Distractions

Behold the cuteness!

2006-08-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Abbot and Nobody

2006-07-27T14:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was trying to tell Brian that I heard a Bjork song that wasn’t weird, and that, in turn, made it weird.

The conversation got silly and confusing, so he threw in “Who’s on first?”

I said “I don’t know.”

And he didn’t say “Third base!”

And he says he didn’t leave me hanging. Which, clearly, he did. Don’t you agree?

Weekend Recap

2006-07-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

We took Noelle to a birthday party Saturday morning. It was at a place with a room full of those Jupiter Jump things. She had so much fun and completely wore herself out. We’re definitely having her next birthday party there, that place was fantastic! They take care of everything so the parents can actually relax & enjoy the party too. Big pat on the back to whoever thought of opening that place.

I went to a wedding reception for my friend Matt on Saturday afternoon (he’s who I traveled to see take the plunge about three weeks ago) and met up with an old friend from high school there. It was a blast seeing her again & hopefully we’ll keep in touch. It was like there hadn’t been one day since the last time we saw each other. I love those kinds of friends.

Yesterday we went with some friends to eat at the “new Casa Bonita” – Casa Viva. The kids had fun I think. The food was exactly the same. Not stellar, but I didn’t spit it out either. I don’t think that’s the reason people go there anyway. It’s got to be the fake thunderstorm & bird noises coming from behind the blindingly colorful walls. It’s certainly not for the merry-go-round anymore since they took it out. Eh – I could take it or leave it.

After lunch, Noelle & I went to my parents’ house because my favorite sister was in town. We didn’t have a very long visit because she had to get on the road, but we’ll take what we can get when she’s here! We went home at about seven & played for a little while before getting Noelle into bed. Then Brian & I had ice cream for dinner and watched some tv before I started nodding off & had to go to bed myself.

When I got up this morning, Brian had done the dishes, cleaned out the fridge, and put gas in my car. I’ve got to remember to thank him for all of that. He’s the best!

And now here I am back at work. Lovely Monday. But I’ve got drunko tonight to look forward to. Yay!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

Humdrum?

2006-06-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

I’m leaving soon for an out of town wedding! Getting on a real plane, to go on a real trip, and out of my house! WOOHOO!!! I’m so excited!

I really must start getting out more. I get so in a rut of going home, eating, playing with Noelle & going to bed shortly after she does. I’m wasting daylight! I don’t know what I should be doing, but I shouldn’t be cooped up in the house all the time, no wonder I’m pasty.

Maybe we should start doing dinner picnics. That sounds like fun, and Noelle would love it. You can only go out to eat or shopping so much before that gets old too.

I don’t want to resign myself to the fact that I’m just boring old Mom now. I shouldn’t have to. But between working all day & trying to keep up with Noelle, the house, bills, etc., etc., I guess that’s what I’ve become. I love being a mom, but I want to be a better one. Are there things I should be doing for/with her that I’m not doing? I don’t want to be boring old Mom in Noelle’s eyes.

If anybody can think of fun (cheap) things for us to do, let me know. Until I come up with something new, I’ll try to think of ways to glamorize what we already do.

Hmmmm….. After we arrive home from our days out in the world, we have fabulous meals in the comfort of our own home, with two dogs playfully begging at our feet. Following that, we play and laugh together in the family room, or out in the sun until the stars just begin to show themselves. Then we all go inside, Noelle has a bath, then it’s time for books, snuggling, and crawling into bed, where sweet dreams and soft dolls await her. Brian and I spend some nice, quality, quiet time together, before we’re ready to drift off to sleep ourselves, resting completely before we repeat the entire thing tomorrow.

Actually that doesn’t sound half bad.

>:-(

2006-06-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

@*&!!&amp;#% )*@#*#^# #)$# &*@#($ tampons!

GRRRRR......

Side note: Why on earth did that one mess of a word make a link?! It opens my email. Does it do that to you?

The things we do...

2006-06-07T08:13:00.000-07:00

Monday night I was at Kohl’s and bought Noelle a little stuffed turtle – Vern, from the movie Over the Hedge. I gave it to her Tuesday morning and she was instantly smitten. We sent him with her to the babysitter, where she gave him food & drinks, covered him up for naps, and carried him everywhere.

When I picked her up that afternoon, I noticed that Vern had a couple of holes in his belly, one where the stuffing was poking out. Then, the string on his mouth started to come out and Noelle was devastated. Apparently I’d bought a defective turtle & I thought I’d just fix the problems when we got him home.

When we did get home she was so upset that I couldn’t have taken him away from her to fix him. (Did I mention the lack of nap that day? I think that may have had just a tiny bit to do with such a big production.)

So – we told her we’d take him to the turtle doctor. Brian, Noelle, Vern, & I loaded up in the car and headed to Kohl’s. She kept saying “Take him to the doptor!”, “Go take him to the doptor!”. And she gave him hugs & kisses. Then she fell asleep. (Thankfully, otherwise I don’t know how I would’ve taken Vern away from her for the turtle trade-out.)

So I went in and inspected five or six other turtles to find perfection. I finally found it and took them both to the “doctor” at the check out counter. This doctor was a guy about 20, who had on more makeup than Boy George out for a night with Beetlejuice. It’s a good thing this turtle was stuffed. We made the switch & I got back out of there.

Noelle woke up when we got home, but she was so sleepy & out of it she had no idea about Vern & the turtle doctor that works at Kohl’s. She did, however, remember when she woke up this morning. She was so happy “Vern is all better!” that she hugged and kissed him, and she nearly had to wear her pjs today because she wouldn’t put him down to change her clothes.

This is, so far, the oddest thing I’ve done as a mom. (Maybe preparing me for a real fish swap later?) It’s also one of my favorite stories ever.

Smiling

2006-05-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

You know what's funny? Watching your kid try to make a weeble lay down and take a nap.

:)

Complaint Department

2006-05-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

My stomach is very sore.

I did not go to sleep last night until 5 AM.

There is nothing on tv between 3 & 5 in the morning.

I am home alone, which, while great in some ways, is quite boring since I can't really do anything.

There is so much to do around the house, and all I can do is sit and look at it. (Yeah, that was kind of a repeat of the last one.)

I didn't get to see Noelle yesterday. Decided it was best to avoid any possibilities of being trampled on, even if it was for a hug. Baby kiss withdrawls!

Ok, that's enough. I'll try to think of some better things to post later.

Filet O'Me

2006-05-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Can't talk today. Am getting poked, prodded, scraped, sliced, & searched at the outpatient surgery center. Somebody eat something for me. I'm starving!

Twiddling My Thumbs

2006-05-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today my focus is fuzzy and my motivation stayed home.

I can't seem to concentrate on anything at all today. I keep moving papers back and forth on my desk because I can't stay with any of them long enough to complete the task attached.

Anybody else having a long day? How the heck are you getting through it?

I'm trying to think of something else to post so I'll be busy for a few more minutes, but of course my mind is blank.

I think I need a nap.

FORE!!!!

2006-05-12T04:51:00.000-07:00

I'm playing in a golf tournament today. I just hit a golf ball for the first time on Sunday. I should've sold tickets to this show.

Not Very Deep Thoughts

2006-04-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

I’m really not sure how people update these things daily. I was doing ok there for a while, but lately, not so much. Oh well.

So there have been random thoughts going through my head, but I haven’t thought them through enough to make whole posts about them. Since that’s the case, this is all you get…

--Emily’s birthday was Saturday. Happy Dirtday again, Em! (I’m trying to stretch it out for you.) Go over & tell her yourself!

--How on earth was it 90 degrees last week and today I’m wearing a coat? I love Oklahoma. Really.

--Has anyone else noticed that 95% of the people singing children’s songs (on tv, cds, whatever) can NOT sing? At all. They really wanted to be “musicians” but this is the only outlet that would accept them. I’m not saying I could do any better, but I’m not subjecting anyone to any of my screeching. Seriously, some of them are worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.

--Do you think that if I gave my whiny dog some of my happy pills he would stop whining all the freakin’ time? I’m starting to think he’s part of the reason I need the happy pills. Ok, maybe not. But still…STOP ALREADY!

--I’m growing my hair out. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stand it, but I am. I was bored with it & couldn’t think of anything else to do to it, but it’s really starting to feel like an afro with all these curls. Thank goodness I’m going for a trim on Tuesday. It needs help!

--This morning Noelle wanted to put her rain boots on. There is this song she likes that spells out the word boots. Usually it comes out “B-O-O-O-O BOOTS!” or “B-O-O-B-S BOOTS!” Today it was “B-O-B-S RAIN BOOTS!” She’s wearing Bob’s rain boots. I don’t know Bob, but if he saw how cute she was, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.

--Brian is traveling again in a couple of weeks. It’s weird when he’s gone. Once Noelle goes to bed I don’t know what to do with myself. Not that we usually do much of anything once she’s asleep, but there’s no one to talk to when he’s not there.

--I’ve eaten at Ted’s twice since it opened! YAAAY!! Even though the wait was about an hour & a half the first time & 45 minutes the second time I can’t wait to go again.

Ok, maybe I should stop now. I have more thoughts, but this could’ve been a whole week’s worth of posts. Maybe I’ll save the others for that. Hope everybody is having a good week!

Two Years

2006-03-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

Note: I intended to post this on Saturday, but with all the festivities I just didn't. :)

Two years ago today I wasn’t sure what was happening. Two years ago I was scared. Two years ago I was happy. And hopeful. Unprepared and ready.

Two years ago life changed forever.

Two years ago I met her:

6 Days

I don’t have any idea what I was using all my spare time on before she came along. I sang a lot less. Danced a lot less.

3 months

Balanced things on my head a lot less. Played peek-a-boo a lot less.

6 months

I washed less dishes and did less laundry.

9 months

I tickled less and chased less.

1 year

I slept more and saw more movies.

15 months

Now I splash more and clap more.

18 months

I swing more & smile more.

21 months

I laugh more. And worry more (but about more important things).

2 years

I listen more, watch more, hug more, wonder more, kiss more feet, wash more bellies, make more silly faces, teach more, learn more, and love more than two years ago.

I wouldn’t trade one second of the last two years for anything in the world.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Noelle. I love you, sweet pea.

This week's big debate

2006-03-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

Brian has been trying (unsuccessfully) for the last week to convince me that a pair of his socks are dress socks. I insist that he is crazy and that they are not. They are most definitely athletic socks and he does not know what he is talking about.

His argument:

1) They are scratchy inside.
2) They are off white.
3) They just are.

My counter (which is longer, and also right):

1) They are a little scratchy. (If he thinks that all dress socks are scratchy, then we really need to get him some new dress socks.)
2) Dingy is not the new beige.
3) No they are not.
4) They are too thick to be dress socks, therefore, they will not fit into dress shoes.
5) They say Nike across the top. Which is ribbed. Not for my pleasure.
6) Again, no they are not.

Behold the socks in question:

Exhibit A

I think the evidence is clear. You may tell him he’s crazy if you wish. I would find that extremely funny.

Sick in the Head

2006-03-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

Since we haven't been to the ER/Urgent Care enough in the last few weeks we decided to take another trip there this weekend. Me again.

The infamous migraines are back. I got one last Monday night & couldn't get rid of it. It just kept getting worse & worse until I finally couldn't take it anymore. So on Saturday my parents came to get Noelle & Brian took me to get a shot. Lovely. I hadn't had a bad one in so long I was hoping they were just gone forever. Wishful thinking I guess.

I know one bad one doesn't mean that they're back to the same frequency and intensity that they were before, but right now, still somewhat coming out of the drug induced haze, I don't have high hopes. I have kind of missed the neurologist, she's a very nice lady, but I would rather run into her at a restaurant or something. I'm not going to see her yet, but I'm not ruling out a future visit either.

I'm just frustrated. How can I go so long without having one to having such a bad one out of the blue? I don't want to have to get on all the preventative medicines & pain pills again. Yeah, yeah, it helps, but they add up too. $$

I know, I'm thinking of the worst case scenario, it's what I do.

Ok, enough about that. How was everyone else's weekend?

=====================================================

OH!! I forgot to tell you! I'm SOOO EXCITED!! I just found out that they're building a Ted's Cafe Esconditos in Broken Arrow & it may be open pretty soon! If you've never eaten there, it's only the best Mexican food in the whole wide world. Ok, Oklahoma anyway. The tortillas are like little pieces of heaven! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Dead Rabbits

2006-03-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

Rabbit Test

The term rabbit test dates to 1949 and is a reference to an early form or pregnancy test. In the 1920s, researchers discovered a hormone dubbed human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) that could be found in the urine of pregnant women. Unable to test for this hormone directly, they discovered in 1927 that if a female rabbit was injected with urine containing hCG (don't ask me who first thought of doing this, I don't think I want to know), the rabbit's ovaries would display distinct changes after a few days. Hence, the rabbit test was born, the term following a couple of decades later.

A common misconception is that that the rabbit died if the woman was pregnant. Actually, the rabbit always died as the laboratory had to kill the animal to examine the ovaries (later on techniques were developed to spare the life of the rabbit--after which the rabbit never died). But because of this misconception the phrase the rabbit died entered the vocabulary as a euphemism for a positive pregnancy test.

Modern pregnancy tests still operate on the same principle, testing for hCG. But the use of a rabbit is no longer required.

Source: http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorr.htm

I’d never heard that expression before in my life until I got pregnant. At my first doctor’s appointment he came in accusing us of killing a rabbit. We looked at him like he was Marvin the Martian.

I heard Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion this morning. I’ve heard it a gazillion times before, but for some reason that just clicked this morning. “Can’t catch me ‘cause the rabbit done died.” Sounds to me like someone was trying to run from their responsibilities.

Then there’s Elmer Fudd. All that time spent hunting that wabbit. All he really ever wanted was an heiw to his thwone.

