a few of my favorite things

one of z's many cute faces. i love my blue-eyed girl...& my brown-eyed boy...who is trying to press my fingers down as i type. urg.

This is a strange & random list of a few things that I am really into lately. Since I can't sleep, my throat is killing me, & I want to do something to make me feel happy rather than focus on feeling crappy (ha, that rhymed!), here goes.
in no particular order...
1. Scrapbooking. I recently got a lot "in the book." It isn't "cute" yet, but it'll get there. Doing 2 instead of just 1, esp. with 2 kids needing me all the time, has been tough.
2. Tea tree oil: to clean, to use on zits, fever blisters, & lots more. yea, essential oils!
3. Not having strep. I've had it 3 times in about 13 months. Yuck.
4. Tiny snowflakes. Because they are pretty & they aren't sticking...yet.
5. Hulu & Netflix. We don't have a t.v., so I get my fix this way. ;)
6. House, M.D. (What was up the House & Cuddy kiss?!)
7. The Office (Question: How awesome is Dwight? Answer: He's great, but I have a crush on Jim.)
8. Heroes (my x-files meets a soap opera fix). I am addicted to all three of these shows. At least I only waste an hour & 40-something minutes a week on them.
9. Method & Seven Gen cleaning products. I clean a lot, so it's important to carry on a love affair with these non-toxic dudes I spend hours a week with.
10. Mountain Dew. Yes, I'm doing the caff again. I usually have one can per afternoon. Tsk, tsk, Sonya.
11. Real coffee. Again, tsk, tsk. Only one cup per a.m., but it totally gets me going.
12. Pilates. Ahhh. I'm taking a class at the Y right now, but I still miss my Yoga-lates power class from Ames. It was such a cool combo. High impact. Kicked my butt. ;)
13. Yoga. I like the intense kind. I can tell a difference in the way I feel & sleep when I am really into pilates & yoga.
14. Larenim makeup. Bare Escentuals makeup. I feel prettier & more "finished" when I use a little makeup...esp. under my eyes, where I always look like I've been in a boxing ring. And all hail mascara to "open" one's eyes. Granted, I don't "pretty up" daily.
15. Downy fabric softener. I had been using a seventh gen type, but nothing softens like Downy free.
16. Bum Genius (cloth) diapers. I'm saving $ & not filling the earth with diapers. Check out Cotton Babies webpage for some good savings on this brand. I also [heart] Fuzzy Buns.
17. Lavender oil. Spray or diffuse to calm thyself for sleeping.
18. Peppermint oil. Great for muscle soreness or to promote clear thinking. Also yummy to diffuse in a stinky room.
19. Baking soda + water to soak stainless steel cookware in. Even stuck-on scrambled eggs will come out easier after soaking for a while. (Please tell me you don't use teflon anymore, right?!)
20. Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles & sippies. Come on, at least get one. They'll last for the rest of your life. You can will them to your children.this is the only pic of just me that i have...not a great one, but there i am!

21. Consignment kiddie stores. Since Zora-bean is growing like a weed, I trade up stuff all the time. It reminds me of the days of barter. I haven't spent cash there in a long time. :)
22. Hand-me-downs. I'm all about free, gently used stuff. Bring it on. I also like to hand down to others. It's awesome to keep the cycle going. I think I read somewhere that some folks had "all things in common" & it worked out well. :)
23. Time with my hubby. Lately we've managed to slide in some good conversations & time together, even if Baby Einstein is sitting the kids. It's been nice. I know it'll get easier as they get older.
24. Losing some of that Zora weight. I lost 3 or 4 lbs. this past month & I can really tell a difference. I know that doesn't sound like much, but when you're only 5'4"...it is.
25. Pescatarianism. We are eating only fish & other non-meat proteins right now. It's working out well, except when we travel. We've decided to be committed when we're at home & less so when we're not.
26. Going "home" for Christmas. I love it & then it stresses me out. Mostly I try to concentrate on the things I love about it, though: family, Alabama accents, fried fish, Killen, Florence, Moulton, church family, all my kids I used to babysit, friends, eating our special Key family fancy dinner, Christmas games & songs, seeing L. enjoy all of the above. This year seeing Z. enjoy most of the above will be special, too.
27. Hosting events. I like to do the organizing people thing. :) I recently had the University Women's Scrapbooking group over in the a.m., then B's grad class came over for a short class & supper later that night. We didn't mean to plan it all for the same day, but it worked out well...and reminded me that I enjoy doing those things.
28. Class reunions. At least I hope I'll enjoy ours. I'm attempting to gather info for everyone now so that we might have one! Happy ten years, y'all!
29. My accent. Barclay teases me a little & calls me "Brenda" or "Brendalee" (from The Closer). He says I sound just like her when I say, "Thank Ewwww." :) I love my twang. As long as my grammar is correct, I don't care to bring the twang.
here's a pic of L with his "bathtub crayons"...the recipe is in a previous post. all you need is a bar of ivory, some food coloring, a grater, warm water & an ice cube tray.

