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Psst, I'm moving

I'm movin' on up to my own domain (kind of like the Jeffersons). I'll go into details later, but for now, head over to the new digs and wish G-tot a Happy Birthday!

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growing up—22 & 23 months

Dear Gideon,

You have been in our lives nearly two years, yet I find it hard to remember life without you. That part of my life just isn't as important anymore. You are what's important and my life has been forever altered because of you.

When I walk into the kitchen and see the door leading to the basement steps open, a little part of me panics. Even if you aren't home. It needs to be closed because of you. That's just the way we do it now. So much of the way our lives function on a day-to-day basis plays out in a lovely pattern because of you. Some days it is really tiring, but I can't imagine it any other way.

22 months—January 25, 2009

In less than a week you will be two and I feel a little guilty that I'm just now finishing your 22 & 23 month letter. I've had it started for many weeks, but time just seems to get away from me. As I've said before, I'm a terrible procrastinator and prefer to spend my time WITH you rather than writing a letter TO you. And when you are napping or in bed for the evening? Well, that's when your Dad and I do the chores around the house and spend a little time together. It's those sort of moments that have kept me from writing this letter for so long. That and the fact that I may just be a wee bit lazy.

I keep a small running list of cute things you do each month that I don't want to forget. Of course, many of the things you do never make it to the list since you are the epitome of cuteness every day. I can't write it all down. In the past couple of months you have done some things that make me want to squeeze the cute right out of you.


Your Dad started making a little puppet of sorts out of his hand during dinner to encourage you to eat your food. The hand would talk to you while picking up little bits of food and pretending to eat them. You thought that was great and even went as far as naming your new little friend out of the blue one day. You like to call him "Coch-coch"—like the word "coke" with a thick "ch" sound at the end.

You talk all the time but still have trouble with your "F" sounds. I hear it is one of the hardest sounds to master and you can take your sweet time if you want. I think it is really adorable to hear you say Goosy instead of Goofy, letting us know you eat with a Sork or that you just Sarted. Especially that last one. Farts are funny no matter how you say it.

You also say "Love you" now and that makes me melt a little each time I hear it. One of my other favorite phrases you say these days is "Ummm…how about…". You say it when we are picking out your clothes for the day or deciding on which snack to have or which book to read. The way you draw out the "ummm" and sound so inquisitive yet serious about your decision slays me. I couldn't figure out how you came up with that until I realized your Dad and I say that to you quite often. That makes it even cuter.


We are constantly telling you to take little bites of your food—which is in direct opposition to what your Dad and I do with our food. Some how you transformed those little bites into "cute bites" when you talk about them. You pinch your thumb and forefinger together and say "cute" when that bite on your fork is too big for your liking. That's our cue to help you get a more manageable bite for you. That's good. Somedays I wish I had that same self control.

This one will probably embarrass you because I'm going to talk about taking showers with me, but come on, you're just a little guy. It's not creepy yet. Plus, you love taking a shower and it's a great way to make sure you don't get into trouble if I need to shower when your Dad isn't around. Anyway, one of the new things you do when we take a shower is wash your bath toys and my feet with a washcloth. It is what we do when you take a bath, so it's only natural that you would return the favor. You're really sweet like that.

23 months—February 24, 2009

You have also developed this odd little dislike for shadows. It started one day when you ran out of your room yelling, "Bear. Bear." When I went to inspect the cause of this little frenzy I was surprised at what I found. There in your room, next to your bookshelf, was a shadow that did in fact look like a bear. It was being cast onto the wall from the rocking chair, but it was enough to freak you right out. After that you did not care for shadows one bit. It took a lot of reassuring and explaining what a shadow was before you would even look at one without panicking. You're better now, but that old bear still freaks you out a little. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe.

the bear

I hope when you are an adult you read these letters and get the same warm fuzzy feeling that I do when I write them. I hope you can appreciate how awesome you are and see how much we adore you.

Love,
Mommy

So I decided to plan a party less than two weeks away

G-tot is going to be 2 next week and I decided at the last minute to throw a party. Nothing huge, but I do have a theme—dinosaurs. The color palette will be green, yellow, and the variations between. Here are the invites I made this morning after a killer headache kept me from making them last night.

ignore that black line—that's me taking a crappy screen shot

blocked out the address and phone—you know, to thwart the stalkers

It's an early party and I'm thinking finger foods and cake. I have a few ideas for little favors for the kids which I'm excited to put together. I would love to hear your suggestions for food, decor, or anything else. Keep in mind our budget is very small.

Have you heard of chicken and ham paste?

A few weeks ago a friend of mine set her facebook status as "Sarah is chicken and ham paste." Thinking to myself, "What the hell?" the following interaction ensued:

Me: Let me just say that "ham paste" sounds like something that should not have been invented.

Her: Wash your mouth out! I'm going to have to send you some before you judge!

Me: Please do!

Her: Don't worry, I'll get you the good stuff, not tesco's own. I'm classy like that.

