Not so smart, Santa

It's that time of year.... Christmas shopping time!!! K so I haven't actually bought anything, but my list of ideas is growing and the panicky feeling that I need to start buying things a little at a time is full force. Of the many ideas we are getting for the girls, Josh and I thought it would be a good idea to get Ugg boots. Mind you not "Ugg" brand, but just something cute from Target. They are kids... they grow way too fast for me to spend $100 or whatever it costs on real Uggs! Anyway, I'm thinking to myself maybe a dark brown would be good, something like that. But I wanted to see if they liked them before we committed. So when we were at Old Navy last weekend and I saw I a pair I thought to myself, Perfect! Well, self... you should have paid just a tiny bit more attention to the selection that was there before opening your big fat mouth. Both girls sighed a perfect shopper's sigh and said yes they'd want those... however... they found what they'd want EVEN more.

Kali picked up these (and gasped):

K now let me explain that this picture does not come close to what they look like in person. They are bright GOLD!!! WITH GLITTER!!!!

Here is what Mackenzie picked:

Ok so at least these won't be visible from space, but its a far cry from the dark brown that matches almost everything I had in mind!!!

These girls were just never meant to blend in.

Fairy Gardens

Several months back, Pattie got me going on an idea to make fairy gardens with the girls. To get them excited about it, she even got us this pop-up book, isn't it cute??

Here is what one of the pages looks like:

Josh was overly thrilled at the idea of having to dig up flower beds in our rock hard front yard... but several hours later we had 2 cute half circles under each of the front bedroom windows. Pattie and Dad were sweet enough to start us off with our first bunch of petunias. The girls ended up being so into it, we went and doubled the amount of flowers. Josh took the girls to go get "Fairy sized" wind chimes and ornaments to encourage fairies to visit their gardens often. We finished it off by putting stepping stones with their hand prints in the middle of each garden. Admittedly the excitement died down occasionally, but they could always be talked into to watering and checking in on their gardens to make sure they were at the proper fairy standards.

Then summer came. This last heat wave was no match to our efforts to water, and keep these flowers nurtured. I sent Pattie a pic msg asking if there was any hope. After seeing the picture of the fairy gardens, she wrote back that "Hun those petunias are as dead as the get!" I was so disappointed!!! So I sat on in for a few days, then had an idea.

Last night I brought the girls out after dark, and handed them each a hot pink pouch with "magical fairy dust" that Pattie had gotten from a very top secret place. I asked if they wanted to sprinkle the fairy dust on our flowers and see if it will help the fairies to see we needed their help, and maybe they would stop by tonight. They both got wide eyed and went straight to it.

Then I waited, and waited and waited. And waited some more. Of course this was the night they fought sleep. 10:30!!! I got up, sleepy, a glass of wine in me... and out I went. I made Josh come with me, and all the while I'm trying to quietly dig up their dead petunias, he's laughing and pointing out the holes in my plan. I didn't get a flower to replace my dead flower pot, only ones for theirs... surely they would see the dirt under my nails... We were laughing so hard I was afraid we'd wake the girls! We finished, scanned the yard to make sure we didn't leave anything out, and went to bed.

When I woke up this morning, I heard the girls playing. I wondered if they had remembered. I peaked into their room I noticed their curtains were open.... which lead right to Kali's fairy garden. So I walked in and Mackenzie immediately grabbed my hand and brought me to the window. She said "Look!!!! Kali has new flowers!" So I suggested we go outside to see if her garden got new flowers too. Here are some of the pics, I didn't get any really great shots but you get the idea!

(If only the grass fairy could come by and give us a new lawn! ha!)

The next thing I want to do is get something to border their gardens... rocks, mini fences, I'm not sure, but they are lacking something and I think that will do the trick!!

In the end I don't know who was more excited, the girls or me... but it sure was fun sneaking around!!

Head Scratcher

Yahoo! recently posted an article about strange laws around the world. Check this out:

Playing the numbers: Rush-hour regulations in many major cities of the Philippines seem meant only for mathematicians: A vehicle can only be driven on days determined by the last digits of its license plate—this is called, for murky historical reasons, the "color-coding scheme." So borrowing a local's car may require more number crunching than it's worth. Even traveling by scooter has its challenges, since you can get ticketed for driving in sandals or bare feet.

What now? Sure makes our laws seem a little less annoying!!

My First Back To School NIght

Last night was Back to School Night for Kali and Mackenzie. This was the first B2SN I've ever been to. Josh and I took a half day off work so that we could drive down to Long Beach before traffic got bad. What to do with this extra time? Well shucks, we went to Sonic. While admittedly my burger was cold and my fries were old, my Route 44 Cherry Coke was hands down the best I'd ever had. It probably helped that a)it was 103 degrees there (no joke!) and I haven't had real soda in quite some time. But it rocked, and Josh LOVED what he had. (This Sonic venture was for him, so I can't complain!)