And Glenn Close? That rabbit died alright, but she was just psychocrazycruel.

Croup

2006-02-24T09:04:00.000-08:00

We can now add this to the list of milestones passed. Or passing soon. Hopefully...

Turning Japanese

2006-02-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

Joan Jett is turning Japanese, I really think so.

The other night we ate dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Overhead came a song that sent me into fits of laughter. It was a male version of "I Hate Myself for Loving You", sung in Japanese. I had visions of a Japanese, male Joan Jett in my head and found it uproariously funny.

I wish I could share the picture with you, I think you'd laugh too.

P.S. Sorry if the Turning Japanese song is stuck in your head now. If it's any consolation I can't get it out of mine either. Try to think of that other one up there, it's slightly less annoying.

February has not been good to me so far....

2006-02-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

First off, I have to say that we got our Christmas tree down on Jan. 31st. That’s one day later than last year. I was sure hoping it had been earlier so I could say it was a new record. Only I wanted to say it was a new record for how early we took it down, not how late.

Anyway…on with February…

On the first I started getting a cold. Not the end of the world, but certainly not welcomed.

On the second I went to the doctor and started taking a new anxiety pill. I hadn’t taken anything for a while, but I just couldn’t stand the anxious feeling anymore. This pill made me feel so sick I could hardly sit up. So, not only do I have a cold, and that nervous-butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling, I also now want to throw up for three solid days.

On the third, I had to go back to the doctor’s office for some labwork I hadn’t planned on and therefore hadn’t fasted for the day before. That afternoon I called the doctor to say I could NOT take that medicine she prescribed, could I PLEASE go back to the old one that used to work for me? They’ll get samples and a prescription, but the doctor is not in on Fridays.

On the sixth, the doctor’s office calls, we don’t have samples – wait – yes we do. But we don’t have a prescription ready for you. We’ll call you.

On the seventh, haven’t heard from the doctor’s office so call to check on things myself. Yes! It’s here! You can come pick it up any time. Go to pick it up – its samples – no prescription. Wait for several minutes in the waiting room for office person to talk to doctor. It’s not ready yet, sorry for the inconvenience, blah, blah, blah, you’ll have to come back. Stop at Sonic on the way back to work. While I’m eating, the doctor’s office calls. Your prescription is ready! Cannot leave work twice in one day for a little jaunt across town. Maybe I can make it tomorrow.

On the ninth, finally make it back to the doctor’s office to get the prescription. Hopefully that’s the last trip to the doctor this week.

That same night at about 8:30 we were just hanging around the house, playing with Noelle. She likes to play on our bed & pretend she’s asleep and she likes to flop on the pillows. We also pretend we’re asleep and she wakes us up. Cheap entertainment that produces many, many baby giggles.

So we’re playing this game and I’m pretending to be asleep. Next thing that happens – CRACK!! She had decided instead of waking me up, to flop on the pillows. Only she missed the pillows and landed on my face. That crack? Was my nose.

I’m just laying there holding my nose. Brian had grabbed Noelle off of me and was trying to see if I was ok. I’d started crying because my nose HURT! I jumped up off the bed because I was afraid I was getting blood everywhere. Ran to the bathroom to look. Strangely there was no blood, but a huge bump on the side of my nose. A huge hard bump. Was that my crooked nose staring back at me?

Brian is saying we need to go to the ER and I’m still wandering around the house trying to figure out what just happened. He gets me a bag of ice & I’m now walking blindly around the house trying to see around the bag and the towel. I decide the ER is probably a good idea. I call my parents to see if they can meet us and take Noelle home with them. Of course they can, they’ll meet us there.

We get there and all go in together. Go to the check in desk. Yeah, your nose looks a little crooked. Yes, thank you, that’s why I’m here. Go sit down to wait for our turn behind the bajillions of people who have beaten us there. It’s true. The freaks DO come out at night.

So I go back, they get vitals, I come back out. They come get me for X-rays, I go back out. Finally I go back to see the doctor. Yes, it’s broken. We will not, however, have to torture you and put it back where it belongs, it should heal just fine on its own. But just in case it doesn’t, here is the number of an ear, nose & throat doctor who will be able to fix you later. Oh, and here is a prescription for an illegal substance.

So at 2 am, we finally get home, I take my illegal substance and crawl into bed.

And now? I have a very sore nose, and a cold, which I probably got from stewing in the infestation that was the ER waiting room.

What else could February possibly have in store for me? I’m really not sure if I want to know.

Stolen fun

2006-01-25T06:42:00.000-08:00

I stole this from Rude Cactus.

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Melissa!

Only one person in two billion will live to be Melissa.
Only 55 percent of Americans know that the sun is made of Melissa.
There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat Melissa, though it may feel uncomfortable.
If you cut Melissa in half and count the number of seeds inside, you will know how many children you are going to have.
If you toss Melissa 10000 times, she will not land heads 5000 times, but more like 4950, because her head weighs more and thus ends up on the bottom.
Japan provides over thirty percent of the world's Melissa supply.
Melissa is the world's smallest mammal!
Melissa is worth her weight in gold - literally.
Melissa is black with white stripes, not white with black stripes.
If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn into Melissa.

Go ahead and steal it from me!

(I entered my last name, just edited it out when I posted my results.)

The exciting reveal...

2006-01-23T08:39:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I took forever to come back and tell you what was in that picture. Sorry about that. I didn't figure anyone was too excited about it though. You would think it was chicken wouldn't you? But no, strangely it was not...

I know you could read that package without me pointing at it. I just wanted you to see how itty bitty they were. I was eating these one day, my father-in-law had gotten them on a flight, and thought they looked exactly like sesame chicken. So much so, that I called Emily and told her I had to take a picture so she could see them. Yes, my life is that dull.

So here they are Em. Well, and on that last post too. Geez...I have now had two posts, my only two posts in two weeks, devoted to funny looking walnuts. I must get out more.

Guess?

2006-01-13T09:24:00.000-08:00

Do exactly that. Guess what this is and if anyone actually tries, then I'll let you know what it is.

Sorry Em. You're disqualified, you already know.

???

Just so I have a new post

2006-01-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

So I've heard that it's delurking week around the blogging world. I'd ask for my lurkers to speak up, except that I think that the four people who have ever been to this site commented on my last post, so that would be kind of silly.

Seems that I'm one of a jillion that loves to read what other people have to say, but don't have much to say back. I'm alright with that, but I think the delurking thing is cool. You might get a chance to meet some really cool people who you would never come in contact with otherwise.

I'm not very good at posting regularly, so I don't think I'd ever have a following like so many others do. I'm alright with that too. As long as you don't mind me lurking on your site, feel free to hang around here on the off chance I might update once in a while.

War Stories

2006-01-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

My worst day as a parent yet. The Saturday after Thanksgiving. Noelle was going to spend the day with her grandparents while Brian & I went to the OU-OSU game in Norman. Fun, right? Well, her grandpa ended up getting sick, so I decided to stay home with her because I didn’t want her to get what he had. I convinced Brian to go without me, we’d be fine, we’d just stay home and play. So off he went and play we did.

