making a mess can be so fun

Last night we decorated our pumpkins for Halloween. We opted for an amalgamation of traditional carving and a new-to-us method of painting. So I can't just say we carved pumpkins—even though decorate sounds odd to me. I didn't really think it would be a good idea to let G-tot wield a sharp knife and I thought painting would be a great alternative. It was awesome.

absolutely into it

I waited until the absolute last minute to get pumpkins. Which seems to be a trend in my life these days. On the way home from work yesterday I stopped at the farmer's market and picked up one pumpkin for us to carve as a family and 3 small pumpkins to decorate individually. The carving pumpkin was HUGE and topped out the scales at the market—which max out at 30 pounds. We normally carve at least one each—but we also tend to do that well before the eve of Halloween.

separating seeds from pulp

I love making roasted pumpkin seeds out of the innards. One pumpkin surely wouldn't yield enough seeds to satisfy us, but I was willing to make do with what we would get. It wasn't too bad for coming from just one pumpkin.

playing with play-doh after finishing his pumpkin

This year we opted for the super traditional carve as opposed to our normal—more elaborate—designs. JQ carved the eyes and nose while I kept an eye on G-tot painting and then we switched and I carved the mouth. Painting turned out be a real treat and was perfect for G-tot. It was an awesome family moment. Spontaneous & fun. The kind memories are made of.

jq's

mine

G-tot's

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I'm hoping his blue eyes will distract you from my three chins.

"nuts" & "I a bat" live

I've had a few requests to get G-tot on video saying "nuts" and "I a bat". Since I hate to disappoint, here's a quick video of a chatty little G-tot. Enjoy!

going batty

Tuesday of this past week I had no idea what I was going to dress G-tot as for Halloween. I wasn't particularly pressed about it either. I should have been, but I wasn't. I knew it was getting close to the deadline—especially since we had a party to go to that Friday. Which left me three days and no option but to find a costume stat.

I hate to spend lots of money on things that aren't going to get much use. I also figured what I dressed G-tot in really didn't matter. So I decided to get a pair of solid color footed pajamas at the second hand kids shop and some little pom-poms at the craft store to sew on the front. Voila! Instant clown—and I hate clowns. G-tot and I drove to the store and it was closed! Crap. I wasn't waiting around for another forty minutes to hope they had the pjs I was looking for. Two minutes down the street was an Old Navy and a Babies 'R' Us. They had to have something.

They did. And for half off! Awesome.

G-tot will not be a clown after all. Instead he's going to be a warm and fuzzy bat.


Which is perfect since he has been learning about bats at school.


And when you ask him what he is going to be for Halloween he says, "I a bat."

weekly winners (october 19–25)

at least we're on the same wavelength

An actual interaction that took place on Saturday while playing Catch Phrase* with some friends.

JQ: "Okay. He was a famous hockey player from Detroit."

*Pixie*: (*without hesitation*) "Wayne Gretzky"

JQ: "Right." (*passes the game to the next player*)

Our friend Phil: "That's hilarious. I'll tell you why as soon as this round is over."**


*Catch Phrase is a quick paced game where you have to get your partner to guess the word in front of you without actually saying it. Super fun and nothing like Taboo or Charades.

**Apparently Wayne Gretzky never played for Detroit (nor was he from there). But we got the clue right—so who cares about specifics.

Sundays

The bedroom smells like nutmeg and cinnamon. Despite temps in the 50s, it's nearly 70 degrees in here—and the furnace hasn't been on all day. It doesn't need to be, the oven has been running non-stop for the past couple of hours.

I love days like this. The crisp fall weather outside. Sweatshirts and slippers inside. And a big Sunday dinner. Tonight it's turkey, loaded baked potatoes, green beans, and homemade pumpkin pie.

Autumn rocks.

all the titles I'm coming up with are lame or inappropriate

I changed my masthead. If you are reading this through a feed reader and have a minute, please click through and take a look. I'd love some feedback on the new design. If you always click through to read, look up and then click on that comment box and let me know what you think.

Thanks!

