Ok, well, not really, though I *would* make out with her in a darkened bathroom if we both happened to be there and she were so inclined.

But I digress. I got all bloggy and addicted with blogginess* last year and was reading reading reading lots of BLOGS and sucking up all the archives and being cross references to all sorts of others and growing growing growing the whole bloglist when I came across hers and promptly died laughing and became more addicted than ever.

* Doesn’t that word suck? Don’t you just cringe when I say it? BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY! I said it more in that paragraph, just for the cringe factor.

I read all her recent posts as they come out, but I also started at her very first post and have been reading through them all in order. This has been going on for a couple months now. She started in 1999, and is a prolific writer (to my immense joy!) However, in the back of my mind, as I’ve been reading through year 2003, I have been kind of eagerly awaiting getting up to where she and her husband decide to/talk about adopt their daughter, Nora.

And TODAY, I have gotten to that post!

So to celebrate the milestone, I would like to share with you the list of items that would be suitable to give to mimi, if you happened to be visiting on some holiday which required presents, or even if you just wanted to be a nice guest and surprise your hostess with a little gift. You will also realize as you read this, that I am a big fan of all things “smarty,” but let me assure you, I am not of the stalker variety (James would argue with me on this point, but shoosh, husband-talking-in-my-head.)

I’ll stop telling you what you are about to feel, and get on with it.

THINGS TO GIVE TO MIMI SMARTYPANTS, SHOULD THE OCCASION BE PRESENTED:

FOOD ITEMS, REAL OR OTHERWISE:

gummy worms
wheat thins
mopey lemon poppyseed muffin
(for LT:) frosting and miniature chocolate chips

OTHER ITEMS SHAPED LIKE FOOD:

a cd player in the shape of a hamburger
a singing apple with headphones

CLOTHING:

t-shirt that states: It takes me forever to make a sandwich
t-shirt that states: GRAVY BOAT STAY IN THE NOW!
a giant novelty afro wig
a still life painting, with a stapler and a fried egg portrayed.
fake lobster hands
fake incredible hulk hands

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS:

a bottle of febreeze
a self-inking stamp that says, “TASTY” or “LAME” (for lost pet flyers, or bad band posters)

MISCELANEOUS ITEMS:

a karaoke tape of Foreigner’s “Hot Blooded”
a severed head*

* It’s important to note that the severed head is not a “gift”, but something Mimi would like to find herself. Go read about it yourself.

So.. once again, I must remind you that no, I’m not of the stalker variety. I’ve just laughed out loud so many times that I *cough* started keeping a list, JUST IN CASE I ever meet mimi in person, I’d like to casually pass her a stapler with “GRAVY BOAT STAY IN THE NOW!” emblazoned on it.

I once indulged in quite a bit of mimi reading right before bed, and had a dream that I met her. I don’t remember much of it, but in the dream, she told me her real name and her husband’s, and I asked her why she calls him “LT” in the dream (which to me, always makes me think lieutenant). She said that it was because she was originally going to LINK TO his website, and so it stood for LINK TO. LT = LINK TO. How dumb is my subconscious? Jeepers.

James has been subjected to many aloud readings of Ms. Pants, but he usually enjoys them, after he’s done being irritated after I interupt him. As a result, when he’s working at home and decides to go make lunch, I’ll get a little IM window that announces, “I like things that are many and boiled!” which comes from a particularly memorable post, which you must go read right now. You know you want to. It has a llama puppet in it, so just go already. Llama puppet! LLAMA PUPPET!
Freaky fan-dom post over now. bye.