Anyway, eventually 6:30 wandered around, so we went in. It started with the principal giving a speech on the gigantic black top playground they have. Once the teachers were all introduced we were instructed to go to our student's classrooms for a presentation. Josh split to Kenzie's while I went to Kali's. Much like the doctor's visit, this is where I suddenly became nervous. As I noticed my heart was beating rapidly, I caught myself going wtf? LOL why? Here's why: I walked in and it was like the teacher zeroed in on me. "HI! What's your name?" Oh crap. I had no idea if Kali has talked about me and if this woman will know who I am. So I said my name, and said I was here for Kali, and before I could get much further, she stopped me to tell me she knew all about me, Kali talks about us a lot and to come on in. PHEW.. high five Kals! Next, I found Kali's desk and sat down. Mrs. Grantham had the students fill out an "about me" packet...Kali's answers were priceless. 5 traits: Pretty, Smart, Blue Eyed, English (lol), Sister. Awesome Talent: Wii. HA! Love it! After the teacher gave us a background on herself (she was a student at the same school back in the day), she began to go over expectations, curriculum, daily routines, behavior, etc. Where I started to worry (again, much like at the doctor's office) was at the guidelines for moving on to the 4th grade. Only 6 of her students were actually ready to move onto the 3rd grade reading level. On top of needing to improve there, Kali has to learn multiplication AND division this year. Yikes! We better get some flashcards.

After Kali's class was done and I'd gone up to sign up for volunteering in the class, I headed back to see if Josh was almost done. The girls had just arrived, so I was excited to get to see them and get lots of hugs. Kenzie walked me around her classroom to show me everything. Josh and I were particularly worried about how Kenzie would adjust. She had NO desire to start Kindergarten, and the development learning center she was previous at had the attitude of "if you don't want to participate, its Ok, go do something else." Ya, that doesn't fly in grade school! The teacher told us that admittedly the first few days were a struggle, but one particular art project got her going, and ever since she's been doing just fine. Another PHEW!

So all in all, it was a great experience. Sure I would have loved it that much more if they were going to school out here, but I think that's pointing out the obvious. Next up, parent/teacher conferences!!

Ob la di ob la da

So I haven't blogged in a long while. Lord knows I've started about 10 posts, just to sigh half way through and close out the window without saving it. I find that when I'm grouchy or life gets hard, its challenging to write. Mind you, I could go on and on, griping and complaining about life's latest struggles, but honestly, who whats to hear that? If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't want to read it.

While wallowing in my misery, I felt decidedly annoyed that life continued to go on around me. How dare it? It was this admittance that finally made me get off my soap box and move on, so alas dear faithful readers that hopefully have been checking for new blogs in me 3 week hiatus... I turn to you with a new cheek.

One thing that undoubtedly lifts my spirits is the very near arrival of fall. I heart fall. It's something Pattie and I have bonded over. There is something about the air, that cool breeze when you are watching Sunday Football that makes your toes get cold and yearn for socks that just makes my spirits rise. Then of course there is the change in season (even the subtle So Cal changes), pumpkins, Halloween, decorations... it's only just beginning. You can count upon several more posts in the upcoming weeks about Fall. The girls and I have numerous projects lined up, and a trip to Underwood Farms is already scheduled!

So.... onward and upward...

Lamp Lust

We picked up the girls today for the last partial week of summer *sad*. While we were sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the 405, we saw the wonderful blue and yellow colored building signalling an Ikea was within our reach. The girls know it as "the store where we can touch EVERYTHING!" so of course they were on board. We high tailed down the off ramp and in we went.

Even if you don't buy anything it's such a fun store to walk around in. Showroom after showroom of endless ideas and vibes. We joked that Kali was going to pass out if she gasped and said "I LOVE this!" one more time. If I won the lottery I would seriously consider furnishing a lot of my home from Ikea. I'm not a snob I don't need a coffee table for $5000 just because I could.


All the while I was enjoying myself, but it was when we got to the room of lamps that I really felt my shopping urge soar. What in the world is it about lighting that just gets me all giddy inside? Beats the hell out of me. But all our lighting at home was purchased from Ikea. Maybe its the cheapskate in me that is filled with oodles of joy over the unbeatable prices or just the fact that they are a little funky and not the standard Bed-Bath-and-Beyond-everyone-has-it lamps. But today, I felt my Kali-sized gasp come out over a new lamp I've not yet seen. It was small, warm, inviting, girly... just what my bedroom needs!! I felt my heart swell up, my hand gently roaming over the frosted design on the glass. I held my breath as I flipped over the price tag. $16!! That was it!!! Oh my ... my brain immediately went to how to justify the fact that I needed this lamp. Unfortunately, the last lamps we bought were... for our bedroom. Boo. Fine. But I WILL be back. I will eventually scheme up something (or accidentally break 2 lamps in our room) and find a justifiable cause to purchase these beauties. I will.

This image doesn't do it justice, but I have to give you some sort of an example!