Avec tout mon coeur.

If I had the motivation (or forethought)

2011-03-10T19:29:00.007-06:00

I would TOTALLY have a food blog! Instead I have to live vicariously through other peoples. Maybe it's because I use other people's blogs to get recipe ideas and I would feel bad posting it to my blog (even though I would completely give credit to the amazing person I ripped the recipe from) I never think ahead enough to take pictures of the process.

That being said I have got to start perusing the internet for more food blogs! A friend of mine recently "stumbledupon" one of the most amazing food blogs I have found! Immediately I found that I wanted to make about 90% of the recipes on the site. The site name is www.canyoustayfordinner.com and oh my WOW.

The first thing I wanted to make was her homemade Hostess Cupcakes. And I will. But instead my first recipe from her blog were these tasty, delicious bad boys:

I apologize that the first picture you see of the Petite Lasagna is on a dirty plate but in my defense it was my second helping.

Next up!

I'm making these:

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting.

A few from the summer

2010-10-03T17:39:00.002-05:00

Since it's been so long. . .

About to go to ballet.
At Granny & Grandpa's house

Supermodel pose

First day of ballet!
At the fair. She really loved those rides!

We've had a good summer! There are lots of things coming up for the fall, Sophia started her ballet classes at the beginning of September and she started going to a new pre-school in August. And we went to Disney On Ice (another post)!

LOVE.

2010-02-14T10:32:00.004-06:00

Wow. Blogging for me has been so sporadic since the "blog-a-day" thing I did a little over a year ago!

So here's a quick update: Sophia turned 3 in November! She has grown into such a beautiful little girl who brings joy into our lives every day (and lots of frustration to but I'm sure that goes with the 3-year old territory). She is very active and very talkative and when she gets an idea in her head there is no stopping her. It's really hard to summarize 6 months of ones life. Especially that of a 3-year old.

A lot has happened in the last 6 months as well, some things were good, some not so much. I feel like I've learned a lot about myself and how I handle things. There are things I need to work on within my self and my relationships but let me tell you a a lesson I learned.

LOVE is not something to be taken lightly. It is hard work and not always fun but the rewards are so great! I almost lost that a few months ago. It took almost losing it to realize how much I love my (supremely awesome) husband and didn't want to let that go. I don't ever want to take that for granted again. So babe, if you read this, know that I love you so much and am very happy that we are still a part of each others lives.

I guess that with it being Valentine's Day and all it just got me thinking. Don't take the love you have for granted. Cherish each moment, even when things aren't easy because coming out on the other side of it brings you that much closer together and can just strengthen your relationship.

Ballad of Unfortunate Mammals

2009-09-18T10:53:00.002-05:00

Love is sharper than stones or sticks;

Lone as the sea, and deeper blue;

Loud in the night as a clock that ticks;

Longer-lived than the Wandering Jew.

Show me a love was done and through,

Telll me a kiss escaped its debt!

Son, to your death you'll pay your due--

Women and elephants never forget.

Ever a man, alas, would mix,

Ever a man, heigh-ho, must woo;

So he's left in the world-old fix,

This is furthered the sale of rue,

Son, your chances are thin and few--

Won't you ponder, before you're set?

Shoot if you must, but hold in view

Women and elephants never forget.

Down from Caesar past Joynson-Hicks

Echoes the warning, ever new:

Though they're trained to amusing tricks,

Gentler, they, than the pigeon's coo,

Careful, son, of the cursed two--

Either one is a dangerous pet;

Natural history proves it true--

Women and elephants never forget.

Dorothy Parker

Why I hate health insurance companies

2009-05-31T14:25:00.002-05:00

You may remember that I have some sort of condition in my legs. It's called LCV, or leukocytoclastic vasculitis, which in short terms is the inflammation of the blood vessels in my legs that causes the capillaries underneath the skin to burst causing purpura (red "spots" that look like small and large freckles). Sometimes these can be painful, like if the spots swell as they have been doing lately. The swelling usually goes down overnight but the spots take awhile to fade away. Think red bruises.

So about a year ago I went to the dermatologist under the advice of my PCP and they did a biopsy, ran some tests, everything came back negative and they were stumped. We had some idea of what caused it initially (birth control) but they couldn't figure out why it was coming back. It went away for awhile and I stopped worrying about it. Now it's back, in full force. Breakouts virtually every night and the pain can be so bad that walking can be difficult.

Now before you ask, I have a number to a new doctor that I am going to call TOMORROW to get an appointment and get this figured out. But here's what worries me. After I went to see the dermatologist, I recieved a bill at a later date saying that the insurance company indicated that what I have is a pre-existing condition. I signed up for this insurance before this ever started so I thought surely they just had dates mixed up or something and I was ready to go in fighting for the coverage we pay SO MUCH for every month.

Then today I look at the Blue Cross website and it indicates that anything I went to the doctor for in the first year that I paid SO MUCH for insurance was considered a pre-existing condition. Are they kidding me? I shell out close to $5000 a year for medical coverage and they can't help me out with these bills? I call BS.

I'm at a loss. I am so mad that I just want to scream. I have never really had a bad word to say about insurance until now. Why is this ok? Why? And I think about other people who may get coverage and in the first year find out that they have cancer. What does that mean for them? That they pay $$ for coverage thinking they will just use it in case of an emergency and they end up finding out that it's really all for nothing.

Just fabulous. Thank you health insurance for making me feel falsley secure about my coverage and taking a good chunk of my money to do it.

I'm not retro, I just grew up that way.

2009-04-04T13:21:00.002-05:00

Remember this?

Well. They are back. And not so better than ever although I must say that the 21 year old girl I saw wearing them last night was at least wearing some that were completely fitted, kind of like tights missing toes. But she was wearing them in this ridiculous way:

Unfortunately she was wear high heeled sandals so the stirrup part was very obvious. I really wanted to shake her and say "They were hideous the first time around and I know you are too young to know this but please don't make this mistake! Unless, of course, you are going to wear hot pink lipstick and tease your bangs," (or fringe, as Keith likes to call it), "4 feet off the top of your forehead. Then it's okay because I will have even more reason to make fun of you."

I just can't believe that certain trends are coming back. Does this mean that I need to start wearing two layers of different colored socks and "scrunch" them on top of each other?

Seriously?

2009-03-20T23:15:00.003-05:00

So it's been a month since I posted anything and I hate that it has to be like this, but here we go.

Remember this? My car? Well, here's the update.

I never got to talk to the dealership that sold us the car because I realized I didn't have a legal leg to stand on. They sold the car to us as is, no warranty. So that's that.

We sent the car to another mechanic who looked at it and said "I can't do anything for you" and didn't even charge us for the towing. He advised that we send the car to the local Subaru dealership. We first had the car towed back to us until our tax money came in so we could pay for it. Our tax money came in and the car went to the dealer. The mechanics there said that fixing the car would cost us between $2000 and $4000, money we didn't have, and they very generously told us that we should send the car somewhere else and didn't charge us for the diagnostics that they ran (which was going to be about $250).

So the car went to Welltek, where a lovely man named Mike helped me. In the meantime, Jared's car - a Subaru Impreza Outback - died spectacularly. He had the car towed to the shop our car was at in the hopes that he could donate the computer that we needed and the wiring harness. Car was towed, neither worked. Of course. Mike told us that there was a guy who would sell us the computer and wiring harness from his car for a mere $450.

Today, Tara and Jared and I were out driving and I thought I should go to the shop and check on my car. I pull up and they tell me they have just finished it! The car was running. It was beautiful. Keith and I went back, paid for the car and almost $1400 later we drove away with the car that I haven't had for close to 10 months.

Well guess what? The only key that I have for that stupid car no longer works. It worked at the shop, it worked on the way home. We get home and Keith plans to take the car out around the block and the FREAKING key won't turn. I can't find the other key we had either. So now our car works and we can't drive it because the key won't turn in the ignition.

I cried in the face of irony.

Baking and cooking, and the reverse.

2009-02-21T18:31:00.003-06:00

For those who don't know, I love to bake. I don't do it often because I don't need all of the sweets in the house that I would bake. So as it stands, I wait until we have people coming over before I go into bake-mode.

Today, the venture is cheesecake brownies (which I have never made). The recipe is super simple and by my standards calls for some cheating since I try to bake from scratch as much as possible.

I don't remember where I got the recipe from because I copied it into my book and haven't found the exact one online again but here you go:

Brownie layer:
family size box of fudge brownie mix (or made from scratch) plus the ingredients you need to bake the brownies

Cheesecake layer:
8oz package of cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
16 oz (about 2 cups) powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°
line a 13x9" pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray

Prepare brownies as directed and pour into the pan. For the cheesecake layer, beat the cream cheese until smooth ad creamy, the beat in the eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Spoon and spread over brownie mixture (what I didn't do that I should have was use a knife to cut the two layers into each other to give it a bit of a swirl, just drag the knife through the mixture). Bake for about 45 minutes. I had to bake it for almost an hour, I just waited until the top was golden and shiny.

Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, grasp the foil and remove from the pan. Cut into bars and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge.

I will post pictures when done.

Aside from that, I have made dinner tonight and am just waiting for the peeps to show. I found a recipe for potato-corn-cheddar chowder that I have prepared and I also baked some rosemary bread which requires no kneading which makes for the easiest bread I have ever baked. I'll post the bread recipe sometime.

Blech

2009-02-20T16:29:00.002-06:00

Do you ever have one of those days where you just want to pull out your hair, scream and cry? I'm having one today. I thought that Sophia's nap would be a welcome break but she didn't sleep today. She has cried, screamed and thrown fits over the most minute things.

I am so tired and just want a nap.

Haunting

2009-02-09T19:05:00.003-06:00

Do you ever listen to a song that haunts you afterward? A few years ago I was watching The West Wing with hubs and we came to the end of season 3 (we were renting them). If you have seen that episode I am sure you will remember crying (as I did) or just being very moved by the turn of events and the song that played as the show started to end. Since then when I listen to the song I become very sober, sometimes it makes me cry and sometimes I just have to sit quietly and listen.

The song is Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley.

Historical

2009-01-20T12:52:00.002-06:00

I know that just about everyone in the world had their eyes turned to D.C. this morning as we took our next step in Presidential history. I, for one, had a difficult time not crying at the thought that this country finally looked past race and chose a man with great integrity, dignity and ability to lead this country into it's next phase of "life." I am extremely proud that people have finally rallied around a president the way they did with JFK. And for the first time in a long time I can clearly say that I am proud to be an American.

Throughout the election coverage I was saddened by the negativity of people updating their status on Facebook. I read comments about a "socialist regime" that just made me sick. I truly hope that the naysayers will give President Obama the chance to prove that he can help turn this country around. I also hope that everyone will not let this feeling of hope die by not doing anything in their community to help.

If you are interested in volunteering in your community and haven't figured out what you can do, you can visit Volunteer Match to get you started. Please remember that one man or woman can only do so much and everyone needs to help.