I'm okay with squishy and strong

I've decided to quit Weight Watchers. I haven't put any effort into the program and I'm tired of forking over money for nothing. Sure, the meeting is nice, but if you aren't actively participating in the process then what good is it? No good is the answer. I'm okay with my weight as is. Sure, I could stand to lose a couple ten or twenty pounds but I don't dislike myself because of what I weigh now.

And that's what's important. When I first joined Weight Watchers I wasn't happy with my weight. I was fed up and motivated. I was dedicated. And I saw results. Five years and one kid later I don't weigh what I did at my lowest point since joining, but I don't weigh as much as I did the day I first walked through that door. And to me that's success. Especially after gaining almost fifty pounds during my pregnancy.

Now if I could just get back into working out again…

Love Thursday—through the viewfinder

All the pictures that hung in my memory before I knew you have faded and given place to our radiant moments together.


Now I cannot live apart from you...


Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me.
–Sarah Bernhardt

29 down, 72 to go

This afternoon I set my laptop on the kitchen counter and compared the list below to the one I have taped to the kitchen cabinets. Highlighting and dating the items on that hard copy as I complete them gives me a sense of real satisfaction and accomplishment. I'm not as diligent about marking them off the list online. So today I compared the list and updated the one below. I've now completed 29 out the 101 items. Not too bad in just 6 months, right? That's an average of 4.83 items per month or about 1 per week. I'd say that's pretty good—especially since some of the items took an entire week before the goal was actually accomplished. For you math lovers that's just under 29% complete—and I still have 824 days to go.

Here's a look at the updated list and all that I've accomplished so far. I've included a blurb from the original post for you newcomers (and those of you that don't memorize random facts about my entire life). I really value the thoughts and feedback from all of you so don't forget to leave a comment!

---

The reason I'm doing this is here.

There are all sorts of reasons that these items are on my list. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them. Wonder why I put something on my list? Just ask. See something on there you've always wanted to do? Let me know in the comments. Think I'm crazy? Well, that's a given.

101 in 1001

Start date: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Finish date: Saturday, January 15, 2011

For Others
1. Participate in a walk for charity
2. Volunteer for a least one hour somewhere
3. Donate to a worthy cause
4. Write a letter to someone
5. Send a "just because" package to a friend
6. Send a "just because" package to a blogger buddy (5.13.08)
7. Give $5 to a stranger in need

Health & Nutrition
1. Get back to goal weight
2. Exercise (cardio) 3 days a week for one month
3. Do Strength Training 2 days a week for one month
4. Do Yoga 3 days a week for one month
5. Eat whole foods (nothing processed) for one week
6. Buy bikes (again) and go on a long ride (6.07.08 rode to Penguin Palace & back—approx. 7 miles)
7. Shoot my bow
8. Do 10 "regular-style" pushups
9. Eat breakfast (by 10 am) everyday for one week (7.18.08)
10. Do not eat after 10:30 pm for one week (7.18.08)

Family Time
1. Take G-tot to Butterfly House 8.05.08)
2. Take G-tot camping (just the 3 of us)
3. Travel overnight with G-tot
4. Go to a corn maze
5. Take a hayride (9.26.08)
6. Take G-tot to Storytime at the library (9.18.08)
7. Take G-tot to the Art Museum
8. Have a picnic with JQ & G-tot (7.11.08)
9. Become Zoo Members (4.27.08)
10. Take G-tot to an outdoor music event (7.11.08)
11. Get a family portrait taken
12. Take G-tot to the pool/beach (6.12.08)

Cooking & Entertaining
1. Make bracciole
2. Make a cake and frosting from scratch
3. Can something (homemade pasta sauce, homemade pickles, etc.) (6.29.08, rum soaked cherries)
4. Make creme brulee
5. Host an "Appetizers" party
6. Host a wine and cheese party
7. Make homemade ice cream (6.14.08)
8. Showcase the harvest from our garden in one meal (7.10.08, 7.15.08)

Arts & Crafts
1. Make a wooden "g" for G-man's door
2. Take an art class (preferably glass blowing)
3. Learn CSS
4. Edit home movies into DVD's
5. Learn Screenprinting
6. Letterpress something again
7. Sketch everyday for one week (6.30.08)
8. Enter a photography competition
9. Exhibit my artwork in a gallery setting
10. Create a short art film (abstract, documentary, or conceptual)
11. Create photo books
12. Make plaster hand print (G-man's)