Tesco's Own. Like I know what the hell that is. And so, she sent me a jar of chicken and ham paste all the way from Liverpool. Not just "ham paste" that she was eating with chicken. Chicken and Ham paste. I didn't realize that was an all-inclusive item.


Princes Chicken and Ham Paste. Apparently it's the good stuff. I wasn't so sure.


According to Sarah, I should cover a slice of bread with butter, top with a layer of paste and enjoy. "It's like a poor man's pate.", she says. I wonder if that is part of their advertising slogan? It hardly sold me.


What it really reminded me of was wet cat food.


But we weren't scared. So I did what any good parent would do. I gave G-tot the first bite.

I was a little scared after that reaction. Let's see what JQ thought of it.

Oh man… I can't NOT try it. It traveled all that way for me. There was no way I was turning my back on it.

Umm…

Actually it was pretty good. We all liked it. JQ is just a funny guy and likes to ham it up. So do I. Thanks Sarah.

Carson Daly, Plastic Man

What the hell happened to Carson Daly's face? I saw this picture of him on NBC's website last week (that's his network right?) and couldn't believe my eyes.

Please tell me this is just some terrible Photoshop retouching and not awful Botox/plastic surgery/makeup. Carson, you're freaking me out.

Remember when he looked like this?

Sunday Dinners #6 (03.08.09)

Pizza—too tired to cook after traveling this weekend

This week I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel to Illinois to visit my mom and stepdad with G-tot and Josh. We were able to see them because of a work related conference I had in Chicago over the weekend. It was the first time we have been able to visit since they moved in August. It was also the first time we traveled any distance with G-tot. He did fantastic. Such a great weekend.

How about you? What are you thankful for this week?

I may be more than slightly neurotic.

To me, typos in books and other professionally printed pieces are like a steering wheel on a hermaphroditic *pixie* pirate's crotch.

It drives me nuts.

Sunday Dinners #5 (03.01.09)

salad, fried chicken breast tenders (from scratch),
and crash hot potatoes (a recipe I discovered here)

What I'm thankful for this week is an easy one. I'm thankful for having JQ in my life. Today we celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary and it amazes me that it has been that long already. The days with JQ and I go way, way back. We were friends long before we were a couple and he has been in my life for over 15 years now. That's almost half my life. There are plenty of days when we butt heads, but JQ is my best friend. Instead of being disgusted, he laughs when I fart. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Button up

Buttoning our eyes in an effort to make myself forget that I missed Coraline in 3D. It seems to have worked. I want to button our eyes in every picture on the wall. Maybe I'll do that for Halloween. How cool would that be? Wanna button your eyes? You can do it here.

Just keep the fire extinguisher handy

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hope your day is full of good times, good company, and good chocolate.

Mardi Gras masks

Last week for one of our afternoon art projects JQ, G-tot, and I made Mardi Gras masks. I printed out some blank paper masks I found online and we went to town on them with markers, cut paper, stickers, and glitter glue.

When the glue had set I cut out the eyes and punched holes for the string. You know what came next right?

Pictures!




We had a blast. JQ's mask was the big hit. We all wore that one. How could you not want to put it on—with its cool yellow extension. Very fancy in a Roman Gladiator/Mexican Wrestler sort of way.

Sunday Dinners #4 (02.22.09)

Homemade tacos. One of our favorites. Salsa was made from tomatoes in our garden and canned by us back in August. We didn't have a packet of taco seasoning on hand so we whipped one up with a recipe pulled of the internet this afternoon. The beef is venison burger made by my dad and brought to us on their last visit. If the idea of that grosses you out, I would bet you wouldn't know the difference if you ate it this way. Seriously. It just tastes like what you would expect taco meat to taste like. Which is of course, yummy.




This week I'm thankful for the generosity of one of my blogger friends, Nobody. In the comments of my F.T.U.T.S.A. post earlier this week, I jokingly asked Nobody to convince my local PBS station to convert back to analog. It was the only channel we really watched—mainly for G-tot—and they made the digital switch back on the 17th. We have no cable, so that meant no PBS any longer. Yesterday in the mail we received a package from Nobody. In it, a digital converter box. We now get the best picture we have had in years and several additional channels—including two more PBS stations.

Thank you so much Nobody. You are awesome.

How about all of you? What are you thankful for this week?

Does it never end for us?

After being diagnosed with yet another ear infection on Monday, poor G-tot has been stricken with something that had him projectile vomiting this afternoon. He passed out on JQ after several rounds in the bathroom and we are hoping the nap means the puking is behind us.


If not, we've go a bucket handy.

Like your name in lights, only different

This morning was story time at the library for G-tot and I. We went through our weekly ritual of dropping of last week's books in the return bin and then headed toward the back of the library to the children's section. We barely made it twenty feet from the front desk when something caught my eye.

It was sitting on the bottom shelf of a movable cart that showcases new books. If I didn't feel like such a turd I would have pulled out my phone and taken of a picture of it. That's how excited I was. "G-tot, G-tot look!" I exclaimed. "This is the book that Mommy worked on! See! There's Mommy right there!"

