Wordless Wednesday

I'm just saying.

An array of comments...

1- Kate Gosselin. Don't ever go on "So you think you can dance." I really don't watch DWTS these days, but caught her practice clip and then actual performance last night. It was painful to watch. She is not comfortable or happy is she? Her smiles are so forced. And, I could skip a comment about the hair, but I'll be gentle. Really. Is the new do any better? Girlfriend needs a little more help. Bless her heart.

2- Saw the end of Pam Anderson's performance on DWTS (before Kate's) and she was channeling Marilyn Monroe. We all know she has the sexy thing down pat. I cracked up when she finished and the host man (Tom B??) said, "I don't know what the judges think, but a van load of Kennedy's just pulled up outside." Good one.

3- Ricky Martin is gay. Seriously. Was he the last to know? I don't care. He's hot, but I never had a chance before this revelation.

4- Let the games begin. T-ball practice starts today. We've been counting down for days. Mini#2 is so excited. I'm excited for him even though baseball just isn't my fav. Can't wait to see that smiling face as he begins this new adventure. Maybe one day I'll remember this day from my cozy major league box seat... I'm just saying.

Just back...

I hope everyone had a nice weekend! Flowers are popping out everywhere around here. Yea!! I'm just back from a trip with the minis visiting my parents. We left Thursday after mini#2's Easter egg hunt at school. We had a nice visit. Thursday night I tried a class at the local Y. It was tough, but fun challenging myself in a new class at a different gym. We went to the park Friday. I'm always amazed at how quickly kids can start playing together on a playground when they don't even know one another. Childhood innocence at its best. No judging, excluding...just having fun with new people. It was refreshing to watch.

Saturday the minis played all morning with the children of my parents' neighbors. Since my mom and I didn't feel comfortable leaving both minis with my dad while we went shopping, we pulled mini#2 away with us after lunch and left mini#1 behind with his buddies (and my dad). Mini#2 is not the best shopper, but I bribed him with a new book at TJ Maxx IF he behaved until we got there. It worked (and NO I don't do this all the time, just when I'm with my mom and want to increase the odds of good behavior). We got some shopping in so that made me happy.

Mr. Pink got a lot done on his "to do" list and now I'm off to test out my brand new washer and dryer. I've had the same set for 14+ years and it was time to upgrade. My dryer was on its last leg! Hopefully, this is a change I'll embrace...as long as Mr. Pink reads the directions and gets me started. I hate reading directions, unless it's a recipe!

Tomorrow mini#1 returns to school...and mini#2 begins his week long spring break. So now it's time to do some one on one activities with the little guy.

Our little date.

Last week mini#1 finally got to redeem a Christmas present from us: tickets to go see the Broadway series "Little House on the Prairie" starring Melissa Gilbert as Ma.
Here he is above outside the Progress Energy Center. I took him and we had such a great time at his first play/musical production. He had read one of the books and discussed Laura Ingalls Wilder at school. He seemed really interested in that time period so, when I heard this play was coming to Raleigh, I bought us tickets and gave to him for Christmas.

In the lobby, mini#1 pointing out who I came to see, Melissa Gilbert. I was told I looked like her when younger and I even had a Little House on the Prairie bonnet! That is a St. Pat's blinking necklace he has around his neck, by the way. It was St. Pat's day and he thought he would be pinched if not wearing green since I made him wear what he calls "church" clothes.

One of those hold-the-camera-in-front-of-your-face awful pictures I took in our seats.



Laura and Almanzo signing autographs right after the show. Mini#2 had just gotten his playbill signed by them (after making me sprint to the lobby with him as soon as the lights came up!). He thought that was so cool.


It was a great evening doing something with the oldest mini!

A few photos.

A few photos of some activities we've done around home lately.

Mini#2 and I went to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences on St. Pat's Day. (He's tracked out of school and HE picked out his green holiday attire that day.)


We saw dinosaurs!


