Holly

So long, farewell, goodbye.

2010-12-31T00:40:00.000-08:00

To do:

Organize/backup all video footage.

Organize/backup all photos.

Start Project 365

Take Apple one-on-one classes so I can finally learn how to organize/backup (and edit) videos/photos.

Make scrapbook for Poppy.

Make scrapbook for Chloe.

Make scrapbook of my childhood.

Make scrapbook of Chris' childhood.

Update baby book for Poppy.

Start baby book for Chloe (I saved everything and the folder is getting mighty full).

Print and frame some favorite photos.

Knit.

Sew.

Learn how to use my bread machine.

Learn how to use Lightroom.

Prepare better meals.

Exercise/yoga.

Update my iPod.

Eagerly await 'Project Runway Season 9'.

Paint some rooms in my house.

Spend more one-on-one time with the girls.

Spend more one-on-one time with Chris (hubba, hubba);)

Meet me in St. Louis

2010-10-27T01:45:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, during the month of October, we've gotten together with Chris' family for a weekend getaway. Chris' dad rents a cabin/condo and we all meet there. This was the view from our room this year:

I wasn't the only one who liked it:

The lake had paddle boats and kayaks which the kids (and adults) all loved.

Costumes were encouraged:

Poppy and Chloe don't get to see their cousins as much as we would like. When Poppy does see them, she talks about it for weeks after. She loves them all, but I think it's safe to say that her current favorite cousin is Haley:

Poppy thinks she is the cat's pajamas and the bee's knees between two pieces of sliced bread:

This:

...blew her mind!

Chloe on the other hand? Not so much:

She was happier in Mimi's arms (waving at Daddy in the paddle boat):

Plum tuckered out on the drive home:

Thank you for these memories, Paw-paw and Mimi!

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

- Jane Howard

Octoberfest

2010-10-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Homemade garland:

Store-bought window-sticky things:

Natural smile:

Unnatural smile

(I promised her something or other if she let me take her picture- she took it very seriously- must have been a good something):

Pumpkin patch with the family:

Farm with preschool class:

That's all I got:)

Proud

2010-10-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Poppy drew her first (that I know of) person. She says it's me. I think I will frame it:

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

Pablo Picasso

Dear Poppy,

I will do my best to help you remain an artist always.

Love,

Your proud mom

Finally

2010-09-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hi again! Long time no blog.

Let's see, what have we been up to? I had to look back through my pictures to remember.

I took this picture of Poppy wearing her dad's Tulane hat. And no shirt- love it:

We went to Ohio for a wedding and we all got to meet our niece, Madison, for the first time. My brother and his soon-to-be wife:

I love this candid shot. I've known Kelsey since she was in her mother's belly:

I took this picture of Chloe:

Two years ago, I took this picture of Poppy. Same spot, same dress, same pink puppy(?), same time of year:

I'm too lazy to figure out how to rearrange these photos so we're back in Ohio now. We also got to see my other brother and his kids. Here he is with Poppy:

Chloe was a sick little mess, but she was a trooper:

Poppy moved into a new classroom at preschool. She is still with the same teachers and classmates (which we're very happy about) so the transition has been easy. This is the best shot I could get because she was just SO excited:

I invested in Lightroom. I'm having fun playing around with it. Chloe:

Good news: Poppy has been asking me to take her picture!

Bad news: This is what she wants me to take a picture of:

I'll take what I can get.

I went to NYC with one of my besties. Just the two of us for a girls' weekend. Chris took care of the girls for three days. Alone. Thank you, honey. You rock. Can I do it again soon?

I have to clean this three times a day:

She's worth it:

Back in NYC. Fifth Ave from Bergdorf's:

Another random shot of Chloe. She's waking up from a nap. The girls wake up happy, like their dad:

And the most exciting news (for me anyway)... the girls and I saw President Obama yesterday. He waved at us (that's him in the backseat):

I said to Poppy, "The President of the United States just waved at YOU!"

She replied, "Does that mean I know him now?"

I'm thinking...Yes?

Swimming

2010-08-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Recently on the Pioneer Woman's site, in this post, she wrote this:

"Those early stages of motherhood. If you're going through it right now, please cherish it and clutch it closely to your heart. Savor it. Swim around in it.

Because tomorrow your baby will be 5' 11''."

It was a nice reminder.

And don't even get me started on this commercial:

Hurts the heart.

And so I savor. And swim.

I'll be back here when I get all prune-like and have to sit out for a little bit;)

Don't you smile!

2010-07-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say this works every time!

Our Fair (little) Lady

2010-07-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Poppy's preschool class went on a field trip to the Dane County fair. The local news was there, filming a bit about the animals and how they keep cool in the heat. If I didn't love where I lived before, I just fell head over heels.

Here is a the clip. Her preschool class is shown petting a chicken at about the :16 mark. Poppy is in the center.

One Cup Hot Coffee= One Post

2010-07-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Chris is on vacation this week so he took Poppy to preschool this morning. She even conned him into staying for circle time. Chloe just went down for her morning nap. She's happily babbling in her crib. I am watching 'Intervention'* while I savor a cup of coffee. I can't remember the last time I finished a cup of coffee without having to reheat it. It's a nice Wednesday morning treat.

I hope you had a special Independence Day. Just like last year, our neighborhood had a parade. This year it was longer, had a larger turn-out, and it ended at a nearby park. I'm not quite sure who sponsored it but I'd like to give whomever is responsible a great big hug. It was sweet, very small-townish. There were hamburgers and hot dogs, face painting, a cake walk, a dunk tank, sack races, water balloons, and patriotic music. And a nice breeze. We are so thankful that life brought us to this place. And, of course, fortunate to live in this country.

Chloe- 17 months

July 5, 2010

Poppy- 7 months

July 1, 2007

~~~

I watched the finale of Project Runway season 4 last night. Love Christian Siriano. I wish I could carry him around in my pocket all day long:) And season 8 starts July 29. It will now be 90 minutes long! JACKPOT!

~~~

* I will never understand being desperate or hopeless enough to ever want to stick a needle filled with something that could kill me into my own veins. I just don't get it.

Hoard Drive

2010-06-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Promise you won't judge me? Promise? Okay. This morning I told Poppy that if she let me snap a few quick photos, I would give her two M&M's. She agreed. I took my pictures. She had two or six M&M's on the way to school. We were both happy. No harm, no foul, right? Good. Here's my issue...I have a really hard time deleting photos unless they are really terrible. Or of me:) For example:

This one is underexposed and not sharp enough, but I think it's a sweet picture of big sister reading to little sister. I can't bear to delete it:

I can't delete this because I just love the pained expression on her face. I know there will be one taken just like this when she is thirteen and we are on family vacation- it'll be so nice to compare won't it?:

This one I really like. No tough decision here. I love the big bright blue eyed expression:

This isn't my favorite composition, but again, love the expression and her little head in her hands. It's another keeper:

This one is obviously over-exposed, but I can't delete it because every time I look at it in the future, I will be taken right back to when Poppy was 3 and 1/2 years old:)

Not the best expression (I can see the annoyance if you can't), but the hands and the chin. Just can't delete it:

This one isn't going anywhere. It's my favorite of all of them:

Love the childish eye-pulling. It's staying:

Love the pursed lips. Staying:

Thought about deleting it but it is so representative of this anti-pose-for-picture stage. I have many like this but it's still a keeper:

Outside now. This was just a test shot but I love the focus on her little hand and the eyelashes:

Large head, little neck and shoulders, hair pulled back, silliness. Staying:

SO Poppy:

And the reason I grabbed my camera to begin with:

So just imagine about this many pictures a day x 2 (can't forget about Chloe) x 365 x 18 or if I have my way 35. Something's got to give. What is a mom to do? I can't be the only one with this dilemma!

