We love Lamby

As Zoe is growing and starting to communicate more, one of the things she loves the most is Lamby. He's a stuffed lamb that sits on her dresser. He's also the first thing after mommy or daddy that she hugs in the morning.

Lamby has taken on a new role recently. He's her companion now. She will hug him and rock him.

When she's tired, she'll rest her head on him.

I think they're going to be great friends.

GNO and GNI

Because I have the best husband in the whole world, he let me go to girl's night out on Saturday with 4 of my best friends.

We went to Twigs to celebrate my birthday and enjoy the company. Twigs is known for their martinis. What is so fun about this group of ladies, we all enjoy different types of drinks, so I got to try three martinis and only actually call one my own.

Although I did try one called the Grape Ape. Unless you enjoy swigging Robitussin regularly, I wouldn't recommend it.

Becca, Bev, Amber, me and Morgana

While we enjoyed the night out (and I was getting pressured to read Twilight - to which I am now grateful), the boys were enjoying a guy's night in with the kiddos.

Not to mention playing some Mario Kart - gangsta drive style. At least I think that's what N's doing. It's best not to ask!

Licking the Bowl

These past couple weeks held four birthdays in my close family. Since N and his sister Bev are twins, they obviously share the same birthday.

In an odd twist of fate, both of their spouses (me and Chris) have birthdays around theirs. On Saturday we did some belated celebrating.

With cupcakes, of course.

Since I can make muffins jumbo, I thought we should also make the cupcakes jumbo. Our own version of a Sprinkle cupcake.

It's a little different because I involved underage laborers.

To lick the bowl.

Andie Walsh meet Michael Corvin

For months I have been asked to read a book I thought sounded "stupid" and totally outside anything I would find interesting. I made fun of people who thought this book was so wonderful. I may have even rolled my eyes a time or five.

It's about an agnsty teenager who falls in love with a vampire who doesn't eat humans. Quite frankly it sounds a bit like Pretty in Pink meets Underworld. Without Duckie.

My dear friend Becca assured me that I would LOVE this book. When she talked about it, her eyes got all big and googly. I assured her that I would not love the book, nor would I read it.

She dropped it off to me "in case I changed my mind."

For two months Twilight by Stephenie Meyer has been sitting in my nightstand. While Becca and I do have similiar taste in books, she got through Harry Potter. That's just not something I can do.

On Saturday, I went out with some girlfriends. My dear friend Morgana was with us and of all my friends, I thought for sure she'd agree with me. She's totally hooked too. Her eyes got all big and googly at the mention of Edward Cullen.

She told me to just try 30 pages or so and if I didn't like it, I wouldn't like the book at all.

I could do 30 pages of eye rolling. I figured it would be about 20 minutes of skimming the pages and then telling them it was in fact "stupid."

Although that's not what I'm saying. Those 30 pages were very inviting. The next 468 were the best crow I've ever eaten.

I couldn't put the blasted thing down. I read the entire 498 pages yesterday. While it's not exceptionally well written and the story is totally predictable, I loved every single word on those pages.

Now I need book 2 the same way Andie needed Blaine. Or Bella needs Edward.

Friday Five Faves - vol. 14

I love that it's Friday again. I think you could say that I live for Fridays. Not just because I love me some weekends, but because it's a time to spend with N and my girls.

This weekend is going to be extra fun. There is a girl's night out planned. Oh yes it does include a martini.

In preparation of the weekend, here are my top 5 for this week. In no particular order.

1) Political debates. I know there have been some already, but with a 20 month old in the house, unless they're debating at the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I miss out. Last night was different. I got to watch (for the most part) the vice presidential candidates debate. This one is my favorite because you hear the presidential candidates talk ALL. The. Time. You hardly ever hear from the VP candidates.

Because of the 20 month old, I missed the National Conventions too. This is the first time I've heard Sen. Biden and Gov. Palin speak. I was proud to see it was civil and, at times, humorous. It was also the first time I thought Sen. Biden didn't come across as arrogant (based upon my newspaper reading).

Here's the thing that cracks me up with these political races (warning, I may get a little political myself). Especially when they include Senators. I love that they point the finger toward the current president. Doesn't the president need the Senate's approval for the laws and changes that are made? Quite frankly, Gov. Palin is the only one who could point fingers because she's not in the house or the senate. I love irony.

2) I love that it's autumn. Time to pull out the sweaters and tennis shoes. Not to mention Greenbluff is open for fall now. That means fresh apples, pumpkin patches and corn mazes. Last year Zoe got sick and puked in the corn maze. I'm hoping this year is memorable in other ways for her.

3) Breast Cancer Awareness Month. My aunt is a survivor, although she did have to sacrifice two parts of her to say that. I think it's just a fabulous cause. I love all the pink. Which is why, when they did a fund raiser at our office I joined in.

We all had pink hair extensions put in. Isn't mine so cute?



4) Sunrises. With the new autumn weather, it's time to watch the sunrise as I head to work. Yesterday, this was my view on the way to work.

