Just a Few Things...

I'm practically brain-dead from running around all day getting ready for the beach, so this might be pretty incoherent.

First, the next two weeks editions of Sunday Celebrity Synopsis have been postponed due to a much needed beach vacation. Normal celebrity coverage will resume on August 10th unless I am able to quickly recover from my travels and get one in on the 3rd.

Second, seeing as I will be on vacation, there's a pretty good chance I'll be blog-MIA for the next week, depending on if where we're staying has internet or is close to a Starbucks. Don't bother stealing my stuff; I have friends house and dog sitting ;)

Thirdly and finally, I won an award! Thank you Tiaras and Tantrums for bestowing on me the Arte y Pico Award. I will share the blog love when I return to my senses after vacation. Thanks so much, Ms. T! I am very honored :)

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week in my absence! I'll return with pictures and presents!

Question: What happens when you go to Wally World at 9 PM?

Answer: You hit a dumbass deer on your way home.

I'm fine. Livers is fine. But my nerves are a wee bit shot.

We were within half a mile of our house, driving the speed limit (35 mph), and I wasn't distracted by a radio, phone, or screaming baby. Out of nowhere comes a decent sized doe, and I slammed on my brakes, gritted my teeth, and hoped for the best. The thud that comes with hitting an animal of that size is enough to send one to tears. Upon impact she was knocked a good twenty feet ahead of my car and was skittering on the ground, hind legs dragging a bit. I kept waiting for her to go down, but luckily she must have come to her senses and she stood up and ran into the woods.

There was a person behind me during all of this, but he thankfully wasn't tailgating. However he was a jerk who didn't even bother to stop. It's not like he could've missed me hit the thing. As I was pulling on the side of the road my mom called. It's a good thing she waited, or I really could've been in trouble. I told her what happened and she got worried. She asked if I needed my dad to come get me, and I told her no but I wanted to see what my car looked like. I got out of the car to assess the damage and she'd left a decent dent on the right of the bumper, and there were a couple of cracks and missing pieces of plastic. It could've been a lot worse.

The car drove fine home, and everyone was safe. I think what really made me mad was that my relatively unblemished car isn't her silver perfection anymore. I don't know yet if it's worth repairing, though. We'll see what the light of morning brings.

Stupid Bambi.

My T-Shirt Would Read: "I ignored my family and myself and all I got was this stupid blog"

I've been a bit less prolific of a blogger these past few days. This is partly because I've been pretty busy, have been spending some much needed time with J, and have been spending my evenings actually crafting and catching up on me projects. I've also let my blog take over my life and have felt a need to step back a little bit.

This is probably a good thing, because you really don't want to read a post that was written just so that I'd have something new. I guarantee it would probably be boring, and you, my valued readers, deserve better. (And so does my sanity.) Writing on my blog fills a very important void in my life. I'm able to get down thoughts that I've had and get feedback on them. I'm able to record some of my family's and my life for posterity. I'm able to get mental release. However, I have been ignoring some of the other parts of my life by doing this, and it's not fair to them to be ignored.

My new plan is to try to write more meaningful, thoughtful, and poignant posts. Sure, there will definitely be picture posts, because frankly I love me some pictures (and have a new camera to break in--hip hop hooray!). I'll also probably have some dumb and occasionally boring ones thrown in, because hey, I'm human. I just need to make sure that all of my interests get their fair share in my life.

With that said, here's what I've been doing with myself since I've been "absent":

1. Keeping up with my Livers journal. I've had one since she was a newborn. It started out as one of those "eats, pees, poops" sort of things they give breastfeeding moms to make sure their baby is fairing well, but over time it has become this big chronicle of Livers' milestones and cute happenings. My husband will roll his eyes at it sometimes, because he thinks it's excessive (and obsessive), but I know this will help when I have another child so I can have some sort of idea of what to expect, and I love going back and reminiscing over the steps that we've taken together. I know it'll be a great thing for Livers to read when she's older (and a nice guide for her if she takes the path to motherhood).
2. Scrapbooking. I really need to pick up the slack here, because I have dug my self a huge hole of ideas to get out of. It's a good thing I like it. Here's the last project:
3. Learning to sew. I've "made" two things. The first is a "quilt square". I use this term loosely, because I completely winged it. I didn't properly measure anything, and I had no idea how to edge it, but considering my lack of expertise it turned out darn good. I hope to actually learn to quilt, because I am really finding this fun. I also made Livers a hooded towel. It took like fifteen minutes. Tops. I might make these for expectant mother friends in the future, because they're super easy to make and so useful. Here's my work: front of my "quilt square" (term used loosely due to general suckiness) back of said "square" Livers modeling my handiwork. All pictures would've been much cuter if she would just sit still.
   
4. Spending time with J. If your husband starts to feel second string to your blog, then you have a problem, so I'm going to have to work on this. We watched Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay the other night. I love a good sophomoric comedy!
5. Pretending to prepare for the beach. If shopping counts. Gotta crack down on this real soon.

That's pretty much it. I'm off to watch some Sesame Street with Livers. We were shopping all day, which means no nap, which could spell disaster...for me.

A Little Meme to Get You Through the Day

I was tagged for a meme by Aubrey at Pilgrims at Ashley Avenue. I'm one of those weird people who enjoy memes, so I'll give this one a whirl.

1. LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATER. Wanted, about a week ago.
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Shamefully, nothing. I don't even have time to read the magazines I subscribe to. Luckily I'm going to the beach next week and ought to have some time to at least catch up on those.
3. FAVORITE BOARD GAME? I would have to say Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit, but I have always loved LIFE and Monopoly as well.
4. FAVORITE MAGAZINE? I love me some People, but if you're talking a "real" magazine then it would have to be Real Simple. Now that I'm a parent I also enjoy reading Parents.
5. FAVORITE SMELLS? Newborn babies. It's like smelling an angel, and it only lasts for a little while before they smell like poop and spit up. I also like freshly baked bread, cookies, and pies. Too bad I don't make them enough! And citrusy smells. So good!
6. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My daughter's voice would be one of my favorites (except when she's whining or screaming). Also the sound of the ocean and rain falling on a roof. They're such soothing, earthy sounds.
7. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Hitting an animal with a car. Also, for me, saying something and immediately knowing you shouldn't, and the wave of fear that comes when you realized what you've just said. Amongst other things.
8. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE? I don't want to get up yet. Seriously, even if I've slept 12 hours, I still just love to lay around in bed.
9. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Probably Atlanta Bread Company (if that counts). I have had a love affair with their Wisconsin Cheese soup going on seven years now. If you mean "real" fast food, then Arby's .
10. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? We already have Livers (not really her name, obviously), but I've really started to like the name "Meggie" for a girl (doesn't help that I just watched the Thorn Birds) and I've had a thing for the name "Jack" for quite some time.
11. FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’d…probably stress out about money less. J and I would build our dream house, take care of our family, travel a lot, spend some on ourselves, save, and give it to those in need.
12. DO YOU DRIVE FAST? Not anymore. Two years ago I got my first (and only) two tickets within six weeks of each other. They'll be off my record next year, so I'm trying to play it safe (good since I have a child, too). I try not to go more than 5-10 miles over, depending on where I'm driving.
13. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? No, but I love to cuddle with a nice pillow (and my husband).
14. STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? Cool, unless they come with tornadoes or produce thunder loud enough to make my dogs bark uncontrollably.
15. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? If you mean that I drove, it would be my parent's 91 Chevy Lumina and their old 93 Olds Cutlas Cierra (I alternated depending on who had the other one). If you mean that I own, that would be our 99 Mercury Sable that I saved up for years to buy. With gas prices what they are (and a new transmission in need), we'll probably have to kiss it goodbye, Steam-style, soon.
16. FAVORITE DRINK? I LOVE me some milk. I'm also a huge fan of juice and a good Chai Latte. Not a huge alcohol drinker, unless it's fruity and comes with a pretty umbrella.
17. FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…be artsy all day long.
18. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? Yes, I like how crunchy they are.
19. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? Red or auburnish. I've always liked it, but I've come to realize how expensive it would be to maintain, and once you start to dye it you can't stop.
20. NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS YOU HAVE LIVED IN. This is sad...: I'll just say only 3 towns in the South, and all are within twenty miles of each other.
21. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Gun to my head, I'd say gymnastics and football. I'm not much of a sports fan, unless I'm actually there spectating.
22. ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? She's one of the smartest people I've ever known, and a wonderful Christian.
23. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED? Dust, fur, and a roach trap. I don't have enough space under my bed to store things, unfortunately.
24. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN?? Yes, but I'd like to not date some of the people I did (even though those terrible experiences made me who I am today and ultimately led me to my husband --and to have a GREAT appreciation for him). Could I still marry my husband if I did?
25. MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Night owl for sure. I hate getting up in the mornings, even when well-rested.
26. OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? Over easy. I don't like them TOO runny. And don't give me overcooked eggs. That's just nasty.
27. FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX? At home, on my couch watching TV. Place of choice: at the beach on a porch swinging in a hammock with a nice offshore breeze blowing through the screens. Hand me a stack of People magazines and a sweet tea and I'll think I've died and gone to heaven.
28. FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Probably strawberry or cookie dough with LOTS of dough chunks. I'm actually the rare woman who isn't a big ice cream fan, unless it's in milkshake form.
29. OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? Geez, I have no idea. Some people are so tagged out they might not respond at all :)

Here's who I'm tagging:

Apple Joos
Hippie Family Hanging Around...
Maternal Mirth
Smells Like Insanity
The Adams Family

If you don't get around to this for weeks or ever, I totally understand. I took almost four weeks myself (sorry Aubrey!).

Sunday Celebrity Synposis - Installment 2

We had another exciting week in Celebrityville. Let's not waste any time with our coverage of the weeks biggest stories.

