Friday, June 18, 2010

I'm in love and I don't care who knows!

I love the internet.  I love all the crafty goodness I find on the internet.  I read this tutorial and knew I must have this tool - the xyron sticker makin' machine.  I'm not sure that's the official term.  This is what it looks like, mine is purple.   You can run ribbon, paper and fabric through this doo-dad and then ta-da!  You just made a sticker.  I haven't put mine down in 24 hours.  Ok, maybe once or twice to change a diaper or fix a sippy cup, but no more than twice!  


These are my own examples of what I've been making with my sticker maker!  Luckily, we have Father' Day and a birthday party this weekend!  Yay for fabric tape!


Erik just finished the most completely ridiculously precious series of prints.  Go here for now, until he puts them in his shop.  These are going to look great framed in our boys' rooms.  I'm voting myself in charge of packaging of his prints and I will totally use my ribbon/fabric stickers on the packaging.  Of course, I'll have to guy-ify!

Again, go visit Natalie's tutorial and look at her great photos!

Oh, and what's in one of those boxes?  Maybe this? 

Friday, June 11, 2010

Goals Shmoals

Oh no!  I had planned 30 people in 30 days to be completed in, uh 30 days.  So much for that plan!  My birthday has come and gone and I'm only at 19!  Maybe I'll just make it 30 people in 1 summer.  Or 30 people in 30 years.  Either way, I will eventually finish this up.  My problem is, I want to say the nicest most flattering things about a person and I want to get it just right, but the problem is - me.  It's me who's writing.  So I pretty much just fumble around, getting lost on tangents then just wrapping it up.  What I thought was going to be a quick little spiel, has turned into something I write, erase, re-write and takes eons.   No bueno. I would just write a list naming  the next 11 people, but that doesn't seem fair either.  One of them might be reading and get their feelings hurt.  And google analytics tells me someone is reading this, so you better delurk soon and leave a comment!

On to my actual birthday.  I received several birthday presents.  One being a stomach virus. Yay!  I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's start the day in the a.m.  I walked into work and was surprised with my office decorated with birthday streamers.  Then my boss came in with a big ol honking cake.  Then my mom came in with a dozen of cupcakes.  Then flowers were delivered from my other mom and dad. 30 was perfect so far!  After class that morning, we had cake and I unwrapped my present.  It was a beautiful crystal vase.  I joked that I won't see it for another 20 years as I'm afraid it may get broken by two busy boys.  They joked that it was a grown up gift and I should write the date on the box for when I unearth it in 20 years, because I won't remember at 50!  At 11 I began to feel a little nauseated, but chalked it up to too much sugar in my coffee, no dinner the night before and the immediate consumption of a cupcake - sugar overload!   So I packed up my goodies and headed home.

Erik and I were headed to Houston for the night and nausea wasn't gonna stop me.  Our good friends Rachel and Matt met us for a lovely dinner.  Lovely until I sprinted away from the table and yakked in the bathroom.  Sad.  Disgusting.  I thought I was dying.  Or that I was in labor.  I really thought I was in labor, well minus that I'm not pregnant.  I felt so bad I was almost on the verge of suggesting Erik drive me to the nearest hospital.  I had to leave the premise.  Erik got his food to go.  

When I woke up this morning, I was feeling much better.  Not great.  But better.  After lunch today I finally felt relief.  I guess you know you have arrived at old age when you are yakking on your birthday and you haven't had one celebratory alcoholic beverage.  Sad.  

So I had a  whole post running live in my head about how I'm not sad to be 30 but excited. blah blah blah.  I had a few points I wanted to touch on about not being where I expected to be at 30, but very happy nonetheless.  yada yada yada.  But obviously, my stomach contents or lack thereof prove to be way more important.  Maybe one day I''ll honestly blog about that stuff, we'll see.

I wish I had a really cute photo of Erik and I out at dinner, to go with this post - but we never got that far :(.  



Monday, June 7, 2010

Bathing Suits

I interrupt all this cutesy, fun, feel good stuff to bring you these bathing suits.  They are just beyond too cute not to report on them right this minute.  I don't know which one I'd buy first:

Sunday, June 6, 2010

19/30

Today is my Dad's day.  It's also his birthday. 

My dad is:  an entire laundry list of things.  I've already re-typed this part three times.  This could take a while.  

My dad is a veteran.  He was stationed in Germany and lived there with my mom. After Germany they homesteaded on the "Ponderosa" with  a pig named Arnold.  I wonder if they ever think of Arnold when they eat bacon? I wonder if they ate Arnold?  After Arnold, came three real kids.  A couple of horses.  Some doves.  A gaggle of geese.  Three dogs.   To say the least,  my dad has the occasional "wild hair up his ass".  My dad worked 13 long years offshore.   Between that job and his current job, he worked construction to provide for our family.  He has worked hard his entire life.  He still works hard for us.  I'd never want him to think it wasn't appreciated.  He'll say "It wasn't much, I wish I could have given you more".  But to me, it was the world.  He taught by example, putting family first.