Tomorrow

2009-01-07T10:47:00.002-06:00

As I lay in bed this morning, hitting snooze every 9 minutes for about 45 minutes, I heard Sophia on the monitor. Usually she talks to herself or I'll hear her saying "daddy work" (meaning she knows daddy is at work). This morning I heard her singing. Singing that beloved Annie classic "Tomorrow." It was so cute to listen to her sing the word "Tomorrow" over and over (since that's all she knows) and instantly put a smile on my face.

What a beautiful way to start the day!

My new endeavor

2008-12-29T23:53:00.003-06:00

I have decided that I want to start a book club. Something online, I'll create a new blog for it. I have decided that I don't read enough and when I do it ends up being a fiction, some sort of love story (NOT of the Harlequin variety though). I need to spice things up. I think I should read more biographies.

Here's what I need:

1. Participation. Duh. Of course. If you want to join, let me know. I'm thinking starting with 6-8 books a year.

2. A name. I have come up with several, none of them good in my opinion. "The Need for Read(ing that is)", "The Open Book Club" and I can't remember any others. They must have been that bad.

3. Discussions will begin at a certain time about every six weeks. I'm going to say that the first 7 people who want to join will take their turn to choose a book. It can be anything, fiction, non-fiction, etc.

4. The primary reason I'm saying maybe 6-8 books is because I can't have a library card (I'm terrible at remembering to return books, ever) so I will have to purchase online. This gives the book time to come in.

5. Anyone who joins and has a blogspot account can be an "author" and have access to actually post. This way you can post a question that will entice people to discuss the book.

Any other suggestions? I'm open.

Weak stomachs need not apply

2008-12-28T13:06:00.003-06:00

Two weeks ago, at work, I was throwing some trash into the dumpster. Someone had thrown broken glass into the bag and when I hefted the bag into the trash the glass sliced my hand open, just under the thumb.

I looked at the cut and saw what I thought at the time was the bone and just said "Oh, that's not good."

I went back inside and told the manager, poor Paige whose stomach turns at the site of such things, that I cut my hand real bad. I felt bad that she even had to look at it but she braved through it. She got Brandon to wrap my hand up and called Monica to come get me and take me to the ER (I still owe you BIG time for that Monica).

Monica and I spent close to 3 hours in the ER, found out that I had seen the tendon (but didn't cut it), nicked the artery that runs under the thumb and 6 stitches later I was on my way home. I never realized how important my thumbs are! The stitches are still in, I'm going tomorrow to take them out. It's gonna be a nice scar.

Frankenthumb.

The day after.

2008-12-26T22:01:00.002-06:00

Christmas this year was so much fun! On Sophia's birthday she still didn't seem to grasp the concept of unwrapping gifts but she got it this time!

We went to Keith's parents house on Christmas Eve and Keith cooked a fabulous dinner! (Babe, best lamb and turkey you have ever prepared!). After we just hung out by the fire and talked. We had decided to stay the night so we could have Christmas morning at a leisurely pace and so Sophia and Tori (Keith's 10 year old sister) could have fun with presents.

I think Tori got up just before 6:30. Keith and Sophia and I got up around 8. I like the 8 part much better but I understand that will change with the years. We hung out for awhile until the anticipation was too much for Tori to bear and off to the presents we went! Sophia seemed to understand what was going on but she would open a present and want to play with it before moving on to the next one. She got some play-doh and LOVES it. She also got a little keyboard, stuffed animals, large lego-type blocks, a rocking horse, a set of small table and chairs, a magna doodle, a set of doll toys that included a high chair, play pen, and stroller and a few books. LOTS of new things to have fun with and I love that she loved it!

We had a really fun time at Keith's parents house. I think I like the dinner on Christmas Eve and staying the night idea.

Anyway. I hope everyone's Christmas was beautiful! Brandi, thank you for what you said in your blog, it has been great reconnecting with you as well!

Tagged!

2008-12-15T14:14:00.002-06:00

Brandi tagged me and here is what I am supposed to do....

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself.
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Check out Brandi at her blog on my blog list.

1) I currently have 2 scars (soon to be 3) on my left hand, all around my thumb.
2) I love cheesy Christmas movies.
3) I very much regret leaving college.
4) My birthmark is in my hair, it's a streak of blonde and it won't hold color for longer than a few days.
5) I love to sleep. Love it. Even before Sophia was born I loved it.
6) I check my Facebook page WAY too much. It's an addiction.

I tag Mary, Penny, Ben and Megan.

30 years!

2008-12-08T09:15:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Keith's 30th birthday. We had a double birthday celebration since Dan's birthday was on Saturday.

We started off at PM, a restaurant in the Belmont area. I had been there once before but it was so long ago I didn't remember anything about it. I can tell you this: They have the most AMAZING food! It's a lot of Thai inspired dishes, their peanut sauce is amazing and I don't think anyone was unsatisfied with their meal. Keith and I got duck spring rolls for an appetizer. As if those weren't amazing enough, Keith got mussels in a thai basil sauce that were really good. And I don't like seafood. I had ginger martini that was amazing and I'm definitely going to have to make those at home.

The whole gang was there too! After dinner we went to Melrose and played pool, shuffleboard, ping pong and darts. It was such a good time and we were out very late. And up even later.

Since Sophia was at his parents we got to sleep in on Sunday and laze around. I cooked breakfast and we sat around. It was great.

We met Keith's parents at Cool Springs Mall so Sophia could have her picture taken with Santa. I was really worried that she was going to throw a fit and cry but she was perfect!

We had an amazing dinner and came home and went to bed.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart. I love you!

She's 2!

2008-11-30T22:40:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Sophia's birthday and I can't believe that she is 2!! It was so much fun! We sang "Happy Birthday" to her at 11:43 am (her "entrance" time!) and mom and I went shopping for her in the afternoon. She got a sit 'n spin, lots of tub toys, an art table and a book. Keith's parents bought her a TON of winter clothes and a stuffed bear while we were in Gatlinburg. She really enjoyed opening the gifts and she loved them all!

We decided to take her to Chuck E. Cheese last night which was good because she was asking for pizza. Sophia had a great time riding the toddler rides and she really loved putting the tokens in the games and rides! My big girl. It makes me want to cry.

Thanksgiving in the Smokies (sort of)

2008-11-28T19:25:00.002-06:00

We weren't on a mountain or anything but we were close enough. Mom came into town on Wednesday morning and Keith's parents drove us all to Gatlinburg. His parents and Tori stayed in one cabin and we all stayed in the other. I really had lots of fun, primarily because we had a hot tub at our cabin. Keith and I went out both nights and relaxed. We also had a jacuzzi tub in our room which Sophia took a swim in.

Yesterday Keith and his dad went to the store and bought stuff for our Thanksgiving meal. Keith made blue cheese mac and cheese, turkey, stuffing and roasted vegetables. I made the green bean casserole and baked a pumpkin pie. I wish I would have been able to make the pumpkin cheesecake but we just didn't have all of the stuff to do it.

Keith's dad bought a deck of cards and Mom and I played gin rummy. Tori brought Cranium Cadoo which was pretty fun and I watched a very interesting game of Snaps played between Tori and her parents. I've never heard of Snaps but it looks crazy. Lots of arm flailing.

Today we got out into Gatlinburg and walked around for a couple of hours. That place is nothing but trinket stores, airbrush t-shirt stores and MANY places to have your old time photo taken. Yeah, we did that. It was corny but fun to laugh at the pictures. I will post a picture as soon as I can get a decent one.

Sophia's 2nd birthday is tomorrow! We aren't really going to do anything for it though. Keith's parents brought over some clothes that they bought for her before we left on Wednesday. A coat, a couple of sweater jackets, 8 or 9 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a vest jacket and 4 pairs of shoes. I think she is set on winter stuff. I just can't believe she will be 2! It's happened so quickly!

The skinny.

2008-11-15T11:41:00.002-06:00

Alright. I have taken quite a bit of time off from blogging. So here's the update.

Sophia has hit the "terrible twos" a little early. Granted she turns two in two weeks(!) but wow, this girl can throw a fit. Unfortunately, Keith is the one who experienced the worst one on Tuesday night when she screamed for two hours (seeing a theme here?) I have started putting her in time out in her crib (which I have heard you shouldn't do but I'm desperate here) and it works beautifully. She has also started in with the word "mine." Hooray.

I love my child.

I am really excited about my mom coming to visit. She will be here in about a week and a half. When she gets here we are going to go to Gatlinburg with Keith's parents for Thanksgiving. I can handle that. 3 nights in a cabin with a hot tub? When we get back it will be her birthday. Crazy. I can't believe she will be two.

We have been working on the guest bath to get it ready for my mom's visit. Keith and Chuck got all but one of the joists in and then they have to lay the sub floor. Then I get to tile again. I think I'm going to have Edgar help me out. It will go much quicker.

Alright. I have to go get Sophia out of time out. I have a feeling she's going to spend a lot of time in there.

2008-11-10T11:36:00.001-06:00

Just set up ping.fm

Because we can.

2008-11-05T10:28:00.002-06:00

I don't discuss politics with my family, although my grandfather sent me an email and even though he doesn't share my views I was elated to find out that he weighs issues and not parties.

I have seen comments on Facebook on other people's pages that just make me want to laugh and cry and scream. One girl said she was "disgusted" and a reply to that comment was made saying "I'm sorry that your baby will be born in a socialist regime." Are people SERIOUS?

I will continue to be elated at the fact that this country decided to make some serious changes yesterday.

I can understand the disappointment felt by people that McCain didn't win. I would feel the same disappointment if Obama didn't win. But now is the time for everyone, and I do mean everyone, to work together to pick this country up and dust off the dirt. We tripped. We fell. Not a huge fall but enough to sting. You may not be an Obama supporter, but use that negative energy that you have (energy used to make comments like the ones above) and do something! Get out into your community and make it a place that you want to live!! Last night almost 118,789,376 (and counting) people voted. That is amazing!

On another note. I don't want to hear anyone make stupid, false accusations. I have heard enough of people spewing crap that they read on the internet. I have said it before and I will say it again. DO THE RESEARCH.

Now, lets turn this counrty around!

It's over

2008-10-31T10:14:00.002-05:00

Well, this day has (finally) come! The last day of the GBC. I must say that I may take a little time off from blogging. I've proved to myself that I can do this, there were definitely days when I didn't want to write anything but it's a small accomplishment. Congratulations to the others who also completed the challenge and kudos to those who attempted to do this even when they were not big bloggers, or bloggers at all.

Happy Halloween everyone!

The hunt is on!

2008-10-30T23:05:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow night Sophia will be staying at Keith's parents while we go
participate in a scavenger hunt! I'm really excited about this, it's
called the Undead Invasion. We are going to "hunt" zombies in downtown
Nashville. Bring it.

