Entertain Me

I'm bored.

I have things that I COULD be doing.
That I SHOULD be doing.

But inevitably, I'll either
a) start them and be interrupted by Tyler waking from his nap and needing my full attention or
b) succumb to my lack of motivation and not even start one of my many projects

Why aren't you people blogging more? I'm bored.
Blog already.
I need something to read.

How Cool Is THIS??

Raise your hands if you like to do laps in the hotel pool when you're on vacation?? Well, pop a few steroids before you lap the world's largest swimming pool at the San Alfonso del Mar resort at Algarrobo, on Chile's southern coast.

"Chile's monster pool uses a computer- controlled suction and filtration system to keep fresh seawater in permanent circulation, drawing it in from the ocean at one end and pumping it out at the other." Crystal-clear waters make it possible to see to the bottom of the lagoon, even in the deep end.

It is more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres, has a 115ft deep end and holds 66 million gallons of water.

Incredible!

Although I must admit, that I find it a huge waste of resources and money to build such a massive pool only 100 yards from the actual ocean and then fill it with saltwater?? What the heck?? Am I alone in that one?? Anyone? Anyone??

Although it IS super cool, huh?

Things I Never Thought I'd Hear My Boys Say...

A few minutes ago, after watching Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith....

Owen: Hey, I got an idea AJ! Let's go play in our room!
AJ: Ok!

Owen: Let's play Princess and the Pea. I'll be the princess, YOU be the pea.

AJ: NO! I want to be Cinderella!!

Owenism

On the way home from church this morning, singing (quite loudly) in the back seat of the car:

Baa Baa Black Sheep
Have you any woow?
Yessir, yessir, three bags full.
One for the lobster, one for the day
One for the wittle boy who lives down the way.....

Sunday Morning Church Time!

Present!

A Smidgeon of Pride & Happiness

Ok, this shoot was SO fun. I like it when I get to execute the ideas in MY head. Ahhh...creative freedom. :)
Check out my photoblog to see the fun photoshoot I did on Wednesday with some Sherwood kids, a Darton kid, and Casey (as my assistant) at Still Pond Winery and Vineyard! Fun, fun! :)

Feeling Like a Zombie Right This Second...

I'm totally not kidding when I tell you that this has been the busiest week and a half of my life. I've been getting up at 6:30 am and not going to bed until at least midnight or later for the last week and a half (save for last night when I fell asleep on the couch at 10 from pure exhaustion).
Prom (in Atlanta) over the weekend, photo shoots almost every day of the week this week, multiple orders to put out, cards to design, videos to create, and about 3 other projects in the queue....
So, if you see me this week and wonder why I have bloodshot eyes, rings under my eyes, unkempt hair, rumpled clothing and an otherwise general haggard appearance a la The Living Dead...that's why. Don't be alarmed. I just may pass out momentarily. Just slip me some Speed and I'll be back in no time.

This morning after I dropped the boys off at school, I went with Steve's mom (who's in town) to a couple of flea markets in town. I have a photoshoot tonight that I needed a particular chair for, so I had to find something today for this shoot. As luck would have it...well, they didn't have what I was looking for although I did find something that would work.
Here's a few snaps of other oddities that I found along the way. And these are just some "normal" oddities. The one flea market we went to was a real dive...filled with all kinds of bizarre crap......Ness, I thought of you the whole time - wondering what gems you would've found in there. :)

Who doesn't love a trumpet-playing lion from the Queen's Court?

I actually bought this old filmie for $1, thinking it would make a cute prop. But AJ stole it as soon as he saw it - taking pictures and telling me I'm doing a good job as his model so I'm not sure I'll be getting it back anytime soon.

This is for Clint and Amy's house...

(click to enlarge)

These are not miniatures, but are some actual wood clogs. Size 7 I believe, if anyone is interested in them.

This picture makes me happy.
No, I don't know why.

Yes, I am odd.

Later friends :)

Sunday

Here's a handful of pictures from AJ's birthday on Sunday.....for all you family and friends out there who are far away....

His scooter from grandma and grandpa N

Playing with his soccer net from Uncle Sean and Aunt Jen (and Sloan and Sammi)

His nerf gun from Owen (a favorite) and his rain boots from Grandma and Grandpa T

Playing outside in the pool with Owen

Blowing out his candles on his cars cake

The End of an Era

Yesterday, we told AJ that since he was 4 years old, he was a big boy now, and had to throw his binkies in the garbage. We rounded up all 3 of his remaining binkies and he said, "OooKAAAYyy" and walked over to the garbage and dropped them in.
And he hasn't cried or whined or asked for them since.
*Knock on wood*

Little Fire

To my middle. To the one I hoped for, prayed for, yearned for, fretted over for 9 months until I finally saw your face. To the one who I pushed from my body for over 2.5 hours. To the only one with startling blue eyes and shocks of blond hair. To the crazy one - the one who makes us laugh - who has the biggest heart - the gentlest soul. To the one who drives us bonkers with his whining, exasperates us with his mischief, melts us with his softness. The one with the vivid imagination - the one who frequently turns to "da kitty" and asks us to pet and play with the kitty, or "throw the bawl for da kitty, mama". To the one who has ended up sleeping beside me since the day he was born - to the one who still wants a binky - to the one who craves our touch and always asks, "will you ruuuub me?". To the athlete and the acrobat - the the lover of swords and trucks and guns and dirt. To the one with the twinkle in his eye and the strong desire to please - To the one who adds such fun and vibrancy to our family....
To A.J.....

