Sunday, August 31, 2008

Sippycups Soundbite

As we were driving through "the hood" on our way to the club for brunch BabyGirl noticed what the rest of the free world would call a yard sale. You know, bunch of folks in their yard with years worth of old clothes, toys, junk, etc.

BabyGirl: Look, Mommy! They're having a clothing show!

Me: Trying SOOOO hard not to laugh.

BabyGirl: Do you think it's Chez Ami or something else? Do you think they have pink lemonade?

Me: Goodness, I don't know. We'll be to the club soon. They'll definitely have pink lemonade...

Good Gets on EBay






Just a little teaser...now go SHOP!

Look Out Lance...

...or anyone else who may be in BabyBoy's path. BabyBoy is now officially a bike rider. After months of resistance and my constant reassurance that BabyBoy is ready for bike riding, Dr. Daddy finally acquiesced and agreed to head down to the River Walk and get started. 45 minutes later...success.

I was so proud (and sweaty). I don't know if I sweat more from running alongside him or from anxiety that he might fall. BabyBoy is fairly high strung. He's gotten better, but he tends to be extremely melodramatic and gets really worked up when things don't go his way. The bike riding thing was a parental challenge.

Dr. Daddy and I's conversation on the way home:

Dr. Daddy: Wow, I can't believe he did it.

Me (in that slightly lecturing tone that he swears I sometimes (always) take when I'm discussing our parenting roles: Of course he did it. He just needed positive re-enforcement and someone telling him he could do it. That's what parenting is all about. You have to encourage them...insist to them that they can do something even when you aren't sure if they are really ready. That's all he needed. You can't just get frustrated and walk away when he says "I quit". It's just like I told him. WE DON'T QUIT. We aren't quitters. Period. We can say "I'm finished" when we've accomplished something and we're done. But we don't QUIT. That's what gave him the confidence to do it.

Dr. Daddy: Umm, yeah. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that you told him he would walk home if he didn't learn to ride the bike. The added incentive of a new Lego set probably had nothing to do with it, either.

Me: Whatever. He did it. Who cares. Butthead.

To Stick or Not to Stick

That is the question. We've had painters in the house all week. I know, I know, I was having the OUTSIDE of the house painted. But then it rained and I remembered all the interior work we needed done. Remember BabyGirl's awesome Fancy Nancy party? Note to self: DO NOT adhere those adorable Martha Stewart tissue paper decorations to the ceiling with packing tape. I had to have the sunroom ceiling painted because of the left over tape residue. The kitchen also suffered the tape mess in addition to residual staining from a can of tomato soup that exploded when I opened it a few months ago. I always thought that botulism in soup cans thing was a myth. My hand (which was bruised for weeks after the explosion) says notsomuch.

Soooo, the ceiling in the kitchen is now repainted as well. I THOUGHT I had picked the same color blue that is on every other ceiling in the house but apparently not. It's kind of a blue/grey. The color I chose is Whispering Spring from Benjamin Moore. I LOVE it. It's very light and airy with just a hint of blue and maybe a little teal. It is, however, a shade or two lighter than what we have in the other rooms. In hindsight, I'm glad I messed up with the color matching. I like the lighter ceiling in the kitchen much better.

BabyGirl's room had MAYJUH issues. The previous owners had painted latex over oil paint on the ceiling and it was all chipping off. What. A. Freaking. Mess. They had to sand the entire ceiling, prime it TWICE and then paint. Her room was already pink (with the blue ceiling). I wanted more of a shell pink as opposed to the "frosty" effect I'd gotten from the previous two attempts at pink in her room. I guess I had too much purple in the mix. Anyway, I ended up going with a color that was actually called "Frosty Pink" from Benjamin Moore. Too funny. But, it did end up being much softer than the previous pink, if not a tad darker. We painted the ceiling in the same color but in a matte finish (the walls are eggshell). The overall effect is really lovely. Very warm.