Until about 12:30. She got up and wandered into the other room and closed the door like she often does. I went to see what she was getting into and found her lying on her stomach on the floor. Weird. But I thought she was just tired, so I picked her up and took her to her room and told her she’d be more comfy in her bed. I left her there and had time to walk down the hall and sit on the couch before the blood-curdling screams started.

This wasn’t an “I don’t want to go to sleep now!” scream. I thought she had bashed her head open on the side of the crib or something. It was an urgent, painful, scary cry. I went back in there to see what was wrong and she had thrown up all over herself and the crib. She was so freaked out and didn’t know what was going on, then it happened again. She was scared to death and I was trying to figure out how that much liquid came out of such a tiny person. I ripped her shirt off and got her out of the soup and she just kept screaming and screaming. I pulled off all her sheet & blanket and went to throw them in the washing machine, just to get them out of her room. In the meantime she’s wandering around the house screaming. I think she must’ve been looking for Brian, she’s a daddy’s girl.

I ran after her & scooped her up and told her it was ok. She finally calmed down, I got her some clean clothes & we sat down to watch one of her shows. I thought that might help her feel better. It did for about half and hour when she got sick again. And then the screaming started again.

I called Brian I think right after the game started and asked him if he could come home right after the game. Of course that would still be over two hours afterward, probably a lot longer considering the traffic they’d run into getting out of Norman. So pretty much I asked him if he could come right home about six hours from then. My parents were in Texas still for the holiday and Brian’s dad was sick and I figured his mom was taking care of him, so I tried to stick it out by myself with my poor sick baby. I had a stack of towels waiting close by for the next wave of sickness, we’d be fine. I could do this, I’m the mom!

A couple of hours later I called Brian’s parents to see if one of them could come over. She was throwing up twice every half hour and all of the towels were in the washing machine. I couldn’t get the load started because every time I’d get out of the floor it seemed like an immediate signal for her stomach to explode. I hadn’t eaten since early that morning because I just couldn’t get up and leave her. Also…I really had to pee.

I must’ve sounded crazy because they both came over. Even though his dad was sick too. I think they kept me from going completely bonkers. I had been calling my mom all day, “Mom, she threw up again.” That’s all I had to tell her, I guess I just wanted her in on my misery. But with them there now I at least had someone to talk to in between the eruptions. Brian’s mom tried to help and hold her for a while, but Noelle wouldn’t get more than a couple of feet away from me for the rest of the day. Especially right before she got sick. She’d run over to me crying and make it just in time for me to get a towel out. She also started to recognize what getting the towel meant and was a little afraid of them I think.

I had called the doctor earlier and left a message on their service, it being a HOLIDAY WEEKEND and all. (Why do these thing always happen at the worst possible times?) But at 7:00 she was still throwing up every half hour. She couldn’t keep the tiniest sip of water down and I was afraid she was getting dehydrated. She’d gotten rid of the last bits of her lunch a long, long time ago. I called the doctor service back and asked for the doctors to please call me. I love Noelle’s doctors. They are so, so nice. They had the same concern I did about the dehydration and told me to call the Pediatric Urgent Care at St. Francis Hospital and get her in as soon as I could.

I called at 7:30 and we were out the door. Brian’s parents were wonderful and drove us there and stayed the entire time. At 8:00 when we pulled into the parking lot she threw up again. There were only two other kids in the whole place so we got in pretty quickly. They weighed Noelle and we went in to wait for the doctor. This one was just as great as the ones we usually see. He decided she’d need an IV and fluids since she’d been throwing up for so long.

Two nurses came in and wrapped her up in a blanket (burrito style, like when she was just born) to hold her right arm and legs in while they put an IV in her left hand. I held her head & right arm while one nurse held her legs and the other nurse put in the needle. It was horrible. She was so exhausted from being so sick all day, but she used her last bit of strength to scream and squirm all through that awful experience.

They moved us into another room & allowed Brian’s parents to come with us. They hooked her up to the IV (with something extra in it to stop the vomiting) & I sat with her in my lap in the rocking chair in there. I think she went through two bags of fluid and three or four popsicles before she started getting her color back and being Noelle again.

Brian finally got there at about 10:45, shortly before the last bag of fluid emptied. We were all exhausted and starving since we hadn’t had time for dinner. We stopped for McDonald’s & all went back to our house to eat. Noelle had fallen asleep on the way home but I couldn’t stand to have her in those clothes she’d pretty much trashed throughout the day. I laid her in the floor and got her pjs on. She barely even moved. I think it was about 12:30. We laid her in bed and after that I guess we crashed too. That part I don’t remember.

The next day we had to take her back to the urgent care because they thought they’d want to draw more blood. When the doctor checked her out he decided she was a-ok and let us go. We went home and were all still pretty worn out. And for the first time since Noelle could roll/crawl/walk/run away from us, she let us sit and hold her. We laid on the couch all day and watched movies. We all needed to recover, and I was still a little jumpy with the towels, which she didn’t appreciate.

But I felt like I was a good mom. I’d weathered the first real sickness and she was fine. I was there when she needed me and I took care of her. Throughout that entire day I kept thinking “I can’t do this, I can’t do this!” But I did. And I’m sure I’ll think the same thing next time because there is nothing worse than watching your baby be sick.

For a few days after all of this Noelle wouldn’t use her left arm for anything. She had a bruise on her left hand from the needle, and I’m sure it hurt but it was kind of funny. She would hold it up in the air and away from everything. She was like a baby bird with a wounded wing.

I know I didn’t know what all I’d signed up for when we decided to have a baby, and sure, there are things I’d really like to fast forward through. And I’m terrified of what all lies ahead. But it sure makes me proud of us when I think of what all we’ve already been through, if I do say so myself.

Quick note

2006-01-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a post, I swear. It's a long one, something you may not care about, but something I don't want to forget. I'll get it on here eventually!

Huh?

2005-12-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

This morning on the way to work I got behind a tanker truck with this written on the back...

Haulin' Liquid Chicken

I don't know what more to say about that.

Here I am

2005-12-05T14:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been gone for a while. Sorry about that. See, I was posting all the time at my old job. Where I had nothing to do. This new job actually has work for me so YAY - I'm not bored out of my mind all day, but also - no time for blogging. So sue me.

I've been trying to think of what I need to update you people on. All both of you who read this. Hmmm....what on earth have I been doing? Here in no particular order are the highlights of the last couple of months...

I have no Christmas decorations up yet, but I do have a few gifts bought.

Went to a basketball game in Stillwater on Saturday, that was fun.

Missed the football game in Norman the weekend before and instead spent some lovely time in the Pediatric Urgent Care at St. Francis, holding the sickliest baby while she got shot full of fluids & Zofran. Maybe that'll be a whole other post by itself.

Turned 30.

