Backyard Boss

This girl takes her gardening very seriously.  Everyday she begs us to go outside and when she finally gets her wish, off she goes to find her shovel and do some digging.  The whole time she is barking orders at me, her dad, and of course Wrigley (the dog).  We have no idea what she is saying, but we do know that she means business.

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Kidnapping Stuart Weitzman

Here's a little Colleen fun fact - I have small feet.... very small feet.  I wear a size 2.5 kids.   And let me tell you, it is a curse.

Most "big girl" shoes start at a womens size 6.  So if I want sexy heels or kickass boots, they are really expensive and really, really hard to find.  My mom has small feet too and sometimes we joke that we are going to kidnap Stuart Weitzman and lock him room and have him make custom shoes for us.  Of course, we would feed him well and make sure he is very comfortable.  But yes, he would have make us lots and lots of shoes.

But of course, don't feel too sorry for me.  On the flip side, if my outfit really calls for a pair of hot-pink, Dora-the-explorer, glitter striped crocs... well, then I am all set.

While many women choose the outfit first and then the shoes to match, my mom and I do the opposite.  If we find that perfect pair of amazing dream shoes that are just our size, we will buy them on the spot and worry about the outfit and occasion warranting the outfit later. 

Case in point, one mother and daughter ritual that we practice is the annual shoe-shopping trip.  Some women have rainy day funds; we have shoe funds.  There is a little store in Houston called Brucettes.  They have been in business for over 40 years and carry a wide range of shoe sizes.  It is awesome! 

Imagine walking in the door and being met by a man in a suit that promptly asks what size shoe you wear.  Then you follow him very quietly through this back, dark hallway.  The atmosphere is like mafia meets shoes. Anyways... at the end of the hallway he opens up this door to a room that is filled floor to ceiling with shoes that all fit my foot. 

Did you read what I just wrote!!!???  

The shoes ALL fit my foot!

The first time that my mom and I saw this room, we just looked at each other like we struck gold.  We jumped in and started opening boxes and trying one shoe on only to have another one across the room catch our eye.  It is like being a kid in a candy store with a open tab. You are just not really sure where to start, but gosh-darn-it are you one happy kid. 

And these shoes are amazing quality.  Of course, you pay an arm and a leg for them, but they last.  I have had the same pair of knee-high, black leather, gorgeous boots for 10 years now and they are still looking pretty kickass.

And now as I see all these cute summer shoes coming out in the stores, I let out a sad sigh and start thinking how much more money I need in my shoe fund before I can make my annual trek to Houston.  Looks like I'll be hanging out in my Dora Explorer shoes a little longer.

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From my bookshelf: Cutting for Stone

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I am not even sure how to describe this book... Historical fiction meets medical meets family saga.  Trying to explain this book is difficult.  The publisher describes it as...

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics—their passion for the same woman—that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him—nearly destroying him—Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

All I know is that it has a little bit of everything and I really, really liked it.  This is not a fast-paced book, but is does definitely draw you in as a reader.  You care about the characters and you want to know what happens to them.

When we discussed this book in my book club, it was interesting that everyone really liked it - a rare occurrence for our club.  But also, everyone was drawn to a little something different within the book.  Reading this book is like pealing back the layers on an onion.  The character profiles, relationships, and the storyline are all multi-dimensional.  So when it all comes together, you get this amazing book that you keep thinking about for a while.

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Garden chores

We have been super busy the last few weekends - wrapping up projects around the house and starting new ones.  All in an attempt to come out of our winter hibernation and get ready for spring.

One of our biggest projects is prepping the garden.  There is a lot to do. We have a lot of plans for our little backyard space.  I have been sketching out plans for our plot of land.  These plans include basil, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, lettuce, butternut squash, and much, much more.

Chips and salsa are a staple in this house.  And I can not wait until our garden delivers us the makings for the best homemade salsa ever - the hotter, the better.  I am already drooling.

I am also excited because this is the first year that Little B can help me in my quest for the best backyard garden ever.