Fierce

2010-06-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

So the other day I mentioned I discovered something that has taken over my life. That something is the television show 'Project Runway'. I have no idea why I decided to put it on hold at the library a few weeks back, but I am so glad I did. Have you seen it? In case you are way out of the loop like I was, it's basically a fashion design contest hosted by Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn among others. The three top designers show a collection at Fashion Week in NYC. I believe the seventh season just wrapped up and I think it's aired on Lifetime or maybe Bravo (I get it from the library or netflix).

I have absolutely no interest in fashion, but it is so interesting to watch someone create a garment out of a few yards of fabric. Sometimes they don't even have fabric to work with, which forces the designers to think outside of the box. I can't sew, but watching this show somehow makes me feel like with enough practice I could actually design and assemble clothing. I want to go out and buy a dress form just so I can teach myself to drape! As the season progresses, you can't help but choose favorites for which to root. Sometimes I can hardly stand the suspense as Heidi announces who is "in" and who is "out".

I started with season one and I'm now in the middle of season four. I am forcing myself to limit how many episodes I watch in a week. I could easily watch a whole disc of episodes in a row and not get bored. I've done a good job of avoiding reading anything pertaining to Project Runway online. I made the mistake of googling something because I was curious and couldn't help but see who the winner is going to be this season. Needless to say, it takes away the suspense.

Trust me, if you find yourself in a TV rut and you're looking for a good show to watch you should give it a chance. Only a hot mess would not like it;)

Summer

2010-06-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of the first official day of Summer (!)...a post:) It's a good thing writing this blog is not my job because I would have been fired a long time ago. Or at the very least would have several demerits. I just need to get into the habit of writing something every day, even if it bores ME. What have we been up to? I had a birthday which included sleeping in and chocolate cupcakes. Poppy started summer school. I was able to chaperone my first field trip (without Chloe) with her class. We took the city bus downtown, it's the perfect way to transport a group of preschoolers. I discovered something that has completely taken over my life- it deserves it's own post- stay tuned.

My goals for this summer:

- Get outside every day...hike...bike...swim...walk...plant...weed...play...something. Every. Day.

- Try and have cleaning/chores done by nap time so the afternoon can be fun time. Should be easy to do on school days.

- Prepare dinner early so we can stay out as late as possible.

-Plan meals around what's fresh and local. We love summer salads for dinner. I'll be sure to share any good ones.

- Can/jar as many things as I can get my hands on. Last year we made strawberry jam and we ran out mid-winter. This year I want to try tomatoes/sauce.

- Go to the pool as much as possible.

-Get a telescope and use it.

-Make it to some of Madison's family friendly events...there are so many and last year I'm not sure we went to any:(

- Discover new places to explore...parks, hiking trails, etc.- there are so many great places in our area.

- Try not to get any more depressed about the gulf oil disaster. Chris went to Tulane for undergrad and NOLA is his favorite place in the world. If this doesn't convince our nation to get behind making the shift to alternate energy sources- I don't know what will.

- Take lots of pictures and soak it in. There will only ever be one summer of 2010:)

What are your plans for the summer?

Captured...

2010-06-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

A real smile:

Sisters swinging:

Lilacs:

Hatchlings:

Post-nap happiness:

"Lucy" in time-out:

Baby bum:

Typical Madison:

Toe meeting tongue:

Two thumbs up:

Jackie Hutton:

Loving:

Pointing:

Coloring and caffeinating:

...forever.

Inspired and Encouraged

2010-05-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Almost a month ago I was lucky enough to attend the first of many photography workshops now being offered by Donna Boucher. My intention was to post about it before we left for Kiawah Island, but I got hung up on the editing thinking I was going to invest in Lightroom (editing software). Then I realized that Adobe is releasing a new version in the coming months so I'm going to hold off a bit. I did not want to wait any longer, however, to talk about the workshop as it was the highlight of the month for me so I quickly edited in iphoto all of the following photos taken that day.

The day long workshop was geared toward "inspired beginners". There was a nice small group of us so we were all able to ask as many questions as we wanted, and we asked plenty. If Donna drinks, she definitely had a drink when we left her place;) The day started with monkey bread:

As far as I'm concerned, any day that starts with monkey bread is a good day. She also served a yummy lunch. We were spoiled.

Donna's daughters were our models for the day. They were both as sweet and patient as they are beautiful. And they are truly stunning. In my humble opinion, they have the perfect hair color.

Top ten things I learned at the workshop:

1) How to find the light. Photography is, after all, all about the light. Donna pointed out how to find it and how to make it work for us.

2) Focus on the eyes and make sure they are reflecting the light. It makes all the difference.

3) It is okay to have your own style. I happen to like less saturated images and I learned how to achieve this effect in camera (and through editing/post processing). I also like pictures taken in window light when one side of the face is sort of shadowed (like the one above). And I like that you can tell that it was overcast outside.

4) A great local spot for a photo shoot:)

I can't wait to take my girls here.

5) How to operate my camera manually! Until now I'd always used aperture priority. Now I can find just the right exposure and adjust the settings as I see fit in a given situation. I'm practically a professional after this workshop;)

6) Either I have arthritis or my new lens is HEAVY. Which means I have to be mindful of keeping still and use a faster shutter speed for sharpness.

7) How to take a good action shot!

8) I like averted gazes as long as I can see the eyes. I think I read this somewhere before and it's true- if you can't see a good portion of the iris it doesn't look as good.

9) And smiles like this...when you wonder what the person is thinking. This picture reminds me of the Mona Lisa:

10) Katie is as silly as she is sweet and is a perfect muse:

It was a wonderful day, full of fun people, photography, learning, sharing, good food and a new Land's End bag. I wish everyone could have a day like this every month.

If you are in the area (or not- Madison is a great place to visit) and have an interest in learning how to take better pictures, I highly recommend this workshop.

Donna, thank you! Consider me inspired and encouraged:)

Flower Girl

2010-05-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

I was given the OK to post these professional shots of Poppy as a flower girl back in April. I can't believe this little child is mine (she's the short one):

(All photos by RK Photography)

On the way to Trader Joe's today:

Me: "Oh look- those flowers are so pretty! See them?"

Poppy: "Yeah"

Me: "I think those were Poppies"

Poppy: "No, no, no, those were someone else's"

Folks, it just doesn't get any better than that.

Home

2010-05-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

We're home now and back to reality. Kiawah Island was almost perfect. The only thing it lacked (in our opinion) was good restaurants. Do you find resort restaurants to be very mediocre? Someone needs to capitalize on this and cater to the foodies. That would be a place I'd return to year after year. Other than that, the week was wonderful. We practically had the place to ourselves, beach and all. We drove into Charleston on our one rainy day and took a driving tour of the Battery and Rainbow Row. We also went to the South Carolina Aquarium in town. My mom drove up from Florida for the day and Chris and I were able to get away for a quick walk on the beach. Unfortunately, we missed the last plane out of Detroit on Saturday and had to drive back to Madison through the night. Delta: doesn't even leave the airport (got that from Miz Boo- she is too funny). Ain't that the truth. I'll spare you the details, but suffice to say we will never fly Delta again. They could learn a thing or two from JetBlue.

That's all for today, just wanted to sit down and post something before any more time went by:)

I thought these pictures were funny:

Chloe, 15 months:

Me, 13 months:

Week in Photos- Part 3

2010-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Week in Photos- Part 2

2010-05-04T18:53:00.001-07:00

Week in Photos- Part 1

2010-05-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

I have a hobby!

2010-04-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

So I finally did something I've been wanting to do for years; I signed up for a knitting class! Tonight is the last of three classes. I've yet to get past four or five rows before I just give up and unravel everything, but I get more and more comfortable each time I practice. My goal is to knit a scarf and fingerless gloves by next winter. At my current rate it will take me until then;)

Other happenings in our household:

- We gave up on ballet classes for Poppy. It became more of a stressor than we need so we just made the decision not to go back. If she shows an interest in the future (and I REALLY hope she does) we'll take her to a different place and hope that works out better. She got a really adorable dress-up costume out of it though!

