randomness

We're still having a great visit with my family. I am anxious to see my husband, and I am sure the kids miss him too, but otherwise it's been a really nice trip. Today we drove to the coast to my sister's house. My dad had a job interview there, with a company that is actually based in the Detroit area. They are looking for a rep here, which my mom hates because it means my dad will be back on the road. But it makes him happy, so it's tough. Anyway, I think it would be nice if he's working for a Detroit-based company, just because he'd likely have to come up occasionally for meetings & stuff. We had a great visit with sis & nephew, did a little shopping...I swear I could totally buy out the Bailey Boys store! Ok, well maybe I couldn't literally, since I can't afford to, but I love all of their stuff! I bought Scarlett 2 outfits and Matthew 1, and my mom bought all of the small grandkids matching Christmas outfits. Goody!

Last night & now tonight I've spent a lot of the evening typing up some of my favorite recipes from mom's recipe box. I am taking it one section at a time, going through the section & separating out the ones I want to copy. When I got married one of her gifts to me (and David I guess!) was a recipe box with copied & laminated recipes. It had many family favorites, and some that I don't ever remember eating. But somehow, her box has many many more recipes than mine, and a lot of them aren't at all new. So now I'm trying to catch up & get all those recipes so I can expand our menu. Makes me hungry just thinking about it!

i'm a pretty bad aunt

I can't believe I didn't even mention Jonah in my last post! My little sister brought him to visit Monday. They spent the day with us and will be back today for the weekend. He is beautiful, precious, perfect! Absolutely perfect! I sat and held him for the longest time. Matthew was very gentle and sweet with him, rubbing him on the head and saying "i love baby jonah." Scarlett was pretty pleased to meet him too, as long as he was in his mommy's arms. She smiled and grinned and kept going over to check him out. Later I had him and she was NOT happy! She pretty much wrapped herself around my legs and screeched. She's a little rotten.

So yeah, the new nephew is perfect. And I think I'm doing a good job avoiding getting baby fever right now. We'll see how it is after a weekend with them.

good times

We're having a great week so far. We had a nice drive down, took the kiddos to the huge park we used to live near in Atlanta, they had a great time there! We met our tenant (he's lived there 2 years & we just met!) and signed a new lease since he is getting a new roommate, then we went through the condo to see what needs doing. David thinks we'll spend 2-3 hours working on it next week. Hopefully it won't be too long! We dropped David off at the airport and drove to my parents' house. The kids & I were so tired when we got here and they were nice & slept until 8am Monday!

They've been having a blast so far - Matthew is LOVING the pool - it's so nice to be where the water is warm enough to really enjoy having a pool. He started off sliding down the slide into the water and yesterday was jumping off the diving board over & over. This from a kid who just a couple of weeks ago hated having his head under! I think seeing Belle swim is good for him - she's all over the pool without floaties! (I also think seeing her potty is good for him! He's been asking to go a decent bit, I definitely need to encourage him more when we get home!)

Matthew & Belle play great together - the other day they were playing & I heard her scream "I love you Matthew" and he replied with a scream, "I love you too Belle". Precious. Belle thinks Scarlett is a baby and Scarlett thinks she's as big as Belle! It's pretty funny to watch them interact.

I weighed in today, but on a different scale than normal. According to it I've lost 6 lbs this week. Um, I don't think so! I think the scales are definitely different. So I'm not updating my ticker until I get home & can weigh there. I'd like to think this scale is accurate, and it possibly is, but I don't feel right basing it on a number I don't think is right...make sense? I really don't think our scale is right, but I don't mind - I'm not looking at it as just a single number, it's the change that matters to me! But ya, I'd be thrilled if I really lost 6 lbs!

Scarlett is such a honey - last weekend at the party she was in the beer tub constantly grabbing bottles. Yeah, putting bottles in ice in a tub is a GREAT idea, unless there's a toddler around! But she went for bottle after bottle, and then climbed up on the table & danced! One of the women commented that "the boys are going to love her when they're older" - um ya, not looking forward to those days. I guess I can hope she got the beer drinking table dancing days out of her system young?

