Christmas Decorating Efficiency...

I spent the greater part of the last three days trying to get my Christmas decor in from the garage and actually set up.

My Christmas Decorating Efficiency was greatly thwarted by a wreath dismantling imp and a giddy Christmas light strand stealer.

Lil Chick is fascinated with wreaths. I can just see the questions in her brain: "WHY in there a big circle on the wall? WHY are those little colored balls stuck to that big circle on the wall? WHY are there some sticks poking into that big circle on the wall?"

And WHAT is the best way to find out about something and how it works? Yes, she dismantled it.

Picture thousands of tiny Styrofoam red berries dotting my carpet and a little girl with a whale-spout ponytail chewing on the end of a curly willow branch.

Like I said, Christmas Decorating Efficiency...ah...Thwartation. Pretty sure that's a word.

As for the budding electrician, we are SUPER CERTAIN that there are light strands with half, a third or the first and last third of the light bulbs burnt out. OR short circuited. Whatever. What I now know is (thanks to the info from my brother-in-law, Wonderboy) I am not supposed to store them in the garage. Which is what I do. Which is why I have issues with my lights. Huh. Shocking. (Stunned silence.)

Our strands of Christmas lights have now been plugged into eight different double light sockets around the living room, connected together in every mathematically possible way and painstakingly examined bulb by bulb by my little wannabe electrician. And to think I was considering putting a Christmas tree in his bedroom!? OK, I may still just do it. Cause it's fun. And he's a kid. And kids should have fun.

I'll be sleeping with a industrial sized fire extinguisher on my nightstand, but hey, kids should have fun...

A

P.S. For all you delightful lovelies, I have decided to have an indefinitely active Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop coupon code for 15% off all orders. Cause you are delightful. AND lovely. Your 15% off coupon code is: FOLLOWLOVE15 . You still have time before Christmas to get some gift shopping in! I have multiples of every scarf ready made and am trying to ship out next day if possible. Happy Shopping!

Dorothy and a Swordless Pirate Distracted Me...

We interrupt this Plaid Flannel Party to present you with the following concerns:

-Amanda's been too stinkin busy with cranky high energy kiddos that she doesn't have much free time.

-She also was a single parent all last week and grossly miscalculated the need for R and R after the loooonng days. (R and R is roughly translated as: Watching TV and Eating Cookies.)

-Um, hello, the church Harvest Party is tonight. Yep, TONIGHT. Missed the memo on that one when planning the sad Plaid Flannel Party. So yes, I've been busily trying to fit in outfit creating during my gobs of spare time. I promise I won't send my kids to the party half dressed (maybe).

-I invited some people over for the express purpose to motivate me to clean the house. It worked. And when the cleaning bugs are finally, belatedly biting, I don't ignore them. I let them keep on biting and enjoy the rewards of (finally having) a clean house.That means crafts and blogging go on the back burner. Not my favorite place for them. I prefer my front right super industrial fast boil burner to be loaded up with crafting and blogging and my piddly slow simmer burner to be laden with the housework.

*** INSERT EIGHT HOUR BREAK***

-I'm so scatterbrained and ferklempt I didn't even finish this post. We are now back home from the harvest festival with one tired out Lil Dorothy:



And sadly, my best photo of my swordless pirate:




There was no way on God's green earth that I was going to willfully hand a sharp weapon over to my boy. Not with his track record.

Sad picture, huh? I'll have to wait for all the Grandma's and Aunties to send me better pics of the kiddos when we did the "Look at how cute they are in their costumes!" show-off circuit around town before the harvest festival.

I had a riot making their costumes. SUCH fun. I decided to make many of the pieces adjustable for future hours of dress up playtime

I may have gotten a little carried away with all the costume fun. Dorothy DID wear ruffle butt bloomers in The Wizard of OZ, right?



These bloomers are stinkin cute and rather easyish to make. I think she might need one in every color.