Week of Horror

2008-10-29T20:15:00.002-05:00

Tonight is our night hosting the "Week of Horror", a movie week thought up by Jared. The idea is that several of the people in our group hosted a movie night in which we show our favorite horror movie. I'm not much for the gore of horror, I don't mind psychological thrillers as long as they aren't gory though. Jared and Carey hosted on Sunday and showed "Hellraiser 4" (apparently a bad movie, I wasn't there), we took a break for Monday night football since the Titans played the Colts (Titans are 7-0, I can't believe it!), last night Dan showed "The House of 1000 Corpses". Again, I wasn't there, I had to work. Tonight we are showing "Aliens." One of my all-time favorites! Currently we are waiting for Keith and Dan to get back from picking up an RCA adapter to show the movie since we don't have a working DVD player.

Sophia's Harvest Party at MDO is tomorrow and I baked pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies for it. They are really good and I am trying not to eat all of them. I am giving some of them to Edgar since his birthday is tomorrow so that will get rid of some of them.

My rant.

2008-10-28T09:57:00.002-05:00

"I will not be a president who needs to be tested"

This is what McCain has been saying lately.

Don't you think, John McCain, that any new president is going to be tested? Isn't that a large reason why this country re-elected W? Because we wanted to give him a chance to finish what he started? Because the country wouldn't have to re-establish foreign relations by having a new president? I know that those aren't the only reasons why W was re-elected but come on! Every new president that comes into office is going to be tested in some way. Why should Obama be any different? Or McCain?

I am SO TIRED of people spouting crap without doing their research. For the next week I don't want anyone saying anything to me unless they have severely researched what they are about to say (politically speaking). I have had to censor myself from conversations because I didn't completely know what I was talking about. Until then, I don't want to hear theories, I want truths and facts.

The game

2008-10-27T22:04:00.000-05:00

I wish I were at home watching the Titans play the Colts. At least the
game is on our projection screen in the boardroom. Otherwise, I'd be
watching on our new TV-thanks Dan!

Pumpkins!

2008-10-26T20:25:00.007-05:00

Megan's pumpkin

Jared's pumpkin

Chuck's pumpkin

Mary Ellen's pumpkin

Dan's pumpkin

Carey's pumpkin

Ben's pumpkin

Keith's pumpkin

My pumpkin

Roasting marshmellows

As you can see, we had a great time! The kids finger-painted pumpkins too!

My punkin!

2008-10-25T21:34:00.001-05:00

BTW

2008-10-25T16:59:00.001-05:00

Here's the finished pumpkin cake!

Honeysuckle Hill

2008-10-25T15:55:00.004-05:00

Sophia in the pumpkin patch

We went to Honeysuckle Hill Farm this morning and it was so much fun! There was a hayride that dropped us off in the middle of it to go through a corn maze, a petting zoo, really cool slides, a hillbilly pig race (with 4 pigs named Paris Squealton, Kevin Bacon, Swinia Twain and Leonardo DiPignose) and a "cow train" ride. Plus there was a mini pumpkin patch! Everyone who went got to pick out a mini pumpkin. Sophia really seemed to enjoy herself and I must admit, I did too! Not that I didn't think I would.

Sophia and I on the cow train

Our busy day yet to come.

2008-10-24T21:55:00.003-05:00

Well, I didn't get out of work tonight but I did get it switched (thank you TJ - you are awesome) and we were so slow tonight that I got out of there at 9:15. Nice change.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day around here. In the morning Sophia and I are going with Monica, Edgar and Izzie to the farm, after we will come back, she'll take a nap and I will clean. We are having the pumpkin carving party tomorrow night and with that having a shrimp boil. And we are going to get the fire pit going for the first time (over here, that is).

I had the urge to bake again today and looked at the back of a tin of Hershey's Cocoa and found a recipe for chocolate cake with chocolate icing and realized that I had all of the ingredients needed to make such a delectable treat! I was so excited! So I spent part of my afternoon today baking what is going to be a fabulous cake! 2 layers, and the frosting is amazing! I am going tomorrow to get some orange and green frosting and some black gel frosting and putting a pumpkin on it for the soiree tomorrow. I love to bake! Maybe I should open a bakery. . .

2008-10-23T23:17:00.002-05:00

Sophia went to MDO and I told myself last night that when she was gone I was going to do nothing. And nothing I did. I slept for another 3 hours and it felt so great! I was sad that I couldn't sleep longer but I had to pick her up and then go to work. I'm hoping that I found someone to cover my shift tomorrow but I won't know until after 2. I'm just ready for a night off.

I know I haven't really said much in the last week or so and I don't like that. I need to think of things to say.

I can't believe that a week from tomorrow will conclude the GBC! It seems like it's been longer. How is everyone feeling about their month?

2008-10-22T16:11:00.002-05:00

I agreed to switch work tonight for Sunday, meaning I work tonight and get Sunday off. While I am very happy that I am not working on Sunday, I don't feel 100% right now. It's hard to explain. I don't feel sick, but not well either. I really would love nothing more than to sleep for many, many hours tonight. One nice thought is that Sophia will be at MDO tomorrow and I can sleep the whole time she's gone if I want. And I just might.

Saturday morning Sophia and I are going to Honeysuckle Hill Farm. I swear, if it weren't for Monica we wouldn't ever do anything. I don't feel like I am creative enough to come up with fun stuff like that to do.

In any case, I'm really looking forward to it! I look forward to getting out of the house (unless it's to go to work, then I want to stay home).

2008-10-21T17:18:00.001-05:00

My new favorite outfit for Sophia. I love the argyle tights! The
picture probably could have been better but this was all I could get
before she took off. She's on the move!

Wow.

2008-10-20T23:04:00.002-05:00

I've just realized with an hour left in my day that I haven't written anything yet! We went out the other night and I bought Super Paper Mario for the Wii and that has pretty much consumed my evening. It's a really cool game but I do have the tendency to want to play until I beat the game. Keith was probably right when he said that I'll have it finished by the end of the week. I don't play when Sophia is awake though so we'll see.

I hope everyone's weekend went well! I'm gearing up for pumpkin carving!

Ghouls at Grassmere

2008-10-19T21:38:00.002-05:00

We took Sophia to the Ghouls at Grassmere (at the Nashville Zoo) tonight with Monica, Edgar and Izzie and Heath, Jack and Ezra. It was a lot of fun. We went on the Haunted Hayride, which was actually pretty terrible in the daylight, and then walked around the zoo stopping at "treat stations." Each station passed out candy or some sort of toy and stamped your map so at the end you could get a special treat. The treat turned out to be a pumpkin light, kind of cool. Sophia had a great time and ate lots of sugar.

After going through the zoo, Monica, Edgar and I went back on the hayride with Sophia and Izzie. Since it was dark it was a lot better. Sophia came home and went to bed about an hour and a half after her bedtime but she really seemed to enjoy the evening.

Another wonderful day!

2008-10-18T20:21:00.002-05:00

Today has been such a wonderfully lazy day! Keith got called into work this morning so Sophia and I hung out and did a little housework. After that we went outside and after Keith got home we had some lunch. Around 2 I went into the bedroom and took what ended up being a 2 hour nap. I felt so groggy after that and we decided to go get a couple of new Wii games. When we got back home I made some pizza and now we are drinking wine and playing Wii.

Tomorrow we will be working on the house, getting it cleaned a bit more. Pretty soon we are going to have to finish the bathroom floor, maybe in a couple of weekends.

That's been our day, certainly not exciting but it's nice to have chill day every once in awhile.

Next weekend is out pumpkin carving party! I am so excited and have been looking at recipes of things to bake. I did find a recipe for dulce de leche bat cookies which look amazing. I also want to try to make these (obviously not to eat) for everyone.

I love fall.

Our privilege

2008-10-17T13:38:00.003-05:00

I was watching P.S. I Love You today and while watching I heard this quote:

"We're so arrogant aren't we? So afraid of age. We do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old with someone. Someone who-who doesn't drive you to commit murder, doesn't humiliate you beyond repair."

Have you ever thought of it that way? Growing old with someone as a privilege. I can tell you that I never have and am sad that I haven't.

My two weddings.

2008-10-16T10:54:00.002-05:00

I made mention of Brandon, the owner of Portland Brew, was the officiant at our first wedding. I thought maybe, for those that didn't know, what I meant by that.

When Keith proposed to me in September of 2003 we planned a wedding for September 2004. Plans were underway when we found out in January that the woman who was supposed to file his immigration papers (he and his family are from New Zealand) didn't file and took off with the money. We talked about our options and we had two. We could refile the papers and pay the money again then file again after we got married and pay more money or we could get married right away and pay the money once. Naturally we decided to get married right away.

When trying to decide what to do I really wanted to go to Vegas and get married by Elvis. About a year before we got engaged I was working with a girl whose dream was to get married by Elvis and honestly I thought that was ridiculous. It was never my dream to be married in Vegas but I thought since we were going to do the quickie wedding why not have fun with it? I started to research weddings in Vegas and I wasn't finding any that were inexpensive. Plus we would be paying for flights, hotels and gambling (because you can't go to Vegas and not play blackjack).

So we decided to have a civil wedding. Then I remembered that Brandon is also ordained so we asked him to perform the ceremony. We got married in his living room on January 30 and then headed to Gatlinburg where Keith's parents had rented us a cabin for a mini honeymoon.

We still had the big wedding ceremony in September with our family and friends, we had just been married for 8 months at that point. It is sometimes confusing to me when someone asks how long we've been married because my initial response is "which time?" and then I have to explain. I like seeing people's reactions when I tell give that response, the confused looks can be pretty amusing.

So that's the story.

Alarms.

2008-10-15T18:21:00.002-05:00

I said I'd do it.

When we bought this house it came with a very out-dated alarm system. Thinking about replacing it but not sure if it's worth the trouble right now.

Okay done.

Sophia and I have had such a fun day! We took a walk this morning to Monica's house, stayed for a few minutes then left. Sophia is in her "I am sometimes shy but not all of the time" phase which means that when we are around Monica or her husband, Edgar, Sophia won't really talk. I tried several times to get her to say good-bye to them, calling them by name (which she can do by the way) and she would just stare. But if they went into another room, or just around the corner she would say bye. And I love the times that she says bye as soon as we walk out the door.

She's funny that way.

Not knowing.

2008-10-14T17:17:00.002-05:00

So I knew this day would come during the challenge where I would sit in front of the computer and stare, trying to think of what to say. It should be easy having a 2 year old but since I leave for work in 10 minutes and still haven't done my make-up this is all I can say.

Tomorrow I will remember to talk about alarms.

On driving.

2008-10-13T16:03:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if drivers everywhere are as bad as they seem to be in Nashville but I can tell you that they suck here. A few things drivers should know when getting on the road:

-Use your blinker. And I don't mean for a second while you are still in your lane. That's so non-committal. And I also don't mean that you should turn it on after you have already changed lanes. Turn your blinker on, check to make sure that you aren't going to cut anyone off then change lanes. You can manage, I promise.

- If traffic is slow and someone lets you into traffic or into their lane, how about a "thank you" wave? Just out of courtesy.