Ewwww. And Snakes!!! Then we went to the Krispy Kreme downtown for some HOT glazed and a few green St. Pat's Day doughnuts. Much better than snakes!


Getting ready to bowl on mini#2's actual birthday.


Mini#2 keeping score with Mr. Pink. This bowling alley across from NC State campus is like stepping back into the 60's (and I've never even lived in the 60's). Very retro. I can't believe I never went there once while in college! But, Mr. Pink was right, it definitely wasn't crowded that Sunday afternoon. It was fun!


Some football throwing at the NC State Bell Tower after bowling (another one of mini#2's birthday requests!)


Mini#1 in front of the Bell Tower. It was getting late...and darker!


We've also been to see Alice in Wonderland, shopped, run errands, enjoyed some warmer weather, started soccer again. I'm taking the minis to see my parents on Thursday after mini#2's Easter egg hunt at school. It's been a nice low-key trackout. Mini#1 returns to school Monday and mini#2 is out next week for spring break from preschool. I will be so glad when they have the same schedules beginning in July!

NC Welcomes You- Better late than never.

TODAY'S the day! Raleigh opens an H&M store at Crabtree Valley Mall.

Yes, I'm approaching 40, but I've always liked this store. Bought some cute maternity clothes there in NYC. Bought mini#1 some hip clothes there as well. Atlanta opened a store right as we were moving back to NC in 2006. So FINALLY NC gets their H&M.

Don't worry, Banana Republic, GAP and J. Crew, you'll still get most of my money...but buying a little cheap costume jewelry and basic t-shirts from H&M is no crime! Is it?

Wordless Wednesday

Ok, I cannot be wordless. I love shamrocks. I love green. We're all Irish on St. Patrick's Day aren't we? Wear green! We're making green rice crispie treats today. Later, mini#1 and I have a date. More on that later... Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ugh....

Just wrestled mini#2 into his classroom. Let's just say I'm very low on his list of favorite people today. It's picture day and he "looks dumb." He's wearing a white polo shirt/navy vest/light blue linen pants/navy and white saddle oxfords. Ok, so the saddle oxfords are really what took him over the edge. He is 5 now, by the way. I didn't have time to post over the weekend! He took one shoe off in the car as we parked at school. I put it back on while again, he was saying he looked dumb. Then he was cold and ran in front of our car where there is about a foot of room between the car and some bushes. I, loudly, said "No! Come here! You'll get all dirty!" Like he really cared. I then pulled him out and halfway had to drag him across the parking lot while carrying a basket of snacks, a bookbag and a weekend bag containing books and Franklin the turtle because it was again our weekend to babysit the turtle. Once inside he decided to stand outside his classroom and pout while I dropped off snacks and 2 bookbags giving me a chance to quietly advise the teachers that he's in the hall upset about his clothes. I told him that all the other boys looked like him (ok, no other saddle oxfords, but close enough in "church" clothes). Finally a few compliments later (one teacher said he looked like a professional golf player) and putting a green sweat jacket over the "dumb" clothes convinced him to enter the fun world of preschool! That and promises that he could change after pictures into normal clothes I brought. Man, what an ordeal. I thought I had at least another 4 years before all of this. Mini#1 was a lot easier...and those saddle oxfords were his first by the way. He loved them!

Thanks so much for all of your nice comments about the passing of my grandmother. The funeral was beautiful and 12 out of 13 grandchildren were there. My brother, living and working in Bosnia, was the only one not there. It was a lot of fun to catch up with so many cousins. My grandmother would have loved having us there under normal circumstances. I regret we didn't get together more often as a group! Mr. Pink did a great job handling the birthday party. My friends said he seemed calm and organized. Sunday, when I returned, we went bowling again at mini#2's request. Everything worked out and, as you can tell, we're back to normal chaos around here...

You'll be missed by many...