Hmmmm, maybe in PLAID with a tutorial so I can get back to my sad Plaid Flannel Party???

A

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Ugly Mangly Chair Gets a Makeover...

So I ran through our local thrift store last week and gasped when I saw this ugly mangly old chair.

I gasped because HELLO POTENTIAL!!! And for only $8 it was a STEAL. I all but dove for it and threw it in my cart, giving the ole hairy eyeball to anyone having the audacity to look at it sitting contentedly in my shopping cart. I've seen many upholstered little chairs for well over $100 at various stores. Lil Chick was anxious to sit on it but I refused to let her hiney touch that chair in its slubby state.

Fast forward three days. I've already ripped off and thrown away the previous disgusto upholstery fabric and purchased some pretty decor weight fabric, button kits and cording. My weapon of choice is a compression powered staple gun and I've got the craftin itchies. I told my hubby to keep the kidlets out of the living room and went to work:

New fabric covering cording and new padding:

Working on the back of the chair:

Only a SHORT time later (OK OK it took me six hours) I have a cute upholstered chair to adorn Lil Chick's new bedroom:

I FINALLY let her sit her hiney on it:

PERFECT.

A

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Lil Chick's Room Redo In Progress...

A LONG time ago I posted about wanting to redo Lil Chick's room. Well, about a month ago I started painting and last week we started nailing boards to the wall.

Trust me, it's prettier than it sounds.

A recovering 3 yr old, a puking 1 yr old and Mama being woken up 3 times a night to administer medicine and soothe kids back to sleep has resulted in ssssllllloooooowwwww progress. However we are taking baby steps and see the end in sight.

Oh, you want a sneak peak? Here ya go:



I'm getting excited for it to be done! I still have a bunch of projects up my sleeve to do but Lil Chick probably wouldn't mind having her room back sooner rather than later. She slept in the pack n play in Bubbalu's room while I was painting. THAT was interesting, to say the least. A very effective lesson in patience!

Off to do some sanding and priming...

A

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Bubbalu's Morning...

I've had a busy morning so far.

I started out with some fun coloring and decided that coloring on paper was for babies and decided instead to color ON babies. And myself. That's much more fun:


( I don't think Lil Chick appreciated my artwork very much.)

Then I moved on to some lovely crayon scribbling on the glass slider door which Mommy made me scrub off:


(see my drawing on my face? I like it a lot.)

But that was boring so I started shredding the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pad. Why not? It was fun:



Then Mommy went away for a few minutes to count to ten or something silly like that and I found this itty bitty bottle of fun white powdery stuff that smelled like babies...which Mommy AGAIN made me clean up:



She's such a party pooper.

And right this very moment I'm in my bedroom having a quiet time. Except I'm not being quiet...because that is NO fun. No fun at all...

A

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I Need A Clone...

Needed:

One Amanda Clone. Preferably one who loves to clean the house, discipline the children and maintain a modicum of order and sensibility. Needs to be subject to #1 Amanda's wishes and commands. Needs to be willing to play the "spaceship" game with Bubbalu and must display a thorough knowledge of sharpie removal tactics. Those frightened by loud noises or easily overwhelmed need not apply.

Does this little angel scare you?



Please don't apply.

Does this well-mannered child make you cringe?



Please don't apply.

All those left, please call 1-800-Mama-needs-a-clone...

A

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Wearing Tomato Cages And Eating Dirt...

I FINALLY got my garden in earlier this week. It was a glorious weekend and my seeds would have germinated...had they been in the ground on time. Oh well, at least they are in now!

Bubbalu helped me pot and stake the tomatoes while Daddy worked on building a gate:


("Look Mommy! I'm a ROBOT SPACESHIP!!!")

I'm hoping that tomato production and consumption will be good this year. Well, as long as my Tomato Bandit leaves them alone, that is.

OY.

