Couch Potato Extraordinaire

That Mr. Cash sure does know how to lounge!

And just a friendly public service reminder:

Weekend Visitors

Three kids and each one is looking in a different direction!

This weekend our very good friends came and spent the weekend with us. We haven't seen them since we moved 6 months ago and I didn't realize just how much I had been missing them until they were here. They have a daughter the same age as Mr. Golden Curls. Actually we were good friends and pregnant with our firsts at the same time, they're only 3 weeks apart! All that to say, we're pretty tight and I was so glad they got to visit. And now it's back to life as usual.

My Pugfilled Valentine's Date

This afternoon I took Mr. Cash Pugface on a Pug date for Valentine's Day. Petco was having Valentine's pics so I wanted to take him for the nerdy pet lovin' fun. Petco's pics really are better than this but my scanner didn't do a great job. And my husband so rightly pointed out that he needs a black harness for times when he's dressed up! Of course his eyes also rolled when I said we could get one in about 5 min! When we arrived at the store we were immediately greeted inside by a female black pug, too cute! Doesn't he look so dapper? He's trendy too, going green in his all upcycled outfit!

This morning I decided he needed some Valentine's attire so I whipped up this doggie collar with tie! I made it by cutting the collar off an old shirt of mine, leaving the top snap so I didn't even have to rig another way to put it on Mr. Cash. The tie is made from an old belt of mine cut in 3 pieces, two for the parts that hang down, one for the knot. I sloppily stitched the three pieces together and safety pinned it to the collar. Since the tie is removable I plan on making ties for other occasions that I can attach to the same collar. It was such a breeze to make I'll have to whip one up a make a photo tutorial for it!

Look at what else this shirt and belt have made, saving the planet is so much fun!

A Smidge O' Pug Love

I guess I've caught the Pug Bug, I'm smitten. This year I'm asking Mr. Cash to be my Valentine.

Sweet Lil' Spitfire

My sweet Lil' Spitfire, he certainly earned that nickname! But God knew what He was doing when He made my tiny Jackson because He made him just as kind hearted and lovey as he is pesky and in so doing saves his mamma from taking Grandpappa up on that offer for a one way ticket to Bangladesh!

I've been sick for several days now, not counting the time I was sick only a few weeks ago and again only a few weeks before that... Well, my little angelic Spitfire just walked into my bedroom dragging his bed sheet. "Here Mamma, I brought you this blanket to help you to not feel sick." Cue melted heart and misty eyes. "Do you feel better?" "Of course I do, it's perfect!" He does this for his brother too. Whenever Mr. Golden Curls suffers a minor injury, which seems to occur every 5 min some days, his little brother rushes to the tv cabinet drawer, pulls out a throw and brings it to brother to make him feel better. It always works!

Tootin' My Own Birthday Horn

It's my birthday. And yes I do feel a day older, like I have one foot in the grave and smell like a monkey, thanks for noticing.

I also have received the best ever birthday wish from a business. I'm used to getting "Happy Birthday, don't forget to update your kids' and/or pets shots" or "Best Wishes on your birthday, have 20% off of your next oil change." but the handwritten "personalized" birthday note shown below from my bank had me in stitches for days! (Click to enlarge)


What does that even mean? Are they trying to pick a universal compliment that is likely to fit anyone? Is it a polite nudge to not forget my ID? The funny thing is I despise the drive through window and am just anti-social enough to avoid going into the building so I always use the ATM, no id required. I like to go where everybody knows my name.

Aspiring Filmmakers

The boys have recently discovered their Kidizoom digital camera has a video feature. Mr. Golden Curls is in love with it and would re-watch himself acting out the same thing over and over all day if I'd let him. Kudos to those who can translate video #1!

This is Mr. Golden Curls teaching his little bro the ways of movie making.




Their first art film. Title: Cardboard Paper Towel Core On Window Glass Actor: Lil' Spitfire Director: Mr. Golden Curls

A Bad Case Of Nastomania

nosto·ma·nia (näs′tō mā′nē ə, -mān′yə)

Main Entry: nostomania

Part of Speech: n

Definition: excessive or abnormal nostalgia; an obsessive or abnormal interest in nostalgia, especially as an extreme manifestation of homesickness; a passion for nostalgia

Etymology: Greek nostos 'homecoming'

As promised earlier, I have returned with a box of nostalgic love! You should be proud of me because I've only very recently grown enough to be able to share embarrassing photos of myself and this cigar box contains some doozies! I hate to let you in on this little tip but you can click the pic to enlarge, oy vey.

Ugh, I feel my cheeks burning already! Lots of me pics. We had an amusement park close by with a fantastic old photo booth. Here you can see me with my high school boyfriend (the one that took me on my first art museum trip in this story) and behind that a strip of just me. Yep, I entered the booth alone to take pictures, that's how much fun I thought it was.

