Reagan and "Girl"

Today Reagan and I decided to celebrate her potty training success by building a bear at, well, Build-A-Bear. (go figure on that one!) Reagan was so excited and yes, a little overwhelmed. (I'd probably wait a little while longer to do it with another kid.) She picked out an adorable black bear, gave it big girl panties, a denim skirt and a purple shirt with an owl on it. When asked what her bear's name was so I could fill out the 'birth' certificate, she said "Her name is Girl".....and so, that's what she's called.

Right now they're both sacked out in bed, snoozing nap time happily away. I should take a clue from them!

Curious....

Seems lately I've been getting a lot of hits on a very old blog topic of mine regarding Reagan walking for the first time..but that's not what the draw is. Apparently it's a picture of Reagan with bright red cheeks which was a reaction to some medication she had been taking at the time.

I'm wondering if people click on it thinking it's going to lead them to a picture of another type of red cheek (and if so, that's utterly disgusting and I'm considering going private).....or if it's more liberal nonsense making fun of President Reagan's red cheeks (poor taste, even for liberals, if I do say so myself)...which is what I got when I googled.

I think it goes without saying that you must have been doing something right if your presidency ended almost 20 years ago and you're still upsetting the liberals. Long live Conservative values: Christianity, morals, family values, protecting the innocent, less government, supporting the military, fending for yourself and believing in the Constitution.

I'm Tigger!

Yesterday Reagan was sitting in bed coloring with her markers while I tried to get some more sleep...I looked up to find her coloring stripes on her face...I didn't have the strength to tell her no..so I just let her go! She proceeded to color her face, her arms and her legs and then said "Mommy! I'm Tigger!"

Sooo sick.

I have strep throat :( and I can't even speak. Luckily Reagan has been such a great kid and has obeyed my hand gestures, even going down for a nap when i picked her up and put her in bed. Meanwhile, I'm in so much pain I can't stand it and Tylenol ISN"T helping!!! I've already managed to down one chocolate shake and I just don't think I can face another--it makes me sick but it *does* feel really great on my throat. I've lost three pounds in two days and did I mention our Open House is this weekend?

Yep, somehow I manage to get sick at the worst times.

"Pretzels by the Dozen"

This is a great kid's book! I checked it out at the library the other day for Reagan and I to read and not only does it spell out the history of pretzels in a kid-friendly way, but it's also a great Christian book AND includes a wonderful recipe for pretzels to make with your kids.

Suprisingly, making pretzels is fairly easy! And the best part? The dough doesn't contain eggs so you don't have to constantly yell at your children to stop eating the dough!

I encourage moms and dads to run out and get this book..it'll provide some great one on one time with you and your little one.

Angel Rocks

Reagan and I were playing in the yard today with two of her friends. Joseph held up two beautiful river rocks that were white and very opaque. He said "oh, these are pretty white rocks." Reagan, very softly said, "yes, those are angle rocks."...Amazing...and indeed they did look like rocks you would expect to find on the shores of some pristine beach in Heaven.

Happy Father's Day Josh!

Reagan and I love you!!

One More Reaganism for you!

Reagan has obviously seen me without my shirt on and has seen the stretch marks left behind by my pregnancy. One day several months ago she asked what they were. I explained they were stretch marks made from having her grow inside my belly. The other day she saw me again and very solemnly said "I did that to you Mommy" and gave me the most contrite look I've ever seen! Talk about melting your heart! She was worth all the stretch marks in the world and more!

New Reaganisms for you!!

Reagan saw Josh getting into the shower today. (What can I say? She barges in on everyone!) And she started giggling (no, not great for his ego!) and said "Daddy, you're so furry! You need to brush yourself!" LOL!! This will be especially funny for people who know Josh in real life and understand that he is a very furry guy!

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Mommy: Reagan we're going to the zoo today. They have a new exhibit with lions, zebras, hyenas..all kinds of new animals. Are you excited??
Reagan: Mommy, hyenas are bad. (very seriously)
Hmm......exactly when did I let her watch Lion King?????

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Daddy took Reagan to the potty the other day when she said she had to go pee-pee. He sat her down, waited a couple of minutes and said "Well? Aren't you going to go pee-pee?" She looked back at him and said "Hold on Daddy. It's coming."

I DO NOT Want to Clean the House

Period. I don't want to. I'm not going to. And no one can make me. Except maybe my realtor. I'm defiantly refusing to clean up anything today, except maybe the cat puke courtesy of Pritsha, because she decided to eat a flower. Beautiful she is, smart she is not.

I'm going to sit on my bum-bum (as Reagan calls it), drink my Slimfast shake (pretty decent and actually does really fill you up--and hey, give me a break, I'm working out too!) and read my two new magazines.

That's right. I'm going to be sloucher mom today. And frankly, I don't care who knows it or what anyone thinks! Power to the moms! I say everyone breaks free has a sloucher day!

I'm Dreaming of Christmas...