Yesterday, my last living grandparent, my grandmother aka "Mama Helen" passed away. She was 94 years young! Unfortunately, she developed congestion, heart irregularities and other problems in the last month and was in and out of the hospital. She was moved to rehab last week, but had already told my mom, her stepdaughter, some names of pallbearers for her funeral. My grandmother loved life so my mom knew that she had an idea that her time might be sooner than we would all like.

A little history. My mom's mother died of a brain aneurysm at age 37 when my mom was only 12. Her father married Mama Helen, a widow with 2 teenage sons, when my mom was 16 so this is her mom, her friend, her last tie to her hometown as my grandfather passed away 13 years ago. The combined families gave them 13 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren! This was one classy lady. I will miss her. I am so glad that mini#1 got to spend some time with her last summer with my parents.

So here are things I want to remember about this tiny woman with a huge heart:

1- Her fantastic laugh!!! It was real and it was contagious.

2- Her southern accent- the real "pretty" kind. Think Charleston plantation.

3- Her cooking. More specifically her creamed corn, her tiny homemade biscuits, her peach cobbler...and those mini ham/swiss/poppyseed finger sandwiches. Ummm.

4- Her fashion sense. This woman was dressed and dressed according to current fashion her entire life! No sweats or bathrobes around the house for this lady.

5- Her memory. She could name all 13 grandkids, 35 great grandchildren by name and even remembers birthdays. She made it a point to stay connected to all of us with the help of her son and my mom.

6- Her homemade gifts. One Christmas she made all of the granddaughters china dolls. She made and painted the hands, head, feet in her church ceramics class and then sewed the beautiful christening gown type dresses and bonnets. So lovely. I still have a priceless patchwork quilt she made me. Since I've been married she has sewn my last name into a decorative cloth I use with my rolls on special occasions. Washcloths, etc. etc. This woman used her hands and eyes to create wonderful things.

7- Her ability to have fun with girlfriends. She had so many great ones over the years. They took care of one another so much.

8- Her kind words. She was always positive and just fun to be around.

9- That she really was a mother to my mom throughout the years. At 16, maybe not so much, but these two had a strong bond and a love that my mom needed after losing her mother so young.

10- She always had her nails polished! I don't think I've ever seen her without her mauve-y polish on her nails. And this will choke me up when I see her this weekend...I know it.

I really will miss her. But boy is she living now! She is definitely not resting in peace. She's enjoying the celebration in heaven.

Send good thoughts , prayers up for me (and Mr. Pink!) as I get it all done to get to her funeral. Mini#2's birthday party is on Saturday and I'm afraid I have to leave it all for Mr. Pink to handle. It shouldn't be hard (it's at a kid's gym). I hate to miss his party, but his actual birthday is Sunday so I plan to be back for that. It will all work out. I am not going to stress.

Don't Forget to Watch

The first part of the reunion is tonight!! Woo Hoo as Vicki would say!! It's always a treat to watch the reunion shows isn't it?




And did you watch the WEDDING of the century Monday night? Please. I watched some of it and couldn't stomach watching the entire thing. I had Intervention and Kell on Wheels also competing for my attention. Anyway, Jason was my LEAST favorite bachelor. Plus it bothered me to see someone's wedding in the rain. I felt sorry for them. At the end, swimming back down the aisle, I caught when Molly said, "This is fun." Yea right. Had there been no cameras around I believe she would have been crying. I would have! I hope they make it like Trista/Ryan have. We'll see. If not, I'm sure they can be the first "second time around bachelor/bachelorette."

Day Two- So far, so good.

Surviving mini#1's track out. He's out of school for 3 weeks. So far we've been running errands, but I am hoping to take him to a museum or two and go cart riding in the near future. Mini#2 turns five this Sunday so, between teacher appreciation week for him and running around for his party that will be on Saturday (at a children's gym), we can't fit too much "fun" stuff in for mini#1 this week. Both are dying to see Alice in Wonderland so that will probably be an event next week. It's 70 degrees today so they're playing outside. I'm going to join them for some vitamin D exposure in a few minutes myself!

