9 years...

Nine years ago my life changed dramatically. I was to be married to Chris. The BIG wedding was planned, the ballroom and caterer ready, the honeymoon to Mexico booked. I had the dress that would make me look like a dollop of whipped cream waddling down the isle. I had the flowers ordered. I had all the RSVP's back and Thank You notes ready to be filled in. I had everything. Everything but true love. Or so I thought...
My good friend Mike took me out for one last night on the town. That night he told me of his feelings for me. He thought I would be too drunk to remember, but I did. The next morning I woke up, the fuzziness cleared from my head- and from my heart. I realized that I too had feelings for him. Feelings stronger than I had for the man I was to marry the next week. I did the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life and called off the wedding. A decision I have NEVER regretted even though it put me in a heap of financial trouble as most of the wedding expenses had been put on my credit card until after the honeymoon when Chris's parents were to pay it off.
Mike helped me through this difficult time, made even more difficult when you realize that Chris, Mike and I all worked within several feet of eachother. Mike supported and encouraged me, which was something I was not used to. He made me make my own decisions and learn to stand on my own. He made me see that I was stronger than I realized. He helped me to find out who I was and who I wanted to be.
I thank God for him every day...

The Compact...

I've been hearing quite a bit about a group called "The Compact". This group is dedicated to not buying anything new, except food, gas & toiletries, for one year. This means no clothes or DVD's, video games or nonessecial items. Now, buying those things is not off limits as long as they are used. This group also does not, when possible, support large chains- Target, Walmart, etc. Pretty cool concept. I am a firm believer in supporting the 'little guy' and treating Mother Earth with respect. Our 'throw away' consumerist society is killing Her. Recycle, reuse and reinvent. Now that the weather is beginning to turn I am going back to the Soulard Farmer's Market.
Don't worry I'm not going all gung-ho and preachy on you. I won't become Granola Girl- did that during the 90's Neo-hippy movement. I still have my tie dye and Greatful Dead albums but if I quit shaving my husband would not be too happy. However, I do resolve to spend less, use less and enjoy more.

Its Sunday...

All but the lasagna and shepperd's pies are done! And those only entail browing some ground beef and assembly- pretty easy. After all of this though, I think I am going to just cook twice as much as whatever we are having for dinner and freeze half. Much easier!
Today I hope I get to take my Sunday Morning Sanity Break at the coffee shop. but we will see. There is so much to be done. Our vacation is coming up next week. HOLY CRAP- NEXT WEEK! Nevermind this bloggin' thing I gotta get busy....

Whew!

Ok, so I didn't get everything that I wanted done. But I accomplished a lot. 12 single serving Denver quiches, 11 single serving frozen pizzas (it was 12 but a girls gotta eat), a double batch of chicken chili- divided into 8 individual servings and a 1/2 gallon bag, 6 single servings of chicken pot pie and 7 servings of Cheezit chicken. I am hoping to get the rest done this weekend- at a more leisurly pace. Not bad considering I started about 9 and ended about 3- and hadn't done ANY of the prep work I wanted to do last night.

Julia Child look out!

Today I'm trying to get back to an old habit. I am taking today and cooking- all day. Lets see: 2 pans lasanga, double batch of chicken chili, pancakes, french toast sticks, quiche(men do eat it if you put enough meat in), shepperds pie, chicken pot pie and meatballs (already done). I think that should be enough. Oh wait, I forgot homemade frozen pizza and cheesy chicken fingers too. Whew! Everything gets frozen. That way when I don't feel like cooking dinner I just defrost and stick in the oven. Poor Papa John- he's gonna miss us!

testing

testing testing testing

Assault with a deadly sippee...

A couple days ago I was holding my charming son while he was drinking from his sippee. He suddenly decided to start swinging it and BAM hit me right in the lip. Leths just thsay that I definately don't need collogen injecthions- and no I won't pothst a picture! Ah the joyths of mommydom!

if this ain't cute I don't know what is!

If this doesn't spur some comments, I don't know what will!