And with that last one, had the most wondermous surprise party with some (missed you Carrie!) of my most favoritist people in the world.

Trick-or-treated with the cutest little monkey you'd ever see in your entire life.

Went to visit Greg & Emily and had so much fun! Can't wait to do that again.

Ate lots & lots & lots of food at Brian's grandparents' house in Ponca City for Thanksgiving. Mmmm...wish I still had some leftovers.

I think that about covers it. Add a few trips to the store, countless diaper changes, and lots of commuting to and from work and you're all caught up. See, you really hadn't been missing out on much.

Lame hello in place of a real post

2005-12-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

I'm still here! I'll try to get something new on here soon, I promise!

Meet the barkers

2005-10-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Somehow I have made it this far on this blog without gracing it with pictures of the dogs. So now, I introduce to you:

Kato

This is Kato. He came along with Brian when we got married. He was about a year old when I met him, and he'll be 10 at the beginning of the year. He is a grumpy old man. I still love him, even though he drives me crazy. :)

We've always said that he has a cat's personality, he's very snobby. He sniffs all treats that he is offered and then decides whether they are up to his standards or not. We also think that when we're away from home he walks on his hind legs and speaks with a British accent. This is one smart dog. Once Brian's parents were keeping him and they left him outside when they left the house. When they came home, he was inside. He jumped through a broken window pane to get back in.

When I was pregnant he followed me everywhere I went. He was stuck to my side. I don't know how he knew, but he did, and he was somehow protecting me.

When we first brought Noelle home and she cried in her crib, he was at her door before we were half the time. I think he loves her, even though she takes most of the attention away from him.

Aside from attempting to eat our other dog a couple of times, he's been a really great dog.

Juneau

This is Juneau. We adopted him from the Humane Society when he was 10 weeks old and his name was Mowgli and Spartacus (poor puppy). He'll be three in December. He is a sweetie. A little nervous & jumpy, though I can't blame him, having to live with Kato. I really can't remember which indcident was first, but I'll start with this one:

Kato apparently was just joking when he appeared to get along so well with Juneau when they met at Pet Smart that day. We hadn't had him home long before Kato had to show him who was boss and nearly take his head off. As it turns out, he just performed a Mike Tyson on him and ripped his ear in half. You can't tell in this picture, but there's a little notch missing and permanent sort of fold right down the middle. I have pictures of that and him in the lampshade, but I think he'd rather I show this one.

Then there was the other time when Kato sliced a little hole in Juneau's cheek, because I guess he just wasn't sure Juneau knew whose house he was in. We thought for sure the emergency vet was going to call the Humane Society and tell them to come get their dog back from these evil people. But they just fixed him up and let us take him home again.

Fortunately we've not had to clean any more blood off the walls, and they're pretty civil with each other now. Although, Kato likes to block the door to keep Juneau from coming back in the house when we take them out. This forces Juneau to go full speed, flying over the couch to get away from him. You'd better stand clear if you're ever there to witness that.

Juneau has probably only caught a ball about 10 times ever. For some reason he was not blessed with this gift. He's a sweet dog, lightning fast, but sometimes he's not all that bright. Like with the catching. Usually it catches him between the eyes before he catches it in his mouth. It's pretty funny actually.

Hug

This is Noelle hugging Kato a couple of months ago. She absolutely loves these dogs. She loves to hug on them and stick her face in theirs for them to lick. Dado & Nano, as she calls them, are really good to her. Kato is pretty protective still, and tolerates the hugging quite well. Juneau gets a little nervous around her, as is his nature, but will usually get a couple of kisses in before he runs off.

It's a pretty crazy house with these three, but we are never short on cheap entertainment.

Back to one

2005-10-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the Evil Killer went on a rampage.

He killed one Monday and the last one yesterday. I don't know what his problem is. You'd think it would be lonely in there all by himself, but NOOOOO....he insists on being the only fish that I guess we will ever have.

Yes - the Evil Killer reigns supreme.

Strange sensation

2005-10-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Why do I keep wanting to fasten the seatbelt on my chair today?

I’ve never had a desk chair with a seatbelt. Or heard of a desk chair with a seatbelt, for that matter. I don’t feel like I’m falling, and I know I’m not in the car, but I keep having the feeling that I should strap myself in.

This is very weird.

A few more....

2005-10-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Just because I like these...

Water

Water 2

Water 3

Have a great weekend!

R.I.P. R2F2

2005-10-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

No, this is not some reject Star Wars character.

We lost our second fish from this round of aquarium stock. Round 2 Fish 2 died yesterday. He was a good fish and will be missed by all.

Yes, the Evil Killer has struck again.

Stolen Funnies

2005-10-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm stealing this idea from Emily who was inspired by a couple of other people. You can go there to see who if you wish.

Instructions: Go to Google and type in your first name, then needs. I typed in "Melissa needs" and this is the top ten on a list of 1,610 things I supposedly need.

Melissa needs maintenance manuals! I do need one more set of them, but apparently the material isn’t completed yet so there are no manuals ready. And that guy is a jerk.

Melissa needs to board the blob ship that is hovering overhead. How does a blob hover? Blobs sound like heavy things to me. Also something that I do not care to ‘board’. Especially if this is where they do the anal probing.

Melissa needs to select information from the Partners table. The Partners table. Is this where you find out who you’ll square dance with? Grab your partner, doh-si-doh!

Melissa needs blood. Did I give too much last time? I really felt fine, I don’t know where they’d get an idea like that. Although, a guy at work says I must not have any since I’m so cold all the time.

Melissa needs her meds. I find this a little offensive. So I was on them for a while! Don’t throw it back in my face if I’m having a bad day! I’ll decide for myself if I need them again, thank you very much.

Melissa needs someone from near there who will work with her today to get a van and crates and come up with some kind of temporary holding place for this particular group of animals and get them out of there. Oooh – animal rescue? This sounds like a very important task to take on. Now, if someone will tell me where they are near to, I will try to find a vehicle in which to transport them.

Melissa needs athletic promotions director. I just can’t imagine any reason why I would need this.

Melissa needs attention and will do “things” for attention. Now that’s just rude. “Things” implies that I will do something that I will most certainly NOT do, so quit telling people that I will!

Melissa needs computer assistance. Sometimes I really do, and it helps to be married to your computer support. But today I’m operating smoothly. You may delete my helpdesk request.

Melissa Needs-the-Dough! I knead someone to spell-and-punctuate correctly.

I’m adding another one just because I thought it was funny:

Melissa needs your help to understand tar. I really don’t care about tar. It’s black and sticky, and, when shaped like a baby, fools an obnoxious Brer Rabbit.

I have yet to read the other 1,599 needs on my list. That may create future posts if I get writers block. Its certainly not going to be used as my birthday wishlist.

Quick Pic

2005-10-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

In cleaning out some files today I found this picture. It's one of my favorites ever.

Mirror

More tomorrow...