G-tot could have cared less but I was so geeked to see the book I worked on showcasing the visual history of the college where I work sitting on the shelf of the public library. The spreads I worked so hard on designing, my name (and several photographs of me & JQ—that somebody else put in) in print, PUBLISHED, and sitting on the 'New Books' shelf for the public to peruse.

It was a pretty exciting moment for me.

Of course, I already have a copy of my own so I took a few shots with iPhoto so you could see the book. And…a few months ago the book won a Crystal Award for "excellence in communications in NW Ohio and SE Michigan". It's nice to be a part of something award winning that actually has your name on it. So much of design requires the designer to be invisible.

Ignore the scary looking woman in on the left and just look at the cover.

A portion of one of my spreads.

My name in print—the only woman that worked on the book

Why don't we get that last post title pushed down the page a bit

In my defense, I was quoting a movie.

Anyway, thanks for the kind words from all of you yesterday. I'm feeling much better now. Just getting my rage out through the written word helped immensely. You guys helped even more. Thanks for being a part of my craziness.

Enough with the sappiness, how about some pictures of Valentine's Day that I forgot to show you? Which may be sappy in their own right. More LOVE!

JQ made us heart shaped pancakes

colored pencils (we all wore the hearts sticker)

In the middle of a creative moment (you can see JQ's hearts sticker).

all done

Fuck them up their stupid asses

Forgive me if this seems harsh and drastic, but these are real emotions I'm feeling at this very moment. They aren't pretty, but they are honest.

When they haul me off to the local sanitarium this winter, you can blame Ohio Jobs and Family Services.

Seriously.

Dealing with them has done nothing but make me want to scream and cry. I'm not much of a screamer so I've done a lot of crying over the last three months. JQ was laid off back at the end of November as a result of this wonderful state the economy is in. In the beginning of December he applied for unemployment. Here it is now, the end of February and we have yet to receive a single penny from unemployment.

Which pretty much sucks ass when you cannot survive on one income.

Their rationale for denying him? He is going to school and "therefore unable to work the regularly scheduled hours for a job in his field". Excuse me? What about the fact that he was going to school when he still had a job?

What about the fact that he has worked his ass off for the last 15 years and never asked for a penny of government handout? How about the fact that he and his employers have paid into this bullshit for the last 15 fucking years?

FAIL—Ohio Jobs and Services. F.A.I.L.

Oh, and talking with a person on the phone? Nearly impossible. You have to do everything online. How fucking convenient. If you DO actually get a person on the phone? They aren't going to help you. They will just redirect you to the internet.

Lovely. Just fucking lovely.

In another month or two we won't be able to pay our bills. After that? Our house? Feeding our son?

Why bother even waking up in the morning? It just keeps pushing me further and further into a state of depression. I'd get some therapy, but we can't afford it.

Sunday Dinners #3 (02.15.09)

I forgot to take a picture of our dinner yesterday for my Sunday Dinners post. JQ and I went to a classic pianist recital and when we got home I was rushing around to make dinner and totally forgot about taking photographs. I didn't remember until we were finished and the dirty dishes were in the sink. Lucky for all of you I used my mad skills to render an incredibly realistic illustration of what we ate.

veal parmesean, garlic bread,
and whole wheat pasta with chunky mushroom sauce

Nice, huh? This week I'm thankful for the fact that I finished up my grades and turned them in before the weekend started. What a relief to not have that looming over me these past few days.

How about you? What are you thankful for this week?

Do you know what kind of day I'm having?

A jeans and sweatshirt, no work, kid at daycare, husband at school kind of day.
A day with few obligations.
A day to myself.


Too bad I'm still sort of sick.

It may not be Hallmark but we still care enough to send the very best

When it comes to picking out cards in a card shop I have a problem. I could stand in the aisles for hours chuckling at the clever graphics and witty phrases that adorn the rows and rows of perfectly folded card stock. I love picking out cards and get an odd kick out of putting that little gold crown sticker on the back of the envelope. I think mostly because it seems so pretentious—"Look at me! I've spent too much money on this card and I want you to be well aware of it!"

This year, for Valentine's day we are doing things a little different. This year we are spending as little money as possible. That doesn't mean the house isn't festively decorated and our table won't be piled with sentiments of love, it just means we are not heading out to Hallmark and dropping our hard earned cash on a card that expresses something we tell each other every day, "I love you."

To be perfectly honest with you? I think our way is going to kick commercialism's ass this year. Just look for yourself.

New flower arrangements crafted from the Groundhog's Day flowers I received almost two weeks ago. Aren't my flower arranging skills wicked awesome?

More dainty flower arrangements and a wonky paper heart chain.

A kick ass heart garland made from dozens of construction paper hearts cut out by JQ and me.

I love this little guy G-tot made at daycare. He just screams cuteness to me.

And last but not least, a "card making" basket I put together this evening for our V-day card making festivities tomorrow. In it is half a dozen blank cards, sheets of red and pink paper, crayons, markers, and sheets of stickers (stars from the desk drawer and v-day themed ones I made up and printed this afternoon). Making our own cards was JQ's idea and I can't wait to do this activity tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day!