1. I sprayed my oven with oven cleaner exactly 1 week and 1 day ago, and still have not done the scant 15 minute job of wiping all the greasy gook out of it. Which means we can’t use the oven. Many chicken nuggets and french fries breath a sigh of relief each night that they are granted another day’s reprieve. I think this item could be expanded to include all the many things on my “todo” list that I haven’t done, and probably won’t do for a while. Not major things, like “paint the upstairs hallway,” but minor things, like “send care package to friend in Korea.”
2. Wearing dishwashing gloves when I work in the kitchen. There’s no real reason to feel “guilty” about this, and sometimes I don’t, I feel all retro and like some smiling 50s mom in an ad, all is missing is a 28″ waist, an apron, high heels, pearl necklace and make-up. (OK, lots of stuff is missing.) But sometimes I just feel guilty, like I should just plunge my hands in the water and not worry about the pruney-ness.
3. Dropping my son off at pre-school on my way to work.
4. Putting the kids to bed, after I’ve only seen then for a few hours after we all get home. Sometimes only 1 hour. Not only guilty, but sad. Then guilty for feeling glad that they’re in bed and I can veg out in peace.
5. Not exercising. Too cold, too busy, too much time away from my kids who I don’t see enough already.. too many excuses. Guilt.
6. Eating McDonald’s egg mcmuffin for breakfast on my way to work. I shouldn’t feel guilty, because I don’t eat hashbrowns and it’s 6 points which is very reasonable. I still feel guilty though. I mean, McDonald’s for crying out loud! An Egg! Every Single Day! I can hear you GASPING all the way over here! OH THE GUILT IT’S STAGGERING!
7. Having a messy house. Being messy. Given a choice whether to sit with my laptop/ book/ TV or cleaning the kitchen.. Guess which one wins 9 times out of 10? I feel guilty while I sit and read Mimi Smartypants, or watch Gilmore Girls. (I bet Ms. Pants would be aghast at being grouped in the same paragraph. Sorry, mimi.)
8. Wanting a new ______. There are several things I want and have been pining for of which I have perfectly versions of that work just fine, and yet I want the sleeker, upgraded, newer, version. Wasteful, and I hate being Wasteful.
9. Around Christmas, I bought James a book on cd along with some other item which I can’t remember, and when I got home, I realized that they didn’t charge me for the other item. I hate inadvertently stealing, and I usually go and correct them, but I didn’t. Still bugs me though.
10. Wouldn’t it be nice if this list ended on 10? I can’t think of anything else.

I should really get over myself, shouldn’t I?

I’ll put that on my to do list. “Get over yourself.”

I’ll get right on that.

– amy has fun plans this weekend. she will fill you in later.

Hello internet!
My old look sucked rocks. So I did a new one 🙂

I still need to get FlickrRSS working. Anyone know how to do that?

And something wonky is going on with the ‘view single post’ layout that I’ve no idea how to fix. It’s only on the most recent post. If you click on the header to this post, you’ll see what I mean. (Unless of course, I’ve fixed it by the time you read this, in which it’s too late to play this game.)

But other than that. I like it! The header has the paperwhites in my window. Aren’t they pretty? I wish spring was here already. In a way, I have tricked mother nature. I have FORCED these bulbs into blooming BEFORE THEY’RE BIOLOGICAL/ NATURE CLOCK TELLS THEM TOO. Yes, that’s me. The dominatrix of the botanical world. GROVEL BEFORE ME, BULBS! I will refridgerate you and then plant and place you in a sunny spot and YOU WILL BLOOM OR FEEL MY WRATH. DO NOT ANGER THE AMY OR I CHAIN YOU UP AND SPANK YOU OR AT THE VERY LEAST, DENY YOU WATER.

Ahem.

So, new look! Carry on!

-AMY! RAWRRR! … err, i mean, amy 🙂

UPDATE: I fixed the wonkiness on the single post view! Yay me!

I’m going to be whiney now, just so you’re forewarned. If you don’t feel like nodding your head, muttering “uh-huh .. that sucks..” and pretending to play the world’s smallest violin behind your back, then feel free to move on.

I have to totally sympathize with my friend Chris about the suckage that is auto repairs. James’ car went into the shop yesterday because the window doesn’t roll down, and his engine light (according to him) has been going on and off for years. We knew the damage wasn’t going to be good, and yes, saying goodby to $850, while it isn’t the say as sticking a hot poker in your eye socket, I think that it may come close. This coming on the tail of spending $450 on MY vehicle earlier this month. Fuckity fuck.