- After reading other blogs about bird watching, I picked up a bird feeder on a whim one day. When I got home I realized I had nothing to hang it on so it's just sitting on the ground off of our back deck. But, the birds are coming and I am really loving trying to figure out what kind they are. So, I guess that's two new hobbies. The other morning Poppy said "look Mommy it's a carn-i-dal", and she was right. I can not tell you how awesome that was to me:)

- Speaking of Miss Pop and awesomeness...this was an exchange we had yesterday that Chris and I got quite a chuckle out of:

Poppy: banging on the oven door with a wooden toy hammer

Me: "Now I want you to ask yourself if you think that is an okay thing to do" (in hindsight, probably not the best choice of words I'll admit)

Poppy: "Is this an okay thing to do...Poppy?"

- Poppy was recently a flower girl in her old nanny's wedding. We were a little worried during the first run-through because she started crying when it was her time to walk. She quickly made friends with the other older (five) flower girl (and pretty much would have done anything for her she adored her so) and she eagerly walked and dropped petals alongside her. They both looked adorable and I think Serah, the bride, was probably the most beautiful bride I've ever seen in real life. She looked like she walked right out of a bridal magazine.

- We finally finished the painting project we started in December! We decided for the sake of our sanity to just hire someone. Now I can stop obsessing about paint colors and start obsessing about framing pictures and where to hang them! If I didn't have something to obsess about my life just wouldn't feel right:)

- I used some points from my reward credit card and got a little Canon point and shoot camera. In no way does it compare in quality to my DSLR, but it is a heck of a lot easier for certain things. And my husband can use it which is a huge bonus. I'm loving the video feature (this was taken at the wedding):

-In preparation for summer, we got Chloe a bike helmet. It's so big on her, I think it throws off her center of gravity:

It's a good thing she's just riding in a bike trailer.

-We went on a date night to see 'Date Night'. In my opinion you can't go wrong with Tina Fey (why can't she live next door to me? why, why why?) or Steve- put them both together and I'm there. I give the movie two drinks up:

Yes, I suggested we take pictures in front of the 'Date Night' poster because, yes, there was Bailey's in my coffee:)

- I named this blog "Holly needs a hobby" because it is one of my husband's favorite things to say to me when he comes home from work and I unload all of the things I've been thinking about all day long. He'll say "girl- you need to get a hobby!" I also thought the Holly Hobby thing was cute. It wasn't my first choice though. My first choice was "Does this blog make my butt look big?"- but it was already taken:)

What about you? If you have a blog, why did you name it what you did? And if you don't have a blog, why not! And what would you name it if you did?

I think this may be my longest blog post ever! What can I say? It's been awhile- I've missed you:)

Eighty Degrees!

2010-04-01T20:47:00.001-07:00

What we've been up to

2010-03-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

Chloe and I had fun sorting through Poppy's old saved clothing for suitable hand-me-downs. She is now set for spring and summer in terms of clothing. I love putting Poppy's old things on Chloe:) As Chloe grows out of them I stash the special items away for safe keeping. I'm not sure what I will do with them yet, maybe a quilt someday, maybe give them to the girls when/if they have little ones of their own. I wonder at what age it's appropriate to stop saving things. At some point I'm going to run out of room for storage bins.

We are having the best spring break weather! We've been outside every day, to the park, zoo or just our yard. I think our dog thinks he's died and gone to heaven.

I love this shot, I took about 700 to get this one:

And I don't know about where you are, but here in Wisconsin I think it's safe to say we are all feeling like this:

Our house guests (the guinea pigs from Poppy's classroom) are making themselves right at home. And I'm happy to report they don't stink at all. I would never get our own but to have them around for the week is fun, particularly for Poppy. Aren't they cute? I love how they match:

I bribed her with a sucker to get this shot- the light was just perfect:

And that's about it. We're going outside now- we have rocks to climb in our Christmas apron:)

NOT this moment

2010-03-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

Some tube or something came loose last night when I was washing the dishes. Thank goodness for my prep sink (it just dawned on me as I was typing this that I could use it to wash dishes). I just ordered the part Chris thinks we need. It cost as much to ship the part (overnight) as the part itself cost.

The joys of home ownership:) Oh well, at least we have a home.

I volunteered to take Poppy's class guinea pigs over spring break. I hope they don't stink. I never notice an odor in her classroom so I think I'm safe. It should be an interesting week.

Happy Weekend:)

Sunshine, Stars, and Straight Talk

2010-03-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying lovely weather this week, sunny and in the high 50's. We met some friends at the park for a picnic yesterday. This particular park has a shoe slide. So cute:)

I really wish I could get this kid to eat something other than a cheese sandwich for lunch. I packed an egg salad sandwich, a cheese sandwich, cantaloupe, pineapple, and broccoli. I knew the little girl we were meeting liked broccoli and I was hoping that the peer pressure would lead to Poppy eating the broccoli. It didn't work, "little tree" talk and all. She ate a tiny piece of cantaloupe and the cheese sandwich. I try to sneak veggies into as much as I can but it's really hard with her. She's really funny about the texture of food so even if she can't taste it, she can feel it in her mouth and will spit it out. I will stop boring you with the details.

The park is next to the zoo so we stopped by before leaving. It's free so it's worth a trip even if you can't stay very long.

When we got home we continued our picnic in the backyard. I can't wait until we can start having lunch (maybe breakfast? dinner even?) outside. The clean-up is so easy!

***

I missed Dancing with the Stars Monday night so I watched it last night online. Pamela Anderson is perfect for that show. I wonder if this season's ratings will be higher because of her? I feel for the pro's that are paired with stars that obviously will not go far. I wonder if the pairings are random?

***

Poppy likes to point out the elementary school down the road from our house when we drive past. She knows that she has two more birthdays before she'll go there. After she reminded me of this fact this morning, she added:

Poppy: "I get lots of presents for my birthday"

Me: "you sure do, but you know...the best thing about your birthday is that we can all celebrate you"

Poppy: "me?"

Me: "yes...it is your day to realize how special you are...presents are nice but they aren't everythi-"

Poppy: interrupting me "I don't like carrots"

We then passed a lake.

Poppy: "you have to be very careful if you see a duck so you don't fall in the water"

Me: trying to reinforce the importance of floating on her back "yes, that's right. Do you know what to do if you fall into the water?"

Poppy: "wear goggles!"

And with that I wish you a happy Wednesday!

Memory Lane

2010-03-22T00:23:00.000-07:00

As I searched through my photos to find a more spring-appropriate header picture, I was taken back in time. Back to California, to our tiny one bedroom apartment that in the summertime was so stifling hot that we were forced to check into a hotel to escape the heat. We did not like living in Los Angeles. I counted the days until we left. But our time there was special.

Those were the days when Poppy was in the infant seat:

and teething:

and in the carrier:

and the high chair:

One of my favorite things about that little apartment...Poppy's crib was in our room, at the foot of our bed:

My world revolved around her. It was not uncommon for me to just sit and watch her sleep:

Eventually she would wake up:

And we would have our daily photo shoot:

We had a large balcony with a spectacular view. We loved sitting outside at dusk:

I cherish that time. What I wouldn't give to hold that baby again, if just for a moment.

But isn't this what makes each moment, each day of our lives so special?

Once the day is gone...

...it's gone.

Live in the moment! And take pictures!

And when you look through them years later...have a tissue handy:)

Spring Fever

2010-03-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

We have the fever. Do you have the fever?

This is how it looks outside my window here today, this first day of Spring:

Soon enough it will look more like this:

One can hope!

In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.

-Mark Twain

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!