Yes, that's me in the backpack with the terrible perm and bangs that I only dreamed of being able to fluff and spray to early nineties splendor. More importantly that is me about to embark on the infamous 8th grade hiking trip. I was not this happy by the end of the week! But I am wearing my crispy new Poison concert tee fresh from their concert in Buffalo NY where my bestest bud, Billie, and I sat with stars in our eyes in spite of being located in the nose bleeds and my chaperoning Dad managed somehow to sleep through the entire show!




The cigar box full inventory
Pictures:

• my first boyfriend ever in a pink frame, a gift he gave me for Valentines day. It also had adorable red heart earrings attached. Little factoid, the thing that made me like this kid was that he had frequent nose bleeds and would write his name on his desk with the blood. I acted like this was gross because the other girls did but really though it was hysterical!
• film strip with boyfriend
• film strip with me
• me and Billie sticking out our tongues
• picture of me in some school related club
  
• all my school ID cards from the first through college
• my first car: a super hot, though mishap prone, 70's Fiat convertible. I totaled it in college and replaced it with the '68 convertible beetle we still have
• that lovely hiking picture
• key chain with my grandparents pic
• buttons, two with my soft ball pic and one with my brother's baseball pic

other stuff:

• various patches for achievements
• coins imprinted with important personalized messages like "Sunny loves so and so" (by another old machine that was next to the old photo booth)
• my teeth
• a cast of my thumb
• trouble dolls
• "best friend" heart earrings and necklace, I have one half and Billie the other
  
• shell bracelet that I made with Billie
  
• a bookmark from my grandma
• a boat carved by my brother from bark
• some coins we mutilated while bored
• 3D glasses
• a KKK business card, no joke, this was handed to me by a guy at my new high school after moving south, talk about culture shock!
• A note from my mom on how proud my parents were of me that was put in my lunch box
• high school graduation tassel
• girl scout memorabilia
• my dad's St. Christopher money clip
• One of my only match box cars, a pink Jeep with Snoopy driving
• 70's style wallpaper sample from my old room in Fredonia, NY before the redo
• a little naked baby figure. I have no idea where it came from but it's been around as long as I can remember and I've always loved it.
  

Progress In Suburbia

I have to admit I've been feeling increasingly guilty about our current house purchase. Promoting urban sprawl and all. It seems this town's once gorgeous downtown area is being abandoned for building housing and businesses elsewhere, out where the grass is greener and the people with the money live. In the meantime the downtown crumbles and decays, and not just the buildings. My husband reminds me that we had very few reasonable options in our minister/stay-at-home-mom price range for clean and safe housing. He's right. Alas I do live in a brand spankin' new house in our own little piece of gated Suburbia and progress is being made.

It has been very exciting to see the first strip of about 10 houses go up in only 6 months, quickly sell and become homes to our new neighbors. I do still have plans to bake a bunch of cookies and make the rounds to meet everyone. I'm still living in this 50's dream of being the neighborhood welcome wagon and in so doing inspire the personality of this new neighborhood into being one of community, instead of what seems to be the modern norm of privacy and seclusion above all else.

Now they are building on the other side of our house and in a few short months we will have neighbors on both sides. Until then this is the view out of my craft room window. And out of my boys' window the view is: Porta-Pottie, big trucks and a constant stream of people.

As much as I hated to see the trees plowed down in the next lot over it was also really fun to watch the bulldozer dig and shove until he was victorious. That tree put up a good little fight.

My Baby Is A Big Kid

When Lil' Spitfire turned 3 we decided it was time to hit the potty training with a little more intentional effort. It's amazing how much more laid back we were with potty training our second child and how it seems they will still be fully trained at the same age in spite of us starting much later this time. We've had very little trouble this go around, due in large part to his "I DO IT!" personality. Lil' Spitfire was begging to be put into the big kid undies he got for his birthday (yes, we are apparently the kind of parent who gifts underwear to their children, but only because he was excited about them, I swear!). We managed to start the training but stave off the donning of the undies until we returned home.

After about a week he had his first day with no accidents so we went out for chocolate milk at Books-A-Million and to let him pick a gift for doing so well. Being the Wall-e freak he currently is he picked a Wall-e hoodie that lights up when he moves, good choice little man. He now wants to wear it every moment of his life and has to learn the hard lessons of life such as: Mamma is never going to let you wear a smelly, smudgie, mystery goo covered hoodie out in public no matter how high pitched a noise you make.

I know there are people who are probably sarcastically thinking "umm, yea, thanks for sharing." but it's incredible when you become a parent how proud the little things make you and how fun it is to find all those milestones and turn them into mini celebrations, little chances to show your child how special they are.