Just a thought

2005-10-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

This blog started out as a place for a few friends to write down our silly random thoughts and laugh with each other. I never intended to turn it into a baby blog, but aside from work, Noelle is what I do and that’s the direction it has taken. She is where my stories come from these days because she is where my focus is. I’ve wondered a couple of times if people get ‘tired of hearing about the baby’.

But – if you’re my friend, you’re involved in my life, which means you’re involved in hers. And it also means you understand that I’m consumed by baby milestones, baby toys, and baby everything else. I’ll try to come up with some unrelated thoughts sometimes too. But baby stuff is abundant, so those posts are just so much easier!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2005-10-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Times they are a-changin'. Today I quit my job. I also accepted an offer elsewhere. New opportunities, new location, and hopefully much less stomach-aching and misery.

Happy Monday!

That is all.

Verrry shishy...

2005-10-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of disease and death in our house this year. And there has been a lot of debate over who is responsible for all of it.

We have this fish. I like to call him Evil Killer. We bought him and his little blue friend and poured them into their new home, the 40 gallon fish tank in our living room.

After a while, we added a few more fish, and then a few more after that. It was such a happy scene, and fun to see Noelle captivated by the “shishes”. But then, one by one, the happy shishes began to die off. Apparently there had been an outbreak. We tried to treat it as soon as we noticed, but it was just too late. Every day we would count to see how many fish we had left. And every few days one more cadaver would be floating at the top. Except for the one whose head was detached and floating eerily around by itself. Eeew.

I don’t remember how long this lasted, but eventually we were down to one. And yes, this one is the one I call the Evil Killer. I am convinced that he wanted to rule the vast aquarium. To have the rest of the fish call him Poseidon and bring him flakes from the surface. But they must’ve opposed him. He infected all of them with the secret vial of iocane powder he’d smuggled back from the pet store. (Ok, ok - it was probably ick.) I’m still not sure how he built up his immunity, but he got his wish and became lone resident of his water kingdom.

He was alone for a while. I didn’t want to bring any more fish home just to meet their end at the hands of a killer. I was waiting for him to die so we could just have a terrarium. But I was overruled.

Evil Killer has an ally. His name is Brian. Brian is convinced that Evil Killer did not, in fact, kill the rest of the fish. His version of the story is…

That he PERSEVERED!!

Through ABOMINABLE circumstances!!

BEAT the disease!!

AAAND…

against ALL ODDS!!

LIVED!!

Through the horrible epidemic.

So…on Sunday we went to the pet store and got five more fish. And Monday? One of them was dead. You draw your own conclusions, but I’m sticking to my theory. There is a killer among us. And no shish is safe at our house.

I don't like the way you talk

2005-10-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Why is it that no one in the pipeline community can pronounce Venezuela? I really don’t think it’s that hard of a word, but for 5 years I’ve been listening to people say Ven-zoo-ay-luh. It just really gets on my nerves.

WHEEEEEEE.....!

2005-09-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Nevermind all the junk in our garage. Our one little dinky tree won't hold up a swing, so we had to hang it from hooks in the garage doorway. Not the best setup ever, but she doesn't care. Since we put it up she has learned the sign for swing and, with it, the word "WHEEEEEEEE...!". These things are repeated until she gets out of the swing.

Just a couple of words

2005-09-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

This week Noelle learned how to say “No!” Great. I was hoping she wouldn’t get around to that until her second birthday, in time to kick off the terrible twos.

But she also learned how to say “Hiyee!” and that, in all it’s cuteness, way overrides the ‘no’ thing.

Bring on the Weekend

2005-09-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Noelle is staying at my parents house today and they just came and took me to lunch. She fell asleep just before we got there and was passed out on my shoulder the entire time. I tucked a couple of napkins into the back of her shirt so I could still eat. :) She woke up afterwards and stayed right where she was, just as still as when she was asleep.

I just love it when she's snuggly. She doesn't cuddle as much since she started being able to run around the house like the tazmanian devil. It really puts a damper on the playing. But every now and then she'll crawl up on my shoulder, lay her head down, and pat me on the back and it's the sweetest thing in the world.

Only a couple more hours of work left and we can get the weekend going. I'm sure it'll be filled with block stacking, and block throwing, lots of running and chasing, making animal noises, and tons of giggling. I'm not sure whether I'm more tired at the end of the weekend or the end of the work week, but one is much more rewarding than the other.

More yaaaawwnnning...

2005-09-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

6:15 Monday morning - ok, that's not too horribly bad.

4:00 Tuesday morning - What is she trying to do to us?! We tried everything to get her back to sleep, but apparently it was just time to be up and playing. She can take a nap later. Duh mommy! Hand me that block!

Thankfully last night she had a sleepover with my parents. I bet she slept in over there. Not because she was there, but because she finally wore herself completely out & couldn't help it!

Oh well. I shouldn't complain, she really is a pretty good sleeper. Usually.

Last night I took some pictures out the kitchen window of Brian out in the front yard with her. They didn't see me, I was like the paparazzi. So very sweet. I'll have to post them after I get them off the camera.

Plea

2005-09-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

Ok Noelle, I really meant it when I said I will drop anything & everything for you, any and every time you need me - I promise! But please don't need me again at 5:00 tomorrow morning. Please, sweetie???

yaaaaaawwnnnn.....

Love,
Mommy

2005-09-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Now that summer is ending, I'm really going to miss this:

Splash

and this:

Drink

and this:

Swing!

But I can't help but be excited for new things that Noelle will be doing. There will soon be leaves to crunch, maybe puddles to splash, and later, snow to eat and make angels in.

I try not to ever say "I can't wait until..." because that makes me feel like I'm wishing away today. Instead, I try to say "It'll be so fun when..." because it will, and I don't want to rush through things with her just so she can see the next bigger, better thing.

We were outside swinging the other night and I swear I could've stayed right there and pushed her through the wind for the rest of my life. That was a good, sweet moment.

I try to slow down when I'm with her, because really, sadly, I don't have that much time with her since I have to work. I try to commit every second to memory. To remember her laugh at a certain silly face, or remember her expression when she figures something out. I wish I could say that I always do that, but still, some nights I'm tired and wish she would just go to sleep already!

Usually though, I am completely content to sit at home and stack things and knock them over 147 times in a row. Or watch a video on continuous play the same number of times, just because that's what she wants to do.

I hope that she always knows that I will drop anything and everything for her, any and every time she needs me. I hope she knows that I'm at work all day for her and not because I want to leave her.

I'm so excited for every next day and every next thing she does and sees. I love to watch her wonder when she sees new things, and see her concentrate so hard on something until she figures it out. Or throws it across the room in frustration because it obviously must be broken.

This mom thing is more amazing than I ever thought it would be, and it's the biggest, most important thing that I will ever do. These last (almost) 18 months have been the craziest, most frustrating, most rewarding, most fun that I have ever had. The next 18+ have big shoes to fill.

I can't wait - um, I mean - it'll be so fun to see what's next!

