insert disgusted face here

I had a house showing today, which theoretically should be a good thing - and there is another one scheduled tomorrow. Problem is, my house is so not in a condition for prospective buyers to walk through it. It is embarrassing really! Things have gotten so out of hand that actually getting back to a status of show ready will take some tremendous work and elbow grease. Now it is my understanding that it is a good idea to conquer organization one space at a time, or dare I say it, one drawer at a time. So this evening I am going to try and make a little progress in the closet so I don't totally offend the people coming to go through my house tomorrow. yikes!

there is a first time for everything

I have a weakness for Harry Slatkin candles. I buy his stuff in bulk at Bath and Body Works on a very regular basis. His pumpkin scent is by far the best fall aroma ever - and for summer the pineapple orchid cannot be beat! Well... the other night when I was channel surfing I noticed Harry Slatkin home fragrances on QVC - so I clicked, viewed, and then bought! I have never bought from a home shopping TV show before, but I just HAD TO have this candle. The fragrance is papaya guava - and it is simply divine, and the adorable holder... well, I was sold on the spot! Now as a Scentsy consultant I hawk wickless candles and all the benefits of "going wickless" - but tonight I just had to bust out a real candle. The smell is amazing and is bringing a bit of summer into my house on a day that has been dreary and wet.

a perk

One of the perks of having your wisdom teeth pulled is the flowers! Dr. TenHulzen sends a nice bouquet of flowers in an awesome mug on the day of your surgery. It wasn't practical for Amanda to take her flowers home on the train - so they are keeping me company. She will reclaim her mug on her next trip down, but right now I am enjoying her gift!

iTunes

I have had my little iPod Nano for well over a year now and I am just now working on loading my beloved Dave Matthews Band and Pink Floyd tunes onto it.

Today Amanda had her post-op and headed on the train back to Seattle. I never like when company leaves, I enjoy having extra helping hands {not to mention adult conversation} around the house.

Happy Mother's Day

Today Amanda, Justin and I headed into NW Portland to hit up Saint Cupcake. We also spent a little time walking up NW 23rd as well, I got some new bubble bars from LUSH {cannot wait to use one}. We didn't want to be gone long so we headed back home after a quick trip to Freddies to get the rest of the fixin's for the chicken enchiladas we had planned for dinner.

very close to loosing it

Today!
Today I had the following going on all at once:

• making tomatillo salsa for the chicken enchiladas I am making tomorrow
• potato soup {from scratch} in the works
• printing Jamie's wedding invitations upstairs
• helping with invitation production downstairs
• dealing with a child who wanted all of my attention
• dealing with a sister who needed ice packs for her swollen jaw

I truly thought I was going to loose my cool. My house was torn apart. Between the mess of the toys all over the floor and a kitchen completely destroyed by my cooking to the dining room covered in paper - I was overwhelmed. Simply put, I was trying to multi-task too much.

The end result of a crazy day is that I have awesome salsa in my fridge, a belly full of yummy soup, a clean {sort-of} living room, Jamie has 50+ wedding invitations complete, Justin and I are both bathed and ready for a good night of snoozing. Between Jamie, Rachel, Amanda and I - we were able to get a lot of stuff done in short order.

May 8th

Amanda minus 4 teeth!
We were up early to take Amanda in for her appointment. She was a trooper and all things considered did very very well. She spent most of the day holding the sofa down with ice packs stuck on her cheeks and jaw. By the end of the day she was able to slowly eat macaroni and cheese. I say Bravo!

Today was also my one year anniversary at JSR. I CANNOT believe that I have been back to work for a year. Truly cannot believe it. Going back to work and putting Justin in daycare freaked me out - I didn't want to do it, but had to, so I did - and it has been such a great thing! I have come a long ways in a year and so has Justin! Today since we were home Justin spent sometime doing this:
It's a big boy bike - complete with training wheels! He is a little unsure about it. It is not as stable as his trike, but he is very excited about it and before too long will be zipping all about!

red sparkle toes rule!

