dude with a 'tude...

...but with a very good imagination!

Justin came home from spending the day with Jason and he was bossy, grumpy, mean and in need of a serious attitude adjustment.

Luckily his attitude improved as the evening progressed. My super creative and imaginative little dude just had to make his own hot air balloon. His plan: to "fly high!"

goofy

I had no clue what to take a picture of today, so during a commercial of The Bachelorette I grabbed my camera, made a fish face and called it good.

Here's to a 4 day work week, an upcoming 3 day weekend, a semi-uninterrupted date with my TV, a long hot bath, Trader Joe's and spicy noodles. How's that for random?

fun in the sun

I'm looking for a four leaf clover...

My backyard = 99% weed / 1 % grass

I need a lawnmower and some weed 'n feed, this much I know. I just don't have the $ or time to take care of this situation. There are dandilions out back 18 inchs in diameter, clover, clover, crab grass, things I can't identify that are taller than Justin. Yikes!

LOL

After work and daycare pick up we met up with Jamie, Scott and Nicole at Gustav's for fondue, girl talk {with a little male perspective} and one or 7 mojitos. Then we headed to my house to look at wedding pictures, and that is when Scott drew my attention to the letters on my fridge...This was not intentional. I am not sure if Justin put these here, I actually think it was me and I can say with no doubt that it was 100% random. I do remember picking letters up off the floor at one point this week and slapping them on the fridge bottom, I obviously didn't look at where I was placing the letters. At least is wasn't a super offensive 4 letter word or something. This just cracks me up! Especially after the conversation/discussions we had at Gustav's. Ha ha ha!

And a funny footnote to today - picture this: Justin and I on one site of the resturant booth (Justin next to the wall) - Jamie and Scott and the other side - the waiter at the front of the table telling us all about the specials. Out of no where Justin waves his fist in my face "rock on" fashion and says "rock on mom!" Everyone sees, everyone laughs. I did not teach him this {I think he learned it at daycare) - but it was oh so random and oh so silly!

bye bye for now, hopefully forever

The for sale sign has been gone for a week now. In fact my sister was the first to notice its absence last Wednesday when we pulled into the driveway. All that remains is a deep square hole in the middle of the front yard and the burning uncertainty of exactly what will happen.

...and on an unrelated note...
RIP Michael Jackson

ball shirt

Justin's current clothing obsession is his "ball shirt" - he has worn this one a few days in a row.

making a puddle

Justin had to make a puddle in the street tonight, after making the puddle he jumped in it, but it wasn't big enough - so he had to add more water. He cracks me up.

Guilty Pleasure

Me, kicking back watching The Bachelorette. {sigh} Where are my 25 handsome eligible bachelors? It is almost painful watching this show, but I can't pull away. I am jealous.

a bonus

A bonus pic compliments of Jason's cell phone. Justin spent the day with Daddy and rode on the Oregon City trolley. I think the cheesy grin says it all.

Dueling hair straighteners

And no Justin is not using a 400 degree straightening iron - his was "plugged in" to the drawer not the outlet.

Festival of Balloons

Today I took Amanda and Justin to the Tigard Festival of Balloons. Justin was scared of the loud burners on the balloons and was afraid they were going to fall on us, but I think he really enjoyed seeing the balloons up close. The day started out with a haircut for me and I actually spent most of the day in a crappy mood. It was one of those days where I was impatient and frustrated with myself, but it ended well.

Cocktails at 5

After a late morning, Justin went to daycare and Amanda and I went for pedi's followed by dinner at Typhoon {Thai, yum!} and then we headed to the mother ship {aka: the spa} for facials and relaxation. It was a well deserved day of pampering no doubt about it!

And let me just say how cool and surreal it was to have this delish mango dacqari with Amanda {in the bar}, isn't she still like seven?

Congratulations to Jamie and Scott

Tuxedo clad Jimmy playing with a stick while his parents get married in the background.

And on a day like today just one picture will not suffice...

Kelly, Jamie, Rachel, Me

The fruits of my labor!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes double dipped in Ganache and topped with Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream!

Girl Power!

Today with the help of Amanda I made:
84 wedding cupcakes
1 sugar free birthday cake
1 two tiered wedding cake
100+ chocolate dipped strawberries
50 wedding programs

Today Amanda made:
2 batches of strawberry freezer jam

Today Rachel made (with a little help from me):
Jamie's bridal bouquet
5 boutonnieres

Today my kitchen and dining rooms were turned upside down.

All the projects were complete by mid-night and then to wind down Rachel and I sat outside sipping Irish Cream and partaking in some serious girl talk. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

Busy

Today I had a very busy day at work, since I was going to be missing a large part of the week due to wedding prep and such, I crammed a lot into my two days at the office. But I would rather be busy and have the time spent here speed by than the alternative.

tough day

Today the day I have been waiting for/wanting to avoid came. Someone wanted my house and put in an offer. Without knowing what was going to happen with my loan modify I didn't have the information available to make an educated decision and therefor declined the offer {which sucked anyway}. On top of that some other shit hit the fan and I wanted nothing more than to hide and cry.

all mine

Parental Advisory

Most of the pictures taken tonight were inappropriate and or scandelous. But here are Nicole, Jamie (the bride to be!) and Rachel. Today and into the evening we had a great time! We spent some time making pompoms for the wedding decor, had a lot of girl talk, lots of drinks, hot dogs for dinner, naughty cupcakes - topped off by a Pure Romance party. Good times - Good Times!

