Erin Rages

Homemade Vanilla Extract

2011-09-27T11:56:00.005-05:00

I'm really excited to share one of my latest projects with you: Homemade Vanilla Extract.

Vanilla Extract is compose of two ingredients: Vodka and Grade B Vanilla Beans.

One of the many things I love about this project is that it's inexpensive. Also, if you like to bake as much as I do, you know Vanilla Extract is an essential in your pantry. To this day, one of the gifts I remember most from my parents is a bottle of Vanilla Extract from Mexico.

Ready to get started? Here's what you'll need:

1. Vodka (I got the cheap stuff, but use whatever you'd like.)

2. Grade B Vanilla Beans (I got Tahitian, rather than Madagascar Bourbon, for no particular reason, from this seller on ebay.)

3. Bottles (I bought amber-colored 8 oz bottles locally from Mountain Mama Natural Foods.)

4. Full page shipping label paper (shown below, bought at Walmart)

So here's what you do:

1. Prepare three vanilla beans for each 8 oz jar you'll be using. In order for the beans to fit into the jars I chose, I had to cut an inch or so off of the ends (I put them aside for use in my grandfather's homemade Kahlua). Then, I took my kitchen shears and split them up the middle, leaving the tops connected, rather than splitting them all the way.

2. Put the beans in the jar. Using a funnel, fill the jar with vodka.

3. Place the cap back on and set aside in a cool place and give it a good shake once a week. Do this for two months, when it will be ready for use. Top off with more vodka as needed - those little beans will keep on doin' work for you.

I wanted to be able to use whatever I bought for labels in a creative way, so instead of messing with a predetermined size, I bought the full sheet shipping labels. This way, I could cut them into ovals, or hearts, or stars (or rectangles, which I ended up doing anyway). But I can also use them in different ways for different projects. I'm good with that.

I used the business card template in my word processing software (Pages for Mac), which gave me the approximate size label I was looking for. I imported a picture of my son, chose the font I liked (Courier), rearranged a few things, and came up with the label you see.

There you go! Homemade Vanilla Extract. Here's the cost breakdown per bottle:

Vodka: 1.06

Vanilla Beans: 0.55

Label: 0.07

Bottles: 1.40

Total: 3.08

Have you seen how expensive store-bought Vanilla Extract is? This is a deal! (And you could save even more money if you find cheaper bottles - which I didn't have any luck with.)

You still have time to make these as Christmas gifts. Enjoy!

Uh-Mazing Cherry Crisp

2011-09-22T13:59:00.003-05:00

I made cherry crisp a few days ago. It was so good, Scout would come home from work and immediately say, "You didn't eat all the cherry stuff, did you?"

Yesterday my answer was, "Yes-but-I'll-make-more-I-promise."

I got the recipe online, but used canned cherry pie filling instead of fresh cherries. (Thanks, ABW, for unloading all of your pie filling on us!) Making this was free (I had all the ingredients on hand). On another note, I've never even heard of an 11x7 inch pan, so I used my 9x9. It turned out perfectly. Oh, and I use salted butter in most of my baking. It gave this dessert a nice flavor contrast.

Today I'm making blueberry crisp with the same recipe. Scout will be pleased.

PASTRY:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
FILLING:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup cherry juice blend
4 cups pitted tart red cherries
Few drops red food coloring, optional
TOPPING:
1-1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

In a bowl, combine salt, sugar and flour; cut in butter. Press into a greased 2-qt. or 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
For filling, combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in juice. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Fold in cherries and food coloring if desired. Pour over baked crust. Combine all topping ingredients; sprinkle over filling.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around edges. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Now, go make some!

Rearranging Some Things

2011-09-20T15:24:00.002-05:00

If I'm gonna blog more, I've gotta have the place organized. You may see the stuff on the sidebar lookin' all jacked up for a while. For now, take a look at one of my new favorite frugal blogs, Fabulessly Frugal.

See you soon!

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

2011-09-19T14:58:00.004-05:00

The creamy pesto went terribly wrong. Sorry for getting your hopes up, Jon and Abbey. :)

For now, I'm going to share with you one of my favorite frugal recipes: All-Purpose Cleaner, provided by one of my frugal heroes, Amy Dacyczyn.

Save up some store-bought cleaning solution bottles and go to town:

1/2 cup ammonia

1/3 cup vinegar

2 Tbsp baking soda

1 gallon water

Mix it all up in a bucket and pour it into spray bottles. I also like to add a few drops of home fragrance oil. I had this on hand (from Bath & Body Works). It smells like heaven.

Heaven that's practically free. And makes me smile while I disinfect my counter tops.

Let me know if you end up making some (and if you like it).

My Quest to Become the World's Best Housewife

2011-09-18T16:49:00.002-05:00

I can't find a job. To be honest, I don't really want to work outside of my home - and this is a recent revelation.

I finished college to stretch my brain and secure my place in the job market. No one told me that if the economy failed, a college education would mean next to nothing. Even if you're a teacher.

After being frustrated, anxious, and annoyed by my professional situation, I've decided to say, "Screw the economy. I'm gonna be the best damn housewife/mother that the world has seen." (Ok, maybe that last part is a stretch. But I'm going to try.)

I'm also striving to be a better blogger. Posting once every eight months is not what I would consider acceptable. I hope to have a tutorial up tomorrow for Old Spaghetti Factory's Creamy Pesto salad dressing! See you then...

Garage Door Makeover

2011-08-24T19:13:00.004-05:00

My garage door finally matches my shutters:

I twitched every time I looked at the brown. Wouldn't you?

The weather stripping needed to be replaced as well:

There were cracks all over the place:

As I took the shutters down to wash and repaint them, I started getting irate at the previous contracter/diyer/remodeler who did the painting/repairs/remodeling/etc. There were thickly dried paint drips all over them. Some of the slats weren't even painted completely. They were most likely forty years old and starting to rot. I spent an hour sanding and scraping one of the shutters without much progress. I was not feeling warm and fuzzy.

I HATE lazily done home repairs. I don't get it. If you're gonna spend money to do something, do it CORRECTLY, even if it's "just" paint. You know what I'm sayin'?

In the end, I put my heart health ahead of saving a few bucks, so I sold the shutters on Craigslist (to a girl making a headboard out of them - fun, huh?) and sprung for inexpensive vinyl shutters at Lowe's.

Better, yeah?

Unfortunately, the Colorado heat has scorched my lawn. I'm hoping to get it back to green once it cools down a little bit!

Linking to:

In the Meantime...

2011-08-11T09:08:00.003-05:00

My dear friend, Abbey, whom I've known for over 15 years, has a new foodie blog. She's an amazing mom, has an amazing husband, and knows how to throw down in the kitchen. I wish I could go to her house every night for supper.

Check her out, then come back here and see if I've gotten my crap together (it's doubtful).

I'm Still Here

2011-08-05T09:13:00.002-05:00

I've been accomplishing much more than I've actually been blogging about. We just got back from a vacation in Seattle (I even reupholstered some chairs while we were there!) and getting the house ready to sell is making me a little nutty. I'll get to posting my projects as soon as I can. Thanks for stopping by. :)

On Why I Hate Craigslist

2011-07-12T10:51:00.003-05:00

I love buying things on craigslist. It's the selling of things on craigslist that brings out the very worst in me.

Here is my most recent post:

Two dog kennels (pictured) for sale. $10 each. You may take one or both. Please text or call Erin.

We used to have six dogs, now we have three. The truth is, there just isn't a reason to have kennels laying around the garage when there aren't dogs that occupy them at some point. I thought this was going to be an easy transaction. (Well, until I got a text from Norma five seconds after I listed them.)

It started innocently enough:

Norma: Just wondering if the kennels r avail

Me: Yep. :)

(seven minutes later)

Me: Would you like to come see them?

(almost an hour later)

Norma: I will let my husband know, thanks

(over two hours later - and yes, there's a reason I'm pointing out the time in between texts)

Norma: I'm interested in the kennels how tall are they?

Me: I'm not at home but I'll text you the measurements when I get there.

Me: One is 26 inches and one is 30 inches.

Norma: Ok I'm interested in both but stuck at home without my suv today I live in fountain and can get em tomorrow if that's ok.

Me: Yes, that's perfect.

Norma: Awesome. We just got 2 mastiff pups lol need kennels and are a lil broke after buying the pups so this is perfect. Its 20 for both? (This is where concern started setting in.)

Me: Yep. :)

Norma: Sweet. What time works for u

Me: Noon is good.

So at this point, I figured we had a deal. We'd verified the price, we'd arranged a meeting time, and this conversation has gone on for about four hours - all of which was time I was waiting on HER. All for $20 freakin' bucks.

It was about 1:30 in the afternoon when I decided to silence my phone and lay down with my cranky three year old. Scout was home from work early so the three of us climbed into bed and promptly fell asleep.

I'm a long napper (two hours is my ideal napping duration), but I was shocked when I woke up and looked at my phone. We had been sleeping for four hours. I had six text messages, all from Norma.

Norma: Perfect. Can I get the address please

Norma: (picture of puppy number one)

Norma: (picture of puppy number two)

Norma: I will txt ya tomorrow for address will u hold em for me till tomorrow please or I may be able to get em later today depending on what time my hubby gets home.

Norma: Hi, sorry to keep bugging u I really want these kennels.

Norma: Do u still have the kennels or did someone else get them?

After putting Norma on Stalker Status, I texted her back. Apparently, she can make me wait for a response, but heaven forbid I actually have stuff that keeps me from my phone for a reasonable period of time.

