a few letters I've been meaning to write:
Dear Scentsy,
Thank you for helping me make my house smell lovely without the fear of "burning-my-house-down-because-I-have-an-open-flame" syndrome that was gifted to me by my mother. Thanks mom. I'll never light a candle again.
Thanks for helping me celebrate the fall with your lovely scents. Right now I have "Grove and Clove" melting in my little pot thing. It smells so good and makes me forget that it is 87 degrees outside.
Just wanted to say thanks all the way from South Texas.
best,
melis
Dear Matilda,
Thank you for learning how to go pee-pee and poopy in the potty. It really is great not having to change your diaper. However, it's not very fun when I find the occasional poopy in your princess panties. Really, it stinks. Literally and figuratively.
So, let's do what we know how to do-do (pun intended, again), shall we?
That'd be great. Thanks in advance.
best,
mom
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I like you, I really do. Sorry that you've known me for __+ years and I still haven't formally invited you into my home. Honestly, it doesn't occur to me that often. I'm pretty darn content here on my own, so I forget. But, I typically DO have a lot of fun when we hang out.
Just make sure you tell me before you come so you won't think I'm a total slob. And that way I can put away the billion toys/crayons/stuffed animals/blocks/my paperwork and pretend that I'm always this tidy.
Seriously, tell me before you come.
So, don't be mad. Don't think we're jerks. Don't think we don't like you, because we do.
Just sayin'...
All my love. Your favorite friend and neighbor,
melis
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
"wrinkle free" and trains
So, we have another debate in our home. Surprise, Surprise. You might remember the last one I posted about (and no, we don't have the verdict yet. I have yet to contact Mrs. Wiser about the matter. Sorry. I'll get to it... one day.).
The current debate has to do with Aaron's new "wrinkle-free" shirts we've purchased. You know, he is a professional now, so he has to look the part. Alas, Costco, blessed Costco, came through for us. We found a few great long sleeved dress shirts. And, luckily for me (head launderer of clothing articles) they said they were "wrinkle-free". See, I keep putting that term in quotes, b/c it's a little decieiving. They aren't really "wrinkle free" when I pull them out of the "barely dry" cycle in our dryer. They are, in fact, quite wrinkly. Not as wrinkly has his non-wrinkle-free shirts, but still...
Wow. I don't know if I've ever written the word "wrinkle" more in my entire life?
Anyway, here's the thing. Sweet Aaron. He likes to make my life easier. So, his life theory in regard to keeping the dress shirts as wrinkle-free as possible is this: keep them hanging on the hanger until you are ready to physically drop them in the washing machine full of soapy water. He believes that if you put the shirt in the hamper and it has to sit crumpled up for a few days, THEN wash it, it will be EVEN MORE wrinkly.
You see, the other day I asked him where his dirty dress shirts were. He told me they were hanging on the hanger and he'd set them aside by our shoe rack. I said, "Wait, the dirty ones were on the hanger?" Huh? Those must have been the ones that I had just recently hung back up in the closet. Then, he explained his above theory.
Bogus, in my opinion.
I peppered back, "No, no, no. That doesn't make sense, b/c in the washing machine they get wet, twisted, and crazy bundled. No way would the "wrinkle state" before the wash make a difference..."
I was pretty sure I was right. I mean, I usually DO think I'm right, so this time was no different. But, in order to PROVE I was right, I thought I'd ask en elite group of women who (I was sure) would know the answer. Enter Quilting group Sew Much More. I knew my mom was with her weekly gathering of crafty friends this afternoon, so I thought I'd ask them. So, after my mom explained to them the quandary, my mom put me on speaker phone and I heard the response.
I totally won.
(the crowd goes wild!!!)
I only wished that Aaron could have heard the OVERWHELMING responses that were made. Words like "absurd" were thrown around as they yelled to me (remember, I was on speaker phone).
It was a moment for me.
A good moment.
Vindicated. It feels good to be right... especially when I am married to Aaron (someone who literally is ALWAYS right. He's that smart.).
Anyway, I don't write this to gloat. I only write this to educate other wrinkled theories (pun totally intended).
