Monday, June 23, 2008

Exciting News!


Profile of Baby

Leg Shot

It's a Girl!!

And this was her first message,
"Everything is 'A Ok', Mom and Dad"

The Most Maddening Thing in the Word

1) Opening a cupboard and having something (usually unexpectedly) fall out at you, perhaps into your gooey cake batter. Shaking off the immediate frustration and perhaps unspeakable (and hopefully unspoken) word, you clean off the baking powder, balsamic vinegar, or box of raisins, and shove it back into its place. You show it who's boss. Until it resists its firm placement and reasserts its gravitational forces to leap out at you, again. After this most maddening defeat, you throw the offending object aside in a mild rage and huff. If you are smart, you leave the kitchen immediately and call for backup.

Friday, June 20, 2008

The Glory of Saturday Mornings

Tomorrow is Saturday, specifically, Saturday Morning. Why do I still get so excited about that prospect when I don't work a regular job and my husband is now home for the summer, when weekends and weekdays are almost indistinguishable, you may ask? Saturday morning cartoons? Sleeping in? (ha!) A peaceful cup of tea? It's none of these. "What is it?!" you impatiently exclaim, since I have piqued your curiosity to the max with my phenomenal lead-in.
You'll never guess. But try, hold something in your mind and tell me later.








Garage sales.

Yard sales.

Rummage sales.

These yard, garage, or driveway sales really excite me. I love the hunt. I love the endless possibilities. I love the price. Rummage sales are the one place that I can afford to buy just about anything they might be selling. There might be a brand new air-popper for $1, toddler toys for $.50 each, $5 for a bag full of maternity clothes, craft materials (picture frames, ribbon, yarn, paint, etc), and let's not forget furniture. Furniture, O the furniture. Our living room is almost entirely furnished by yard sale steals.

For those of you who are amateurs at this art, let me share a few tips. 1) There are two kinds of yard sales. Those who are trying to "recover lost cost" and those who simply want to rid themselves of clutter. The first type maybe have some nice items, but they are not usually a steal of a deal. These people have Gymboree and Ralph Lauren baby clothes and they are trying to charge $3 or $5 for a small article of children's clothing. These sales are usually to be avoided unless you are looking for something specific and willing to pay "premium" for it. The second type is pretty self-explanatory. They have finally realized that their stuff is overwhelming them, and God bless them, they getting rid of it at next-to-nothing prices. I must add here that this second category also has a subset. Junk sales and worthwhile sales. Usually you can ascertain this by a simple driveby. Junk sales have lots of tables of knick-knacky type things, broken looking furniture, and general "attic-type" items. Worthwhile sales may be disorganized and have things still in boxes, but they look relatively recent (<5 years) and you can see at least one item in a category you are looking for (where you see one, there is usually more is a rule of thumb that I go by). When a cheap sale has worthwhile items, you are in for a real HAUL. But don't just buy something because it's a good deal. Make sure you know where it will go or what exactly you will do with it, or you'll be having the next rummage sale. That is, unless you buy things at rummage sales and resell them on Ebay...I've often thought about this...

So, did I mention that I love this? Yes! tomorrow morning is Saturday morning. (Out here rummage sales are Saturdays and Sundays, not Fridays and Saturdays...) Yippee!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Friends for Sale on Ebay




After Doggy's swim in the toilet last week, I decided that we needed a backup. Dominic's beloved blue Doggy might not make it on his own. Lest we be caught with Doggy's entrails pulled out or flushed down the toilet, plunged into the bathtub, stuffed into the garbage, or worse yet, absent because he was left behind after a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's, I broke down and bought one. Who would have thought that even such a treasured companion, consoler, and sleep aid as Doggy is for sale on Ebay.

After "new Doggy" arrived, I introduced "old Doggy" and "new Doggy". Here are some photos from their first playdate.


I swear, these two puppies are exactly the same. Just one, "old Doggy" has been loved by his master for twelve months.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Bathroom Run

I'm in the bathroom getting ready and Dominic pushes the dorm open and forges through. He immediately goes to the toiletry drawer and begins pulling out powder, perfume, and a hair brush. After I rescue these items and deny him further access to that drawer, he moves to a smaller drawer next to it. Pulling out a handful of Q-tips he glances at me and seeing the disapproval on my face high tails it out of the bathroom, but curiously enough he stops by the door. I turn around and see he's stopped because he is concentrating so hard as he tries to get it into his ear. Looks like he likes the feeling of Q-tips in his ears too!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

A Stolen Funny

I'm sort of addicted to Danielle Bean's website...she's great. Anyway, her latest post was just too good not to copy for your amusement. Her daughter, Gabby, is five. Isn't this how life goes?

Gabby:
I just want my birthday cake to have a princess on it. Wearing a crown. And a sparkly dress. And then I want there to be a sunshine wearing sunglasses with a big smile. And of course lots of flowers with grass. And maybe some butterflies. And lots of fives, of course, because I am turning five. And don’t just write “Happy Birthday” on it, either. You should write “Happy Birthday to Gabby. Gabby is turning five. We love you, Gabby.” And don’t forget about the fives. Because I am turning five and it’s going to be my magic birthday.

www.daniellebean.com