Me: Sorry. I was napping with my son and had my phone on silent. Your pups are precious! I will definitely hold the kennels for you.

Me: My address is blah blah blah. I'm in Widefield so I'm not far from you. :) Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.

Norma: Awesome thank u I will be there at noon tomorrow. (This is where I expected a "sorry for stalking you like a loser ex-boyfriend" text. It didn't come.)

Me: Sounds good. :)

The next day, it just got worse.

Norma: Hi, got a ? My hubby took 5bux this morning left me with 15 can I get both for 15?

This is actually the point where my blood started to boil. Up until this point, she was just a little obnoxious. But after agreeing on a price, when I've already been telling other potential buyers that the kennels were in the process of being sold, it pissed me off. Terribly.

I texted Scout: Ugh this lady is driving me crazy. Now she wants both kennels for 15 bucks because supposedly her husband took 5 dollars out of her wallet.

I have to tell you that I really didn't buy it. I could not imagine that a grown woman with a husband and two new, very expensive dogs could have $15 to her name. I know there are people that exist that literally spend every penny they have per pay-period, but my assumption is that if she did, in fact, have $15 to her name, she'd be more concerned about dog food, or human food, rather than kennels. So I stuck my head in the sand and ignored her.

Then:

Norma: I have 18 will that be ok

For the next four minutes, the two, very distinct personalities that I struggle with had the following conversation:

Erin Rages: No, Crazy Stalker Cheap Skate Lady can kick rocks. We already agreed on a flippin' price! It's not our problem her stupid husband took money out of her wallet! Tell her to go to the ATM!

Erin Empathizes: Maybe she really is struggling financially. What is two dollars anyway, Erin Rages? Seriously, you're getting caught up over two dollars? Just let her have it. We don't need the money - we just want the kennels gone!

I texted her back: Yeah that's fine

No period. No emoticon. That's code for I freakin' hate you.

And as much as I'm blaming this all on her, this really was my problem. It would have been just as easy (physically) to text: No, we agreed on $20. This is what Erin Asserts would have said.

And that's my problem: There's no middle ground for me. I either feel terribly sorry for people and become a door mat, or I get all irrational and angry and cut people off.

Scout got home from work and I unloaded on him. There were tears. There was self-bashing, like "I'm a wimp" and "I can't say no" and "I hate that I'm such a pansy!"

Then she texted me again. At 11:05 in the morning.

Norma: If its ok I'm kinda in the area can I stop by in like 20 mins or so to get em?

Me: Yeah that's fine

Norma: K

And then at 11:45.

Norma: On my way now.

(I didn't even respond.)

At about ten after noon, she finally showed up. Crazy Lady can't be on time for "being in the area and showing up early", let alone our original meeting time. Ugh.

Before she showed up, I had actually hosed down a third kennel and had it sitting next to the other two. When she pulled up, her first question was, "Are you selling this one, too?"

I handed the responsibility over to Scout because Erin Rages was preparing to come out full-force. Norma had more money in her car to pay the full price for the third kennel. It dawned on me: She wasn't broke, she was one of those people that felt the obsessive desire to get a teensy bit better of a price just for asking for it.

And that's what I get. I let my sympathetic, nurturing personality win out over the judgmental personality that knew she had more than $18 to her name. I'm a sucker. And it won't be happening again.

So in short, as much as I hate selling on craigslist, I will be doing it deliberately and frequently to kill pieces of both Erin Rages and Erin Empathizes to create room for Erin Asserts.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Opinions Wanted

2011-07-06T10:07:00.004-05:00

This is the house we closed on nearly two years ago. Some of you may be able to attest from this picture that the yard has come a VERY long way. There's still a lot to be done, but grass isn't on my mind today. It's the paint.

First I must say how much the garage door has nagged at me. Why is it brown? Doesn't it make the house look uneven? (Don't even get me started on the Infant Poop color of the actual house. I'm dealing with it.) And did the previous owners lack my OCD Garage Door Must Match the Shutters Disorder? So it's settled. The garage door and the shutters will soon match.

More specifically, though, I'm painting the front door. Here's where I need some input. Scout has learned over the years to "go with it", whether that means a paint color, my design ideas, or a furniture redo. So my questions to him regarding this decision have been met with, "Whatever you want to do, babe."

What I want to do is paint the front door a light aqua-ish color to make the Infant Poop look more like Sand. I'm confident with this step of the project.

But what do I do with the numbers? Pizza delivery drivers love them. People arriving at my house for the first time love them. I love them - I think they are modern-cottage-y. But I've gotten mixed reviews. More than one person has said, "I don't get it." Here's why it's so important: We're putting the house on the market at the end of summer.

I don't want buyers to immediately dismiss our house for a small thing like house numbers. So, do I paint the door, leaving the numbers on as a stencil to peel off later and reveal the white underneath? Or do I take the numbers off, paint the door, and put up more traditional numbers?
Decisions, decisions. (Please, tell me what YOU would do.)

And She's Back

2011-06-09T21:56:00.003-05:00

I never thought I would come back to this blog. I was overcome with the most terrible, gut-wrenching sadness (obviously - see the previous post). It's amazing what a year (in this case, more) will do. I'm amazed that I was able to come back from it. And I never want to feel that way again.

I've needed to write. Facebook is great for one-liners, but not for writing. I've been doing it privately for the last year or so, but I missed doing it here, in my tiny little corner of the world.

Thanks for visiting. I've missed you.

Sad

2010-04-19T20:34:00.002-05:00

I'm incredibly sad.

There have been pretty major things going on with me. Nothing that I would share on the blog, but potentially life-changing things. Change makes me sad.

For the few of you that still stop and check in on us, thank you. I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging in the future. Maybe when I don't feel totally consumed by sadness and grief.

Bastards

2010-04-06T20:01:00.004-05:00

So much for my clean language goal.

We have a local farm nearby that we pass frequently, whether on our way to work or the store.

A couple months ago, I noticed two little cuties on the property:

On my way home from work, I always looked forward to the part of my drive that I got to see the pigs. I would come home and tell Scout what they were up to that day like they were my kids.

Shortly thereafter, Scout would come home and ask, "Did you see the pigs today?", or say, "I saw the pigs today; they were laying in the sun."

When we were driving together, we'd squint our eyes over to the big field and see who could spot them first. It was the farm version of I Spy.

Saturday evening as we were heading to the movies, the pigs were nowhere to be found. We shrugged it off and listed off some reasons they might not be there. Like, maybe they're sleeping. Or maybe they got moved to another piece of the property.

We didn't find out until today that they were attacked. By humans. Twice. (Don't worry, Meg. They survived both attacks.)

I know it must sound silly, but I feel a little bit invested in these pigs. My immediate response was to offer to pull security with my Remington 870.

What kind of person does this shit?

Daddy Phrase

2010-04-05T19:07:00.002-05:00

"Hey - eat! Avocados are not cars."

(As Tucker "drives" his avocado across the table and makes vroom-vroom noises.)

Stupid.

2010-04-04T15:16:00.003-05:00

Have you ever done something so stupid that you have a hard time wrapping your brain around what could have possibly possessed you to do it?

I have. It was today, in fact.

We closed on our house in August of last year. By my calculations, that's about about seven or eight months. Keep that number in mind.

One of the selling points of this house was the jet tub in the upstairs bathroom. Scout couldn't wait to use it. When we closed on the house and Scout went to take his long-awaited bath (remember, we lived in an Airstream for six weeks prior to that), we were both disappointed when the jets wouldn't work.

Logically, I knew there must be stuff growing inside the jets. But when we cleaned the tub, the jets were always wiped down where the visible grime was. And the jets didn't work anyway, so what did it matter?

Well, today as I was bathing, getting ready to shave and push back my cuticles so that I could paint my toe nails, I decided I wanted to know why the jets weren't working. EIGHT. MONTHS. LATER. Do you know where this is going yet?

I pushed the button. The button that never worked before.

Well friends, the button worked this time. And I promise you that I was totally covered by spattering particles that looked like boogers. Don't take my word for it. See for yourselves:

Scout heard me screaming obscenities and came running upstairs. He walked in on me, completely frozen, and I said, "The jets work. Help me."

I started thinking about the eight months all that crap had to grow. I can't even think about it without wanting to dry heave.

And what in the hell possessed me to push that stupid button?

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T10:36:00.002-05:00

The Creepiest Aisle at Walmart is Definitely:

2010-04-03T23:14:00.003-05:00

The doll aisle.

There is a doll that will crawl as you walk past her, one that says prayers in Spanish, and numerous dolls that wiggle and coo like puppies. I don't envy those of you with girls (ok, I do. Just not the doll part).

We were in the doll aisle for one reason: We've decide to give the Dr. Phil potty training method a try. A doll that wets herself is suggested (along with noise makers and party hats).

I was very discouraged by the fact that this baby has breasts. Seriously? Do you see her knockers? (Gross!) I wasn't particularly happy with the selection of party hats, either.

This is the kind of silly crap moms do for the love of their children. And for the sake of potty training.

Photo Update

2010-03-29T19:35:00.002-05:00

I've been so lazy when it comes to blogging. But seeing Tuck and Butterball reunited gives me a reason to post pictures (don't worry, Grandma San Antonio, I'm burning you a disc).

Getting through the Terrible Twos (a stage which we've officially entered) is usually cured with candy:

Hugs:

Being independent:
The aquarium:
Playing hard to get (how did he learn that already?):

Busy Bee

2010-03-07T11:55:00.003-06:00

I've been sewing up a storm lately. I'm on a roll and feel like I can't stop!

