me that he was totally ready to do a cell phone upgrade to an iPhone and do we have the money for it? Turns out it's the exact same amount as what I just bought that camera for. So I immediately got on the internet and canceled the camera and told him I'd give him the $$ for the iPhone...and I told him what I'd done. Turns out he wants the camera instead. (that's because he's never had an iPhone so he has NO IDEA that an iPhone is the most amazing device in the world to date). So I reordered the camera. And now the surprise is ruined...that's totally deflating. I wish he'd never even said anything.

Ok, that's all that's going on here. Can't wait for Spring...getting ready to start my indoor garden. Praying for warm weather soon...

Have a great night!

Tinkerpot at 11 months

Baby Party

I have less than a month to plan the baby's first birthday party! It's plenty of time, I'm not worried about that especially because it's only a small group of family that will be there.

When Bugs turned 1, we had a big backyard party and half of the known world came. It was really fun and exciting. Bugs had a ball and stripped down to her diaper, toddling around the yard. It was Memorial Day weekend so it was hot and wonderful.

This baby was born in the heart of winter so the party, unfortunately will be indoors. I did want a February baby - just never thought about what the parties would be like. Course I always had indoor parties and never felt gypped.

I was planning to make a beautiful fondant cake made from building blocks in pastel colors. I love making birthday cakes - it touches my inner creativity and makes me feel like the world's best mom that I create beautiful, homemade cakes for my kids' birthdays. I've only ever purchased 1 cake for Bugs and it was because she begged for that kitty cupcake cake.

Anyway back to the fondant...which I've never used. I was very nearly buying it when I was reading something about more nutritious choices for baby's first birthday. They suggested rather than making sugar-icing laden cakes, opt for a choice like carrot cake with cream cheese frosting instead...a healthier choice since at a year old, every bite they make counts with their tiny tummies.

And while I usually balk at totally over the top people who completely go overboard when it comes children and healthy eating to the point of distraction and not letting a kid be a kid, I sort of like this idea. It will be easier for me to make a cake like this and I can still make cute building blocks but I won't have to worry about sugar overload, a baby eating fondant (is that even ok?), and all the time I will spend worrying about how to even use fondant. There are many other years for that - something my little sister put me onto this year. Here's a girl with nearly 4 (ha, one is still in gestation but that provides it's own limitations!), all of them under 4, 2 still in diapers ... and she's learning new and extremely awesome skills like using fondant. Inspiring!

Anyway, can't believe I'm already planning Tink's party. I no longer have a baby. She's a total toddler right down to her toddler toes. She giggles, says no, holds the phone to her head and says "hi" and tries to say "thank you" although it's really like "di di" in that perfect little tone. *sigh* one tiring but satisfying year down, many wonderful years to come.

When You're the Third Person

Have you ever been standing around with 2 other people who are involved in a converstion? And, one of them piques your curiosity and so you sort of stare at them. And your mind is spinning with thoughts about them, like maybe you admire them, or you think they're just plain weird, or you wonder why they didn't comb their hair that morning, or why they thought pink and green go together in that combination, or do they realize they have gravy on their chin.......

People, they know you're watching them. Out of the corner of their eye, they can see you. You are not sneaky and you're making a spectacle of yourself. In fact, they are oh so carefully looking at YOU too and wondering what exactly you are looking at!

So if you must look, make sure to glance casually back and forth as if you are following the discussion so you don't look like a weirdo as you stare like they're some sort of monkey at the zoo. you're embarrassing yourself.

Yes, I've been the starer...and I speak from experience.

hCG, Your State of Mind Makes a Big Difference

I'm finally done with this round of hCG. I did 23 days and it was sort of long for me this time. With 2 months between my rounds, I had so much liberty in what I was eating to be put back on the restrictions was difficult for me. I think it also has a lot to do with how my weight is very close to where I want it to be permanently. So where's my motivation to tough it out? Good question. When I was very heavy, the motivation was staring at me in the mirror every day. Now I look at the sizes on my clothes and my motivation peters right out the window. It happens.

So I finished the round and I realized that transitioning into Phase 3 this time is much different than my huge resolve last time to make it successful. Not that I don't want it to be successful, I'm finding a happy medium and knowing what things already work for me. I'm not quite as worried about the fluctuations because I'm learning how to control them. It's empowering. I feel totally confident to walk into any restaurant, order what I want and know that it's not going to show up on the scale the next morning. That makes me happy. Food does not control me.

