Happy 71st Birthday, Mom!

(Photo taken in Roatan, Honduras)

Here's what I'm up to...

I only have a minute for blogging today, but I wanted to share the invitations that I designed for Chick's birthday! (obviously this particular invitation was doctored for the blog...the real one actually has useful information and not just "blah blah blah")

I found some free vector images, so I've altered them to fit my purposes & am going to make most (maybe all?) of the decorations and such for the party...she picked the theme, and I have to admit that I'm thrilled. I loved Hello Kitty when I was little & still think that she is adorable!

Anyhow, I've been busy with FINALLY getting my phone book project wrapped up and sent to the printer...just before the cruise my boss decided to increase the pagination to 60, and to increase the deadline so that I could finish it (rather than having to hand it off to the other designer).

Plus I'm in the middle of my regular layout.

Plus I have Sharing Time this month, and I'm in charge of the "8 is Great" fireside this Sunday.

Plus, now that I have a theme for Chick's birthday I am getting a little bit Hello Kitty obsessed & am having trouble buckling down and doing the aforementioned things that I need to do!! (I think I'll do like cake #23 on this site)

Anyhow, funny news: I went to a liquidation store yesterday with the girls, and while I was looking at little toys for party favors, Monkey got the bottle of glue that I had put in the cart (away from her, or so I thought) and took the lid off & poured it all over herself, the contents of the cart, and the floor. She might also have eaten some. Good times.


Another funny tidbit: I made invitations for "8 is Great" and when I passed them out to the kids I learned that I had written "2009" on all of them & didn't think anything of it until the kids laughed at me and told me that I was a little late.

In my down time I've been ORGANIZING! I started with the girls' clothing--we'd been given some great bags of hand-me-downs, but they'd just been stashed here and there & not divided by sizes. Plus as they've outgrown things I didn't put them away in any organized way. So anyhow, we had boxes and boxes of clothes in the living room for a couple of days & now it's all nice and organized.

That led to the start of organizing the "tool room" which had become such a stash-all that you couldn't even walk in--seriously, it was totally filled with anything and everything. It's now only 1/2 filled, and all sewing and crafty/scrapbooking/beading/mosaic stuff has been carefully organized into the guest/sewing room closet. The baby gear that was in the sewing room closet is now in the nursery closet, and Chick's grow into stuff is in the tool room closet because that will be her room later this year. Make sense? Really I just transferred stuff in a circle (triangle) between the three room.


And while I'm still working on keeping up with all of my resolutions, the most exciting one right now is restarting Flylady. I could REALLY get used to having a clean kitchen!


Uh, I guess that's it. I hope to do some more cruise postings in the next day or two, but I should probably get layout done first. grrrr.

Chick's nightmare

At 4:15 am Chick woke up crying. I went to see what the problem was, and here is our conversation.

Mama: What happened? What's the matter?
Chick: Something was eating me!
Mama: Eating you?! Oh no! What was it? A monster?
Chick: No.
Mama: An animal?
Chick: Yes, it was a SNAIL.
(At this point I couldn't help but laugh a little...of all the things to have a nightmare about!)
Mama: Do you know that snails are very, very slow?
Chick: Yes.
Mama: So having a snail eat you would take a REALLY long time!

Anyhow, she was calmed down & happy. She wanted to go to my bed so she could have happy dreams, but we sang the "ABC" song instead (her choice) and she went back to bed in her own bed.
I was left to wonder...what would a nightmare of a snail eating me be like?!

felicidad en dos ruedas (or Cruising Cozumel)

"Felicidad en dos ruedas" means "Happiness on Two Wheels." It's a phrase that I saw on my mission in Italy ("Felicita' su due ruote"). The phrase came to mind in Cozumel, so I've given you the Spanish translation.

Cozumel was our third port, but I'm not going in order (obviously). We started out just strolling through the shops at the port. We had no excursion planned, and thought we'd like to rent a car and see the rest of the island (our last cruise went to Cozumel and we never saw more than the shops & a restaurant).

Mary & Joseph. I mean Pete & Stef.

My SIL Stef came to find us in one of the shops to say that they'd found a good deal on renting scooters and did we want to go scooter around with them? SCOOTER? Did you say SCOOTER?! Heck yeah.

So that's what we did in Cozumel. We rented 2 scooters, Pete & Stef on one and HH and me on the other. We drove a big loop around the island, stopping for pictures, or to get our toes in the sand here and there, and ending in town for some shopping & lunch (rice & beans & fried plantains).HH drove the entire time for our scooter, until the very end... when we were all done we went past the drop-off location & to a less-used "scooter" street, and HH let me try it out. This may sound obvious, but I hadn't really thought about the fact that it takes a little work to balance a scooter (at least starting out). So, uh, pretty quickly I had the scooter on the ground & HH and me with scratches on our legs. Luckily the scooter had scratches to begin with from the week before, so the guy (who was busy trying to swindle us out of our security money for no VALID reason) didn't notice any new damage.