I decided that Butterball needed a matching purse for the dress I made her:

And when the handle on my school bag broke, I designed (ok, Erin, not that big of a deal) and made a new one! Can you see the pleats? It's much cuter in person, but I'm also kicking myself for not interfacing it:

I embellished our Plain Jane shower curtain with some vintage lace out of my Grandmother's stash:

And.....

Warning: If you are my sister and want to be surprised for your birthday, do not continue to scroll.

Are you sure?

Ok. The purse:

And the makeup bag (my first project including a zipper. Not quite as bad as I expected):

And now, I'm going to participate in Spring Top Week, over at Rae's. Now that birthdays are under control, I'm going to sew for me, me, me.

Child Talk

2010-02-28T20:37:00.002-06:00

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

2010-02-27T18:53:00.002-06:00

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

2010-02-24T20:46:00.003-06:00

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

2010-02-21T15:41:00.003-06:00

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

2010-02-14T23:07:00.002-06:00

Good Day

2010-02-14T22:52:00.003-06:00

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

2010-02-14T22:50:00.001-06:00

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

Celebrate the Boy

2010-02-12T09:19:00.002-06:00

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

2010-02-06T10:11:00.002-06:00

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

My Husband, The Trained Killer

2010-02-02T20:33:00.005-06:00

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

2010-02-01T20:40:00.003-06:00

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?

Projects

2010-01-31T21:02:00.005-06:00

Blogging has been slow lately; I've been doing a bunch of projects. I took a break to share a couple of them with you.

I bought this stool for $3.99 at Goodwill. Someone had lovingly hand-painted it, but it wasn't my style:

I wiped it down, filled in the flaws with wood filler, primed it, painted it, mod-podged scrapbook paper on it, and sprayed a clear coat on it (all with stuff I already had).

Now Tucker has a stool to use when he brushes his teeth. Not bad for less than five bucks:

I also used an online tutorial (I can't find the link right now; google "freezer paper stencils" if you want to try it) to stencil some pillow cases I had on hand. They didn't photograph well, but they're cute in person:

Now that my dad's, step-dad's, and Tucker's birthdays are over (whew! January is a crazy month!), I'm working on a dress for my niece, Butterball (plus numerous other projects I won't mention quite yet).

The Big Number Two

2010-01-23T11:16:00.002-06:00

Tucker LOVED roller skating:

And he wanted to do it all by himself:

He flirted with the cute lady that fitted him for his skates:

And blew out his candles (we practiced that nearly all day):

If you're looking for a party with no clean-up, little hassle, and great value, go to Skate City. It was a lot of fun.

I can't believe my baby is two.

Another Mommy Phrase

2010-01-22T12:16:00.003-06:00

"Barbie doesn't go in the dishwasher, Honey."

At least we've progressed from private parts.

Future Tennis Star

2010-01-18T18:04:00.002-06:00

Scout and I found out through a botched game of tennis that Tucker L-O-V-E-S tennis racquets.

While at the thrift store today, we bought him a racquet (although technically it's not for tennis).

Here he is, my little boy in training, playing with his new toy (my apologies for the annoying commentary):

(And honestly, I could care less if Tucker ever really plays tennis, although it's my sport of choice. But I *love* how he's already learned the ready position. My eighth grade players couldn't even get that straight!)

J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!

2010-01-17T19:04:00.004-06:00

The Jets won their second playoff game today. It's a happy household.

(My sincerest apologies to The Mrs.)

Just Wait

2010-01-15T07:39:00.003-06:00

We've all seen Haiti on the news lately. Damn shame.

There was a story that caught my eye in the local news last night, in the midst of the super-over-the-top coverage that all media seems to indulge in during natural disasters. There was a Colorado Springs couple in the middle of an adoption with two beautiful kids from Haiti. They are trying to get their boys faster now that the earthquake has hit, rather than wait an additional six months.

At any rate, I looked up the website of the orphanage they were adopting from: God's Littlest Angels. I was immediately captivated by the beauty in those children. And my heart wants them all to come home with me.

With a $12,500 adoption price tag per child (not to mention travel), it's the least expensive set of adoption expenses I've seen. Although private adoption is always cheaper (at least in my experience), there aren't many people knocking on my door asking me to take their babies (there are, however, crackheads and Johns knocking on my door. Go figure).

I laid in bed last night thinking about how we could swing an adoption from Haiti. The upcoming deployment always throws a wrench in things. I make about $0.73 per week (ha). We don't have much room right now for extra kiddos. I found myself getting anxious about my heart's desires. And then I heard, or maybe sensed, "Just wait."

I'm not exactly sure where it came from, but I immediately felt at peace. We will have more children. I'm not sure how, but I'm positive that there are more children meant for us. And I'll know it straight down to the marrow of my bones when it's right. Maybe they'll be from Haiti (maybe not). Maybe I'll carry them naturally (maybe not).

Not knowing right now is alright with me.

Hi

2010-01-13T21:46:00.002-06:00

My name is Tucker. I love to sit on the potty and read (I think Daddy taught me that). But I never actually use the potty.

That's how I roll.

2010 Handmade Gift #1

2010-01-06T08:38:00.003-06:00

Tuck's birthday is coming up towards the end of the month, so I'm in a frenzy to get some gifts made for him. Here's the first one - a memory card game (this was super easy and super fun to make):

I'd also like to get him a Flat Daddy and a Daddy Doll in preparation for the upcoming deployment. Those qualify in a strange way as handmade, I think.

(Anti) Resolutions

2009-12-30T11:05:00.004-06:00

I'm usually against resolutions. I understand why people make them, but I've also had my fair share of failed resolutions, so I kind of gave up on them all together.

However, I'm giving resolutions another shot. Here's what I plan to change in the new year:

1. Less carbs. I've been reading that women (like myself) with PCOS see a decrease, if not total elimination of PCOS symptoms when following a carb controlled diet. This might be the key to my infertility - we'll see.

2. Handmade gifts. Over the last few years, I've developed a low tolerance for shopping malls. We went to one yesterday and I felt crazy! Talk about sensory overload! I've decided that gifts from me will be handmade this year, whether they're made by me or someone on etsy (check out my favorites - I've already been planning!).

3. Quit smoking. This one is the most difficult for me. I've done it a million times before, and it has sucked every time. I already know that if I were to get pregnant, I would quit immediately, but I also feel like I don't have the right to complain about being infertile if I'm going to continue to light up. This resolution is a maybe. But I'd for sure like to cut back.

What are your resolutions this year?

Sad

2009-12-27T09:02:00.002-06:00

I got a text this morning before we were supposed to leave to pick up the baby:

Hey i am really sorry to do

this but this week came way to fast

i need more time.

and again i am so so sorry.

So there you go. No baby.

(I say, "No baby" rather than, "No baby right now" because I believe that every time we make arrangements, this will happen. I won't put myself or Scout through that. And I don't have that same I Know it in My Bones Feeling like I did with Tucker.)

Etsy Love

2009-12-26T22:23:00.002-06:00

I just stumbled upon the coolest artsy girl on Etsy...

How awesome are these?

Definitely a different and creative take on paper dolls.

Go visit her shop (she has a lot of other great stuff, too).

On the Road Again

2009-12-26T20:12:00.003-06:00

Scout and I are leaving tomorrow morning to pick up our new baby; we should be back on Monday evening!

My emotions are mixed: Excitement, anxiety, sorrow.

I've never thought to myself, "What would I do if I could no longer take care of my child?"

I am realizing more and more how fortunate I am. My husband would never allow a situation in which we would have to choose baby formula over bills. And if somehow we were sucked into a gigantic hole that we couldn't get out of, all four of my parents - my mom, stepmom, dad, and stepdad (plus Scout's parents) - would swoop in to help. I am certain that I would never have to face deciding whether I should give my child up for adoption due to finances. Some people can't say that.

And perhaps that is why I feel sorrowful. I am benefitting tremendously from someone else's misfortune. And it makes me terribly sad.

But other times, I am excited and happy. We're "having" another baby. And there's no better feeling than that.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T21:10:00.002-06:00

We hope Santa is good to you this year!

Remember When I Said,

2009-12-22T10:04:00.003-06:00

"...unless another child drops from the sky like Tucker seemed to..."?

Well, it seems as if a child is dropping from the sky. We're just waiting to catch him.

I don't want to get into too many details, seeing as we haven't made arrangements to pick him up yet, but we're potentially becoming parents again before we knew it would even be possible. That's how it happened with Tucker, and that's the best, I think.

I had an appointment with a fertility doctor yesterday and cancelled it. Maybe part of it was fear. But mostly it was because I'm going to be a mommy again and I want to save all my excitement for this child.

He's nine months old - I guess I can divulge that much. We're so excited.

There's some financial stuff we need to figure out (it always comes down to money, no?). It's a combination of me making one-quarter what I was making last year and draining a majority of what used to be a beefy savings to move and buy our house. Money isn't flowing in like it used to, and there isn't much money saved to cover the adoption expenses.

My mom has graciously offered me the money for the upfront adoption expenses (thanks, mom!) but I'm doing what I can not to have to do that. It's time to get creative.

You might notice that on the right sidebar, there are some things for sale on My Etsy. Everything that I sell will directly go into an account that pays for our adoption lawyer. Right now, there isn't much listed, but I'll be using the days off from school to add as much as I can. If you love something on there and want to own it, you should feel good knowing that the money will go to (what I think is) a good cause.