Once we both came to understanding that dirt is not meant to be licked off the shovel, my little shadow became a very enthusiastic assistant, ready to hand me the shovel whether I wanted it or not.  So with that out of the way, we played in the dirt, looked for earthworms, got the seedlings planted and gave the compost a good mixing.

Now we just sit back and watch the seedlings grow.  Everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, Little B and I go to check on the seedling babies that are just starting to sprout up.  We very carefully give them water.  Little B has trying to kiss a few of them.  Not sure that will help much, but I guess the sentiment counts for something.

So tell me, what are you gonna grow this summer?

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We danced

After an insane couple of weeks, our computer is back up and running.  The hard drive was destroyed.  The back-up hard drive did not hold up its end of the bargain.  But thanks to this awesome data recovery place, we were able to recovery 98% of our files.  Can I get a Woohoo!?!

It seems that we have all of our important documents, music, etc... but best of all, we have all of our precious photos.  Our photos that read like a movie of our life... when David and I met, when we said "I do", our adventures along the way, and of course, our Little B.  To think that I could have lost the photo of the first time I ever saw her... ugh.  It is the ugliest (me after 24 hours of labor) and most beautiful image (the look on my face as I meet my little girl) that I have ever seen.  I would trade all my music for that 1 photograph.

But enough of being all sentimental.  To celebrate our victory, we did what our little family does best. 

We danced.

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Missing Italy

I am missing Italy so bad.  Everything from the gelato to the amazing views to the time alone with my husband is calling me back.  I miss sleeping in late only to get up and sip on the most beautifully made cappuccino every morning.  I miss all the wineries and the crazy, white knuckle drives that got us to them.  And the gorgonzola gnocchi branded into my memory (and stomach) still makes me drool.

Oh Italy... someday we will be together again.  Someday.

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Off days

I have been feeling a bit off this week.... not in a horrible, how-will-I-endure sort of way.  No, nothing like that at all.  Off in a much less dramatic sense... I have a little bit less energy than usual. My house is a crazy-hot mess. I am extra clutzy. My meals are a mish-mash of a chicken nugget, a bit of hummus, some chips and a few grapes because I have not had a chance to get to the store.  I have a stupid crick in my neck that I can not seem to get rid of.  I am consistently running 5 minutes late. And there is just not enough coffee to get my eyes open in the morning.

All I really want to do is cuddle up with my little girl and take a nap in the quick hour I have before I am due to be somewhere. But even she has another idea in mind as she wants to play her new favorite game of pulling up my shirt to point to my belly-button and laugh... over and over again.

And while a bunch of off days usually gets me down, not this time. All of these off days just make me more excited for this weekend when I can truly get a chance to relax, recharge and get back to my usual self.  And if Little B wants to play her silly belly-button game, that is just fine by me.  I got the time.

Image via Mary Ruffle

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To my fellow Downton Abbey comrades...

So it seems that I am catching some heat from some of you about Downton Abbey.  Apparently this series was enjoyed a little bit too much and now we are all dying in suspense for the next season that comes out in 2012.  We have to wait a whole year.  Ugh!  What are we going to watch to fill the gap?

I am on the hunt for some recommendations.  In the meantime, I may revisit some of these oldies, but goodies. 

 

So what about you?  What will you watch to fill the hole of our precious Downton Abbey?

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Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope I am not too late.  Just wanted to drop in real quick to say Happy Valentine's Day.  My day was spent dressing Little B in the mandatory red and pink, loving on my love bugs, and eating way too many red and pink hershey kisses.  If David had his way, we would also be munching on a heart-shaped pizza.

Whatever you did today, I hope you felt surrounded by love!

Image via Mary Ruffle

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What I am loving...

As this week is proving to be a bit stressful with the crazy ever-changing Texas weather and the dead hard drive and the impact that both of those are having on our mental and financial state, I am trying to focus on the small things in life that are getting me through this week.

Here's what I am loving...

I love their song, Little Lion Man.

The Bachelor is my guilty pleasure.  Watching these crazy women with their crazy quest to find love, fame, and a cat fight is so entertaining that all my troubles are temporarily forgotten.

I am loving this blog.  She has the cutest 4 kids... 3 boys and 1 girl.  And I just want to camp out at her kitchen table, drink coffee, and talk about her cool projects.

This is the 2nd book in the series and I can't not put it down.  It is so good!

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Back it up, people!

I apologize that my posts have been a bit sporadic over the last week. And unfortunately I can not promise that it will get any better this week.

Our computer's hard drive kicked the bucket this past week during the stupid rolling blackouts that happened across Texas.  I guess the on-off-on-off power surges were just too much for it.  So while we are in the process of spending lots of money to replace the hard drive and piece together all of our files from the back up drive and dead hard drive, I am blogging from my laptop with no access to all my usual blogging tools... Little B photos, inspiring music to listen to while I write, list of all my favorite blogs .  But I am hoping it is just a temporary set back and all our great photos, music, and files will be restored very soon.  

On that note... back-up your computers, people!  Learn from my mistake. Do it... do it now.  We would not be in this awful place if we would have just backed up our files more frequently.

And please keep your fingers crossed and send sweet, encouraging, mental thoughts to our dead little hard drive to come back from the grave just long enough to give us its precious contents.  The thought of losing all of Little B's photos is just too much for me to think about right now.

Image via Mary Ruffle

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Girl Scout Cookie Ground Rules

My husband and I love our Girl Scout cookies!  Yep, it is a special time of year when you see little, innocent girls learning the fine art of suggestive selling techniques by setting up shop with their color cookie boxes on display outside the grocery store, the mall, and best of all, the gym.  Who cares that these over-priced, highly addictive cookies only show up once a year and the box seems to be shrinking a little more in size each time... you forget all your troubles once you pop that first Thin-Mint in your mouth.

As I mentioned, Girl Scout cookies are a big deal in our house and because of that David and I set some ground rules a few years back.  But before I tell you these ground rules, I must share the background behind the need for them.

While David and I have only been married for a few years, we have actually been together for 10 years.  And during our courtship, we learn a few things about each other rather quickly.  For example, David learned that there is good reason that I should never eat peanut butter, that I do not like people in my kitchen, spontaneous is not my true nature and that he can pretty much end any fight by scratching my back.  I learned that David could eat pizza every single day of his life, he has a weird thing about the blinds needing to be closed the minute the sun starts setting, and that I have never met anyone with a stronger sweet tooth. And to top that list off, we both learned that Girl Scout cookies are not something that we joke around about.

When it comes to eating things, I believe that people fall into 1 of 2 groups - People that eat the whole box of something in 1 day versus people that have a box that lasts for a while because they eat just a couple at a time.  David is in the first group and I am in the second group.  This has never really been an issue between us.  I never cared that the ice cream was gone or that David ate the last piece of pizza.  It just never bothered me... until Girl Scout cookie season.

So let's rewind to the early 2000's, where a much younger, better-looking, smaller version of me decides to buy some Girl Scout cookies for both me and my boyfriend, David. Being a generous girlfriend and knowing that my boyfriend has crazy sweet tooth, I buy 2 boxes of Thin Mints and 2 boxes of Samoas.  I figure that will last a good long time.  Later that evening, a cute, thinner, less-gray-hair version of David is sitting next to me on the couch as we open 1 box of Thin Mints and share some cookies together.  It is nice moment.

Now fast forward 2 days... I have had a long, stressful day at work.  I am feeling beat up and taken advantage of and I am ready to go home and enjoy some Girl Scout cookies.  I had earned them that day and was really looking forward to eat a few.  I have not had any since that night sitting on the couch with my man.  I walk into the kitchen, look in the pantry, and for the life of me can not find them anywhere.  How odd!  Surely David just moved them to the freezer because everybody knows Girl Scout Cookies taste especially good when frozen.  Nope.  Not in there.