If you're still struggling at maintenance, relax. You may be over thinking it. Take some tips:

1) plan to work out for 15 to 20 minutes most days; whatever it is that makes you work up a sweat.
2) take additional protein in whatever form you like.
3) find some low carb recipes and make up some batches of things you'd like to try. then keep them in the fridge so when you're wanting a snack or just something to eat, you have something low-carb to eat anytime.

For example, I love salads but the ones I'm eating are getting boring so I've gone online and downloaded a whole bunch of new ones with ingredients I've never tried in salads before. And it's wonderful to try new foods that I know are healthy for me.

Anyway, for those that are interested, just for the sake of the experience and knowledge, starting on February 3rd I'm going to try a 7 day hCG round. In my experience you lose the most in the first week and then it slows down after that. I'm interested to see what happens to the weight loss if you stop the drops after only 7 days - after the biggest loss. I'm wondering if the loss will stay or if it's just not long enough. The protocol specifically states that 23 days should be the minimum. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment but I will make myself a guinea pig for this experiment. Check back. I'll be reporting.

Recipes, Baking and Organization

So I realize my last post was a week ago but I really haven't done much since then besides do what it was I was talking about in my last post! Recipe organization. By the way, I am LOVING The Living Cookbook. It is utterly an amazing program and simply rocks my little world.

I've been slowly and steadily going through all of my recipes and I'm only about 1/3 of the way through. Turns out I have a crapload of dessert recipes which reaffirms the fact that I love to bake - either that or I love to look at baked goods. I really haven't made many of them honestly because to make them means I have to eat them which means that I'm eating foods that I shouldn't be eating for my hips' sake.

Enter hCG loveliness. I no longer worry about eating a few things that were otherwise off-limits if I do so in moderation. And so....I'm busting out those wonderful dessert recipes and am going to be trying them.

I have lots of bread, muffin, cakes, pies, cookies, and roll recipes. And for some things like banana nut muffins, or biscuits, or cheesecake - I have several. How am I supposed to know which ones are the best?

I'm going to have taste-test days where I make up a few of my similar recipes and have my family taste-test them to determine which ones make the cut. Those will be fun days!

Then...even more fun - I've decided I'm going to make one spectacular dessert a week. I'm super excited to try some of these things. They just look so delicious!

I can't, of course start making the desserts for about 3 weeks because of the phases of hCG. I'm nearing the end of this round and will be done next Sunday, after which I avoid carbs for another couple of weeks but then I'm good to go!

Here are some of the things I want to try...

Monkey Bread for Family Home Evening

Have you ever made monkey bread? It's like the easiest thing to make in the world and why we did it for FHE - because of course I like Bugs to help me in the kitchen.

This stuff is definitely not cuisine but served immediately, it's hot, sweet, doughy, carmely, sticky and utterly delicious.

Here's the recipe:

Monkey Bread

3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp water
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 can refrigerator biscuits

Mix the butter, water and sugar in a large microwave safe glass bowl and microwave for 2 minutes on high. Remove and place a small glass in upright in the center of the bowl. Put the biscuits all around the glass so it's like a big doughnut. Then microwave it again for 2 minutes on high. Be careful because it's really hot but remove it and invert it onto a dinner or serving plate. Serve hot because as it cools, it becomes firmer and less tasty, not to mention it's cold and just not as yummy. It's easy to tear chunks off because the biscuits separate really easily and then you can dredge them in additional caramel sauce on the plate. Mmmmm!

Anyway, this is a great FHE treat or just one to get the kids in the kitchen learning how to cook. Bugs is pretty finicky even with treats and she loved this.

The Living Cookbook

Are you inundated with recipes? Cut-outs, cookbooks, recipe cards, computer files, recipes your friends gave you, emails etc. Are they all stuffed into a binder or worse yet, a drawer? Do you not even know what your favorite recipes are half the time because all your recipes are such a jumbled mess? And when you finally do decide to make something good, you can't find the darned recipe anyway...

that's me.