Like I said, we're excited! I hope to have pictures of our new addition to the family later this week.

17 Glorious Days

2009-12-19T12:27:00.002-06:00

Blogging has been slow. With the holidays (and all things holiday-related that I pressure myself into doing), I haven't had much time.

But I've been elfed by my father. I promise it's the only time you'll ever see me break dancing.

And I have 17 days off from high-schoolers. I love them, but I also cherish my time away from them.

I hope you all are having a happy holiday season. I can't wait to show you what I got Scout. There's also a mysterious Nordstrom box under the tree with my name on it that I'm intrigued by. (My husband shops at Nordstrom all of a sudden? Who is this man?)

In other related Christmas news, I picked up a copy of The Autobiography of Santa Claus at my school library and I've been reading it with my friend's daughter every night. It's a gem. You know you're reading a good book when you can enjoy it as an adult, but it also makes an eight year-old giddy and curious. (Did you know that Santa prefers goat cheese to cookies?)

"Sick"

2009-12-07T11:46:00.002-06:00

I called in sick today, partly because I just didn't feel like working, and partly because the roads are terrible today. So I'm sitting at home, enjoying the view and laughing at Tucker while he dips salami into the strawberry jam on his toast.

Oh, and I have a jillion things to do: Finish the quilt I'm making for my Secret Santa, House Guest Cleaning (which is much different and more involved than "regular" cleaning) in anticipation of my parents' arrival this weekend, and finding a pattern that meets my Cute Standard for Tucker's stocking (and then making the darn thing).

I love being sick. :)

Not Quite Candy Land...

2009-12-05T11:24:00.003-06:00

...but it's getting there.

Do you have a theme for Christmas decorating? I'm curious to know what it is.

Wonder

2009-12-01T18:52:00.000-06:00

Funeral

2009-11-30T22:26:00.002-06:00

The flowers:

Carrying Mama to her final resting place; I didn't realize at the time how honored I would feel having shared this role with two of the most important men in my life:

My attempt to bring her home with me:

Regret

2009-11-21T22:17:00.005-06:00

My Mama (my grandmother, pronounced MawMaw) called a couple weeks ago and left a voicemail to let me know she was having surgery. It was a non life-threatening surgery, so I put off calling her.

I kept telling myself that I would call to check in on her when I was less tired or less busy. I was going to tell her about all the crazy things Tucker was up to, how work was going.

She died this morning.

Not only do I feel terribly sad, but deeply regretful that I didn't just get on the phone and call her. Just one last time.

I'll be driving to Wichita on Tuesday after work. Interesting how I've rearranged five days of my life to say good-bye to her, but I couldn't have cleared five minutes of my life to tell her hello.

Hot Mess (and a Picture)

2009-11-20T16:50:00.004-06:00

"Just go home. It's only going to get worse from here."

Do you ever have a day that the universe is telling you that?

It was one of those days for me yesterday.

I had a nice outfit on, complete with slingback heels and fancy trousers. However, as I was walking into the school, my right shoe kept slipping off. I rushed to the bathroom and took off my nylons. No more slipping. Wardrobe crisis averted.

And then I had to meet with a boss that I'm not particularly fond of. She's a tiny little woman who wears a lot of grey. Her angular features look unfriendly and her hair is tightly pulled into a pony tail. And she spells my name incorrectly. Consistently. For those of you who have never met an Erin or an Aaron, E-r-i-n is for girls and A-a-r-o-n is for boys. It's been that way forever. It's not a complicated concept. Just sayin'.

At any rate, the meeting was fine, but not wonderful.

And then. I fell.

I'm not talking about one of those Trip And Catch Yourself Falls. I'm talking about a Full-On Flying Across the Pavement Fall. I was on my way to the car. As I was walking, my Pain in the Ass Slingbacks got caught in the cuff of my fancy trousers. It was over; there was no chance to catch myself. I had a coke in my right hand, car keys in my left, and change in my pocket - it all went flying (just a little bit further than me). And it was caught on the security cameras. I'll never live that one down.

And then on the way to my doctor appointment, which I was really looking forward to because I was going to discuss getting to the bottom of my infertility, I realized that not only had I left my military ID at the house, but I had the one car that wasn't registered on post. At this point I about lost it.

I was a hot mess.

Luckily, Scout remembered my appointment and realized the same problem; he was on his way home as I arrived there to call him. While I was ten minutes late to my appointment, I was still seen. And I heart my doctor.

He made me feel hopeful about getting pregnant - although I think hope is sometimes a curse. But for now, I'm feeling positive about the plans we've put into place. I might blog about it later, or not. I haven't really decided yet.

And on a totally unrelated note, here's Tuck helping me make cookies. If ever I'm in the kitchen not involving him, he'll pat me on the butt and say, "Mama, mama, mama, mama..." until I find a place for him on the counter. And then he'll lick the sugar and butter off the beaters and be perfectly content just hanging out with me:

Trying Not to Dwell

2009-11-14T23:20:00.004-06:00

I'm still reeling from what happened this week. But I'm trying to get over it.

I started looking at pictures of the weekend we had in Buena Vista not too long ago - we had such a good time. But it's funny how the more fun we have, the less pictures we have to show for it. At any rate, here's what I have.

This was the view from our room. For real:

Me being dramatic after a two-hour horseback ride:

Scout will kill me for this one - he fell asleep in his hunting boots and pajamas (such a sexy combination):

And my cutie in his snow suit - he wasn't fond of the snow on his hands:

We stayed at the Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort and it was amazing. We actually sat in the natural hot springs which were super (super) hot. And the wildlife was unreal; I've never seen so many Mule Deer in such a short period of time (and so close!).

One Less

2009-11-12T10:34:00.003-06:00

It's amazing how a dog as sweet as this -

- can inflict damage like this:

Obi will be ok. Daisy, however, will be meeting her maker later this afternoon.

I'm Still Here (Barely)

2009-11-11T21:29:00.003-06:00

So I'm lame. I haven't had much of a desire to blog lately.

While I've had numerous topics to blog about, I couldn't will myself to do so. (Fort Hood, for example. What the fuck?)

And while I've been making a concerted effort not to cuss as much (both in real life and on my blog), for today (or this week in general) the word, "fuck" seems to fit so perfectly into how I'm feeling.

You know how when you stub your toe, for example, and the only appropriate words to release the pain and anger you feel are, "Oh, FUCK!"? Yeah, that's me. And I have a few stubbed toes.

Long story short: My husband has an AWOL soldier that said he would turn himself in the day he kills Scout. Scout is in the field this week. Guess who gets to deal with this lunatic should he make good on his promise and show up at our door? Me (don't worry, I'm ready for him). But seriously, that's a heavy fucking burden.

And tonight. Daisy attacked my friend's dog. When I say, "attacked", I mean that had I gotten outside any later, he wouldn't have made it to the emergency room - where he currently is.

So I'm considering taking the day off tomorrow to have her euthanized. I wish you could know how painful that is to even type. And proof read. Fuck.

It's been a hell of a week. Tears are flowing. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Sample Pictures

2009-11-01T22:09:00.000-06:00

The North Pole

2009-10-26T21:56:00.002-05:00

My Mom, Sister, Niece, and Auntie all flew out last weekend. We hit up The North Pole - it's strange to be surrounded by Christmas-themed rides/food/souvenirs in October. It was fun nonetheless.

This was Butterball, after a long day of excitement (look at that face!), toting a Vera Bradley; we're corrupting her early.

Butterball and her Momma, at the end of the peppermint slide:

This was how Tucker looked on every ride! I'm training him to be my roller coaster buddy when he gets older because my husband claims that rides make him "sick":

Scariest. Ride. Ever. It looked pretty mild from the sidelines, but it was scary - even for me! You can't see him, but Tucker is in the same seat as me. He laughed the whole time while I screamed:
You think they had fun, or what?

And the Winner is...

2009-10-14T14:04:00.004-05:00

Vicki!

Vicki and I were pawn brokers together in Texas - I think I can speak for both of us when I say that it was the most interesting job ever, right Vic?

She is a total goofball, as you can see in the photo. Her and I were so excited when we got to purchase these two scooters at the pawn shop. We rode around the store that day like kids - Vic has always brought out the crazy in me.

I love you and miss you, Vic (email me your address so I can ship your bag).

I wanted all of you to win a bag (I wish I had more to give away!). But honestly, I was pleased when the random number generator chose Vicki's number - because I know how much she'll love having it.

I always hate entering giveaways because I never win anything. But if you're one of those who didn't win this time, don't worry - there will be more in the future! Thanks for all of your comments and support!

Grateful

2009-10-09T11:45:00.006-05:00

For:

1. My handsome, strong, hard-working husband (sleeping off his 24-hour duty that ended this morning at nine).

2. My joyful, curious (currently sick) son, who loves cuddling with his daddy.

3. The hand-stitched quilt my Aunt Maxie finished the year I was born. I have memories of this quilt as a child, laying in my mom and dad's bed, running my fingers along the pattern, pretending they were country roads.

4. My beautiful pillowcases, which I got for mere pennies at a thrift store.

5. And my Ralph Lauren pillows that I got on a really good sale at Macy's for $8.50. I don't care what you say; brand matters when it comes to pillows - and these are heavenly.

What are you grateful for today?

Hot Chocolate Fail

2009-10-08T18:10:00.003-05:00

Martha's my girl. Usually.

Unfortunately her blood-red hot chocolate recipe is a big fat fail.

