Garage Sale Fun

We had a garage sale today and it actually was kind of fun. We ended up getting rid of a bunch of junk and made a little moolah doing it.

Paul and I are relaxing now by watching football (2 different games) and food channel (and Laguna Beach) --two tvs in the same room using the "last channel" option to switch between shows--mine with headphones. I know how sad this sounds as I type, but I think I have found my perfect mate who loves tv as much as I do. Our brains are rotting at the same pace this way...

Being in the same room, we can fight over the leftover plate of cake without having to change rooms. OH yea--it's yummy--chocolate filled with custard and vanilla filled with raspberry. I can feel myself getting fat, but it is so worth it.

Good and Bad of Fall

Today the fall sky made me miss Northern California. It was cool out, with big puffy storm clouds building, with the sun still peeking through. It reminded me of being in Sacramento and seeing the winter storm clouds off in the distance over Lake Tahoe, where it was probably snowing hard. PERFECTLY COOL and beautiful.

(still waiting for copyright permission to use a picture of this...)

But I don't miss that it once took my friend, Tania, 8 hours to get back to San Jose during one of those storms. Oh, and having some no-teethed local selling you the required chains for your car at a marked up price.


Tate and I have been under the weather with the onset of cooler temps. We have been quarantined for the last 2 days and we made a fort. He digs hide and seek SO much, that I actually lost him today. Yea--I called his name, started to panic, searching frantically when I finally found him behind the rocker, laying on the floor and FLATTENING HIMSELF OUT LIKE A RAT so I would n't see him. When I did find him, he started cracking up laughing like he was a crazy person.

My TV reviews

The Season Premiers have started and the reviews are in: Grey's Anatomy--always good, but oh my gosh--what a heavy tear jerker for the first episode! 6 Degrees--EXCELLENT!!! I watched this only because it is on right after Grey's Anatomy, and it might be one of my new favorites. Have you seen it? It feels a tad like the movie, "Crash", which was a must-see, and the random yet intertwining lives of the characters is great.

I am still waiting for Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, and LOST. I missed ER this week, but did see The Office and My name is Earl. Joy from "My name.." cracks me up--I laugh at loud at that show. "Did you just Monkey-grab a chip from the bowl"? HAHAHAHAHA! Yea--I think I can do that.

Stupid Cat Tricks

Here is me, stuck to the bathroom door, with my naked baby in my arms. We were on the way to the bathtub and somehow I managed to get the loop of my pants and my shirt snagged on the door!

This required Paul to get me out of this, and I eventually had to take off my shirt and part of my pants to get freed from the doorknob.


On an unrelated note, THEY FOUND THE BABY!!! For those of you who haven't been watching the news, a woman came in and kidnapped a 7 day old baby from her momma. I am so happy that they found her unharmed.

Here are pics of my nighttime pumpkins, and if you look closely, you will see our Halloween kitty right in the middle of them.... We did not stage her there! She just happened to be sitting there and it looked kind of creepy actually. Paul ran and got the camera.

I'm in heaven--the weather is perfectly cool and it is so cozy indoors in jeans and socks with my coffee and Tate is napping after a nice long morning cuddle.

Justin TLake is my boyfriend

OK--
so I had a dream that he was...what is that telling me?

I'd never steal him away from Cameron Diaz, though, because I think she is just adorable and hilarious. Have you ever seen the movie "The Sweetest Thing"? Freaking hilarious. Defintitely DO NOT watch it if there are children in any part of the house. It can be a little offensive.

I started making Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies this morning, but Tate decided to be a member of the no-nap club. I hadn't frosted any, but when my friend Katie came over for lunch, I whipped up some old school "powdered sugar and milk" frosting and we just dipped and ate. YUM! Not so pretty, but tasty. I'll work on the Martha Stewart/Williams-Sonoma like looking cookies later. Who am I kidding??? I have never been able to perfect them like that, but it sure is fun on the quest for the perfect sugar cookie...

Top 5

We decorated for Halloween this weekend and it looks so festive! Paul came up with this idea of a table with a bunch of lighted pumpkins on it...I'll put a pic of daytime and add a nighttime pic later.