I have recipes in a binder, and I have tons of cookbooks. I cut out a lot of recipes because I'm a sucker for a picture of something that looks delicious. I get recipes on the internet a lot, watch cooking shows, have a recipe box of old family recipes and I have a folder on my computer dedicated to recipes. Haha, the funniest thing ever is that I don't like to cook! Oh, but I love to bake. If it's doughy, or sweet, or thick & rich then I'm all over whipping it up and I'll spend hours if I know the result will be worthwhile.

Anyway, I'm done with all that recipe crap. I'm sick of that drawer of recipes mainly because I am very against the idea of a junk drawer in general and yet to take a look at my "recipe drawer", let's face it, it's junk. I don't know what's in there. I don't know what's in that binder. I have no idea what's in all my cookbooks and recipe box. I'd have to say there are one or two recipes I can visualize being in various cookbooks - things I refer to from time to time and so I keep the whole cookbook just for that one recipe. Seems stupid to me.

So I did something about it today. It's one of my items from my yesterday's desk dejunking. It was to get my arms wrapped around my recipe "problem".

I downloaded The Living Cookbook. Rather I downloaded the 30 day trial. I read the reviews and specs comparison of 10 different recipe organizational softwares and found The Living Cookbook to be one of the best. All said and done, it will cost $34 if I'm pleased which based on what it said it would do, I'm sure I will be.

It's actually downloading as I'm typing so when I'm through with this post, I'm going to start inputting all of my recipes and I'm anxious to see how it works. I'm very excited as this has been pressing on the back of my brain for a really long time - like every single time I open that forsaken drawer. It makes me cringe that it is so full that you sort of need to actually tug on it a bit to get it opened. So against my nature people.

So, I'll report on my findings later. TTFN.

My Very Productive Day

was spent in my pajamas. Isn't that great?

I had one agenda item today and it was to clean off the ridiculously high pile of mundanity (yeah, I just made up that word and the definition is: mundane at its highest), from my desk. There has been so much crap piling up there lately that there hasn't been any room to set my laptop let alone do anything. My desk sits in the free flow of traffic which is unfortunate because I pass it like a zillion times a day and every time I pass it I groan because I knew it would take an eternity to get to the wood surface.

But I did it today. It took me all day. Minus the hour or two spent feeding children, and finally showering myself. But the desk is clean and even better, I have a to-do list of all the projects that were sitting here to be done. Some of the were actually accomplished today while I cleared away the rubble, but most of them sit in a bin waiting for another day when I can tackle them. Best of all, I have a wood surface to place my computer on, one that will gleam at me as I walk past it multitudes of times.

To make the day even better, this is one of the projects I was able to complete today with my newly de-infested desk. I made a Personal Progress Pail which holds incentives for girls who complete PP experiences. They can drop their names in a ballot box weekly and then once per month I will draw a name and that person can pick from the Personal Progress Pail, which is filled with goodies that teenaged girls like. How fun is that?
Anyway, I'm tired. It's 10pm and past my bedtime so I'm going to head up there to my favorite place in the house. I'm reading that series Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr - about the dragons. I'm halfway through the second one. It's really good if you like that fantasy fiction stuff which of course I love. My books are on my computer so I'll take that with me up there. Just so you can picture it :) ... nitey nite.

No Crossing Guard

I walked my kindergartner to school today like I do most days. There's only one street that she needs to cross and there is a crossing guard that mans the street. The speed limit on the street is only 25 but it is notorious for being broken by a large margin.

So we mothers have faith in these crossing guards don't we? I plan to, in a couple of years, let my daughter walk to school alone, and even walk her younger sister to school when she starts go too. So what are we supposed to be feeling when no crossing guard shows up for duty, like happened this morning?

I turned the corner and there was no crossing guard, no blinking lights, not even an officer taking her place. It was rush hour and cars were buzzing by at their usual over the limit speed barely looking twice at the hordes of kids trying to cross the street. And no, I'm not doing my typical exaggeration.

I was angry that whoever dropped the ball put so many children's lives' at risk. And that is not blowing it out of proportion people! A child could have easily been killed today because someone forgot to either 1) call in sick 2) pass along the message 3) arrive on time as replacement ...or whatever lame excuse they can come up with.

I called the police department and they told me that an officer was on his way (duh the freaking bell had already rung!) and by the time I had gotten back to the crosswalk, the officer still wasn't there and the crossing guard is usually still on duty when I walk back.

