My Little Minion

I know I don't typically post on a Saturday night, but I had to share. Brien and I had a date with Lily this afternoon/evening. We too her to the Movie Tavern to see "Despicable Me" and oh how we loved it. :o)

I think today may have crawled slower than Christmas Eve for Lil. You see, last night we had made plans for Nan and Pop to babysit the Bean and Lil awoke this morning ready to roll! Oh how the day dragged for my poor Bitty Bit.

B and I absolutely enjoyed the movie and laughed and laughed. So did Lil! :o) Boy was that an expensive date! I have no idea how kids can afford to date any more. Sheesh!

We saw the movie in 3D and it was worth it. The minions were DELIGHTFUL and I want a couple for my own now. :oP In fact, we've been calling the girlies "Meenion" and "Mini-Meenion". Hee hee. :o)

Ellie did well with Nana and Pop. I think she's getting sick as she's been having a miserable time of it settling down. :o( She did so again with Nan. Poor Bean. :o(

We three, however, have decided we should have another date some time in the future. :o)

Happy Friday!!

Read Any Good Books Lately?

B's still not home. The traffic (Pop calls it "tragic" for with good reason) on I64 is the pits--as usual. B needs to stop and pick up pine nuts and BBQ sauce for dinner, so I've got a couple of minutes to post a few pics. :o)

Ellie gets a night-night story as part of her bedtime routine. She's quite attentive. ;o)


(Sorry for the fuzzy images--ever asked a baby to stay still??)


Ellie has added a new sound to her jabbering repertoire, shrieking. She squeals with delight and squeaks with happiness. Ahhhh. She's going to be one of those little girls. :oP

***********************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Dinner is going to be pesto, BLT's with avocado and boneless pork ribs. I think. ;o)
2. Studio time last night. Be sure to check out the stamping blog. Lissie and I try to post at least once a day. :o)
3. Studio time tonight??
4. Lil's feeling all better. YAY!! :o)
5. Lazy time snuggling with my Buddy-dog. :o)
6. It's kinda sorta raining a little out there. It has been BEYOND dry around her lately.

No milestones.

Random Thoughts

Two Ellie videos for you. The first shows off the faux hawk she is TOTALLY rockin' today. The second is from a couple of weeks ago. She is really jabbering in that one. :o)


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

The Bit has felt fine, then ill, then fine once more today. I'm still taking it easy with what she is eating since I don't want a repeat of her naptime unhappiness. :oS

I made spaghetti sauce with the black plum tomato spread I made Friday, and it was excellent. (Lil had PLAIN pasta.) I also made some chocolate ice cream. Oooh, that was some good stuff! :o)

Lily has been playing with Ellie, which has been nice for me. Ellie, meanwhile, is utterly enchanted with her sister, watching her every move. It's rather deja vu-ish since I watched Lil do the same thing with Hannah. I just hope Lily enjoys being around Ellie a bit more than Han enjoyed being with Lil.

Brien was not offered the job he interviewed for. While disappointing, we figure God has something else for us. Every time we have had what we have thought is a setback, something even better has come along, and we're both sure this is the case again.

I have GOT to find more patience. I have no idea where mine have gone, but my poor Lily is taking the brunt of it right now. :o(

And, I think that about wraps up this evening's random thoughts. :oP

************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Ellie has turned into such a CHAMPION napper. 9-11, 1-3ish, 4-5ish. Now to move that good sleep to bedtime...
2. Brien's positive attitude in the face of disappointment.
3. Good spaghetti sauce.
4. Happy baby jabbering. :o)
5. Lil feeling a little more plucky this evening.

Milestones
Watching Lily and Ellie is SO like watching Hannah and Lily. :sigh: Additionally, Ella has her first loose tooth. Now, while this is exciting, it's also bittersweet. You see, that is the one thing Hannah really wanted that she didn't get to experience. I foresee a very bittersweet year as Ella and Lil turn five. :oS

Feeling Like a Heel

So, while she was supposed to be napping, Lily was instead standing at the top of the bridge "crying" that her throat hurt. Now then, it should be noted, Lil, like her big sister, could certainly win a daytime Emmy award for her acting abilities and I was fairly certain she was pulling out the crocodile tears. I told her to go lay back down and that rest would help her feel better.

(In the interim, Ellie had awakened and was ravenous so I was taking care of her needs at the moment.)

Soon after, I got, "Mommy, I frowed up!" I was still thinking this was an act and "betend", I went upstairs and tried to suss out the truth. I still thought it was a bit of an act to get attention, because the spot on the carpet looked merely wet, not vomit-like at all.

(Then, before I knew it, Ellie had another nasty diaper that needed to be taken care of.)