-Mark Twain

Sun, sun, sun...here it comes:)

2010-03-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Despite being sick (I now have the voice of a man...lovely) I was able to get much accomplished this last week. I completed a long overdue project for Poppy's preschool classroom, we gathered all of our tax stuff for the accountant, and I took everything I've been saving to donate to the thrift store. It feels SO good.

I guess this is Chloe's idea of helping with the taxes:

We went to the playground today. It's beginning to feel very spring-like in our neck of the woods! This year Chloe was able to participate:

When we got home we stayed outside until it got chilly. I put down some blankets on the brown soggy grass and we all basked in the sun.

At dinner tonight, Poppy asked why we were eating dinner when it wasn't dark outside. Kids are so perceptive. I hadn't even noticed.

***

Last night Poppy hit Chloe and Chris and I were helping her find the words to apologize.

Chris: "I'm sorry for hitting you Chloe."

Poppy repeated.

Me: "And I won't hit you again because hitting is not nice."

Poppy repeated.

Chris: "I love you Chloe."

Poppy repeated. And then added one last bit of her own:

Poppy: "Amen."

Is it wrong that this makes me smile? I love that kid.

This Moment

2010-03-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

***

I'm sick this week. We missed swimming and music classes. Today I will make my third trip to the Apple store in as many weeks. I managed to get a workout in this morning, but I'm pretty sure the bagel with Nutella I consumed afterwards pretty much cancels that out.

Happy Weekend:)

This Moment

2010-03-05T10:43:00.001-08:00

I love this idea from SouleMama, one of my daily reads. One photo, no words.

This moment I want to remember:

This and That- Part Two

2010-03-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

I've been remiss in not mentioning THE Amazing Race. Are you watching? Which teams do you like? I'm going with Dan and Jordan. If for no other reason than the fact that he makes fun of this one so that I don't have to:

THE Iraq? Seriously? Poor girl. If they win I don't think I'll ever stop rolling my eyes.

***

American Idol. I'm not sure about the guys. I like Andrew Garcia. The girls? I think Crystal Bowersox is by far the best singer. But I think some of the other girls have more of "it", as Simon would say. Stage presence, charisma, the American Idol "look". If I were voting, it would be for Crystal.

***

Last night at bedtime:

Poppy: "But, I want to sleep in your bed"

Me: "I know honey, but remember I told you that Mommy and Daddy need special Mommy and Daddy time at night"

Poppy: after long pause "but, I need Poppy time.

***

The other day in the car:

Me: "I love you Poppy"

Poppy: "I love you, too sweetie"

***

We read this book last night for the first time (I hope these pictures show up!):

Madeline falls into the river below and a dog saves her. Poppy has been very concerned about Madeline drowning ever since. She told me she would like another Madeline book without the drowning. I agree...sheesh.

***

Have you seen these children's books?

So far we have 'Dancing with Degas' and 'A Magical Day with Matisse'. We love them. I love that they're board books. I love the text and, of course, the pictures- all art masterpieces. At the end of each book is a list of the paintings and the museums in which they appear. I purchase few books (I prefer the library), but I will be purchasing this whole set over time.

What about you? Any favorite children's books? I'd love to hear:)

This and That

2010-03-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

Poppy wanted to play outside this weekend so we decided to try and go sledding in the backyard:

It didn't go so well (but I'm loving my new camera lens!):

If you can't tell they are both crying:

In other news...Chloe is not only crawling but starting to pull herself up on things. I walked in to her room last week and found her sitting up in her crib (she's figured out how to stand, too). I was shocked and couldn't help but laugh. I can't believe how much she's advanced developmentally in just the past month.

She also has two teeth now (her first).

My shopping trip to Schaumburg went well, wouldn't you say?

Out of all of this, Poppy was most thrilled with the glue and scissors:)

And last but not least! I made this valentine for Poppy to discover at school. I am NOT crafty, but I try. I got this idea from Martha Stewart and while it isn't perfect, I was pleased with how it turned out. And Poppy loves it which is all that matters.

I think a whole bouquet of these would be adorable in Poppy's room. Chris gave Poppy her own little bouquet of flowers for Valentine's day. We put them in a little vase on her bedside table. She thought it was the coolest thing since the moon. So did I:)

Friday Fun

2010-02-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Chris and I went and worked out together this morning! Yea for us:) I'm trying to get him to come to yoga classes with me, too. I'll have to talk about my love for yoga another day because I could go on and on. Here's a video of Chloe trying to get to my computer. Don't mind the shoes in the background (or the plug- I was sitting right there), they're clean...I only wear them inside when I workout at home. So essentially they're brand new;)

I can only hope she maintains this positive reaction to the word "no"!

Off to take a family nap...aren't those the best? Especially after a good workout?

Wow

2010-02-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about Joannie Rochette? She skated beautifully last night. I wish I could embed a clip but you can see it here.

Dear Joannie,

You were the embodiment of grace, dignity, and strength last night. I don't know how you pulled that off. You should be very proud of yourself. Your mommy would be.

xoxo,

a new fan

It was really unbelievable. My heart aches for her.

***

Speaking of figure skating...I spied these at a thrift store a while back and snatched them up before I even checked the size.

I've tried my best to use the Olympics to create some enthusiasm about ice skating. Poppy's first experience was...well...a non-experience, as she refused to even set one foot on the ice. She keeps telling me that maybe when she's older she might want to try again. Really? Well apparently you haven't seen this (Rachael Flatt skating at age three-you won't be able to stand the cuteness) my darling.

That's right. Time's a wasting Poppy, time's a wasting!

Almost Paradise

2010-02-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

I am writing from a hotel room in Schaumburg. I am a very happy woman. My very caring and thoughtful husband is home with the little ones so I could get away for a few nights. ALONE. He rocks. This is also a little bit of an effort to wean Chloe, but judging by how acutely my (ahem) chest is aching I'm not convinced that will be a successful endeavor. I am:

Singing loudly in the car to adult music (and learning which songs to never, ever, under any circumstances sing karaoke)

Going where I want, when I want. ALONE!

Sleeping until 10:30am and finally getting out at 1pm

Watching ice-dancing uninterrupted (it's sad how much I miss DVR service- I maintain it's one of the best inventions of my lifetime)

Watching Intervention episodes on my computer (I recently discovered this show and I can't get enough- even though I really don't have much sympathy for addicts. The families are what get me.)

Eating Cheesecake Factory take-out (probably more than once)

NOT working out (even though there is a perfectly good treadmill available)

Shopping- I'm not generally a fan of shopping, but when I can plan what I need and do it alone it isn't too bad I guess. I picked Schaumburg because they have a decent mall with some stores that I like (that we don't have in Madison) and an Ikea (again, not in Madison). I'm also hoping to find a few decent thrift shops and maybe an art supply store.

Missing my family. Much more than I anticipated. I am thoroughly enjoying this solitude, but I'm so filled with gratitude for my family and looking forward to getting home to them refreshed and recharged. And nursing Chloe- ouch:)

***

I'm not sure why some of the pictures I post aren't showing up- on the last post I had a few pictures of the German pairs figure skating team. The man is biracial and resembles Barack Obama- an adult would never confuse the two (I would hope) but my three year old did.

A few posts back I posted a picture of Valerie Bertinelli as my inspiration for finally getting a gym membership. Have you seen her? Amazing.

I thought I would clarify since I'm obviously not good at sharing pictures from the web!

Not PC

2010-02-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

But, I'm going to share anyway.

Are you watching the Olympics? The only thing I'm interested in is the figure skating. I could sit and watch it all day. Last night Poppy and I were watching and the German team was skating:

As they sat to hear their scores Poppy said "there's Obama!"

Just a little side note- has anyone else noticed how many times President Obama is referred to simply as 'Obama' instead of 'President Obama'? I don't recall President Bush (or any other former President) being called 'Bush'. I find it interesting.

Anyhoo...