Maybe I should stop looking at recipes for Christmas cookies, because I am in a serious Christmas mood already. Although, I'm not sure exactly where I'll be celebrating Christmas this year. Still in this house? In some other house yet to be determined? I'll be happy when all the uncertainly is finished.

In the meantime, I'm dreaming of baking and presents and Christmas music and I dare not utter a single word of it in front of Josh. He is a firm believer in a holiday being celebrated during it's season. In fact, he spends most of November in an absolute state of rage filled self righteous indignation over the fact that Christmas decorations, music, presents, food and everything else takes precedence over Thanksgiving. (Each year I try to make Thanksgiving really important for him, all the while listening to his lectures--you'd think he was 60!)

Ahh, Christmas....maybe tomorrow Reagan and I will bake cookies ;)

ARRRRRRRRRRRGH!! We lost the house...

The one I was so excited about? The one we had an accepted offer on with the contingency clause that our house sold first? Well....they had another offer come in and we decided to let it go. I am very miserably upset....but maybe we'll find something else I like as much. Not the best of weekends.

Menu Plan Monday

It has been at least ten forevers since I participated in Menu Plan Monday. But I really need to get with it and do some actual planning because life is HECTIC lately!!! Here goes.

Monday: Roast and butternut squash, green beans
Tuesday: Baked chicken with green beans and new potatoes
Wednesday: Chicken pot pie, salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza Night
Saturday:Any leftovers or sandwiches

Breakfasts:
Cream of wheat
Eggs
Fruit

Lunches:
Lean Cuisines
Green Giant vegetable steamers
Leftovers
Sandwiches

Snacks:
Fruit
Popcorn
SoyJoy
Salad

Check out other great menus for the week at orgjunkie.com.

Flag Day

I'm sitting here writing this as of Saturday evening. I've just been out to a wonderful meal with my family. The birds are chirping outside of the open windows. It's perfect weather. And I've just finished putting my flags out in my potted plants to celebrate Flag Day. I used to keep them up all the time, and somehow in the midst of getting the house on the market this year, I forgot to put them out.

Shame on me.

I don't know why I'm so emotional over the thought of Flag Day tomorrow. It's not a day that is normally celebrated jubilantly. And, for the most part, people don't seem as happy to celebrate the things that make us uniquely and wonderfully American as much anymore.

But I am. I am so thankful to God for being given the privilege to be born an American. So thankful that He made me a citizen of this great Country. And burdened by what continues to happen here.

Please think about all the wonderful reasons why we are proud to be an American tomorrow and display our Flag proudly. Think of the millions of Americans that have fought and died for our Flag, and remember that this is not simply a piece of cloth...it is a piece of us, a piece of our history, a piece of ourselves, sweat stained, blood drenched and waving proudly in the face of adversity.

God Bless America.


In case you were wondering, here is information on how to properly display our beloved Flag.

And here is the history of Flag Day.

I'm in love!

No, no, not with Edward. Ok, yes, with Edward. But that's not what I'm talking about in this post. No. My latest love is.....those tiny Green Giant vegetable boxes..you know the ones, right? They have two or three servings in them and you can steam them in the microwave?

Seriously, if you haven't tried one..get thee to the store and buy one! I recommend the Broccoli and Rice with Cheese Sauce (the whole entire package is only 270 calories...LUNCH! DINNER!) or the Weight Loss vegetable mix with a delicious BUTTER SAUCE!! I think it may be around 180 calories total and has black beans, early peas, carrots, and edamame, among others. YUM!!!!! Josh thinks I'm slightly crazy for relishing that one, but I swear it's delicious!

No, no, Green Giant is not paying me in any way shape or form or even with samples or coupons to tout their product..I just love them THAT MUCH. Sigh..if only chocolate had so few calories and filled me up as much.....maybe someone should get on that.

Reagan's Latest Prayer

(Unfortunately, I was at the office and missed it :( )

Reagan: Wait Daddy! We have to pray!
Daddy: Ok, pray.
Reagan: Thank you Jesus for this popcorn. It is going to be good. Amen. (pause) Daddy, why are you laughing???

A Sense of Family

Today my cousin Emily visited from Tennessee. While we weren't that "close" growing up (I'm ten years older than she is), I feel an innate sense of "closeness" to her that I don't feel with friends that I've had for 20+ years (the exception there being of course, my best friend who is more sister than friend and who supercedes most bonds of blood). There is something about FAMILY. Something about sharing that bond, that connection, that sense of history and self and yes, even DNA, with someone else.

I am always so happy to have her visit, even if it's just for a day every six months or so. It gives me a feeling that Reagan is bonding with her roots as well, anchoring to something bigger than she is.

Growing up, I always had cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and great grandparents around, in my life, my business, my house. Sometimes they were annoying, sometimes I hated them, sometimes it was comforting. Through it all, it was family. And it's something that I've grown to miss since growing up and moving away.

