lucky you

Since today my mom and I are repainting the nursery after the crackheads I hired from Craigslist did a joke of a job, I thought I'd make a list of my pet peeves.
*update: my mom didn't let me paint, of course.


1. Half a@# jobs. This goes from painting a room to putting something out of sight instead of in its place. Just do it right the first time. It's less work for everybody that way.

2. Procrastinating. I don't see the benefit. I've never gotten a better deal on a plane ticket or a table at a restaurant by waiting till the last minute.

3. When someone's blocking your way and you say "excuse me" and they say "mm hmm" but they don't even move.

4. Super long phone messages.

5. People not responding to emails/messages/phone calls. Although after therapy I've realized this says something about them, not anything about me.

6. Driving slowly in the commuter lane. You're killing me, people.

So what are your pet peeves?

(and don't say people crybabying on their blogs)

happy father's day

to the sweetest

proudest

most devoted

dad

that I've ever known

our nephew's here!

Jude Walker was born tuesday morning. He's such a cutie pie and my sister-in-law Ann is a trooper! Check out amy's blog for the pics and details.

arts + crafts

When she was a little baby, she used to chew her tongue all the time. So I guess this is progress.

busy weekend

Mark and Marlo did so much this weekend...they's BFFs.


Friday at the fair:


Saturday they went to the park twice:


Sunday he took her to Leo Carrillo Ranch while I got a pedicure:





then he took her back to the park in the evening! Such a great dad!

cupcake recipe

I'd love to share it, but I don't really know what I did. It was my full intention to write it all down so I'd always get it right, but with Marlo's "help" and the bed rest breaks I took, I didn't get around to it. I tried to follow online recipes, but I could only use what I had on hand.

So here goes. Measurements by no means exact.

Cupcakes:
Just a box of yellow cake mix, made according to instructions. Make sure to stretch out the mix to make the full 24 cupcakes (I usually just make 18 big fat ones). This gives you a nice flat top for dipping.

Filling:
3/4 jar of marshmallow creme (I would have used a whole thing, but someone may have skimmed some bites out every so often when passing the pantry)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup butter flavor Crisco (oh yes, I did)
1 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T milk


Cream the creme, butter and crisco. Add the rest of the ingredients and whip it up till nice and fluffy. I can't be sure of all the measurements because I added and tasted (as did Marlo). Just make sure it tastes good. And it will. Fill a pastry bag with any tip, as long as it's big.

Take your cooled cupcake and cut a hole in the top about the diameter of a quarter. Leave about 1/2 inch at the bottom. It's best to cut it out in one clean piece because you'll need it later. Fill it with the cream, then cut a thin slice off the top of the piece you cut out and fit it right back on the cupcake.

Time for glaze. Most recipes call for heavy cream, which I didn't have, so I used the following recipe from the internet.

1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1 tbs light corn syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Microwave the chips, butter and corn syrup on medium for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until fully melted, then add vanilla.

No need for a spoon or knife to get it on there, just dip each cupcake in the melted chocolate. It doesn't take long to harden, maybe an hour...if you can wait that long.

i'm gonna cry

2007. i love this juxtaposition of sweet baby face with a gun in the background

It's opening day at the fair. Mark and Marlo just left to go.

Yesterday my sister asked me, other than the food, what's so great about the fair? Well. The food is only a teeny tiny part of it. The rides, the exhibits, the bunnies and cows, Marlo on a pony, the booth with all the Russian nesting dolls (M gets one every year) and of course seeing the people that it brings out of the wood work.

I still haven't ruled it out completely. I've checked out renting a motorized cart. I think if we park close enough to the gate (which can happen, because Taylor works parking) I'll be fine.

As long as no one thinks I'm an exhibit myself. LOOK FOLKS, IT'S THE SURFACE-DWELLING ALBINO MANATEE.

hostess @ home

I made these a couple weeks ago and they were so easy. I don't know if everyone else loved them as much as I did. Marlo only liked the chocolate and the filling ("I don't want the bread part"). Mark may have had one, but I think he prefers three inches of frosting on top.

But I SWEAR they were delicious.

sneak peek...

Well I just couldn't wait to post pictures of the nursery bedding (besides who knows when we'll get the room together). I got the package today from my mother in law and this isn't even all of it. I've got plaid sheets and orange sheets and green dot sheets...she claims a making a fitted sheet is easy as pie.

The guitar print piece is a diaper case. And the burp cloths! I'm supposed to let spit up get on those. But it's what Grandma would want. She loves making something absolutely perfect only for her grandchildren to completely trash it.

With all the stress and worry of this pregnancy, it's been hard to get excited about the details. But opening this package today made me sooo happy...not only is everything going to be okay, it's going to be great.

Thanks mom for putting so much love into this.

beach days

We went to the beach a couple weeks ago. It was easy...I didn't have far to walk and I just sat in a chair the whole time. People were a little concerned about the beached whale though.

Marlo could be there all day long building sandcastles and smashing them, collecting rocks, and digging big holes to climb inside.

One year ago...

we checked into the hospital knowing we wouldn't be bringing you home

the nurse delivered you with tears in her eyes

we dressed you in the tiniest clothes that were still too big

we marvelled at your little toes although we'd never see them move.


We love and miss you.