It’ll be nice to actually roll the window up in his car, though. Comes in handy in the brisk wintery air. Also when you’re toodling through a drive-through window be it food or bank related.

So, remember the big thug of illness that was waiting to take me out last week? I managed to keep him at bay, never really getting sick. Instead, I just got a canker sore in my mouth that started out ok, because it’s WAY up where my gums meet the inside of my cheek, and really, it’s so far up that it doesn’t really hurt much, until THIS week, when it feels like all my teeth are going to fall out, and when I run my tongue along the cankery cankerness, it feels like it’s 1/4 of an inch long. I remember when I was a kid, my brother used to take rock salt and hold it RIGHT ON his canker sores to make them go away. Yes, it does help make them go away, BUT IT’S PUTTING SALT ON A WOUND AND IT KILLS. I’ve been gargling with hot salt water to help make it go away, and the first night I did it, James thought the noise I made was the death-gasp of a rapid beast.

Still, on the scale of illness, it is just a canker sore. So really, I’m not doing too badly. Except that I wrenched something in my back and it seems to affect every other muscle in my body including my ARM WHEN I TYPE. I type a lot, people. Sit at my desk at work and typity type type click click. That’s what I do. That’s a lot of pain. I’m glad I have the merciful muscle relaxers.

And now, here is the part where I really get all scroogey. You are all going to hate me and think I’m a heartless bitch who will deserve her place in hell when her time comes, and you’d probably be right. James and his sister have a black labrador that they have had since they were both in college. Sometimes my sister-in-law has her, and sometimes we have her. We have a dog-share, really. As the S-I-L is going to have a baby any minute now, we currently have the dog. Her name is Cydney. She’s getting on in years now, and she’s a very sweet, very obedient dog. She really is.

However, due to the single cup of food she gets each morning and again at night, she feels she has to scavenge for food on her own in between these times. She has this insatiable hunger which causes her to do things that no sane dog would do.

Like,

• root through my purse because she can smell the pack of gum in it, get it out, gnaw off the outside wrapper, and eat the gum (paper wrapper still on).
• Eat food off the table that I’d just prepared, while I am in the bathroom, NOT FIVE FEET AWAY.
• Eat any food, or anything resembling food off the counter if it is left out. Including bananas, with most of the peel.
• Eat cat shit out of the litter box. (!!!)
• Eat used diapers. (!!!)
• Eat used sanitary napkins. (!!!!!!!!!)

Of course, when she eats all this random shit, like the diaper innards that she consumed on Tuesday, she gets sick and vomits it back up. I tell my husband that we’re never getting new carpet because what would be the point? It would just get ruined by either vomit, piss, or cat scratching. Last night she stealth vomited. I was sitting on the couch working all day long, I got up and went to the bathroom and when I came back there was vomit under the table next to the couch. James cleaned it up because at this point, unless it’s going to be hours until James can do it, I am not cleaning up vomit. He tried to use his super forensic powers to determine WHAT she ate THIS TIME, because there was no tale tell evidence to give us any clues, but to no avail. Mystery vomit. Yay.
The cats also drive me crazy. All they do is hang around all day, pee in the laundry, or my bathroom rugs, or on my son’s backpack, or anywhere that there is material/cloth on the floor, and meow and get RIGHT IN MY WAY as I’m trying to get something done. Trinity is the primary antagonist. Friday scratches the shit out of the carpets, especially on the stairs where they are essentially ruined, though Trinity helps out in that area also. I think Agfa is the only kitty innocent of these crimes in my household, and for that, I love her. The others are free to a good home. Or not so good home. Just get them out of mine. Sometimes I dream of what it would be like to have a laundry room floor that’s nice and clean and not ALWAYS skittered all over with litter. I dream of not having to scoop someone elses’ shit out of a gravelly box. I dream of not having to COVER UP someone elses’ shit because instead of covering it up, they throw litter over the side of the cat box instead.

I remember when I was little and I or my siblings would beg my parents for a cat or dog. My father of course, would always say, “Ask your mother.” and my mother would always say no. She must have caved in sometimes, because we did have 2 kittens when I was little, and an older cat (one of the kittens) and various dogs when I was older, but I still remember her reasoning, when we’d beg her. They make a mess, they ruin furniture and carpeting, and she will end up being the one who takes care of them.

