rapture, potato chips and coupons

drinking
a second cup of coffee... turns out that less creamer (as in 2 heaping spoonfuls instead of 3.5)=less tummy ache and nausea ;)

loooooving
that i actually got something for FREE using a coupon yesterday. this has NEVER happened. and i was walking on sunshine when my coupon worked and i got FREE IBUPROFEN for the glovebox of the car :)

hating
the new Misto thing. you have to pump it up and down really fast.... it is sooo hard to use :( i tried to make potato chips and they were hideous (only i could take potatoes and grease and make something so congealed and hideous...)

thinking/confirming
that Arnold is a total dog. not that i thought otherwise for a second ;) Dr Drew says he has hundreds of countless children wandering the streets. and Dr Drew knows, like, everything ;)

hoping
that awful awful awful obnoxious Adam Carrolla goes AWAY and quits being on Dr Drew's show. he is the quintessential know-it-all unmarried jerk friend of the nice guy. and ps i hate radio people (Dr Drew excluded for obvious reasons :)

taking
Boston cream pie cupcakes to the carnival today. and buying them back if no-one else buys them :|

watching
PB feeding waffles to drooling dogs (grr to PB and the dogs - i slaved over that toaster!!)

going
on a picnic tomorrow :) it's times like this i wish i'd bought the wicker picnic basket i once saw on sale for just such occasions...

hoping
that since all the good people are ascending to Heaven tomorrow, the freeways will be less crowded on the way home from the picnic and parking will be a cinch at school on Monday ;) heck we might even go out to lunch on Sunday and actually get a table, since all the good people will be g-o-n-e! (shhhh... i am saying no more :)

feeling
crazily inspired by pinterest and my 'i want to make...' folder. i even almost bought mod podge at Michael's! it's that bad!!! but in a good way ;)

off to school and the post office and the bank. yup, that's why i needed a second cup of coffee and a good giggle over Rapture (which is on my ipod should it happen - not listened to Blondie since 1982 :)

• woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, excited to have homemade yogurt for breakfast!! i started to make it last night (it takes TWELVE hours to make...)

• discovered that i never turned the machine ON to start the process... grrrrr!!!

• the day was not officially ruined though... had a day off from babies and walking and clock watching :)

• had breakfast (ginger cats and oatmeal) in bed :)

• il pleuvait (a lot and i even carried a parapluie ;)

• had a boston cream cupcake (oh-so-good!) and watched Desperate Housewives - little did i know it was two hours long... sheesh, good job i had nowhere to be today ;)

• picked up Sam early from school and took him to lunch :)

• we shared fettuccine and crusty bread at Maggiano's and it was beyond sublime :)

• spent a ridiculously long time in World Market shopping for lanterns for the backyard and english chocolate :)

• made a lampshade out of a paper lantern and cupcake cases

• ran out of cupcake cases and made a mercy dash to Michael's for more

• had oatmeal for dinner

• pulled sticky glue skin off my fingers (favorite.thing.ever!)

Violet is a very pretty kitty :) which reminds me, a "brazilian waxing" salon just opened by Trader Joe's and it's called 'The Pretty Kitty' - gasp, isn't that horrible and too much information, or am i just a major puritanical???!

with Megan... no idea who is who (Violet has a white 'bikini area' which is not visible here)

Maggiano's (we love Maggiano's!!)

at the library... book reports complete (and he got 100% because he's brilliant!)

what a total waste of time looks like... the yogurt tastes like tarty anemic pinkberry yogurt to me :| and that's not a good thing... i like my yogurt to taste like baby yogurt with a layer of cream on top :|

the lamp waiting to dry... that's a lot of cupcake cases and glue :|


now... bedtime - off to watch Dr Drew talk all kinds of crap about Arnold :)

blueberries, pinterest and world walls

• made a word wall with Danny

• got the most exciting news via email - the Temecula Blueberry Farm opens in 48 hours!!! (i am so deadly serious about taking a sick day on wednesday, just to go and pick blueberries :)

• walked 8 miles while listening to Aladdin Sane by David Bowie (ps it's impossible to not walk like a a contestant on Ru Paul's Drag Race when listening to that album ;)

• made Boston cream cupcakes to counteract the abovementioned walk ;)

• added a completely dreamy picture of George Clooney to pinterest :)

• and a couple of other new pins:)

IKEA spice racks (so clever! and who has so many spices they need a rack anyway;)

• wore a dress

• went to the 99 cent store for terracotta pots and got a cute union jack iphone case (for a DOLLAR!)