Happy 4th Birthday Skittle
We Love You to the moon and back.

More Show & Tell & some Surveys

Let's see....a few more things to show you:


Check out this Zodiac Body Art by this artist named Rudi Everts (warning: nudity).
Cool, huh? I particularly like the Sagittarius and the Cancer.








Have you heard all the hype about BPA plastic bottles??
Normally, I'm not one to freak out about various studies that lead to cancer, or cause Alzheimer's, or man-boobs, blah-blee-blah-blee-blee, but this whole thing about dangerous plastics has me a little concerned. The plastics in and of themselves aren't bad, but when they're heated or begin to break down over time (plates in the microwave, bottles in the dishwasher, binkies, etc) the Polycarbonate in the plastic leeches into the food or drink and has been shown to cause major health problems - like breast caner, early puberty, and other sucky stuff from high estrogen levels from the Polycarbonate.
It has me grabbing the glass plates to warm up food for the kids and now that payday has arrived, I think I'll be buying some stainless steel water bottles and sippy cups to go in lunches.

What do you think?

Scaling Back

So, in the spirit of yesterday's post with the tiny NYC loft apartment that a family of 4 shared, I thought I'd show you something else I found online recently, that I was reminded of, while reading THIS POST on Clint's blog this morning.

Yay! Show and Tell time!

"It's Katrina Cottage 1, a 308 square-foot tribute to coastal Mississippi style designed by Marianne Cusato during the October Mississippi Renewal Forum in Biloxi. At a built-out cost somewhere south of $35,000, it was a huge hit when it debuted as a two-dimensional drawing during the forum. Now it's going national."

..."she achieved her purpose: To prove that affordable emergency housing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina didn't have to be a trailer that ends up in a landfill in 18 months. She downsized a perfectly scaled Mississippi-style coastal cottage, complete with an inviting porch. She created clever built-in storage under porch benches and beneath bunk beds. And she gave the sparse interior space a roomy feel with over sized windows."



Here's the interesting thing: Local authorities are hesitant to actually let people live in these houses during the rebuilding phase because they fear that instead of rebuilding that people will actually live in them indefinitely.

Here's the thing. And by "the thing", I mean my opinion, which you're subject to quite frequently if you read my blog: What's actually wrong with letting people live in them??
For free? Of course I don't think that should be an indefinite answer - if they need them as temporary housing while they rebuild, then they should be able to use them for free. BUT, if they want to use it indefinitely, or actually BUY one, don't you think they should be able to? Imagine that - people can actually live in a just-sufficient space instead of building yet another large house (and by large, I mean a "normal" sized house) to fill up with junk that they don't actually need. Could it be a small answer to the question of How to stop consumerism?

What do you think?

Cozy Quarters

In this day of consumerism and a "bigger-bigger-more-MORE" mindset where it seems like our mere existence is only based on the next biggest house, car, toy, that we buy - here's a look at a NYC 2 bedroom LOFT where a family of FOUR lives.
Yup.
4 people.
In a studio apartment.
Good to know that some people are satisfied with having just enough.

Check it Out.

Composting?

Has anyone out there ever done a compost pile or compost bin? I'd like to try it for our garden and to reduce garbage, so I've been reading up on it, but I'm a little afraid that it will attract rodents or small animals or lots of bugs or something.


There's about a million how-to's out there on the internet...here's one that I found.


Anybody know anything about it??

There's Something You Should Know About Me...

Strange but true:
Every time I go to the bathroom, I count how long I pee for.

Longest time ever? 1997 -Senior Prom - 64 seconds.


I just had a relatively long pee (41 seconds) so that made me think of it.
And I just wanted you to know. Just in case you can't be friends with someone who counts the length of her urination.

Boy Can I Relate

Got this from ASBO Jesus website, and if you know anything about happenstance in our lives right now.....
Um, I can relate.

(click to enlarge)

More Tree-Hugger Stuff

This is a cool website if you're a visual person to see just how much goes into the various products that we consume.
Very educational, and a cool place to peruse - there's videos and stuff. Oooohhh, videos.
Show it to your kids so they can grasp what goes into the stuff they use (or waste).
Or show it to your class if you're a teacher.
Or to your parents if they don't belive in global warming.
Or to your dog if you're bored.
Or click on one of the links to the right if you don't want to read my blog anymore.