So...how do we have faith that our children's lives are important and that they are safe when we let them out of our doors. We trust in a system that supposedly is ensuring the safety of our most prized possessions only to muck up their job in the process. And do I let my daughter walk herself to school ever? Will this happen again? Do I want to find out the worst way possible? I need to know what happened to the crossing guard!

I Have A Lot of Scrapbooking To Do

I've documented nearly all of Bug's life but am woefully needing to catch up on Tinkerpot's. Thankfully she's not even a year old but there are so many great pics to do. I did one today...it's a start.

First Day Back on hCG

Yesterday was really hard as I tried to wrap my head around starting another round. I've been off for two months and had totally been back to eating normally (which is whatever I wanted...reasonably). To know that I would go to the restrictive diet phase was something I wasn't looking forward to.

On the flip side, to know that in 3 weeks time, I will have shed every single last pound of extra baggage this little body has been holding onto for 15 years is thrilling to me. I have enjoyed the past two months at a significantly lower weight and know that feeling will pale compared to the time when my body is at the size it should be - when it's healthy and lean.

This morning when I first took my hCG, it took me a moment to process the do's and don'ts of the program that were so second nature to me before. I need to not automatically put lotion on myself, not use a certain body wash I love so much, not forget to keep things out of my mouth as I'm cooking - stuff like that. I don't mind; I just have to remember. It's a small price to pay I think.

For those of you who have done a round of hCG and are considering now to go do another round, I have a big piece of advice. Do not load this time. And if you do, do not load with sugar. Only fats! I loaded my prior to doing my 2nd round and gained 7 lbs. This time, I am not loading at all. It took me nearly the whole first week to drop that 7 lbs I gained during loading. I feel a little hungrier today than I probably should since I didn't load but I don't care since I didn't gain anything prior to starting another round...

Anyway, so here goes. Hopefully this is the last time I have to do this for a really long time.

Computer Overhaul

My laptop is officially 2 years old and I am just as enamored with it as the day I bought it. However, it's not as awesome as it used to be. It's not as fast. It's bogged down with heaven knows what and I am finally going to do something about it.

I talked to a guy yesterday who said that a complete reload of your operating system is highly recommended for all computer once per year. Once a year? I had no idea! Especially because it's a huge PITA.

But I'm going to do it. I'm doing it. I'm nervous!

Taking the guy's advice, I installed all of my programs onto my external harddrive so that once Vista is re-installed on my laptop, I can just go through and reinstall all my important programs. Hopefully it won't take too long. I've only done this once before and it was a complete fiasco. It took like 4x longer than it was supposed to take and it was a lot of freakin' work. Plus, I had no children clamoring around me screaming at the top of their lungs for me to pick them up. Honestly, it's stressful enough without a child climbing your leg. But, it needs done.

So if I'm absent for a few days, you'll know why.

Here goes nothing...

Another Round With hCG & Maintenance with Phase 3

Ahhhh, the New Year is coming. I'm so happy! For so many reasons. But probably the first reason is that I've committed myself to one final round with hCG. And I'm very excited. I've been at my current weight now for two months and have become marginally dissatisfied with the way I look. I know I could lose a little more around my middle and feel that much better about myself. And while I know I look good at the weight I'm at right now, isn't it every girl's wish to lose their vanity pounds? Not just the extra baggage we're carrying around - but ALL of the weight. Get back to their high school weight just once? Okay maybe not every girl wants to do that but I do. Just to see if I feel healthy and know that I am back to square one: starting over. Giving myself another chance at keeping the weight off.

A little recap of what my weight's been doing for the past two months and a few tips to those of you out there who are struggling with maintenance at any Phase. Make sure you check out my post on maintaining from Phase 2 to Phase 3 as it has very specific information about that transition.

My weight pretty much settled out at 130 which was about 1 lb from my last hCG weight. If I worked out 4-5x a day for 15-25 minutes of running, I was able to stay there fairly easily. I did my first steak day about 3 weeks after taking my last hCG in preparation for adding carbs in.

Adding carbs back in proved to be stressful for me. My body seems to prefer a much higher protein percentage and when the protein would dip, I would gain. I had many days of "being careful": eating salads, very few carbs (like about 40grams) and having a straight meat/veggie for dinner. Honestly, while it was still much better than Phase 2 taking hCG, and still better than strict dieting, I didn't love that I had to be so very careful. And then I learned a few things over the next few weeks and into Christmas that will help you and me next time. They are:

1) Take your first 3 weeks of Phase 3 (the adding carbs back in phase) and only add in complex carbs like bread, potatoes, pasta etc. Let your body adjust to these things first.