Lil Chick was nearby and discovered that she was VERY fond of the potting soil and "helped" me plant my pots:






("Hey Mommy, this brown stuff is F.U.N. to play with! It looks like chocolate cake, but doesn't QUITE taste like it. But that's OK, I'll still eat it.")

* Did you happen to spot a chair revamp in the background? I honestly forgot to post about it. Will post it soon!*

The kids have been LOVING being outside in the sunshine. Mommy has been loving it too. The perfect kind of day for lunch on the deck:



Little did I know Bubbalu would steal Lil Chick's sandwich when I went back inside. Oh, the brotherly love...

A

** Didja know you can find me HERE on Facebook? True story. Become a fan (or like) and see the latest Vintage Dutch Girl posts in your news feed. Oh, and it'll make my day! **

My Special Custom Costco Cart...

Dear Costco,

In addition to the drive thru that you will install for me, your #1 Customer, I have another request.

I would like to request a special custom cart saved just for me and a select group of my friends who make the list. (Am currently compiling the list and will deliver it to you upon completion of my request).

My Special Custom Costco Cart must include:

1. A plexiglass divider between the two seats in the front of the cart. It must be at least 4 feet tall so a certain 3 yr old cannot reach over to pummel his 1 yr old sister.

2. A plexiglass kick plate on the front under the shopping cart handle that extends down a good 3 feet or so to protect my legs and stomach from being kicked by aforementioned 3 yr old.

3. Why don't we just go and enclose the entire child-holding part of the cart while we're at it. Please let it be completely soundproof as to mute the sounds that comes out of my 1 yr old when she opens her mouth. (Lil Chick screamed so loud today in Costco that the elderly woman in front of me jumped clear out of her orthopedic shoes. Then she glared at me. Right before Bubbalu threw my Costco coupon book at her. Lovely. Mother of the year.)

4. I NEED a cup holder. And maybe you could make it keep my hot mochas hot and the frozen ones cold. Why don't you just put two or three of those hot/cold cup holders on there while we're at it so I can sip one while I shop and keep one or two more the appropriate temperature so when I arrive at my Sister's house they will be the perfect temperature for an hour long impromptu chat/playtime.

5. I could use a small mirror so I can fix my hair that gets hopelessly disheveled when I walk through the wind tunnel at the entrance to the store.

6. A receipt holder clip on the side of the plexiglass child enclosement so that the receipt isn't in a sweaty crumpled mess in my fist by the time I get to the sharpie wielding checkers at the exit.

7. A map of the store complete with current location of the Starbucks Frapps and Tostito's queso cheese. Yes, I could NOT find the queso cheese today. Very disturbing.

8. A priority checkout pass. Ya know, because I'm your #1 Customer and all.

Except for your Kirkland Signature Macaroni and Cheese. You missed the mark on that one.

Please let me know when my cart will be ready. I'll be waiting.

Yours truly,

A

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Busy BEIGE Bloggy Break...

Well lookey there, took another bloggy break. Mama's been busy.

Busy painting some walls. Now, don't get all excited about a special color or anything, it's BEIGE. Boring boring BEIGE. I had to paint over the ugly non-flattering brown-red sludge that the "interior designer" picked for our home when it was built. It made the woodwork look orange. Not just a tinge of orange, but IN YOUR FACE orange. I was o-so-happy to get rid of it. Even if it was to paint it BEIGE. Had to make the room ready for our new chocolate brown sectional couch. The family room is coming together nicely. Except for all the BEIGE.

Can you tell I'm not a huge fan of the BEIGE? But it's worlds better than the sludge.

Busy feeding the children. Because they are food disposal professionals. They HAVE to be going through growth spurts because this is crazyness.

Busy cleaning and organizing the home front. Yep, unpleasant, but someone's gotta do it.

Busy building some gates for our yard. You know, a child backyard containment assistance device. The hubby and I have been having fun doing some carpentry. Power tools make me smile. I've got a bunch of projects on my list.

Busy getting the boy allergy tested. Let's just say skin pricking tests aren't Bubbalu's most favorite pastime. Mama and Bubbalu were both exhausted after that appointment. Starting to wonder what shenanigans Bubbalu will be getting into once he's healthier. Note to self: Hide the sharpies in a better location.

Busy helping Bubbalu and Lil Chick make my sister Sallie a birthday video. Not your average Birthday song, but oh well...



OK. The bloggy break is now over, nice to see your lovely faces again...

A

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The Dining Room Battlefield...

What to do when you don't have any blog fodder? Quite simple really.

Change darling daughter's super blow-out diaper and remove her clothing as it is full of poo. After a thorough hosing off in the shower, put diaper-only clad baby into high chair. Give diaper-only clad 16 month old a bowl of stawberry yogurt and a spoon.

Leave unattended for....oh...about 65 seconds.

And.....PRESTO! Blog fodder:



My favorite part of this whole dining room mess was a lonely little strawberry perched precariously on the windowsill:



And which is why today I geared up, cranked my Ipod and scrubbed my dining room walls, chairs, windowsill, baseboards, table, high chairs and floor. It helped that I was listening to Jordin Sparks, 'Battlefield' on replay.

Cause I felt like I was fighting a battle. Amanda VS. Dried-on Food.

I have mini-skirmishes daily in the Amanda vs. Dried-on Food saga, but attempt a full-on war battle about once a week.

Each side will pull ahead for a time, only to be slapped back into last place. Currently, Amanda is sorta ahead. However, Dried-on Food has a champion fighter on their side which will most certainly attempt to slap my lead down around dinner-time tonight:



Isn't she ferocious?

She's also a bit sassy too. I have NO idea where she got that attitude from:



A

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Our New Rule...

We have a new rule in our house. A rule that needs to be repeatedly shouted, oh, about 19 thousand times a day. Our new rule is:


"WE DON'T SIT ON BABIES!!!!"


For some unknown reason (other than the fact that he is a BOY and is feeling quite sick of being cooped up inside all the time), Bubbalu is having a REALLY hard time following this new rule.

Poor Lil Chick. I'll hear a muffled squeak, groan and cry coming from somewhere in the house and I freeze, try to determine the direction from which the muffled sounds are coming from, and sprint to her rescue while screaming our new rule at the top of my lungs.

I try to throw in various decibels and tones to keep Bubbalu on his toes. Also, in an effort to increase the effectiveness of the reminder I put emphasis on different words in the rule each time I yell lovingly and gently say it:

"WE DON'T SIT ON BABIES!!!!"

"WE DON'T SIT ON BABIES!!!!"

"WE DON'T SIT ON BABIES!!!!"

"WE DON'T SIT ON BABIES!!!!"

"WE DON'T SIT ON BABIES!!!!"

Sometimes, I even pull out the Emphasize The Entire Rule strategy:

"WE DON'T SIT ON BABIES!!"

But that one's saved for dire emergencies. For example: When I hear only a teeny tiny squeak and then.....SILENCE. Yep, that's when the Emphasize The Entire Rule strategy works wonders.

Followed up by a reciting of Bubbalu's entire given name with reminders as to what toys and privileges he holds dear and what may happen to those toys and privileges should he fail to acknowledge and obey the aforementioned rule.

I did say she'd have to be a tough, feisty girl. What with FIVE boy cousins and, ya know, a professional BABYSITTER for a brother.

Yeesh, it's been one of those days...

A

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A Chick Update...

Yep, I realize most of my stories are about Bubbalu. Time for a Lil Chicky update!

Lately my Lil Chick has been, uh, SMILING, like this lately:



It cracks me up. Such a ham.

She also has been LOVING her doll cradle...which actually used to be MY doll cradle. My Grandpa K made it for me when I was a little girl. It was in sad shape so I spruced it up a bit and gave it to Lil Chick to use. I thought she'd enjoy putting her dolls (Zoe and Zara) in there. Didn't think she'd want to be in it WITH her dolls. Ah well, makes for a cute photo, right!?