Now my question is this...have any of you ever used these adorable wall decals? You can buy them here, at Pineapple Grove Gifts. I'm thinking I want to do a really big decal over BabyGirl's bed. I'm afraid of how the decal will look, though. Is is shiny once you put it on or is it seamless with the wall?

I really like this one...



They have lots of options. Really adorable. Any ideas?

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Our Little CheaterLeader

We're cheering for you SeanieBoy! Babygirl is very excited about her "cheaterleader" uniform now that it's actually arrived in the mail. We'll see you next weekend in New Market!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

How Do We Feel About THIS?

I just saw that John and Kate are coming out with this book...


Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets

A description from the publisher...

Kate Gosselin tells the amazing story of how she and her husband, Jon, have survived the overwhelming odds of birthing not only twins but also sextuplets in three years, and how they continue to strive every day to honor Christ while he teaches them to thrive in spite of emotional, financial, social, and physical exhaustion.

From the Back Cover

After the emotional rollercoaster ride of dealing with infertility, Kate and her husband, Jon, rejoiced in the birth of their twin daughters. Three years later, they were pregnant again—with sextuplets. Their quiver was filling fast—a little too fast—and happy wasn’t exactly their first reaction.

I blinked hard and then stared at the bright screen positioned slightly to my right. There was no mistaking what I saw; yet, I was in a state of denial. Dr. Munabi began his fateful count. One … aaah. Two … okay. Three … now I was scared. Four … I started sobbing hysterically. The chill of reality washed over me as I watched my husband, my best friend, cheerleader, and storehouse of strength, slowly drop to his knees at the count of five … but the count continued.

And so it began. Though encouraged to consider selective reduction—both for the sake of Kate’s health and to increase the babies’ chances for survival—the Gosselins opted to play the hand God had dealt them. They accepted the six miraculous blessings and all the challenges that came with them.

After struggling to carry and deliver all six babies, then coping with months of neonatal intensive care, Jon and Kate think they’ve made it through the hardest part of the journey. Not even close. Stress-filled days and sleepless nights became their world as she and Jon managed to feed, bathe, clothe, and monitor, the health of their fragile infants without losing sight of their love for each other and the twins.

Candid, honest, and emotionally-charged, Multiple Blessings is first and foremost a story of faith. It’s the story of slogging through exhausting challenges, coping with setbacks, and trusting that God will provide the strength and resilience to get through each day.

I know there's been some wicked gossip about the Gosselins and I've read the sister's family member's blog. I definitely think Kate can be a beeotch at times but I wonder how I would be in the same situation. Hell, I'm bitchy now and I've only got two kids. I certainly can't blame them for trying to profit from their situation given the extreme financial burden that comes with having all these kids. I guess I just wish that Kate was a little nicer to the hubby every now and then. (I'm pretty sure Dr. Daddy would say the same about me)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Uniform Schmooniform

Many of you commented on how adorable BabyGirl's "uniform" was for school. I do have a slight confession to make. It's not "technically" a uniform. Our school has a dress code and it reads as such: shirts and dresses must have a collar, have no brand emblem and be red, navy or white in color. Shorts, skirts and pants must be navy or khaki. Sooo, I decided to stretch the interpretation of that description as far as I could in order to have a cutie pie student! I love, love, love Olive Juice Kids. Great company, great clothes, great quality, great everything! They do tend to be a bit conservative, however. PERFECT for the private school uniform wearing set! I picked out several things over the summer that I thought would be cute. One was the dress BabyGirl was wearing in her first day of school pictures. I also bought this dress in blue and red (sorry for the sucky picture...the website doesn't have a photo of the dress anymore so this is from ebay...)



We have it with short sleeves (although I'm VERY tempted to buy this one with the long sleeves!). It's so cute and SO soft. BabyGirl loved wearing it. She wears a pair of white biker shorts from Gymboree underneath so there's no indecent exposure on the playground.