- You should probably buy some kind of hand-free device for your phone because it's bad enough for people to talk on their phone while driving (I do talk on my phone but I have headphones).

- Just look out for other people. I am so tired of people trying to get one car ahead, or just simply not paying attention. You are driving a very heavy, would-be dangerous machine! Act like it!

Soap box over.

Last night.

2008-10-12T20:46:00.003-05:00

Today is my little sister's birthday. I don't think I have celebrated her birthday with her since I lived in the house back in high school (Tara, correct me if I'm wrong).

Sophia stayed with Keith's parents last night and we attended Ayne Wallace and Cory's wedding. It was absolutley beautiful. It was at Traveller's Rest, the ceremony being outside and the reception being in the "barn." Ayne's dress was gorgeous and I don't think I have ever seen her smile that big in the 6 years I've known her which is pretty amazing considering she has one of the most radiant smiles I've ever seen.

After the wedding we went to Carey's and hung out. Keith and I ended up staying the night over there. I stayed up with Jared and Ben and Megan until a little after 3. Politics and religion. Good conversation, and I really mean that.

The last few times we have all gotten together we have played a few rounds of 6 degrees of seperation. The one that really stumped us last night was Michael Keaton to Rip Torn. Go!

PS we figured it out.

Thank you Brandi!

2008-10-11T14:20:00.002-05:00

I have been trying for so long to figure out how to change the background on my blog and thanks to Brandi I finally have it figured it out!

We went to the Diabetes Walk at the Nashville Zoo today. It was a good time. However, I didn't take my phone and when I got home I couldn't find it. It took forever but I finally found it outside on the window ledge. So glad that no harm came to it. Talk about a sick feeling though.

The OU/Texas game is on right now and I'm sad. There is 4 minutes left in the game and stupid Texas is up by 10. I'm pulling for my boys but I may have to turn off the game cause I'm really tired and don't have much longer to be able to nap.

Randomness ensued today, I apologize. I've been up since 5.

I've been tagged.

2008-10-10T21:25:00.003-05:00

The rules: Post the 6th picture in the 6th file of your photos.

Sophia drinking juice while wearing her penguin hat. Thank god I wasn't in any pictures near that file!

I tag all of the GBC participants. Free blog day!

The saga continues.

2008-10-09T15:48:00.004-05:00

I don't think I've told you about my car.

A 1998 Subaru Forester. The picture is not the actual car though. Why? You ask. Well I'll tell you.

We bought this car on May 17th of this year from National Auto Warehouse in Knoxville, TN. On May 29th, not quite two weeks later and on the day that Sophia turned 18 months I drove her to her 18 month checkup. When we left the doctor's office on this very hot day my new-to-me car wouldn't start. No amount of trying to jump it was working either. A friend that I worked with changed the starter believing that was the problem. He got it started. On Sunday Keith and I drove over to get my car and it wouldn't start for me.

So we had it towed to a shop.

On Monday, June 2, my new-to-me car arrived at the shop where it has sat since then. The mechanic got the car running immediately but noticed that only 2 of the 4 cylinders were firing. So he proeeded to try to fix the problem. He started off small, spark plugs, little thing like that. It soon became apparent that this was a huge problem. He said someone had been working on this problem before. Things escalated. Rebuilt computer, ignigtion switch, TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) were ordered and put into my car. Today I called the mechanic and the verdict is in. There is nothing more he can do for the car that I drove for 2 weeks and has been in his care for 4 1/2 months.

I want to say at this point that I do not at all blame the poor mechanic that has this car taking up space in his garage. I also want to say that when I talked to him today he said he wasn't going to charge any labor. At all.

That would be part of the reason I cried. The other part would definitely be that I want my car back. Or a car. So I don't have to walk 3 blocks to borrow Monica's car. So I can go to get coffee in the mornings or go to the grocery store. So I can take Sophia to the park. So I'm not stuck in the house.

I have no idea what is going to happen. I plan on calling the dealership that sold us the car (which won't be the first call) and ask them to take the car back and give us our money back. I have a feeling I am going to be researching the lemon laws here.

Wish me luck.

Oh the joy!

2008-10-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS CAREY AND JARED!! YAY MARRIAGE!

Good times.

2008-10-08T20:15:00.002-05:00

The day is almost over. You didn't think I was just going to post a picture, did you? Nah.

Sophia has been in wonderful spirits today, we have laughed and played so much. I can't believe how big she is getting, not just how tall she is or how much she weighs, it's the little things. She has started talking in sentences! Not all of the time, but little things like "I get down" when she wants off the couch. She is very demanding of what she wants too. If she does not want me to sit on the couch she will come over and pull at my leg and yell "down!" until I move. She also tells me when to sit. My days of doing what I want are over for awhile, I now do what she wants.

She is making friends at school too. I walked in the other day and she was talking to a little girl named Lucy. She kept saying "ow-ie" and I wasn't sure why until I got closer and realized that Lucy had a band-aid on her knee. The teacher told me that they "talk" to each other during nap time as well. Ahh. Disruption.

Rainy Days

2008-10-08T11:13:00.001-05:00

Oh heavenly day!

2008-10-07T13:23:00.004-05:00

You know, with the last two posts being "down in the dumps" I have to say that today has been exquisite.

I got up this morning and fixed breakfast for the 3 of us: brown sugar and cinnamon pancakes. Got Sophia ready for MDO and off Keith and Sophia went. 4 hours of alone time!

It started raining soon after they left so I fixed a cup of tea and sat down with the computer. I've caught up on my reading, been doing laundry and have plans to clean the kitchen. The only bummer is that it's raining again and I have to walk to Monica's to use her car to pick up Sophia. In the next couple of days I'll have to tell you about the mayhem that has been my car.

Bleh

2008-10-06T17:21:00.003-05:00

Since I have about 5 minutes before I have to leave for work I should make this short.

Yesterday I said I was having onset of sicklies. Today is worse. I haven't wanted to move from the couch but having the headstrong toddler I do makes that very difficult. I am hoping I might get to come home from work tonight but I'm not seeing that happen. At least tomorrow Sophia will be at MDO so I can get some more rest.

Shelby Park

2008-10-05T20:50:00.002-05:00

Today has not been the best of days. I have been feeling the onset of the sicklies and not been in the best of moods.

We had to get out of the house this afternoon so we decided to take Sophia to Shelby Park. We stopped and bought a loaf of bread for the ducks first. Those ducks are not messing around either! Soon after feeding a couple we were swarmed by a bunch of geese. They are very pushy.

We gave up on them after awhile and drove to a different part of the park and walked the trail for awhile. Sophia insisted on not holding our hands and heading the way.

Oh, and apparently someone we know was proposing to his girlfriend at the park while we were there!

When I grow up. . .

2008-10-04T14:52:00.002-05:00

When I was in the 4th grade we had to write a paper for our English class. It was basically a deal where you told the teacher what you wanted to be when you grew up, he wrote it down, you read books on your chosen profession and read the paper aloud to the class.

Most kids chose the typical things; doctor, lawyer, football player, etc. I had been thinking about being a veternarian. Instead I chose to do my paper on a much less chosen profession (at least by a 4th grader).

I'm going to preface this by saying that my parents watched Cheers. You know. "Where everybody knows your name." I wanted everybody to know my name. So I told the teacher I wanted to be a bartender. I don't remember his exact words when I exclaimed my chosen profession but I do remember his incredulous tone. I mean really! What 4th grader aspires to be a bartender? It's not a terrible job to have, but I was, what 9, 10 years old?

As the date got closer for some reason I changed my mind. I went back to the vet option. When I told my teacher he seemed disappointed, and who wouldn't be? I know I would love to hear what a 4th grader has to say on the fascinating profession of bartender. So the day came when I was to stand up in front of the class to read my paper. One problem: I didn't do my paper. The girl who went before me wrote hers on the same thing so when I got up to read I said, "She basically said everything I was going to." I didn't want to bore the class, right?

If I had written my paper on bartending I would have fulfilled a dream because I was, in fact, a bartender for about a year before I moved to Nashville at TapWerks in OKC.

Oh well.

Bad words

2008-10-03T13:47:00.002-05:00

It is amazing how when your child is young and says his or her first word and you think "Oh my God! First word! How exciting!" Sooner or later though, you realize that all of the trying-to-get-my-child-to-repeat-what-I-say stuff will come back to bite you in the butt.

Big time.

A month or two ago one of the dogs was driving me crazy by barking at a leaf or something. It was Baxter by the way and he probably would bark at a leaf. So I told him to shut up.

Wow. What a terrible idea.

Sophia now says "shut up" several times a day. I don't know what to do to keep her from saying it because time-out doesn't work. Maybe ignoring it will help.

I know "shut up" is not the worst thing she could say but she repeats it over and over.

Me and my big mouth.

Portland Brew

2008-10-02T15:19:00.003-05:00

This morning I was at work and must have thought of 100 different things to blog about but they have all left my brain. But thankfully I have thought of something.

8 1/2 years ago I moved to Nashville. I knew no one (except Penny) and had no job. About 2, maybe 3 weeks (could have been a month, I don't know) Penny went for a job interview at an artist management company for a receptionist position. After her interview she discovered that the job didn't quite fit what she was looking for and recommended me for the job. I took it (I was just glad to be out of the food service industry). 5 months later I took a second job working at Portland Brew. I had NO idea what a pivotal role this amazing coffee shop would do for my life.

First of all, you should know that when I moved to Nashville, the night we drove into town, we dropped the truck off at the house we would be living in and went to a little gathering. One of the people I met there was a guy named Brandon. I didn't find out until later that he was the owner of PB.

So. In October of 2000, I took a job working at PB a couple of mornings a week and then heading off to the receptionist job. So how, you ask, was PB so important?

Well, for starters, I met Keith there. I was working one of my first shifts and he was working one of his last. It was more of a passing thing at the time. I mean, I went to a couple of parties at his house and had to reintroduce myself to him a few times. But about a year and a half later he began coming in more frequently. He and his dad had bought a house in the neighborhood that PB was located in, it was also a block away from where I was living. We talked when he would come in. But I was dating someone. Over the course of a few weeks I realized the guy I was with wasn't the guy for me. After we broke up I started hanging out with Keith a little. I would go to the house he was working on and take him food. The obvious stuff.

Okay, off track. Point is, I met Keith at PB. Almost 2 years later when we had our (first) wedding - I'll explain later - Brandon, the owner of PB was the officiant. He and his wife and now 4 children are like family to me. I worked for Brandon for close to 5 years, watched his kids on numerous occasions (been around for the birth of 3 of them), his oldest was the ring bearer in our wedding ceremony, he and Tracy counseled us before we married. He is the single most person I still have some contact with that I have known the longest in Nashville. Oh, not only that but Keith is now the general manager of the 3 locations that PB has grown into.

Really, I guess this post is to say how special Brandon and PB are to me. I will never find a cup of coffee that I love more than PB coffee. And I will never forget the memories and love that PB has filled into my life.