Well, after taking care of Ellie, Lil was crying once again. I ran upstairs and there she was, ready to throw-up once more. I raced her to the bathroom where she had a case of dry heaves. Oh boy. I'm a dog. I'm a horrible horrible mama. How could I not believe my baby when she told me she was sick?!? :o(

When Rachael Met Brien Part II

So, let's see, where did I leave off? Ah, yes, Brien had finally asked me out. :oP

The Homecoming game was of course, Friday night, to be followed by the dance on Saturday. We marched Friday evening, and had a competition the following day. It was a very bright and sunny day for October, we marched our program (it was my first competition and I dropped my flag on my final arial :sigh:), and then hung around watching everyone else, chatting and having a really fun time.

Unbeknownst to me, I was getting a sunburn, on only one half of my face!! Not to worry, so was Brien, so we matched when we had our photo taken that evening. If I can find it, I'll have to scan it and post it. :oP Anyhow, if I recall it correctly, we placed first in the competition (we typically did), we all headed home to get cleaned up and ready for the dance.

Brien was at the door to collect me right on time and we headed off to dinner. All week he had persisted I needed to choose where we were going to go. Those of you who know me can attest to the fact I am NOT a decision maker. As such, I was none too pleased I was to be the one to choose our venue. B finally pushed me by saying he would take me to the Kmart dinette if I didn't choose something. I have to say, that worked and I selected a local place, Bogen's. (It should be noted that B will, to this day, threaten me with dinner in a department store dinette if I don't choose.)

The dance was lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed being with Brien and slow dancing (high school style, of course, my arms around his neck, his at my waist) with a guy I actually had an interest in. Oh, what a glorious time. :o) Being the good, responsible boy he was, Brien had me home about five minutes before my curfew. He walked me to the door, and there, waiting in the dark to meet us, was Papa. Oh. My. Goodness.

At this time, we were living in a little duplex by the middle school. Papa and Mom had been divorced for nigh on 14 years at this point, but had remained friends (made my life SO much easier). Papa had been lamenting the fact he wouldn't be able to meet my date because he would be in Morgantown for the VT/WVU game. I figured after the game he would be so tired he would just head for his house and meet B another time. Nope. There he was. He had hoofed it down the road and was home in time to sit in the driveway awaiting our return from the dance. Thank GOODNESS Brien had me home before curfew!

Needless to say, Brien made a good impression, although he was a bit rattled to be meeting my father after the dance, and at midnight at that. :shakes head: My Papa loved me so much he wanted to be sure my date was worthy of me. :o)

Up to this point, I had typically spent Saturday nights at Papa's. This was to spend time with him, and to attend church with him the following morning, and then spend the day with him. This all began to change when I started dating Brien. It began with the after-church phone call that Sunday--and each Sunday thereafter. :oP

At Mom's, I had a specific time during which I was allowed to receive phone calls. I seem to recall it was from 8:00-8:30 or some such. This was in part to keep from having the phone line tied up, since we didn't have call-waiting. At Papa's, there were no such restrictions, and I could talk for as long as I wanted. Boy, remember the days when you could talk for hours about nothing at all? Brien and I would do that every Sunday--up until it was dinner time anyway. ;o)

We soon settled into a routine of Friday night football game, Saturday band competition followed by date, and Sunday phone call. Additionally, he would seek me out in school and spend time with me. I think Nana must have been overjoyed when we began dating, because for the first time in his school career, Brien was not only on time to school, he was EARLY--all so he could hang out with me first thing in the morning. :o) We also spent 10 minute break together. Of course, "together" meant "with me and my friends" but we sure did have fun. :o)

The days were soon weeks, and those weeks months, and Brien still hadn't kissed me...

To be continued yet again...
************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Brien made that amazing seafood gumbo again. He claims the recipe is now ready and I'll try to get it posted on Follow Your Bliss at some point soon.
2. Kat and Greyson came for a visit today. :o)
3. Lily is learning to be more patient with two year old boys.
4. Ellie is rockin' the faux hawk these days. :oP
5. It was only 88 degrees today and there was a cool-ish breeze. It was almost downright chilly. ;o)

No milestones.

My Girlies

This is what happened when I tried to get a photo of the girls. I had Ellie on the floor with her Winkle, and Lil joined her. "Ah, a perfect photo-op," I thought to myself.

Ellie, however had other ideas. "AHHHHH, a Winkle," she exclaimed!

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!!"


Poor Lil. She tried to help me out. Alas, it didn't work.

So, we just gave up. Oh, well, there's always next time. :oP

As for the Bean, well, I did mention she's mouthing everything she can get her hot little hands on, right?

Drool is everywhere.



It's a good thing she's so darn cute. ;o)
******************************
We had a lovely lovely time with Robin and Lawrence. I hope they gleaned some useful information from us this weekend. Their trip was multi-purpose. Not only were they here to hang out, they also came to find out about life with a baby and gather tips and ideas.

We played games, chatted, ate good food, and really just tried to hang out where it was nice and cool. The temps were 105+ the past couple of days. It's so hot everything is dying. My garden is shot. Nothing is doing well. You can only water so much. Even the attack pumpkin is withering. :oS

I've spent today being totally lazy and worthless. Ellie was up a couple of times last night, and then, around five, she awoke and began jabbering. Oh boy. Needless to say, I'm TIRED today. I'm not sure where my good nighttime sleeping baby went. She seems to have disappeared around the time my good daytime sleeping baby arrived...