We also have these adorable cords. I actually bought them for BabyBoy last year. Poor thing...I didn't realize they were girl pants. He did look at me a bit strangely when I gave them to him to put on, but he's pretty good about wearing whatever I ask him to wear. Now I'm glad I did get them. We've passed them down to BabyGirl. Getting her to wear pants might be a stretch, but we'll see! They're so cute because the button holes are trimmed in red thread.



Another cute option I found from Olive Juice Kids was this skirtall. Ours is actually the cotton poplin fabric and has a little bodice with suspenders, as opposed to this one that doesn't have the bodice. I'll be interested to see how it works out in the restroom...



Of course, we've also got the standard skorts and polos from Land's End and Old Navy. Great staples. I love the maryjanes that Aster makes, although we're supposed to wear tennis shoes so we went with white Keds. They seem to match everything.

Gymboree had some really adorable options as well...






A very good use of my GymBucks, if I do say so myself. I didn't, however, see these little cuties when I was there. I may have to make a trip back out to the mall. Remember wearing these when you were a kid? I think I might die watching BabyGirl strut off in her pom pom bobby sox.



And how cute would they be with THESE? (also available at Olive Juice Kids)



Of course, you know that lazy hooch wouldn't even THINK about tying a shoe so we'll have to stick with velcro for now.

So there you have it in a nutshell. Uniform interpretation ah la sippycups.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Christmas in August?

Woo hoo! I just bought my Christmas cards. I actually walked into my local stationery shop just as they were putting the cards on the shelves. They're from Itty Bitty, Inc. and I LOVE them. The envelopes are a really pretty robin's egg blue. I think they look better in person than in the picture...

Monday, August 25, 2008

Empty Nest

Okay, so maybe it's not all THAT dramatic...
Today is the first day of school. We were up by 6:30am (NOT happy campers, lemmetellya), fed and dressed by 7:20am and out the door by 7:35am. Not bad. I did hit one minor snafu when I went to make BabyGirl's lunch. Seems we forgot to empty her lunchbox after a round of kindercamp this summer. What was that smell? Ugh. Nothing like the stench of rotting ham in the morning. Luckily, it had been contained in a plastic tub. The rancid mold smell, however, was overwhelming. I quickly doused the lunchbox in vinegar, then Clorox spray and then wiped it down with detergent and sprayed with Lysol. Still kinda stinky, but it would have to do, as we had no other lunchbox.
Oh, well. Just another excuse to go to Target. I did love that Hanna Andersson lunchbox, though. I just don't think that mold smell will ever die.
BabyGirl got dressed with only minor meltdown due to the lack of pink in her uniform. A compromise was achieved when she discovered a pair of white socks with pink trim that I deemed acceptable uniform material. Thank goodness! I think she was taking it easy on me anyway. Last night as I was putting her to bed I got a little weepy. She pulled my cheek to hers and said "I won't forget about you, Mommy. I'll color you lots of pictures." And then the tears REALLY started to flow. Aren't I supposed to be the one comforting HER?
BabyBoy was ready to hit the pavement as soon as we pulled up to school. We dropped BabyGirl off to her room and headed to the gym where all the students would be called up by class. BabyBoy was somewhat concerned that he might get the more strict 1st grade teacher (I, of course, was praying he would!). And he did. He was happy to run up there, however, once he realized his best buddy was also in the class.
I then headed off to Target to find new lunchboxes. Nothing like a little retail therapy to make a girl feel better.

Some pics from this morning...





Tomorrow should be another emotional send off. They'll both get on the bus. BabyBoy has assured me that he will make sure BabyGirl gets to her classroom safely...AFTER they stop off to the Bookstore and purchase the multicolored ink pen she's been coveting.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Don't Worry Mom...



This would be my lovely little darlings washing one another's feet in the kitchen sink night before last. How they even got up onto the counter I have no idea. Upon realizing my shock BabyGirl felt the need to reassure me. "Don't worry Mom...Jesus did it, too." Nice. This was her take home message from vacation Bible school?