• stood in Michaels for an hour while Danny tried to decide what to buy with my 40% off coupon (grrr)

• got home to find my YOGURT MAKER all ready for yogurt making (i could kiss amazon.com on the head:)

• made pasta with vodka

• found praying mantises in the backyard with Danny. he wanted to keep one but i said he would miss his brothers and he put him back ;)

• watched the most boring Oprah ever about the man who wrote a non-fiction book that was actually fiction :|

• played tetris

• actually read the instruction manual on how to make yogurt... i am impatiently waiting for the boiled milk to cool down as i type

oatmeal, cameras and more!

my oatmeal tasted insanely creamy and wonderful this morning... that spoonful of peanut butter is just magical ;)*

we haven't dined out for over a week :| you would think that would be bad and very depressing... but ohhh, the money we have saved! hundreds of thousands of dollars!!! and the health benefits too! on friday we made our own veggie pizza with more veggies than pizza (and it was actually good and didn't taste like burnt plastic), saturday we didn't actually eat dinner, just chips (surely that is healthy...?) and sunday we made spaghetti. it would be a sin to dine out on a monday... so our guinness book record is safe for one more day at least!

yesterday i saw the Canon 5D for $2100. i really (kind of) want the 5D but surely it is due to be replaced by something more wonderful any day now? it's almost three years old!!! this is why i N-E-V-E-R upgrade my camera. i am always waiting for the next technology/better price ;) i hate strongly dislike that book 'oh the places you'll go' but i admit i am guilty of waiting waiting waiting for a better camera/better deal/thinner waist/longer hair/sunnier day/less sunny day..... etc etc etc :)

i do however still absolutely loooooove my Canon T1i with all most of my heart - and with the HD video thingie and the 50mm f1.4, it's just pure joy. who could ask for more? (OK me... when it's dark.... or i'm too close because of the cropped sensor... or i feel like a loser because i have the embarrassing red rebel 1980s logo on my camera (hangs head in shame)

off to power walk the dogs with my amazing new technoleash - back later xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxx

*wink :)

rain, maples and necklaces

had ginger cats and coffee in bed for breakfast (how i looooooove the weekends :)

it rained really really really hard (we put on more layers so we could keep all the windows open :)

Aaron brought me one more cup of darned fine coffee in bed because it was raining :)

he called me 'my dahhling' all day again today :)

every single pet snuggled on the bed with me :)

we watched 'Designed to Sell' - today i want to move to a lakefront home in Norris Lake, Atlanta :)

spent $4 on ebay and got two new necklaces :)



researched how to clean my old tarnished necklace and made it look brand new again (baking soda and salt... i never knew it was that easy!)


went to CVS for even more concealer (obsessed much.....? yes :)

found Physicians Formula concealer for $1 on sale! i am like a total bargain shopper :)

also got three different kinds of mineral powder thingies because they were only $3 each!

also bought a very fancy extending leash (i've always dreamed of owning one :) with a built-in flashlight and poop bag dispenser for $2! it needs a clip to hold poop bags full of poop... that's all that's missing

returned home and tried to use the new concealer to conceal my awful problem areas

scrubbed the concealer off with cetaphil cleanser and my pink greenie face scrubber thing

helped Aaron clean the wonderful new windows in the garage door :)

stood in the garage for ages admiring how bright and cheery it is now :)

made spaghetti with cherry tomatoes for dinner

fed the dogs two pieces of garlic bread each (they loved it!)

went to Home Depot to ask why our japanese maples don't look like their japanese maples... apparently our soil isn't acidic enough, so we bought a bag of something to make it acidic (and hopefully it doesn't kill our japanese maples...)

accidentally knocked over a plant and in my frenzy to clean up the mess, got shards of broken pottery stuck in my hand (ouch)

bought a new self-propelled lawn mower after much consideration (it was the cheapest one - and a nice shiny red :) and it really does propel itself! like magic!!

also bought plexiglass - the garage door windows just aren't shiny and scratchless enough, so we are making brand new windows :)

went home and all took turns mowing the lawn :)

spent an hour trying to figure out pinterest... my 'things i want to make' folder is already overflowing with absolutely impossible, but hopelessly inspiring, projects :)

Jerry the rat and Weasel the kitten had a playdate (and there was no biting :)

cleaned the mouse cage (i don't know why they pee in their wheel....)

did laundry

made mint tea with Oregon honey for bedtime :)

yogurt, honey and mint tea

woke up at 3am with a huge bee in my bonnet to make yogurt from scratch TODAY (yogurt makers aren't that easy to find in stores.... and i refuse to pay crazy Williams Sonoma money when amazon has them for $18 shipped and no tax ;)

pored over amazon yogurt maker reviews for a reaaaally long time until the thought of making yogurt cheese too didn't seem completely unreasonable...