On another note, if you don't use graham crackers on a regular basis, and you're making a recipe that uses them, TASTE them first! My chocolate eclair cake was pretty ruined the other day - I think the crackers were bad. Stale I guess, but it just did not turn out! I was so embarrassed when I tasted it - I've earned a reputation among David's coworkers as being a good cook, and this was an easy recipe that was ruined! Seriously, I don't think they were very old, but they tasted horrible in the recipe!

and we're off

I am finishing up our packing & we're heading to a party this afternoon. Then while most of you are sleeping, we'll be heading down the Atlanta highway. Looking for the love getaway...oh WAIT! That's all wrong. Well we will be heading to Atlanta, but I'll be leaving David at the airport so he can come back here. Then I'll head to my parents' house with the kids. So not exactly a love getaway.

We'll be visiting my new nephew and the rest of the family. Then David flies back down & we'll go to Georgia Tech's football season opener. Can't wait to see how we look - we have a new head coach & I'm really excited about him. Then we'll spend Labor Day weekend with the family before driving home.

I know it seems convoluted that David is driving down & flying back, only to turn around in a couple of weeks and fly down & driving back, but he won't "let" me drive down with the kiddos by myself. Now it is a 900 mile trip to my parents' house, but I have travelled enough with & without the kiddos that I'd feel totally comfortable doing it. But I'll humor him. So, if I'm not around much for a couple of weeks, you'll know it's because I'm having fun with the folks. I'll be back.

Recipe Friday - Chocolate Eclair Cake

I haven't shared a recipe lately and I'm about to make this, so figured I'd post it. I'm taking this and some macaroni & cheese to a cookout tomorrow. This is one of my favorite easy desserts. David took it to work once (many years ago) for a dessert contest and won first place!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

"cake":
1 box graham crackers
2 small boxes instant French Vanilla pudding
3-1/2 cups milk
8 oz cool whip

1. Mix pudding and milk.
2. Fold in Cool Whip.
3. Cover bottom of 9x13 pan with graham crackers (in a single layer).
4. Pour 1/2 of pudding mixture over crackers.
5. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
6. Add rest of pudding mixture.
7. Top with another layer of crackers.

Topping:
1/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons white karo syrup
3 tablespoons margarine, softened
3 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Mix together and spread over cake.
2. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

gotta love shipping companies

Most things we order ship via UPS. I generally ship with UPS if I don't use USPS. But the UPS guy that usually delivers here refuses to ring my doorbell! Don't know why - my car can be sitting right in the driveway, where he has to walk around it to get to the door so he has to know someone's home, right? And I *get* that they have a lot of packages to deliver and want to move on to the next house as quickly as possible, but ring my freaking doorbell & leave the package on the stoop. Not too hard. He can head back to the truck as soon as he rings the bell for all I care. But no, they leave the packages by our SIDE door, where sometimes a package can sit for a few days before I notice it. ARGH! (Our other "UPS guy" rings the doorbell. I like him a lot better!)

And today, we got a delivery via FedEx. They seem to always ring the doorbell. What was funny about today's package is that rain is in the forecast, so he put the box in a plastic bag. He filled out the "we left your package" tag, and you'd think he would have put that on my front door, right? Oh no, he stuck it ON THE BOX, INSIDE the plastic bag! So, the tag telling me where he left my package, was stuck to said package. How crazy is that??? Thanks FedEx guy, for letting me know where you left my stuff! :)

woohoo

I did much better on the weight loss train this week. I lost another 2 lbs, which means I'm down a little from where I was 2 weeks ago. I'm still kicking myself about last week's gain, but at least I'm back on track now. So, over the last 2 weeks I've lost 0.5 lbs...not as much as in normal weeks, but a loss is a loss.