Sophomore year our class read "Casey at Bat", followed by "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes:

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

I think this fits my dad perfectly.  You have to keep on keepin' on.

Eight years ago on Christmas Eve's Eve, my dad began having a heart attack driving home after working a 12 hour shift.  It began on the bridge.  He drove himself to the nearest hospital.  He saved himself. 


Daddy is the dream maker, the candy man, the pied piper and Joe.  I'm glad we got another year out of you, Old Man.  Keep on, keepin' on.  Happy Birthday, Papa!





Saturday, June 5, 2010

18/30

In laws can be so very tricky.  Automatic adopted parents.  Poof!  With the words 'I do', I got a husband AND another set of parents.  Fabulous prize package.  Who thought of that one?  The thing with in-laws is, I wasn't raised in their house and don't know their rules and how their life works, but all of sudden, its my life mixed in with theirs.  It could be hard to find one's footing with the in-laws.

Erik and I were brought up quite the same.  Both of our parents are still married to one another, we were raised Catholic.  And that's about where the similarities end.  It's safe to say, our parents are quite different from one another.

Where's this post going and exactly who is it about?  Ms. Brenda -  Erik's mom and more commonly referred to Nana 'round these parts.

At best, you wish and pray your in laws love your babies, their grandbabies.  Oh and she does!  She'd do anything for them!  I am beyond thrilled for my children to live within minutes of each set of grandparents. They are the luckiest little children to be loved by grandparents so much and we as parents are beyond blessed to have such easy access to willing and loving babysitters.  

Besides being the greatest Nana ever, she's a talented seamstress, an Eucharistic Minister at church and directly handles all of our insurance needs!  I am  so very grateful for our Nana!

17/30

Monsignor DeBlanc.

I was Monsignor's angel.  As I'm sure you were.  And you.  And you.  Having never attended Catholic School, my contact with Monsignor was limited to CCD and church.  He made us all feel so special and loved.

When I was in third grade, Monsignor held an essay contest.  I can't remember the theme.  The prize I remember fondly:  a dinner with Monsignor.  I'm sure that prize only appealed to one 8 year old - me.  There was something so magical about the chance to visit with Monsignor in his home and break bread with him.   I would love to read what I wrote.  I was probably the only one to turn in my essay, as to why mine was chosen.  Beside what was on the menu, fried chicken and spaghetti, most details are fuzzy.  However, it's impact was huge.

A millions years after that dinner, ok, twenty years later, I was standing in my friend's kitchen, reading a magnet which Monsignor published that had his top ten "rules" for living.  One sticks with me.  "Be the friend that brings tartar sauce when going fishing".  I just love that rule.  Naturally, I'm not terribly optimistic, I'm more reality focused.  So I try to remember this at all times, especially those times that present me with a challenge.  Bring the sauce, Kaela.

What a holy man Monsignor DeBlanc was.  How blessed we are to have known him and to have had the chance to be enveloped by his love.

16/30

Palmer.  My beautiful baby boy.  You are the youngest on my list.  How have you touched my life?  How haven't you touched my life.  Like I've said before, you are like a bulldozer - you just bulldozed your way into our family and into my heart, and just made a comfy little spot for yourself.

You've stretched my heart from here to kingdom come.  You've showed me that there's no limit on how much one is capable of  love. That my heart isn't a tupperware container, constructed to hold 8 oz. of love.  But an infinite ocean, ready and willing to swallow up everything.  A mother can love all of her kids, not one more than the other, but differently.  I didn't know it was possible until you.

Your are stubborn, silly and sweet.   A lover, not a fighter.  When you smile, your eyes smile.  You brighten my days and have grown my heart.   I love you, brother.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

15/30

The halfway mark.  In case you need a refresher as to what in the heck this is all about, go here.

My friend Jennifer is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.  Truly, she is.  In fact,  people will say, "Oh, I ran into your nice friend today."  My grandparents were big fans of her too.  They loved running into her at the hospital.  I should add here that she's a nurse, working full time and studying for a master's in nursing.  I am so proud of her.  She's the kind of nurse you hope for and the kind of friend you pray for.

She's calm and level headed.  I can say I've never seen her mad or angry or come close to losing her cool.  She's definitely the yin to my yang in that department.   One of the thousands of vivid memories I have with her is the night her car was broken into -  a beloved collection of Pearl Jam and Thinking Plyers was included in the the theft.  Sure she was mad and angry, but she didn't show it.   In stressful situations I think to myself, WWJD.  Sub Jesus for Jenn.  This methodology keeps me in line and my mouth shut.   She personifies grace, I want to be like her when I grow up.

I don't want you to get the wrong idea.  Just because she's really kind, doesn't mean she doesn't know how to have a good time.  I mean, c'mon, she's married to Matt.  Which I've known Matt since I was a kid, so it's funny to me that I would be such good friends with his wife.   My life is much more rich with quite a few more stories to tell with them in it...

And why hasn't it occurred to me until now, to put photos with my beautiful friends?