I have no idea what to do....

As a child I probably had a Friday night Happy Meal nearly every Friday. My dad would pick my brother and I up for the weekend and we would head to dinner, which was frequently at the Golden Arches.

Tonight I had some errands to run so a dinner out made the most sense. We hit up Mikey Dees for some Happy Meals. Then we went to the craft store and I got a text message that could have a serious impact on things to come... the Realtor said we have an offer on the house. My first thought: I am NOT moving! I have no idea if the offer makes sense, bust should learn more soon. I have NO idea what to do and I am trying really hard to pretend it isn't happening. I need to some number crunching and make a few decisions. Some divine guidance would be nice right about now.

What do these 3 things have in common?

A.) They are condiments.
B.) They all made it into the same sandwich
C.) They all don't belong together on the same sandwich
D.) All of the above

Justin wanted to make his own dinner tonight and this is what he pulled out the fridge and started smearing on bread. *gag* I offered meat, I offered cheese, I offered peanut butter... all were a no go. I did manage to get him to just put the jelly on one piece of bread and make that a sandwich and then have just the mustard and ketchup on the other - and he was okay with that. Boggles the mind I tell ya!

Photo block

It was the end of the day and I had no picture and I had no inspiration for a picture, so another evening bathroom shot it is. And that is really all I have to say about that...

Before and After

Justin got a hair cut today. Or rather a buzz cut! It is a little too short for my taste, but it grows fast.And as a "before" here is a picture of Justin taken Sunday. No doubt he needed a cut as he was looking quite shaggy.

Buzzed or shaggy... He is equally cute and I love him just the same.

{45 Things}

Found this out in blog land and am posting it here because I want to keep it and want to share it.

{45 Things}
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion, Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone and everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift

Beach trip

It was about 10:44 AM today and we had no idea what to do. It was Jeremy's last day in Portland and I was simply drawing a blank. I had originally planned on going to OMSI, but they are closed on Mondays. We had talked about maybe squeezing in a beach trip and well... we went for it, we had the time, it was a nice day, why not? We hit up Seaside first and fed the seals and spent some time at the aquarium. Then we headed south to Cannon Beach. It didn't take long for Jeremy to get right into the ocean - and it didn't take long for Justin to follow suite. We had to drag the boy outta the ocean, he was having a ball - but it was kinda chilly and we were getting hungry. A tantrum and meltdown ensued like none other, but after lunch Justin's 'toood was much improved. We headed back home, Jeremy and Justin napped in the car and I cried. Jason was being an ass of epic proportions and the nasty text messages eventually got to me. A few hours later we dropped Jeremy off at the airport. Then Jason picked up Justin and I had a good long girl talk chat with Rachel. After a long soapy soak I crashed. I can honestly say that I don't think I have ever fit so much stuff into one weekend before. It was a blast and I hope Jeremy comes back to visit soon.

It's a zoo out there!

On the agenda today: go to the zoo! Justin and I have been the zoo well over a dozen times, but this was Jeremy's first time to the Oregon Zoo and honestly the first time Justin and I have explored every exhibit in one trip. We saw everything! And it was a fabulous!

For the first time ever I went into feed the lorikeets. Those pretty birds sure did take to Jeremy, I think at one point he had one on each shoulder and 3 on one arm! After the zoo we had burgers and then hit up the movie theater for a 7:30 showing of the new Pixar movie UP. What a busy wonderful day!

Dane Cook

Jeremy landed safe and sound in Portland after a few flight delays. After consuming 80 of "the cupcakes" we dropped Justin off at daycare and headed downtown. It is Rose Festival time here and downtown was hoppin'! We took a walk along the waterfront, checked out the ships and then headed {on foot} to the Rose Garden for the show. My picture today showcases the head and ears of the kid sitting in front of me, but... here is DC - su-fi and all! Even blurry the guy is HOT!

The longest week ever

Ahhh, TGIF! This week has lasted for.ever. I am aniticpating a fun busy weekend and it just can't come fast enough.

Every night when we take baths... Paxil crashs out on the bathroom counter.

The project here is 2 fold

Jeremy comes in Saturday and per his request and my offer - I am making the soon to be famous and oh so delicious chocolate stout cupcakes dipped in ganache and topped with Bailey's Irish Cream butter cream. Jamie has also requested these for her wedding, and this was a trial run of sorts as well to see how many cupcake come out of each batch, as I never counted the last time.

all dressed up

The neighborhood always looks so pretty this time of year with the green grass and blooming flowers. All of the beauty does come with a price as it does take quite awhile to make sure it is well watered. The front of the house gets a lot of hot evening sun and things fry very quickly if not kept wet. Justin loves to help water, but he prefers to water the sidewalk, driveway and car rather than the grass and flowers. **sigh**

hens and chicks

Love these!

Perfect Combination

After a few days of heat it finally cooled down and drizzled a bit today. It was still nice enough to be out in shorts and Justin just had to take a bike ride and Paxil just had to come along and I just had to take my camera. Justin spent a few hours with me at work today - Jason had to take off to Seattle to deal with a work related thing and the daycare people had no kids today so they were'nt around. Justin had a lot of fun with me and work and I got a few things done. Not a bad Monday at all.