It's ON

After drinking our weight in wine and getting little to no sleep, my parents and I awoke this morning in preparation to send my baby brother, affectionately known to all as Seanieboy, to VMI. As of this morning, he's officially a rat. We did our best to reassure him but I'm pretty sure it went in one ear and out the other. Boy is nervous. Can't say that I blame him. Glad I didn't actually have to go to the school and drop him off. There would most certainly have been tears involved. Heck, I cried when we dropped him off at summer school...



Here's to you, Seanieboy. We'll be thinking about you and we'll see you in two weeks. It shouldn't be too hard to find us. I'll be the one wearing THIS:



Since BabyGirl has made it abundantly clear that under no circumstances will she wear and "cheaterleader" uniform that does not include some semblance of pink. Awesome. Money well spent. Again.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

hodge podge and a bloody finger

I have lots to say today, but I'm having trouble typing. I managed to slice off the outer tip of my left index finger while cooking dinner last night. Damned Cutco knives! It bled FOREVER and it hurts worse than childbirth (although that's not saying much for me...mine were relatively painless). That would be the ONLY time I've appreciated these child bearing hips.

I'm so, so excited! Dr. Daddy has finally given me the green light to have the house painted. It's a brick house with wood siding on a small portion of an addition on the back. So, not too much to paint but it will make such a huge difference. We're getting new shutters and we're going to add front porch lights on the front to match the ones we had put on the garage when we redid that last summer.

Here was the garage mid project (it was originally just three brick walls and a metal roof with no doors and an asphault floor). We raised the roof, had a side door and stoop installed, added a concrete apron and concrete floor and storage in the rafters. Our neighbor owns an overhead door company and hooked us up on the doors. I love them.



And after...




Here's the outside of our house now...you can see the shutters are in major disrepair. We also need a new roof for the door overhang but we aren't sure what we want yet.





We've decided to paint the shutters and the front door black. The trim will all be the same color as the garage doors. Dr. Daddy does not want a black door AT ALL. But, he doesn't want a red door, either, so what's a girl to do? Any suggestions?

Also exciting is the fact that we booked our spring break vacation. We decided to go skiing in Steamboat Springs in January (an excellent place for kids to learn to ski, by the way), and bagged our plans to ski in March. So we're off to Disney (again). We're excited though, because this will be the first time our kids have gone together. We're staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. (gotta love that Disney Vacation Club) Also for the first time, our kids will both be old enough for the night time kids program. Do I hear a hell yeah?!

Dr. Daddy really has his mind set on driving but I'm going to do my best to talk him out of it. Anyone ever ridden the auto train?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Preppy Napkin Discount

Preppy Napkin has extended the sale on To Bee Named until August 31,2008. Just enter august at checkout and you will get 10% off your total order. So get your buying lists out, and remember Christmas gifts, teacher gifts, neighbor gifts and hostess gifts and of course "me" gifts!

Peyton Place...Send me an INVITE!

Please, oh please! I've lost your email. Hope you're reading!

Monday, August 18, 2008

I'm done...she's all set

So BabyGirl and I had a long conversation today about being married, babies, jobs, etc. She was quite convinced that since I'm not gainfully employed, she will never need to be either.
Hah.
Since our conversation she is now aptly trained...

Me: What are you going to be when you grow up?

BabyGirl: A dermatologist.

Me: And who are you going to marry?

BabyGirl: Ethan Kemp (her choice, not mine...but he is four years her senior and absolutely gorgeous AND his Dad is our money manager)

Me: And what will he own?

BabyGirl: A hedge fund.

Me: And what will I get for free?

BabyGirl: Botox and Restylane.

And there you have it. Now we just have to figure out how to pay for private school, college, AND med school. Hmmm....maybe the marriage to the hedge fund owner prior to med school?