Manpris

2005-09-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

As told to me by my favorite man, whose name I'm not revealing to protect the silly. :)

Well, this morning I was taking the dogs out and I put on my sandals and rolled my jeans up so they wouldn't get wet in the wet grass (they would drag in the grass cuz the sandals aren't as tall as my tennis shoes). Anyway, I came in and put my tennis shoes back on and came to work. I didn't notice til like 11:00 that my jeans were still rolled up. Like 4 inch cuffs. I was wearing capri jeans!!! I thought it was pretty funny, but, needless to say, I did unroll them. Shows how much i pay attention to my appearance I guess.

I can't stop laughing!

Return of the prodigal blogger?

2005-09-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well, now that I’ve figured out the picture thing, maybe I’ll get going on this blog business. I’m not promising to make it a regular habit or anything, but if I can’t think of anything to say I can at least throw a picture on here.

I enjoy reading other people’s blogs, I just can’t ever think of anything to write myself. I talked briefly with someone whose site I enjoy, and he told me to write for me and not worry about other people think, or about people not reading it. I don’t think I’ve been dwelling on the ‘what will people think’ but the ‘what if people actually read this’ aspect of the whole thing. I won’t be able to control who comes over here and reads my silly little thoughts. I probably (ok, I do) watch too much crime tv, but I can’t help but not want any psycho killers lurking around here. For that reason, maybe I should never get one of those things that shows you what people are typing into their search engines right before they end up at your site. Especially after typing that ‘psycho killer’ phrase.

Anyway, I’m back for now. Say hi if you run across here somehow. Just don’t tell me if you’re a psycho killer.

2005-09-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

Brian is cool. If you haven't seen this yet, look what he did! :) Oh, and click the little person looking thing in the lower right hand corner if the pictures aren't showing one at a time.

Noelle.exe
Powered by Castpost

It's not a red X!!!

2005-09-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's the sweetest face I've ever seen:

Done

2005-05-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

I really don't feel like continuing this thing.

Consider me on hiatus. Or sabbatical. Unpaid absence.

Whatever you want.

Fire! Fire!!

2005-05-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Nothing exciting ever happens around here. Hence - my boring blog.

BUT! This morning on my way to work I saw a burning truck.

Don't be alarmed, I was nowhere near the flames, in no sort of danger. It was actually in a parking lot at a church where the downtown bus comes to collect people for their commute. It had already been parked, nice & neat in a parking space, but had burst into flames which were pouring out the front and sides of the hood and underneath the engine.

I bet it was a matter of time before the big KABOOM! Which would've been exciting to hang around for, but
1) I was already running really late, and
2) Two fire trucks were already there advancing toward it with their fire killing hoses

So I just drove on. It didn't look like anyone was hurt, thank goodness. But boy does it suck to be the owner of that truck. And for the poor owner of the car it was parked next to.

Anyway....that is my excitement for the day. You may go.

This one's for you...

2005-05-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

Just returning the favor Em...

What should we call our typo dictionary?

Emily & I have taken to remembering our typos and using them in place of the real words they were supposed to be. This has created endless amusement and giggles.

Yes we are silly. And we love ourselves.

HA!

Yaaaaawwnnnnn.....

2005-05-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so sleeeeeepy....

Last night Noelle went to Mom & Dad's for a sleepover, so WOOHOOOO - I get to go to bed early, right? So I laid down at 9:30 hoping to drift off to sleep. At 11:15 I got up to see what Brian was doing because I still couldn't fall asleep. I stayed up for a little while & read & that finally did it. I think it was around midnight.

At 4:00 I woke up. Wide awake. I didn't feel very good for some reason & couldn't get comfortable. I kept tossing & turning & ended up keeping Brian up too. Decided I was hungry about 5, got up, and ate a bowl of cereal.

There is NOTHING on tv at 5 AM.

So I went to lay back down for a while. Of course then I fall into a good sleep about 6 - when I should have been up and in the shower.

Sigh.....I hope the whole day isn't like last night.

Sorry this post is boring. Just thought I should put something new on here, but this is all I've got.

Bang on the drums...

2005-05-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

I don't want to work.

This started out as a longer post, but I decided not to make you read all my whining. So I'm through. That is all.

Undeniable proof...

2005-05-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

...that engineers are weird.

(No offense to the few exceptions to this rule.) I received this recipe today which was written by a former employee here at my office. (His name has been changed to protect the strange.) This is exactly the way I received it, exactly the way he wrote it, and he is totally serious. I always thought him strange, as I'm sure you'll agree. I don't know why he no longer works here. I have a sneaking suspicion that his head may have exploded.

(I wish I could figure out how to make it look like he did, formatted with tables. But I cannot, so you'll just have to imagine the perfect structure in which he placed it.)

Siberian Sausage Rolls
by Uptight Upstairs

This is an Americanized version of a Siberian recipe obtained in 1994 in Eastern Siberia. Readily available American material have been adapted to the original recipe.

Ingredients
Ground Pork Sausage
Colby-Jack Cheese
Crescent Dinner Rolls
Mustard or BBQ Sauce
Spices (to suit individual tastes)

Remove Crescent Dinner Rolls from refrigerator. Open roll container and unroll being careful to keep the dough in its rectangular form. Ensure the triangular perforations remain intact; pinch these together using thumb and forefinger, and smooth. Allow the dough to attain ambient room temperature.
Pre-heat oven to the crescent roll manufacturer’s recommended baking temperature.
Cut sausage patties in approximately 6mm (1/4-inch) thick round patties. Halve each patty. Press each half-patty into a rectangular strip about 12mm (1/2-inch) square and about 9mm (3/8-inch) shorter than the dough width.
Slice the Colby-Jack cheese into strips about 3mm (1/8-inch) thick x 12mm (1/2-inch) width x length equal to rectangular sausage pieces.
Make a longitudinal cut in each rectangular sausage strip and insert a slice of the Colby-Jack cheese. Press the sausage back into rectangular shape, and transfer to one end of the roll dough.
Add spices: sage, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, etc. to suit individual tastes.
Place a strip of mustard (or BBQ sauce) against the inside sausage edge. The mustard (or BBQ sauce) should approximate 6mm (1/4-inch) in width; mustard (or BBQ sauce) should start and stop about 12mm (1/2-inch) from each dough edge.
Carefully roll the sausage in the dough; ensure dough remains tight against the sausage. Pinch the dough ends shut. Trim excess crescent roll dough length with sharp knife. Allow dough to lap only on the bottom of the sausage roll. Pinch any dough splices shut that may have opened in the rolling process. The excess dough from several sausage rolls may be rolled together to prepare an additional sausage roll base.
Cover a standard size cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Place the completed sausage rolls on the foil covered cookie sheet. Ensure 25mm (1-inch) space is maintained on all sides of the sausage rolls.
Bake in accordance with roll manufacturer’s directions concerning temperature. Cooking time will be longer (averages about 15-18 minutes) due to the increased number and greater mass of the material being cooked. Cook until golden brown. Allow to cool before eating. Generally 1-package of dinner rolls will yield 4-sausage rolls (5-sausage rolls if you piece the excess dough together); this will vary depending upon from personal techniques in rolling the sausage rolls.
Substitute BBQ sauce for the mustard for an added flavour.