Gardening
1. Grow Melons or Pumpkins
2. Finish bird sanctuary in backyard (7.05.08)
3. Plant bulbs (4.19.08)
4. Enlarge garden (5.9.08)
5. Make a worm bin (composting)
6. Make a rain barrel
7. Make a yard compost bin
8. Build a platform bird feeder
9. Build a birdhouse
10. Make homemade suet cakes for birds
11. Grow a root veggie (spring/summer 2008, green onions)

Domestic Life
1. Remodel bathroom
2. Repaint the living room (7.24.08)
3. Create prints for the bedroom
4. Tile the back steps
5. Compile an emergency kit for home
6. Organize the office
7. Put up cabinets in office
8. Sell or donate unwanted items in basement
9. Get all items from Gam's that belong to us (7.26.08)

Meeting New People
1. Meet neighbors (Toby's wife & son)
2. Befriend Amanda (other neighbor) (Fall 2008)
3. Network at a design function (10.14.08 Madhouse)
4. Contact a stranger for a student group function

Enriching our Lives
1. Canoe
2. Take a train ride
3. Visit an aboretum (preferably w/ japanese gardens)
4. Go to planetarium
5. Meditate on regular basis (2-3 times per week for one month)
6. Learn to play Chess
7. Play Risk with JQ
8. Go on a guided tour (park, museum, etc.)
9. Attend two Summer/Fall Festivals (Blackswamp, Crosby Gardens, Apple Butter, etc.)
10. Take at least one class towards my Master's Degree
11. Take a dance class
12. Attend a religious service
13. Go to a book/poetry reading
14. Go to an open mic event at a cafe/coffeeshop
15. Attend a play put on by a local theatre group
16. Learn to play a kid's tune on the guitar

General/Others
1. Obtain domain and launch website
2. Launch Etsy shop (9.06.08)
3. Sell something on Etsy (9.11.08)
4. Write reviews of books (Sourcebooks)
5. Enjoy a cup of coffee with a sunrise
6. Read 10 books in 2008 (8.21.08)
7. Read 15 books in 2009
8. Get up by 7:30 am every morning for one week (7.26.08)
9. Take public transportation (or walk/ride bike) for an entire day (5.27.08)
10. Wear fingernail polish for entire week
11. Wear toenail polish for entire week (5.31.08)
12. Write a reflective essay about the process of 101 in 1001

Did you read them all? Good for you!

weekly winners: oct 5–11

fall is here

"wahks"

love hangs from above

vinyl reflection

cheekbones

I haven't been this excited about a movie since Pirates

The new scenes in this make me feel like a teenage girl. "SQUEEE!"

Twilight trailer in HD (thanks Zoot!)

if the internet was tequila I'd probably have cirrhosis

blogger
flickr
twitter
linkedIn
facebook

Is it any surprise that my house is a mess and I'm not getting enough sleep? I'm going to say no. And have you noticed most of my posts these days are either just a few sentences or just a bunch of pictures? Yeah, I'm awesome. It's no wonder you flock here daily and leave such warm and heartfelt comments.

Oh, wait…

jerkoff (or is it jerk-off?)

Some ass in a big box truck just pulled out in front of G-tot and I on our way back from a quick trip into Maumee. I had to slam on my brakes and veer off to the right to avoid him careening into us. When the lane split into two and I was able to pull up next to him and scream "What the hell!?!" he had the audacity to get behind me and follow us to the next light.

Fuck you dude. I've got a kid in the car and you're a jackass. I hope you get pulled over for being a moron. People like you shouldn't have a license. Idiot.

pour yourself a big glass of suck

Today sucks.

That is all…

preoccupied (weekly winners: september 28–october 4)

This has been a terrible week for shooting. I've been really busy with work and have been cooped up in the house or out at school. I've barely been in the back yard at all this week. We did so much exploration and spent so much time outside this summer—where the shots just beg to be taken—that I took it for granted. It was easy for me to shoot 300 frames in one week. Not this week.

I shot just 12 frames. One day. Catching a single moment.






