Child Talk

Here I am with something that I fear I will forget if I don't document it.

I was sitting in the living room this evening, somewhat engaged in reading blogs, while occasionally looking at the television to see what was happening on COPS. Tucker walked in as a big ol' woman got tased. She fell (hard and clumsily) to the ground, which yanked her pants down enough to expose her thong (THONG!). Tucker looked straight at the television and said, "Eeeeeww."

That's my boy.

Mission Accomplished

Remember how I said I miss the feeling of my legs giving out to the point that I had to slide down the stairs on my butt? Yeah, Trainer Man accomplished that today.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it would be difficult, but I really had no idea that it would be so intense. After 100 squats and 60 push-ups, Trainer Man said, "Great! We're 25% done with the warm-up!"

My legs were already burning. I was breathing like I had been held under water ten seconds too long.

The rest of the session was a mixture of whining, grunting, and cursing myself for getting so out of shape. Trainer Man calmly encouraged me and let me whine, grunt and curse. On the way back to the house from the park, my legs kept giving out and I had to catch myself from falling. I love that feeling. (I no longer miss it.) :)

I came home to freshly-baked banana bread which tasted amazing after such a crazy workout. I can't wait to work out on Monday (I was instructed to take tomorrow off).

Oh, and I have phenomenal legs. At least that's the adjective I think Trainer Man used. My mind was in a haze at the time so I can't be sure. I had to fight my urge to reply, "Yeah, but you haven't seen them without pants."

If you're in the Springs area and want an awesome, kick-ass trainer, email me at erinrages@yahoo.com and I'll give you his contact information.

Change

I used to wake up in the dead of Kansas winter to swim at five am for off-season tennis training. I would run coliseum stairs until my shins screamed. I was a slow runner, but enjoyed watching the wheat fields pass me by as I ran in the sizzling Kansas summer. I endured extraordinary pain in the weight room. My body was often so sore the day after a tough workout, I had to slide down stairs on my rear; trying to use my legs would have resulted in a serious downward tumble. I miss feeling like that.

These days, I'm more of a couch-potato. I read blogs, sew purses, knit gloves, bake cookies, enjoy cigarettes with my coffee, etc. (all lovely things, of course. But none of them make me feel the way I did as a college athlete). The most exercise movement I've had recently was raking leaves on a Saturday afternoon.

So I've made a step towards becoming an athlete once again. I've hired a personal trainer.

It sounds a lot more glamorous than it really is; I'm fortunate to have found a friend and co-worker that charges just enough money for his training to be considered professional experience. That works perfectly because I'm making less money than most of my high-school students with part-time jobs (how's that for depressing?).

Normally when I go through the "I'm Fat and Need More Exercise" cycle, I dread actually starting my work-outs. But I'm actually really excited to see what I can push my body to do when Trainer Man comes over on Saturday.

Hands

I fell off the I Heart Faces wagon a while back, but they have a really cool "Hands" competition this week. I took this photo of Tucker and Butterball last June and it's still one of my favorites.

They were so well-behaved that day, sitting in a quaint Gig Harbor Italian Restaurant, sharing a large plate of olives, mozzarella, and pineapple chunks that the waitress brought out especially for them. I can't wait to see them together again. :)

(I was shocked to be the 838th entry! There are some great photos entered. Go check it out if you wish).

Chocolate Heaven

Good Day

Scout was awesome to me today! Check out the beautiful (and delicious) Italian feast he made!

Caesar Salad (with homemade dressing and croutons!):

Bruschetta. I love me any kind of bruschetta, but this rocked my world:

Chicken Florentine. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G:

Cannoli. Dang, this was good, too. Yes, those are finely ground pistachios gracing our presence:

Oh, and the flowers. Scout is under strict instructions not to spend eleventy million dollars on roses (even on Valentine's Day), so he got me tulips (one of my faves). Aren't they pretty?

How was your Valentine's Day?

For Grandma San Antonio

It's a little big, but he loves it!

Celebrate the Boy

Rae is hosting a month of boy-inspired craft projects. I'm so excited about this!

Girls get hooked up with hand-made things (you know, dresses, fancy barrettes, etc.). I struggle to come up with cool stuff to make for Tuck.

There have already been so many cool things featured on Rae's blog. I'm super excited about this, these fabrics, and this.

I know a lot of you have boys. Some of you like crafting. Go hang out with Rae's blog for an hour or so if you want some great ideas.

For Grandma Seattle

Try this link if you've had trouble watching it.

My Husband, The Trained Killer

The other day, Scout was searching relentlessly through the house for a pair of black gloves for his upcoming voyage to the field. Eight(ish) gloves didn't have matches, and the other eleven(ish) pairs had holes in them.

I asked him, "Babe, why don't you let me knit you some nice black (wool) gloves?"

His response (with a smirk on his face): "I'm a trained killer. I can't wear hand-knit gloves."

It was at that moment that I accepted the challenge to make him gloves that would be fit for an Army Trained Terrorist Destroyer.

I think images like this come to his mind when I tell him I'm going to knit him something:

But I found a pattern that I will be modifying slightly (no cables). I'm positive that not only will Scout love them, but he will actually prefer them to store bought gloves. They'll be manly and warm.

Wish me luck.

Butterball's Dress

I loved making this dress. I hope Butterball will entertain me by wearing it in every color.

I used the toddler version of Rae's Itty Bitty Baby Dress. Super easy. Wait, back up. Super easy except for the piping. I found out the hard way that I'm not a piping kind of girl (at least not for now), so I connected the bodice and the skirt with a simple band, and then top-stitched it (I heart top-stitching).

I'm happy with how it turned out, although next time I might modify the fullness of the skirt (it's a little poofy, no?).

What do you think?