I couldn't help but smile. She always notices if he's on television and I can see how she might be confused:

My sweet little innocent three year old:)

P.S. I have a question for you bloggers. When is it appropriate for me to share the source of a photo? It's easy to do from Flickr, for instance, but what about an AP photo like the one above. I want to give credit where credit is due. And not get fined or something crazy like that:)

Progress

2010-02-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

So I mentioned Poppy started ballet classes. It's taken some time but she's feeling more comfortable. Much like her father and me, she needs to be eased into new social situations. She spent most of the first class sitting in one spot watching or just doing her own thing. She finally decided it might be fun to join in:

Little girls in ballet attire are quite possibly THE cutest thing ever:

Poppy is the one in the middle (with perfect form- wink wink):

She still does her own thing sometimes, but we're moving in the right direction:

It's not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

There is a recital in May at a local high school. I'm not sure how that's going to shake out- I'll keep you posted:)

One

2010-02-08T11:47:00.001-08:00

February 2009

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January 2010

First your daddy and I found each other.

Then we had your sister, Poppy, who made us a family.

Then we had you, who makes us a complete family.

Now we have EVERYTHING.

Happy 1st Birthday Chloe Elizabeth! You make my heart sing:)

I can't believe I'm admitting this but...

2010-02-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

...for the first time ever, I'm watching American Idol.

I remember laughing with a friend about how "that show will never last". Boy was I wrong. So despite the fact that I lose a little of my husband's respect each time I watch (we have both prided ourselves on being above this kind of television trash), I've jumped on the bandwagon. I'm not sure why, maybe because it's Simon's last season and Ellen's first?

I think it's just okay so far, obviously orchestrated for shock value/entertainment. I wonder though if every reject is really serious. Some of those people have to be planted or staged or something. Even still, I don't like all of the ridiculing. I don't think it's funny, even if it is fake. I realize it's a competition but still.

Do you watch? Do you agree? Who is your favorite American Idol? Do tell!

Home

2010-01-28T18:34:00.000-08:00

We are home. I love coming home after being away. I love breathing in the familiar smell of my house as I walk through the door. It's the only time I'm ever aware that my house has it's own distinct smell.

Chloe's first flying experience went very well. She was happy sitting in our laps and looking around and eventually fell asleep.

We lucked out and had room to spread out on 3 out of 4 flights so I was easily able to breastfeed when I needed to.

Poppy kept herself busy looking out the window and watching her DVD player and slept a little.

We had a wonderful visit with my brother and his family. We timed it just right and were also able to see my dad and step-mom.

And the weather, the glorious warm(er) weather. It was a shock to us all to come back to such frigid temps! We're already planning our next cold weather escape.

In other news, I'm finally meeting with a personal trainer tomorrow.

I want to look like this:

I figure if she can do it at her age, I have no excuse.

Wish me luck- I will need it!

Still Here

2010-01-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hello- it's been awhile! We are all alive and well, I've just been lazy about blogging lately. I've even gotten behind on my daily reads which rarely happens. Let's see...what have we been up to?

Poppy started ballet lessons. I've been looking forward to putting her in ballet lessons since she was born (really before). Ballet and ice skating. She wants nothing to do with ice skating, but so far she seems very excited about ballet. She is the smallest, shortest one in her class. You can barely see her holding the teacher's right hand:

After I took this picture I had to go inside the studio and sit with her because, as usual, it took her some time to warm up to the idea. She eventually had fun and inquires about her next class every day. I will keep working on the ice skating- maybe next year!

Poppy has been home sick with a cough and fever for the past three days:

Poor thing. She's feeling better today. She might have even been okay at school today, but it's such a hard call to make at 7am. Yesterday we were on the way to school in the morning and she had a little coughing spell so I decided to turn around and keep her home. She was a good sport about it- she loves school and I could tell she was disappointed. She'll be very excited to see all of her friends next week.

Little Miss Chloe is finally eating. She has been for about a month or so. We're still waiting for teeth. She is starting to feel heavier in my arms (she's 15 pounds). Until now she's always seemed like such a little pip-squeak, but she feels much more substantial now. Especially in her carseat/carrier. She's reached the point of being heavy. After this trip out of town, we're giving her carseat to a friend. Chloe will start using Poppy's and we will get Poppy a new high back booster.

She is also on the verge of crawling. She gets around, but she can only go backward and I often find her in spots like this:

Cue R.E.M.:

It's the end of the world as we know it...

And we feel fine:)

We are taking our first flight as a family of four tomorrow. We're going to see my brother and his family in North Carolina. He's home from Afghanistan for R&R. Poppy is looking forward to playing with her cousins and it will be nice to experience some milder temperatures, if only for a few days. I'll be back next week:)

Lots of Rambling

2010-01-08T08:44:00.001-08:00

Chris is in New Orleans having a guys' weekend with a college buddy. He deserves it. I hope he makes it a regular thing. Not because we don't miss him when he's gone (believe me- WE DO) but because I think it's good for him. And then mommy can have her turn when the baby is weaned:)

Last night we made snow ice cream. Poppy enjoyed mixing it all by herself. I need to stop being so concerned about her making a mess and let her do more. I'm getting better. I let her pour her own cereal in the morning and she "helps" me with the milk. At her preschool the kids pour their own milk from a little pitcher. I like that. Maybe I'll fill a little cream container and let her use that at home. I love the whole Montessori philosophy and I could stand to implement it more in our daily routine.

Tonight we're having a pizza party. I'm making this dough (without the thyme and pepper flakes) and I'll let Poppy top her own little pizza. I'm guessing she'll go with extra cheese only. I think I might stop by Whole Foods for some veggie pepperoni. They do actually have some good substitutes for pepperoni. Bacon? Not so much.

I told her she could sleep with me tonight. She asks if she can sleep with us EVERY night so I think when daddy's away it won't hurt. I told her she could have a snack in bed, too. I can see the smile on her face now. I wish she were able to watch a movie. It would be fun but she's not quite there yet- she loses interest after about five minutes. She'll probably end up watching Mister Rogers while I "do some work" (read blogs, facebook, check e-mail, edit photos) on the computer.

Saturday we have a music class in the afternoon which is perfect because that is the hardest time of the day for me. It will give us a reason to get dressed and out of the house. And then Daddy comes home Sunday!

I forgot to mention that later today I'm going to a gym to get a family membership. I guess it's sort of a New Year's resolution (even though I don't really believe in those- any day is a good day to resolve to change something) but more than anything the timing is simply a result of finally getting around to it after the busy holidays/school break. Plus, we're planning to have Poppy take swimming lessons there and they start Monday.

This is my new screen saver:

I'm having a very challenging time with her right now so I try to soak in this picture when I can. I forget that she's only three. I get caught up in the whole "big girl" thing but really she's just a baby. I need to remember that.

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.

-Franklin P. Jones

Ain't that the truth.

A characteristic of the normal child is that he doesn't act that way very often.

-Author Unknown

Phewww. I think she's normal.

The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child.

-Joe Houldsworth

And patience. I would steal some of that if I could find some:)

Enjoying

2010-01-04T10:57:00.001-08:00

-being home again after a road trip to Kentucky to visit my in-laws (loved seeing you if you're reading!)

-my new 2010 calendar. I can't do any sort of electronic calendar. I like to have something in which to write and hold in my hands. I buy the same one every year and it's filled with lovely quotes like the one above.

-our fireplace

-washing and organizing lots of new clothing for the girls

-playing with my news camera lens

-these last few days at home with Poppy and Chloe before Poppy returns to preschool

-the fact that Poppy returns to preschool this week

I hope you're enjoying, too:)

Winter Break

2009-12-28T01:47:00.000-08:00

This is what that looks like at our house:

We had a wonderful Christmas including an early visit from Santa! I hope you did as well. I'll be back here once I can finally see my floors again:)

P.S. So far? Three is so, so, so much worse than two.

P.P.S. I could NEVER be a preschool teacher.

