Vanilla Ice !!! Ice Ice Baby !!!

Some of the kids in our neighborhood are on the high school soccer team. I was talking to one and noticed he had steps cut into his hair just about his sideburns. I asked "What's with the hair Vanilla Ice?" and he just stared at me blankly. Turns our they did it for a soccer tourney coming up. Who doesn't know Vanilla Ice or this song? We would blast it from our measly car stereos and sing it at the top of our lungs back in high school. Apparently that was a long time ago. What does it remind you of? Besides a blatant rip of from Queen.

Little Elves

Have a look at my kids dancing debut

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9632819513

Game On!!!

After a terribly disappointing Longhorn loss to the Raiders today (sorry husband), it is time to look towards the real game of the week. Any idea who we will be cheering for? GO UTES!!!

Smart Cookie

Tonight, I was trying to get wiggly C in her pajamas. I started to playfully chew on her shoulder and said "You taste so good, I am going to eat you up!" "Yeah, I'm a smart cookie," C replies back.

Heart - Barracuda (1977)

This was on the radio when I picked up Caroline from preschool. She had just come from the Thanksgiving dinner and was dressed as a pilgrim, but kept telling me she was an Indian. She heard this song and said, "Mom, it is the Indian song!". I told her the name and she keeps talking about it, Barracuda Heart. This song reminds me of playing tapes when I was little. I loved Heart and Joan Jett, Jackson Browne and Abba. I have a picture in my mind of just sitting and listening to this song and thinking Heart sounded so cool. What does this song remind you of?

Is it summer?

It is the middle of November and we are barefoot (well, at least I am) and still jumping on trampolines outside. I don't know whether to love this or start worrying about the fact that we aren't going to be able to water our lawns next year if this keeps up! Of course when I got out there with my camera, they were exhausted and not doing all their tricks, but you get the idea.

Flashback Friday!

This week's theme is Travel Bug from AJ. I loved this bike, it was a purple Schwinn, the paint being sparkly of course. For some reason, in my mind I thought the seat was white, but obviously not. I loved this bike, I road it all the time. Once, Megan E. was being so mean to me and another friend that I told her we would settle it with a bike race. We rode to the top of our street and my friend Kenny counted us down to the start of the race. It was going well, the first 15 feet, but then Megan somehow swerved into my bike, her pedal knocking into my spokes and the next thing I know I am on the newly gravelled street, bloody. Where was Megan? She just continued to ride home. I don't want to vilify her too much, we were young and I have heard what a wonderful adult she has become. But I still am a little irked, especially when Brooke's dad, my cross the street neighbor and a doctor, had to come over and pick gravel peas out of my head. You could say I am still emotionally scarred.

And this is how I rolled during the holidays. This was always set up at my grandma's. That Santa I am holding sang and shook his booty. We loved it. I wonder what became of the lit up Christmas tree picture on the wall. I would love to have it now.

My First Gift Boutique

Here is a look at my impromptu workplace and some plaques I whipped up today for a gift show I have been invited to participate in. A while ago, someone contacted me from my etsy site and asked if I would participate in her holiday gift show. She is in Utah, so this worked out great. I agreed, and then in true me-lately fashion, let her know I couldn't do it. Thank goodness for her, she talked me into it. I am glad she did, I have been wanting to make my plaques and sew for quite some time, but as all of you know, life gets in the way. So thanks to my lovely husband, he has agreed to switch places with me the next few days so I can add more nursing aprons and plaques to my small stash I already have. Thanks to Heidi's encouragement to bring whatever I have, no matter how little, I am now feeling the jitters of my first gift show. I don't expect any of you to come and buy my things (although you can if you want), but there are going to be over 60 artisans and vendors at this boutique. Please check out the Oh Sweet Sadie blog for more information including a list of participants, spotlights on some, directions to the gift show itself and more. I would go even if I wasn't involved. And thanks again Heidi for allowing me to waffle over this decision.

Flashback Friday!

I have already done a flashback with a family photo AND totally missed last week's theme Stylish Mom, so I think I will show you my mom . So eat your heart out.

This is my mom on the cover of her university yearbook, the Utopian '67 at the University of Utah. Look how classy and stylish she is.

This is my mom while she was the art editor at the school newspaper/yearbook. Such a great hairstyle. And I love her vest.

I especially love the shot below of her sorority picture. I have always loved how she looks in these photos, porcelain skin and all. My mom has always put things together well, she has an eye for it. Read more about her here and here.

She has always been creative and artistic. She still sews, draws, or creates something everyday. Quite remarkable. And she is the best Oma that grandkids could ever have. I have always looked up to her for many things, including her artistry and ability in all things crafty. Love you Mom.

Paige is right

Yep, this is a great show, just as Paige said. I had a little smile on my face the whole time, minus maybe 5 minutes.

Things I am eyeing this week

So, no theme, just things that have caught my eye this week, really. I love reading shops profiles, you can get more of a sense of the artist.

I love this ring. Pretty in Peace has a lot of amazing rings and other jewelry.

At gamiworks, she displays her love of Japanese chyogami in many different forms. I love these votives, but check out her pendants, matchbooks, nightlights.

This ring from howlindoggie is one of my new favorites. Apparently it was a custom order for Marsha but the artist received so much interest in it that she decided to make it to order. I love the hammered look. If you read the descriptions of each piece, you can tell a lot of thought is put into each piece.

I like to put things on my refrigerator or bulletin board. These magnets from inkjet are just the ticket. They are an original design. You can find magnets, badges, cards, and pocket mirrors here, I like the simple colors and design.

This print from Studio Lyon caught my eye. The artist works with lots of different mediums, but I like the works in ink, including this one and others like it.