Just then David gets home.  I ask him where the Girl Scout cookies are.  Avoiding eye contact, he points to the trash can.  Imagine my dismay when I open the lid to see the empty carcasses of Girl Scout Cookie boxes just laying there!

I am not sure exactly what happened next... there may have been rage, there may have been a few choice words, one or two empty Girl Scout cookie boxes may have been thrown.  Not quite sure.  I think my mind has blocked it from memory.  But I do know that it was that evening that the Girl Scout Cookie Ground Rules were born.  They are as follows:

• Each year equal boxes of Girl Scout Cookies will be purchased for each person.
• Each person will write their name on their boxes.
• There will be no judgment if a person chooses to eat their cookies all in one sitting.
• Under no circumstances should the other person EVER touch, open, eat or offer from the other person's boxes.  (This is important because David once offered my cookies to his friends so that he would not have to share his box of cookies.)

I have to say... ever since these ground rules were put into place, we have had a better relationship.  We have carried the ground rules from our courtship into the marriage.  We even toyed with the idea of adding the Girl Scout Cookie Ground Rules into the marriage vows.

I am sure that many of you readers think we are crazy.  And we most definitely are.  But for us, the Girl Scout Cookie Ground Rules work.

So tell me... what crazy rule(s), do you and your significant other have in place to keep sanity?  I would LOVE to hear them.

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The Snow Day of 2011

Beautiful photo of our snow-covered Town Lake in Austin!

What a crazy week it has been here in Austin, TX.  Temperatures going from 77 to 19 degrees all within 24 hours, 6-hours of no electricity due to so-called rolling blackouts, an impromtu trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, snow-covered lawns, and a wicked ear-infection battle... I don't know about you, but I am ready for the weekend.

But there were some fun moments too.  Right after breakfast today, I bundled up Little B and took her outside to introduce her to this powdery white stuff that Northerners call snow.  And after a few tumbles and her little nose and cheeks turning rosy red, we ventured back inside to sip on coffee and watch the crazy people on the news that attempted to drive this morning.

And while today counted as a snow day for many, I fired up my laptop to get in a few of hours work. But tonight we will snuggle in again, with blankets piled on top of us and hot chocolate in our hands as the Snow Day of 2011 comes to an end.  For who knows how long we will have to wait until we get enjoy the next snow day in Austin.

Image taken by Stanford E Moore

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Wicked-Cool Bed Head

This girl knows how to rock a wicked-cool bed head!

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A study on mom-jeans

One of my brothers forwarded me this blog post over on Grasping for Objectivity that is all about what classifies as the dreaded "long-butt" (aka - mom jeans).  I don't know if he was trying to send me a hint or what, but this is one of the funniest blog posts I have read in a long time.

No one ever told me that once you have a kid, the game rules of wearing jeans drastically change from the pre-baby rules.  I used to strut my stuff in low-rise, form-fitting, cute jeans.  Now don't get me wrong.  The minute that I could squeeze my buns into my pre-pregnancy jeans, I felt like I could conquer the world.  That indeed was a kick-ass day... until I had to squat down to pick up my little girl while at the playground and most likely scarred another little kid for life as the image of my crack and muffin top peeking out of my jeans is now burned into his eyes.  Poor little kid!

So now I am on my own quest to find jeans that I can not only strut my stuff in, but also pick up the occasional sippy-cup from the floor without showing the world my goods.

Kudos to the test subjects featured in this mom-jeans study.  They are brave, brave souls putting themselves out there in order to save at least one woman from falling into the horrible blunder of wearing mom-jeans.  They deserve a round of applause.  Not only are they daring in their quest for a cute jeans butt, but they also tackle the project with with a very matter-of-fact, step-by-step way of avoiding mom-jeans and finding something that really does fit and look good.  I think all of us could learn a little something from this study.  Good job girls!  Very well done.

Alright moms - you know what I am talking about.  So help me with my quest.  Any cute jeans out there that aren't mom-jeans, but will cover all the important assets?  Come on... help a girl out.

Image via Saturday Night Live

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