My gift to you:)

2009-12-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Somehow I ended up viewing old clips from Saturday Night Live on my computer tonight. I can't recall another skit in which the cast so completely falls apart. I can't watch it without crying (good tears). My favorite moment is about 4:40. Enjoy!

Adoration

2009-12-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

Mad Snowman-building Skillz Yo

2009-12-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

The weather outside certainly is frightful but we made the best of it today.

During Chloe's nap Poppy and I went "sledding" in the front yard. As was the case last year, her first snowy winter, she wasn't too impressed with the snow. I think she used her snowsuit twice last winter, for a total of ten minutes. If I could find a pair of gloves that would stay on her little hands she might be more eager to spend time outside in the bitter cold.

We did manage to build a snowwoman. She looks like the offspring of Jabba the Hut and Gene Wilder, with microcephaly:

Who knew it was so hard to take a picture of a snowwoman? So my homework assignment for tomorrow is to google "how to build a snowman" and "how to take a picture of a snowman":)

I decided today was a good day to bake. Someone was happy to join me (in last year's Christmas pajamas):

Our house was already a mess thanks to the painting project so a little flour wasn't going to hurt anything. She had the BEST time scooping and measuring and "making muffins".

I better at least get nominated for mom-of-the-year for this:

We ended the day with a special family movie night, something we've never done. After dinner and baths we all sat and watched 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' and had warm chocolate chip cookies in the family room. Poppy couldn't believe her luck. Neither could I.

It was a good day:)

Excuses

2009-12-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Well so much for the posting Monday-Friday thing! I'm not sure if that is a realistic goal for me. But, I really want it to be!

We decided to make the holidays really exciting this year so we're painting our whole house. And, as usual, by 'we' I mean 'my wonderful husband'. Someone has to rear the children:) Our current color is brown with pink undertones. We wanted to brighten and warm things up. We changed our mind about the color after a day and a half of painting, but we finally chose a nice neutral cream with yellow undertones. I can't wait to start putting things on the walls. We've held off because we knew we were going to paint and I think it's going to make a world of difference in terms of coziness. Can't wait to share the 'after' pictures:)

We've taken on another huge project- taking a decent holiday card photo.

Kind of makes painting seem like child's play:)

Minnesota Children's Museum

2009-12-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

We took the girls to the Minnesota Children's Museum while we were in Bloomington, MN. We'd heard good things about it and it did not disappoint. It was clean, not crowded, and had several interesting exhibits. There was even a small room available for nursing. We all had a great time and I highly recommend visiting if you ever have the chance.

Play is the poetry of the human being.

-Jean-Paul Sartre

She is Three

2009-11-30T20:47:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Poppy's birthday today!

She wanted strawberry cake so strawberry cake she got. I used the 'best birthday cake' recipe from smitten kitchen for the cake. It was good but I'm still searching for the perfect yellow cake recipe. For the frosting I added mashed strawberries to cream cheese frosting. She liked it:)

Dear Poppy,

You make me happier than I ever thought I could be.

You keep life fun and interesting.

You are very loved!

I hope you had a memorable third birthday.

I think you did because you asked us tonight if we could do it again sometime:)

I love you to the moon and back and then some:)

Mama

p.s. Yes, you may have a piece of cake for breakfast. Just don't tell daddy:)

Listen

2009-11-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, is the StoryCorps National Day of Listening (thanks NPR). The idea is to record a conversation with someone in your life as a keepsake. I just spent some time on their website listening to a few stories and I thought this was share-worthy:

Judge Joe Pigott and his wife Lorraine

Is it just me or could you sit and talk to that man all day long?

Now go and listen and record:)

Grateful Thoughts

2009-11-26T16:52:00.000-08:00

Grateful to be alive, to live in this country, this city, where we are safe and free.

For our warm house and our family. Our friends. Our health. My husband's job and his ability to provide for us.

For the library, farmer's market, TiVo, the internet, my macbook, my camera, and sweet tea.

For you!

Cheers!

Holly meets Ree!

2009-11-25T01:19:00.000-08:00

So we took a little road trip to Minnesota. We visited the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN to see Ree Drummond aka Pioneer Woman aka one of my favorite bloggers. She just released a new cookbook and was having a book signing. We decided to make a little family trip out of it.

We spent most of our time at the mall in the amusement park area. We were quite pleased with the number of rides available for Poppy.

I told Chris to take a picture of Poppy in the mirror. I love it:)

Mommy's turn. Shortly after Chris took this picture the nice lady who runs the ride came over to tell me that the camel that Poppy was sitting on was stationary and that it might be more fun for Poppy if we moved her. She was right. I shall pay more attention next time.

Poppy loved this little coaster. It was fast for such a little thing.

We also spent a lot of time in line for Ree. Almost four hours, it was crazy. They were filming for a new TLC show, "Mall Cops". I'll have to make sure it gets TiVo'd.

I could not have done it without Chris. I owe him big time. He helped me keep two little ones entertained and it wasn't easy.

All the ladies standing by us agreed with me that he deserves major brownie points (Ree even noticed he was with me and gave him mad props).

Finally she arrived! I was in the bathroom with Poppy so I missed most of her Q&A but I was able to snap this picture.

She was beautiful and sweet. It was great to finally meet her, although I stuck my foot in my mouth by asking "Do you have many vegetarian fans?" She looked at me like I might be a little crazy, given that she lives on a cattle ranch and wrote a cookbook full of meat-containing recipes. What can I say - I was a little starstruck and didn't know what to say. I really need to work on my small talk skills, but I'll try not to dwell on it too much - I know Ree understands social freaks like me ;)

Marlboro man turned the camera on the crowd.

So I'm not posting the picture of me and P-dub because:

a) it is out of focus much to my disappointment (I set it to aperture priority at 4.5 and set the ISO at 1000???)

and

b) I look like I smell something

But, this is a picture of Poppy not getting the hint that we needed to move along:

Chris had to intervene and pick her up and carry her off (I had Chloe). Ree was very kind about it. Thank goodness we had gotten to know the gal behind us quite well.

If you haven't heard of Pioneer Woman, you must check out her blog. She is funny, clever, and kind and writes about many things, there's a little something for everyone. Reading her blog makes me happy. And that's saying a lot considering her family raises cattle and I'm a vegetarian. Maybe there is hope for world peace after all!

You Betcha

2009-11-18T19:22:00.001-08:00

We are going to sleep in Bloomington, MN tonight. More about our trip later but for now...

2 nyquil gel caps

painfully slow internet connection (I will never again wonder if I really need those extra 5 gb's or whatever they're called)

Good Night!

Fight Club

2009-11-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

I think my Poppy has inherited my sleep disorder. I don't recall ever having sleep issues until college, during which it was not unusual for me to stay up all night, just not able to sleep. When 5 am rolled around I would get dressed and go to the gym. Boy are those days long gone. This is not to say I don't like to sleep, of that there is no question. My husband and I? We like our sleep. I think our marriage would have some serious issues if we didn't both respect the other's need for sleep.

As I type, this is what I hear from the other room:

Poppy: "Mom......my.....mom.....my.....mom.....my.....mom.....my". She doesn't need anything, besides maybe a shot of Benadryl.

My sleep issues went from bad to worse when I starting working 7p-7a as a nurse. Sure it was only three days a week, but let me tell you I can totally see why working the night shift takes years off of one's life. I swear I read that somewhere. You go from desperately needing to fall asleep even though your body doesn't really feel like it at 10am, to desperately wanting to close your eyes for just five minutes to make it through the night. It ain't fun. So, be kind to your night nurses:)

It doesn't help my sleep situation that I am a night owl. My husband thinks this is all in my head because he is a morning person. He could and would go to bed at 8pm every night if he had his choice. I never can. And he wakes up in a great mood. I never do. In fact, if I'm asleep by 11pm it's because I'm sick and on cold medicine. More often than not I'm up well past midnight. I get a mental second wind and my mind just will not relax.