Also at said t-shirt store...

Mimi and I and her Mom had lots of fun at this crazy t-shirt storein Myrtle Beach called The Stupid Factory. I mean, you KNOW we had to go in a place called The Stupid Factory. Especially after a few glasses of wine. I found tons of hilarious t shirts that Mimi assured me I simply could not buy the oversensitive men in my family. I also found one perfect for my NRA loving friend up the street. (you know who you are)



and also in my top five...

Sippycups Soundbite

BabyBoy is learning how to understand (and use) adjectives. At times, it can be pretty funny. Case in point...

BabyBoy: Did you hear that toot Mommy? (this is, of course, the word we use for, ahem, passing gas)

Me: Uh, huh.

BabyBoy: Wasn't it a good one?

Me: Oh, yeah. Just lovely.

BabyBoy: Are you being psychotic?

Me: Ummm, do you mean sarcastic?

BabyBoy: Yeah, that's what I meant. Sarcastic. But you're pretty psychotic, too.

Maybe that's why it was to no one's surprise that I purchased this lovely t shirt at the beach:

New Blogger of the Week

A couple (okay, SEVERAL) weeks ago I did a post on one of my new favorite blogs, The Rauths. At the time, I was determined to spotlight one new blog per week. So things got busy, we went on vacation, yadda, yadda, yadda.
I guess I'll have to accept that I might not be able to post a new blogger EVERY week, but I certainly will try.
My favorite new blogger this week is I Pick Pretty. I love her particular flavor of humor and sarcasm. Makes me want to pour a G and T, sit back and relax as I read her stylish, snarky musings about life.

I asked her to give me a little background info about herself, her blog, etc. Here's what she said:

I’m a thirty-something attorney who landed in Texas quite unintentionally. After having happily grown up in Southern California, I came here a few years ago for a too-good-to-refuse summer job opportunity. I fully intended to leave the day work ended, but alas, I met a boy through friends at a happy hour (polite way of saying “at a bar”). It was crush at first Hefeweizen, although said boy waited until one week before I returned home to ask me out. Fast forward 8 months, and I found myself moving to San Antonio. After marrying the boy there & spending two wonderful years near the Alamo, we recently moved to Austin and love it.

I originally entered the blog reading world while planning my wedding. Two years later, I moved to Austin and started poking around blogs for a few reasons - to understand and observe this wonderful, often wacky state and region I've found myself living in, to connect with people of similar interests and background - not so easy now that we're out of college! - and to find decorating inspiration for my new house. At the encouragement of my husband and a few friends, who I suspect were tired of my flooding their inboxes whenever inspiration struck, I finally decided to both de-lurk on my favorite blogs and start writing one of my own.

When I’m not otherwise blog reading or posting, “real” reading, horseback riding, the arts, and travel are my true loves. I was born just south of the Mason-Dixon line (in Virginia, actually!) , and despite my love of southern California & my status as cotillion dropout, I also find myself drawn to all things traditionally ladylike and Southern. I admit that I’m still drinking my tea unsweetened, but in my defense, I’ve already learned the importance of college football and am a longtime member of the Junior League. If not obsessively reading up on or shopping in relation to any of the above, my husband and I can generally be located entertaining friends or tending to our Pug (naughty), foster Pug (sweetness), or cat (perfection).

It’s a cliché, but I really do find my inspiration in the everyday, in addition to my usual reading suspects (fiction, etiquette, biography, "Vogue", "Town & Country", "In Style", “New York Times” pretentious wedding announcements section, "Southern Accents", The Sports Guy on ESPN.com). To butcher an excellent Jane Austen line, for what are we here if not to poke fun at the ridiculous, first and foremost ourselves?

My future goals include being a stay-at-home-mom to two delightful Ralph Lauren-style kids, assuming control of the local PTA in manner of a South American dictator, and owning a stable full of Arabian show ponies. OK, just two healthy kids and maybe one horse would be far more than I deserve, but it never hurts to ask.