Things that SUCK
1. Mosquitos in our yard that continue to keep us inside
2. People who steal 7 day old babies--HAVE YOU SEEN THAT STORY ON THE NEWS?
3. Commercialized Character baby books
4. Changed morning TV schedule
5. When babies skip their nap!


Things that are AWESOME
1. Really nice, super busy McD's workers when you order a McGriddle and then she gives you a free potato cake for waiting patiently...
2. Cute Baby Boys that imitate your singing AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS
3. Pumpkin Spice Coffee
4. Season Premiers on TV
5. U of M beating Notre Dame in football

Yummy Cup O' Tea

Ahhhhh... I can feel fall right around the corner! It is nice and cool this morning and Tate was so snuggly under my quilt. I am drinking a cup or chai and loving how cozy it is.

Have you seen "The View" since Rosie O'Donnell has joined? It is really good. Love her, hate her...the woman is entertaining and has a talent for minimizing tension when the ladies start "discussing".

In case you care, Britney had her baby. I heard it was a boy, but don't know the name. I have to admit, I was a little envious for about a millisecond when I heard a rumor that she was gonna have a girl. Tate is a total handful, so I am not ready for another baby, but the pink and the clothes and the slumber parties and ALL THE GIRLIE STUFF!!!!

Happy Fall and get out and enjoy the wonderful weather :)

Weekend Update

Here are a few pictures from our weekend...
Paul and I on our anniversary date :)













Sunday Morning Tailgating at the Rams game. We didn't actually attend the game, but Paul really wanted to take Tate. I think he just wanted to be able to make Tate pose for funny pictures...


We were able to get out to the Clayton art fair on Saturday. There were some great artists--my favorite was an artist who used fabric, but it looked like a painting. Paul loved the photography.



Lastly, I am making Halloween pillows for the family room. This one is my first and I was talking to Jennifer Hall while I posed for the picture!

Please remember in your thoughts those families of the 9/11 victims today... It has to be a difficult day for them.

"TATE TV"

We have this video monitor for Tate that kicks butt and my friend, Katie, nicknamed it "Tate TV". It is addictive to watch as he plays or rolls around or does whatever he does in his crib. It gives me peace of mind to be able to check on him without having to go in there 500 times. BUT IT WENT OUT THIS MORNING!!! I guess that's what you get when you let your hubby buy it off ebay.... I'm about to go buy a new one this millisecond.

Last night we got all gussied up and planned on going to a Spanish Tapas Restaurant called "Bastante". It should be called "Bastard!" because we got there and the windows were taped over with brown paper bag and the door was locked. By this time, we are 45 min into our 2 hour babysitter, with a 30 min trip to get home.

We drove around and found a Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant http://www.ayasofiacuisine.com/that PAUL ACTUALLY SUGGESTED. I would have made him go there since it is OUR anniversary, but he insisted. It was awesome, though I have garlic eminating out of every pore this morning. The ambiance was perfect--cozy with pillows and drapes everywhere with a belly dancer and everything. Even better, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard was right across the street and we went there for dessert....yummmmm Coffee Oreo...yummmmmmmm.

Happy Anniversary!!

Today is our 3rd Anniversary. We are having a babysitter for the first time ever and I am looking forward to going out to dinner with Paul. I made his favorite, Pulled Pork, yesterday because I knew he would enjoy that A LOT more than the restaurant food we are having tonight.

On an unrelated note, it is so sad that Steve Irwin (croc hunter) was killed. He did a lot for conservation and for educating kids and he will be missed.

I am watching Rosie ODonnell on The View, and I have to say, she's great. She is a wonderful addition and I am going to be torn between watching this at 10a or Martha when she comes back with new shows.

Here is Tate this weekend playing with Paul, who made him his very own homemade water play table. Tate wanted to play tag more than play with his new creation!

I hate WalMart, I love WalMart

If you want to torture yourself, go to WalMart on any given weekend...with a baby. If you are smart enough to have stayed away, then let me tell you, it is filled with super rude people with lots of crying children, all trying to find "the deal". For this reason, I hate WalMart. Add the whole discrimination business you hear about, as well as them taking out the mom and pop shops... Megamarts suck.