I've seen people mention the desire to try it on other blogs, which is the only reason I mention it. If you're planning on making hot chocolate from scratch, modify this recipe. It needs way more milk and way less chocolate.

Giveaway!

2009-10-07T09:22:00.000-05:00

I'm giving into the giveaway craze. Everyone loves free crap, right?

Well, I'm giving away the large version of the Buttercup Bag (pattern by Rae Hoekstra) made by me in a yummy thrifted print that reminds me of my favorite season: Fall. It's lining is a luscious blue (made from a thrifted chair cover) and has a small inner pocket as well as a metal snap closure.

Ok, so here are the rules (my motivation for this will be revealed in due time, my friends):

1) Post a comment and you get entered once.

2) Blog about my giveaway and leave your hyperlink in a second comment and you get entered again!

3) Become a follower of my blog (on the ride hand sidebar) and you get entered a third time (please leave a separate comment saying that you completed this step).

That's three chances to be entered in the giveaway, friends. I can't wait to hear what you think of the purse; I'm already dreading letting it go (good thing I have enough fabric for another one).

The drawing will be on Wednesday, October 14th. (Sorry, I'm not willing to commit to a time.)

The Neighbor Dog and a Mystery Carcass

2009-10-07T01:23:00.004-05:00

I'm up late because I took a nap today. It was a very needed nap - I wasn't feeling well at all. But now I'm trying to tire myself out by reading and blogging. Sigh.

Anyway, I was just outside smoking, and I saw the neighbor dog, a beautiful husky named "Kitty" (so not an appropriate name for such a pretty dog) with something very large in her mouth, on the outside of her fence. She's one of those dogs that typically stays in the yard and curls up on the grass, but the gate was closed and she was wandering around. She was whining and trying to jump back over the fence. But the very large mystery object in her mouth was keeping her from doing so.

I approached her, which I haven't ever done because I haven't ever had the need, and she started growling. In the dark, I could not figure out for the life of me what was in her mouth. I went closer. Is it a massive raccoon? A large plastic construction tube? Nope. It's a rib cage. A very large animal's rib cage. Yummy.

I tried getting her to follow me so I could let her in through the gate, but she wasn't havin' it. I finally got her to jump back over the fence and leave the carcass on the ground. Now the dilemma: Leave the carcass outside of the fence, where she'll surely jump back over, or throw the carcass over the fence and leave her content in her yard to protect her elderly owner?

I don't know what y'all would have done, but I attempted to pick up the carcass on the side where it was dried out like jerky. But I guess Kitty thought I was trying to take it for myself, so she put her wolf teeth through the chain link and held on for dear life. I tried rationalizing with her, "Kitty, I'm trying to HELP you!" I tried yanking on the other side and ran into mushy fat. Freakin'. Gross. With blood all over my hand, I took advantage of her temporary loose grip on the ribs and tossed the carcass over the fence. I wonder if anyone saw me in my flannel pajamas, at midnight, talking to and appeasing a wolf with a fresh ginormous meal.

Before and After

2009-10-06T19:32:00.003-05:00

I found this cute old desk at Goodwill not too long ago. It needed some love and a little paint (I'm being nice when I say it looked like the previous owner used a mop and white water color).

Even the chewed gum was painted over!

And the finished product. It looks really cute in TuckMeister's room - but it seems to swallow him when he sits at it:

This week...

2009-09-30T22:18:00.004-05:00

I got a job (who ever knew I would be teaching high school math?).
Convinced myself that finishing the unpacking (from what, August?) can wait.
And removed a leech from my home (one that didn't want to find a job, wanted to eat all of my Panera asiago bagels (God forgive me for being so selfish), and spent all her time on dating sites while her children were being taken care of by her ex in-laws). What in the hell was I thinking?

Phew. I needed to get that off my chest.

The biggest downside to number three is that Scout will only have two wives for Halloween. Not enough to get to heaven, though. Good thing we're not FLDS.

Vintage Airplanes

2009-09-29T16:42:00.003-05:00

Tucker is getting ready to have a Big Boy Bed. (Ooh, look at me, using Mommy Words.)

And with a transition such as this, I feel there needs to be proper things hanging from the walls. Right now, I'm thinking vintage airline posters.

When I should be cleaning the bathroom, I'm envisioning how this, this and this* would look in his little room.

*Ooh! Much better prices here, here, and here.

Military Monday

2009-09-29T09:22:00.005-05:00

I found so much stuff at ARC last night! It was the perfect thrifting night with my boys.

Four more apothecary jars (I think I'm done now):

Scout added four new records to add to his collection:

Tons of funky fabric for my new purse craze:

And the stuff not pictured:

Two pairs of adult ski bibs (we already have Tucker's). Bring on the snow!
Vintage Queen size quilt that I'll be using in the trailer
More fabric
T-shirt for Scout
Halloween cast iron pan - I think I'll use it for cornbread (I should have pictured that)
Gorgeous drapes for my living room

We spent way more than we ever have: about $86. But we got all kinds of stuff - and it was all stuff I was keeping my eye out for.

Happy thrifting!

Reading

2009-09-29T09:14:00.001-05:00

In the hallway. With Halloween pajamas. And hunting boots.

Yellow Crush

2009-09-23T10:33:00.003-05:00

I formed a huge crush on some vintage yellow drapes (can't tell you how "vintage" they are; they smell like they're from the '50s) at the thrift store this weekend.

I knew immediately that they'd make the perfect Buttercup Bag (pattern by Rae Hoekstra):

I lined the purse with some fabric I bought when I was going through the I'm Going to Make My Own Cloth Diapers phase (that ended very quickly). The purse (made in the enlarged size) has enough room for all of the essentials - and then some:

The pattern was easy and fun to use. I would definitely suggest it if you are in the market for a new purse - and you want to make it yourself.

Sweet Boy

2009-09-23T10:32:00.002-05:00

Yay!

2009-09-16T23:57:00.003-05:00

It's happening, people. I got twenty comments (which was Scout's requirement).

Thank you to everyone who participated (especially to those of you who recruited others)! I love it!

(Oh, and I found my dress today. It's super hideous.)

Polygamy Sneak Peek

2009-09-15T09:21:00.004-05:00

Yes, Dad. I do watch too much Big Love (I heart that show).

Even though I can't disclose how many more comments I need to pull this polygamy thing off, we're getting close. So if you haven't commented, please do so!

We went thrifting last night. My favorite store, ARC, had nothing. That is the first time I haven't found anything there that I had to have.

So we ventured to our local Goodwill and scored for our polygamy themed Halloween.

Here are the shoes that us three wives will be wearing (aren't they awesomely hideous?):

And a dress. It's hard to find the plain colored dresses that I see in all the googled polygamy pictures. But the collar is perfect, I think. My friend Roxy will be wearing this one:

And I got Scout to reveal his costume plans. If you've ever watched Big Love, you know who Roman is. I can't wait to see him all dressed up!

Halloween

2009-09-13T22:41:00.003-05:00

I love Halloween. I'm already planning for it.

Tucker's costume is ready; he's going to be a chicken.

As for Scout and I...

To make a very long story short, two of my girlfriends are staying with us for a while. They will most likely be here through Halloween.

So I had a genius idea. Let's all dress up together!

How much fun would we have walking down the street as a "polygamist" family? Would you not laugh as you walk by with your kids? (Oh, come on. Have a sense of humor.)

Here's the deal. One of my friends is down with my twisted idea. Scout and my other friend are not so convinced.

Scout said that if I get a certain amount of comments (a number which I can't disclose to you) and he gets to pick his own costume without my input, he will do it. My second friend said she'd do it if Scout does it.

So I'm asking you a favor. If you usually comment, please comment and tell me what an awesome imagination I have. If you lurk and don't usually comment, please (PLEASE) comment this time!

I can't wait for you guys to see the pictures!

Illinois in Pictures

2009-09-12T22:12:00.003-05:00

Ready

2009-09-09T11:32:00.003-05:00

Maybe it's the fact that I'm on my way to the big 3-0. Or that I'm allowing my curiosity to come to the surface.

Whatever the reason, I'm ready for another baby.

I've never cared whether a child of mine was genetically mine. My children don't even have to look like me. I just want to be a good mother to as many children as I am able, raising them to be responsible, respectful, and happy people.

However, the price tag for adopting children is high. And up until now, I didn't want to know the reason why I haven't been able to get (or stay) pregnant.

So I've found myself at a fork in the road: Pay $30,000 for a child for whom I'd wait a few years to meet, or find out and fix what is wrong with my infertile body for free.

Neither option sounds appealing. But unless another child drops from the sky like Tucker seemed to, those are the only two options.

Thing is, I've seen what infertility does to people; perhaps that's why I've been resistant to finding an answer. I don't want to become wrapped up in it. I don't want to live my life based on a 28-day cycle. Charting cervical fluid and basal temps doesn't appeal to me. I have a good life, and I don't want to be controlled by the one day of the month, every month, that I look forward to: the day I'm late for my period.

My seven years of Just Relax and Let Things Happen proves that that isn't always the answer. I'm ready to get to the bottom of it.

Oh, and we have ten months. Scout deploys in August.

Trying (My) Best

2009-09-01T19:58:00.002-05:00

I'm shameless, really.

I want the book from The Mrs.' giveaway so badly!

How cool is that for a military kid?

Silly Horses

2009-09-01T00:15:00.001-05:00

My older sister lives in Israel; look what she got on tape!