I had a few questions to answer from Friday's post. Here goes.

Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Well, if without the kiddos, I love a good girls' trip to New York to shop. If with Mr. Pink, we've had some nice vacations to San Francisco/ Napa Valley, Paris and Jamaica. I like to relax, but then again I like to go, go, go and see, see, see, too so it's difficult to pick a favorite!

How did you meet Mr. Pink?
I met Mr. Pink at a fraternity at NC State a few days after I arrived my freshman year! We joked around and I continued to see him as my roommate (the girl I mention frequently on this blog- my movie/dinner/drinks friend) and I would return for parties and football game tailgates. He was always super friendly to everyone. Roommate and I then attended a party at his apartment a few months later (it was my freshman year and first taste of freedom so yes, I went to a few parties! Ha!). He asked my friend/roommate if she thought I would go out with him. She relayed this to me, he called me and we went on our first date to the NC State vs University of South Carolina football game. We dated about 3 and a half years and I broke up with him my senior year to, basically, experience more dating because Mr. Pink was really my first serious boyfriend. He was also 4 and a half years older than me so already out of school at this point. I dated several others, two more seriously then others, and then compared others to Mr. Pink thinking he was a keeper. We eventually got back together and got engaged about 4 months later. They say the rest is history. We will have been married 15 years in October.

I'll answer the rest tomorrow. Going out to play now in this BEAUTIFUL weather!

Free Friday

So today, if you ever wanted to know anything about me...ask away. I will answer your questions next week.

Have a great weekend! Mr. Pink and the minis are off to see the Harlem Globetrotters tonight with Mr. Pink's best friend and his son. Me, watching What Not to Wear or a movie by myself in a temporarily quiet house.

Thankful Thursday- stay-at-home mom style

This could be my family and, yes, they do smile when I make chocolate cake, but only after the minis fight over who gets to lick the beater with the most frosting. And I don't think I've ever worn a dress to bake. Just saying. So today I'm keeping it real as a 39 1/2 year old (I so hate that 1/2 these days!)and posting REAL things I am thankful for on March 4, 2010. This is my space. This is my list.



1- My push-up bras.
2- My muscle class instructors. (Except Laura. She's evil.)
3- My concealer stick.
4- The hours of 9:15-12:15 Monday through Thursday when I'm mini-free and somewhat sane.
5- Self-tanner. Winter, it's been fun, but I'm losing interest in you.
6- That I can happily walk down the baby product aisle and not have to stop.
7- Pinot Grigio (don't worry, only 1-2 nights a week! I drink red the other nights. SO KIDDING!!! Couldn't resist.)
8- That we have graduated from playgroup so I don't have to host any more.
9- Mr. Pink's job. This should have ranked a lot higher!
10- That my minis love me and thank God for me every night even on the days I feel like my daily mom progress report shows "needs improvement."

So, be honest, what are you thankful for today? If you've never commented, please do.

Out of the mouth of babes...

or out of my soon-to-be 9 yr old's mouth to Mr. Pink last night:

When I get a cell phone I want a bigger one than mommy's phone. I want a blueberry!

What???

I don't know if I'm more shocked by:

a- Jake picked Vienna!!!!!!!

or

b- Kate Gosselin is going to be on Dancing With the Stars!

Both are making me uncomfortable right now!

Tonight's gonna be a good night...

The Final Rose ceremony, you know, "The most dramatic rose ceremony yet" as we are always told. I'm getting together with three friends to watch it at our 2nd Final Rose party. I hosted the first one. Will be a fun way to end a Monday. I don't think Jake is giving a rose or ring to anyone though....hmmm.??

Good weekend. Two birthday parties, gym, hair appointment, church, family bike ride, family bowling (First time ever as family. So fun) and some "to do's" knocked off our ever-growing list. Hope you all have nice weekends, too!