She's been LOVING being outside as much as possible:




And have you heard? This little woman LOVES to eat! She is staying quite tiny though...must have the metabolism of a hummingbird.

After we got home from a walk apparently Mama was too slow in getting dinner on the table:



I LOVE my Lil Chick...

A

Hair, There and Everywhere...

Bubbalu was looking a tad scary. His overgrown locks only magnified that impish grin...and may contribute to his mischievousness:



In an effort to hopefully reduce the impishness....Haircut time!

We're officially ready for summer. We've shed our winter coats and have our summer 'do on and ready to go:



Guess what? It didn't work.

He's still impish. And mischievous. And destrucive.

In other hair there and everywhere news, Lil Chick is now officially sportin' her very first ponytail. The word "Ponytail" is kind of a misnomer, as tails usually hang DOWN. Like a pony's.

Not so with Lil Chick.

She has a spurt of a pony"tail" that for the life of me I can't get to hang down. It defies gravity without the use of any haircare product:



But that's OK, she doesn't seem to mind:



A

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The Flouncy Skirt...with Tutorial!

Mama made me a Flouncy Skirt. It's nice and sassy, just like me:



It's flips and flounces as I walk and crawl:





or when I'm standing, just being me:



The Flouncy Skirt:

Step 1: Purchase or repurpose xx-large (as large as you can find) clearance with extra 50% off lowest price jersey t-shirt with bottom elastic ruching, or banding, detail. I found mine at an Old Navy clearance and paid under $2 for it. For this project it works best to have multiple layers of banding/elastic ruching to create your easy skirt waistband. Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about:



Step 2: Measure your little girl's waist and add about two inches. Using this measurement, cut through one layer of the shirt to cut your new waistband. Leave an extra fourish or so inches on the length, like so:



Step 3: Put shorter right sides together and sew, creating a tube. The skirt waistband is already finished so no fussy finishing needed there. Yippee!

Step 4: Find a complimentary fabric for the Flounce main part of the skirt. I choose some leftover pink flannel that I am LOVING right now. I cut mine 6 inches wide by 30 inches long. Add extra width for a longer skirt or extra length for a flouncier skirt. Subtract inches in the width for a shorter skirt or subtract inches in the length for a less flouncier skirt (WHY anyone would want a LESS flouncier skirt, I have NO. IDEA).

Step 5: Finish (or leave raw, you rebel you!) both edges on the length and sew right sides of the width together creating a big tube of fabric. This will be your FLOUNCE.

Step 6: Gather and attach the flounce to the waistband. You can sew a basting stitch an inch lower than the top hem and gather the skirt before sewing the flounce to the waistband or you can be lazy like me and just hand gather and eyeball it, shoving folds of fabric under the presser foot as you go. I realize this sounds confusing, here's a diagram:


Sew the RIGHT side of the bottom edge of the waistband to the WRONG side of skirt flounce along the dotted line ( yes, leaving an inch or so of finished edge fabric out) attaching the flounce to the lower elastic edge of your already made waistband, gathering as you go. Here's a pic of mine:



Step 7: Cut a 4 x 4 square of fabric from leftover t-shirt and attach to under skirt making it a boyshort. Diagram:




Step 8: Try your Flouncy skirt on your daughter and giggle at the cuteness of it all:



Step 9: (optional) Dig through fabric stash and plan for 5 more FLOUNCY skirts...

A

At Least I Can Cross "Eat Some Chocolate" Off My List...

Things I should be doing instead of trying to nap in Bubbalu's bed while he pretends to rest with me:

- Put the folded, then un-folded by Lil Chick, then refolded by Mama laundry piles of clothes away.

- Unload and reload the dishwasher. Pretty sure I have another complete load of dishes on the counter.