It sounds familiar. I didn’t realize she was right, back then, but she was right all along. Oh yes. When our house is finally rid of animals.. I promise, there won’t be any others coming in in a long, long time.

The dog doesn’t belong to me, but anyone care for a cat or two?

I’m actually in a fairly good mood today, but I just had to get all that out.

– grumpy ms. grumperstein hollers at you to STAY OFF HER LAWN, DAMMIT.

(cont)

I haven’t written about it, because my rule of websites is, “Always assume the one person you don’t want to read it, WILL.” Heehee. Good rule, eh? So, now that it is all gone through, it’s OK to share.

James got a great job offer from a great company and has accepted it. We have a couple of our friends that work there and like it. He has actually been in touch with the company since before CHRISTMAS, and he put his resume in for it LAST SUMMER, so it’s been a while in the works, though progress has only really been made in the last week or so. Turns out the HR person he was talking to (and kept missing) left, and he was contacted by someone new, who really took charge and got things done. He went in for an interview yesterday, and was offered the job this morning. My only beef with him is that he didn’t even do the courtesy, “Let me think about it, discuss it with my wife, and get back to you,” spiel, he just TOOK IT. Hahaha! However, we both knew he was going to take it, and the offer was even better than he expected, so I can forgive him not talking to me about it first 🙂 The money is good, the benefits are good, especially in that they HAVE SOME, whereas in his old job there was vacation, and that was about it.

He told his boss about it this morning, and apparently there was some carrot dangling that was probably kind of laughable, because the boss has dangled the carrot before, in terms of yearly review/ raises end of year bonuses, etc, and when the carrot actually comes, it is always a let down. James pretty much told him that even if he matched it (which I don’t think is even possible, due to the benefits) he would still leave. There was a lot of, “ahhh… well, you might be tossing a lot of money away..” sort of talk, but it was a bunch of HOOEY.

I don’t know if James is a good interviewer, because I’ve never seen him in interviews, but I do know that the one fault he has is that he undervalues himself. He is too modest. I never have that problem, honestly, I’m a greedy bitch 🙂 When I was leaving the second “real” job I ever had, I shopped myself around, got myself two offers, played them against each other, and took the better one at a 15k raise (remember, this was at the very beginning of my career, so it was basically raising me out of the level of poverty, haha). I’m just that kind of person. James is a much nicer, genial sort of man. The job he has now, he took after being laid off for 2 months (with only 3 months severance pay) with me being SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT. I was working, but as a contractor with no benefits, and I would not have paid time off to give birth. He was under a good bit of pressure (talk about an understatement)! He took the first decent job that came along, at a salary that he should have laughed at. Four years later, some job benefits that made up for that lack of salary have eroded away, and the salary/ bonus promises that were made originally never really paid off.

When we went into this situation, he even turned to me one night and said, “Now you’re going to have to tell me what to say in the interview, when they ask about money, Miss I-had-two-offers!” I did tell him things he could say, and we discussed all the bogus froo-froo-y interview questions that might come up, “If you were a tree, what sort of tree would you be?*” and what he could reply to them. Maybe I said something that helped, but more accurately, they recognized a good nerd when they saw one 🙂

* I actually have never been asked this, but you have to agree that there are definitely weird interview questions that sometimes come up. Like, “What is your biggest weakness?” that you’re supposed to somehow make be an asset, like, “Oh, gosh, I guess I’d have to say, I’m just TOO ORGANIZED, it SUCKS.” Yeah right.

Seeing him get this offer is just the best feeling in the world. He is the hardest worker I know, he hardly ever misses a day sick, he works his ass off, he doesn’t complain (except to me!) gets the job done even when he has his family to take care of and school to attend. He has not really liked working with the people he has worked with the last four years. He hasn’t minded some of them, but he hasn’t had the nice camaraderie of colleagues that become friends to help him get through his work day and make going to work ENJOYABLE. He hasn’t had a good company environment, he hasn’t been appreciated for his SUPREME talents, and if anyone deserves a rewarding, well-paid position IT IS JAMES. I am just so proud of him and excited for him and excited for getting out of the suck-joy hell hole that he is currently employed at, that I could just burst.

