I keep having to remind myself

Fine dining

Most of my lunches consist of leftovers, Lean Cuisine, or are skipped all together because I am a grazer.

But every once in a while I give myself a little treat and bring home a roll of sushi just for me. I sit at the table with my chopsticks in hand, and try to act classy. The rug rats sitting next to me bring me back to reality though. I think it's the aroma of their overly processed food, and the fact the they don't have their shirts on.

Anyway, I tell you all this to let you know about the boys' new way of eating their lunch. They see me dip my sushi in soy sauce, and of course, monkey see monkey do. So guess what the new trend is in our kitchen... Jagger and Cash demand their own little bowl of soy sauce, in which they dip their hotdogs, macaroni, grapes, Sponge Bob Cheez-Its, or whatever else is on the menu for the day. And they like it! In fact, they love it.

Who would have thought? Toddlers + Soy Sauce = a lunch without whining.

My confession

I have a new hobby that has stolen all my time between 9-11 PM each night.



It's addicting, consuming, and embarrassing. Ok, well it's not really that embarrassing. I'm just being dramatic.



But still, I should be cleaning, folding laundry, any number of things really, even sleeping.



But I don't.



Instead, I read through hundreds of different design blogs. I have found a few good ones, and now I am hooked. I. Am. Hooked. And they all have so many links to so many more great design blogs. It's never ending! But I love it. If you'll notice, I have changed the layout of the Blogs I follow, so that i can be more efficient in my design blog stalking.



So now you know my dirty little secret, and where I am each night.

New wheels

I leave town for one little weekend, and my little boy turns into a big boy bike rider.

He is as happy as can be with his new wheels though. And I think he looks pretty darn cute, too.

The helmet is a different story. The packaging said it was for kids age 3+. Well, Jagger is just 3. But nope, his melon doesn't fit in the thing, just rests nicely below it. So I think that means the helmet won't do its job properly. It also means my boy has a big old head. Who would have thought? So back to the store we go, trying the next size up.

He was a dancer before he was a walker

Sorry this is sideways. Just turn your head and enjoy.

He's been a dancer for weeks now, so you would think that walking was no big deal. Well, it turns out, he was either a little lazy (don't know where he gets that from,) or that he just now decided it was cool to walk.

This new walking Cash comes complete with bumps and bruises all over.

Isn't he so cute? We're pretty partial to him around here.

Decorating cream walls with a Sharpie

I am not seriously considering doing this. But it looks really cool... I kinda wish I had the guts and talent (and the approving husband). Check out the panoramic view here.

Part II

... for those of you who are in great suspense...

Grant didn't notice many of the changes I made to the house.

But he did notice the screaming green wall in the kitchen.... and he didn't hate it. That's all I was going for, I guess.... for him not to hate it.

Here's a couple pics.

So my dilemma is this: I am very pleased with the wall daily.... until about 6pm, anyways. That is right about when we switch from using sunlight, to trusty old electricity. Right about then, the wall changes colors, and I don't like it as much.

Luckily, I have a solution...I am thinking a new light fixture is in order. Ta-da. Problem solved. Man, Grant is so lucky to have me..... (I say this as he threatens to hurt me if I order the drum pendant that I have been eyeing online.) Oh well, a girl can dream.

While I am uploading pics, here's a few of some cute guys that I hang out with.

When the husband is away....

... The wife redecorates.

For the last eight days the husband has been in Las Vegas (conference) and Vail (skiing with the buddies.) Poor guy. His line of work is tough.

For the last eight days the wife has been at home, with two small boys, and no evening relief. She's not complaining though.

...


The day Grant left, any idea I had about cooking went right out the window. I haven't lifted a pan since. Needless to say the boys and I have been doing and lot of microwaving and drive-through-ing. It's been amazing.

The day after Grant left, I received my Girl Scout Cookies. Grant knows nothing of this order, so I went ahead and ate all five boxes. I feel it's a fair trade. He got to frolic in the snow, I got to lay on the couch with Thin Mints. Again, I am not complaining.

So that covers Day 1 and Day 2. Days 3-7 include involve, me, and hammer, new things for our walls in our hallway, rearranging the mantel downstairs, jalapeno green paint in the kitchen, new wall decor in the master bath, and, well, that's about it. I hope he's not mad. I never mentioned any of this to him when we talked on the phone. My theory is that Surprises are fun, and This is a gift... the gift of home beautification. Isn't that what every man really wants? But really, I am just afraid I am going to get in trouble. We'll find out.

Anyway, normally when Grant is gone this long, I run away to my parents... for a couple of reasons, I guess. 1. They help with the boys, so I can just lay around and/or see a friend or two. 2. I get bored and lonely without old ball and chain.

Obviously I didn't go there this time. Here's why. Guess who had jury duty that week. Now again, I can't really complain because I didn't actually have to go in. But I did have to be ready to go in just in case. That meant having a back up plan for who would watch the boys, as well as having no plans for myself. So each evening I call my little number, and listen to a little message that says "There are no trials scheduled for tomorrow, so even though you have your schedule cleared, you have to sit at home and watch TV and rearrange furniture." It's weird that they know me so well. Anyway, we also didn't leave town because I didn't want Jagger to miss any school (I pay good money for those 3 hours a day,) and on the weekend, Uncle Justin and Aunt Erin were up here for a visit, and we wanted to see them. So we actually had a little something to look forward to, which was nice for a change.

The time without Daddy went by fast, we enjoyed some extra nice weather, spent a few evenings with Grandma and Papa C, as well as Justin and Erin. We had a couple play-dates, started swimming lessons (not me, I already know how, thank you. Just Jagger,) watched our awesome Jayhawks cream the Tigers, stayed up late, watched a lot of movies, and other fun things like that. We sure did miss him though.

Today is Day 8. Just 3 hours and and 35 minutes more without him... not that I am counting or anything.