My Personal DNA

Saw this over on Ness' blog so I gave it a try....thought it was off on a few things, but that could be my incorrect assessment of myself, not the fault of the tests.





What do all those colors mean? Lemme tell you....
Top left, blue box: "very high masculinity"
top middle box: "high openness"
top right box: "very high agency"
Red rectangle: "very high confidence"
blue rectangle: "very high spontaneity"
purple rectangle: "slightly high extroversion"
dark blue rectangle: "low trust"
pink rectangle: "average empathy"
dark purple rectangle: "slightly low authoritarianism"
orange rectangle: "slightly imaginative"
bottom,pea green rectangle: "slightly aesthetic"
grey rectangle: "low attention to style"
tiny, poop-yellow green rectangle: "low femininity"

So....do you think it's on track?

Give it a try!

Wicked Tickets Up For Grabs

Steve-0 and I bought tickets to see the musical Wicked at the Carr Performing Arts Centre in Orlando on Saturday, April 26 but we're thinking that now we might like to save the $$$ and not go, so we're trying to sell them off to someone else.

Tickets were/are $79 ea and the seats are Orchestra right, Q28 and Q29.

If you're interested in taking these tix off our hands, or know of someone who is - let me know.

Bad Day

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
~"Bad Day", Daniel Powter

Yesterday, picked up the boys from preschool, ran a few errands, drove home.
"Owen, AJ - do NOT get out of the car until you have your backpacks and lunchboxes" - the same thing I say to them EVERY Monday-Wed-Friday.
I turn off the engine, toss my keys, wallet, phone on the front seat and go grab the mail while the boys gather up their stuff from the back. I come back, flipping through the junk mail and bills as O and A are walking up to the front door. Grab the door handle to pull open the door and get Tyler out. Locked. Pull on the front door. Locked. Realize that the boys have exited the car via the front seat, and locked the car doors in the process.
And shut them.
With the baby inside.
On a 75-degree afternoon.
Stomach drops. Heart rates accelerates. I try not to panic. All I can think of is Ava .
Pull screen off front window, climb inside house, hope to God that Steve-o has left his key somewhere in the house. He hasn't.
Call 9-1-1.
Feel irrirated that operator is so FREAKING CALM while my baby is locked inside a car with temperatures quickly rising. And he's CRYING. My God, he's tearing my heart in half with his crying. Some of the longest 8 minutes of my life until the police officer arrives and jimmies the door open enough to unlock the door.
Baby's fine. Mom was rattled. All is well.

------
Later that day: Open gym at the school in preparation for volleyball tryouts. I jammed my finger blocking a hit.
------

That night, I'm out with a friend, when I get a phone call from Steve-o.
"Owen dropped a glass of milk in the kitchen and it broke and Tyler cut his hand on it and it looks pretty deep"
I stop at the store on the way home to pick up some of that liquid-glue-bandage stuff and some gauze and bandages and come home.

Um. Elww. It IS deep. Really deep. Almost an inch long...slicing lengthwise down his pinky finger. He seems fine - happily munching on a graham cracker while Steve squeezes a wash cloth over the cut. I'm thinking that since he's a baby and his pinky finger is so small it might not be stitch-able, so we try the liquid glue stuff. He cries (stuff stings) and I feel horrible and...did I mention that it won't stop bleeding?? I decide it's best to take him to the ER because it's so deep and it won't seem to clot up. Wrap his finger up, put a mitten over it to keep him from chewing the bandages, and off we go (Tyler and I)

Check into the ER at 9:30.
Don't leave until 1:30.

Apparently cut baby fingers are a LOW level priority compared to all the other wack-jobs in the ER last night who had various ailments such as vague pain in my head and I haven't pooped in 3 days .
Prognosis? His finger is too small to stitch. They apply neosporin, glue, and bandages to hold the cut together, then wrap his entire hand up.
I'm left to wonder why we couldn't have figured this out 4 HOURS AGO.
Whatever.
Come home, put Tyler to bed, go to climb in my bed and....Steve, Owen, and AJ are sprawled across my bed so I grab a pillow and a blanket and head for the couch.
All is well.
Except Tyler and I are a little tired.
And we're glad to have yesterday behind us.

Busy Busy Bee

Tyler has had a busy couple of weeks, and I haven't got a chance to blog (i.e. brag) about it yet.

In the last month, he has :
1.) Got his first tooth (tried to take a picture but it's a bottom tooth so I never could get it)
2.) Started clapping his hands
3.) Been pulling himself to stand and using furniture to move around
4.) Used his first 2 Baby Signs ("more" and "all done")

Big stuff! :)

First Sprouts