I write this to state, once again, that while Aaron is TYPICALLY the brains of our operations---we both have smarts. I've said it before and I'll say it again. He's got the book smarts, while I've got STREET smarts.
For example, when presented with this problem "A train leaves L.A. at 4:00am going 80 miles an hour, another train leaves New York at 8:00am going 90 miles an hour, where will they meet?"
Aaron could really figure out the correct answer.
My response: Why are they on a train anyway? Who honestly travels by train these days?
We are different and that's okay. I can help him look sharp. He can help me know which shirts TO wash. And we can all meet up with Trains A & B.
We're a team and it's all good.
The current debate has to do with Aaron's new "wrinkle-free" shirts we've purchased. You know, he is a professional now, so he has to look the part. Alas, Costco, blessed Costco, came through for us. We found a few great long sleeved dress shirts. And, luckily for me (head launderer of clothing articles) they said they were "wrinkle-free". See, I keep putting that term in quotes, b/c it's a little decieiving. They aren't really "wrinkle free" when I pull them out of the "barely dry" cycle in our dryer. They are, in fact, quite wrinkly. Not as wrinkly has his non-wrinkle-free shirts, but still...
Wow. I don't know if I've ever written the word "wrinkle" more in my entire life?
Anyway, here's the thing. Sweet Aaron. He likes to make my life easier. So, his life theory in regard to keeping the dress shirts as wrinkle-free as possible is this: keep them hanging on the hanger until you are ready to physically drop them in the washing machine full of soapy water. He believes that if you put the shirt in the hamper and it has to sit crumpled up for a few days, THEN wash it, it will be EVEN MORE wrinkly.
You see, the other day I asked him where his dirty dress shirts were. He told me they were hanging on the hanger and he'd set them aside by our shoe rack. I said, "Wait, the dirty ones were on the hanger?" Huh? Those must have been the ones that I had just recently hung back up in the closet. Then, he explained his above theory.
Bogus, in my opinion.
I peppered back, "No, no, no. That doesn't make sense, b/c in the washing machine they get wet, twisted, and crazy bundled. No way would the "wrinkle state" before the wash make a difference..."
I was pretty sure I was right. I mean, I usually DO think I'm right, so this time was no different. But, in order to PROVE I was right, I thought I'd ask en elite group of women who (I was sure) would know the answer. Enter Quilting group Sew Much More. I knew my mom was with her weekly gathering of crafty friends this afternoon, so I thought I'd ask them. So, after my mom explained to them the quandary, my mom put me on speaker phone and I heard the response.
I totally won.
(the crowd goes wild!!!)
I only wished that Aaron could have heard the OVERWHELMING responses that were made. Words like "absurd" were thrown around as they yelled to me (remember, I was on speaker phone).
It was a moment for me.
A good moment.
Vindicated. It feels good to be right... especially when I am married to Aaron (someone who literally is ALWAYS right. He's that smart.).
Anyway, I don't write this to gloat. I only write this to educate other wrinkled theories (pun totally intended).
I write this to state, once again, that while Aaron is TYPICALLY the brains of our operations---we both have smarts. I've said it before and I'll say it again. He's got the book smarts, while I've got STREET smarts.
For example, when presented with this problem "A train leaves L.A. at 4:00am going 80 miles an hour, another train leaves New York at 8:00am going 90 miles an hour, where will they meet?"
Aaron could really figure out the correct answer.
My response: Why are they on a train anyway? Who honestly travels by train these days?
We are different and that's okay. I can help him look sharp. He can help me know which shirts TO wash. And we can all meet up with Trains A & B.
We're a team and it's all good.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
September's randoms... 2010
September. Good month. Let's see what happened...
A photo shoot? Always a good idea. One day mom will learn to use the camera and edit correctly.
Until then, the OVERLOAD begins.
::: Because we were going to be getting family pictures taken soon, I wanted to see what outfits I liked best. I was shocked to see that the khaki pants I had looked like thug-Hammer-esque-pants. This is why I do such things. And, no, I did not post that picture for your viewing pleasure. Tillie saw me getting pictures taken and decided she wanted in on the action.