I lost another point this week, which actually I lost and gained back last week. I am really struggling to stay under my points target now, and I'm kinda freaking out about staying under it when I stop nursing Scarlett. I'll lose another 6 points in the process of weaning her. So, anyone who has done WW before, what are your favorite zero or low point snacks? Low point meals? How do you find TIME to boost your activity?

pee & poop

You'd think that's all we do around here, huh? Last night when Scarlett got out of the bathtub she was running around naked and suddenly squatted in the middle of the room & peed. David had stepped out of the bathroom (where Matthew was still in the tub) and was standing where he could see what Scarlett did. He was kinda smart-assy* about it and said "you might want to get a diaper on her."

I clean up and diaper her while David goes back in the bathroom to get Matthew out of the tub. Then I hear "you don't poop in the tub, you sit on the potty to do that." So I tell him instead of minding mine & Scarlett's business maybe he should mind his & Matthew's. Then I say, real smart-assy, "and maybe you should get a diaper on him." I'm so glad he has bath duty.

*I know smart-assy isn't really a word, but I like the sound of it.

cuteness and a hurting backside

I promise the cuteness has nothing to do with the backside. I just would rather make one post than two. Anyway, my behind is so sore. We took a family bike ride Sunday - David hooked the trailer to his bike & we rode along the river to a park, then through most of the park, and stopped for lunch at a playground. Matthew and Scarlett played for a while, and then we ate. It was SO windy while we were eating that I had goose bumps! Crazy...it's August & we've been riding bikes yet I complain about being cold! While we ate I asked David to move the trailer to my bike so that I could see if I could haul it, in case I want to ride while he's at work. I really wasn't sure I could haul an extra 60 lbs, but I wanted to try. We decided to skip the river trail because it was crazy windy & we were both kinda hurting. I did pull the kiddos & trailer all the way home though. I was kinda proud of myself, but honestly I couldn't tell a big difference between riding with the trailer & riding without. We ended up riding a little over 20 miles, and boy does my behind know it!

Now for the cute stuff:
Matthew's imagination is going wild lately. He's been eating ice cream cones, made out of a ball from his ball popper placed on top of the circle from his shape sorter. He's been playing the violin when we get him ready for bed - the violin is a bottle of baby magic lotion and he uses his bar for the bow. And Sunday he was playing golf in the house, with a stuffed ball and a toy screwdriver as the club. He got a ring from his ring stacker to use as the hole. When he hit the ball in the hole we clapped and suddenly he took a bow. He wrapped his arm around his waist and bent over! We were cracking up it was so cute. Have no idea where he learned it! I would love to have video, but lately when I pull out the camera he throws his hands in front of his face.

We think bowing must run in the family - David told his mom about Matthew and she said that when he played t-ball and went up to the plate to bat, the parents in the stand cheered and he turned and took a bow!

Scarlett mimics everything Matthew does. Last night at supper David was trying to get my attention for a second and said "Kac" - then Matthew started calling me "Kac" and eventually Scarlett was saying it too.

At naptime and bedtime, Matthew and Scarlett are willing to give each other sugar. They are so sweet - usually for Scarlett's morning nap, Matthew will tell me he doesn't want kisses, but she will kiss him on the cheek anyway. Then as I walk to the stairs, Matthew says "I do want to give Scarlett kiss" - so I take her back and he kisses her. Other times there is no "battle" over it, they just give each other kisses on the cheek. Scarlett also waves like crazy and says "bye" anytime I take her or Matthew upstairs.

And the gross stuff:
Scarlett has been picking her nose lately! I don't know why, and I try to tell her to stop, but I don't want to call attention to it because I'm afraid if Matthew sees it that HE will start picking HIS nose. What's a mom to do?

