Hot bliggity blog...

"Hot blog, hot blog, hot bliggity blog... hot blog, hot blog, hot bliggity blog..."    *singing*    

I've got the "Hot Dog Dance" song from the Mickey Mouse children's cartoon show stuck in my head today and now everything is sung to the tune. That's what happens when you have a cute blonde hair - blue eyed Little in your house that loves the Mickey Mouse cartoon and can do the "Hot Dog Dance" like nobodys business (really should get video of this and save it on film for forever to embarrass her when she gets her first boyfriend)! Once you have kids, you get introduced to all these kick-ass tunes and dances. Yes, so awesome that you cannot sing/dance them in front of others for fear of scaring them away with your super cool-ness.

 I learned a valuable lesson today whilst pumping the boob-milk for the Littlest Little (hard job, this breast-feeding... but feel fortunate I am able to). Always, and I mean always, turn the pump OFF before dis-engaging the breast. I don't care how much of a hurry one might be in, don't pull the pump away... is it really worth pulling your boob off because you failed to turn the machine off and break the suction (yeah, T.M.I.)?! In reality, I'd pull both boobs off for the little stink if thats what it took to keep him healthy & happy. But talk about OUCH! I may need to take a week off work just to recoup!

You know, us mommas give up a lot for our Littles. Just a few of the things we might give up, but not limited to, and in no particular order; our dignity, our physical bodies, finances, our super cool-ness, our "me time", spontaneity, self esteem, friends, etc, etc.... we tend to give up ourselves. I know we have to sacrifice and give a whole lot for the Littles we love, and it changes our lives forever. But do we really have to give up all of ourselves? Can't we still carry a wee one on one hip, wipe a toddlers snotty nose with one hand,  hide a diaper or two in a fabulous handbag, swipe our lips with a sexy red lipstick with the other hand, while rockin a pair of hot stilletos feeling like we can conquer the world?   Can I get a big "Hell yeah!"?   So go on sista', be all that you can be. ;-)

And the dumbass award goes to....

Edited to add: Received an update on the drunk driver incident late tonight... some insane stuff here folks. Unbelievable. Update added to the end of this post.

Okay, this is just beyond dumbass... this is idiotic, crazy, selfish, and every other bad word you can think of.

I'm in the shower last night around 9:30 p.m. or so... just get my hair lathered up with my smelly good hair product and I hear a LOUD crash and car alarms going off. I knew this was not a good thing, and knew what it was. In a second I flipped the water off and jumped out of the shower dripping wet with lathered up hair and ran for the hallway slipping around the corner. Hubby is calling my name and says something about a wreck. No sooner than I open the back door, I hear it... people yelling/chaos.

Minutes later, here come the flashing lights, lighting up my back yard/alley like some kind of psychadelic rave going on. Peer over the fence and this is what I see right off.... yes friends, my tax payer dollars hard at work. Throwing tax payer dollars away on some dumbass that decided to drive drunk and plow into the back of my neighbors. (Had this man turned ever so slightly, he would have plowed through my fence and possibly ended up in the shower with me! I know my day will come, but me dying neeekid with bubbly hair and leg shaving razor in hand pinned between my toilet and a vehicle, is not really the way I want to go!)

Blue truck (obviously) belongs to the man who decided to get behind a wheel intoxicated. In front of that blue truck are two, yes TWO cars. Which thank God were just parked with no one in them.

Look at this mess! Pure crazy this is! I will repeat... thank God no one was in the car/s, or in the area! No one was hurt. Well, I hear the drunk was a little bloodied  after his truck kissed the back of these cars. But thats okay, he deserved it. Off to jail he went, and I'm hoping they put him in a cell with... well nevermind. I'm usually not an ugly person when it comes to others, but man, this is unacceptable. I despise people who get behind a wheel who have been drinking. It's one thing to choose to do something stupid if you might harm only yourself... but to possibly harm or even kill someone else? In my very strong opinion, this makes you a piece of shit.  You could be taking away someone's husband, wife, mother, father, brother, sister, child, etc.. you get the idea.

So now, we have to worry about installing some type of barricade to prevent something like this from happening again. Next time, we might not be so lucky and may end up with a vehicle in our house, or worse yet, someone hurt or taken away from us. :-(   Scary.

So to the guy who did this, I hope you learned something last night. I hope you feel worse than bad, and I pray even a sip of alcohol makes you turn green, gives you the poo-poos so bad you look like a red-butted monkey and can't sit down, and makes you so ill you never want it again. You better get on your knees and be thankful you didnt take anyone out last night.

Stepping off my soap box... rant over.

Don't Drink And Drive.