I don't know how I came across ialuna, but I like it. She makes these beautiful and useful bookmarks and moneyclips. She also has a blog listed (as most of these shops do) on her profile, go and visit. These are so inexpensive for a beautiful handmade gift, these might be part of the "friend" gift for this Christmas, since we are all usually reading the same book.

Is there anything in particular you want me to look for? Let me know.

Catching up on our Monday Night TV

I finally have seen the latest Heroes episode. All I can say is "Holy Crap!" Sark and Peter Petrelli in the room at the same time? Really? Good television.

A Public Service Announcement?

Two weeks ago, the front of my hip looked a little bruised. This is normal, I tend to bump into things like table corners and such. I looked at it, it was a little red, a little bump on it, but no scratch. The next morning, the redness had spread, the bump was getting bigger. In the next couple of days, more redness, more swelling - oh, and it was tender, it hurt. It was right at the part of your hip, the front, where your kids run up lay their head when they are hugging you. By Friday, the bump was about 3/4 of an inch high, the redness about 3 inches wide by 5 inches long. D wanted me to just pop it. Pop what? It was still just a big bump, one that was hot, swollen, painful, but there was nothing to pop. Friday night, feeling sick, the pain becoming more than unbearable, a friend stopped by with her doctor husband. I showed him - I was more embarrassed by my pajamas than showing him this part of my body ( not a bad part of my body but one that hasn't seen a lot of light since the pregnancy of '06-'07 and subsequent post-partum period). He prescribed an antibiotic, said it was most likely a staph infection and told me that if it doesn't look better in a day or so, go to a doctor.

Then on Sunday, the pressure was insane and then - here is a slightly graphic description - from nowhere it started weeping. Not tears, but pus. Gross? Yes. I went to visit my mom at the hospital and my aunt had told her about the sore. My parents both asked to see it, it was gross, they insisted I go down to the ER. Instead I went to an insta care.

The doctor at the clinic decided to lance it. She numbed it up, or so she thought. Then she took some samples of the ooze and then sliced it open! It was so painful. I thought I was going to pass out. I think I should have had an epidural, it was that painful. She pulled some more pus out, a lot of the infection wasn't at the sight of the newly sliced area, but under the skin around it. She prodded around it, then took an instrument and tore the skin away from the tissue under it so that there would be more places for the infection to come out. I don't know that I have ever cried so hard over physical pain. I felt like such a baby. I was sent home with a shot in the butt (a potent antibiotic, there is still a lump where the injection was), some prescriptions for pain killers and another antibiotic.

Why all the antibiotics? Have you heard all the news about the Super Bug staph? MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is what it is called and it is an agressive staph infection. The culture they took from the pus was tested and it was staph, but not MRSA thank goodness. So here is my public service announcement portion.

Staph is everywhere, on all surfaces, on our surfaces. It only becomes a problem when it causes an infection. This can happen when the immune system is somehow compromised. The medical community has given some guidelines for what to look for and how to avoid it. This link from WebMD is a lot more informative than I am, it is MRSA specific but the guidelines are inclusive for all staph I believe, have a look. WebMd Staph Infection

Oh, and I was going to post a picture of the infection itself, but it was a little gory. And now I have gone from gauze and tape and now sport a Spiderman Band-Aid or a Strawberry Shortcake bandage.

Happy Birthday Girly!

Girly is 3!!! I can't believe it, but in some ways I think she is older. And up until this week, she told everyone that she is 7. She had a great day. We did a low-key celebration. We had a lot of fun. She dressed up in a new little tu-tu that I gave her, was gracious about her gifts, was gracious to her guests and is in love with her new princess dolls.

Girly is just a little magnet. You can't be in the room with her and not just stare at her. She is so full of energy. She is so animated. She makes us laugh all the time. She rarely just walks. She often is prancing, skipping, dancing, scooting, just not walking, to where she is going. Sometimes she puts her little bum out and walks like a little old lady. This might be my favorite. She doesn't know she is being funny when she does this. She really is just a ray of sunshine - and every once in a while a bolt of lightning.

Ahh!

E woke up this morning wishing he had a rewind button. He often says this after a fun day, so I am glad he had fun on Halloween.

This is Sonic the Hedgehog. For those of you who don't know who he is, he originally is from the Sega game systems. Now he is fighting for good with Mario over at Nintendo. I finished E's costume (minus the awesome hair, that I found a couple weeks before at a party store and when he told me he wanted to be Sonic I was lucky to find it again) and now see some things I would do differently, but all in all, he was so excited. He put on the felt shoes over his own and told me how fast he could run in them. That is a sign of a good costume. He loved it and I was glad he was what he wanted to be but still completely original. We went to his school parade that morning. I want everyone to hold me to this - E will not be wearing a gory costume until he is 18. I don't like them. I don't like the scary faces, the fake blood, the horrid weapons of demons. So, this will be my goal for the next 13 years.

Girly was a princess ballerina. She saw her dress at a store about one month ago and kept talking about it. So, here we are, one month later - she has worn it numerous times in between but still loved it. She would have it on today if I hadn't have found one of her tutus for tap/ballet class. She loved trick or treating, came home after about 30 minutes and helped me pass out candy while D and E hit some more houses. I took about a million pictures of her last week before her school party. She is such a girl!

Bug was two different costumes. His laid back look was a onesie and leggings that looked like skeletons. He attended our neighborhood party as SuperBaby. He really didn't care, and neither did I, but thankfully a friend talked me into having him wear a super costume she made 12 years ago for her son. Thanks. It was really cute and his older sibs loved it.



We had a lot of fun. The weather wasn't too cold, the kids tricked for plenty of treats, they crashed to sleep. Today is a little emotional and manic but that will pass.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!