And the words no one wants to hear:
This morning when I got home from the gym, the house was quiet. Since everyone was still asleep, I got in the shower. When I got out I heard Matthew making a little noise, but it seemed he was playing quietly in his room. I put my pajamas back on & went upstairs, thinking Scarlett had probably woken up and David put her in bed with him. That meant he couldn't get up unless she woke up again or I came up. (We won't leave her in our bed without us.) So I went up and saw that she was still asleep in her crib. I went in our room and David was getting up. I crawled back in bed with my book! Nice. Until a few minutes later I heard Matthew - "mommy...there is shooey all over my room." Not so nice. I had visions of him playing in his poop, but thankfully it was just a really bad diaper that leaked out the edges and as he played it kept leaking. When I got to his room, he did have it all over his hands, but I think he had kinda crawled through it not realizing it was there. I was thankful he didn't play in it, and that once he got it on his hands he called me to come take care of it.

And the pat on the back:
For our health insurance, we have to take a health appraisal every year. I just completed it and it gave me a score of 98 out of 100! Last year's score was 87/100, so I've shown a good bit of improvement. I think it's due to my weight loss, increased exercise, and the fact that I had bloodwork done a couple of weeks ago and knew my cholesterol numbers to fill in. Last year I had to check "don't know."

#97: Blade Runner

Last night we watched Blade Runner, #97 on the AFI top 100 list. I didn't have high expectations going in, I generally like fluffy feel good movies. I do like some Science Fiction, but usually the really action packed films. From what I had read about Blade Runner, I wasn't going to like it. But guess what? I did! I did like it! It was dark but it was great. There weren't any twists and turns in it really, you pretty much knew what was supposed to happen from the opening of the film, and you followed along as it happened. Even without the twists and turns, and nothing really unexpected happening, it wasn't just a movie to watch. You watch, you experience it, you question it, you think.

A couple of my favorite quotes from the movie:
"More human than human is our motto"
"It's too bad she won't live. But then, who does?"

I couldn't help but notice that sometimes Pris looked like she belonged in the Doodlebops instead of in Blade Runner. I think it was her hair and makeup...I just couldn't get doodlebops out of my mind part of the time she was on screen. Not always though, only for occasional scenes. Strange, huh?

Up next: Do The Right Thing

I think I've lost my mind!

Um, I just paid $210 for 6 diapers! Wow! I can't believe I did it. It's done, I "clicked here" and paid, so it's signed, sealed, delivered. Not really delivered, since I have to wait on my order, but you KWIM. No going back, unless I want to pay the 10% restocking fee, plus shipping to send them back once they arrive. Am I nuts? I'm sure all y'all are wondering, since I'm sitting here wondering myself.

Back when I first thought about trying cloth diapers, I joined a couple of message boards to try to learn from real people what they liked, didn't like, how they washed, etc. I've kind of stuck around, but I'm primarily one of "those" people who lurk. Anywho, these ladies RAVE about this one particular kind of diaper, but complain that they are always out of stock. The retail price is $35/diaper. People are saying they pay over retail for used ones. Yes, used! Ones that have already been peed in and pooped on! So I was curious. Curious enough to spend $210. I ordered 6 because to get one at a time (or anything less than 6), you have to hit the website at just the right moment, and all the internet gods have to be smiling down on you, because from all accounts, you can see that something is in stock, add it to your cart, yada yada, and the system crashes because so many moms are desperate for these diapers. Server just can't handle it. You have to be LUCK--EEEE to get these things. BUT, the woman will sell lots of 6 or 12 as custom orders - and you just have to wait 6-8 weeks on them. So I just paid $210 for 6 diapers, that I have to wait 6-8 weeks for! Crazy!

But I did my research - on eBay, the average price of these diapers, before shipping, is $42 and some change. The "print" option, which is what I ordered, averaged $53 and some change. BEFORE shipping! The math is simple...I ordered 6, I'll keep one to use, so I can really see what the hype is about. I'll sell the rest, hopefully for $45 each. $45 * 5 diapers = $225...I'm making $15 for my trouble & I get a diaper out of the deal. If I can't sell them for a profit, I'm confident I can sell them for $35 each and at least not lose anything...but it sure would be nice to pay for the diaper I keep too. Maybe I'm not crazy after all?