So, when my precocious daughter refuses to fall asleep at night and insists on singing every song in her repertoire, I can't be upset with her. If she's not tired, she's not tired. It isn't her fault. I'm hoping things will get better once she gives up her nap, but I think she's destined to be a sleep fighter like her mother. I guess if this is the case, the good news is that when she gets older and it's age appropriate, I'll have a late night movie watching partner? Or maybe she's just being a normal almost three year old. It's anybody's guess.

I think she's finally out. Either that or she's temporarily lost her voice due to the strain placed on her vocal cords from the roughly five thousand songs just forced through them. Again, anybody's guess. I'm off to kiss foreheads...please let them be sleeping:)

Cool Camera Bag

2009-11-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

The Bowler

Quick Pics

2009-11-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

Chloe was nine months old on the fourth.

Hard to believe it's been nine months since this:

She had a PT/OT follow up this week and as I suspected she is a few months behind with her gross motor skills. She's behaving more like a six month old. I was told she needs more tummy time, so tummy time she will get. She is more on target socially/emotionally. She's a charmer, what can I say?

Today was her nine month well baby exam. She is indeed well. She weighs fourteen pounds. 50th percentile- adjusted for prematurity. Her hemangioma is starting to decrease in size. It will likely disappear by age five. Not much else to report- and that is a very, very good thing.

Yep...I think we'll keep her:)

Happy Weekend!

Let's talk Country

2009-11-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Shall we? Did you watch the CMA's last night? My thoughts:

I love that Hootie aka Darius Rucker is country now! Whenever we're having a challenging moment with the kiddos I try to lighten the mood by singing "it won't be like this for long" in my deepest country voice. Chris just rolls his eyes but I know he secretly likes it.

I heart Kellie Pickler. She's a little bit of a dingbat but I think she's just adorable.

I loved hearing 'The Devil went down to Georgia'- that song is dope or sick or whatever the kids are saying these days. It reminds me of my childhood.

I think Brad Paisley and George Strait are class acts. Of course I don't know them personally, but I would venture to guess they are good guys. We need more men like this.

Who is Lady Antebellum?

I need to get some Judds on my shuffle. Grandpa...tell me 'bout the good ol' days. It would be good warm-down music. Not that I'm familiar with that these days.

Good for Taylor Swift! She's such a talented, poised young lady. I'm not big on celebrity role models, I feel that parents and friends and family should be more of an influence on children. But, if my girls are going to be influenced by popular culture I would prefer Taylor over Miley any day of the week.

Speaking of Taylor Swift, I'm reminded of this interview recently on Oprah. Is this little girl not the cutest thing you've ever seen? Love her.

Speaking of cute kids, have you seen this?

You're welcome:) Off to return some stuff to the store. Note to self: do NOT look around. Chris will kick your ask.

The Secret

2009-11-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

I think I figured out the key to saving money, besides only buying what you truly need and budgeting. Don't ever go into a store to look around. This is not usually an issue for me. I don't enjoy shopping, but I do it out of necessity. Truth be told, if I wouldn't be considered eccentric for doing so, I would wear the same well-fitting, weather-appropriate, comfortable outfit every day. Oh wait, I do that now. Except for the well-fitting part. But I digress.

I went to shopping for a flowergirl dress that was recommended for Poppy. There wasn't one in her size. I would normally leave at that point, but today I made the gigantic mistake of looking around. One coat, one pair of boots, one set of hat-mittens-scarf, two tops, and one sweater later I finally left. Ouch. I really did need a new coat though. Anytime my husband agrees that I need something new, I know I must. What can I say? I aim to please:)

Happy Veterans Day...Hooah!

Oops

2009-11-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a break from balancing my checkbook (which isn't going well but I'm sure it's because I'm working on it in my bed at night) to post. Better late in the day than never!

Funny story from today. Let me start by saying Poppy brings home a lot of artwork. Wonderful, creative, original, and meaningful artwork. I love emptying her preschool cubby at the end of the day and talking about each masterpiece on our drive home. I don't love the paint stains on her clothing but that's another story for another post.

I do plan on keeping many of her school projects, but obviously some of them have to be- I feel guilty even typing this- thrown away. And some of them were, this morning when Poppy wasn't looking. Guess who found her own precious finger-paintings in the trash this evening? She said something along the lines of "what are these doing in here, these are mine, these are not trash".

She wasn't mad or heartbroken, just concerned. I think she believed my story that they must have fallen in accidentally when I was cleaning. I didn't have the heart to tell her I intended to throw them away. I'll let daddy have that little talk with her:)

I leave you with silly sister pictures. Good night:)

Glorious

2009-11-09T11:43:00.000-08:00

That's the kind of weather we had this weekend, appreciated that much more after the cold, rainy October we had here in Wisconsin. Chris was on call and gone both days until close to 7pm so it was just me with the girls, but I was determined to get outside and enjoy what could very well be our last nice weekend until the Spring. This led to my discovery of a new room in our house- the garage! Sure I knew it was a great place to keep our trash cans and recycling bins, lawn and garden supplies, and vehicles, but I'd underestimated it's value as a play area until this weekend.

The doors went up and out we went. Poppy roamed freely as I cleaned my car and then the garage itself. I swept and organized and brought in Poppy's picnic table for the winter, which she then took great pleasure in cleaning so that lunch could be had. I took advantage of the beautiful lighting and practiced with my camera. Chloe watched from her car seat until she fell asleep. It was such a hit we did the same thing on Sunday! I love our garage. It was tops on our 'must-have' list when we were house hunting after having lived without one for so long. We excluded many adorable, charming, old homes because they didn't have a garage. If having a garage is wrong, I don't want to be right:)

I know it's hard to believe that I have something even more exciting to tell you about than the weather and my garage, but I do! Look what my little almost-three-year-old is doing all by herself:

"Daddy is going to be impressed", she said. And she was right.

So long pushbar, see you in a few years!

I got nothin'

2009-11-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

It was an uneventful day in my neck of the woods today, but since I'm doing my own version of NaBloPoMo (national blog posting month) which I call MaMyPoSoMoThFr (making myself post something Monday through Friday), I feel compelled to at least post a picture.

I went in to make Poppy's bed one morning recently and found this:

It made my day:)

Delete

2009-11-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

I'm removing the photo. Sad. I guess you have to take the good with the bad when it comes to the internet.

Chloe went to see a pediatric ophthalmologist today to get checked for ROP. She was at risk for developing it due to her prematurity. She's all clear, her eyes are normal! Happy dance:)

Not much else going on today so I'll share some recent poppyisms:

***

Poppy (talking about her former nanny): "I like her. She is happy". And she's right:)

***

Me: "Poppy we can do this the easy way or the hard way"

Poppy: "The hard way"

***

Poppy (having fun): "I am very laughing"

***

Poppy (holding my bra- gosh, now I'm scared to type 'bra' lest I attract more wackadoos): "What are these?"

Me: "Those are hooks. That's how I fasten my bra"

Poppy: "I like hooks"

***

Chris (giving Poppy a smoothie): "It has all kinds of good stuff in it for you...calcium..."

Poppy: "I don't like calcium, it's spicy"

***

I love my little hot mess of a daughter:)

Please tell me I should not be worried. Hi Mr. President!

2009-11-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

So I use Sitemeter and more recently Google Analytics to monitor traffic to my blog. For the non-blogging readers who might not be familiar, this basically lets me know how many people view my blog on any given day, what search words were used to find my blog, geographic data, and a lot of other stats. I think it's the coolest thing to see a visitor from another country (or really any visitor). I'm easily amused. Anyhoo...I'd say about half of my visitors are via Google Images because of this photo:

(deleted)

It kind of creeps me out. Surely this innocent butt scratching toddler is not inviting the perverts. I would love to know why this photo is so popular. Any ideas bloggers? Do any of you get a lot of hits due to any single photo? Is there a way to extract key words from Google Images? Should I remove the photo or mark it in some way? What search words do you think one might use to find this image? Please, do tell:)

p.s. President Obama is in Madison today! He will be speaking at an elementary school in town and they are keeping everything very hush, hush. Otherwise, I would totally be wherever I needed to be to see him. I'm sure he would be nice enough to let me snap a picture of him with the girls while I gave him my .02 about this healthcare reform stuff:)

Simple but Special

2009-11-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to display some of Poppy's artwork and came up with this very simple idea.