But Paul loves WalMart more than anyone should. AND he loves to go on weekends. I admit, there are some great deals while you are getting your milk and eggs, a few baby toys and a new ceiling fan, but I hate how they do bid'ness.

Besides the deals, there are moments I change my mind and I actually love WalMart. Like on Friday, when I found THE CUTEST Halloween individual cupcake holders! AWESOME!!!! Paul had to stop me from buying them as I was fratically explaining how "I could bake cupcakes and pack them in Stinky's lunch when he is older and how you never see Halloween ones, and how great would that be in, like, 4 Octobers from now when Tate is old enough to even get excited about it"!!!

Totally unrelated, here is a picture of Tate with his first friend, Evan. We hang out almost every day and they have started to actually interact with one another. It is so cute! Here they are playing with Cheeky, Evan's stuffed monkey.

Movie Day

OK--I have a thing for Disney movies. Not the "Dumbo"s or the "Bambi"s, but the cheesy predictable made for Disney channel movies, usually the teen ones... I also love Raven, Lizzie, Even Stevens, etc. It is just good wholesome fun and sometimes I need that. I flipped on High School Musical because my niece, Catie, had told me about it and after 5 minutes, I couldn't turn the channel.

I watched one of my favorite movies of all time today: "How to Make an American Quilt". I teared up several times watching it and I love it even more now that I have started quilting. Creative Spirit, Northern California, Women's Friendships, Love ...it has it all.

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES??? AND WHY??

Science Center

Current mood: happy
Category: Travel and Places


Tate and I were headed to the Galleria in St. Louis because Humungo-boy doesn't have any light weight pjs that fit anymore. He wears his little high water pj pants and I CAN'T FIND ANY ANYWHERE!!

As we were on our way, I passed the Science Center and fantasized about taking him there to run around. Ya know, one of those idyllic scenes I played out in my head since I was prego. On cue, he started wailing for the first time since we left home... I swear the kid is intuitive/psychic.

At that millisecond, I got off on the exit and I was actually spontaneous for once and we pulled into the Science Center. He had a blast! Most of the stuff was WAY over his head, but he liked seeing the other kids, ran all over and wore himself out. Wee-Hee!!!

The black and white cookie in the blue bag

Don't ever take the bag of OREOs to the computer... These little cookies are the best thing ever and, while they are quite rewarding at the end of a hard day, I can't STOP!!!


Hump Day and it feels like Hump Day. Nothing special occurred today except that Tate and I tried "Dippin' Dots" for the first time. We were trying to give some to him and his friend, Evan, who was getting a tooth in and we thought the coolness of the weirdo ice cream might help. Yea--the stuff is strange. Not sure if I like it, though we ate it, but I don't think I'll be giving up Marble Slab for it.

Oh and by the way--I HATE Charter. I haven't been able get on the internet consistently for the last week during the day, and as soon as Paul gets home, PRESTO! the internet works.

So my question of the day: What is your all time favorite store bought cookie??
I think you know my answer.

4 Oreos were consumed while making this blog.

Weekend Update-Random Thoughts

1. Ever see Chelsea Handler Show on E!? Freaking hilarious. Mind of Mencia is pretty good, too.

2. Forever 21 sucks butt. I went back to buy that flower hoodie and trying to get ANY customer service is impossible.

3. H&M satisfied me, though, with having 2 great sweaters on super duper sale. Buy one get one free!

4. Paul's brother, Steve, came to visit this weekend with his new girlfriend, Sally. We all had a pretty good time. Kind of sucks that he doesn't live closer.

5. I caved and Tate is watching Sesame Street. We'll start "Operation NO TV" tomorrow. I figure it has to be better than all the stupid action movies he was exposed to over the weekend that Paul ALWAYS has on in the background. That, and stupid 80s movies. We did get to see parts of "Fools Rush In" again, but that was after Tate was in bed. Love that movie.

6. We might stay in pjs all day. Stinky still has a cold and I am tired from trying to keep up with my super-social hubby.