1. And baby makes seven...and eight! That's right, sports fans. The long awaited Brangelina progeny have arrived. Knox Leon (yeah, he'll get his ass kicked in grade school) and Vivienne Marcheline arrived via C-Section on July 12, each weighing around 5 pounds.
2. And their first baby pictures are said to be worth at least $11 million. Dude, you can HAVE my kid for that much. (Just kidding. She's priceless, and if you try to take her I'll hunt you down like a dog.) What kind of people are we that we'll pay such ridiculous sums for a shot of a BABY?!? For that much money you can clone Brangelina yourself and stare at them all day long if you want. At least the money is going to charity.
   
3. Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman split. I guess all that f**king Matt Damon and Ben Affleck finally wore the wacky couple down. Not that I care, because I HATE Sarah Silverman (watching her show one time on Comedy Central was the biggest waste of 30 minutes I've ever had).
4. Helena Bohnam Carter walks her baby. Not so much news as a commentary. If you're going to push around your baby in a $3000 "pram", the least you can do is dress the part. And Birkenstocks and general hippie attire are not that. Just sayin'.
5. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban reject all paid offers to photograph Sunday Rose. Can I say "You Go Girl!" I want to see pictures of their oddly-named tyke as much as any other Celebu-Nazi, but I totally understand and agree with their decision. This is a child, and a newborn at that, and some things need to be left sacred.
6. Kate Moss says that she "behaves like a teenager" and is convinced she won't grow old. Uhh, DUUUUUHHHH! Cocaine snorting anorexic anyones very rarely live to be ancient cocaine and heart-pill snorting anorexics. Way to think that one through, genius.
7. Britney Spears and K-Fed settle their custody battle. Can I get an amen? It's been nice not seeing the media flooded with her crazy shenanigans, but some part of me misses betting on what s**t she was going to pull next. Oh, and K-Fed, aka "Father of the Year," gets primary custody. Never thought I'd see the day where some rapper-wannabe who mooches off of pop royalty be the one coming out on top, but this is 2008. Never thought we'd see $5 gas, either, but look-a-dee-doo. (P.S. She has to pay him $20,000 a MONTH for each kid. What in the h-e-double hockey sticks does a 2-year-old need with that much money? Really.)
8. Salma Hayek calls off her engagement to French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinnault. Can you say sperm donor? And why? Salma, you are one of the most beautiful actresses around, and you chose HIM to be the father of your child? I sure hope you were going on brains, because he sure as heck doesn't have the brawn. At least we also know you weren't marrying him for the money. I guess it doesn't buy you everything.
9. Another person joins the 90210 spin-off. Can I get a "who cares?" I never really liked the show when everyone was young and hot, and I definitely won't know that they're older, wrinklier, Botoxed, and scuzzy (Tori Spelling). I'll be saving my time for something more valuable, like trimming my toenails or waxing my bikini line.
10. Lindsay Lohan is a lesbian. This is definitely old news, but I feel I must make commentary. Lindsay, my actress namesake, if you are going to putt from the rough, would you at LEAST choose someone hot? Because unless you take a close looks your little lover could pass for a dude. You're a hot, young, former felon. The least you could do is date someone who looks your part. And P.S., how is it that people can make a living AND become famous in Hollywood by spinning a few discs in a swank L.A. bar? I did that for free at a college radio station, and it sure didn't get me the hook-ups.
11. Khloe Kardashian spends 173 minutes of her 3-day jail sentence for DUI in jail. Sweetheart, nobody cares about any part of the Kardashians except your sister's big @ss booty. Stop following in Paris-Lindsay-Nicole-Mischa's footsteps, get a job, go to college, and get the heck off of the E! network. We're sick of you and your sister's juicy double, already.

That's about all I have time for tonight. I'm off to watch Vantage Point with the happily-returned hubby. Mmmm, Matthew Fox....

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta!!!

Today I'm having a "guest" FFFF picture taker (though he doesn't know it): my dad. One of his favorite things to do is to take pictures, and he has some magnificent shots stored up. I wanted to honor his skills (and our impending trip to the beach--hip hip hooray!) by showcasing some of his pictures from our trip to the beach last year. I hope you enjoy!






For other Friday Foto Finish Fiesta participants, head on over to Candid Carrie!

(To the participants: I'll be making my rounds to your pictures sporadically today or tomorrow, because it's a busy day and my husband is coming home from his trip a day early! Yay me!)

A Little of This, a Little of That

I've been a pretty pore excuse for a blogger these past few days. (I know I've posted some pictures, but that doesn't really count.) I've been trying to keep my mind busy as much as possible, because J has been out of town on business in Utah. I'm fine up until around 6 or so, because it's just a normal day until this point, but after 6 I have to come up with things to do to make it until Livers goes to bed. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that little girl to pieces, but a solid week of just the two of us can be a little bit mind-numbing after awhile. Mama needs a little adult conversation (and a baby break) now and then.