researched recipes on how to make yogurt from scratch and decided that the yogurt cheese is just too ridiculously hard but yogurt seems much easier and kind of fun and experimental (except for the stirring/removing lumps part... i am hopelessly impatient at stuff like that...)

somehow ended up at an autopsy website :|

was absolutely riveted by pictures of famous dead people :|

fell soundly back asleep until i woke up at 6am to a face full of Dannybear kisses

had chocolate biscuits and coffee for breakfast in bed

tried to find a FREE basketball hoop on craigs list (without risking murder)

made the alphabet out of lego

went to Good Will with bags full of ugly clothes and ill-fitting shoes - roamed around the store, but not a sausage worth buying today :(

made the most hideous french fries ever with frozen onions on top (i hate Ore Idea french fries and frozen onions on top are horrible too....)

inspired by Tracy's beautiful blog, i asked Aaron to pleeeeease try to pry the ugly fan shapes out of the garage door windows. and he did :) and it looks SO MUCH BETTER!!!! if we didn't already have a glass front door, i would be begging him to cut holes like this in it too :)

watched Property Ladder... two sisters made over a little cottage in Texas, which i fell instantly in love with (even the before was soooo pretty) it was only $119,000 and completely adorable :) i want to move to Texas to a pretty cottage with stained glass windows and a clawfoot tub

took kittens to Petsmart adoption thingie (but they didn't get adopted... brought them home again and assured them they are still very very precious and lovely babies, even though they didn't get new homes....)

drove to Superwalmart down the most hideous stretch of freeway on earth

vowed to find a better, less horrible way home because i REFUSE to drive on that snake of a freeway, the 91, anymore :|

saw a very tragic dead betta fish in the pet dept and said a prayer for the repose of his soul :(

spent a reaaaally long time picking a concealer. i am sure even after all that pondering and scanning, the two i bought will still underperform and underwhelm me :(

actually had coupons for things i needed - $7 worth no less!! (and horray for actually having food again ;)

in a moment of weakness bought a humungous bag of sweet chile doritos and ate far far far too many even though we didn't have drinks in the car :)

found a new way home!!! a magical, winding, quiet, never-seen-before country lane all the way home! it was 30 minutes of total bliss (and i so want to move to deepest Texas if it's anything like that - surely it's all farms, fields of yellow flowers and absolutely blissful country lanes?)

unpacked groceries - least favorite job EVER :|

Aaron called me 'my dahhling' which made it so much nicer (and made me very giggly and goofy :)

made mint tea with honey from Misty Meadows, Oregon :)

kissed little boys goodnight :)

had tea and scones for dinner :)

went to bed to watch a movie with my dahhling (i can't say it quite the same ;) xoxox

the week

picked lavender

was pounced on a million times by ferocious kittens :)

gave up the idea of ever having nice vases of flowers around the house, without them being eaten and regurgitated all over my bed at 4am (yes it happened) :|

administered a million spelling/math tests

finally put pictures (of a very magical day:) in the little frames i bought in Cape Cod in 2008/9... i think it was 08? i just know they've been sitting in the junk drawer for a very long time... and clearly i don't tidy it very regularly ;)

children all over the house searched for kittens, hiding from their over zealous little hands :)


they caught Weasel :)

pet bunnies visited kindy and were squeezed till their eyes popped out hugged by all the kids :)

and everyone took a flower for teacher appreciation day... some very nice mommies had extra flowers for kids who didn't have one to give (did i mention i really really really like the kindy mommies :)


we took photobooth pics

and briefly considered trying to cook artichokes before deciding life was already difficult enough ;)

Romeo looked regal and handsome

we went to a Spongebob birthday party (the pinata was full of yummy krabby patties)

we ate a few wonderful cupcakes


and had a few wonderful playdates

Mr Bumps played peekaboo with Weasel :)

i marveled over these amazing eyelashes

saw two formerly arch enemies sitting in the sun together (though not close enough to swat at each other:)

operations, toothpicks and errands

loving
bleached white sheets and sleeping with the window open

hoping
the cherry farm is open this weekend (ohhh please be open!! i love the cherry farm soooo much!!!)