• drop Justin off at daycare
• take Amanda to her pre-op appointment
• get Starbucks
• get pedicures with matching red sparkle polish
  
• go to Costco and Target
• dodge downpour
• delish' lunch at Panera
• beauty supply store
• quick trip home
• head to mall
• buy new bike for Justin
• get iced tea
• shop without a 3 year old
• Amanda - phone interview for internship
• Amanda gets new iPod
• go pick up Justin
• eat dinner
• watch Bride Wars

short week

This was a good short work week. Amanda came in tonight, she is having her wisdom teeth extracted on Friday and she came down to Portland to go the same place I went to in 2007. Justin and I watched Amanda's train come in and then came home and Justin preformed for us. I love having company - and so does Justy!

a daily favorite

Nearly everyday for my evening snack I have organic vanilla yogurt with fresh raspberries.

I love the rain...

...when I am lying in bed at night. The sound of the rain drops is relaxing!

But... I don't like rain in the afternoon when I am driving home from work. It was just pouring! Big drops! Lots of standing water.


And then when I think that the rain is the most exciting thing to happen today this happens...

with no insitigation or encouragement on my part.

I need a craft room. Stat!

My scrapbook supplies runnith over. I have things that I have forgotten about. Hundred of dollars of paper, stickers, buttons, ribbons, rub-ons, etc. that is all in complete and total state of disorganization. I have grand plans to create a scrapbook/crafting space in my loft. I have a big table just waiting for me in the garage and if the thing didn't weight so much, I'd haul it up the stairs right now. Today Rachel came over to craft cards and the state of my mess became even more apparent as I hauled armful after armful of unorganized supplies downstairs for us.

ummm.... oh-kay....

Today we didn't get out of bed until noonish, which was wonderful!

For breakfast Justin wanted pancakes, so I whipped up some. After I got Justin's plate ready for him I got to work on mine, not noticing that Justin had dumped a pack of fruit snacks on top of his pancakes. I am NOT a fan of fruit snacks, so I had asked Justin to save those for later - forgetting his new found ability to open packages... oops. Deciding to just roll with it, {it's Saturday after all} I started to eat - but wait... Justin's hands were sticky and he wanted gloves. Huh? I guess that makes sense, syrup makes fingers sticky, put on rubber gloves, then eat. Problem solved. Ummmmm - Oh-kay!

Fast forward to this afternoon. Justin dressed himself:
In shorts, that he put on backwards,
a shirt, that he put on backwards
and his slippers on the wrong feet.
I did take a picture of him, but you couldn't really tell that his clothes were backwards - and we headed off to the store.

As for me.. I seem to be having technology issues. My little video camera was on the fritz, and then I wanted to put some more songs on the ipod - but itunes isn't working. The computer keeps freezing up. I am getting increasingly irritated and would love to spend the evening in the bathtub reading New Moon.

Even now Justin is amazing me. He found some poles that I pulled out of box today - I was feeling ambitious and was going to install the closet organizer purchased for his closet before he was even a zygote. Justin has these polls stuck in the couch and chair cushions and now he "needs lights." He is trying to make a train signal crossing. I truly love his imagination. It makes me just shake my head and laugh inside. He is too cute for words.

a dance

Justin dancing at daycare today with Emily.

Clearly he is thrilled!

Photos compliments of Ann.

Confession #1

This is my silverware drawer. As of late, when I unload the dishwasher I just grab all the silverware and dump it in the drawer. I can't be bothered to actually sort and put the stuff away in the designated section of the tray. This is usually because I am in a hurry and while I have no problem loading the dishwasher {it is like a puzzle - seeing how much I can cram in there} unloading the dishwasher, not high on my list of fun times. Eventually the silverware gets sorted, not always, but most of the time it gets put away correctly. Justin is actually a pretty good silverware sorter. I need to put him on silverware duty more often.

Tonight Justin helped me make dinner. It was very cute. He said "I help my mom" - and he put on an apron and grabbed the stool to come stand next to me and help. He added cut veggies the pan, worked the salt and pepper shakers and a few other things. I hope his desire to help lasts a long long time.

watch where you step

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

At daycare today Justin got a cockroach attached to a piece fishing line. When I walked in the door to pick him up he "scared" me with it and after I screamed and ran he quickly told me "it not real!" He brought the bug home and it ended up on the kitchen floor - and more than twice when I caught sight of it my heart skipped a beat!

As predicted Justin really didn't want to go to "Uncles" today, but he sucked it up and {of course} ended up having a great day.