No one deserves it more, honey.

WAY TO GO!

Plus now, as my friend Greg said, we can definitely get me a bike for my birthday. 🙂

I mean, WAY TO GO!

It’s been an exciting day, here at the Panders’ household. Except that we weren’t actually in the house when any of it happened, but you get the idea.

First up. Health. And a Project Skinny Update.

I wrenched a muscle in my back on Saturday night. You can probably noodle through exactly what I was doing when it got wrenched. Ahem. It showed up Sunday, and DAMN did it hurt. The knotted muscle was just under/to the side of my shoulder blade, but it was knotted so badly that it radiated all through my back and shoulder and down my arm and even through my rib cage and made it hard to breath, if i was slouching. Monday was no better. I woke up feeling GREAT, and even told James that it appeared to have unkinked. By the time I got to work, however, I was dying. I took two Aleve, and another by the end of the afternoon. The total you’re supposed to take in a 24 hour period is 3. I’ve never taken 3 in a 24 hr period. By night fall I was in agony. My arm felt like I had carpal tunnel syndrome, and my neck kept twanging strangely and it brought on a massive headache. By last night at bedtime, I decided I was going to the doctor, because I just couldn’t take it anymore.

So on the way to work, I called to make an appointment. I switched insurance when I got my job, so I haven’t been to the doctor I selected as my primary care before. Because of this, I couldn’t just see the nurse practitioner, I had to see the Dr., and the receptionist informed me that the earliest time open was February 10th. I was literally flabbergasted. I couldn’t seem to form words.

her: “We have an opening on February 10th.”
me: *silence, and then* “But…. I’m….. How….”
her: …..
me: *trying to form a coherent sentence* “But I’m sick now.”
(I’m sick now? What am I, four?)
her: …..
me: “I just.. I don’t… I … Should I find another doctor then, I just.. I don’t know how to respond to that.”
her: “Hold on a minute.”

She put on someone else, who listened to me whine and then told me they’d try to fit me in at 11am.

So I went to the doctor’s office, early of course, because there’s always new patient paperwork. I filled it all out, being careful to mark everything correctly especially in those, “Do you feel anxiety, sadness, or agitation with no explicit reason?” type questions. Here’s my chance to make sure I’m basically evaluating myself correctly. I went in and did the usually nurse flibber flabber, and then saw the doctor. first we discussed the back issues. I cannot lift my children, under any circumstance. I knew this. Jocelyn weighs 30 lbs, and she’s not even two. I am going to have to really really really try to remember this. Ethan is 40 lbs, and I lift him up and down every day into the truck. Ugh. She gave me some muscle relaxers too, that I can use 3x a day if they don’t make me lose focus, and if so, then just 1x a day, before bed. I can feel them working already.. Ahhhhh..

So, next, we discussed the mental health, which I had noted. I told her about last summer how I really was doing poorly, but going back to work seemed to alleviate a lot of that. I explained how it seems to come on about once a month, and she suggested it might be premenstrual. James and I discussed that too, once, and I told him I’d rather be crazy then have it all be PMS. James of course would rather be able to blame the hormones than a crazy brain, but then that’s a man. All the men who are reading this are probably nodding along with the James take, but I don’t know, it’s just FRUSTRATING, when you vent and storm and get all crazy and then have ALL YOUR EMOTIONS INVALIDATED by someone saying, “Oh, it’s just PMS.” It kind of invalidates YOU, and that sucks. I can see how it would be nice to not be crazy, but it is just as not nice to have yourself and your feelings totally ignored and labeled under “PMS.” SUCKS. I’d rather be crazy, and get to OWN these emotions and actions. But there it is, could just be hormones. Anyway, she said it sounded fine, and if it seemed to get out of control to come see her and we would work it out.