One thing that I find when I get bored is my house is really clean. I'm one of those people who cleans to pass the time, and right now the house is in great order. Livers "helps" when she can, especially when I do laundry. This girl lives and dies for laundry. Just the mention of the word gets her running to the baby gate to go downstairs and sit on the dryer to watch me put a load in, and the looks of glee on her face when I pull out a freshly laundered basket of clothes to fold is like watching a kid on Christmas morning. She gets such a kick out of taking clothes, shaking out the wrinkles, and stacking them neatly into piles over and over again. Girl after my own heart!

The evenings have been great, because I've gotten to watch a movie that I would never get to watch if J was home: The Thorn Birds. I say "movie" with great gusto, because this is an 8 hours long (and hence why my blogging has been lacking). It's an older (and very romantic but depressing) movie--it came out in 1983--and I've watched it a few times before, but I enjoy it every time. I finally watched the fourth part last night and balled like a little baby at the end. If you've never watched it, try to carve out a few nights in your schedule to do so, because it's a great epic. The book's even better, and one of my favorites. It is strange watching this great romance, though, knowing that the lead male character--Ralph de Bricassart, played by Richard Chamberlain--is gay in real life, because he very realistically shows the feeling of being tormented by his love for Meggie (Rachel Ward) and takes part in some very convincing love scenes. And he sure was a looker in his day.

In J's absence I finally was taught the basics of how to use a sewing machine. It's a crime against my Singer that I've had it in its box for almost three months without learning how to use it. I feel like an idiot now for taking so long, because after my friend Jenny showed me how to do basics like thread a bobbin, a needle, to use the foot pedal, and run a few basic stitches I realized it wasn't the Mount Everest I thought it would be. I'll have to practice on it a little everyday, but I think it might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. My first project is to make a hooded towel for Livers. I received a handmade one at a baby shower that we use all of the time, and it's time that we have another one in rotation.

Hopefully I'll get to be a little crafty tomorrow night. I did a scrapbook page a couple of weekends go (yay me!) that has been sitting patiently to be glued down, and I need to take care of it so that I can start on a new one. Perhaps I'll post pictures of my handiwork, because, to toot my own horn a little, I think I did a mighty fine job.

This marks the end of my randomness for the evening. I was starting to feel very guilty about my blog neglect, and I feel much better now. Happy Friday to you all!

Dirty Baby Carnival!

This is the brainchild of Becky over at Boys Rule My Life. Check out her website if you want to play by clicking on the above picture.

Here are some pictures of our resident pig, Livers. Things are slowly getting a little less messy as she learns to wield a fork, but there are some times when I want to throw up my hands and send in the dogs (and a few water hoses to boot!) If you've read me before, some of the pictures are repeats, but some are newbies.

Oh the days of rice cereal...bleech!

It just wouldn't be my birthday without gobs of cake EVERYWHERE!

I love me some Mac-N-Cheese!

Never EVER turn your back on a baby with a bowl, even if it's "suctioned" to the tray.

Because THIS is what's going to happen!

A repost of my Peanut Butter Lover. All PB was originally on graham crackers. They were untouched.

My Laminated List Is Complete

I came to this conclusion Saturday night when Jeremy and I went to see Wanted, the new Angelina Jolie is a Bad Ass flick. No, she's not on my list (and neither is Morgan Freeman), but good Lord I do love me some James McAvoy. I thought he was just beautiful with a capital RUNAWAYWITHMENOW in Atonement but seeing him muscled up and kicking some tail was enough to make my Southern heart swoon. Even when he was getting the crap beaten out of him he still was yummy.

So here they are, in (mostly) no particular order, my Laminated List. (And for those of you who don't know what that is, go watch the Friends episode, "The One with Frank Jr.", Season 3, Episode 5.)

1. James McAvoy. See above for my reasons. To view some beautiful Brit beauty, see: Wanted; Atonement; the Last King in Scotland; Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (granted he was a goat boy, but still cute with horns and hooves).
2. Clive Owen. I do have a thing for scruffy men, and apparently scruffy Brits (see below for another). He is one hunk of manly man, but he still can pull off the sensitive vibe. For more, see: Closer, Children of Men, Derailed, Beyond Borders, Shoot Em Up.
3. Josh Holloway. Who can resist his washboard abs, his penetrating green eyes, the permascruff. I'd watch LOST even if it wasn't the most awesome show ever just to catch a glimpse of this beach beauty and listen to his witty humor.
4. Jake Gyllenhaal. He's a package deal: good looks, intelligence, those gorgeous eyes. I've had a thing for him ever since I first saw Donnie Darko six years ago. And he's must be cool in real life, too, because Reese Witherspoon wants him, too. If I'm capable of overlooking the whole booty sex scene in Brokeback Mountain, then this man must be hot. To see more, watch: Rendition, Jarhead, the Good Girl, the Day After Tomorrow, Moonlight Mile.
5. Hugh Laurie. Oh man, this is one sexy Brit. (Aren't most?) I think the only thing that would make Dr. House even more appealing is if his character actually spoke with a British accent. Sarcastic wit spoken with an accent on top of the ever-sexy "I'm damaged, please save me...even though I don't want your help and will resist at all costs" complex is enough to make me want to slap him and hug him. And those eyes.... Also check out: Stuart Little, Flight of the Phoenix, and House, M.D.