not loving
Donald Trump. he just isn't very cute and cute makes everything a little more bearable ;) i just can't ever frequent, no matter how lovely or how affordable, any hotel that bears the name Trump (and besides, i hate that word - trump=fart)

recovering
from major open finger surgery last night. there was blood! and pus!! (how i hate that word too) and i have a very raw looking finger this morning - but i can actually touch things again without feeling like i'm being stabbed by ten thousand toothpicks

not really wanting
to go walking today..... and that's a bad thing, because i didn't walk yesterday either :( and i ate two scones while i recovered from the aforementioned surgery :( but i must have lost at least 5 pounds in blood loss and infected pus removal ;)

wishing
people would be more thoughtful and more appreciative and even if they can't return the niceness, at least acknowledge that it made their day a little happier.... people shmeople, i give up :(

my pretend baby turned one yesterday... we spent the day at the park taking pictures and feeding the ducks



off to deliver three small children to school. then Walmart for kitten food. then UPS to return shoes that i just don't like enough to ever wear. then the bank... then home again in time for school pick-up :)

randomness

i don't ever want to be part of a flash mob. or even witness one :| they make me sick and i don't know why (Dr Phil...?)

and i don't really think the talking dog video is that funny... and definitely not 'laughed till i cried' funny :| (honestly?)

today i wish i was in New York with Melissa and we were going shopping to Target or the Christmas Tree Shop (don't worry, it doesn't just sell christmas trees) or some other wonderful discount store. i think our husbands are like SOOOO lucky that we don't shop in fancy expensive stores (but they are more than welcome to shop at Tiffany and Jo Malone whenever they feel the need ;)

i can't believe Maria was married to that awful Arnold for 25 years before she realized democrats and republicans just should never mix ;) add to that that he's all puffed up and steroidy and European in the worst possible way - Maria, why did it take 25 years???!

i wonder, when i watch that boring 'Oprah: behind the scenes' show (i have watched it all of once... there was nothing on the DVR) if the staff realize that they are all about to be fired. they are such a bunch of yes-saying lemmings. do you think Oprah told them yet they are all about to be hopelessly out of work...? i wonder if - gasp - she's not really going anywhere...? and the final episode will be that she will be back in September!

i really really really want to drive from sea to shining sea this Summer (i just wish it wasn't still so far across the skinny southern part of the country... i get bored and run out of gum and get tummy ache from chewing too much gum after about 6 hours of driving...) but i am determined to do it ;)

my finger has been hurting like the dickens for a week. i kept just putting a band aid and a blob of neosporin on it, hoping for the best but this morning it is so hot you could fry an egg on it, and it's HUGE too. Aaron says i have an ingrown nail - but how do i get it out? it's all hot and swollen. must google - i hope the answer is something nice like 'rest, watch TV and eat plenty of chocolate biscuits dipped in tea' ;)

off to Trader Joe's. for flowers. for teachers. one per child made into a mismatched bouquet to show our appreciation for surviving bloody boogers, horrible spelling and the stench of 30 different lunches everyday ;) because nothing says thanks like a mismatched bouquet of straggly leftover from Mother's Day flowers :) back later xoxoxo

B.M.D.E. (best mother's day ever.)

was awoken at 7am by sweet little faces carrying handmade cards and a box full of french delicacies from the Cream Pan (i luuurve my hubbie!!!)



sampled two croissants (banana... then blueberry) before feeling slightly poorly, like i overdosed on butter and sugar...


went to visit grandparents and took Grandma a pretty orchid :)

stopped at Costco for a brand new slightly bigger TV (ours broke on Friday. life without TV=not pretty;)

drove home really really fast to plug it in and watch it! i made veggie pizza while Aaron installed our gargantuan new TV. i never knew TVs just hung on the wall like picture frames... I NEVER KNEW they were held up by just two teeny tiny hooks... we have EARTHQUAKES here! must find way to duct tape TV to wall so it won't jump off in an earthquake :|

we watched Wallace and Gromit's movie about the serial killing girlfriend and i admit, i dislike Wallace more than ever - he is SO UNBELIEVABLY MEAN to Gromit :( meaner than that horrible penguin Feathers McGraw, even :(

moved furniture around (OK, i asked Aaron to move furniture around;) i have been hating our big cubular thing that has toy baskets and books and pictures in it (this thing)

anyway it has scuffs all over the shelves and i have been seriously wanting to burn it at the beach... i have even tried painting the shelves, which made them look worse than ever. well who knew you could turn the whole thing around... and it looks brand new again!!! a bookshelf you can just flip around!! gooooosh i love IKEA (sometimes....)

did the same thing with the scuffed up cubby thing in the dining room where we keep all our wonderful craft/school supplies (i love the idea of running a pretend homeschool - we have soooooo many Kumon books and paper and pencils and protractors and compasses :)

it got really cool and overcast with beautiful fluffy soft box skies (thanks Melissa... the wish came true!) and we went to our favorite park to take pictures and feed the ducks.





helped a man fit the bumper back onto his car after he ran into a huge log (because we are just nice like that;) then went to In-N-Out for animal fries for dinner :)

played hockey and soccer outside till bedtime




played with kittens :)

had double berry cheesecake icecream :)

twas a wonderful day :)