Update: Whoa, this is just unbelievable. This drunk driver goes beyond being an idiot. This man serves no purpose to humanity. He is taking up space.  Before running into the back of these cars, this man shot someone - ran from the scene, ran over two pedestrians (one went to the hospital, one was treated on scene) - ran from the scene, hit another car as he was driving - ran from the scene... was chased by the man in the car he hit, and then ran into the back of our neighbors damaging three more vehicles and their property.  I take back some of the stuff I said above. I'm not really going to go into what I think should be done to this man.

And it's official...

To be continued...  :-)

Daddy is his name.

To everyone out there who fills the role of Daddy, and does it well... I wish you a very special and happy Father's day today. I hope you know just how important you are to the person/people who call you by that name.

We are so blessed to have the best Daddy ever in our house. I lucked out that not only is he pretty for me to look at,  ;-)  he has a huge heart and knows how to love his babies with all of it.

At times this man makes me catch my breath and smile with pride watching him love his Littles. Whether its gently putting a babe to sleep, tenderly kissing a boo-boo, giving cuddles and bear hugs, cheering them on and giving encouragement, bringing them little surprises here and there just because, being a silly Dad, or protecting his little cubs with all his might, etc., everyone should be so blessed to have a Daddy like ours. Daddys are  magic. We love you and are so proud to call you ours.

Happy Father's Day!

Beautiful disaster...

Carrying a growing human being all tucked safely inside your body for months and feeling all those little flips, kicks and hiccoughs... is an amazing miracle. Giving birth to a tiny human being, a little person...  there are no words to describe the raw emotion and sudden swelling of love in your heart, and how in that very moment this tiny being comes out of your body, your life is changed forever. Moments like that take your breath away and make your heart feel all fluffy and warm...and good, and thats just the beginning... these moments are what makes life.

Seems us Mommas are constantly cleaning up after, or chasing after our little ones. I find that a little bit of trouble/chaos can be a good thing and make life a little more interesting. I drink in and absorb all the little things that happen daily... sometimes one single day can be full of surprises. 

Finding your little Picasso has very sneakily started her own art gallery on the living room wall... I can't help but smile and know that even though it might look terrible to others who might see it, to me it is a masterpiece and can eventually be scrubbed off/painted over...no harm, just childhood beauty. Although, Middle Little was told "it is a no-no to color with crayons on anything other than your special paper". I asked her if she did in fact color on the wall and she scrunched her little face up and said "Noooo. I no color on the wall." (See mug shot below.)

Look at this little mess... the Littlest Little enjoying sweet potatoes for the first time. He is learning to sit in the high chair like a big boy. After his little snack, he was one big ball of orange... his face/shirt/highchair rivaled  the artwork his sister did on the living room wall. ;-)~

Then there is this...what is this you might ask? (Because I know I did.) This, is hubby's idea of a better way to dip your cookies in milk. Insert one cookie into 1/2 cup measuring cup and dunk in glass of ice cold milk... voila', one thoroughly dunked cookie, and one milk splattered counter.

Ahhh, and then there is the aftermath of a toy tornado in the living room floor, laundry mountain in the bedroom and hallway floors, the leaning tower of shoes in the dining room, etc, etc... but you know what? There is plenty of time to deal with these kinds of things... but our time for making memories and fun with our loved ones is running out. So the messes can wait a bit while we take our time making new messes and watching little ones grow. 

Fantastic Find Friday!

This has been a score kind of day! Check it out!

~ Found these babies in my closet this morning (yeah another cell phone shoe pic... sorry folks, I do believe it is now a sickness). Are these not a fabulous find?! Red and black houndstooth patterned, with red patent buckle-y things. Yes, a gloriously happy find this morning (forgot they were in there - for almost two years)! Kinda Betty Boop meets Betty Paige-ish...

~ Found a lovely bracelet I forgot I had buried in a box.

~ Found a $5-er in the pocket of a pair of washed jeans. Woo-hoo!

~ Found my lost cherry Chapstick in the floor.

~ Found myself laughing over a Blue Grass (is this country music, or?) version of Madonna's "Like a Virgin"  song on the radio in the car on the way to work. Okay, so this doesnt quite count as a true "find" today... happened to come across the radio station and thought it was hilarious.

~ Found doughnuts & kolaches in the office lunch room this morning! My thighs thank whoever brought them in. They were delish.

~ Found a fu-fancy flowered skirt that a co-worker did not want any more and figured out I could turn this into a cute little summer dress. Recycle!

So Friday is turning out to be a great Friday. Not only is it the last day of the work week, but look at all this stuff I found! I mean really, does it get any better?! (Yeah, okay, it can always get better... but for now I am reveling in the joys of my found booty - ummm, thats pirate talk for, happy about my treasures. ;-)

Now, hopefully on to a great weekend spending time with my handsome honey and my Littles. Father's day is around the corner so its time to make sure you recognize the Dads out there and let them know how very important they are to our kids. (Bio-Dads, step Dads, foster Dads, anyone who takes on the Dad role and does it right. ;-) We have the best Daddy ever in our house.