Get ready... I hope you have your BS detector ready, the Commander & Chief is giving a news conference. I swear, every time he opens his mouth gas prices go up and his approval rating goes down. Yes, we all get it Mr President. Your goal is world domination and the conversion of all those Pagans. Democracy for all as long as its your definition of democracy. Go and 'improve' Iraq while our own country falls into disrepair. Build a new government on foreign shores because your own is crumbling. Heal and care for the wounded citizens of Iraq but desert your own soldiers when they return home. Make life safer and better for the Iraqis while taking away the safties and benefits to our veterans. Yes, we all get it Mr President. We all get to pay for it.

First Day of Spring...

Today is the first day of Spring, you couldn't tell around here though. Snow in the forcast for tonight, yuck! Ah well, I guess that the weather will take away my Spring Cleaning excuse. Now that I'm trapped inside for the next couple days maybe I will finally tackle cleaning out the closets. I'm not much for Spring Cleaning- cleaning out the closets and junk drawer is about it for me. My mother-in-law however lives for it! When I was pregnant she came over and Spring cleaned my house. She cleaned places I didn't even know exsisted in my home! It looked beautiful and was sparkling- until I let the dogs back inside. I love my dogs but they aren't much for cleaning up after themselves. I've tried teaching them to sweep and vacuum but...
Another reason to get things in order is VACATION! Yippee skippee! We are headed to Arizona to see my folks and various other family members. Not looking forward to flying, especially with an almost 1 year old in my lap the whole way, but I sure am looking forward to getting there.

Its Sunday morning and the coffee pot is singing. Man, I love that song.
What to do, what to do... my house is clean, the laundry is almost done, just a little menu planning and grocery shopping for the week. Maybe repot some plants, maybe kick back with a book I'm really enjoying (Eragon- yes, I know its a kids book but its good). The one thing I know I'm going to do is take my Sunday Morning Sanity Break. I haven't done this in a long time. This is when I leave Gryffin with his Daddy, grab my book and grocery list and spend an hour at the coffee shop having breakfast and reading before assualting the grocery store. But hey, if I'm going to do that I need to put on some clothes and a ball cap. Hope you all enjoy your Sunday!

Over the river and through the woods...

Tonight we are going to my MIL's for dinner. Just a little get together of her, her husband, nephew and three step-sons, her mother & brother, daughter, son-in-law and their three kids plus Mike, Gryffin and myself. Good thing she lives in one of those McMansions with more square footage than our whole neighborhood. Don't get me wrong, its a beautiful home. Even more beautiful when I don't have to clean it. Any house that can't be cleaned in an hour is too big and doing laundry for five bedrooms and three baths is not my opinion of fun. To each their own and leave mine alone, I say! Wishing all a great weekend...

On guard...

Tuesday I fell into a bad TV drama...
I called a flooring company to make an appointment to have mine repaired, they had previously given me an estimate for the repair along with having them refinished. The owner's wife said that her husband wouldn't do the repair without doing the rest of the house. I responded that this is not what I had discussed with him when he wrote up the estimate and that if I was having this kind of trouble with them now I could only imagine the trouble I would have when the bill arrived and to forget it. I thought that was that. Not so, her husband ( the owner ) called me back a couple minutes later ranting. I thought maybe there had been some miscommunitcation and listened for a few minutes until I realized he was just insulting and cursing at me. I hung up. He called me back and proceeded to threaten the life of my son, my husband and myself! I couldn't believe this and asked if he was serious... he said yes and continued to threaten me. I immediately hung up and called my husband who told me to call the police. They sent an officer to take my statement. During this I learned that this business owner has a violent criminal history. Oh great. I've been on high alert since Tuesday morning and what little sleep I've gotten has been full of night mares. I've locked every door and window and won't leave the house alone. This jerk has made me a prisoner in my own home. I am not a violent person but thoughts of beating this guy to the punch are frequent. I am not proud of that but I want to see any mother whose child has been threatened not feel like this.
Looks like I will just learn to live with a couple plywood covered holes in my hardwood floors! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