::: Tillie has a little friend named Mia. We were able to watch her for a little while her mom was in the hospital on bed rest waiting for her new baby boy to arrive. Tillie and Mia had a TON of fun together. They both wanted their hair done in piggy buns---how could I refuse?
Cute girls.
::: Tillie typically wakes up before Calvin. Once Cal wakes up, she wants to run in there and rescue him. This particular morning, I let her go in and chat with him before I was ready. When I came in the room this is what I saw. I was SHOCKED Tillie figured out how to climb in! Needless to say, I decided to raise BOTH sides of the crib after this. But, don't they look happy?
Makes for a cute picture, but seems pretty dangerous to me. So, I nipped that one in the bud. :)
::: We went to our local restaurant supply store to find a few odds and ends. I have a new favorite store. We "needed" to get a new big bowl for when we make caramel popcorn. :) We found one that was SUPER lightweight and perfect for the job. We also found a few other things that have to do with cupcake decorating. What can I say, I'm a sucker for all things cupcakes.
Anyway, once we got home we realized just how huge the bowl was. Here aresome a million shots with Tillie for a size comparison. The kids LOVED playing with it in the kitchen.
A photo shoot? Always a good idea. One day mom will learn to use the camera and edit correctly.
Until then, the OVERLOAD begins.
 |
| sometimes I worry for my son's life... |
::: Because we were going to be getting family pictures taken soon, I wanted to see what outfits I liked best. I was shocked to see that the khaki pants I had looked like thug-Hammer-esque-pants. This is why I do such things. And, no, I did not post that picture for your viewing pleasure. Tillie saw me getting pictures taken and decided she wanted in on the action.
::: Tillie has a little friend named Mia. We were able to watch her for a little while her mom was in the hospital on bed rest waiting for her new baby boy to arrive. Tillie and Mia had a TON of fun together. They both wanted their hair done in piggy buns---how could I refuse?
Cute girls.
::: Tillie typically wakes up before Calvin. Once Cal wakes up, she wants to run in there and rescue him. This particular morning, I let her go in and chat with him before I was ready. When I came in the room this is what I saw. I was SHOCKED Tillie figured out how to climb in! Needless to say, I decided to raise BOTH sides of the crib after this. But, don't they look happy?
Makes for a cute picture, but seems pretty dangerous to me. So, I nipped that one in the bud. :)
 |
| I love Cal's sleepy face. Too cute. |
Anyway, once we got home we realized just how huge the bowl was. Here are
 |
| this is our version of the classic Olan Mills Photography portraiture. Do you remember the classic lean down pose over the mirror? You know, where you see a double shot of the poser? Sigh. Gotta love the 80's and early 90's. This is our ghetto version. Work it, Tillie. |
| The end. |
Saturday, September 18, 2010
so what if he's POP.ular?
Luckily, because we have a toddler who loves Sesame Street, we search for their videos on YouTube.
Aaron and I just happened upon this little delight. We LOVED every second of it.
Will.i.am is one talented man. One thing to note, he kind of seemed a little sleepy in this.
It was wonderful.
Another note, Aaron thinks the two of them (meaning aaron and will.i.am) look very similar? twins separated at birth, perhaps? Hmmm... you be the judge.
Also, another song we are trying to learn (Aaron and I) is "Elmo's song-Potty Time" (as Tillie says it). There are a lot of words, so it will take a lot of practice. But, you might like it just like we do.
Remember how Tillie has been potty training?
Oh, and the last line is pretty funny. Who am I kidding, the WHOLE THING is pretty funny. Enjoy.
Friday, September 17, 2010
as of late...
Not a lot TON to write about other than the daily norm, it seems. I keep feeling guilty every time I update this blog, because I keep remembering back to June/July/August/September and see all the posts that have yet to come and it makes me overwhelmed.
So I say, "never mind" and go surfing instead (the internet kind, not the ocean kind. obviously.).
Right this minute I have the motivation.
(insert "WHOOP! there it is!" here)
With that, we begin.
It's easy to talk about my kids, because let's face it, they are MUCH more interesting than I am.
