G.Y.O.B.

G.Y.O.B. stands for "Get your own breakfast". This is not the motto in our house (usually) but sometimes the kids get up before me and fend for themselves. Here's how Dr. D gets his own breakfast apparently-


He accomplished this (as he does most of his other stunts that require climbing onto things) by dragging our big bathroom stool into the kitchen and placing it just right so as to climb onto the counter.
Hey, whatever works!

Command Central

OK, here it is--my latest project. It all began with a desire to create a more organized entry area of sorts for my house. We always use our carport door which means we enter directly into our dining room and there is no place to dump our stuff when we come in. This means backpacks, shoes, sweaters, helmets, sunglasses, etc. all over the place around the entry area. After trying a few different things I decided that an armoire would be a great answer to this problem. All I had, however, was a china cabinet that I thought I would have to modify and work with to try to create my armoire. It would have been beyond my abilities I think, but didn't know what else to do. Well, my very close friend (we'll call her "The Naunee") and I found an armoire on Craigslist for $60 that looked like this:

It screamed "I'm from the 80's/90's" with the orangey oak color and these scroll things behind the knobs.

It is solid oak though, and the perfect size and composition for what I wanted. Seeing as I had no $60, The Naunee got it for our family and called it a Valentine gift. She is awesome that way. (I want to post a lot more about her but will check with her first. Maybe.) So, I basically bought it for the good "bones" it has with the intention of "sprucing up" it up a bit, aka painting it. When I metioned that to my mom she freaked out and went on and on about how beautiful it was and why would I want to ruin good wood by pianting it? She said I should have just gotten someting "cheap" if I was just going to ruin it with paint. (ok--how much "cheaper" could I get than 60 bucks for an armoire???) Puh-leeeeze. DH actually agreed and didn't want me to do anything to it. Well, um, too bad because that's why I bought it in the first place!!
First, I sanded it lightly to just scratch up the surface so the paint would stick. I knew I wanted it black and my original plan was to distress the edges and corners a bit so I didn't want to use a primer. I wanted the brown to show through for the distressing. Anyway, after 3 coats of black Walmart paint ($6 something for a quart) and a good brush I think it looks pretty fabulous and is working out exactly as I'd hoped. Well, we still have the issue of getting the shoes into the cabinet, but it does house them nicely once they are in there. I haven't distressed it at all yet because I am enjoying it so much as it is.
And it is amazing how good those little knobs look without the scroll things behind them! I even had fun accessorizing the top of the cabinet. The kids all love it and even DH and my mom think it's great. I knew it all along...
Oh yeah, I call it Command Central because that's what I feel it is for us. Just in case you're wondering about the post title. :)

Toasters and other things

Here are a few things I've learned lately:

1. Keep the toaster unplugged. It's a great energy saver but is especially important when you have little boys who like to stick knives into them. They make BIG sparks and melt the tip of your knives. The little boys think it's pretty neat and say things like, "Oh... Fire!"



2. Re-arranging your furniture makes things feel new.

3. Good wood is meant to be painted. (an upcoming post will show my latest project!) Don't listen to people who think you should only paint cheap garbage. Let's repeat together, "Paint is my friend".

4. Crying is therapeutic. Did you know there are hormones in tears? So having a good cry helps even out those hormones. (C told me that. I believe her, don't you?) Makes sense to me.

5. The world is full of good people who are just looking to help others. I am so blessed to be surrounded with these people. They get me through tough times! I want to be a "lifter" too, so that people will feel they are better for having known me.

6. Just CLEANING your room makes it feel big and new. Why don't I do this more often? Oh yeah, I'm too tired. :)

7. Baby stuff takes up a lot of room! How is it that the smallest person in the house takes up the most room and makes the most dirty laundry???

Musings on children

This is one of my favorite pictures of Dr. Destructo. I found this little hat at the dollar store and took it to my neighbor/awesome photographer so we could play. My own little "Santa Baby".

There is a blog that I read that makes me cry every time I read it. It is the blog of a family who lost a 2 year old daughter from choking on a piece of apple. Their writing is beautiful. I'm tearing just thinking about it. Anyway, I have been thinking about something they posted a couple weeks ago. It is a quote from the book Peter Pan and I feel like this statement is as true and beautiful as any sentiment I've ever read. Here's the quote from their blog which contains the quote from the book:

"My favorite line of the book came just a couple pages from the very the end. Wendy, after their adventures in Neverland, returned with Peter Pan a few times to help with spring-cleaning. But soon Peter Pan lost track of time and didn't return for years...

“Years rolled on again, and Wendy had a daughter. This ought not to be written in ink but with a golden splash”.

Of all Wendy's adventures being a parent was the most glorious. In your journal does it not seem fitting to write about the birth of your children in gold rather than ink?"

K, now I'm full on crying with the simplicity and beauty of this truth. My heart just aches when I think of people who have lost a child. I think of how blessed we are to be having another one. I know I have said this before (and may again sometime, you never know) but being a mom is pretty much all I have ever wanted. When I look at my children the emotions just can't be explained or expressed just right. Now, I know I'm not alone in thinking these things about our children. I love that about being around other people who also adore their kids. I love being around people that obviously love each other, be it husbands and wives that love each other and aren't afraid to show it, or families that just can't hide the fact that they think their kids are the best and show it. Of course, nobody is perfect and we aren't all lovey and happy all the time, but that's also part of life and it's ok.

I remember when my Teeny-Bopper was just born, and we had tickets to a Phoenix Coyote hockey game. (have I told this story before? Sorry if I have!) We arranged a double date with a good friend and had a picnic dinner outside near the runway of Sky Harbor (you can't go their anymore now with all the security and what-not) and then went to the game. My mom came over to babysit our new little baby. I had pumped a bottle for her and everything, so should have had nothing to worry about, right? Everyone kept saying things like "Oh, how nice for you to get a break and have a night off." Stuff like that. Well....we got a little bit into the game and I realized I didn't want a "break" from my baby! I wanted to be with her! I missed her so badly we told our friends we had to go and rushed home to our little one. At that point I realized that I never wanted another "break" from my baby again. And to this day, I hate leaving my new babies for anything. I have come to accept the fact that I need those new babies as much as they need me. I need to hold them, smell them, snuggle, cuddle, and in all other ways be with them as much as possible. It's true, a break is needed. But it's a break from all the world except that baby. A break from life and all other worries and concerns besides that one little creature that has your attention like no other. I must add a little side-note for colic, though. We have been through this as well, and I admit that it IS nice to have someone else you trust come try to soothe that baby after days of screaming. I still like to be in the same room but having an upset baby is very draining. I remember with my Little Miss (our fussiest baby) my lovely sister-in-law C came and she could hold her and keep her happy for some of the time. It was so nice to have her because I felt like she almost loved that baby as much as I did and it truly was a break to have Little Miss stop screaming for a while.

It's a strange thought that we are going to have those little baby sounds here in a few months. We have begun piling up baby stuff around here and it's kind of weird to see all these things again...

Photography workshop

There is a photography workshop coming up that I am dying to be a part of. It's pricey, but I'm sure worth it--just take a look at this gal's photography. She is fabulous and happens to be the sister of a friend (clue: she used to be in my ward and plays the piano in an AWESOME way...). Here's a link to Holly's blog so you can see the workshop info. and her photography. Here's a link to the actual workshop so you can get all the juicy details. Be sure to check it out!