Anyhow, it was super fun. It seemed like all of the residents there rode scooters, so I'm glad I got to do it too. I wrote in this post about how I've always wanted to ride a scooter, and it lived up to my expectations. And I did the most shopping in Cozumel--little dresses for the girls, & this cute little bird (intended for my bedroom, but it liked the top of the TV armoire better).

We almost missed the boat, but were completely unaware of that fact until after we'd gotten back onboard--only one other couple came after us. Oops.

After we were back onboard, my Mom and I went for a metabolism test in the Spa & Fitness center. It was very interesting. After I'm done being pregnant I definitely want to do some detox.

Happy Birthday to Me, and Happy New Year to You

Since Christmas:
The Day after Christmas is my birthday. HH took the girls & me out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I wasn't sure how it would go with the girls there too-- it was a necessity because we hadn't planned ahead enough to have someone babysit at dinnertime--but it was IDEAL. The food was absolutely delish, the girls were well-behaved, and the restaurant was gorgeous.

We did have a few "post-cruise" laughs-- HH pointed out the differences between the waitress & our server on the cruise (Christopher): The waitress never said, "I cannot say no to you" or anything that resembled "You can't decide? I'll bring you both" or "If you don't like it then I'll bring you something else." She also didn't read our menu to us with her recommendations (and even if she had, I wouldn't have known whether to trust her, unlike our beloved Chris).

This is a slight tangent, but speaking of HH's post-travel humor: Monkey has a bad habit of dropping food onto the floor if she doesn't want to eat it. So after we were back & she dropped some food, HH said, "Monkey, if you don't want it, just leave it on the tray and 'someone will be by to collect it shortly'."

OK, back to my birthday lunch: I found myself thinking that I wouldn't trade the lunch with the girls there (me basking in a very happy family moment) with a quiet dinner with HH, though I'm sure that would have been lovely too. It was just too perfect with my little family all together.

After lunch HH suggested we walk across the street to the park to check out the ice skating. It was cold but clear and sunny, and the park was delightful. The girls got to see doggies & ducks & ice skaters & fountains & a moat-thing, and play on the playground. As we were leaving I found myself thinking that it was one of the best birthdays ever.

We also ran some errands, came home and ate leftovers from Christmas, & I opened my presents. Then we put the girls to bed & we watched "Julie & Julia," which I enjoyed. HH slept through it entirely, but I knew he was feeling a bit sick & was really tired. The fact that he cuddled with me on the couch REGARDLESS was actually like an extra birthday present.

So, that's my birthday. Monday morning I woke up in a bit of a funk & HASTILY took down all of the Christmas decorations & deleted 2/3 of my facebook "friends." I totally wanted to declutter, you know? (NOTE: If I deleted you, please don't be offended. Some people I felt were better kept in touch with via blogs or email...I'm not really into facebook)

That evening was my niece Rachel's wedding open house. I let Chick pick her own dress, and when it was time to go I discovered that she had also ACCESSORIZED all on her own (the gloves).

You can't tell so well in the picture, but her gloves have pink satin bows, but they're on wrong-side-up because the tag "was boggering her."

Chick was excited to "match" Rachel (who looked gorgeous, of course...she always does, even in normal clothes, let alone a stunning wedding dress)

Chick had no problem going into the area where all of the teenage boys were & (dare I say) FLIRTING with them (or at least the one next to her). When I was her age I flirted with my older sisters' boyfriends/fiancees, so I guess it's all good. (They just had the fireplace rebuilt...isn't it lovely?!)

For New Years Eve, I kicked out 2009 by going thrift store shopping (I had a VV $50 off $100 coupon that I didn't want to pass up--especially since the 2010 calendar didn't have that coupon). They closed at 5, so I had to take the girls during the day, but they were surprisingly well-behaved & were rewarded with a trip to the McDonalds Playland. Anyhow, I didn't take a picture of everything, but I got some good loot : ) Nice grow-into coats for the girlies, some maternity clothes for me, one of those ice cream maker balls for camping, a brand new little (1.5 qt?) crock pot, some sewing notions, and the most expensive item was a pair of shoes--still new, and Italian & the perfect fit. Yay. It was a really fun trip. I also bought the dvd of "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio," but my review of that is: good to see once, but far too sad for me to want to watch repeatedly.

We didn't do anything special for the new year--I did stay up, because I couldn't put my book down. On New Years day we just hung out at home (More games of Hello Kitty BINGO. Thank you G'ma J, Chick loves it!) and babysat my niece that evening.

LASTLY, (I know, this is a very text-heavy posting) here are my New Years Resolutions.

• Have FHE each week
• Follow Flylady to the "T"
• Remodel the Kitchen
• Log onto sparkpeople daily
• Save $50/month
• Entertain guests once a month
• Write & follow a dinner menu

I forgot my resolutions for 2009 as soon as I wrote them, practically, but this year I'm determined to stay focused!