Sometimes not so perfect is perfect...

On a totally random note: I figured out what my crap phone camera was good for...taking random pics of whatever shoes I happen to be wearing for the day. 

Okay, maybe not... just happen to notice when I was looking through my phone camera album that I had several snapshots of my shoes?! Hmmm, didnt realize I had some kind of fetish or that my shoe obsession was that bad. (Did I mention before that I really like shoes?) *gasp* I'm some kind of camera phone picture taking shoe weirdo! Least they were pics of MY feet and not someone elses heh? ;-)~

No, actually camera phones are good for taking pictures of sweet sleeping babies who make their mothers smile every morning and start the day off right... yes, a picture to show every co-worker who will look, how he has grown just a wee bit over night, and I swear his hair has gotten longer since I put him to bed.

Or how about camera phone shots of a little girl being a little girl and mothering her baby dolls... or playing outside and happily gazing into her garden gazing ball?

After taking plenty of pro-pics... and prepping/staging photos and taking extra care to get lighting just right, composition right, etc... sometimes I start to lose sight of the fact that I dont have to try and make something "perfect". Sometimes not so perfect is actually... perfect. Yup, just like life... all is good and just the way it should be for now.

Snap pictures and make memories any way you can...

Walk away Wednesday...

Okay, so I am a bad blogger… missed a few days. Have had a rough few days and been busy. I am happy to announce though, the older I get, the more I am learning to let some things that bother me go (I didn’t say I always do, but its getting easier). I don’t understand why we get so irritated and angry at some situations dealing with people (strangers/friends/family), when we can just walk away. When I say, “walk away” I mean physically OR mentally walk away from the situation. Really, are most negative situations that bad that we bring ourselves/others down and make us miserable? Is it really worth it to let a person/situation piss you off, lets say, to the "heighth of piss-tivity", when there are a million other people you can deal with or something else you can be doing? Most things can be worked through/talked out… other times, its best to just remove your self from the situation or remove the situation from your self and move along. (And just how many times can a person type the word "situation" in a paragraph? ;-)~

So I’m listening to the radio on the way to work this morning, or should I say, my finger is perched on the scan button trying to find a song I can relate to. I find music is therapeutic and can change ones mood… if at the very least, for a few minutes. Same thing with photographs... I think that is one of the reasons why I enjoy photography so much too. (Yes, I am one of those weirdos that enjoys sitting down and looking at someone else’s 500 photos of their dog at different angles, etc.. Photographs are little moments frozen in time... memories... life happening.)

Browsing through the radio channels, I hit some country song on the radio (not a country fan either) that is repeating the chorus “live like you were dying”. Hmmmm, not a bad philosophy I’m thinking. Really, those are true words we should live by. Who knows when you are really going to go... it could be literally at any given moment. I know when it’s my time… I want to leave great things behind me for those left, and at the same time, go knowing I had a good and fulfilling time here on Earth. So after this emotional couple minutes in the car flying through traffic while solving the world's problems (multi-tasking?)... my finger reached for the scan button again. The rest of my ride to work I am dancing in the seat of my car looking a lunatic and singing to Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen"... yes, you read that right. Billy Ocean. Made me remember the old days of big hair, florescent pink shirts, painted on Jordache jeans and Kaepa sneakers...and how cool I really was... errr am. Another words, made me laugh out loud and realize that I truly am beyond a dork when I am alone with myself.

You see, in this 20 minute car ride to work, I had decided life is too short to not have a lot of fun along the way and not be yourself, to be unhappy or miserable, too short to let others walk all over you or dictate who/how you should be or feel... at the same time, life is too short to treat others badly or be a selfish person. Be yourself, have fun, treat others the way you want to be treated... and if someone doesn’t fit into that... then, yup... walk away. Ill just say, "God bless everyone, no exceptions", mean it, and move along. (If you're nice though, Ill play with you.)

What are you going to do with your day?

Wordless Wednesday....

(Metal sign on my file cabinet in my office.)

*Please note, sign does not say "No Bitching" or "No Crying".

How does your garden grow?

Okay so Summer does not officially begin here until the end of June, but try telling my sweat glands that. It's freakin' hot out there! I need a pool, don't have the space... popsicles and the sprinkler will have to do. Speaking of popsicles, Middle Little, Abbie sure loves her popsicles. It's quite evident by her little rainbow stained face and shirt everyday when she comes in the house from watering all of the plants/flowers through the snout of her elephant watering can. This kid LOVES to water plants. L.O.V.E.S. She is a natural born gardener.