2) As soon as you start into Phase 3, consider taking a protein supplement like replacing your morning meal, or a post-workout meal with a protein shake. Adding the extra protein will give your body a big protein advantage on the balancing act of protein vs. carbs. This helped me a lot during Christmas when I was eating a lot more sugar than I normally could eat and not gain.

3) After your body has adjusted to complex carbs, start slowly adding sugar in. I know by this point you may be really jonesing for it but take it slow and you won't be sorry.

4) Work out - there's just no two ways about it. You want to maintain a healthy and lean body, you need to work at it a little. Do a hard, fast workout in the morning and you will be able to relax for the rest of the day. I jump on the treadmill and have a quick run. And since my mind knows it only has to do it for less than 20 minutes, I get less resistance there.

There, so those are my tips for maintaining for Phase 3.

If any of you out there are still waffling about whether or not to do this, listen up. For the past two months, I open my closet and every single thing I pull out of there to put on makes me feel fabulous. There's nothing in my closet that makes me feel fat, is tight or makes me self conscious. I look in the mirror and like what I see. I never feel like my weight is the first thing people see about me. My weight issues are finally a thing of the past and it's like my life has started over. Do you realize how much of your crappy feelings and issued are wrapped up in your weight? Just get rid of it and find out who you really are!

Guess Who's Walking?

Tinkerpot is 9 months and 24 days old. And she's walking. She took her first very precarious steps today, in fact she took many. She gets the age old look on her face, "LOOK AT ME! I'M SO BIG!" as she weeble-wobbles toward my outstretched hands.

I knew she'd walk early since she rolled and then crawled early. Crawling, this little terror is into everything - so opposite of Bugs who couldn't have cared less about electrical sockets and what was behind the cupboard doors in the kitchen. Tink, on the other hand, has a curiosity that is never quenched.

I guess I know what I'll be doing from now on...chasing after this elfish little face as she runs from me. I've already been doing that plenty, only she crawls as fast as she can.

My Weirdest iPhone App

Last night I was browsing through iPhone apps - a frequent "zoning" activity for me. iPhone apps are exactly what my compartmentalization personality needs. Everything has its app - in a little box within easy reach. Like a little file cabinet in my pocket - an app for every possible thing you might need.

And last night I found the mother app of all apps. No, not really but I was quite taken. And even as I downloaded that little bit of bytes, I was really wondering why the heck I was doing it! Let me explain:

This totally awesome little app categorizes your wardrobe. Yes, I said it categorizes your wardrobe! You've got actual pictures of every single piece of your clothing and allows you to pick your outfits on the fly by touching a shirt, with a skirt, with some shoes etc. etc. How unfreaking believable is that? I mean, if that's not the epitome of anal retentive, then I don't know WHAT is! And I bought the bloody thing!

And as I was buying it, I was thinking, "Now I need to find time to lay out each piece of my clothing and take a picture of it, import it into my computer and load it into this app! Where am I going to get time like that?" That was the right side of my brain. The more logical side of my brain, might I add. The left side of my brain...the "I want, yeeeeees, me want!" side was just like - "what they hay! I'll find time somewhere because this is SUPER AWESOME!"

Trust me. I'm never going to find time to do this incredibly enormous task. Not like I have a huge ton of clothes - it's just that photographing each piece is tedious and extraneous. And for what? Really, for what?

And to be perfectly honest (and I've actually considered blogging about this before) I actually have incredibly boring taste in clothes. I own probably 3 articles that actually have a print on them. The rest are white, brown, black SOLID pieces. I own jeans, khaki's, black slacks and a pair of green cords. I own two khaki skirts, one black skirt - oh, and one skirt with a print on it. Several long sleeved tees of solid colors - couple whites, couple blacks, couple browns. One pink oooh - living the wild side. I have several sweaters of varying styles but all very conservative, very boring. Essentially I'm saying that to make outfits that match out of this boring wardrobe wouldn't take a 2 year more than about 10 seconds.

So what do I need this super awesome app for? I have no idea. I spent $2.99 because I like the idea. How dumb is that?