After a little persuasion from my mom and my friend, Ashley, we decided to participate in a little weekly playgroup for Matilda. It's kind of like "joy school" where the moms trade off teaching each week, but we're not so fancy. They are, like, 2 years old. So, we're not making it super structured. Basically it's once a week and they play with the other three girls for 3 hours. We drop them off. They play. Socialize. Learn how to have fun with other little human-beings-besides-their-mother. It's good. I was afraid of the commitment (I'm a home body and don't like HAVING to go places... I know, I need to get over that, b/c apparently as soon as children turn 5, I hear moms end up living in their cars carting their kids around. So, sue me that I want to bask in the non-committal mode for as long as I can.).
Anyway, it's worked out to be great. She loves it and is feeling really comfortable with the other little girls. In fact, this past week, she jumped out of the car, ran inside the house and didn't look back. Wow. Way to adjust, Tillie! She's happy. Aaron's happy. I'm happy. This growing up thing is kind of exciting.
Here she is on her first day.
She loves her little backpack. I love that the straps are so long she can trip on them (NOT!). I should do something about that. ASAP.
I love that she still has her "i just woke up-sleepy eyes" and the far off stare in this one.
Still happy though.
I love her crazy lips in this one. She MUST be concentrating.
the end.
So I say, "never mind" and go surfing instead (the internet kind, not the ocean kind. obviously.).
Right this minute I have the motivation.
(insert "WHOOP! there it is!" here)
With that, we begin.
It's easy to talk about my kids, because let's face it, they are MUCH more interesting than I am.
After a little persuasion from my mom and my friend, Ashley, we decided to participate in a little weekly playgroup for Matilda. It's kind of like "joy school" where the moms trade off teaching each week, but we're not so fancy. They are, like, 2 years old. So, we're not making it super structured. Basically it's once a week and they play with the other three girls for 3 hours. We drop them off. They play. Socialize. Learn how to have fun with other little human-beings-besides-their-mother. It's good. I was afraid of the commitment (I'm a home body and don't like HAVING to go places... I know, I need to get over that, b/c apparently as soon as children turn 5, I hear moms end up living in their cars carting their kids around. So, sue me that I want to bask in the non-committal mode for as long as I can.).
Anyway, it's worked out to be great. She loves it and is feeling really comfortable with the other little girls. In fact, this past week, she jumped out of the car, ran inside the house and didn't look back. Wow. Way to adjust, Tillie! She's happy. Aaron's happy. I'm happy. This growing up thing is kind of exciting.
Here she is on her first day.
She loves her little backpack. I love that the straps are so long she can trip on them (NOT!). I should do something about that. ASAP.
I love that she still has her "i just woke up-sleepy eyes" and the far off stare in this one.
Still happy though.
And, Calvin was just really happy to have his parents all to himself.
(just kidding, he didn't REALLY tell us that)
(just kidding, he didn't REALLY tell us that)
On another note, Tillie is smart. She proved her brain skills yet again, a few weeks ago. Aaron's sister, Stephanie, gave Tillie a bunch of felt shapes for her to use at church. Apparently they "stick" (for lack of a better term) to the carpeted pews? Anyway, we've had them in the plastic ziplock for a while, thinking she was too little to catch the drift. Well, she found the bag and started playing with them. Aaron or I never instructed her on "how" play with them. So, we were pretty surprised when we saw this (p.s. this was a re-enactment. no way can she put the scarf so delicately on the snow man. Or the beak on the bird, for that matter).
Yes, that is the air intake area. She gets so frustrated when the AC isn't running, b/c they don't "stick" like they are supposed to. hA! Pretty clever. When I showed my dad the amazing feat she'd performed, he was worried that little felt pieces would get sucked through the grate and bust our AC. But, I remembered that we have a filter right on the inside of the grate, so hopefully it would catch any stray "eyes" or "buttons"---right? Hmm. I'd hate to go without AC in south Texas. Wouldn't you?! We'll research this and get back to you.
Anyway, because she loves playing this new game so much, we decided to make a few more felt pieces---including a chubby ballerina (the best kind, naturally), weird stop sign, snow man, etc.
Anyway, because she loves playing this new game so much, we decided to make a few more felt pieces---including a chubby ballerina (the best kind, naturally), weird stop sign, snow man, etc.
I love her crazy lips in this one. She MUST be concentrating.
