Subject to Inspection

Blossoming

The other day I knocked on a neighbor's door, and as I waited for an answer, I noticed something in their flower box: their bulbs are just starting to sprout. That was a happy sight.



This morning, Emily came upstairs for breakfast wearing clothes I haven't seen her wear before. She explained that Katelyn had helped her choose something to wear. And she had borrowed a couple of items from her sisters' closets. Most days, Emily's attire can be described with one word: Comfortable. But today, comfy was cute.

In Emily's hand was a brush and some elastic bands, which she handed to me and asked me to do something with her hair. That was certainly unexpected. Emily keeps her hair short and maintenance-free for a reason.


As she put on her backpack and left the house, she smiled and said, "I just feel really good today."



It brought to my mind a little piece of advice I was offered at my bridal shower:

If the bed is made,

The house is clean.

If your hair is done,

You are a queen.

May be corny, but there's an element of truth there.

When you can't seem to sleep in on Saturday morning...

...it seems like a good time to follow through on a Tag. (Even though the house is still dark and quiet and I'm wishing I could still be snoozing.)

8 Things


8 favorite TV shows:

1. American Idol. (It's the only show I watch regularly right now. And this is the first season I've watched.)
2. Wheel of Fortune.
3. SYTYCD/DWTS
4. Backyardigans. (Thank you, Hannah!)
5. through 8. Any reality show about babies, such as: A Baby Story, Birth Diaries, Deliver Me, Adoption Stories, etc. Never fails to make me cry.

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Vacuumed.
2. Mopped.
3. Made quiche. (It was delicious, by the way.)
4. Looked at a house (for the 3rd time).
5. Signed an offer on said house. (We'll see...)
6. Truly enjoyed the warm sunshine while I tried to chisel away at the snow and ice that still borders my driveway.
7. Panicked and nearly called Search-and-Rescue when I couldn't find my kids who were playing outside. Don't worry, I found them. And they weren't in trouble, it was just a case of miscommunication.
8. Had a pizza and movie night with my own girls and several of their friends. There may or may not have been some crazy dancing involved.

8 things I'm looking forward to:

1. Spring.
2. Spending Spring Break in California.
3. Summer.
4. Moving into our own house, and hopefully staying there for a long, long time.
5. Planting a garden and eating the produce.
6. Going to the temple tonight.
7. Did I mention Spring?
8. How about Summer?

8 favorite restaurants:

1. Cafe Rio. It's so good to be reunited.
2. Thai Rhapsody, Thai Bistro, etc. I miss you.
3. P.F. Chang's
4. Macaroni Grill
5. Z Tejas and Goodwood are my New Faves (only been there once, can't wait to return)
6. That little place in Escondido where I got that super tasty tortilla soup about 8 years ago.
7. The Claim Jumper (lots of good times there)
8. Kneaders. What was that sandwich shop called in PA, where all the menu items were named for a bird?... That was good.
9. I could go on, and on, and on....I love eating out!

8 Things on my wish list:

1. A stable economy.
2. Patience.
3. A family vacation.
4. A kitchen I love.
5. In a house I love.
6. A long, relaxing summer.
7. A better memory. They say the mind is the first thing to go.
8. Remind me: How many things was I supposed to name??

8 people I tag:

Anyone else who is also awake at this silly hour.

Tastes Like Apple

A certain young member of our family has a bad habit of using a certain "naughty" word. She knows that this word is forbidden in our household, but nevertheless, she uses it habitually, in moments of anger or frustration.

So, for the past few weeks, I've been implementing a behavior modification technique passed down from my own mother. Maybe some of you have experienced this technique. It's called Soap-In-the-Mouth.

I distinctly recall the taste of Irish Spring, although no one has forced it into my mouth for at least 20 years.

Merciful me. For my child, I use apple-scented hand soap.

What's your take on the S.I.M. method? Discuss.

Sending a Message

On this festive day of expressing affection and celebrating those relationships you cherish most, nothing says I love you


quite like a snowball

fight.