Speaking of Beans, she seems to be over her projectile vomiting stage. Of course, now that I've written this, she's guaranteed to begin doing so again. :oP She does still spit up, but not the copious amounts it once was. Whew!

Lil is doing everything she can to be helpful and good. Too bad she has a sassy streak a mile long with a stubborn streak to match. Sheesh. Is it just me?

*******************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Divine, way fattening dessert:
Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding. You know if Paula Deen is involved it has to be fattening. But, you also know it's gotta be divine. I only make this about once a year, as I think of 'nana puddin' as a summer time thing, not to mention, it's just so stinkin' rich.
2. One more visit with Robin and Lawrence.
3. Putting the Bean down and having her sleep and sleep well. :o)
4. Sammiches for dinner.
5. The temps dropped to the mid-90's today. Who woulda thunk that would be "cool"?!?

no milestones

Happy Birthday, Secca!!

It's Jessie's 32nd birthday, everyone! Happy birthday, Jess! We love you to bits and pieces! :o)

Company's Here

I've been enjoying our visit with Robin and Lawrence. In fact, they're here even now. :oP

I thought I would leave you with this sweet image of the Bean. :o) Oh, before I forget, we got some chuckles out of Miss Beanie today. She is quite the smiley baby and I fear she is following in her cousin Gracie's footsteps on the flirting front. ;o)

Well, Robin and Lawrence are heading out so I'm off.

Happy Monday! :o)

Brien's Photos

Well, I had upload them one at a time, but here they are--B's HHD photos. :o)

Once again we have Lil's beaver teeth.


The farm house.

Hey! Let us out!!







Lil saw this branch down low and was immediately anxious to climb on and "ride".

Believe it or not, this was the easy part of the hike!


But, like I said, it was absolutely worth it.
















There you have it. Four hours of hiking condensed to these photos. Hee hee!

****************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. I finished the clean clean cleaning!! I am once again in love with my house. :oP
2. I'm going into the studio to work on a card for the Always Playing with Paper challenge. Oh, and Paul's birthday card too. :o)
3. Robin and Lawrence arrive tomorrow. Hooray for fun visits from friends!
4. Easy peasy dinner of left overs and fresh produce.
5. Ohmygoodness delicious peaches. I adore peaches, but only in the summer, tree-ripened, and dribbly good. You should have to schlurp a peach when you eat it. I can't wait to get back to the FM to pick up another 1/4 peck!

No milestones.

**************************************
Please keep Brien in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. He has a phone interview for a new job tomorrow and he is VERY interested in the position.

Thanks!

At a Loss for a Title...;o)

Brien created a beautiful DVD of images for me. I try to upload them and I get an error message. Gr. I'm going to try to create a slide show instead.

This is Lil using her newly acquired walking stick. We knew going down the mountain Lil would need a stick to help her balance. I had no sooner said we needed one, then there one was--the perfect size for the Bit.

Here is one of the many butterflies that led the way up the trail.

******************************
Today was clean clean clean day. I thoroughly cleaned the downstairs today and Lil helped. :o) We made a nice carpet refresher using baking soda and lemon, grapefruit and bergamot essential oils. We scrubbed the kitchen, did the rugs, cleaned the playroom, and dusted. It was a BUSY day. :o)

I spent rest time going through Ellie's drawers, taking out all the newborn sized items, as well as the smaller 0-3 month clothes. And, I sorted in some of the clothes Jessie sent along with me after Ella's birthday party. I was holding those teeny tiny onesies, those little bitty newborn clothes, and I wanted to weep. Sweet Ellie is my last baby. No more of my babies will wear those clothes. She's growing up so quickly. :o(

She is really grabbing and grasping at things now. She was grasping one of the toys on her Gymini with two hands this afternoon. See, growing too fast!!

Lily, once she finished helping me, was anxious to work on her art.



Ah, the trappings of little girls. :oP

*************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. I know this is lame, but this made me so happy:
Do you see how I subconsciously put the dishes out to dry in ROY G BIV order? :happy sigh:

2. Dinner tonight is a quick pasta salad with fresh mozzarella, basil and grape tomatoes, all from the FM. I dressed it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is fabulously delicious.
3. Mom, Jess, this is for you:
Cuke salad!!
When I was growing up, we ate whatever produce was coming in. Typically one veggie came in all ripe at once. We would be eating cukes until they came out our ears. We had them sliced into sticks, in vinegar with onions, in salad, as a salad. This was my favorite way to eat it. :o)
4. A clean house.
5. Ellie sleeping without reawakening every few minutes needing her paci. Hooray!

No milestones.

*******************************
Well, it seems Ellie is ready to get up from her late afternoon nap. I'm off!