- Put my makeup on and do my hair. It IS 3:30 in the afternoon. You'd think by now I'd have gotten my war paint on and tamed my tresses for the day. After all, I don't want to scare anybody if they come to my door.

- Get something ready for dinner since we ARE having our bro and sis in law over. However, they are relaxed and unpretentious. Spaghetti it will be.

- Change out of my morning walk clothing. Because it IS 3:30 in the afternoon.

- Taking the recycle out from under the sink and bringing it out to the garage. ( So am I the only one who shoves and wedges the recycle stuff in the recycle carton located under the sink until the sink is about to pop from it's place and get stuck into the ceiling? The next person to open the cupboard gets plastic tubs, newspaper ads and glass jars spewed at them. Then, when I can't fit any more under there I start piling it on the counter. Why why WHY can't I just take it the extra twenty or so more odd steps out to the garage? Because I'm a dork, that's why.)

- Start the NEXT round of laundry. It never ends.

- Put the Ambrosia 10lb Chocolate chip bag away. Ya know, hide the evidence.

- Vacuum. Either that, or get a dog specifically trained to eat all of Lil Chick's mealtime contributions to my floor. That dog also has to be completely potty trained, take the recycle out, be able to efficiently unload and reload the dishwasher and put folded, unfolded, then refolded piles of laundry away.

- Post about Bubbalu's and Lil Chick's birthday parties. I did promise to do that after all. Something about cake, a tutu, and dimples, remember? Yeah, I didn't forget. I'll get to it. Sometime. Eventually....maybe.

- Take pictures, crop, recrop and upload them and list new spring flower pins to the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop. SUPER cute new colors, just can't get up the gumption to do it yet.

- Make amends with my serger. The first time around I broke a needle and has to figure out how to replace that WHILE rethreading all four threads. My brain almost stopped working.

- Complete the Sharpie clean up.

- Dole out and frame the pics I got of the kiddos in November. They are super cute pics, I should SHOW THEM.

- Stretch. The power pump and body blast classes I'm taking at the gym are working, but they produce some major muscle "issues".

Ah well, some days are productive, some days aren't. Today I hung out with my Bubbalu and Lil Chick and ate some chocolate.

And that's just fine by me...

A

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My FAVORITE Post of 2009...and a Mr. Linky

Happy New Year!

Just between you and me, this Mama is thrilled to see 2009 over and a bright and fresh new year here and ready for us to live it.

What can I say? 2009 wasn't spectacular. There were many struggles and issues going on in our lives. Not that we don't have any more struggles or issues (let's face it, with MY attitude problem there is ALWAYS an issue) but somehow I think 2010 will be a wonderful year.

I'm reflective and pensive today, remembering one year ago today when I hit rock bottom. We rang in 2009 to the blips and lights of monitors in the hospital with our sick three week old baby girl. We were day four into Lil Chick's hospital stay and I completely lost it.

It STILL makes me cry to think about it.

I cry EVERY TIME I read that post.

That post needed to be written. It was how I dealt with the overwhelming circumstances and the flood of thoughts and emotions pouring over and through me. I sobbed as I wrote it, knowing full well I looked like a crazy woman with tears spilling onto the keyboard.

Strangely, It's my favorite blog post of 2009.


A

Merry Christmas...

A Merry Christmas to you, from our family to yours.

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing!

A

Mama's All Access Unlimited Ride Pass on the Hormone Roller Coaster...

Lil Chick and I ended a special relationship a week ago.

She was down to one nursing session a day, the 'going to bed' feeding. The last month had been more my encouraging than her asking as I was too stubborn to have to start her on formula after making it 11 months. So I finally stopped encouraging. And that was that.

And now, Mama's going CRAZY.

I just need to know this...did anyone else feel like they were riding the hormone roller coaster after weaning? Ya know, the hormone roller coaster that doesn't feature an END to the ride? The All Access Unlimited Ride Pass that doesn't let you get OFF?