The Biggest Douche Bags Work at The Hilton

2009-08-31T22:51:00.003-05:00

I'm going to try and make this short.

Scout and I are going to Chicago for the long weekend to see my grandparents (on my stepdad's side). However, before we drive to the tiny town of Sandwich, Illinois, we'll be staying in a hotel for two nights.

Hotels in Chicago are ridiculously expensive. A one-star rated Days Inn with terrible customer reviews is $93 per night. No thank you.

I called the Hilton because 1) It's in the airport; we fly in at almost one in the morning. I don't want to do any more traveling (shuttle bus/taxi/hitch hiking, etc) with a sleepy baby once I'm off the plane. 2) If I'm going to spend almost a hundred bucks for a hotel with rats and mold, why not upgrade to something that has a generally good reputation?

When I got a quote online at The Hilton, two nights came to $298. Normally that would make me ill, but after seeing the pieces of crap hotels for $250, the sticker shock wasn't as bad as I would have expected.

So I called to see if they offered military discounts. Santeesia (I'm totally guessing on the spelling of THAT name!) told me yes. Yay for discounts!

Okay. Ready for this?

Price before military discount: $298.

Price after military discount: $436.

Asking to speak to a manager: Pointless.

After being transferred twelve times, the phone was answered by yet another non-manager, but he wanted to see if he could help.

I pointed out that a discount isn't a discount unless it's less than the regular rate!

"Yes, I understand that ma'am," he said, "but the finance office comes up with the rates based on information I'm not privy to".

I smartly replied that I always appreciate military discounts, but that asking a service member to pay more, regardless of who comes up with the rates, is a slap in the face rather than a benefit.

He offered to take twelve dollars off of the first night as a first-time courtesy. I looked over at my husband and said, "Hey babe! All your hard work has paid off! You've saved us $12! Hooah!"

He raised his fist in victory and said, "Just book the room, babe."

The guy was completely irritated with me by the end of the call, which was never my intention. But really? He was a douche. And so are the finance guys at The Hilton who are privy to the information that determines "military" rates.

For the Grandparents

2009-08-31T21:37:00.003-05:00

Drinking the dog water and saying, "Mmmm!":

Fishing with Dad (have I mentioned how beautiful it is here?):

Pure terror, due to an unfortunate event with a bird over the summer:

I can't even form words for this picture:

And I promise, he has more than one outfit; he's always wearing this one when we decide to take pictures:

Military Monday

2009-08-31T20:17:00.005-05:00

One of the many things I love about Colorado Springs is the plethora of thrift shops. Sure, there were a couple of Goodwills in Killeen (and a great thrift store that ABW introduced me to, although 40 minutes or so away). But Colorado Springs has it all: Goodwill, Salvation Army, and ARC.

On Mondays, ARC gives 50% military discounts, so we've been making a habit of going there (at least) once a week. Thrifting has become an obsession (in a healthy, rational way, of course).

A few weeks ago, Scout got a '63 record player in awesome condition for fifteen bucks. So now when we enter a thrift store, he heads right to the record section; he's gotten some awesome records for fifty cents!

Here are some of his finds from today (for a buck each!):

This one isn't too exciting, but I've been looking for one like it ($1.25 - heck yeah!):

And additions to my new collection. I jacked my mom's calendar hand towel from her Camp Fire Girl days, and since then I realize that I smile when I see them. When I found a jillion of these the other day, I bought them all. Then today, I found a few more (fifty cents each!):

I didn't find these today, but I've been scouring thrift stores for apothecary jars. I got all three of these for less than nine bucks total! I plan on doing something like this for for Halloween and Christmas. I'm still looking for more:

With tax, we spent $5.05 tonight and had a blast. It's the small things, really.

My New Love Affair

2009-08-27T13:38:00.003-05:00

Are you in the market for new pots and pans? If so, I've got a recommendation for you.

We were in WalMart the other night when I saw these beauties. They are Paula Deen Nonstick Cookware. And they were under a hundred bucks. I have this new thing for anything blue, and thinking about all the crappy pots and pans (minus my two lovely Calphalon pans from my parents) I had to unpack made me sad. I figured I'd give them a shot, although I wasn't convinced they would be what I wanted (especially considering the price). Paula Deen has to be bad at something, right?

Well, she's not bad at pots and pans; these things are awesome! I haven't been cooking anything "real" yet, just Reubens, macaroni and cheese, and soup. But these pans cook evenly and clean up easily. When I actually get everything unpacked and I'm really cooking again, I think they will be just as wonderful.

But don't take my word for it. Read all the other reviews!

Hello and Growling

2009-08-27T11:12:00.004-05:00

I always love hearing about the crazy things that other peoples' children do and say.

I often refer to Tucker as a mini crackhead; he does things out of the blue that make no sense and often make me laugh my guts out.

Just now, he was climbing all over Kansas. She lovingly growled at him, as if to say, "I will never hurt you, but I really want you OFF of me!". But Tucker stood his ground, stayed on top of her, and growled back. Sounds like someone else I know.

And then, when the phone rang right after that, Tucker looked over at the phone and said, "Ha-woah?".

I also found him washing his hair in the toilet the other day. And when his bowels exploded in a camping chair, I rushed off to get towels. I came back and he was finger painting with his poop.

I laugh. Even when there is poopy finger paint. I can't imagine life without him.

Prostitute

2009-08-26T16:58:00.004-05:00

Did I get your attention? I thought so.

Scout and I bought our lovely little house on a quiet little cul-de-sac. We have (mostly) elderly neighbors with beautifully manicured lawns. Our house is the worst on the block, which I love; it has a lot of potential and I get to see beauty from my front steps no matter which way I turn.

However. However.

When we first moved in, all of the neighbors just about sprinted to our driveway to scope us out. We sat outside and talked a while when one of them said, "Well, as long as you're not a prostitute or a drug dealer, we'll get along just fine."

After giving her a perplexed look, she explained that the man that lived here before was a drug dealer, the woman was a prostitute, they caused permanent brain damage to their little boy by being negligent, and lit the backyard on fire (among many, many other things).

I was actually relieved to hear that we had very small shoes to fill as far as neighbors go (hey, maybe they'll overlook our boisterous dog collection!).

But the story doesn't end there.

The other night, Scout looked out the window and said, "What the (expletive)?"

There was a fat Samoan dude walking up to our house. When Scout answered the door, the man asked where Angela was. Scout said, "We don't know an Angela."

He looked at me as he closed the door and we rolled our eyes at each other, imagining what the man must have been here for.

Then last night, a balding man with very few teeth, apparently having recently smoked crack, came up to the house. Scout didn't answer the door, so the man just yelled in at us through the closed window, nervously pulling at the collar of his t-shirt. He yelled, "Is Angela here?"

The (yelling) conversation sounded something like this:

Scout: No, Angela doesn't live here.

The John: Where is she?

Scout: (tossing his hands in the air) I don't know an Angela, dude.

The John: Where did she go?

Scout: I don't know, man.

The John: But she doesn't live here anymore?

Scout: No, man. Angela doesn't live here.

The John: Ok.

After the man walked away, Scout looked over at me and again said, "What the (expletive)?"

We'd like to come up with a funny sign to put on the door to explain that services are no longer provided at this address. Give me some input, if you so wish.

Settling In

2009-08-23T13:05:00.003-05:00

We are finally in our house! Yay!

Now we're focused on getting eleven million boxes unpacked. I have no idea how we've accumulated so much stuff.

Our first order of business after we settle in will be to put in a dog-proof run. Five out of six dogs have already escaped from the backyard. Daisy is the only dog that is a) too content b) too dumb or c) too lazy to escape. I love her.

Other than that, things are good. Our house is getting more livable as each box gets unpacked. Once I get to a real stopping point, I'll post some pictures of our new home.

Hope all of you are doing as well as we are! And thanks for all of your encouraging words along the way.

Knee Deep

2009-08-17T07:34:00.002-05:00

We're at the last leg of the race. We're supposed to close earlier than expected - tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed).

I. HAVE. HAD. IT.

We came home Saturday evening from a good day with friends in the mountains to find a mess. Actually, that doesn't begin to describe it. Disaster. Chaos. Stench. We were knee deep in shit.

Let me back up a little bit. Late last week, I got a really bad cold. I was miserable and wanted a hot bath (note: hot baths are not available at KOA). Scout left me a note before he left for work that said, "Pack your bags - we're going to a hotel." Our time was up at the KOA anyway, so we loaded up the Airstream and left. We parked the Airstream in the parking lot and decided to have a dog-free weekend, leaving them in the trailer. (We let them out three times a day. They have water, food, and treats. And they have new people to bark at.)

Well, Saturday. We approached the trailer after parking the truck and since I was congested, I couldn't smell anything. But Scout got a look on his face that I know very well - before we opened the door to the trailer. The look said, "Oh, no. It smells like shit."

There are no words to describe the mess. One dog shit all over the trailer (diarrhea style), and Kansas, who we have to keep in the kennel because of her chewing habit, shit all inside of her kennel. And then she rolled in it. And rubbed it all over her face.

By the end of the clean-up, my nose had completely drained and I could smell everything. My eyes were watering. I've experienced my fair share of dog messes, but his one was bad.

It's been an adventure to say the least.

If for some reason you see a realtor held at gunpoint by some crazed lady on the evening news, it's because I've been told that something has postponed closing tomorrow. Let's hope it doesn't have to come to that.

Nothing Much To Do

2009-08-06T14:58:00.002-05:00

You know how they say that you only appreciate what you have until it's gone?