Oh, and on another note, I've been liking any excuse to make cupcakes lately. Why? I don't know. But here are one of the latest rounds. And, for some reason, I don't really feel like eating them. Weird and very unlike me. I know.
Anyway, I think the colored sprinkles make them MUCH more fun. And, of course, I had to pull out my polka dotted mini cake stand. Because I love it. Even though it is TOTALLY not practical. Whatever. It made me happy when I bought it and STILL makes me happy when I pull it out of the depths of my cupboard. Hmmm... maybe I should have saved that for my new "series"? oh well.
Anyway, I think the colored sprinkles make them MUCH more fun. And, of course, I had to pull out my polka dotted mini cake stand. Because I love it. Even though it is TOTALLY not practical. Whatever. It made me happy when I bought it and STILL makes me happy when I pull it out of the depths of my cupboard. Hmmm... maybe I should have saved that for my new "series"? oh well.
It's the little things, people.
the end.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
blogher art auction
A few months ago (or was it weeks? i lose track of time so easily), I was asked by Liz of Say Yes! to Hoboken to participate in BlogHer's Art Auction that benefits the Gulf Coast.
She was given my name by my dear ol' BYU classmate, the famous Melissa of ISLY blog. You follow?
Pretty exciting, eh? I thought so.
Even now, I still don't really know what went on at the annual BlogHer Conference. I don't even know what they did/who was invited/what they do there/etc. (details, people... hA!). But, I do know that a lot of my favorite bloggers attended and played a key role in making the event happen. hA!
Seems important...
So, with that, I created a piece of artwork.
My specific assignment was to read THIS blogpost then create an original piece of art to donate to the cause.
So, after I read the post, I got out my paints and knew I wanted to paint hearts in some way. And, wanted to do *sort of* neutral colors that would work in any home. I pulled out some of my home-made birch wood panels from my college days and got to work. I ended up entitling it "We are all connected." Unfortunately, on the ebay listing they botched it up and said that my title is "Too much time online." What?! hmmm... Not so. Boo. oh well. Now you know the REAL title.
Anyway, here she blows.
And, actually it is up for auction on ebay. Also, all proceeds go to The Nature Conservancy to help clean up the Gulf. So, if you'd like to make a little bid so you can hang it up in your living room, feel free. p.s. the dimensions are 16"x16" and it is approx. 3" deep (if I remember right!).
Anyway, the pictures THEY took are super lousy (no offense, but they are). In real life the yellow is quite lovely (in MY opinion). I should have taken better ones before (this is on our linoleum floor. nice effect, right?), but alas... what to do now?
So, there's the happs. Pretty fun to have an excuse to get out the paints and give it a go again.
She was given my name by my dear ol' BYU classmate, the famous Melissa of ISLY blog. You follow?
Pretty exciting, eh? I thought so.
Even now, I still don't really know what went on at the annual BlogHer Conference. I don't even know what they did/who was invited/what they do there/etc. (details, people... hA!). But, I do know that a lot of my favorite bloggers attended and played a key role in making the event happen. hA!
Seems important...
So, with that, I created a piece of artwork.
My specific assignment was to read THIS blogpost then create an original piece of art to donate to the cause.
So, after I read the post, I got out my paints and knew I wanted to paint hearts in some way. And, wanted to do *sort of* neutral colors that would work in any home. I pulled out some of my home-made birch wood panels from my college days and got to work. I ended up entitling it "We are all connected." Unfortunately, on the ebay listing they botched it up and said that my title is "Too much time online." What?! hmmm... Not so. Boo. oh well. Now you know the REAL title.
Anyway, here she blows.
And, actually it is up for auction on ebay. Also, all proceeds go to The Nature Conservancy to help clean up the Gulf. So, if you'd like to make a little bid so you can hang it up in your living room, feel free. p.s. the dimensions are 16"x16" and it is approx. 3" deep (if I remember right!).
Anyway, the pictures THEY took are super lousy (no offense, but they are). In real life the yellow is quite lovely (in MY opinion). I should have taken better ones before (this is on our linoleum floor. nice effect, right?), but alas... what to do now?
So, there's the happs. Pretty fun to have an excuse to get out the paints and give it a go again.
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