super sweet 7

I can't believe my little peanut is 7 months! She has been full of "da-da-la-la" for the past week or two. ;) She has also outgrown her infant carrier, so I'll either be borrowing or purchasing a new seat for my big woman...21ish lbs & 28ish inches, she's filling up 12-18 month clothes & size 4 diapers! (It's onto toddler wear before we know it!) At least my arms & core are getting toned from lugging around my jumbo! Yea for fat, breastfed babies!

the most fun i've had in fa' eva'

Bekki & me...it had been years since we'd seen each other! Yea, Bek! I had so much fun with you! I'm glad you got to be with your fam & take care of your mom. I'm also glad that I got to be part of your La Hacienda experience this time around! :)

Lori gave Langston a trim one night. It was funny to see (& hear) the "great haircut debate" once she was done. I was really happy with it. All the grands kept asking, "Is she finished?" (Yes, we like it long & shaggy!)


Silas & Langston usually get together once a year, at least. :) I'm so happy that Lindsay & I get to see our babies together...just like we've been hoping for the past 16 or so years! Congrats on the little girl, Andy & Lindsay!






Bubba's party was too much fun! I enjoyed getting to spend so much time with Lila (who I realized that I miss!). It was great to see Bubba, Kim & Jason, Zeb, Amy, Terrell, Malynna, & Kayleigh, & all the old CSC crew. Going back to AL this time was (as usual) packed with lots of spending time with friends, church family, & family. Only this time, I "went out" more than usual. (**Disclaimer: L. was a little sickly, so not up to par with his usual friendliness...sorry to all who hung out.) Mom & Dad watched L. (or sometimes L.& Z.) while I attended a Halloween party with some of my college pals, went to hang out with 2 of my high school friends (Julie & Lori), & I had girls (Bekki & Lindsay). I also took the kids or one kid with me to "visit" sometimes. It was fantastic to see everyone! I laughed so much, remembered all kinds of stories, caught up on people's lives, & picked up where we left off with SO many folks. I am blessed to have lots of great friends! I'm thankful for each of you!

which one is wright? white?

L-town & Madelyn on the day of the "Fock" happening...we also decorated Halloween cookies.

A few days ago L. was telling me yet another "Rocky" (sounds like "Wocky") story, when he got to a part about a man name Mr. Wright...or White, I still don't know. I tried to ask without making him upset (bc kids really hear themselves saying the word correctly.), but I never could tell what he was saying.
It reminded me of a story my friend Erin told me about her little Madelyn, who says "F" for all things "S." Madelyn was a little upset when another mom asked her about a "fool" bc she had clearly said, "fool!" (Stool, for those not fluent in Madelyn-ese.) I was horrified by my own studpidity when I was watching M. a few weeks ago & introduced her to the word "smock"...which came out as, you guessed it, "fock." Pretty close! Eeek! Her mom isn't mad at me, thankfully. ;) *oh, and another M. cute thing...she dubbed her new sis "Chocolate" pre-birth. I gotta' give her props; L. just went with one of names we didn't choose, Cecilia. (Btw, Nina & Georgia were the other runner-ups...Nina, I thought of you!)

everybody loves zo-wah

my little fuzzy-top girl...studying the grass & her toes. :)