Honorable Mentions:
If any of the above five are unable to fulfill their "duties" as an official member of my Laminated List, the following are more than willing to take over their position.

1. Ken Watanabe. I was sold on him when I first saw the Last Samurai. His sexiness was cemented with Memoirs of a Geisha. He has that tough but thoughtfulness about him that just makes me weak in the knees.
2. Matthew Fox. I like him more and more every time I watch LOST. He's got that ruggedness about him that is just intoxicating but he's also sensitive and intelligent. A winning combination.

Here's my list. Who's on yours?

Sunday Celebrity Synopsis

Today marks the first edition of a new "column" of mine that I'd like to call "Sunday Celebrity Synopsis". I am a shamelessly huge fan of celebrity gossip, and I feel this will be a fun way to run down some of my favorite celebrity headlines of the week and provide a little commentary to boot.

Let's give it up for this week's headlines:

1. Nicole Kidman gives birth to a baby girl. I am excited about the news, but not so much about the name. I am a fan of hers, not just because I think she's a good actress but because she's one of the few Hollywood starlets that seems to have a decent head her shoulders. But Sunday? Really? There are books with 356,000 baby names and that's the best you could come up with?
2. Matthew McConaughey and Camilla Alves have a baby boy. I am "stoked and wowed" that you chose not to give the little tike some celebri-fad name like Apple Crisp or Delta Pilot. Levi is a great name. I'm sure he'll be a great dad if he can tear himself away from smelling his manly, deodorantless essence, taking his shirt off, surfing, drinking Bud Light, and getting mugged by Nicaraguan locals after boozing it up and hitting on every piece of ass he sees.
   
3. Christie Brinkley/Peter Cook divorce fiasco. Who the heck gives a crap? And who, in the Lord's sweet name, would EVER consider cheating on a supermodel with a tweeny bopper? Someone has some serious problems above and beyond a Lolita syndrome.
4. Madonna "breaks up" A-Rod's marriage. I think I could cut and paste the above to apply here. A-Rod, your wife was beautiful and gave you two sweet girls. What are you doing in cahoots with Madonna (for ANY reason, not just for alleged, eye-burning, brain-scarring boo-tay)? She's rich and a decent singer and all, but you already had it all. Now, I'm seriously doubting that they actually slept together, because, ewwwwww, but if your wife just had your child two months ago, your @ss had better be home worshiping the ground that she walks on.
5. Justin Long and Drew Barrymore split. Boo freaking hoo. Who didn't see that coming? Drew's track record reads much like Elizabeth Taylor's, so it was only a matter of time. I didn't really believe the thing in the first place. The Mac guy and Miss Free Spirit. Not the weirdest of couplings in Hollywood, but definitely unusual. Don't worry Drew, you'll find another soul mate soon.
6. Fake photos of Angelina Jolie posted. Um, DUUUUHHHH. The people who believed these were real are some of the biggest idiots around. Notice the first picture. This is Angelina Jolie. Those are her two FREAKING HUGE TATTOOS on her stomach. Now take note of the second picture. This is a terrible Jolie wannabe. Notice that there are not two FREAKING HUGE TATTOOS on her stomach. If I were eight months pregnant with twins and I had two huge tattoos on MY stomach, then those suckers would be visible and stretched to astronomical proportions. What a bunch of morons some people are.
7. Courteney Cox to join Scrubs for three episodes this fall. I'm not so sure what to think of this one just yet. She'll be playing the new Chief of Medicine, and I think I'll keep imagining her in Monica mode. If so, those are going to be some scrubbed up patients.
8. Chris Martin defends his and Gwyneth's choice in baby names. In his words, "a name is just a noise, and if you like it, then f--k what everyone else says." Chris, it'll be hard to "f--k" what everyone is saying when your kids are getting their @sses beaten regularly on the playground because you thought naming your kid after fruit was cute. This also goes for you, Jason Lee (son Pilot Inspektor--because it wasn't weird enough already, you had to go and add the K. What a douchebag.), Nicholas Cage (son Kal-el--named after Superman), and Penn Jillette (daughter Moxie Crimefighter--I sure hope she's good at crime fighting, because it'll come in handy defending herself from schoolyard beatdowns).
9. The Bachelorette chooses a man. If you're looking for info, that's as much as you'll get. I think the show (and most other reality shows) are retarded. Sorry.

That's all I got for this week. Other stuff happened, but it's midnight and I have other things to do. I hope you enjoyed your first installment! Let me know what you think.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta!!!