Tents and pork butts

2008-10-01T10:21:00.007-05:00

It occurred to me that I haven't written about the great weekend of camping! So without further ado - here we go!

We had planned to leave at 10am on Saturday morning to drive the 1 1/2 hours to Buffalo River, set up camp and then go on a 4-hour canoe trip. (We were marooned on an "island" after a storm tossed our canoes out of the river. LOL) We set the 10am time knowing that we probably wouldn't get on the road until 11 or so. Oh so wrong.

I had to go to work to pick up my money from Thursday night. Since people were running late I left the house at 10:30. Got my money, made it back home to see that everyone had arrived at the house and the truck was packed. First, I had to take Sophia to Franklin to Keith's parents house. I took Sophia and Keith and the guys went to Home Depot to get the necessary equipment to fashion a spit at the campsite to roast the 6 pound piece of Boston pork butt. So the boys met me at the in-laws house where we obtained the tent that Keith and I would be using and the cots (complete with a matress-like pad) that we would be sleeping on. Yeah, I can camp but I draw the line at sleeping on the ground.

Were we ready? Nope. We still had to go to the grocery store to get our food. This is what we found:
Kroger was having a bridal show and had a fake reception set up in the produce/meats/bakery section. They were trying to show off what they could do. Really, when you are getting married do you think of Kroger as your catering company? I didn't think so.

So. We hadn't eaten since breakfast we decided to celebrate the marriage of, um, Kroger and weddings? I have to say, the food wasn't that great. There were plenty of cheese and fruit trays. They had pans that were supposed to have wings but those had run out. I did have some beef wellington (not at all what I remember beef wellington being) which was really like pot roast in puff pastry. We got our provisions and finally started off on our way.

After we reached the Crazy Horse Recreational Park we drove down the road and found the perfect spot to camp and start to set up. Dan and Drew went to find firewood and Keith, Chuck and I put up the tents. Pretty soon Dan and Drew made it back with a truck full of this.

We started off by fishing a little, deciding that canoeing would not feel so rushed if we waited until Sunday morning to go. So the guys set up the spit and got the fire going.I took the picture on my phone but yeah, that's two fires.

And that, my friends, was the beautiful sight of pork on a spit. It took I think about 4 hours but it was amazing when it was done. In the meantime though, with only pancakes for breakfast and reception food for lunch and beer (lots of beer) we were a little tipsy by the time the food was ready. Wow it was good though.

Needless to say, we decided that night that canoeing was out the next day. We did decide that we need to go again, maybe for a couple of nights next time.

I slept horribly that night. Too much fresh air I think. I kept wheezing and coughing. It was horrible. But let me tell you, that all goes away when you open up the tent the next morning a breathtaking view of the river with the fog still rolling on it. We had not planned so well as far as food went, Drew had brought cereal and oatmeal but I wanted a BREAKFAST. So I convinced Dan to drive me the 30 minutes to the nearest town and we picked up Hardee's for everyone.

So my first camping trip since Brownies in the 3rd grade wasn't really roughing it but I had a great time and I can't wait to do it again. Maybe with more planning next time.

Here we go

2008-09-30T15:36:00.003-05:00

Okay! Tomorrow marks the first day of the Great Blog Challenge! (I guess today marks my first day since I'm posting this)

I am adding a link section on my blog but I encourage you to bookmark the blogs in a feed so you can keep up. For those who are myspace users, please remember to make your blogs public so people who don't have myspace or aren't your friends that are participating in the challenge can read your stuff.

Let me know if you have any questions and let the blogging begin!

PS, if you happen to read this after the 1st and still want to participate, let me know! Late comers are very welcome!

And on that note. . .

2008-09-26T15:00:00.002-05:00

I'd also like to add that the last time I blogged about Sophia being generally unhappy that she turned out to be sick.

So on that note.

We left the house this morning to go to Monica's (she is helping me cut out a pattern to sew my first dress!) Sophia was not very happy about the lack of attention she was getting but calmed for awhile when she got to watch Finding Nemo and eat some raisins. I asked Monica if I could borrow her car to go to the bank and get us some lunch (since my car is still in the shop - it's been almost 4 months now).

Sophia and I pulled up to McD's and just before we could order she threw up all of the raisins she had eaten. Luckily McD's is about a mile from our house so I drove home, gave her a bath, cleaned up her car seat and headed back out. This time we got to the bank before she threw up again. Poor thing. She seemed better after that though and went down for her nap very easily.

Tomorrow morning we drop Sophia off at the in-laws then we are heading to the Buffalo River to canoe and camp for the night. I'm looking forward to getting out of town and doing something different.

My day will get better, I know this.

The little things.

2008-09-26T09:21:00.003-05:00

That's what drives me crazy.

I seriously woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. And it surprises me because I got up early to take a shower before getting Sophia up (usually I take one during her nap). So I'm all clean. I'm happy about that.

No one thing that has upset me today is big enough by itself. Sophia wouldn't eat her breakfast and kept throwing her spoon on the floor. I tried to give her some milk to drink and she threw it to the floor. A few minutes later she said "juice please" which I believe is her first non-prompted "please" so I gave her juice. She threw that down too. Zoya and Baxter were outside and Zoya kept barking which is annoying by itself but it also means that Baxter found a way to get out. So now a dog is gone. He comes back, but it annoys me when he leaves.

Oh. And I cut out a little part of an article I read yesterday and was going to blog about and now I can't find it. That makes me mad because it probably means that I inadvertently threw it away.

I really think that I need to go back to sleep but I can't until after lunch when Sophia takes her nap.

Just in case. . .

2008-09-19T09:32:00.002-05:00

I ever somehow meet Cameron Diaz and get to try on her shoes I should get a pedicure. And if we should decide to get tattoos (just a beauty mark for me) then I guess I shouldn't be scared of the pain.

At least that's what I dreamt about last night.

My new favorite. . .

2008-09-14T22:48:00.002-05:00

Ice cream: cheesecake with oreos from Coldstone Creamery. Super yum!

TV show: Pushing Daisies. I've just watched 4 episodes from the first season and it is an awesome show. The cinematography is a lot like Amelie and it is super-quirky and beautiful.

Exercise: My twice-weekly bike ride to work. Especially at 6:00 in the morning when the temp. is just right.

Extracurricualr activity: Blogging. I'm hooked. You can probably tell by the 3 posts today.

Are you kidding me?

2008-09-14T14:12:00.002-05:00

I'm watching VH1's Fabulous Life of Hollywood's Hottest Couples. Apparently when Jessica Biel started dating Justin Timberlake (which I had no idea about, thanks for the phone call Jess) last year she went to a place called Booty Parlor and talked to one of their, I don't know, Sex Coaches and then got toys, lotions whatever and you name it to learn how to be a better lover.

Seriously. Are you kidding me?

The perfect day.

2008-09-14T12:31:00.002-05:00

Sort of.

I have been laying in bed for the last 3 hours watching tv with my computer on my lap. Sophia is with Keith's parents, probably will be for another few hours. Keith is watching football. I am planning my attack on the GBC. I also think I will be having some tea, maybe take a nap. I watched a terrible movie. A bath might be kind of nice too. Or maybe I'll just laze around on the internet. I only wish that I had someone who would make my tea for me. Maybe some food.

Crap. Now I'm hungry.

The Great Blog Challenge.

2008-09-13T14:31:00.003-05:00

Just when I think that I have the world of computers somewhat figured out. I have been thinking lately that I would like to change the look of my blog. A new template. And not one that Blogger has created, one that anyone can have, but one of my own. Then I realized that I can't write html code so I searched for a website that offers templates. I found some great templates that I would love to use but I can't figure out how to use them.

I feel shamed.

I have kind of prided myself with the fact that I can usually figure things out when it comes to programs and such on the computer. Even though Keith teases me about how I don't mix with technology I still feel like I'm pretty good at figuring stuff out. Not html though. The world of codes has decided that I cannot be a part of it. Maybe someday I'll take a class or something. Or just ask Keith. He seems to have it all figured out. (I laughed out loud to myself after I typed this.)

On another note, I have been trying to figure out how I can get more involved in blogging. Several years ago I tried 100 words. Penny had turned me on to it but since the only real access I had to a computer at the time was at work I couldn't go through with it. The concept is to write 100 words a day for a month. Since I wasn't at work every day, and since I didn't seem to have the ability to write 100 words a day, that failed miserably. Seriously. You would think that writing 100 words a day would be easy. The catch was that it had to be exactly 100 words though. No more. No less. Being new to writing for fun, well, I had a really hard time not write "blah blah" over and over until my goal was reached.

So I just looked up the website, confident now that I could do it but realized that I would have to participate from their website. I don't want to do it there. So instead I have decided to challenge myself, and you, to write an entry a day for a month.

Here's what I propose:

-Starting October 1st (to give you plenty of time) 1 entry a day should be posted on your blog. Get those creative juices flowing!

-We must write about something. No posts saying "I have nothing to say today" or something similar. Tell me about your toothbrushing routine for all I care. On that note though -

-I don't care how long it is. If you write 2 sentences about what you ate for breakfast then fine. Obviously the goal is to actually write something longer but I understand that it's not always that easy.

- Challenge your friends too! If you and/or their friends decide that they are going to participate please email me and let me know. (My email is laurie.steunebrink@gmail.com) I want to know the link to your blog so I can read it. I will publish a list of participants on my blog unless you want it to remain anonymous (in which case you should tell me). Myspace users are welcome too.

This is going to be interesting. Are you up for the challenge?

My bike.

2008-09-02T16:00:00.002-05:00

For the last few years I have thought about getting a bike but the one
kind that I like I always thought would be too expensive. Until now.

My mom gave me $100 for my birthday and I have been trying to figure
out what to do with the money. Massage? Sounds awesome. Bikini wax?
Sounds painful. Pay bills? Too responsible. Then yesterday we were
driving home from the dog park when I glanced over and saw the bike I
have always wanted.

For $75. Keith suggested I use my birthday money to get it.
So after picking up Sophia from her first day of Mommy's Day Out we drove by, Keith tested it out and deemed it worthy of purchase and we bought the bike! I rode it home, which let me tell you, for not being a person who exercises regularly and hasn't ridden a bike in several years (almost 20) I picked it up with some ease. Except for the hills. I rode a little over two miles home and about 1.5 miles took me 20 minutes. The plan is that on the days that Sophia goes to MDO I am going to work at Portland Brew in the mornings and just ride my bike there, since it was the 1.5 mile mark.

And on the MDO note, Sophia's first day was today! Everything went great for her. We dropped her off and the teacher enticed her with the prospect of cookies and we quickly scooted out. About 2 hours later as I was cleaning the kitchen I noticed that the straw that fits into the inside of her sippy cup was sitting on the counter! I had failed my child on her first day of MDO! How was she going to drink anything? Would we go to pick her up and find the dehydrated shell of our child lying on the floor from lack of juice? But we got there and found her happily playing, she didn't even see us at first. Her teacher said she did great. She didn't cry and and she napped on her mat (which I personally and totally impressed with). Keith decided to rename her teacher the "Toddler Whisperer". Appropriate, I think.