Then, she asked about the general health issues in the past, and I told her about the 2 c-sections, and the gall bladder going out. I hadn’t brought up my weight, so she did, and I quickly told her that I AM working on it, and I have managed to lose 10 pounds since Thanksgiving, but that I was getting frustrated and it was very hard. That is when she suggested an appetite suppressant. (!!!) Honestly, I didn’t think there really was this sort of thing around anymore. I was skeptical at first, but she talked me into it. The downside is that they do beat up on your heart, but as she said, carrying around this extra weight is much worse for my heart. The usual dosage is to take them every day, but she wanted me to take them 5x a week instead, to give my body a break now and then. I had an EKG to make sure I was good to go for them, and I am also going to go back in 6 weeks. It’ll be good motivation to really stay on track.

So, I will state my goal right here! March 7th, is 6 weeks from today.

My goal is to lose 12 lbs by March 7th. that is 2 lbs per week, a very doable goal.

So, trip to the doctor = good. SHe was very nice, very knowledgeable, very good communicator. Muscle relaxed obtained, currently doing their trick on the back, YAY! (Oh my god, you have no idea how much better I feel already). Mental Check – not crazy, if I get crazier, check back in. Project skinny has got the a-ok by the Dr. and now I have a secret weapon in my corner to help out.

So, good day! Cool! I’m feeling good!

But this was actually the LEAST of the goodness that happened today!

This is a long post, so I’m going to break it up into to, because I especially don’t wnat the next part buried at all, because if anything it’s way cooler than me going to the doctor!

So, continued.

No parent left behind

I remember that Christmas morning. I was eight, and there was only one thing that Santa could bring me that would make me happy. I walked into the living room, and THERE IT WAS! A bright pink HUFFY! With STREAMERS!

Well, I’m no longer eight, and I REALLY don’t want pink, but I would like to feel the wind in my hair and the exhilaration of FASTER FASTER FASTER!

I had a great bike in college that got stolen, and I haven’t had anything since.

My brother had the great idea of getting my mom a bike for Christmas. I think the trick to RIDING a bike is having the RIGHT bike, and for her it was to make sure it was comfortable, and easy to use. I’m looking at the same brand of bikes and getting all glinty eyed just thinking about it.

Here is the one I want.

Just kidding. I would LOVE to get that one, but it’s a little over the top, don’t you think? Plus, more than I want to spend, and not enough gears.

This is what I want

I really do want that one, I LOVE IT! But again, not enough gears. *SNIFF* Oh, how we never had the chance to know each other!

No more foolin’, THIS ONE is the one I want:

Too bad it doesn’t have streamers. *SNIFF!* Or daisies! Still, I think this is the winner.
James looks at these a little askance. But honestly, they look like they’re not going to kill my back, be easy to ride, AND BE FUN! And THAT is going to make me want to get back on it, right?

So go ahead, you have your fun at my expense and the kooky weird looking bike that I want. But I still like it 🙂 And my birthday is next month.

It’ll be the Christmas of 1982 all over again!

Wow, what a weekend.

I had SO MUCH fun last night playing poker with mostly strangers. It just made me realize how uncomfortable I have been feeling around some of my neighbors lately. And since it’s always a good idea to write as if whoever you’re writing about is reading it, I’m not going to say much, except that I was talking with some friends in the neighborhood and aparently it isn’t JUST me who feels this way. I am not sure I agree entirely everything they were saying, because I didn’t experience it myself, but I feel much better, and definitely the next time bunko rolls around, I’ll be able to cut loose and have fun without feeling weird, and that’s always good.