This is Buster B. Long, my parent's Long-Haired Daschund. Yes, he is being carried in a Baby Bjorn. I thought it would be funny. Though he is technically their dog, he is really like my fourth child. They got him right before I found out I was pregnant, and I treated him like he was my own little boy. Whenever I went over to their house (which was often) he would run full force and jump into my lap, which became increasingly dangerous as my belly burgeoned. I would love on him and carry him like a little baby, which he just loved. In fact, the majority of the pregnancy pictures and videos at their house had me carrying him around as he looked at the world upside down. He absolutely adores me, and he can tell by the tone of my mom's voice when I'm calling, because he IMMEDIATELY runs to the door and starts barking because he thinks I'm coming to see him.

I think that he took my giving birth to Livers harder than my own dogs. He didn't understand why this new creature was getting all of the attention and why I suddenly was telling him to be quiet, get down, stop licking me, and all together not giving him the undivided attention he had become accustomed to receiving. I feel so bad for the Little Man, because he just doesn't understand that my own little flesh and blood baby comes first now.


There's also one important thing to know about Bussie. He is the world's biggest wuss. He might have to poop like there's no tomorrow or pee like the proverbial race horse, but if a since leaf flutters in the wind or a car horn blares from two miles away while he steps out to do his business, he'll tuck tail back inside and hold it till he bursts. When we take him on walks he will become so afraid of the activity around him that you either have to hold him or, if the stroller is with us, put him underneath so he'll fell safe and secure again.


These are some of my favorite pics of Bussie, my Little Man, my fourth born and first son. :)

To see other participants of Friday Foto Finish Fiesta, click HERE!!!

Real-Life Thursday - Momentous Occasion

This week's Real-life Thursday features the "Momentous Occasions" of our lives. Looking back at my life up until now, I would say that I have had four momentous occasions: (1) meeting and eventually dating my now husband, (2) being proposed to, (3) getting married, and (4) giving birth to my daughter, Livers. Because I do not have pictures of one and two, I will talk about the other two momentous occasions of my life.

Getting Married.
We got married on June 25, 2005. J and I had been together for three and a half years at this point, and we were finally ready and very excited. The two days before and the day of the wedding were, to date, the most exciting and enjoyable of my entire life. We got married at a beach on the Carolina coast. We didn't expect a lot of our family and friends to make it when we sent out invitations, because it was a destination wedding, and most people would have to travel at least five hours. To our surprise a huge number of people RSVPed, including most of his very large Catholic family in Ohio. It was wonderful, because we got to see a lot of people we rarely see and catch up.

The meeting place where both sides of the family met up for three days was at the only hotel at this beach. It had an oceanfront bar with lots of personality: open air, bright colors, a nightly band, pool-adjacent. It was so much fun. Everyone got along beautifully, and we all enjoyed having a few drinks and getting know each other. Our rehearsal dinner was held in the restaurant above the bar, and afterwards the wedding party congregated at the bar for a second night of fun. As the night went on more and more wedding guests arrived at the beach and decided to meet us at this bar. It was so much fun! Many of J's good friends from his life showed up, so it was a huge reunion of the various people's we've known in our lives. One of his friends even brought a huge box of Fudge Rounds, an inside joke from his three college roommates. It was quite obvious to the other bargoers that this was a wedding group, and we were getting congratulations all around. One of the most touching moments was when an older gentleman and his wife came up to us asking about the wedding and offering their congratulations, and the man went up to the band and they let him sing a song to us. Totally unexpected but lovely and memorable.

When I awoke on my wedding day I was in preparation mode. I got breakfast, showered, beautified, and dressed to wait for the hairdresser to come. Many brides are very nervous and teary-eyed on their wedding day, but I wasn't at the least. In fact everyone said that I was one of the calmest brides that they'd ever seen. After I had my hair done--one hour before I had to be at the church--I was even standing in the kitchen eating fried chicken legs. My husband was the nervous one, and it didn't make it any better that the tuxedo company had not packed the bowtie. Someone from the shop had to drive it thirty minutes down to him, and luckily it reached him in time.

I started to get a little jittery when I arrived at the church, but I was in go-time mode. I was excited--I'd been wanting to marry Jeremy ever since we started dating--and wanted the show on the road. I was a little upset, because while waiting in the hallway to walk into the church I could hear it pouring down rain outside, but I took it in stride and waited for my dad to walk me down the aisle.



We had a Catholic wedding, which meant it was guaranteed to be long. Not a Full Mass, since my family isn't Catholic, but still a good forty-five minutes. It flew by, though. For the most part it was your "typical" ceremony, except when I nearly tripped walking up to the altar (only a couple of people noticed), my cousin dropped her reading glasses when reading the prayer, and the priest got the details of my profession wrong (I remember looking at my cousin with a confused look on my face). I loved when we exchanged rings, because we did this thing where we said "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," and we would gently slip the ring on the index, middle, and then ring finger, and when the priest, who was VERY Irish, gave us an unexpected and beautiful Irish blessing at the very end. I wish we had filmed the wedding in retrospect, but we didn't and will have to rely on our memories.