Oh, and while Sophia was at MDO I got down on my hands and knees with bleach and a scrub brush and cleaned the kitchen floor, which desperately needed it. Productive day!

Socialization.

2008-08-31T10:43:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday Sophia starts her Mother's Day Out program. It's a two day a week program at a church near here and I think I may go through some major separation anxiety. It's going to be very good for her because she will start to play with other children, something she hasn't really had the chance to do much. And it will give me much needed time for stuff around the house, running errands, etc. It's just so weird to think about packing lunches and wondering if nap time on the nap-mat that we have for her is really going to work. Then it brings up questions like, "If the nap-mat thing does work, should we think about moving her into a 'big-girl' bed?" and "Maybe we should start the potty-training thing soon."

More than anything I'm just excited that she gets some much needed socialization.

Inspired.

2008-08-29T01:03:00.003-05:00

I had to work tonight. Nothing new except I had to miss Barack Obama give his acceptance speech at the DNC. I rushed home and set up Keith's computer so I could watch it. Here it is. The reason why I am inspired that America can be better.

I have talked endlessly to Keith about how much over the last few years I have grown tired of politics in America. How I wish that I could leave this country because things just don't seem right. I would love to see Obama elected. I feel like I could fall in love with America again if we had someone like him in office. Granted, those who know me know that I was one of the foolish people who voted for Bush in 2004. My reasons were simply because I didn't like the way Kerry flip-flopped so many times during the election and I didn't feel like I could trust him.

I have never really considered myself to be a member of a political party. Democrat, Republician, I don't care. I personally would never vote for someone based on their party. Anyone who reads this and does this really need to look at things from a different angle. Several years ago, in 2000 I think, Penny told me what she does is look at each candidates platform and see who you agree with most. That is absolutely the best advice when it comes to a voting decision that I could have ever received. Try it, you may surprise yourself!

It has taken 8 years for this country to fall into this state, I hope for Sophia's sake that the next 8 years as Obama as Presidant that we can rise again and be strong. For everyone.

Oh I wish

2008-07-26T11:26:00.002-05:00

For many things. But right now I'll settle for:

- a working car - the new one we bought in mid-May has been in the shop since the beginning of June

- a working computer - My battery on my laptop sucks so I pretty much have to leave the ac cord plugged into. Not a problem until the ac cord decides to stop working. The battery is dead. I'm using Keith's computer at the moment.

- the house to be finished. We will be working on a "Phase List" it will be great. But I wish it were already done. I wish elves would come do it.

and of course,

- no debt. Working on that one. Chipping away slowly. We'll get there.

But I can't complain too much because I have my health, Keith and Sophia are also healthy as are all of my friends and family. And we are going to New Zealand in the next couple of months and that is going to be really freaking cool. Not just to go but Sophia and I will get to meet some of Keith's family we haven't met and I will get to see ones I have met. Plus it's just going to be gorgeous. And we desperately need a vacation.

Not a dry eye in the house.

2008-07-10T17:01:00.000-05:00

Seriously. She has cried all day. Except for the nap she took which
totaled an hour she has cried about EVERYTHING. I've almost cried
several times as a result. What a test of patience.

Our trip to the Chattanooga Aquarium.

2008-07-08T11:41:00.018-05:00

Kids these days.

2008-07-01T10:36:00.002-05:00

Last night at work we had one table left at 10:15. I was going to be ready to walk out the door at 11:00, 11:15 at the latest. Then at 10:30 I overheard the hostess say that a table of 10 was about to walk in. I seriously thought she was kidding. Oh but no. They came in around 10:45, 5 kids, 5 adults. I was upset but then I saw who it was.

Vanessa Williams.

Wow. I have to say, she is just as beautiful in person as she is on TV and in movies. She was there with her (I assume) 4 kids and some other adults and a teen girl. All were very nice, and they stayed for about an hour and a half. Not too bad for 10 people.

Here's the kicker. I came out of the kitchen at one point towards the end of their meal and two of the girls were walking through the restaurant, removing the napkins from the tables and placing them in the chairs. They also took the table tents apart. And they moved quickly. We spent about 5 minutes putting everything back together. Really. My parents would have beat me if I had even gotten out of my chair.

Zoo

2008-06-30T11:10:00.007-05:00

We took Sophia to the zoo yesterday for the first time. She didn't seem too interested in the animals outside but when we went through the reptile/fish house she liked looking at the fish and turtles swimming around.

Heath brought Jack and Ezra out too. Sophia and Ezra (who is 2 months older than Sophia) didn't seem to know what to think about each other. Until we were done and they decided they wanted to hold hands. And when they had to let go to walk through the gate Ezra reached for her hand after they both made it through. They held hands almost the whole way to the car until Sophia decided to do her dog impression and got down on all fours and started to crawl with her tongue hanging out like she was panting. Way to cute for me.

I swear it's him

2008-06-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

We saw Eddie Izzard at the Ryman last night! It was such an amazing show and I remember thinking after 10 minutes that I was in trouble because my cheeks already hurt from laughing so hard. I don't know that I stopped laughing during the entire 2 hours.

Honestly I never thought I would ever get to see Eddie Izzard live. I really never thought that he would come to Nashville but I'm so incredibly glad he did. I have to say that if you ever get the chance to see him live, do it. It is not a disappointing show (although he wasn't dressed in his usual women's clothing with lots of make-up but he was wearing eyeliner) and he's funny as hell!

I took this picture with my phone but of course with no flash (we weren't supposed to take pictures anyway) all you can see is a faceless person. But I swear it's him!

How to tile your kitchen

2008-06-10T11:45:00.003-05:00

Hire professionals.

Or, as in my case, do it yourself. Very slowly.

Start off by calling friend's husband to come over and make sure you have found the center of the room correctly. After he confirms that you have (yay!) start laying tiles that didn't have to be cut. Think several times about having a beer but since you are trying to work fast decide against it.

Get about halfway done laying those tiles and stop for the night.

Wait about two weeks before finishing the main tiles.

Wait about a week before cutting the tiles that will be against the wall. Since you have borrowed friends tile cutter and learned how to use it when tiling the counter tops you feel you can do this. Measure out a couple of tiles and realize that you just need a bunch of tiles cut in half diagonally. Think this is way to easy and proceed to lay most of them down. Realize that a few of the tiles should have been cut larger and now the space between the wall and the tile cannot be hidden by a quarter round and more cuts must be made. Curse then drink a couple of beers.

Wait about two weeks.

Call friend's husband to come over and help measure out the final cuts. He does and it looks so much better than what you did. Feel jealous.

Wait about 5 days then lay down the remaining tiles. Look in disgust at the little pieces of tile that line the wall then look at what friend's husband cut. Wish you had hired someone. His looks WAY better.

Wait a couple of days. Decide to grout while baby is napping. As you start, wonder what you got yourself in to. Can you possibly do this while she's napping?

Yes you can! Finish grouting and have time to take a shower.

Next day, seal the grout. I'm so glad that's over.

Little Miss Sunshine

2008-05-23T11:23:00.002-05:00

Who gave birth to this child? Who stays at home with her everyday, playing, reading, feeding her? Me. Mommy. Mom.

Sophia's favorite word? Daddy.

I'm actually not upset about this at all. I have encouraged her for a long time to say daddy. I love to hear her say it because she says it like she is always so excited. I woke up this morning, hearing her in the monitor saying "daddy" over and over again. It was pretty cute.

She has really blossomed in her vocabulary this last week. She's gone from saying a few words to a lot. She says "mommy" which melts my heart every time and "bye bye" and night night" (to name a couple). She has started trying to repeat lots of things we try to get her to say. Every day is a new wonder with her.

I've been taking her into Portland Brew every morning and she loves running around and saying "bye bye" to people as they leave. She still babbles a lot, and is very talkative when she does, but she'll throw words in.

She has a new fascination every day. Today, Keith sat her on the vanity in the bathroom and said she spent about 10 minutes turning the faucets off and on. I just can't believe how she's growing up to be such a big little girl!

Too soon

2008-05-20T09:20:00.003-05:00

What a difficult blog to write. I don't understand this life. I have always felt like everything happens for a reason, but it is difficult to understand why someone has to die. And in such a violent and unnecessary way.

I'm talking about Adam Villegas. I worked with him. He is one of those guys who treated me like I imagine a big brother would tease me. He was sarcastic, funny and sweet. The kind of guy who was always smiling. I would say hi to him and he would say "Whatever!" and that got to be the joke between us.

Friday morning, sometime around 3, Adam was shot and killed by a security guard at a bar. Click the link to read the details, I have nothing new to add to it. I just can't understand what made this guard think that his life was in danger! Not only was he standing next to the car when he shot Adam (not in front or behind) but there is no way Adam would have ever done anything to hurt him!

The strange thing is that I'm not angry with God. I know a lot of people go through that stage, how could God let this happen, etc. But free will is a wonderful and terrible thing. I just hope that the security guard knows that there are a lot of angry people and they are angry at him. I have to say, I can't imagine how he must be feeling right now. I might feel sorry for him if his story made sense, but it doesn't. I think he had an itchy trigger finger. And other theories that I will not say here.

Anyway. He is already very missed at work. It's hard to imagine he's really gone. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends and our co-workers. This was a pointless and thoughtless act of violence and I pray that justice will be served.

Scary

2008-05-12T14:59:00.002-05:00

I recently Stumbled Upon a blog where I found this quote. I couldn't not share this.

"Naturally the common people don't want war...That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship...Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

- Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring,
Nuremberg, Germany
18 April, 1946

Source: Nuremberg Diary, by G.M. Gilbert, pp.278-279

Little Girl, Big World

2008-05-01T12:10:00.002-05:00

Wow. In just one month, Sophia will be 1 1/2 years old. hard to believe. So much has been happening with her. She definitely knows what she wants and usually throws, hits, screams and pulls hair to get it. Not always but it does happen. She climbs up on the couch regularly, and in her chair to read magazines. She can use a fork to feed herself (and a spoon, sort of) and blows kisses to us, complete with the "Mwah" sound! She "talks" all of the time with some words actually making sense. She also loves to give me things, but if I ask for something she has that she shouldn't, she backs away from me. She also loves to climb onto the coffee table. Bad habit.

In other news, the house is coming along. Last night I finished laying the full tiles in the kitchen, I have to start cutting the other tiles, hopefully tonight. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for learning to tile (thanks to my friend and tile guru, Edgar). I will be very happy when the kitchen is done and we can get the refrigerator and stove back in there. We still have to replace the floor in the guest bath, and tile, but we are so close to having the major work done.

Maybe someday we'll be ready for a housewarming party. It's gonna be awhile though.

Blind Faith

2008-04-25T00:29:00.002-05:00

I have a canker sore. It hurts like hell.

I was on my way home from work and was trying to think if there was ever anything my mom told me about getting rid of them and remembered other "remedies" that she has told me about over the years.

