0-1-2-3-4-5

0 the number of things I want to do today
Good thing Brad stole batteries from the hand-held Yahtzee game to re-power the DVD remote (he's my Prince Charming) because I'm going to be needing it today. I see lots of pajama and Sex and the City time in the future. Turns out 48 hours of constant activity can really wear a girl out.

1 cupcake from Sweet Mandy B.'s
(Thank you, Kelly!)
There is a less-than-stellar picture of me (Thank you, Josie) eating said cupcake which will hopefully never find its way to the Internet. Totally yum.

2 missing friends
(I wish Em and Stephanie could have enjoyed Ali's class with us)
Ali's class was absolutely fantastic. It felt so good to just sit and paint and cut things (lots of transparencies!) and talk and enjoy and make things. We made a mini (kind of like this) with 31 pages to do a daily album.


3 kinds of transportation (car, train, cab)
I drove to Kenosha. A. Amy and I took a train to Chicago. We walked half a block and decided to take a cab to dinner. We took a cab back to the train. Took a train (with drunk people) from Chicago back to Kenosha. The next day I drove from Kenosha to Madison and then from Madison to Appleton.

4 days old
Warrior - ah, I mean Luke - is four days old. Unfortunately, the number of times I've seen him is one. I really need some baby time.

5 quick minutes on the terrace before class
Driving from Kenosha to Madison was a new route. I was totally into New Moon (vampire love story # 2 on the iPod) and missed my exit, which added some travel time, which lowered my terrace time. I ended up with just enough times to put on my sunglasses, scarf down a salad, and take a quick picture.

Just a random photo for today. . .
Beagle + Red Velvet Cake = Temptation


I'm off to Chicago for a class with Ali Edwards and then to Madison for grad class.

See you Saturday.

June 25th

Welcome to Luke Andrew.
aka Warrior.
22 inches.
11 pounds, 5 ounces.

Total honey. I'm in love.



I can take zero credit for the photos. All of them were taken by the fantastic Stephanie who I was lucky enough to share my day with. (Have you ever checked out Stephanie's photography business?)

Warrior's half-birthday is Christmas. How perfect is that?!!?? He'll get presents for his half-birthday, and I think we all know how I feel about half-birthdays.

Stay tuned for photos from Fun Summer Wednesday III. . . can't believe we are already three Wednesdays into the summer. Make it stop!

Dear Warrior,

I am patiently awaiting your arrival.

By the way, I'm your aunt, Barb. I'm not really your aunt; I'm not your mom or your dad's sister. But, I am one of your mom's very best friends which is even better than being her sister.

I am one of many people who will spoil you with all the presents and fun things you want. I promise to read you lots of stories (your dad says I'll be the one who teaches you to read). I'll take you out for ice cream all the time. I'll try my hardest to be a good example for you.

Before you get here, you should know that your mom and I have had some pretty crazy adventures in our ten years of friendship.

We've been a lot of places: Topeka, road trips in the Red Russian, Baltimore, and Las Vegas. We've gotten married. We've bought houses. We've accidentally worn matching dresses to a homecoming dance. Between us we've earned six degrees in ten years. We've judged and forgiven. We've laughed. We've laughed a lot. We've moved away from home. We've celebrated and cried.

I am sure that your mom will teach you how to be a great friend and that you will be blessed with the same kind of friendship we share.

I am very excited for the next big adventure in my friendship with your mom. I cannot wait to help her be the best mom she can be. But mostly, Warrior, I cannot wait to meet you.

You'll know exactly who I am. I'll be the one crying with the camera.

See you tomorrow.

Love,
Aunt Barb

I blame Bella

So. . . vampires are so not my thing. Vampire love stories are even less my thing.

Admittedly, I did read some Anne Rice in high school in preparation for Interview with a Vampire the movie. I didn't like it though.

Tell me why, then, I stayed up until way past midnight reading Twilight?

Now, if only learning to love other things that aren't really my thing were this easy.

Wanted: Skinny Arms

As much as I love to buy clothes, it is a little ridiculous that with each season I need to buy a new wardrobe. The ridiculous part is that I buy the new wardrobe not because I want to be fashionable but because the clothes from the previous year at that time do not fit.

It's a little like being a kid - I keep growing out of my clothes.
Except, I'm an adult. That's not supposed to happen.

I've also noticed that I am developing an over-whelming case of old-lady arms. As much as I am looking forward to being an old lady one day, I will admit that the arms are not part of that process I am looking forward to.

I've kind of gotten it in my head that both of these problems are caused by two factors.
One. I love to eat.
Two. I hate the gym.

I've gotten it in my head that both of the problems (the constant shopping for bigger clothes and the old lady arms) could be solved if I get a personal trainer.