It's the little moments that count, don't you think?

too tired for anything clever

This has been a long week. I had a monstrously important project due at work today and was up until 1:30 this morning working on it. Then up again at 6:20 to put the finishing touches on 79th and final page. I couldn't get up any later because I had to be out of the house for an eight hour Adobe Users Conference by 8 o'clock.

The conference was awesome. The presenter was interesting, highly informative, and hilarious. I learned a bunch of new tricks for the print side of the Adobe Creative Suite. Ten pages of notes worth. I couldn't wait to get home and play around. Good stuff.

But now I'm just exhausted. I've been getting to bed way too late these days and it's catching up with me fast. I should just go to bed. Damn you shiny lights of the internet.

growing up—18 months

Dear Gideon,

Last Wednesday you turned 18 months old. A full year and a half. It's crazy to think that you've now been outside of my body twice as long as you were inside. Wow. So now you're 18 months old and I'm trying to get away from telling people your age in such a small measurement of time. I'm not sure what the official cut of date is (2 years? 3 years?)—but you're getting to be a big boy now. If I don't change my ways soon, I'll be celebrating your 396th month birthday with you—and that's just an asinine number of candles to try to fit on a cake.

18 months—September 24, 2008

your molars are coming in so you like to chew your binkie on one side

Your 18 month milestone (hey, I'll change when I'm ready) came smack-dab in the middle of a HUGE week for you. That Monday your started your first day at daycare. For an entire year and a half we were able to avoid having to utilize formal daycare, instead depending on the kindness and availability of our family. But G-Gi moved away, Daddy's family all work full-time jobs, and you have way too much energy for the long days needed with Gam. Much to the dismay of our wallets that only left one option—formal daycare. I wanted you to go to a center with other kids as opposed to daycare in a private home. Not only for the freak pedophile fears, but also for the opportunity for you to interact with children and get a new perspective on life. We don't have many friends with kids your age right now so you don't get much interaction with the wee folk. Now, I know Daddy and I are awesome, but it's nice for you to get a chance to play with some people your own size.

first day of school

this is what you wore—not the jammies

Anyway…Monday was your first day of school (what we've decided to call daycare since all 3 of us go to school now) and Daddy ended up taking you alone. I have to leave for work (my school) an hour before he has to leave for class and we decided to keep you home that much longer rather than drop you off together. It also made it easier on my heart. I don't know that I wouldn't have cried dropping you off that day—hell, I cried just TOURING a daycare when we first started looking. Daddy may or may not have cried after the drop off—but that's up to him to tell you. It was reported, however, that YOU WERE A CHAMP! You ran right in with the group with barely a glance back and only teared up twice during the day (once around 10 and again at the end of the day when the other kids were being picked up). As a matter of fact, the teacher told Daddy that you had one of the best first days of any toddler. Way to go buddy!

you love picking up rocks

making a pb&j with Daddy

You are going to school just two days a week but they are long days. It's a big adjustment to days alone with Mommy, but I know you'll be okay. Daddy had to leave you crying and pointing down the hall after him this morning and it took all he had not to scoop you up and run back home with you. It's going to be a big adjustment for all of us.


I've also started taking you to story time at the library. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time but the sessions always seemed to fall on the days I worked or during your nap time. Not this time around! The story time at the branch near our house didn't work with our schedule, but the Maumee branch had a Thursday morning that was perfect for us—not too early and not too close to nap time. It runs for ten weeks and we will go to our third one tomorrow. After a half an hour of singing songs, saying rhymes, and—of course—listening to stories we'll pick out 5 to 10 books to take home with us and read until the next week. We read before nap time and again before bed time (and anytime in between when you grab a book). Laying in our bed with you to read has become one of my favorites nightly rituals.


The other big event this past week was your very first HAIRCUT! The haircut that your Daddy thought I'd never get done. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever cut your hair. I wasn't in a hurry. I liked your hair just the way it was. Your beautiful red hair that curled up at the ends. The little mop top that had gotten a tad out of control. Eighteen months without single snip. But it was time. So last Thursday the three of us went to my stylist Dawn, and after I had my hair cut, you had yours cut.



Of course I took pictures and saved snippets of those sweet baby curls. I can't help it. That's who I am. I'm your Mom-mom and I love you more than you'll ever know.

You might as well get used to it.

Love,

Mom-mom