But geeze, $35 for a diaper?


P.S. Blogger spell check doesn't like internet. says it should be capitalized. hmmm

Ugh - bad week

I knew this was a bad week, weight wise. I didn't so much overeat, but I ate things that aren't very good for me. It started Saturday with our party - then I had yummies leftover, things that I rarely eat, and things that it's hard to have in my house without eating, things that I enjoy so I didn't want to throw them away. So I totally knew I was setting myself up for a bad week, but I enjoyed the cake, brownies, ice cream, and baked beans anyway. I even ate hot dogs & chips for lunch. I didn't expect to GAIN weight though! I expected to hold steady, and that would have been ok. Gaining...not acceptable.

So today, the rest of the leftovers are going in the trash. (Beth, if you want the brownies get here pronto!)

I do have to pat myself on the back just a little though. Because even though I gained this week, I did much better than the old me would have done. I cut the brownies smaller than normal, and I only ate two per day. Which is like eating less than one of my normal size cuts. And eating ONE of my normal size cuts per day would be an accomplishment, since in the past I would have eaten two or three, sometimes even four, in a day. Seriously, a pan of brownies never lasts from Saturday to Wednesday in our house, much less when it's shared at a party. And it's unheard of that I have leftovers to throw away. While I'm harping on what an accomplishment this is, I should state for the record that David called these "the best batch of brownies I ever made". The time is never exactly what the box says, just because of the way I make them, but these came out perfect...just a smidge undercooked so that they were nice & gooey, but not raw, and a minute more they would have started to get dry. Perfect! We did finish off the cake last night, but a lot of that is due to me sending BIG chunks home with other people. We just didn't have much of it leftover.

So yeah, I gained 1.5 lbs this week, but the old me would have probably gained 5. Maybe more, since the new me went to the gym 3 times, and the old me wouldn't have done that. I am learning some control. That feels good.

Um, the wiggles?

Matthew watches a little tv...he watches Curious George, Clifford, and Super Why. Occasionally we watch Dora and recently we've discovered the truck show on TLC, I don't even know the name of it, but I did set the dvr to record it. Today before "ooh ooh ah ah" (aka Curious George) came on, an ad for The Wiggles live played. Matthew immediately started jumping up & down telling me he wanted THAT, and pointing at the tv. Now, he might have watched The Wiggles 2 or 3 times, but that's it. Now suddenly he's jumping up & down to go see them? I'm not sure he understood that it was an ad for a live show, maybe he just wanted to watch them on tv? Either way, tonight when David gets home I'll have him see what ticketmaster has to offer. And then check his work...sometimes they get great deals on tickets. (Like last week when they gave out 500 free Kenny Chesney tickets!) Maybe we can give Matthew "THAT!"

I'm also pleased to say baby butterbean is HOME! Finally! Actually he came home Sunday, but I have been reluctant to "bother" my sis and check on them. It seems 4am is his rough time, but that's because she was following hospital orders to wake him every 3 hours to feed him. He had a checkup today and the pediatrician told her not to bother with that. I am so happy they are home, and that he is healthy enough to be home. I can't wait to meet the little guy! I really hate living 900+ miles away! I'll be there in 2 weeks though!!! :)

shortest weekend ever

It seemed like this weekend just didn't exist, it went by so quickly. Friday night I baked, pound cake & brownies. (not at the same time, because they bake at different temps, and I won't compromise the integrity of either food by changing the temp/time). Saturday morning I went to boot camp before starting the rest of the cleaning & cooking that needed to happen. I think Matthew knew something was going on so he refused to nap! He stayed in his room and played quietly, so David & I were able to get everything done, but it was frustrating because we knew he would be tired.