So, hop on over and check her out. I can't wait to see what she has to say next. Also, as part of my Favorite Blogger posts, I've decided to gift each of my new faves. So, I Pick Pretty, in hopes that you soon achieve your goal of stay-at-home-mom to two very stylish rugrats, I gift you this adorable onesie from our friends over at Dimples and Dandelions.

Friday, August 15, 2008

We Need Some Money, Honey!

Okay, readers, I need you to put your heads together and help me find a new fundraiser for our school. We've been doing the Innisbrook fundraiser for a while and we're looking for something different. We are a relatively small (just over 500 students) private school with grades K-12. We're looking for something out of the box; no candy bars, cookie dough, pizzas, etc. It needs to be something that each child can participate in. I've seen some bulb and garden fundraisers that look neat, but I wonder if that's too small of a nitch. I know a lot of you are moms that are heavily involved in your schools and other organizations. Any ideas?

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Tori & Dean's New House...Not so Inn Love

I spent two hours ironing last night (yipee) and used the time wisely by watching the Flipping Out "meet the cast" episode and then Tori and Dean. Love the Flipping Out people. They are freaking hilarious. I know Jeff Lewis seems like a control freak OCD maniac but I think it's mostly just an act. I absolutely adore his dry as a bone sense of humor. I did find it shameless that the guy interviewing was completely gushing over Jeff. Scoping a date, are we? A little mystery might be helpful. Let's not give ourselves away so easily.
Then, I watched Tori and Dean. Tori, in a completely Sippycups type move, decides to have a housewarming party right after moving in and having a baby. (I threw a "spring fling" when BabyGirl was about 4 weeks old...granted, we had been in the house about 9 months at that point!) Not highly recommended, but it did force them to get settled pretty quick.
So...the house. I love a lot of what they did. The kitchen and sitting area around the kitchen are amazing. What a transformation! I love the juxtaposition of the modern kitchen and the more feminine red and blue chairs. I also love the mix of the traditional styling of the chairs with the bright and bold fabric and paint colors. Totally whimsical.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Table and chairs

Sitting area off kitchen


Tori and Dean's bedroom is fine. Very old Hollywood. I love the curtains and all the colors. I could do without the headboard. I just think they had enough fabric already and could have gone with a wooden bed. I do love all the photos on the walls, though.




The living room is interesting. I don't love the fireplace mantle, but I do love that they painted the fireplace black. LOVE the orange velvet couch with all the turquoise accents in the room. Don't love the fabric on the club chairs. Just too busy.




The dining room is cool. I love a dark dining room where guests feel as though they can sit and linger after a meal, enjoy a great glass/bottle of wine and feel sexy and grown up. This dining room fits the bill. I don't know if I love the wallpaper, but whatever. She kind of went crazy with all the wallpaper everywhere, don't you think? I know it's back in vogue and all but good grief!



The powder room. Just...NO. It's so incredibly awful. It makes me feel as though a might suffer a seizure. I agree with Tori's friend...it all needs to be torn out and redone.




Stella's room is super over the top. VERY Hollywood Diva. Don't get me wrong, I love me a pink room. I just think this pink would be better suited to a teenager. And the curtains? Are we in the early 90's? I also find it interesting that Tori has put a cabinet in the room with glass doors and dolls and such inside. Wasn't it her that was freaked out so much by her Mom's doll collection that was kept hidden behind glass doors? Hmmmm...




And finally, my FAVORITE room in the house...HAND'S DOWN. Little Liam's room. The walls are ADORABLE. I love the octopus stencils! The blue is perfect and I adore the chocolate accents and zebra rug. The monkeys scattered about are so vintagey and sweet. LOVE LOVE LOVE.




One last thing...why in the world didn't they get rid of the sliding mirror doors in the kids' rooms? They're hideous!

So, that's my take...what's yours?