Ahh, love.

You can run,

but you can't hide.



Whatever would we do if Valentine's Day were in the Spring??

(Spring is coming soon....right? Please say yes! I forgot to watch the groundhog.)

My Funny Valentines

*If you don't know the song, you can play it from my playlist---->

My funny valentine

Sweet, comic Valentine

You make me smile with my heart

Your looks are laughable

unphotographable

yet you're my favorite work of art

Is your figure less than Greek?

Is your mouth a little weak?


When you open it to speak, are you smart?

Please don't change a hair for me

not if you care for me

Stay little, Valentine, Stay!

Each day is Valentine's Day

On the agenda

1. Go to the grocery store -- But first, plan a menu, because it's been a very long time since I've prepared an entire week's worth of decent dinners.

However, the scene outside is discouraging me from checking off the first thing on my list:

Not very inviting.

Meanwhile, Hannah wants me to take her picture (Getting familiar with my new camera is somewhere on my list, but it's nowhere near the top.), and play with her. (That should be towards the top of my list, shouldn't it?)



See, this is why I give up on making To-Do Lists, because things just don't go the way I plan them, usually. I always cross of something, but not always in the proper order.



Today, I'll cross off #1 (eventually...), #2 (Laundry--already going), and #3 (play with Hannah) in conjunction with #125 (Camera). (Oh yeah, and #20, Blog.)

See, if I make the list after I complete the tasks, then I can always cross off the top items!

"I blinked? Take another one."

"Let me see....hey, my eyes are open! That's a good one!"

Bye Bye Baby Face

Olivia's first top tooth broke through this week. And that means that her days of looking like a baby are, sadly, numbered. Let's try not to think about it, ok?

Emily coined a new term the other day. She said that Olivia was in a really "laffative" mood, meaning she was laughing easily. I think it's a great (and useful) term. It might just stick, in our family at least. It's the kind of word I like to hear!

Except I don't

You know I enjoy shopping, right? Except I don't. Right now, there are two things I don't enjoy hunting for:

1. A House
2. A Dress

It is quite enjoyable to walk through houses inspecting every nook and cranny. Except when I can't find what I want for the right price. We've looked at houses that are twice the size of our last house, that still feel too small. (Which leads me to wonder, am I expecting too much? I'm convinced now that our house in WA had a really great use of the space it had.) Unfortunately, I'm spending way too many hours each week scouring the MLS listings, and not nearly enough time actually walking through houses. And by the way, I can tell you that of all the houses we've toured, only one was actually being lived in currently. Almost everything we're seeing is a short sale or foreclosure. It's a weird market.

As for a dress, I'm just looking for something to wear to church that fits, is somewhat stylish, is modest and comfortable. And washable. (I hate to dry clean.) Is that so much to ask? I haven't had much luck. I even went into a place yesterday called "Dress Barn", and I thought to myself, When you find yourself shopping for clothing at a place that is named after an animal shelter, you know you're getting pretty desperate in your searching.

Better Out Than In, I Always Say

(Can you name the movie that line comes from?)

Olivia has spent as much time out of the womb as she spent in. She's now 9 months old, and I must say that while the gestation period had its perks, the past nine months of watching her grow, (mostly) unattached to me, has been much more enjoyable. I love my chubby baby. And speaking of chunky, for her 9-month anniversary, she graduated from the infant car seat. She's my first baby who has outgrown that seat before turning one. But at 21 pounds, it was time.

Doug is a nice addition to our household this week. Since it is the month of love, I may as well tell you that I really, really like him...a lot. And my life is so much better when he's nearby. Even if he works himself ragged, and leaves the house before anyone else's eyes are open in the morning, and skips lunch because he's so busy working, and doesn't have much time to answer my phone call about this-and-that during the day... I'm so happy when he comes home to us, worn out, in the evening.

And when you see the resemblance between these two, it's no surprise that I love them both.