Abbie gets this from her Daddy. She certainly did not get it from me, her Mother. I have tried, really I have. I cannot even grow an air fern (This is sad folks... truly sad. This has to be one of the easiest plants on the face of the Earth). Daddy is a gardener/plant grower extraordinaire! Seriously... this man has a true "green thumb". Look at some of his handy work...

Pretty huh? :-) Yes, our lawn, front and back, is sprinkled with a variety of shapes and colors.

The hubby also has a small vegetable garden with peppers, squash, herbs, some other vegetation and this... yes this, which once again confirms my belief that tomatoes are nasty, disgusting, evil little things! I mean really, look at them... like little monsters they are! Just what is going on in that vegetable garden of his?!

How does your garden grow?

Love you like a fat kid loves cake...

I mentioned in an earlier post that I celebrate anything... well, its true, just give me a reason to hang balloons, crepe paper, or in this case, cheesy Tiki garb. ;-)~

Birthday day! Good day... lots of cards from family and friends (Thank you to Mom for the check, new shoes here I come! Thanks Billy for the Subway gift card! Woo-hoo! I'm all over it! Perfect to carry to work for lunch!).  Hubby fixed me dinner (chicken enchiladas and rotel dip/chips). The Littles gave me an adorable pirate card (I have a thing for pirates), and an awesome gigantic picture frame that holds 40+ photos (Im beside myself now trying to figure out what pictures to put in it!). After all the goodies, food and a brief napping period... yes, this birthday girl needed beauty rest, we had cake! Okay, so this was not an Italian Creme Cake from Whole Foods Market (Ever had one of those? Oh, yum!), but this was a beautiful, delicious cake and even better had my name on it... "Mommy". Yes, thats me!

Thanks to all who made my birthday such a special day! To the hubby, thank you for all the goodies and the love. I love you like a fat kid loves cake...and then some. ;-)

Oh wait, before I end this one... check this out. I am not sure what this is all about but I'm thinking I may need some kind of special protective gear to use this set-up (or at least a helmet and goggles)?! In reading the "instructions" for my softbox/lighting setup the hubby got me as a gift.....well here, just have a look...

"Don't turn it on while it is operating," ???

"If the buld is broken, please cut electricity or consult a professional electrician to check"

Okay, now I am just confused and worried. Can't turn it on...what is a "buld" (is this a special order item?)... and a professional electrician?! Sweet Jebus, this must be a serious piece of equipment here folks!

Perhaps something was lost in translation?  ;-)~

I don't know... I need more cake.

Birthday eve...

Yup, so here it is, it has come to pass... tomorrow, one more year of my life will have passed by. Its been a wonderful year with many great changes. (The biggest being the birth of our Son, Littlest Little, Josh. 20 years waiting for this little guy to be here. Will have to share the Littles story sometime.)

Had a great day at work... this was truly a good one. Such sweet co-workers. Received many birthday wishes, lunch (twice *grins*), an adorable bag with my name on it that hid a gazing ball frog for my frog garden, a beautiful grass green dress with beaded/jeweled v-neckline (which means I have to go shop for some gold heels to go with it... have I mentioned I love shoes?), and received a pole/shake your booty dance from two of my co-workers being silly while they sang happy birthday in breath-y Marilyn Monroe style. Too funny.

Got a phone call at work from the hubby, telling me "Congrats, your a grandmother!" At first I thought my heart was going to stop. First thought was our almost 19 year old daughter! He very quickly let me know the baby doves we had been watching nested in one of our plant hanging baskets, had hatched. Whew! He should have re-phrased that one... a grandmother? I felt like grabbing my chest Fred Sanford style and looking toward the sky while saying "Elizabeth, Im coming to join ya honey!"

Yes, so I am the proud grandma of two scraggly looking little dove babies..."Thing One & Thing Two"...lol. He had called to let me know he finished up our patio cover as well. Awesome... now my pale, Casper the ghost, looking self can go out and sit without getting burnt to a crisp and enjoy my new feathered grandbabies! Gives the Littles more shade to play in too. ;-)

This weekend I need to get out the camera equipment and get some shots of the Littles. Abbie knows the camera when she sees it. She immediately gets down on the floor and strikes a pose when she sees the camera come out...lol. (I really need to get her a camera of her own for Christmas.) Cant wait to play with my new photo equipment birthday goodies the hubby gave me. Yeah, he gave me my birthday gifts a couple weeks early.

He does this every year... after he gives them to me, he looks at me puzzled, and asks "How'd you do that?!"

I say "What?"

He said "Did you just do some kind of Jedi mind trick on me to make me give you your gifts early? Is that what you do?"

The nerve. Like I would do such a thing.

*swipes my arm in front of his face* "You WILL buy me a yummy delicious Italian Creme Cake."