LIKE I DID LAST NIGHT. Oh my, I may never get invited to poker at this guy’s place again, tee hee. See, when I cut loose, I tend to blabber a lot (gee, a lot like this web space!) and sometimes really random things come out of me. So.. what were the highlights? Well, I was introduced to a new brand of vodka which seemed really good – very smooth, but affordable. I don’t know vodka, but this brand “Tito” (you can remember it because it rhymes with “Tivo!”) is apparently just as good as a premium vodka, like grey goose. Let’s see, so there was vodka, yum, we did have a bubble blowing contest at one point when some bubbilicious was passed out. And then after it wsa too hard to blow bubbles, there was a snapping/crackle contest. Of course there was poker, and I did win a few big hands, but ended up down over all. It was a nickel, dime, quarter game, and I took the cup of change that I used to use when I played change games a few years ago. The problem with this sort of game is you never know how much you started with, and therefore how far up or down you are when you’re done. I did know I was down though. The pokering was a lot of fun, a couple folks were fairly new to the game and caught on fairly quickly, and luckily my habit of staring at the cards and thinking out loud (usually talking myself out of calling when i should really stay in) was “HELPFUL!” instead of the usual “GAG HER UNTIL SHE STOPS TALKING! NO WAIT SHE’S GOING TO FOLD SO LET HER BLABBER SOME MORE!” Other than that, I will spare you the actual poker details because hearing about how I had 2 kings on the turn and then an ace came in that paired the board so that WE SPLIT THE POT AND OH IT WAS AMAZING! is usually about as boring as hearing someone recount their adventures in Risk. “And then I rolled a TWO! I tought I was done for, but then he rolled a ONE! HAHA!” Yeah. Boring.

I came home, and James wandered down, and I could tell something was bothering him. I have to say, I’m really patting myself on the back about this one, because the minute I looked at him, I could totally tell he was irked, even when he said, “Fine.” to my, “how’re you doing?” and he ‘fessed up when I pressed him (luckily it wasn’t about ME. Shew.) We cleaned up a little and went to bed and proceeded to talk until 1am.

I would have to say my worst fault is I get so freakin’ chatty when I’m tired. I mean REALLY CHATTY. I just talk and talk and talk and finally I just had to clamp my mouth shut and thank my lucky stars that my husband loves me and doesn’t want to slap me around when I keep him up until 1am before a work day.

One of the things I blathered on about to James last night, was I seem to have some sort of THING every couple of weeks. Maybe it’s because I let something bug me or build up for a few weeks and then it’s just too much to keep hold of, and I just need to let it spill out and throw something. Then it’s over, and I’m good for a few more weeks. Rinse, repeat.
Anyway, so there’s my weekend. No fancy ending. just,

THE END!

– amy will stare out at you for eternity from an over-sized pickle jar – stick an oversized novelty afro wig on top for fun, amy prefers purple.

If Jocelyn spots you resting your eyes or even in a relatively motionless horizontal position, she’ll walk over and holler, “WAKE UP!!!” and giggle until you look at her.

Other things she is doing – using the word “too”.

me: “Let’s go downstairs.”
jocelyn: “yeah! downstairs, too.”

me: “I’m going to have some oatmeal!”
jocelyn: “nummies! meal, too!”

Everything she says usually has a big pause in the middle.

“Here… Ethan. Here…. ethan.”

“Hi. … Mommy.”

However, she is stringing more words together, and the other day she said “I” for (i think) the first time.

Sitting at breakfast, she cast some unwanted piece of food off the table, looked at us, and said, “I dropped it.” Usually, it’s just, “dropped it.”

Last night was a great night out, though we are old farts who came back and sent the babysitter home at 9:30. NINE THIRTY PEOPLE! It’s actually because there really weren’t any movies we wanted to see. We had a nice time though, and of course had an even nicer time once we were home. Ahem.

After all the niceness, we decided that we should get our scale out, lay down on the floor and try to weigh our heads. I told him it was just in case I went missing and he got a box in the mail he would know by the relative weight whether or not it is my severed head. Oh yeah, afterglow in our house is just so damn sexy. Then I told him it might come in an oversized pickle jar. Maybe I should leave that in my will. “I wish to have my head severed and preserved in a pickle jar.

I really really really don’t. But it is a funny thought, heads in a pickle jars.

We’re off to Ikea to look at things that may or may not be purchased to put in our basement once our extra room down there is finished. I also want to check out their laminate fake wood flooring. Then tonight I’m off to POKER I’M SO EXCITED IT’S BEEN SO LONG SHOE MONEY TO-NIGHT!

– have a lovely Sunday.