That isn't to say my husband doesn't have family around here. He does. And I love my in-laws SO MUCH. They're wonderful people and I've developed a lasting, family bond with them, as parents and FRIENDS. He also has aunts and uncles around...and cousins too...and I like a good few of them. And some I could love without. But they just aren't CLOSE. And I wouldn't say my family was close either...more just a FAMILY--always THERE. Always sharing something...food, self, that strange tie that only blood can forge. THERE. TOGETHER...so maybe we were "CLOSE".

And I miss that for Reagan. I want her to grow up with that tangeled mess of family and the sense that no matter how far away you go or how long it's been since you've been home, you belong to someone else. You belong to this group of people, who, no matter what you've done, what you've said, what you've thought, they HAVE to love you AND DO. And they're there for you.

Reagan will never have first cousins. Josh is an only child...and I doubt my brother will ever settle down enough to reproduce..and I honestly hope he doesn't (wild child!) so for her, I can only hope that we have many more kids...that she will belong to a large family of grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, and long distance second cousins, aunts and uncles.

That annoying, loveable, can't live with them and sure can't live without them, family unit. That sense of belonging, that pull towards home and duty, safety and comfort.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

I'm SUPER 29 today ;) No..really, I'm 30. WOW. 30. Just wow. And by the way, Happy Birthday to my good friend Andrea today as well!

Happy Birthday you silly cat!

Here's my second furbaby-Porthos-he's nine today!! (Reagan was letting him [forcing him to] listen to music! LOL!)

Reagan's new favorite game...

Reagan has decided that she absolutely loves playing a fun outdoorsy style game, inside. It's where you throw that plate shaped disc through the air and the other person catches it and they through it back to you...you know that game right?

Yeah....furbee. :) At least, that's what Reagan calls it. TOO CUTE!

Toddlers will make a sane person crazy

OH MY GOODNESS. I really don't think I'm going to make it through the terrible twos. Seriously, what happened to my oh-so happy baby!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Time for another post dedicated to.....

yep...Edward.....siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Seriously, this obsession CANNOT be healthy....oh well, who cares..it's Edward right?!?!?!?!? (and yes, I am COMPLETELY embarrassed my husband walked into our bedroom to find me on the computer, drooling over these pictures!!!)

Did I mention we found a house?

We did :) and we put an offer on it....AND it was accepted..contingent upon us selling our house. I really hope our house sells soon.

About the house..it's very cute and in a VERY nice, established neighborhood (actually our second favorite in our town!). It's 1472 square feet above and 470 square feet below in a partial basement. Three bedrooms, 2 baths, a deck, a three season room, and a big backyard with tons of mature trees. We even have a lilac tree right outside the master bedroom, a raised vegetable/flower garden and great landscaping.

It does need some updating, just because it's about that time in the house's life. It's 18 years old, so it needs updated fixtures, cabinets and flooring..but otherwise it's absolutely perfect for us (or would be if it only had four bedrooms! oh well!)

I am really praying our house sells soon and we can move into our home as soon as possible. I have so many plans already! I want to make one of the bedrooms a large office for Josh and I (mostly Josh), make the basement a huge playroom complete with swings from the ceiling and slides, make the three season room a great reading room/sleeping porch for the summer and adding a nice privacy fence and a cute little dog to our home! I even told Josh that *I* was demanding a flat screen! LOL!...this from the person who cares little about technology...but I want to somehow incorporate it/hide it behind artwork in the living area.

I EVEN have a tree that is some sort of pine, which means no more scrounging for pinecones for decorating at Christmas...I have my own private manufacturing 'facility' right outside ;)

Seriously, I do love it and I can't wait to show it off to you guys *if* *when* we get it!

Cottonwoods are evil

I'm just sayin'. Cottonwoods are apparently my own personal hell for horrid things I have done in my past. If I had my way, I would find each and every tree in this part of the country, chop it down, take the largest, scariest chainsaw I could find, chop each tree into tiny little bits and then stamp on them while setting fire to their limbs. Then, I would sit and laugh sadistically as I watched their charred bark flame into nothingness.

I really, really, really hate Cottonwood trees.

My muscles will thank me later....

So, I've sucked it up and stopped the continual crying...and joined...a gym! Yah, ME! I threw myself headlong into a cycling class and a weight lifting class...and I feel really good. Sure, my arms sort of feel like spaghetti and the first day of cycling left my behind feeling like I wanted to never sit again...but I can't possibly be as out of shape as I thought, because instead of being really sore, I just feel really energized and ready to take on the world. Or maybe pain really IS just a mindset (and every woman that's ever had a baby gets ready to write a scathing comment at this point...just kidding girls..I KNOW it's not mindset only!)

At any rate, I'm feeling great and eating better and just enjoying the fact that I'm actually DOING something about the way I feel for once. I EVEN (gasp) went clothing shopping..yep :) I bought just a few new things, but it felt good. And even better, I went clothes shopping BY MYSELF...TWO HOURS of uniterrupted ME time...THAT felt good. I didn't even feel guilty (well, not until the end anyway).

So that's the update from the homefront here. Thank you so much to all of you who are continuing to read my blog although I have been less than dedicated at writing the past few weeks!