I've been talking it over with Brad. I'm quite specific about what I'm looking for. I need a trainer who:

• is a girl
• is not pretty
• weighs at least as much as I do
• will not make me do anything ridiculous (like run backwards around the track)
• will not make me run at all (I despise running)
• understands that I'd much rather be watching television than working out
  

It also has to be said that this trainer will come from the Y. Remember Brad's incident at the Y and my involvement with it? I will admit that I haven't been back there since, but nevertheless, I am completely convinced that everyone at the Y knows who I am (in my mind they refer to me as The Wife who refused to come help her husband). This is another reason I have a complex about getting a trainer.

I found this today (in the July issue of Real Simple) and was quite comforted to know that ridiculous trainer requests are, apparently, quite common. (If you click on the picture it will get bigger, so you can actually read it.)

Wonders of Technology

I went Mac.
(That's my happy technology announcement alluded to yesterday.)

I haven't really started playing around with her (or maybe him) yet.

Honestly? I'm a little intimidated.

Plus, I have to admit that I got sucked into the Mac advertising. I got it in my head that if I was a Mac owner I would somehow be a happier, more well-adjusted person. It seemed that owning a Mac would transform my life.

I'll keep you posted.

Evils of Technology

So. . . I went to Walmart today.
(Bet you already know something bad is coming!)

I decided to use the self-check.

I'm a smart lady. . . lots of degrees, some amount of common sense (although somewhat limited).

The self-check assistant had to assist me at least 10 times as I checked out my items.

The machine kept getting very angry about what I was and was not putting in the bagging area. Every time the assistant had to come over. . . dig through my bag. . . make sure I payed for everything. . . sigh loudly . . . and enter a secret code.

I think the part that annoyed me the most was that she continually checked my bags. I mean, seriously. If I was going to steal something would I really be drawing so much attention to myself??!!??

I actually found myself apologizing to the woman behind me for my self-checking incompetency. She laughed.

Stay tuned. . . I will soon be blogging about the amazingness of technology.
It's possible I made a techno-purchase that is sure to revolutionize my life.

My Space

I was poking around 2Peas this morning and saw some great shots of scrap spaces.

Thought I'd share a few pictures of mine.

Looking from the doorway in.

Looking from the corner toward the door.


My sewing machine is almost-always on the table. . . except when I have scrap company.


Another shot of my table. . . Have to love the Ribbon Jar.

Paper storage.


Embellishment storage. (Cannot wait to decorate that letterpress tray.)


A little more embellishment storage. The shelf is a craft-fair find from my mother-in-law.


Button and ribbon and acrylic stamp storage.


Album storage. Closet shelves built by Brad.


Mini album storage.

These little guys are a relatively new addition. They remind me of time spent creating things with my grandmother and sit right above the space where I work.


I have a Studio Calico problem. . . I don't use the kits quite as fast as April and Scarlet send them.


Regrettably, I have to share some of my space with non-scrapbook-related details. (The vacuum is hidden in the closet.)


And, last but not least. . . a few shots of the hidden messes. Apparently, I struggle with photo storage.

Lessons Learned: Weekend

1. It is healthy to over-indulge every now and then.
We ate a seriously delicious dinner on Friday night at Room 21 with JustEm (both halves - Emily and Justin) and Josie. Everything I ate for the rest of the weekend (which was a lot!) paled in comparison. Think Parmesan spinach dip with pretzel chips. Think $13 mojito. Think fabulous tenderloin. Think red velvet cake with pistachio gelato.


(I realize this picture is blurry. But, can I just say how much I love this picture?!!? It was taken in the bathroom of the restaurant.)


2. Always check twice.
I do not know why I am about to admit this. I left my underwear at my aunt's house. They somehow did not end up in my suitcase and instead ended up in her basement. How embarrassing.

3. Fat girls shouldn't wear sleeveless tops.
After looking at a large conglomeration of myself from the weekend (many of which I seem to be jumping in), it came to my attention that fat girls really shouldn't wear sleeveless tops. I am seriously considering hiring (gasp!) a personal trainer to get my increasingly large butt into shape.4. Little lies are harmless.
We planned to go to the drive-in on Saturday night. It was raining. My cousin was pretty devastated. It's possible that my aunt "called" the drive-in and found out they were closed due to inclement weather. Really she called her own answering machine and told a little lie about the drive-in.
5. Kids are hilarious.
Visited the Children's Museum with the nephews today. While en route one of them suggested that we give "Mona" (the made-up name for the lady who talks on the TomTom) a time-out for giving us inaccurate directions. Ahhhh. If only life were that simple.

6. Read carefully.
I was in the process of signing the Father's Day card I bought for my grandpa when I realized that the card I bought him was actually intended to give to to a person who was my own father and also the grandfather of my children. It said something about being a great dad and a great grandfather. What a mess. I had to stop and buy a new card. Seriously. Why can't cards for such occasions simply say, "Happy Father's Day!"??!!?