for the love of dyson

A couple years ago my husband bought me a Christmas present that he wasn't sure if I would love or hate. You see, it was a vacuum cleaner. Not the most romantic gift, some women would probably hit their husbands over the head with it. Not me! This wasn't just a vacuum cleaner. This was the Lexus of vacuum cleaners... the Dyson Animal. Its the giant purple dust bunny eater! This thing could suck up a small country. Having two Syberian Huskies is hard on a vacuum, we averaged about one a year and for the last 4 months it would work very well.
Granted the Dyson Animal isn't cheap, I've bought cars for less. However, its worth it! This thing has lasted two years and works just as good as the day I took it out of the box. (Yes, I spent that Christmas morning vacuuming the whole house!)
This weekend I used it to vacuum out the Jeep, which hadn't been done in almost a year! It looks like new. Today I did the Dust Bunny Wrangle and vacuumed our 4 year old $25 rugs. Now they look (almost) new and the dust bunnies are no longer trying to unionize to get health care.
Ok, Ok enough of sales pitch, unless Dyson is going to give me commission anyway. I just wanted to AGAIN thank my hubby and tell him that appliances are good gifts as long as it wasn't a choice between a blender or diamond earrings.
PS- I already have a blender, hee hee hee

A pretty good Saturday...

Lets see, we got up early and splurged on a gourmet breakfast (doughnuts), then did Sam's and Lowe's. Mike and Gryffin worked in the yard and I planted some flowers. Mike's grandparents, who live next door, came over for a short visit. And that was about it! Being that Gryffin actually slept a few hours at a time last night and didn't fight going back to sleep too much I'm hoping today can be just as good. I hope all of you have a wonderful day too!

Lions & tigers & bears, Oh my!

Gryffin enjoyed his day at the zoo quite a bit. He wasn't much on the animals but being outside and watching all the other kids (especially the little girls) exhausted him. We rode the train for the first time and he wasn't real sure what to think of it. I'm just glad he didn't try to jump off or scream.
After the zoo we went to see Mike at work. For the longest time Mike was dead set against me bringing Gryffin there but then the Proud Daddy Syndrome hit. Its like a kid with a new toy... 'Hey, have you seen him do this?' and 'Look at what he can do!'. Its cute.
From there we went to Arcelia's, the best Mexican restaruant in the St Louis area. Gryffin behaved so well all day. I was so proud of him.
Unfortunately when we got home he had a little bit of a fever. It didn't last long but I developed the Mommy Guilt and thought it was obviously all my fault for dragging him around all day. Now I think it was just because he is teething... after his fever went away he still was screaming for most of the night. Teething bites.
All in all, it was a great day and thats the important thing.

Short but sweet...

Not much time this morning... gotta do some laundry and get ready to go to the Zoo! Yippee! The weather is finally nice enough to get out and be in a different kind of zoo atmosphere. That and I'm meeting up with my friend Connie and her two boys who I haven't seen in a long time. I hope all of you have a great weekend!

Don't stop me now!

Last night Gryffin took his first steps by himself. My heart jumped for joy and sank in sorrow. My little baby is becoming a big boy. He was so proud of himself and proceeded to stage an encore- a few of them. For the past couple of days he has been walking while holding on to my finger or hand, but I guess he won't be needing that much longer. At this rate, he and I will be jogging together next week! Not really- I don't jog.
Java, our youngest dog, loves it. He has been waiting since the day we brought Gryffin home to chase him around the house and yard. Java is very rambunctious but VERY gentle when it comes to children. Mojo, our old man, just runs for cover and wants to know when Gryffin will be moving out. No animosity, just ambivalence.
I really have to learn to savor every moment and achievement. Mike and I decided long ago 'One and done'. We are the oddity in our families, but then again we are the oddity in any group larger than well, us.
My little boy, I wish for you but one thing... grow up healthy and happy but never out grow the little boy that lives inside.

Got milk?

No as a matter of fact I don't. I've heard horror stories of women who after weaning their kids could not stop producing milk. Me? It happened all of a sudden when I wasn't expecting it. I had planned on replacing one feeding a week with a sippee but it looks like cold turkey is our only option. The first night wasn't too bad. Gryffin slept about 5 hours straight before waking every hour cranky. Last night, no such luck. Every hour, all night, crying and screaming. I tried everything I could think of... giving him a sippee in the rocker, in my bed, in his bed, on my lap, etc. I finally had to just let him cry himself to sleep with the sippee in his crib. This produced one cranky, sleepy kid and mommy today. Lets just say that he is still young enough to be grumpy AND cute. I past that benchmark decades ago (sorry Mike).
The weather today is stormy, rainy, muddy, yuckiness so I'm going to take that as God's way of saying "Stay home and nap". Napping is an art form I have yet to master but with anything practice makes perfect. And if I'm not able to nap- at least I was able to get 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' DVD yesterday!