After a good hour of picture-taking after the ceremony we headed to our reception, otherwise known as the best party I've ever been to. J had gotten his groomsmen sunglasses and pimp LCD belt buckles that they wore when being introduced, which got a laugh. The place was beautifully decorated, with candles, rose petals, and flowers. We were economical and used the flowers from the church at the reception hall.


I was very worried about how the music at the reception would go, because the DJs had to be changed at the last minute. Our original DJ had an emergency come up and recommended his friend, also a DJ. We met the day before the wedding to discuss our plans for music, and I gave him a list of songs to hear and for what event, and a list of other songs we wanted to play. My worries were luckily fruitless, because he was absolutely amazing. We danced our first dance to a song called "Closer to Me" by a local band we fell in love with while dating named Claire and Bain Maple Yum Yum. I had chosen the father-daughter dance to be "More Than a Woman" by the Bee Gees because my dad always loved them, and it was a huge surprise of a dance. I had expected the typical dance, but my dad, who is NOT the dancer, decided to through caution to the wind and go all disco. He spun me, twirled me, moved me all around the floor. I wasn't even drunk, and it was one of the best dances ever! Everyone was shocked at the dance but absolutely tickled, because it was actually REALLY good! I just wish that I had a video! The DJ was also very attentive to the list of music I'd given him. My grandmother went to Duke and is a HUGE fan, and I thought she would get tickled if he played their fight song. He actually spent the time to find it and played it for her, and she loved it. He made sure to play "Hang On Sloopy" for the huge number of (the) Ohio State fans in the house.


The food was wonderful. I did get to eat some, but I was having too much fun talking to everyone at the reception. The cake was beautiful as well, and it was hands-down the best cake I've ever eaten. People to this day still talk about it. We had champagne flutes for the first toast, but there was no choreography for this by the hall's staff, so we had no champagne to toast.


After the formalities the dancing started again. Everyone was drinking and having such a good time. My cousin, not without drink in hand the entire night, busted out into an impromptu dance when Michael Jackson came on, and everyone got a huge kick out of it, because he was GOOD. I got so hot from dancing that I had to scour around and find pins to put my hair up. (I sweat a lot and get really red in the face when I dance.) One of my favorite party songs from college was Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back", and the DJ played it for me as I sung every word...in my wedding dress...choreographed motions, including ones for "my anaconda don't want none if you ain't got buns hon", and all. Later in the night he also played more disco, and my dad came up me and we ended up dancing another disco just as good as the first.




Later came the garter and bouquet toss. My husband and I had long ago thought it would be funny if we did a twist on the garter toss by having him pull a menagerie of things out from under my dress. We told no one of this to make it more funny, so a couple of days before the wedding we hit up a typical tourist beach store and got things like handcuffs, a kitten stuffed animal, a crab, and a scuba diver. We tried to find things that would be really funny and have slightly kinky meanings. A little before the toss we went to a backroom and he helped me strap these things to my garter, and let me tell you, keeping them on was HARD. They stayed on, and it was one of the funniest parts of the wedding. The little kids really enjoyed it, too, because it was free toys for them. I had to do my bouquet toss twice, because the first time I threw it to hard and hit the ceiling.


Finally the reception wound down. We both attended the same college and wanted it to be a part of the reception, so the last song was the our school's fight song, and all alumni at the reception moved to the floor to sing the fight song. It was hilarious.

After the reception we went to change and then congregated again at the oceanfront bar for a few more hours of togetherness. After most people left all of our friends went on the beach and went swimming in the ocean in the dark. It was truly the most magical night and few days of my entire life, and I would give anything to be able to live them again.

The First Time I Saw Livers.
I did a scrapbook page about this awhile back. This is written to Livers from me.


"You were born on January 2^nd, 2007 by a Cesarean-section. Mommy had planned to give birth with an epidural, but after 12 hours she was in too much pain and too tired to go any more so Dr. Sikes decided to give Mommy a C-Section. She went in for surgery around 10:30, but things didn’t go as planned. Mommy was supposed to be awake for surgery so Daddy could be with her when Livy was born, but the spinals did not take. Because of this the doctor had to put Mommy under general anesthesia, which meant she would be completely asleep, Daddy couldn’t be with us, and we couldn’t be with you the moment you were born. When Mommy was put under it didn’t take but about 20 minutes for you to be born, and finally at 11:03 PM you arrived! Mommy, though, because of her surgery, had to wait to recover before she could meet you. When she woke up she groggily asked Daddy and Nana all sorts of questions about you, like if you grabbed Daddy’s finger, how big you were, and who you looked like. Mommy finally was rolled back into her room at around 1 AM, and shortly thereafter they finally wheeled you into the room so she could meet you. Mommy couldn’t believe how incredibly beautiful and tiny you were! You had been in her tummy for 9 months, and it seemed almost surreal that you were finally here and that she could hold you. She was afraid to hold you a bit, because you were so delicate-looking that she thought you would break. You were kind of groggy, but you did open your eyes and look at me and around the room. Mommy tried to breastfeed you, but you didn’t really seem interested (and wouldn’t for many days). You stayed in her arms for a few minutes, but she was tired (and you were, too) so the nurse put you in your crib to sleep. It was the best moment of your Mommy’s life. "

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Reflections

Livers loves to look out the window at the leaves, birds, planes (if she can see them), and "ackeys" (dirty and junk she happens to see). Some of the coolest pictures I get of her are when it's dark enough to see her reflection in the window. This is one of them.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! To view other participants, click back on the WW to your left.