Like having a sty. Mom used to tell me that if I had a sty I was to look at it in the mirror and say (in a very mean voice) "Sty, sty, leave my eye." I did this for quite some time until I realized that yelling at my sty would not make it go away. Sometimes though, if I get one, I do it just for the hell of it.

And having a sore throat. Mom said, "Gargle some warm salt water, it really helps." I'm sure it may but the thought of gargling a mouth full of ocean doesn't make me run to the cabinets for the salt when I get a sore throat.

And when I would start to feel ill (usually achy and fluish) Mom would tell me to think positive thoughts and I wouldn't get sick. My typical response to this was, "Okay, I'm positive I'm getting sick."

What is it as a parent that makes us tell things like this to our children? I'm not upset about it by any means but these home remedies stick in my head like peanut butter. Will I say these things to Sophia because I don't have a real explanation for her? Of course when I was growing up we didn't have the internet with all of its glorious references at our fingertips. I'm sure when Sophia comes to me and tells me that she has a sty I will say something to the effect of let's look it up. I will spout a bunch of information that neither of us understand and then I will tell you to look in a mirror and in your meanest voice say "Sty, sty, leave my eye." And she'll believe me.

Kids.

Pros and cons

2008-04-18T14:03:00.005-05:00

I love this house. I would gladly post pictures of it if I could find the cord that connects the camera to the computer so I could upload them. Ah, the life of boxes. Yay boxes!

I'm beginning to get stressed (like I haven't been already) but my mom is coming in two weeks and it would be really nice to have the guest bathroom finished. If I could upload pictures you would see the lack of floor in there. We had to take up the flooring and sub-flooring to repair some floor joists and currently, if you were to walk into that bathroom, you would end up in the crawl space. I'd like that fixed soon, I don't want creatures coming in uninvited.

I also can't wait to have the french doors put in our room. There is currently no access to the backyard except to go out the side door from the kitchen and walk through the gate. Not so bad except that I have to put the dogs on leashes to get them out there and they stay out for maybe 5 minutes before Zoya starts barking to come back in. I don't really want her bothering the neighbors.

The clamps that came with the kitchen sink apparently don't work for whatever reason so we need new ones. The result being that when I need to wash dishes I have to do it in the bath tub. The house didn't come with a dishwasher (yuck) but that problem has been solved.

Keith's parents offered to buy us a dishwasher and told us they would help out with a washer and dryer (which we also didn't have). We were just thinking of going on craigslist.com but instead we get phone call from a guy at Best Buy saying that they were delivering our dishwasher and our washer and dryer! They delivered them today and someone is coming out tomorrow to install the dishwasher. I love it!

Despite all that is left to be done (did I mention I still have to tile the kitchen floor) we are super excited to be here. I still can't believe that this is our house and trust me when I say that it looks 3 million times better than in the previous pictures I posted. As soon as I find the camera cord I'll show you what I mean. In the meantime, these will have to do.

In the process of the polyurethane. We refinished the floors in the front room, Sophia's room and the little hallway.

I laid granite countertops! This was before sealing.

Sophia hanging out in the closet.

Oh wow.

2008-04-13T23:10:00.001-05:00

So we've moved in. Pictures to come but I'm exhausted and need to find my toothbrush.

So where'd you park the invisible jet?

2008-04-02T11:55:00.003-05:00

I would love someday to show Sophia a picture of her in her Wonder Woman onsie and then tell her that I met Wonder Woman. I can almost do that.

Last night at work who comes in but Linda Carter! I really wanted to go have my picture taken with her but like I've always been, I just can't seem to bring myself to "bother" people while they are patrons in the restaurant I work in. But it sure would have been great.

There have been others that have come in. Jack White comes in often, that's cool. Mario Lopez came in, I wasn't too impressed. Ben Stein came in and I nearly freaked out. But Linda Carter?! I couldn't get over how beautiful she is. And so tall!

It's official!

2008-03-25T21:20:00.002-05:00

We are homeowners!

We left the house this morning around 9:45 and headed over to the house for a walk-through. We arrived at the house to find that the owner still had a lot of stuff still in the house. We left the house and went to Rose Pepper (so happy we'll be closer to Rose Pepper!) and had some lunch. Afterwards we drove through East Nashville a bit and ended up driving through Shelby Park and headed over to Monica's to say hi. We had at this point been waiting to hear about closing instructions and since we had more waiting we went over to the Habitat for Humanity home Furnishings store to look at French doors because we are installing some in our bedroom to have deck access. As we were leaving we got the call to start heading in the direction of the title office. but first we had to get the check for the down payment.

We headed over to Green Hills and sat in the parking lot of the bank for about 10 minutes. Heidi called us and told us to come over to the title office and said that we didn't need the down payment. So we drove to the title office and then I had to head bank to the bank to get the check for the down payment (of course). I got back to the office and we signed the small forest we needed to sign and it became somewhat official! I say somewhat because we didn't have the keys yet. So we drove home to get the paint swatches and headed back to our home! By the time we got back over there it was 5:30 so you can understand that this was an all day ordeal.

Ah, East Nashville. I love it over there. When Penny and I first arrived in Nashville we lived in East Nashville and it has developed so much since I moved away from there 7 years ago. Driving through the streets and realizing that it will soon again be my home was such a wonderful feeling.

So we got to our house and Heidi gave us the keys. Since we had left from the walk through the seller had come in and moved everything out of the house and it is now in the garage, which we had an addendum signed saying that he had until April 2nd to remove the items or they become our property to do with what we want. Keith's parents came over and we walked through every room detailing a (long) list of what needs to be done. We're going over tomorrow night to tape off everything to prepare for painting on Saturday so the craziness begins.

Sophia was with us all day too and I have to say that she was such a trooper! She didn't really get to nap at all except when we were in the car. She did so well and loved running around the house and I can't wait until she gets more comfortable running around outside because our backyard is HUGE.

So yeah. The fun begins because we have a lot of work to do on the house but it feels so exhilarating to know that it is our house to do with what we want. Oh yeah. And we have to pack.

Old thoughts

2008-03-24T12:25:00.002-05:00

Almost 7 years ago, for my birthday, my awesome friend Penny gave me a journal. It's a beautiful journal. I barely wrote in it. I've never been a journal writer, I've just recently discovered I'm a better blogger.

Anyway, back to the journal. Penny gave it to me and wrote some things in it to help me out. I thought I would share the only entries I ever wrote because, well, I just found the journal and after looking through it, thought that I wanted those thoughts and feelings here.

So here goes.

September 11, 2001

Surreal. That's the only word I have to describe how this feels. This morning, 4 planes were hijacked. Two were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. One was flown into the Pentagon. One into some woods in Pennsylvania.
I am shocked, hurt, confused angry and sad. This hurts. I wish I had someone here to hold me, to comfort me. But would it help?

September 12, 2001

The threat is only more real now. We as a nation are so vulnerable to what has happened. What can we do to retaliate against this? Is there anything we can do?
I can't help but feel that this a religious war that we are entering in to. There are no winners in a religious war.

September 13, 2001

I was supposed to take penny to Atlanta today. Her flight was canceled. So Michael took her out for the day instead. It left me here by myself, wishing.
Wishing that I had someone to take me out. That I had someone to curl up next to me at night and comfort me. Or just someone who cared enough to call.
With everything that has been happening in the past few days, America has been coming together. Somehow I feel as though I have been left out of that mix. Self-pity or sad truth? Someday I'll decide.
But it is comforting to know that just because some freaks destroy our buildings doesn't mean that they can destroy our spirit. After everything that happened in Oklahoma after the bombing and the tornado we came together and were there for each other in a desperate time of need. It is nice and comforting to know that this nation knows how to pull together. To forgive stupid differences and just send out prayers and love.

As you can see I was good at feeling sorry for myself, but in my defense I was feeling extremely lonely at the time.

The house

2008-03-19T15:50:00.006-05:00

Preston

Formal living room (soon to be playroom for awhile)

Kitchen (like you needed help with that one)

Den

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

What will soon be Sophia's room

Office (going to be guest room)

So this is the house. Obviously needs some work cause that is not our stuff (thank God) but we are going to be doing lots of work to make it home. I'll post updates as they come but for now, we have 6 days until closing.

Firsts.

2008-03-18T17:13:00.001-05:00

Sophia had her first haircut today! It took all of 10 minutes but we took her into Fruition (where I used to work) and Heather snipped her hair! It was so long in the front, she really needed it because it kept hanging in her face. She did so well! Mostly she crushed grapes in a bag, every once in awhile she would whip her head around, looking at where noises were coming from. I'm so proud of her!

Good news all over the place!

2008-03-14T20:48:00.003-05:00

Sophia had her sweat chloride test this morning, the test that determines whether or not she has cystic fibrosis. Obviously you can tell from the title of this post that the test came back negative! We did have to get up at 6 to take Keith to work (because we are down one car) but since Sophia's first appointment was at 8 with the gastroenterology pediatrician we stayed at Portland Brew until it was time. The GI doc just asked a bunch of questions and weighed her. (BTW, when she lost that 8 ounces? Yeah, now she's gained 12 ounces.) Then we had the sweat chloride test. I thought this one would be a breeze since she didn't have to be stuck with any needles but as it is - here goes.

First the guy cleaned the inside of her right arm and applied two sections of gauze, one below her elbow and one above. On top of the gauze he placed two copper plates that were attached to the machine. The one above her elbow had a saline solution that deposited on her skin and the other created enough heat to make her sweat. She did not like this at all because the things had velcro that attached them to her arm for 5 minutes on each arm. After he removed them from each arm he placed more gauze on the lower half of her arm, wrapped her arm in plastic, then wrapped and ace bandage around it, then put some kind of gel pack on it then wrapped in more ace bandage. She looked like she had those workout things that go around your ankles around each arm. (Like the terminology? "Workout things"?) She had to keep those on for 30 minutes so we left the office and headed to the 2nd floor of the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital where there were wagons! I put her in a wagon and carted her around for awhile before heading back upstairs.

So all is well. It was such a relief to hear that the test came back negative. Now we just have to go back to the GI doctor in a month to check her weight. If he doesn't like her weight gain pattern we'll have to do an endoscopy to make sure she is processing her foods correctly. This basically means that they will sedate her, stick a tube with a camera down her throat, into her stomach then into her small intestine. Obviously I hope this doesn't happen (and I don't think it will given her recent weight gain) but if it does, it would help cross things off the list.

As far as the house goes - we had the inspection on Wednesday. There are several small things but for the most part all is well. We got a call from Heidi saying that the bank that holds the current owner's loan has decided that if we don't close by the 25th of this month that they are going to foreclose on this house. So our date has been pushed back. Pro: We'll be in the house sooner. Con: We were kind of hoping to not have a mortgage payment until June (therefore not paying for the month of May in either house) but since we will be closing before March is over we won't have a free month of living. But we will have a house that fits our needs and one that we love.

So one week from Tuesday we should have the keys to our new house!