Well, I'm realizing all the things I miss, and I'm also realizing how grateful I am to have those things, even if I don't have them right now.

I miss my bed. My washer and dryer (I fantasize about doing eleventy loads of laundry without needing quarters). My backyard. My crappy bathtub. My Dyson. My tiny kitchen (I'm realizing now that it wasn't all that tiny). Bark collars (I refuse to buy new ones). Tucker's books. My sewing space. My stash of yarn.

We'll have those things in a few weeks, but I'm having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when we've already spent five weeks here.

On August 27th, I'm sure I'll look back and think fondly of the times we had here. But for now, I just want my crap.

What would you miss most if you had to go two months without it?

Oh, and to fill my time when Tucker is sleeping and the Internet isn't working (after I've cleaned our 150 square foot living space, of course), I've been editing pictures like a mad woman. It's become an obsession, really.

Tucker and Butterball:

My stunning sister and her beautiful babe:

"Do you see that, Mom?":

Tucker and Grandma Seattle's feet:

Pissed off about something. Not sure what:

Quick Update

2009-07-28T19:15:00.002-05:00

Scout's inside renting a movie. I'm taking advantage of Safeway's free Wi-Fi.

We found a house. It's beautiful. We move in at the end of August.

That's it. Peace.

House Hunting

2009-07-19T19:27:00.002-05:00

We've been beating our brains to find a house. A decent, affordable, not too fixer-upperish house.

We opted out of the contract for the house on 36 acres after the inspection revealed a bad roof. Scout and I both got the same uneasy feeling and said, "Nope. Thanks anyway."

So now we find ourselves looking at houses in town, with the same desire to have some land, but realizing that it's just not the right time.

We've even looked into renting, and even when we lie about the quantity and breed of our dogs (pitbulls = no renting), the answer is, "Oh. We don't have any accommodations for that many dogs." Hmm. If only they knew the truth.

Scout has been concocting crazy things to tell the next person that calls us back about a rental we've inquired about. At least we've gotten a few laughs. Here are my favorites:

My wife told me I had to make a choice between her and the indoor pony. We just got divorced.
No, I don't have any dogs, but I have nine gerbils. And yes, they are house-trained.
I'm single, but my friends enjoy coming over on Fridays and channeling spirits with the Ouija board.

I'll let you know how those phone calls go.

Keep us in your thoughts - we want a freakin' house!

The Trip From Hell

2009-07-10T11:52:00.005-05:00

Thanks, Mom, for continuing to update everyone.

The wireless Internet has been hit and miss, but I've decided to take a stab at posting.

Let's recap our trip so far:

1. Shattered windshield.

2. Murdered turtle.

3. Demolished water pipe at Amarillo KOA.

4. Spent $1200 getting the trailer functional.

5. Spent $800 fixing our trusty pick-up.

6. Got scolded by assholes at Colorado Springs KOA.

7. Still being monitored by assholes at Colorado Springs KOA.

8. Lewis developed masses in his chest. (Turned out to be severe allergies.)

9. Found a house. Take possession Tuesday (that's our silver lining).

My friends, it has been hell. I have cried quite a bit. Scout has experienced a lot of anxiety. But we've made it.

And Tucker has been awesome - happy, joyful, and lovely. He has recently decided that all of the dogs are named Daisy. He points to one of them (rarely the real Daisy) and says it very distinctly. When we try to correct him, he asserts that it is, in fact, Daisy.

I've tried finding a job, but so far that part has been much harder than finding a house.

But I'm already checking CraigsList for chickens and goats. I couldn't be more excited about that (our house is on 36 acres with a loafing shed - we are ready for some livestock!).

And now for a few pictures.

Daisy (yes, the real Daisy) enjoyed the entire trip from Texas to Colorado:

It has been storming constantly since we got here (looks awesome, huh?). I tell you, there is nothing like Colorado lightning. This is the view from our RV:

Our temporary home. Tuesday can't come fast enough:

LIfe is Good...Maybe

2009-07-09T08:38:00.003-05:00

Sunday: Erin calls me at our cabin...there is something wrong with the truck. So they replace the O2 sensor, then they replace some other $90 part and they are an their way again. They have been house hunting and have found a place that they are going to put an offer down on. Yeah!!!

Ring a ling....Erin of course. My #1 is upset and needs a pep talk. She's at the end of her rope. So I tell her everything is going to be okay (because it will) and to focus on all the goods things going for them (keep them in your thoughts and prayers).

Monday: Hello..."we were on our way to put an offer down on that place and the truck broke down." Ok, long story short, the truck is now fixed (another few hundred $$ later) and their offer (done Tuesday) has been accepted. They could be in by this next Monday!!! Now you are thinking life is good (and it is) but back at the ranch (KOA) ...... The short version is this: Between the water on the carpet, dogs getting sick and the carpet being older than dirt...they rip the carpet out. Now you know Erin...maybe she needs a console TV to remodel (hee hee). They are putting tile down in it's place. Do you know anyone else who would tackle a project like this at this time. Yes you do and her name in Erin!!!

She also tells the KOA staff are keeping an eye on them to make sure they are following the rules. Erin's description is way better than mine.

Wednesday: I've talked to her a few times and everything is great. Her and Scout are in better moods and life is good!!! Until....Mom..."Scout just called and he's been in a car accident, but he doesn't have his phone with him and I haven't heard from him again!" So we talk awhile and finally Scout is home. It was just a fender bender but Scout is found at fault, bummer.

I get home from shopping after work (my phone had died) to have the husband tell me that Erin called and there was something wrong with Lewis and she needed to talk to me...So I try calling, no answer on her or Scouts phone. No call back either. It's Thursday morning and I just tried her number again...I leave message: Erin, I'm worried, whats going on. Either you've been abducted by aliens or those KOA people have had you thrown in jail. Call me.

Life is crazy!!!

They made it!!!!!

2009-07-05T23:56:00.004-05:00

They all made it. No more dead things or crisis. At least not that day!

First call was good. They were settled in the KOA, enjoying camp life in the "vintage trailer". The pack & play wouldn't fit between the twin beds, so Tucker got to be a big boy and sleep in one of the twin beds with a railing that they purchased. I don't know where all the dogs slept, they are all couch potatoes.

Next call Erin was a little discouraged because house hunting wasn't producing very many results. I told her it takes time but to hold out until you knew you had seen the right place. Her and Scout are a little stressed but Tucker is rolling with the punches and enjoying camp life.

The call on the 4th was not good. Do you want to hear about the "vintage trailer" or would you rather hear about the "vintage trailer". Sorry, no other choices. Well, they come back to "Home Sweet Home" to find that the rain storm tore their vent hood off and there was all kinds of water on the "vintage floor" AND.... their air conditioning on that wonderful old trailer stopped working. Aren't we in a good mood now. Oh, I forgot.... they came home to a note on their door....dogs are barking, we need to talk... Turns out you can't leave dogs in a kennel and you can't leave them tied up out side. You're suppose to leave the monsters (six) inside your trailer so they can do whatever they want while mom and dad are away.

Erin also found out that you can't rent a place and have pit bulls. In the city of Denver pit bulls are banned. They had found a nice place to rent and could have six dogs on it's 40 acres but....not pit bulls. That call was all about brain storming about getting rid of the pits to I would take Daisy Mae and Diesel would have to go to a new home.

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th. Thank you for loving Erin and reading her blog.

Mom, aka Cindy

A Day in the Life of Erin

2009-06-30T23:45:00.002-05:00

Erin's mom here. I'm going to take a stab at telling you about Erin and Scouts first day on the road. I'm not as funny or as colorful as Erin is, so just imagine Erin telling it.

Monday: Erin calls me in the morning to say they woke up to a flat tire on the "vintage" trailer. They had been told it would need tires so they had all of them replaced. What's another few hundred when you've come this far.

Ring...ring, 2nd call: Mom, you're not going to believe this dip shit that just passed us like a bat out of hell in the middle of the road, not even a lane!!!! He threw a big rock up and shattered the wind shield!!! So what do they do??? They go after the guy!!! Driving down a country road hauling a "vintage" trailer with six dogs, a turtle & a baby. Well, thankfully they didn't catch him. You never know what those rednecks are packing. Uh....sorry Scout. Nothing personal.

Ring, ring, ring 3rd call: Erin is hysterical, crying and all I make out is the word dead...For a moment I panic and freak out and my co-workers are wondering what the hey. Erin ends up yelling at me "The turtle is dead" , she's sobbing now. "I fried her to death!!!" She berates herself over and over, saying how rotten she is, how bad she feels, "I hope it was quick"!!!!!! They had pulled over to get a soda out of the trailer and that's when Erin saw that Jalapeno was a goner. It had just gotten too hot in the "vintage" trailer.

Later....another call, Erin is better and can talk now. I asked her if they had a roadside burial. "Well, she says....I put her under someones mailbox." Won't someone be happy when they pick up their mail after this turtle has rotted for awhile. Stinky!!!!

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly. I hear from her about an hour from Amarillo where they are going to stop at a KOA. Great...I can rest and go to sleep. Ring, ring, RING...it's 11:30 pm my time. "Mom"??? Yes Erin..." We were pulling into the KOA site and Scout hit the water hook up and broke it. We've tryed to shut the water off but it won't stop. There's water all over, flooding...what do you think we should do??" I'm sure you are asking yourself like I was at the time...why are you calling me? Erin says, "Do you think I should tell them in the morning? Do you think they will charge me?" If they had stopped at Walmart like I suggested!!!! we'd all be sleeping!!! So I tell her there's nothing they can do now....go to bed.