Fancy Food

A few days ago my friend posted this post, saying how she doctors up her mac & cheese when she serves it for lunch. I do almost the same exact thing to mine! Except instead of Tabasco I use Tapatio or Frank's Hot Sauce. Anyway, I thought I'd post a couple of my own fancy up normal food tricks. This last week I made grilled cheese with tomato soup for dinner, and used canned tomato soup. All I had was the cheap store brand kind, which I don't really care for. Anyway, I had a can of Campbell's French Onion soup and thought, hmmmmm.... So I put 2 cans of condensed tomato soup, 1 can of condensed french onion soup and 2 cans of milk in a pot. Heat and serve, and voila! A fancy little touch that made the soup de-lish!!
OK, and now for last night's dinner. Oh boy!!! Remember this post where I talked about Moreno's and their fabulous Sonoran style hot dogs? Well, I forgot to list a couple of other things they put on their dogs. Like bacon and beans. Anyhoo, since they are on sale every Thursday, I dream about them on Thursdays. So last night I decided to make my own. I bought hot dogs and all the fixins and they turned out positively gourmet! You MUST try this!! OK, so first, get a hot dog (I bought Nathan's and if you haven't tried those, you should. They are sooo good!) and wrap a slice of bacon around your dog. I cooked them on the Foreman grill, but you could use a regular grill, grill pan, or just frying pan if you don't have any grill type thing. Cook until the bacon is pretty much done. Then put in a bun. Now comes the fun part: top with avocado, sour cream, pico de gallo (just chop tomato, onion, and cilantro and add some lemon or lime juice), a squeeze of lime, chili beans, mustard or mayo if you want, and there you have it! The best hot dog you will ever eat. At Moreno's they serve a roasted jalapeno on the side, but we took it a step further and made poppers. Take a jalapeno or anaheim if jalapeno is too spicy for you. Cut in half and fill each half with cream cheese. Wrap a piece of bacon around and bake at 400 until the bacon is done and pepper is cooked. (probably somewhere around 20 min.) Oh, baby! They are better if you let them sit for just a little bit and cool off before you dig into them. It's hard to wait, though. And let me tell you, they are even better for breakfast the next day. Yup, cold and spicy and yum-my.
So, there are my ideas for the day. If anyone tries this, make sure to leave a comment and tell us how you like it!!

Football Fun

We happened to be in Walmart the day after the Superbowl, and Dr. D was presented with a gift from one of the employees. A giant display football! You can see the size of it in comparison to him. It's great watching him try to walk with it. We have actually had lots of family fun with this thing. We have spent many evenings playing with it in the front yard, trying to see how many times we can hit it and keep it in the air. Fun fun!!

Funny Video

This is the funniest, cutest video of this little boy after a dentist appt. He is all drugged up and talking to his dad in the car. Hilarious!!



Enjoy!

Hey, I'm back for a while!

So I have the internet back indefinitely. It's great to be connected! I have to admit that while I haven't spent my time blogging, I have spent it playing my flute. I need to keep that up, especially since I want to get some flute students. I need to be in good shape so I can be a good teacher. The only problem is that I think this baby is on a nerve (common, I'm told) that makes my right wrist go numb after playing only a few songs. I hate it! It's so frustrating. I am really hoping it's a pregnancy thing and not carpal tunnel or something like that. We shall see...
Anyway, how about them Cardinals!!??!?!?! Wow--SO close. What a great game anyway. I'm bummed that they lost but they were awesome. The worst part about the whole thing was the half-time show. Springsteen??? Gag me with a spoon!
I'm resisting the urge to end on a negative note and tell about all the things that Obama is doing that are making me sick and angry. So I won't mention them. :)
Instead, I'll end with saying that I can feel the baby move all the time now, very good and strong. It's so fun!
Also, for the month of February Sweet G and the fifth graders at her school are taking on a challenge to either walk 10,000 steps per day or do 60 min. of physical activity every day. We decided to all join in with her, and though we didn't all get in 60 min. of activity today, at least we got up and moving a little with her. Even DH got in on the action and jumped rope with the girls!! (with the hose, of course because we don't have a big enough rope) It was super fun. You go, girl!