Babycakes

2008-03-11T13:03:00.008-05:00

Just thought I would put up a few pictures and let you know what's going on with Sophia's weight issue.

For those who don't know, the doctor has been concerned about Sophia's lack of weight gain. At her one year check-up she weighed 18 lbs. It put her in I think about the 20th percentile. She got a round of flu shots and went back for her second round almost 2 months later and I had them weigh her again. She had only gained 3 ounces. At her 15 month check-up one month later she had only gained another 5 ounces which put her in the 2nd percentile. Tiny girl. Other than her weight she is developing normally but the doctor, being concerned and all, decided that we should test her for cystic fibrosis. She also said that she didn't think that she had it because the only symptom she is displaying is the fact that she is not gaining weight very fast. But she's growing tall, she's just like me. I was a tall, skinny baby. I'm not worried about the outcome of this test, it will just be nice to cross it off the list. Oh, and she lost all 8 of those ounces when she got sick a couple of weeks ago. Back to square one.

Sophia lounging at the doctor's office.

Other than that she is doing great. She is climbing up on to the couch more now (using my leg as an anchor) and is still saying the same words she was saying in January plus she said "Aunt T" when Tara was in town. She also says "hey" when I get her up from naps and in the morning.

She loves to climb in boxes

She has also entered the "pay attention to me or I'll scream" phase, which is fun. Nothing better than trying to fix your child lunch and having her scream from the other room the entire time.

Anyway. I hope everyone is doing well!

Cake or Death.

2008-03-08T00:57:00.003-06:00

For those who know me know how much I love the comedian Eddie Izzard. I have said that if he ever comes close to Nashville that I was going to see him. Well. He's coming to Nashville, at the Ryman! And we're going! Have a taste. . .

The offer.

2008-03-06T12:18:00.002-06:00

We heard back from the bank and they have accepted the selling price! Finally we can move forward with the rest of the sale! We are shooting for a closing date of April 8th - keep your fingers crossed!

Funny thing too. This morning I checked my email and I had a message from someone who sent out a chain email. Normally I wouldn't bother sending them out but it said to send it to 5 people and I will hear good news at 11 today. So I sent it to my family and said in the email that the extra prayers would be great. At 11:10 Keith called and told me the good news! This doesn't mean i will make a habit of sending out chain emails (at all!) but what a wonderful turn of events!

Hope your day goes well!

How sweet it is.

2008-03-05T15:55:00.002-06:00

I consider this to be a small, yet undeniable milestone. Yesterday I was going to fix Sophia some juice and I needed my bottle of water. She had taken it and played with it so it was in the middle of the living room floor. I was standing in the kitchen and asked her to get my bottle of water for me and pointed to it and. . .

She went and got it for me and brought it to me! I have never asked her to bring me anything (except a specific toy) and I just can't believe it! I can't believe she's getting bigger and older and - everything! I just love it!

3rd time's a charm!

2008-02-29T22:48:00.001-06:00

Three posts in one day. A record for me.

Sophia's issue wasn't a citrus/milk thing. It must have been a bug cause my poor husband just got sick. Oh god, I hope I'm not next.

How come I can't lose weight?

2008-02-29T18:27:00.001-06:00

I'll tell you why. It's because I take Sophia to McDonald's, I get my usual (not telling cause I already feel like a pig), eat all of mine and then finish the 3/4 of the burger and fries that Sophia doesn't eat. Good God. I think my arteries just hardened.

Oh the agony!

2008-02-29T10:54:00.002-06:00

Last night I was at work and Keith called me. Sophia was throwing up. He was a little freaked because he didn't know what was causing it. I didn't either but luckily there is a nurse at work and I asked her. She said that it was possibly a virus and ask a few questions. One being, what did Sophia eat today? When I told her she promptly told me that we shouldn't be giving Sophia oranges because the acid is too much for her little stomach. Mix those with the amount of pediasure and milk she drinks every day and we basically let acid and milk curdle in her poor little tummy. Won't do that again.

I felt bad for her but I really felt bad for Keith. Sophia has never thrown up before, just some spitting up when she was little, so this was a big deal. Because she didn't just throw up once, or twice. No, she threw up at least 6 times in the span of 3 hours. Poor Keith had to deal with it on his own because I couldn't leave work. By the time I got home Sophia was sound asleep and Keith was exhausted.

And then there's this. Awhile back I posted a blog about the house we were putting an offer on. The seller accepted. And here's more of the agony.

First the seller failed to mention the fact that he was married, but separated. So after he accepted our offer he then had to get his wife's permission which took almost a week to get worked out. I mean, she said o.k. right away but she still had to sign something. That was on the 6th of this month that she signed and on that same day the offer went to the bank.

Then there's this: the seller was about to be foreclosed on. So the house is in a short sale. When lenders agree to do a short sale, it means the lender is accepting less than the total amount due. Not all lenders will accept short sales or discounted payoffs, especially if it would make more financial sense to foreclose. So basically the bank has to approve the selling price and can possibly entertain other offers. Which sucks. And the worst of it is that we still haven't heard whether the bank has approved the offer yet or not. It's been almost a month since we put the offer in and we still aren't even to the part of appraisals and financing. We were hoping our closing date was going to be next week and now we have no clue when it will be. I'm tired of all this waiting!

The mistakes we make.

2008-02-22T14:53:00.002-06:00

A couple of months ago we got a notice in the mail that Keith's subscription to Wired magazine was about to run out. It gave a website where we could go to renew the subscription. I logged on, filled out the necessary information and within minutes his subscription had been renewed. After renewing it directed me to a page that had other magazine offers.

There is was. The magazine I've always wanted a subscription to, The New Yorker. I said as much to Keith who pegged me on the spot. "You just want the subscription because you want to be able to say that you get the New Yorker."

Sheepishly, I admitted he was right.

Anyway. I went back to the computer and clicked on the magazine to get a better look. What I had mistakenly failed to read was that if you clicked on the magazine, you were subscribing to it, which I realized after I clicked on it and it ghosted out the link and said "Thank you for your order!" So happy, so cheery, I'm so dead.

That subscription costs $42/year, and that's with the discount. I had just spent $60 on magazines within the span of 10 minutes. I freaked out a little and told Keith, who laughed at me and said that if we were going to pay $42 for the New Yorker, I was going to read every issue front to back.

A few weeks passed and I noticed that we weren't actually charged for the magazine. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. I was kind of looking forward to seeing if I would enjoy the magazine or not. But a couple of weeks later I got a notice saying that my order was processed but that they couldn't charge my card and would I please send them their $42 so they could start sending me my magazines? This is the point where I considered it but then realized that I couldn't justify spending $42 on a magazine that I probably wouldn't even get to read. So I ignored it.

Guess what came in the mail about a week later? You got it, or rather, I got it. My very first issue of the New Yorker (not yet paid for). I got the issue about a week ago and I still haven't made it through the whole thing. What is a little comforting is that I don't have to read the section about what's going on in New York (like plays) because really, what good would that do me? But I got the next issue in today so I should probably finish it before moving on.

Who knows? Maybe I will like it so much that I actually carve time out of my day to read it. Maybe while Sophia is napping. Wish me luck, otherwise I've spent $42 on a pile of magazines that will collect dust in a corner. Or be torn to shreds by my child.

Coming to an end.

2008-02-18T23:35:00.001-06:00

For the last week this is how I've been sleeping. Right in the middle of the bed. I'll be sad to give up all of the room to move around, although I'll still have plenty of it considering it's a king-sized bed, but I'll be glad that Keith is home.

His flight was supposed to come in at midnight. I was prepared to get Sophia out of bed to go pick him and Heath up. I talked to him around 7:45 and he said their flight had been delayed by an hour. So I prepared myself to get Sophia out of bed at 1:00 and go to the airport.

About an hour later Keith called again and told me that their flight was delayed yet again and they wouldn't be arriving until almost 2:30. I told him where I was hiding his keys and where he could find money for the cab they would be taking home.

I don't think he'll be going to work tomorrow which is just fine with me considering I have to work tomorrow evening. In a brain hiccup I had I asked off of work for every night Keith would be out of town but somehow forgot to ask off for the night after he gets back. When I saw that I was scheduled I thought "This is no big deal, there are 3 other people I can ask to work for me." So I proceeded to asked two of them, both who have plans. I called my manager, asking if it would be okay if the 3rd worked for me and he said, "He's already working cause Ryan walked out Saturday night." Are you kidding me? I wasn't too fond of this guy anyway. He was a very negative person to have around and he seemed to have it out for one of the other guys because he always complained about him. So Saturday night, during a shift with the one guy he really didn't seem to get along with, he walked out. While I'm not going to lose any sleep over the fact that he's gone, couldn't he have waited until later this week?

Strangest grocery trip ever.

2008-02-13T20:27:00.002-06:00

Went to the grocery store today and what is parked out front? That's right. The horse drawn carriage. As I approached I noticed that there was a dog laying on the horse's back and a lady approached me and asked if Sophia and I wanted a ride. I said no at first cause it's really cold outside but the nice lady pointed out the blankets so we got in. I covered us with blankets, the guy driving said something to his dog and the dog walked down the horse's back and jumped into the seat next to the guy. And we were off! A nice little ride around the Kroger parking lot.

We go inside, I put Sophia in a cart and, walked into the main doors only to be greeted by a girl handing out a couple of sheets of paper telling me that there were people walking around passing out hors d' oeuvres and some people playing music over by the flower area. I walked over to the organics section (which happens to be right next to the flower section) and as I got closer I heard what should have been beautiful violin music. What I heard instead was the worst violin music ever. The poor woman playing was so out of tune that my ears would have bled if I had stayed much longer. Also, Kroger didn't turn off the music being piped through the store so I heard a mixture of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "The Rose" being played very out of tune.

Strangest grocery trip ever.

So strange

2008-02-12T12:49:00.001-06:00

Other than the fact that I got up at 5 this morning to kiss my husband good-bye, today has been like any other day. Except that it just feels weird. Maybe it's because I know that Keith will not be coming home tonight, or it could be because I know that I can't call him when I want. Whatever it is, I just feel unmotivated to do anything. I also feel like I have this pent up energy and I don't know what to do with that.

I'm going to have to get out of the house today so I don't go mad. Maybe go up to work and pick up my money.

I have called a few friends to see if they can come over tonight. I think I'll need the company.

Costa Rica

2008-02-11T12:05:00.000-06:00

Keith is leaving tomorrow morning for Costa Rica. He and Heath are going to visit a couple of the farms they get their green coffee beans from and they will be gone for 6 days. Gulp. I tell you, the thought of 6 days without him here makes me nervous and sad. When we started dating he went back to New Zealand for 3 weeks and last summer I went to Texas and Oklahoma for about a week so this will be the 3rd time that we have been apart for any significant amount of time.

The nice thing is that Tara is coming into town on Thursday and staying through the weekend. I'm going to be so happy to have her around.

Sigh. I'm happy that Keith has this opportunity but I'm really going to miss him.