7. Pictures just don't capture everything.
I have spent almost an hour sorting through the 263 pictures that are on my camera from the fabulous weekend. They don't even begin to capture the fun and friendship and family of the weekend. Thanks to Emily and Justin and Maddie and Josie and A. Amy and Grandpa and Jess and Kevin for all the hospitality.

On the Road

So. . . I'm staring down a road trip. A girl needs new clothes for a road trip, right? So, I hit the mall this morning. Would you believe that in all those bags there is only one pair of shoes (green flip flops), and there are absolutely NO purses?!?!!


Here's the weekend itinerary.

Thursday PM and Friday: Chicago!
You know that someone is truly a friend when you can call and say, "Whatcha doing in 24 hours? Can we crash at your house?" The Spahns have graciously agreed to host and entertain us in their newly redecorated house. And, I am totally hoping that Brad finally gets to meet the fabulous Josie. Think lots and lots of visiting and laughing, wandering around the city, and a fab dinner.

Saturday: Visit with the Fam
No summer is complete without a boat road and cookout at the lake. Grandpa is hosting us; my parents are even going to be there. Think sunshine and polka music and dinner on the deck.

Sunday: Uncle and Aunt
We're visiting Noah and Chase - our favorite three-year-old twin nephews. Think giggling and exploring.

See you on Monday. Mwah.

FSW Uno

First, thank you, thank you, thank you for the comments about summer romance. I've loved reading each and every one of them - even the ones from people who've never had a summer romance. Maybe I should add "adding romance to my summer" to my list of summer things to do. Anyway. . .

FSW = Fun Summer Wednesday

Stephanie and I have big plans to spend QT together each Wednesday. Today's plans included pizza eating, Sex and the City watching, scrapbooking, and photography educating.


I now understand white balance and ISO. I just need to get my tail out there and play around.

P.S. I made tomato salad for dinner. I researched their origin and made sure they were still attached to a vine. They just looked too red and beautiful and tomato-y to throw away. I think they are safe to eat, but if you don't hear from me for a few days it's safe to assume that I've got the salmonella.

Wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow I will tell you all about my weekend plans.

Summer

(Don't worry. I don't think that I will only do blog posts about summer. I just need a few days to get over the fact that summer vacation has arrived.)

Today I'm thinking about summer romance.

I think it was some song on the radio (Okay. I'll admit it. I was listening to "Summertime" by New Kids on the Block) that really got me to thinking about it. Then I thought about Dirty Dancing and Grease. Then I thought about 90210 - specifically the summer Brenda went to Paris and had a hot summer fling with Rick. Then I got to thinking about Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

I'm feeling left out.

I never had a summer romance. I started dating Brad in the summer (we worked together at the drive-in movies), but we kept dating in fall. Breaking up at then end of summer seems like a critical part of a summer romance.

Don't worry. I'm not planning to have a summer romance this summer.

I'm just saying - I've never had one.

I'd love to live vicariously through you. Who's willing to dish about their summer romance?

I {heart} my job

There is not a single day in the entire year that I love my job more than today.
Staring down the prospect of nearly three months of uninterrupted (except when I choose to be interrupted) summer makes me a happy girl - a very happy girl.

I have plans for this summer - big plans.

1. Watch every episode of Sex and the City - even if I've seen it before.
2. Exercise - even though I hate it - at least twice a week.
3. Read some books for fun.
4. Scrapbook (especially finishing a MMM entry).
5. Learn more about photography.

That seems like enough for now, doesn't it?

Happy summer!

28.5

There are some things about my birthday that are pretty miserable.

First. My birthday is shortly before Christmas. This means I only get to make one list a year. I make a combo birthday-Christmas list. This is fine and dandy because it means I get many of the things I want in December. But, what about the things I want in March or June or September? What about those things?!!?

Second. My birthday is only one week before Brad's. That means in two weeks we celebrate two birthdays. That is two fancy dinners. That is two cakes. That is two parties. That is someone else inadvertently stealing my thunder. That is just a bit too much celebrating in a bit too little time.

So, I've proposed many times. . . and will say it again here tonight. . .
I should celebrate my half-birthday.

What brings up this rant, you may ask?
Well. Today I am 28.5.
It is my half-birthday.

Brad refuses to let me officially celebrate the half-birthday and did not, in fact, buy me a present or flowers or a fancy dinner tonight. He thinks that celebrating the half-birthday is just a ploy to get presents twice in one year. (He insists that after celebrating the half-birthday in June, I would still expect to receive gifts and celebration again in December.)

I shared this theory--my belief that I should celebrate my half-birthday--with some colleagues today. I also shared that Josie and I are going to see New Kids on the Block. Their prompt reply, "What are you? 13?" Apparently, the half-birthday concept is lost on them, too.

So, here's to 28.5.
May the last half of 28 be as great as the first half.