Not only do I have an All Access Unlimited Ride Pass for the hormone roller coaster (and the crazy train too, but whatever), but that pass happens to be triple laminated and hangs from a nerdy lanyard around my neck. Which means that the conductor of the hormone roller coaster won't LET ME OFF THE RIDE.

(Not that I am in general referred to as a stable person, but whatever.)

Dear readers, I need your help, your advice, your commiseration, your sympathy and some hope. Especially those of you who have never left a comment...I'd LOVE to hear from you!

Seriously. Because this Mama needs some sort of pamphlet or brochure from the World Wide Mama "We've all been there, honey" support group...

A

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The BIRTHDAY PLAN of 2009...

I've been busy up in the bonus room. Just a quick smattering of projects. I've felt super inspired (yes, AGAIN.) and ready to do some major sewing and creating. Why why WHY do I have to be all inspired on the busiest week and month of the YEAR?

OK, it may not be THAT busy for you. What's on your plate this week? Maybe an office Christmas party, online shopping for those last 3 gifts you can't find and a quick trip to the mall?

This week we have TWO birthday parties. And I'm throwing them. Yep, Bubbalu and Lil Chick both have December birthdays....4 days apart....two weeks before Christmas. In DECEMBER. FOUR days apart. TWO birthdays. TWO weeks before Christmas.

IN DECEMBER.

OK, I'm officially done whining.

Truth is, I love throwing a party. I don't like to keep it simple and blah. When things are simple and blah I feel a bit sad. I LIKE to make parties special and create something unique for them. I also want to make sure my kids don't get the "oh, your birthday is so close to Christmas let's just lump the parties together" and have their birthday overlooked altogether. Problem is, throw two parties that I'd LOVE to have fun with together in one week (*ahem* 4 days apart) and there just isn't enough time to do it all.

Unless, that is, I plan ahead and maybe even create an excel spreadsheet detailing (insert booming loudspeaker echo voice) THE BIRTHDAY PLAN of 2009 complete with scheduled crafting, cake baking, decorating and even a rest time or two thrown in to keep Mama's sanity intact.

Good thing I plan ahead.

Lil Chick turned ONE yesterday. She makes me smile. She makes other people smile. She has dimples when she smiles.

We had a lovely, yet subdued (for me) party. Stay tuned, pictures coming soon.

There will be cake, there will be a tutu, and there will be dimples...

A

Clearing Out The Draft Folder...

A smattering of often pointless but nevertheless hopefully entertaining shorts in the draft folder:

***

My almost 11 month old daughter gained four pounds in less than a month. This daughter, who is currently lying prostrate on the ground so as to teeth on the piano pedals, is a CARB-AHOLIC.

Wonder where she got THAT from?

***

Would you rather change EIGHT medium sized poopy diapers per day or ONE insanely impressive ginormo poopy diaper per day?

YES, you have to pick one.

We are currently on the EIGHT medium sized poopy diapers per day plan. And by "we" I do mean Lil Chick. She is going through more diapers now than when she was a newborn. If I had a nickel for every poopy diaper I've changed...well, I could buy these:



I'd call them my poop boots. Nice ring to it, no?

However I am now completely disgustipated. They are actually Girls boots, not Womens boots. What does it say about me that I prefer Girls boots over Womens? Is it just me or are those seriously cute? Please, someone justify my thought processes here.

***

And going WAY back to summer:

My take on the annual, held-in-my-small-town Fair:

I detest crowds. I get crabby at people who walk slowly and then stop in the middle of a walkway forcing everyone to walk around them. However, since I am now one of Those Mom's who push a gargantuan double-wide Bob stroller around I fully realize I am now part of the crowd problem. My penchant for speed walking and whipping around people with the double-wide Bob doesn't help. I'm pretty sure I startled eighteen or so peoples, whom surely though that there was an emergency or a Poffertjes stand that I was rushing towards.

(hint: it was the Poffertjes. Surprised? Didn't think so.)

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