As for me... I really need to tackle some things on my to do list. Like finishing up the paperwork that I need to submit to the State of Oregon to get my tax refund. I have a nice bit of money coming back to me if I can prove that I paid for daycare. I called to see exactly what they needed and I am working on putting it all together. Not sure why I am procrastinating getting everything submitted. I think it is because I know that money is coming and it feels safe knowing it is on it's way and not in my account destined to be spent. If that makes any sense at all... so instead of blabbing on and on - I should probably plug in my printer and get that stuff printed. Or I could just waste some time on facebook... :)

nap time

If you ask Justin who his favorite kitty is, he will tell you adamantly that it is Lucy!

Jason took this picture and sent it to me via text message and isn't it just precious?! Justin has spent the last 2 days with his daddy and I know that he is not looking forward to returning to "school" tomorrow. Not that he doesn't enjoy his time at daycare, but it is always hard for him to go back after several days away.

hide and seek

Where's Justin?

Could I have been anyone other than me?

Could I have been a parking lot attendant?
Could I have been a millionaire in Bel Air?
Could I have been lost somewhere in Paris?
Could I have been your little brother?
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Could I have been anyone?
He stands touch his hair his shoes untied tongue gaping stare
Could I have been a magnet for money?
Could have been anyone other than me?
Twenty three and so tired of life such a shame to throw it all away
The images grow darker still
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Then I look up at the sky my mouth is open wide lick and taste
What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying
Turn turn we almost become dizzy
I am who I am who I am well
Who am I requesting some enlightenment
Could I have been anyone other than me?
And then I'll sing and dance I'll play for you tonight
The thrill of it all
Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes but I'll work it out
And then I look up at the sky my mouth is open wide lick and taste
What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying
Turn turn we almost become dizzy falling out of a world of lies
Could I have been a dancing Nancy
A dancing Nancy
Could I have been anyone other than me?

~Dancing Nancies by Dave Matthews





Feeling blue today. Filled with anxiety. Feeling like life is hard. In a funk. I know how to pull myself out of this, I have done it before - but I don't want to. Not sure why. Just as happiness is a choice, feeling blue and down can be too. And that is what I am choosing right now. This is not a complaint, just a statement of my day and mood. I want to crawl into a hole and hide. Think and reflect. Last night as I was thinking that I wanted to be someone other than me {hence the DMB lyrics that popped into my head}. Actually just a non-anxious version of myself would be great. Some of the things that bother me are no big deal to other people and vise versa. But sometimes I wish I was a different. I wish that I didn't worry, that I didn't sweat the small stuff. That I could let things roll off and just go with the flow. But I am a worry wart, a dweller, I over-think, over-analyze. I am my own worst enemy.

choo choo tracks

The house is a mess, must mean Justin is feeling better. Which is great!

find picture that belongs here!

poor baby

In the ER waiting on some medicine. Trying to avoid dehydration. Poor baby.

pout

If there is one thing Justin hates it is having his hair shampooed! Here he is pouting after a wash. Gosh is he precious.

good hair week

Here I am hard at work. Having a good hair day - no frizz, nice natural curls. Not sure how it happened.

overgrown

I need a lawnmower and some fertilizer and probably some grass seed too. My back yard is a mess. It only got mowed like 3 times last year {thanks to my neighbor}. The house was on the market and I neglected it and since Philip mows my front yard when he does his {since they are connected} there was really no need for me to worry. But if I am going to be staying here {fingers crossed that I can} then I want to get the yard back into shape.

Definitely a SUNday

Seaside, Oregon

Staying in a hotel is fun!

After work we were beach bound, but not until after we picked up Jamie and Jimmy, went to Rachel's house, went to dinner, then to Starbucks and then Target... 9:00 PM we arrive in Seaside, Oregon. After getting to our hotel room we swimsuited up and hit up the hotel pool and hot tub. Justin loved it! I kept wishing I had taken my camera to the pool as the boys and us girls were having a blast. But here is a picture of Justin having a snack on the hotel bed.

what Justin does with his Dad

I can't take credit for this picture, heck - I wasn't even there - I was at work. Jason sent this to my phone along with a few other pictures of Justin having fun at the track. Here Justin is practicing the shotput {with a tennis ball}. Justin had a fun day and was SO pooped out that night.

My Happy Birthday

This balloon has nothing to do with my birthday. But it seems to have magical helium in it. It has been floating for about 2 months now.