Party time came & guests arrived. Matthew and Scarlett had a ball. David & I were busy but had a great time as well. Matthew & Scarlett don't get a lot of sweet treats, but Matthew enjoyed the brownies (one of our guests brought a plate of brownies & Matthew at ate least 5 of them!). At one point he was running around on the deck & tripped, but managed to keep from losing the brownie he was munching on. A few minutes later he was playing soccer in the yard, with a brownie in each hand. He picked up the ball between his wrists & someone told him he couldn't touch the ball with his hands. I was quick to defend him, explaining that he wasn't technically using his hands. ;)

Scarlett enjoyed emptying the cases of beer. She sat on the kitchen floor taking cans out one by one, turning them up to try a taste. She enjoyed the freedom of being able to go in & out the back door as she pleased...she usually isn't allowed to do that!

One of David's single, younger, male coworkers was GREAT with Matthew & Scarlett. I joked that we need him to babysit! We have a bottle opener that plays "Ramblin Wreck" and Matthew LOVED opening bottles for people, just to hear the song. This guy was happy to keep it playing, and Matthew was thrilled.

After our party we gave the kiddos their baths and then walked down to the festival to hear a little music and watch the fireworks show. They enjoyed the music and fireworks, but Matthew was so tired he fell asleep during the fireworks. I couldn't believe it...we were sitting just up the hill from where they set them off, and it is LOUD! Really loud. He was tired. Scarlett loved the fireworks - she pointed and smiled & laughed. I was amazed at how much more she enjoyed them than when we went for the July 4 fireworks. She seemed to like them then, but just barely a month later she was really into them. I love it.

The nicest thing about Saturday is that they were so tired they slept until 8:30 yesterday morning! I actually got a full 8 hours of sleep! Couldn't tell you the last time that happened. Nice. Late yesterday we took them back to the festival so Matthew could ride some rides. He had seen them putting the rides up Thursday & begged to ride, and I promised him that we would ride this weekend. He rode several by himself, and I was so proud of him that he sat patiently after getting on the ride while he waited on them to finish loading & start riding. Last night getting ready for bed we asked him if he had fun & he said yes. We asked what rides he liked and he started naming every ride he rode. I guess he liked them all!

where are they?

Hmmm, I just realized I'm formatting something wrong. Somehow my preview looks good but when I publish the post my bullet points disappear. I'm not trying to make the reader's life difficult by making crappy lists. Really, I love a good list, especially one with bullets. Where are they disappearing to? Gotta find those bullets!

party time

We're throwing a party tomorrow. Our town has a festival going on (just a few blocks away) and we will be going there, but tomorrow we're hosting a get together with mainly David's coworkers and their families. We hope the party will be over in time for us to catch part of the concert at the festival and then see the fireworks. All our guests are invited to join us there, and some are planning to come by in the morning to park & then head down there to spend the day enjoying the rides, games, music, and other activities before coming back here to hang out. This thing started as a "small, low key get together" and now has gotten a little bigger. The menu is planned, the shopping lists are made, David is going to one store this afternoon, and we'll hit the rest tomorrow morning. The house is semi-straight, I still need to straighten up the living room & breakfast area, mop the kitchen, and clean both bathrooms. Then I'll get cooking! We're having:

• hamburgers


• hotdogs


• baked beans


• pineapple casserole


• chips, dips, etc. (I'm skipping the potato salad this time!)


• layer salad


• brownies


• pound cake


• peach ice cream (homemade)


• we've got a big tub of vanilla ice cream on hand in case there's not enough peach, or if someone wants sundaes instead


• freezer pops (for the kids, just in case)


• fruit tray


• margaritas, beer, a variety of cokes, probably a few other beverages thrown in

I think that covers it. Hopefully everything will taste so good we won't have anything leftover, cause this is NOT a diet friendly party. For one day I don't care, but I don't want cake, brownies, and ice cream left over!