Zora with Grandaddy

I took Big Z for an early 7 month appt. today. She was 20lbs. 8oz. & 27 3/4" tall! She has "dropped" down to the 97% in weight (I thought she was looking thin...ha, ha) & still around 95% in height. Her tummy wasn't ready for all the fruits & veggies we were trying (constipation times), so we lightened up on food (1-2 Tbsp per day) & are still doing cereal (4ish Tbsp per day), & have found a sippie that is both BPA free & easily sippable for a 6-month-old. And...lots & lots of breastmilk. Once I decreased the food & increased the breastmilk, all was well in poo-land. Zora helping Grandmother
Other Zora going-ons:
*lots of raspberries (sticking out the tongue & blowing spit, food, etc. all over the place!)
*sitting up really well (rarely tips over)
*repeats sounds with "B" now ("ba, baw"...she made the sound combo of "cow" one day...impressing her big bro, who later swore that she also said, "moo!" yea, & she caught a fish THIS big!)
*clasps hands; plays with fingers & toes
*passes toys from hand to hand
*copies facial expressions or sounds (esp. tongue things)
*snarls! (nose crinkled, forcefully breathing through nostrils...pretty cute.) :)
*Lifts upper body when on tummy; turns head all directions.
*Rolls or scoots on bottom to move.
Those are some of the newbies from the past month or so. She HATES being on her tummy--playing, sleeping, or anything, so I don't know when she'll finally decide to crawl.
She loves to cuddle, play with brother, nurse, babble (esp. in the a.m.), be held, meet new people, & watch other babies. She's really fond of chewing on her toes. She is usually in a good mood & can be "by herself" (on a mat or in the exersaucer beside me) for several minutes at a time. She is really a happy, friendly baby! We are totally enjoying Miss Z. & still can't believe her babyhood is going so quickly. Where have those 7 months gone?!
Get me outta' here!! (This pic was taken by brother, who is no longer bothered by such facial expressions or whining.)

sully & the cow

We attended Maybelle's (our international student), concert for our Macomb Halloween event this year. WIU puts on a concert that is educational & still fun for the kiddies. The kids learn about instruments, composers, & get to hear music from the orchestra. It was nice. It would be awesome for a 6-12 year-old. L. enjoyed it, but kept asking, "where's the candy?" :) They did hand out small bags of candy as the kids existed. Oh, and Maybelle borrowed my costume...from the 8th grade! :) Bekki, do you remember it? We had a fun time.

Cassie's wedding

Cassie was my roommate twice. She turned off the alarm many-a-day as I slept through the buzz. She was my alarm. :) She convinced me to cut class (two years into college) for the first time (something I did rarely...I always loved the classroom...freak, I know). She often gave me little gifts (my Chestnut St. girls! We all did this sometimes...soymilk in the 'fridge, coffee, notes, messages on the dry board with our first initial by them). She told me when I dated crazy people. She told me when I should tell those people to stop phoning our apartment. We laid awake many nights talking about life: God, boys, beliefs, family, weight, food, make-up, clothes, me running around the apartment naked, her wearing sexy clothes, you name it. We enjoyed coffee trips & Christian Student Center retreats. She is the one roommate I can honestly say that I went into it thinking, "okay, I'll try" and came out thinking, "I just made a friend for life!" We still keep in touch & I hope we always do.
I love you, Cassie! I'm so happy for you. I knew your love would come. One of my favorite parts of your ceremony was seeing you walk down the aisle to "At Last," not only was it sexy & romantic, but it was exactly the way I know you feel about Brian. I hope God continues to bless both of you with gifts of love & understanding.

Sweet Home Alabama: Congrats, Cassie!

I think I'll end up posting around 4 different entries just to get all our stories & pix from the past few weeks out there! Here's the short of the long tale...one of my college roomies, Cassie, got married on November 1. She had asked me a long time ago to come as an honorary bridesmatron (I could just come & sit with her other honorary person, Kim, who just had the cutest twins); I couldn't do it b/c B. had a speaking engagement that weekend & I'd rather cut off my big toe than travel through Chicago with both kiddies by myself. Anywho...the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I really would be missing out to not be there for one of the best roomies, who I still talk to all the time...so...I decided to drive there by myself.
NO, no one let me get away with this madness! My parents drove up (thanks mom & dad!), then drove the kids & me back down for almost a week of fun, Southern hoopla at their place! It was Grrrreat! :) So, Congrats Cassie! I love you! Congrats, Brian! You got a super great partner for life! Thank you soooo much, family. I love you & I really did have an awesome time.
OH, and I didn't "alert the media" about this trip bc I wanted Cassie to be surprized...it worked! ;)

don't run with...

scissors, a fork, various other sharp objects. We've all said it, but I had never seen the "what could happen" until this email. I originally got this a while back, but another friend sent it to me today. It's worth making your stomach turn (& showing to your kid), if it prevents this "ouch" from happening again. I don't know this fam, but I feel sorry for 'em.
Jen, this is why I freaked out at the totally cute pic of Chasers with the fork.