Serving Suggestions

Serve rolls hot over a bed of rice topped with brown gravy.
Serve rolls hot with a whole corn, cream style corn, and lima bean vegetable medley.
Serve rolls, hot or cold, with a chili topping.
Serve cold with cheese, savoury crackers, or various nuts.
Use extreme caution if re-heating the rolls in a microwave; the hot cheese contained in the sausage rolls may adhere to your mouth!

I admit that it does sound like a tasty recipe, but for the time it took him to measure out all those precise directions and type out the instructions, he could've made me 3 or four batches. I am surrounded by these people every single day! AAAHHHHHH!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE!!

2005-05-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of your 30s! YAY!!!

Saturday night was SOO much fun! Drinks, food, dancing (but not by me, sorry :), singing with all our favorite old 80s songs, and tons of laughing! And you don't look anywhere near as old as that lady in the bathroom, thank you very much. Oh. And that weird guy at the end of the night who wanted to hit on you. (You still got it! HA!) I think that was a good way to wrap up an era. Thanks for having a birthday so we could all help you celebrate!

I hope you got everything you wanted and that you're showered with attention and love today. If you're not, then speak up and demand it. It's your God given right.

Hope you have the Happiest Birthday ever!

Wishlist

2005-04-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

I just remembered that I love this song...

I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off
I wish I was a sacrifice but somehow still lived on
I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on
The Christmas tree, I wish I was the star that went on top
I wish I was the evidence, I wish I was the grounds
For 50 million hands upraised and open toward the sky

I wish I was a sailor with someone who waited for me
I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me
I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good
I wish I was the full moon shining off a Camaro's hood
I wish I was an alien at home behind the sun
I wish I was the souvenir you kept your house key on
I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on
I wish I was the verb 'to trust' and never let you down

I wish I was a radio song, the one that you turned up
I wish...I wish...

Salsa!

2005-04-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Last night we were baby free so we went to Wal-Mart and stocked up since there was nothing to eat in our house. Everyone else in town was there too.

The couple arguing in the produce.
The lonely guy conversing with himself.
The lady with the baby dressed in a hot pink bunny suit.
And the guy who gets in your way and then stares at you like you’re in his, even though he’s just wandering around drinking a can of pop.
Ahhh….Wal-Mart.

We were turning out of an aisle and almost collided with some guy. We must have been on the chip aisle because instead of saying “excuse me” Brian said “salsa”.

So now that’s what I say. Just because it cracks me up.

Saturday April 16th

2005-04-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning when Noelle got up her diaper had leaked out the top so her pants, shirt, and tummy were all wet. Got her cleaned up & ready for the day.

Brian and I decided to go eat lunch at Sweet Pea & then do some birthday shopping for Emily. We eat lunch then go to the Hallmark store to look for a birthday card and a graduation card for his cousin.

We’re in there for a while when he walks up to me and holds Noelle over for me to look at them. Her diaper leaked again. All over him.

So he takes her out to the car and I rush over and pay for the cards so I can run out to help him. She’s screaming bloody murder because she’s lying in the sun in the back of the car. We get her diaper changed & leave her pants off and get her back in the car seat. Brian gets in the car and takes off his shirt & we drive back home (Brian feeling funny driving around shirtless) so everybody can get cleaned up so we can continue our day. He runs in the house when we get home since he’s half naked (gasp!) and I get Noelle inside and get her clothes changed & whatnot.

Now we’re ready to go again. We’re headed to Kohl’s and Old Navy, still have to shop for Emily. We’re at Kohl’s & it’s a one day sale, so we’re looking at everything. Got Noelle a couple of shirts, they were only $4! Wandered around for a while. Brian wants to look at sunglasses because he’s missing the rubber off one earpiece and now the other one is coming off too.

He hands me Noelle and I say “She feels really warm, are you sure she’s not wet?”

I’m half joking. But to humor me I make him look at her pants just to make sure. He says she’s just warm. Ok. Commence looking at glasses.

Not five minutes later...“WHAT THE…?! YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”

Noelle’s diaper.

Leaked.

Again.

Now we’re much further from home and still haven’t gotten Emily’s present finished. So I take Noelle out to the car for more screaming diaper wrestling and Brian pays for the clothes. He comes out and I’m sitting with her in the back of the car with the door open & a (once again) half clothed baby. We end up going back in, buying her a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for me so we can keep shopping. I clean up with wipes and change my shirt in the parking lot and we get her all dressed again.

We then head immediately to Target to buy some Pampers, tear open the package (after we buy it) and go straight to the bathroom to change her diaper again to avoid anyone getting peed on AGAIN.

Oh – Emily’s present is all finished.

And another thing. Never use Luv’s ever, ever again.

Update - Christmas is over

2005-01-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

I am patting my own back. I - yes me - the one typing as we speak - got every piece of that Christmas tree BACK IN THE BOX! I was doubted, my strength and abilities, and I believed all of it. But I've successfully squished, bubble wrapped (by the way - I heard on the radio it's National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. So drop what you're doing and go appreciate you some bubble wrap right now), hog tied, and fenagled those branches back into that ridiculously tiny box. It can be done.

I don't know that I'll ever want to do it again, so this may have been the last year we ever have a Christmas tree. At least we got pictures of Noelle in front of it so we'll have proof later on when she asks us why she's the only kid in class without a tree. Maybe next year I'll just hang one of those pictures down from the ceiling in the place where the tree would be.

Yes I know. I'm all talk. We'll have the tree and this conversation all over again next year. Until then I think I'm entitled to some bragging.

Merry Groundhog Day

2005-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

In case anyone is wondering, yes - the Christmas tree is still up in the living room. It's been de-balled and decapitated, various pieces are scattered around, but the bottom level of the 3 part tree is still holding on for dear fake life. Maybe if we move the couch over no one will notice - it's pretty short. Then we won't have to try to get it back in the darned box. Hmmmm.....I wonder if anyone has ever taken pictures in front of the Easter Tree. ??

Speechless

2005-01-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

Why do I have a blog? As soon as I registered I couldn't think of anything to say. Like when I sit down and type ebay into my browser. Can't think of one single thing to look at. There are millions and millions of things on there, but I can't think of the name of anything on the planet earth.

I could put some pictures on here for all to see. Except that I can't figure out how to make them do anything but show those annoying little red x's. You know, the one's that let everyone know that you can't figure out how to post your pictures.

I guess I'll just say the things I know today:
M&Ms are good.
Paperclips with those little ridgy things are bad.

I thought it would be time to go after all of that. Not so, I still have an hour and 13 minutes left to sit in this chair. Yippee.

Hey look at that. I had a couple of things to say, however meaningless.

2005-01-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

.

dang it. here is my picture of an x.

hmmmmm.....

2005-01-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

Not sure if I'll use this thing or not. I guess we shall see...