Isn't it beautiful? God sure can paint the sky.

5) The age of 31. Today is N's birthday. He's finally caught up to me. Poor guy has a cold though. Nothing like being sick on your birthday.

N, here's to another great year together. Thanks for walking this walk with me. I feel so blessed to have you in my life. I hope your day is full of many blessings. Happy Birthday. I love you.

With that, I'm off to celebrate a birthday and prepare for a girl's night out. Have a great weekend all!

Prunes and Polish

In my mom' s kitchen she has a cabinet. It is where she keeps her phone book, cereal, popcorn and baby food. Some of the baby food is in glass jars.

Zoe loves to play in that cabinet. Not only can she open it, but everything (except the phone book) is at her level. It wouldn't be uncommon for her to bring us a package of popcorn and expect us to make it for her.

One afternoon this summer, I was at the sink and Zoe was playing in the cabinet. I heard a thud followed by screaming and crying. A glass jar of baby food was lying on the floor.

Obviously Zoe had dropped the food on her foot. When I picked her up, she curled her right leg into me and just wailed. Which is unusual for her because she has a higher pain tolerance than I do.

I'm positive it hurt. A glass jar full of pureed prunes sounds like a deadly weapon to me. In several ways.

After about 20 minutes Zoe finally calmed down, but she limped the rest of the day.

As I was giving her a bath I noticed the cuticle bed was blue. At first I didn't think too much of it. Then I realized. She injured her toenail.

Which totally freaks me out. I know it's going to fall off. Fortunately our pediatrician said that baby toenails take awhile to grow and to keep the nail cut really short so nothing snags it.

Not a problem. I can handle cutting her toenails more frequently. I cannot handle a toenail hanging on for dear life.

Fast forward to last night. For the first time in months we can see white nail growing. This is both good and bad. Good because she'll eventually have a normal looking nail. Then we can start painting her toes again.

Bad because that new nail is pushing out the black part. I guess, medically speaking, this is good. It just freaks me out. Because she has little toes. All this pushing will more than likely happen sooner rather than later.

I present you with the toe that freaks me out.

Wish me luck. If you don't hear from me for awhile in a couple months you'll know I passed out and hurt myself because of a hanging nail.

Die Hard

This week has been a bit turbulent. I'm coming off The Best Birthday EV-AR, so I don't have a fair view of what this week should look like.

Typically I like to celebrate my birthday for the entire week, so by those standards I should be sitting home, scrapbooking, hanging with N, playing with Zoe and not having to lift a single finger.

That's not realistic, unless say we won the lotto or I had a great uncle I've never met who left me millions.

I have better odds of contracting a flesh eating bacteria.

I'm just sayin'.

It just seems like every few months I have a check point with God. Like it's my turn through the buffet line and He keeps piling things on my plate. I know He'll help me with those things. He's promised not to give us more than we can handle (Phil. 4:13). However, sometimes I just feel like He has higher hopes for me than I care to realize.

This plate of mine. It is full.

We're on a new budget now that N is in school. He's been needing new tools for his courses. For those of you who know nothing of tools. They cost as much as a closet full of Manolos. While that creates a financial stress, N LOVES school. He comes home most nights with a new metal thing he's created. He keeps begging me to read the tool catalog like it's full of shoes or the latest fall trends.

I know how much the thought of school freaked him out. Yet this program is feeding his passion. The only thing I've ever wanted for him was to have a career he's passionate about.

Our house in Puyallup isn't selling. With the market being all freaked out by this lack of bailout decision, the housing market is the first to feel it. I got an e-mail from our realtor talking about renting it out or having the house foreclose. Neither of which are an option right now. The hope I had for this house to sell becomes less with e-mails like that. Yet I know God has a buyer for this house.

Then if that wasn't enough, my car died. It wouldn't even act like it wanted to start. I rubbed the steering wheel and totally knew how it felt. There are days I don't want to start either.

There is something about car trouble that freaks me out more than anything. Maybe it's because it usually starts with about $400 and some mysterious part no one has ever heard of. Maybe it's because when it comes to cars, my knowledge is limited. To the extent that I know where the key goes, the gas goes and which ones would look oh-so-cute in my driveway.

Fortunately, after some inspection and jumper cables, it was determined to just be a dead battery. Which is about the same price as a tank of gas. In the big scheme of car maintenance, that ain't bad.

I'm standing in the automotive center, almost a little teary with one more decision I have to make, staring at all the battery options. The only thing I know about Die Hard is that Bruce Willis always wins.

As I watched the mechanics put the battery in my car, I got to thinking about all that's happened this week. How much faith and trust I have to put in God to get through the next hurdle. How much my own desires and wants have to die hard to His desires and wants.

Ultimately, His desires for my life are far better than anything I could imagine. It's just this road is dark, winding and unknown. I'm having to find His light in all of this. Somedays that's easy. Others it's not.

Thankfully today, despite all that is happening, His light was easy to find. She's about 2.5 feet tall. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss. Despite all that I have on my plate, she always seems to help me find the strength I need to start each day.