Forever 33

Yea that's what they should call the store instead of "Forever 21". The stuff is really cute, even if it does fall apart in 3 washings. I am LOVING their vintage inspired fabrics and the shirt dresses. Another fave is the cute zip up hoodies with flower designs on them.

HOWEVER, are the clothes made for anorexics??? I couldn't fit into hardly any of the clothes I tried on. How exactly is a size 5 smaller than a GAP or J. Crew size 4?? The muffin top that squeezed out (of the size 5 shorts I tried on) was more amazing... Similarly, I could barely get the Medium shirts over my boobies, but then the Large had sleeve opening that were way too big and the rest of the shirt looked like a tent. Basically it looked like cheap maternity wear.

Sunday I might venture out to another store and maybe hit H&M while I am out in the big city of St. Louis. I need some clothes!!

Bye Bye Bert!

I am pretty excited today that I can actually change the color of my text on myspace! It's the little things in life that make it worth livin'...

So last night I found out about a study that basically said the amount of tv watched by children under 2 had a direct effect on their ability to concentrate by the time they were 7. Scary!! In another study I found online (after running to the internet upon hearing this from another dad we know), there is also an effect on their sleep. No more Sesame Street for Tater Tot!! I guess the American Pediatric Assn discourages ANY tv under the age of 2. Why had I not heard of this?? And what about Baby Einstein?? Dude--a whole new generation of ADD on the way...

I love tv. I am pretty much a bleeding heart liberal and want to find natural forms of entertainment, but I LOVE ME SOME TV. I think after 2, I will let Tate watch those fun cute shows like Sesame Street (which I love!) but to be on the safe side, no more electronic babysitter. Sure, I'll miss checking email without interruption in the morning...but it is only for a short time in my life.

What the frick do we do for that hour that previously was tv time? Today we took a bath in bathing suits and blew bubbles. It was pretty fun. I'm gonna have to research more fun activites to try and work hard on "independent play"!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My sister convinced me to give Tate a cookie, so I baked some. I found this recipe for big soft cookies like the ones i used to eat in high school AS MY LUNCH and they are awesome. I couldn't even finish a whole cookie. Tater Tot has been getting some teeth and has a cold, so today has sucked. The cookie baking was a nice distraction, though I had to hold Tate in the sling and nurse him almost the entire time I was cooking. How do the Amish do it??
The whole house smells so good and it makes me want autumn. I think the 100 degree weather is a blessing--maybe I won't whine about winter as much this year. I found this great site for cool homemade gifts: http://www.seamripper.net/ and then go to the "Links" section. I think it is on the bottom. However, I must warn you, there is some funky stuff out there...like a tampon doll. Under the "Bathroom" section of the plush category.http://www.mypapercrane.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=6a308e3ce0fa19767cce99a3a6b1c4e3

Same Blog as on myspace

OK you Losers--I'm putting my blog back on myspace because no one reads my Cupcakes and Coffee besides Laura!
Woke up with a headache I had all night, was cranky to Paul this morning, and Tate was cranky right along with me. After breakfast we both mellowed out and we are now watching Sesame Street. It is so cute! I love the songs and I wish we had recordings of some of the better ones. The Andre Boccelli song to get Elmo to sleep chokes me up every time, though I think Elmo is highly annoying.
It should be about 900 degrees here in St. Louis yet again today. This is really hot. This isn't Sacramento hot, FL hot or even TX hot....this is like being in a steam room and not being able to escape. We'll be staying indoors today. Hec--we might not even change out of PJs today!

I guess I'll learn something...

I'm happy that I have a new blog, but I'm realizing I am going to have to learn a some html codes to make it as snazzy as I want. While at first this seems like a pain, I'll be excited to have as much computer knowledge as the average high school kid who has memorized codes to change their myspace on a regular basis. I sound like I am busting on them, but when I taught at Abilene High, I was amazed at how much the kids knew about webpages, computers, and technology in general.

One thing I miss from my previous blog:
1. mood of the day
2. what you are watching/listening
3. how many have viewed the blog
4. comments WITHOUT having to sign up on blogger

SO here are my additions---MOOD-a little groggy LISTENING-Sesame Street's Veggie Dance