Today I turned 33. I was in a funk. Jamie invited me to dinner and since Justin was with Jason for the day I took her up on the offer {even though I wanted to crawl into a hole}. I had so much fun! I met Jamie at the Olive Garden after work and Kelly was there {a surprise}, it was so nice to catch up with her. And then Rachel came! We had so much fun. It was a wonderful evening!

getting ready for bed

This is what it looks like when Justin brushes my teeth and I take a picture of it.

I need to tend to a few things

My toes, for starters... I had a wonderful pedicure less than a month ago. The polish just peeled right off of one toe last night and then I started picking at the others. So I need to tend to these gross toes. And the mess, oh Lord, the mess! My birthday present from my mom arrived {THANK YOU}, but the box and packing material is all over the place. Justin's toys, books, and what you can't see... the Cheerios! Justin made "cookies" last night. There are Cheerios all over the floor. And this is just the beginning of what I need to tend to. Moral of the story: A $65 pedicure is not twice as good as a $30 one. And, messes DO NOT pick up themselves!

Happy Easter

The Easter Bunny forgot the Cadbury Cream Eggs! He tried to find them, he really did.... Today we got a visit in the form of Grandparents! Lynn and Linda stopped by to give Justin some rainy day activities {color posters, soccer ball and net, flubber}. It was a nice visit. And tonight Justin and I are going to have ham, buttered baby potatoes with parsley, brown sugar carrots and jelly beans. Then I am going to watch the season finale of Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michael's - one of my fav reality TV shows. Happy Easter!

Easter egg dying

Today we met up with Jamie and Jimmy {as per usual}, we went to the mall to burn through some coupons from the portrait studio that were about to expire. The goal: to get a picture of Jimmy and Justin together. We ended up with some great shots of the boys and couldn't be happier. Then we came back to the house for a little bit of easter egg dying. Justin was very into it, Jimmy, not so much. And later, the park, where the boys rode bikes and played. We love the weekend!

big brother Paxil

Each year the Oregon Humane Society holds a pet photo contest, and each year I think about entering but never do. But I think I got me a winner right here?

a little bit of spring

40 tulips! At work we participated in an Easter Seals fundraiser, where we could get a bunch of 10 tulips for $5. I got 5 bunches! I have orange tulips brightening up my desk at work and 40 pink and purple ones on my dining room table. Happy Spring!

the anatomy of a sandwich

1 piece of bread
cut crust off
add a big dab of mustard {Jack Daniels Honey Mustard}
slap the pieces together
enjoy with a glass of cold milk and then run circles around the table

Time Out

return of the water boy

Pulled out the hose for the first time this year! It was a beautiful 75 degrees out today. The sun felt so good.

kitty cat trifecta number three

Perfect weather today! Had a house showing today and after I got the house in order {shoved messes in the closest drawer} we headed to the Home Depot for storage shelves. I am hoping that my loan modify will go through and we will be able to stay in our house. And we desperately need storage, so I added 4 new shelves to my closet. Why I didn't do this eons ago is beyond me, but I did it! We also really enjoyed seeing all the neighborhood come to life today! Lawns were mowed, flowers planted, yards spruced by one and all. Bring it on!

let the sun shine in

It was a wonderful springy Saturday today. We bought and planted some geraniums, watched the neighbor {thank you Nancy} mow our back yard, cruised the neighborhood, visited with neighbors and enjoyed the sun - among other things.

it's scentsational!

My first Scentsy party was last Saturday and the first order arrived on my front porch today! Justin helped me sort the order. He climbed right into the box! I have no idea how I am finding the time to do this. I like it {a lot} but one needs more hours in a day to do it all. Justin couldn't wait to bag the orders up and deliver them to the neighbors. He knocked on doors of our neighbor party goers, but no one was home. Guess they are gonna have to wait until tomorrow for their scentalicious-ness.

Everything Tastes Better With Cat Hair In It!

oh no!

Today is Justin's day with dad and they have a tradition of going to the pet store. Justin, who has typically been a cat person, has been asking for a dog. Justin spotted this chocolate cocker and asked his dad "please please take home" "please buy dat"! Now I have puppy on the brain... my dad has a new puppy, my boss, my neighbor... I want a puppy so bad, but I soooo don't have the time to take care of one. I cannot get a dog! Thankfully they just petted the {adorable} puppy and did not adopt him. But then Jason sends me pictures, which is nice, but it just makes me long for puppy kisses. But then I am reminded of puppy messes and I feel better.