Jute rope and clothespins:

I like very simple things. Shaker style all the way baby. I also wanted the artwork to stand out and the ability to easily update the display. This is what I did:

I just tacked some rope to the wall and hung our favorite masterpieces:

I love the way it looks, almost like Poppy did it herself:) I hung it in her play area for all of us to enjoy and it fits right in. I think it's a great way to encourage creativity and make her feel special. "Feel special", can you tell I've been watching a lot of Mister Rogers lately?

I might do something like this as our collection grows (picture found here):

But for now this is just perfect:

Sorry for the partial nudity. I can't keep clothes on the girl:) More on that tomorrow!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T04:21:00.000-08:00

Because we took pictures on the stairs last year:

I thought we'd start a tradition of taking halloween photos in this same spot every year:

We waited until it got dark and set out for Poppy's first trick or treat! I think it's safe to say I was more excited than she was. She was more interested in the moon, her most favorite thing:

We walked across the street and told her what to do.

Halloween must be perplexing for a two year old- you mean I just ring the door bell, say 'trick or treat' and someone gives me candy? And then we do the same thing at another house? And then you let me eat it? Without going potty first? Can we do this again tomorrow?

As I expected, she didn't make a peep at any of the homes we visited. Chris, who carried her to most of them, prompted her over and over to say "trick or treat" and "thank you" but it was all a bit much.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that because it was so cold we drove through our neighborhood instead of walking, hitting up clusters of homes. I know- pathetic. But, that way one of us was able to sit in the car with the baby. This guy happily joined us, too:

Poppy got cold and told us she was ready to go home and hand out candy. Here's her loot. We told her she could pick one treat to eat. She chose a sucker:

As if the night weren't already exciting enough, at Poppy's request we decorated sugar cookies. Someone gave out the bottled water- it was her favorite treat of the night (okay so we gave her two treats-we're rebels like that). She asked for it first thing the next morning.

Chloe was content to sit in her new big girl spot, Poppy's old booster seat on a bar stool:

These were my pumpkin cookies. Not bad for my first time, right?

These were Poppy's:

Also not bad, but she was more concerned with getting the icing in her mouth:

What can I say, she gets it honestly:)

Goodbye October, see you next year!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T13:51:00.001-07:00

A much overdue thanks to PawPaw and Mimi for a wonderful long weekend in the Dells! Poppy is still talking about it and has been asking to decorate cookies "like Mimi did". You win best costumes:)

Our costumes this year,

a black cat*:

a little pumpkin:

a pile of leaves:

a...a...I'm at a loss for words:

like father, like daughter:

I think we'll walk to a handful of homes in our neighborhood so Poppy can try to trick or treat. It'll be her first time and I'll be shocked if we can get her to say "trick or treat". She might surprise me but I think she'll prefer to stay home and hand out candy.

Have a spooky, scary, and safe weekend!

*I bought two pumpkin costumes from a consignment sale a while back but Poppy refuses to wear hers (surprise, surprise), so Aunt Sheree saved the day and gave us the cat costume. Thanks Ree-you rock:)

Practice makes perfect.

2009-10-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

I make it a point to get out and take pictures whenever I get a chance. I try and take my camera with me everywhere now because there are so many times I see something and think it would make a great picture- if only I had my camera with me. Wisconsin is a good place to ride around with your camera. I really, really, want to get a new lens because my only good one (50mm 1.8) limits me on my current camera. I'd like to get something faster and wider. Santa! Santa? All I want for Christmas is fast, wide, glass:) And my brother home from Afghanistan safely. And every other member of the armed forces home safely. And while you're at it world peace. I'm a simple girl, with simple wants.

Anyway, here are a few of my recent favorites from this, my favorite season:

I spotted this tree in our neighborhood and had to go back and take a picture. I've never seen anything like it- is it a special kind of tree or have the leaves changed colors at different rates for some reason to produce this effect? I googled "Rainbow tree" and got nothin'. Any ideas?

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

George Eliot

Milestones

2009-10-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

So little Miss Chloe is doing a few new things lately!

First, she is vocalizing more and more and treating us to the sound of her voice:) She's been cooing for months, but it sounds different all of the sudden. Like now she's using her diaphragm or something. When she laughs, it's a deep belly laugh and it's very contagious.

She's also now sitting:

And here she's enjoying her first teething biscuit:

These two fingers are still her favorite snack though:

I also tried to see if she was ready for rice cereal but she wasn't as receptive to that. She's still breastfeeding and I'm in no hurry to give her anything else but the poor thing lunges for any food or drink I put in my mouth.

Finally, she's officially sleeping in her crib. It was a very easy transition for her, much easier than for Poppy. I didn't think Poppy would ever sleep in her crib. She wakes up once or twice to eat and goes right back down. In the mornings I hear her on the monitor babbling and when I walk up to the side of her crib this is what I see:

I mean come on! So much better than coffee:)

Coccinellidae Situation

2009-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

I like ladybugs and all but they're taking over our house. Seriously, it reminds me of this video:

5D and EX1 Lady Bug Swarm from Michael Ramsey on Vimeo.

Isn't it groovy (love the song)? Poppy was afraid of ladybugs until she saw this. Now she loves to point them out to us and tell us how unafraid she is of them:

Is this just a seasonal Wisconsin thing? Ladybug infestation? I hope that's the case and that this isn't something unique to our house. They say a lady always knows when to leave. Apparently these gals didn't get the memo. I'm off to Google University to figure out what's going on. Wish me luck!

Happy Monday:)

2009-10-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

Chris was sick so he stayed in bed most of the day on Saturday. Poppy and I had a late breakfast together while Chloe took her first nap of the day. I made biscuits with homemade strawberry jam. Decadence.

I finally found a good biscuit recipe. It will be my go-to recipe from now on. No shortening, just lots o' butter. Paula Deen would be proud. Poppy asked for more with lunch and dinner:)

I took advantage of the nice sunny weather and the abundance of leaves in our yard* and had an outdoor photo session with the girls:

Don't mind the too big sweater I threw on Chloe before I realized it made her look like a boy with no hands.

I forgot to say "whatever you do, DO NOT look into the camera and give me a sweet smile", so I got a lot of this:

Good thing I have this guy. He's always willing to go outside and sit pretty for me:

I played around and made this:

I can't decide if I like the crimson red or the bright mustard yellow colored leaves more. I know that without a doubt fall is my favorite season. Sweata weatha. It invigorates me. It speaks to my soul.

We introduced a new book into our nightly routine:

As you may have gathered it's a halloween themed parody of Goodnight Moon. Poppy doesn't really get Halloween yet. I think she was a little confused but she went with it- anything to stall bedtime.

Then, of course, my beloved Amazing Race. I don't think that has ever happened in the history of the show, someone coming in last and going home because they refused to do something. I would think one would expect to encounter heights and/or water at least once during the course of the race.

The only thing I absolutely won't do when we go on the race (;0) is skydive. Or drink blood. I wonder if the team members are allowed to take medication. I think I might be able to jump out of a plane if I were doped up enough.

Do you watch the show? Is there anything you absolutely, positively would not do?

*Is it rude to not rake up the leaves in one's yard? My husband thinks it is, he thinks the neighbors might not like our leaves blowing into their yard. I don't think it's rude at all. They're leaves. They might blow in the wind. I like the way they look. Please advise:)