You've GOT to be kidding...

That is exactly what I thought when I stepped on the scale this morning. I'm usually not one to watch the scale. I gauge it by my clothes. Of course, that isn't working right now because I don't have many clothes that fit. Most of my wardrobe was purchased weeks after my sons birth- last spring. Thanks to breastfeeding they are all too big. Now that breastfeeding is coming to an end I am not burning as many calories sitting on butt. Considering how much I love to sit and do nothing this is a problem.
Two weeks ago I was at 121, today 127. 6 pounds, two weeks, you do the math as to where I will be in a month.
What does this mean exactly? I guess I have to go back to my old habits of Pilates and walking everyday, in addition to my Yoga. Yoga doesn't give me much exercise, it just keeps my sciatic from crippling me.
Oh yeah, and no more ham and swiss with Miracle Whip for lunch. Salads here I come! I am a firm believer in breakfast. If you're going to be a pig do it at breakfast because you have all day to burn it off. Dinner however is my weak spot. After a long day all I want is a comforting hot meal with son and hubby.
There are plenty of blogs out there about people and their diets. I don't intend on turning this into one; afterall, the more you obsess about food the more you crave it. I'm just putting it in writting to hopefully spur me to action and keep my on the right track.
Now where did I put those exercise DVD's?

We clean up pretty good...

Last night was a success.
Along with our friend Chris we started the night at the Broadway Oyster Bar for a little red beans and rice and alligator. Yes, alligator! The food was great as well as the music. Then again any band that has a standing bass, mandolin, washboard and kazoo can't be too bad. It was a good mix of blues, blue grass and country (when country was still good). From there we headed to the boat. The Casino Queen to be exact. Nothing like a casino on a Saturday night. Looking at all those desperate faces makes you realize how lucky you really are! Its quite a sight to see all those sweat pant clad, mullet wearing, B.O. stinking people packed so tight at the quarter slots that they are all smoking the same cigarette. Lady Luck shined on Chris- she only smirked at us. From there we headed to Big Daddy's. We knew right away from the thump-thump music that it wasn't going to be our scene but it brought back memories of our 20something years. After all of these adventures we were still home before we turned back into pumpkins and mice. The best part of the whole night was being greeted by a sleepy eyed little boy!

you know you need a babysitter when...

poopy diapers are the usuall dinner conversation
you remind your husband to potty before leaving the house
your glad you have red hair because its hides the carrots
you begin talking in two syllable words- to everyone
you smell spoiled milk everywhere and soon realize its you
getting dressed means changing your underwear and putting the jammies right back on

I suffer from them all! Luckily, Gramma Dianne needs a Gryffin fix. Tomorrow we are going out. Don't know where but who cares- I'm off diaper duty for a few hours!
Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Moderation

Everything in moderation, even moderation!
Can't get too carried away with this posting thing- there are those that may think I'm dedicated.
Have a great day!

Hard working husband...

Here I sit after putting my son down for his morning nap to check my email. What should appear? An email from my husband- from work! No he didn't get a promotion, no he didn't get a raise. This was even bigger news (for him anyway). Two- yes two- new disk golf courses opening this weekend. I'm surprised he's not taking a 1/2 day vacation being that it is to hit 70 today.
What the heck is disk golf, you ask? It is golf for those short on income and long of hair, rather those who have a little hippy living inside. Basically the rules and scoring is the same as golf. Biggest difference is the equiptment. Instead of balls and clubs its frisbees. Personally, its just a good reason to take a walk through the woods.
I've played a few times. I suck. Mike is really good though. Of course, with arms like his he can throw a lot further than I can. Popeye would be jealous of his arms!
Many wives are golf widows come this time of year. I know my step sister in Arizona loses her husband to golf almost all year, then again the man works more jobs at once than most have in a lifetime so he deserves it. But regular golf is expensive and time consuming. Disk golf is practically free and only takes a couple hours. And since there are no carts its great exercise. I will never discourage Mike from playing disk golf. Infact, I hope he plays often this year. Maybe even turn pro! Yes, there are professional disk golfers. Don't laugh- 'some people juggle geese!' (If you get that quote you're cooler than I thought)