(G&G N got these darling piggy banks for the girls for Christmas...they are here to represent my goal to save money each month. I told HH that I was thinking of sewing my credit card into the lining of my purse, to help me think twice before using it...he said he thought that was a really weird idea.)

Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!

I have so much to blog about & so many pictures to share, I thought I'd just jump in with Christmas. We had a lovely Christmas-- a late late Eve for Mama (sewing jammies until the wee hours of the morning), a quiet morning playing with new toys, a mid-day nap for most, and dinner at G&G N's.

Here are some pictures....

Santa brought the girls a tent & tunnel set.

Monkey got a monkey & loved reading her new books

Aren't these dolls the cutest? They were a gift from my talented SIL, Jeanne.

A proud Mama with her Chick

HH played a couple of rounds of Hello Kitty BINGO with Chick (I have a great husband). Here's a little video...

HH with his new inversion system. Chick was fascinated.

Chick, our flower child, modelling her new shirt & scarf set from Aunt Jeanne (flower from Aunt Judy)

I made these Snowman Cocoa jars to take around to some family & friends.

I found the idea on this blog.

These cute nativity sets were a gift for the kids in our primary. HH cut out all of the blocks (enough for 80 sets!) and the other gals in the presidency did the sanding & assembling while we were on our cruise. There were a couple of extras, so we got one too : )

The girls, playing with Grandma's poinsettia & Little People nativity in their new jammies (Chick will be wearing hers for YEARS--I shortened the pants by 6 inches so that she can wear them now).

(Daddy has matching pants too, but didn't cooperate for a picture)

And finally, at the end of the day, a bedtime story with HH, who Monkey adores. She just started signing his name, and does it a lot because she's a Daddy's girl.

Wacky Buttons

It's been so long since I posted & I have so much news: the fabulous fabulous cruise, Christmas projects & festivities, my birthday, etc etc etc. But at the moment I don't have time to tell you all that.

What I am going to tell you about is the great birthday presents our ward Primary is giving to the kids. BUTTONS! We're using WackyButtons.com to produce them, and I did the designs. The prices were really reasonable, too.

So fun...makes me wish I were a kid again.

07:13:55

I'm taking a "too-stressed-to-function" blog break.

Christmas decorations are mostly up, but the boxes are still all over the dining table. Tree is up, with lights (which is a given, since it's a pre-lighted tree), but no decorations.

I've been working on an extra work project--a 56 page phone book that has a lot of ad design work to go with the actual laying out & formatting.

Plus all of the content has arrived for my usual monthly magazine layout, so the work is endless at this point.

I still have to finish shopping, altering, & packing for the cruise. I planned out an early maternity wardrobe based on how much I was showing with the last pregnancy at this point. Now that I'm closer to leaving I see that I was a bit off in my calculations... I can still comfortably button my jeans with no problem. What does that mean? Maybe it's a boy? Maybe it's a malnourished little person who is saying "FEED ME!"

Anyhow, what it means to me is that I won't quite look as smashing as I'd hoped (and to be honest my hopes weren't all that high to begin with). I will have one pair of normal fitting jeans that I could take, and I'll have some maternity clothes that should look good still, but I'll be even more "in-between" than I'd expected.

But Ahhh, the cruise. All of the details of our little life routine are written out for Grandma, and if I can just make it through the next week then I'll be rewarded with warm (maybe even hot at times?!!) weather, and nothing that I HAVE to do besides lounge around and eat a lot & be entertained.

07:13:55.

Seven days, thirteen hours, 55 minutes. (actually, since I started this posting, it's changed to 07:13:43...even better).

Monkey's First Birthday!

Well, Monkey is officially a one-year-old. A lot has happened in the past year, but it still seems like just last week or so that she came to join us. We are so lucky to have her! She is always ready for a snuggle, is ever patient with her older sister, and is happy and fun. I am a bit scared that I've been spoiled--aside from a little bit of clinginess & not gaining much weight, she has just been easy & a delight. I look forward to watching her continue to learn!

We had a family party on Saturday, so without further ado...

here are a million pictures.

The table...

(Banana bread with cream cheese frosting & a fondant flower on top)

Playing a toss game (though she didn't want to let go) with Great-G'ma C & Aunt J.

Chick with a Curious George mask onPlaying musical chairs& having fun with blowers

Monkey, with her birthday crown, opening presents with Daddy
one of her favorite gifts, a new stainless steel sippy cup

Chick helped open presents when Monkey was losing interest
A view of the room

The birthday girl with G'ma N.
Playing with streamers after the party

This is actually the next morning. I woke up a little early & was wishing that she could wear her Uno shirt to church (she didn't have any skirts). Since I was up early I decided to make a simple little skirt for her. This fabric was a little remnant from when my Mom or someone had made me an easter dress...I'd guess I was around 6.