At My Babyproofing Wit's End

Livers and I spend most of our time in the den. She also has access to the hallway, or runway as it more so should be called. (She rarely goes into the kitchen, because she's like a bat without wings in there. I can only jerk her off of the table so many times without going crazy.) The den has seen quite an evolution in its time with Livers. In the beginning it looked like this:


It was a warm and cozy adults' palace. I could leave stuff out on the coffee table (like the paint and supplies you see from when I was painting canvases for her room), not worry about a Christmas tree being climbed into, DVDs could be displayed in their glory, plants could rest without worry of being jerked or bitten, and wires could run freely along the floors. (Sorry about the preggo pic. It's the only decent pre-Livers room picture I could find).

Then Livers started to become mobile, rolling around and scooting on her fat little baby belly. The room had to change. The coffee table would get moved, all furniture was pushed to the edges of the room, and the rug was vacuumed regularly to give her ample space to roll around without looking like she was going to be deep-fried in dog fur.


And THEN she started to sit and pull up, and it was a whole new ballgame. She started to explore and get into things that she didn't need to be messing with.

Things like Mama's People Magazine. Good thing I had read it already.

And Daddy's computer. And Lacey.

The coffee table had to be replaced with a much smaller one that could be moved out of the way during the day. Gates were bought and put up. It looked like Fort Knox. Wires and cords were tucked away, and those that couldn't be were duct-taped to the wall or floor (we're a little ghetto like that).

Remember what the first Christmas tree picture was like? All free to hang out. Well, this year was in prison, and it was constantly being assaulted by Little Miss Long Arms. Only one ornament bit the dust, though, which was surprising.

Slowly but surely, Livers began to find the weaknesses in our defenses against her shenanigans. As she learned she could reach a book on a table, book would have to be put away. As she figured out how to reach over the gate and pull a DVD off of the shelf, the DVDs were moved lower or higher so she couldn't get them. (And as she got taller, pens were shoved tight between DVDs so she couldn't pry them off of the shelves.) When she poked her little fingers through the holes in the gate to reach a plant, I sadly had to move the only greenery in the house to different locations with less light and visibility.


Our little cozy den was turning into a giant playpen. DVDs, books, pictures, and lovely knick knacks were replaced with learning toys, bouncing balls, and baskets full of play things she was quickly outgrowing. As she learned to walk, these toys were being strewn into farther and farther reaches in the house. I learned to turn a blind eye to the clutter until bedtime, when I would rapidly put things back in their place to regain some semblance of sanity.


As Livers began to walk and run, we had to move a gate to give her the hallway to run up and down for hours on end. When she learned to climb on the sofa we had to push our wall-mounted lamps as close to the wall as possible to keep from from hanging on them and keep anything she might grab out of reach. More poor plants were relocated, and blinds were kept permanently pulled up, even though the strong winter sun was peaking through the barren trees.


When it became obvious that she needed more room, I repositioned the gates to give her more room, hoping she wouldn't figure out how to move tables to get to cords. (So far, so good. Only a matter of time, though.) It was nice, because it gave the illusion of a return to a normal room. Just overlook the toy store we're operating out of it.

See the gate behind her? There's actually two. One gate is tied to another one. You improvise.

Trying to either assault the lamp (she broke the first one), pull on speaker wire, or chew on the window sill. I caught her trying to do that today.

I believe, though, that this poor den is about to reach its end. Yesterday Livers figured out how to get BEHIND the gate (by pushing it down and climbing around it). We learned this by watching her unbox all of my Friends DVDs. I did a little bit more ghetto babyproofing, pushing the TV stand as far back to the wall as I could (because she likes to climb behind it to mess with wires) and tying the baby gate to it (to keep her from getting behind it). If this doesn't work, the next step is expensive, and I don't want to take it. It would mean mounting the TV to the wall and hanging the DVDs from racks mounted on the wall. I've got far better things to do with that money. Like by food. And gas. And pay my mortgage. Let's hope that it doesn't come to this, because Livers isn't one to listen to "no" (what 18-month-old is?), and I don't have the hours in the day to scold all day long.

Part of the new system. You can't see it, but the part of the gate hidden by the speaker is actually tied to the TV stand.

What happens when you try to wedge yourself between the wall and the TV stand and the space is only about four inches wide.

If anyone has an experiences with this they would like to share, words of wisdom, ideas to solve this problem, or amusing comments, then I am ALL ears.