Next day: Everything turned out okay. She told me some guy tryed to help her find an emergency number last night but couldn't. Erin went in to report it, it had already been fixed. She never had to fess up that they did it. She actually looked like the hero who tryed to fix it.

Last I talked to her they weren't too far from Colorado Springs. They hope to go househunting tomorrow. I'm sure I will hear where they parked the "vintage trailer" with the six dogs, one less turtle and the baby.

Ocean Shores

2009-06-22T10:51:00.003-05:00

Tucker and I went to Ocean Shores with my mom and stepdad after Scout came back to Texas (some people have real jobs!). It was freezing and windy, but I was determined to get some pictures (kudos to my mom for great photos).

My crazy stepdad. He's a kid in a grown up's body, I swear:

Getting eaten by the shark:

Standing on the beach! This is a huge deal since Tucker refuses to stand or walk on his own!

Me and my boy:

A Birthday in Pictures

2009-06-22T10:21:00.006-05:00

Teagan's birthday was amazing and so much fun. I wish I had time to upload more pictures.

A bathing suit and a buddy:

Cousins, trying to get along:

Presents. I think she likes the quilt I made her!

Cake. I love this picture:

Trailer Update

2009-06-22T09:31:00.002-05:00

So, Dutchgirl, I didn't talk Scout into the trailer I blogged about.

We went to look at it. I saw it for what it could be: Beautiful, clean, and useful.

Scout took one sniff and walked out. He saw it for what it was: Ugly, smelly, and gross. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "You REALLY want that piece of SHIT? NO."

Scout never says no. Scout lets me be my crazy self and have these wild thoughts about buying trailers and living in them. But he wasn't havin' it this time.

So I introduced him to a substantially higher priced trailer - a 1971 31-foot Airstream Sovereign. We are in the process of buying it now. And I'm glad he stood his ground on Trailer Number One. Trailer Number Two is Suhweet.

I wish I could tell you I'd have pictures of it soon, but the internet is getting shut off tomorrow and we're moving in a few days. Gotta get all my blogging in today!

Moving is a Pain in my Ass

2009-06-12T09:15:00.002-05:00

I've come to terms with moving. I'd even say I'm happy about moving. But it's still a pain in my ass.

We were supposed to fly to Seattle for my niece's birthday last night. We were planning on shipping some dogs to my mom's and sister's to lessen the stress of moving with SIX of them. Thunderstorms hit Dallas and the flight got canceled. We're leaving tonight.

Problem is, it's supposed to be 101 degrees today (it's supposed to feel like 109 degrees). We can't ship the three dogs when it's over 85 degrees.

My assumption is that it will only get hotter over the next few weeks, and shipping the dogs will become even less likely. Hooray.

By the way: I had prepared all of the kennels, which meant cleaning them out - we bought them at Goodwill, and they needed a good cleaning. Put fresh towels in them, put "Live Animal" stickers on, attached food/water instructions. Filled up water containers that look like they belong in a gerbil cage. Took dogs in for vaccines and health certificates. Loaded dogs in kennels. Loaded kennels in truck. Drove to airport. Unloaded dogs. Lifted and stacked kennels on tiny carts. Got "Look at the Crazy People" stares from strangers. Stacked suitcases, a purse, an ACU backpack, a Nike backpack, and Tucker onto tiny carts. Stumbled into airport. Found out flight is canceled. Stumbled back out of airport. Unstacked and reloaded dogs into truck. Drove home. Dogs thought, "What the hell was that all about?"

So here's my plan. My mom and Scout think I'm a lunatic.

1) Forget about flying the dogs (and then arranging to pick them up when we find and buy a house in Colorado).

2) Buy a trailer, pack up our crap, and live in said trailer (very temporarily) until we find a house. (I've been wanting an Airstream - isn't it awesome?)

3) Live Happily Ever After.

There are a few benefits to this dream of mine. 1) We won't have to ship the dogs. 2) We won't have to worry about finding a hotel room - particularly with six dogs. 3) We can stay for cheap in an RV park. 4) We LOVE camping! 5) I'm trying really hard to come up with more; my husband isn't convinced yet.

We're going to look at the trailer today, although I don't think Scout will go for it.

I think it sounds adventurous and crazy. And that's the way I like things.

What do you think?

Texts From Last Night

2009-06-06T23:21:00.002-05:00

Have you guys heard about this place? I LOVE it!

Two of my favorites:

(713): wait, did i just see you litter out your window??
(281): umm, i have a hybrid. it cancels out.

(714): Was just hit on by a guy with 2 kids and one was named Rocky. I need to get out of Buena Park.

I Made it.

2009-06-06T16:36:00.005-05:00

I made it through my first year of teaching. Here's my last day in (mostly) pictures.

Such a pretty, sweet girl. She transferred in and I didn't have long with her, but she was lovely.

Love these guys. The one on the right was the most respectful, lovable, smartest kid around. The one on the left gave me a run for my money on the days he didn't take his meds for ADHD (some days, I had to remind myself that it would not be in my best interest to wrap my hands around his throat and squeeze). But on his good days, he made the bad days worth it. The one in the middle was just a good kid whom I adored.

You wanna talk about a smart kid with a future? This is him. This picture looks so awkward because my hands are wrapped all the way around his skinny (tall, tall, tall) body. But he's great.

These are two more sweet kids that I will miss. I love how he's looking over at her while she looks at the camera. I'm glad to have this sweet picture of them.

This was one of my favorite students; he has Asperger Syndrome, which was always challenging in a classroom environment. But he was so passionate about Star Trek and fire fighting. He drew me pictures and told me (over and over and over) about the latest episode of whatever he watched on the SciFi channel the night before. Before the ceremony yesterday, he held up his hand like in this picture; I shaped my hand the same way and gave him a high five. He said, "Ok, you weren't supposed to do that." I asked him why not and he said, "Vulcans don't give high fives." I asked him if we could invent the Vulcan High Five, and he said, "Well, I guess so." He was not impressed with my attempt at being a nerd. (I asked him about his lovely vest, and his grandma knit it for him; how cute is that?). Oh, and in my yearbook he wrote, "Live long and prospere." (spelling is his).

I have more pictures to post; scroll down.

Teachers I will miss

2009-06-06T16:03:00.001-05:00

This is me with a two good friends; a great history teacher and an awesome art teacher. They are great girls whom I will miss dearly. We were mocking all the kids that were taking pictures that day. I kept telling the students, "Put your hands down! You look like tourists at Disney Land!"

This is a guy I am lucky to know and call a friend. You could ask him anything about U.S. History and he would know the answer, and then he could tell you everything else about it that you'd never find in a textbook. He always fascinated me when he spoke about the early years of our nation; I could sit and listen to him speak about it forever. He's also someone I always felt very safe around. Man, I'll miss him too.

It would take me forever to upload all the pictures I want and say all the things I could about my first year teaching. I'm glad it's over, but there are good memories and good people whom I will never forget.

Dog Bed Question

2009-06-04T21:08:00.003-05:00

Recently, my dog bed idea was featured (well, "featured" makes it sound much more important than it is - but I don't know what other word to use for it) on Design*Sponge, an awesome website that has very creative before and after projects.

Another Design*Sponge reader, Autumn, asked how I got the TV out of the actual box. I'm glad you asked, Autumn! (Good thing I took pictures of it!) It is very simple, really.

First, you take the back off with a screw driver. Watch out; mine was pretty nasty inside! The one I rescued smelled like fried chicken when I opened it (maybe they had that for dinner a lot? Hmmm).

Here's the back:

And after removal:

Then, gather a curious baby, a sexy man (preferably with tattoos), and a pair of wire cutters.

Just start snipping (or have a sexy, tattooed man do the snipping). The nice thing is that you don't have to worry about cutting the wrong wire or doing ANYTHING wrong at this point. (Remember, it's just a dog bed!)

To take the actual television out, you will probably need some help (it is quite heavy). Unscrew the screws that are holding it in place and pull it out!

You will also notice that what used to frame the TV (and be used to switch channels) is separately screwed in. Remove those screws and pull the frame out.

And there you go! The easy part is done! Now pick out some fun colored paint and some pretty fabric and go to town (by the way, a king size pillow fit perfectly in the box, which we had laying around the house; no need to sew a fancy cushion - unless you want to).

Lewis

2009-06-02T18:07:00.003-05:00

This is my entry for iHeartFaces this week. I don't have any good birthday shots, but I can enter the pet category for sure!

Here is Lewis, watching the neighborhood from the front of our house.

Go check out all the other great entries!

New Shirt Update

2009-05-31T18:43:00.003-05:00

So I've finally finished the shirt I told y'all about. There are a couple of things I love about this pattern: 1) It's easy, and 2) It doesn't matter what size you are - you make the shirt to fit you (no ambiguous small, medium, large language).

I got a little out of control and kept messing with the shirt - ripping out seams, adding more shaping, etc. I finally had to stop and call it a day. And I still look at it and see flaws. There are a few things I will do for the next one (Oh, yes. There will be a next one). I will definitely do the arm divots (which said "optional". I was too impatient and skipped the step. Now I fear I will soon have deodorant stains). Also, I will do the shaping before I put the shirt together rather than after.

Enough boring details - here it is:

Recognize the fabric? I used the same stuff for the dog bed I made (which was made from a sheet I bought at a thrift store for three bucks).

What do you think?