Random Mondayness

• Time is zooming past. In my conversation with my friend Clare today we talked about the terrifying fact that our boys (months old when we met) are now FIVE. Where did it go? And suddenly all his shirts and pants are too short.

• Handyman hubby was in the torrential freezing rain fixing a leak in our guest house ceiling yesterday. Boy, he's getting good at this stuff. Having a nearly 90 year old house will break in ones fixit skills in a jiffy (not speaking from experience, mind you).
• This weekend I finished Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, which I'd recommend,
  

and began The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble.

• Appointment with Dr. Kartzinel tomorrow for Luke. The road to some answers?
  

• Jerry O'Connell as Tom Cruise. Thanks h&b. Hilarious (if you're not a TC fan)! So, hilarious!
  

• I love how she throws in the term "thrifted" with nonchalance: (click images for more of this woman's cheap and cheerful wardrobe)

It's been raining buckets, so obligatory rain-boots-in-the-puddle shots to follow

It took Leila a while to warm up to the idea of books so I love seeing her like this ("reading to Darla")

Despite the double melt-down in the check out line, pinched fingers compliments of the door in the freezer section, and a near-death tumble from the shopping cart, we did manage to make our way through Costco with our Ghirardelli Brownie Mix (makes 5 batches!).
And Leila was keen:


We close on our Wichita property on Wednesday.
No, we've never laid eyes on it.
But hey, you only live once.

For all you preggie's: Drea is giving away a heavenly Sleepy Wrap.

Darla is the doll

"I have to put Darla in the pink stroller, otherwise we can't get tacos."
Leila

Pear Budget

Love this really simple budgeting site.

La Vie En Rose

And we thought our lives were tough.
Good movie, although not the most uplifting, but unbelievable actress: Marion Cotillard

The true story of Edith Piaf.

1999

These pictures came in the mail from a dear friend yesterday.
New Year's Eve, eight years ago. Back in the days of Chaves, Gonzales.
Seems like eons ago, Tracy.
Eeek now your picture is on the Internet!

Hopefully Not Up to the Neck in My Case

After reading the sentence "The audience gave the Enormous Eggplant a standing ovation", Leila looked at this picture from Carla Morris' The Boy who was Raised by Librarians and said, "That guy has a belly on him."
And then, after a three-second pause, "Just like you, Mommy."

Since Dark Circles are a Disturbingly Obvious Part of My Reality

But kind of a friendly one.

Computer clanked off in the middle of the night on it's own.
Wouldn't turn on in the morning.
Looks like a job for Geek Squad.
Geek Squad replaced power supply.
Computer then worked when picked up and taken home the next day.
Unfortunately, the monitor did not -- as the place where monitor plug is to be connected -- is now somewhere within the confines of the computer tower.
Looks like a job for owner of computer.
Computer taken apart by owner.
And put back together.
Computer now sounds like a helicopter.

A good day

Couture 28

Have you ever wanted to design your own clothes? Turns out you can.

Reading, LaunchPad and Chicken

• We're looking into the Little Golden Book ABC Card Game which builds words with combinations of cards that also feature puzzle-like picture sequences. A number of helpful features make this a very friendly word-building game for the youngest readers, including unique colors for each word's "set" of cards, an alphabet that runs along the bottom of the cards, the matching pictures, and a display of the full word next to each letter.
• I'm looking forward to the LaunchPad meeting on Thursday.
• One for the book. Working on year two...
  

• Jamie Oliver has some tasty-looking menu's up here.
  

Lookie!

The UPS man brought me a delicious basket of goodness from my precious friend Felecia!
How yummy is that?! Isn't she the sweetest!? If I could I'd have you all over for a chockie pretzel extravaganza. Felecia, you're the best (and not just because you send me sweets).

Just what the doctor ordered.

Thank you for humoring me on one more...

"Leila, which is your favorite name given the choice of Oliver, Adam or Logan?"
"I like hoken doken roken pocus."

Yes, and there's that one of course.

A few Leila-isms

• She was packing her tea party satchel and I heard her say, "one fork, one saucer..." and so on. I asked, "Leila, do you have everything you need?" "I have everything I need." She replied. "Everything you need." I mindlessly repeated. Then came, "Don't say that again, okay, Gina?"
• As we were starting our check-out process at Trader Joe's Leila hands our friendly check-out attendant our small box of Jelly Bellies and makes completely sure he, and everyone within 50 feet of us (about 20 people) know that they are for when she goes "POOPY ON THE POTTY!!".
• As we were getting into the car to come home, with her eyes opened as wide as possible she comments, "My eyes are cold!"

Breakthrough

Hope in a pill?

January Discoveries

1. Pandora. Type in your favorite artist and it customizes a listening line-up for you. Right now I'm taking turns listening to my to my Norah Jones and Chemical Brothers Stations.
2. Everything you really wanted to know about finance on the back of ten business cards:
   

3. At 7 months pregs, my doctor takes an unexpected, sudden retirement. Eeek.
4. Twenty percent off with code ENDYEAR07 through January 7, at ShoeBuy.
5. Listology. View lists for all things books, movies, television and music. Hundreds of lists which include: Top 10 Favorite TV series, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and Most Underrated Songs. I've customized a few of my own and so am reading


Good night.

And Expressive in her Fair Isle

I've signed Leila up for this:

which will start in February. She hadn't been much of a girly-girl until she found out what a princess was. Now the word princess has become a particularly useful adjective in our house. For example, in attempting to keep her bangs from falling into her eyes I can say, "Leila would you like to wear your princess headband today?" Her response is something like, "Oh, okay." Pretty useful.

Also useful was the stumbling upon the Sugar Plum Princess site with the likes of: