::BB Photos::

Ok, ok, here are some photos of BB. I finally managed to have the camera and the cord in the same place at the same time. Don't have time to write much because I am heading back out the door to spend the day with a friend as she undergoes what is hopefully her final chemo treatment.

So without further ado, Heeeeeerrre's BB!

Love at first sight, at the park where we met:

BB's 12 week old puppy. You have no idea how hard it was not to stuff him in my shirt and run like hell.

She rode the entire way home on Anna's lap, despite the plush dog-bed on the seat next to her.

The two best dogs in the world:

Bunny nudging:

Ok, hope ya'll are having a wonderful autumn day.

xo

dog photos

You know how on Friday I was at home, with BB (our new Corgi) and the camera, but the camera cord was at the office? Well now I'm at the office and I just realized I left the camera at home. heh. sorry. LOSER.

So for now I will just have to leave you with this visual:

After BB got settled and had been with us few days, we introduced her to Root Beer, Anna's bunny. Well, BB recently (July) had a litter of pups and apparently she's still got those mama-hormones coursing through her veins, because she licked and licked and licked poor Root Beer until he looked like he'd been dipped in a vat of, well, dog spit. Then, as bunny ventured off Anna's lap, BB would stick her nose under the rabbit and nudge him back into Anna's lap, like she knew he was safe there. Eventually Anna placed both the dog and the rabbit in the big, oval dog-bed, you know, the kind with a rim all around it so that it's sort of a bowl? First, BB rolled over onto her side and offered her still-humongous teats to the bunny, who was not interested in the slightest. He just hopped around and BB watched anxiously, not knowing quite what to do with herself. Finally, she stuck her nose under his butt again and gave him a "wheelbarrow ride" all around the entire rim of the dog-bed, his little front paws going as fast as they could to keep up. I thought both Anna and I were going to pee our pants laughing.

Tomorrow, I promise there will be pictures.

Have you ever

been sleeping soundly on your side, and your tongue, in all it's sleepy relaxation let gravity take over, possibly hanging out of your mouth like a dog, but maybe not, and all of a sudden you were rudely awakened by the fact that you CHOMPED on it??

Or is it just me?

::BB::

We got BB yesterday!! For anyone who is new here, BB is a 5 yr. old Cardigan Welsh Corgi that we adopted from a couple in Montana. She has an amazing pedigree (which I really couldn't care less about) and has been a show dog and has had several litters of pups. But now her show days and breeding days are over and it was time for them to find a "retirement" home for her.

Now, as anyone who has read this blog before knows, we already have THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD, Moby. Moby is a mutt that David committed to before he even moved here from Alaska. Moby is the best possible dog for our family: smart, affectionate without being pushy, M-E-L-L-O-W and funny (he smiles when we come home.) David, of course, could not understand why Anna and I wanted another dog when we already had such a great one. Part of it is that I had promised Anna loooong ago, when her dad and I split up, that I would get her her very own dog once we got settled. She's never forgotten that, regardless of how much she adores Moby. And, I just have always wanted a Corgi. After seeing photos of BB, I could just tell that she was the right dog for us, that her personality would be a great fit for our family and with Moby.

Anna and I went over to Coeur d' Alene to pick her up from her previous owners, who were driving from Montana to central Washington. It was love at first sight, for both BB and Anna, and despite having a plush sheep-skin dog bed in the back seat, BB rode the 40 miles home sitting on Anna's lap.

Once we got her home, she was quite skittish. We'd met David and Moby in the park first in order to let them meet on neutral ground. BB wasn't too sure about Moby at the park and growled and snapped at him. But she was just establishing some ground rules. Once we got home, they kept their distance. BB hid under the table and if Moby got too close, she'd either snap at him or run over to one of us to "save her". When I was in the kitchen making dinner, she came and lay nearby, where she could keep an eye on me as Anna sat at the table writing poems about our little black Corgi.

At bed time we put her in Anna's room, but she was so anxious that she wanted to be ON TOP of Anna, which made it impossible for Anna to sleep. So Anna and BB and I slept downstairs. All night long BB paced around the house, click clack click clack click clack on the hardwood floors. Occasionally she'd come lay directly on top of either Anna or me, until we'd shoo her away. At one point, when Moby came downstairs, she wrapped herself around my head and neck like a mink stole. I think both BB and I slept a total of two hours all night.

But today, it's all different. I am off today (National Indian Day! Wahooo!); David got up with Anna and the dogs and I slept for another hour. By the time I got up, BB and Moby had made their peace. As I type this, they are both laying at my feet in the sunlight, watching the birds through the open door.

I don't know how we lucked out, but I have to say that now, we have the TWO BEST DOGS IN THE WORLD. And although he probably won't admit it, even David likes her.

Photos? Oh yeah, I have tons of them! Unfortunatley I left the cord for the camera at work! So there's no way to get them from the camera to the computer. I'll see if I can find one today.

Happy Friday! Be sure and watch the debates tonight!

aarrggghh

No, it's not "talk like a pirate week" (that was last week. Seriously.) I'm so irritated with Blogger. Up until about six months ago, Blogger would automatically notify me via email when someone posted a comment on my blog. It would include the commenter's email so I could reply to them privately if I wanted. But then, out of the blue, Blogger stopped alerting me when someone comments on my blog. EXCEPT FOR ME. When I post a comment, blogger thoughtfully sends me an email letting me know that I've commented on my own damn blog. Er, THANKS.

So now, when someone else, like Imez for instance, posts a comment telling me that I am brilliant (well, she didn't use that exact word but I think she was thinking it) I have no way of replying via email.

Does anyone else have this problem with blogger, and how can I fix it???? (and yes, I've done the obvious and tried to re-set my preferences.)

::random::

*My daughter announced yesterday that she wants to be either a garden gnome or a mushroom for Halloween! I didn't even know that she knew what a garden gnome was, but thanks to her hippie babysitter, that's what she wants to be. Hooray for hippie babysitters!! Oooh man, am I gonna have fun with this. I mean, the only thing that would make me happier is if she wanted to be Maria from The Sound of Music. I just pray that peer pressure doesn't get the best of her and she decides she'd rather be Hannah Montana instead.

*Ever since Anna was about 2, she has LOVED to "cook" in the kitchen. This always involved her putting on an apron, getting out several pots and pans, and mixing, oh, say, orange juice, brown sugar, oregano, balsamic vinegar and enough chili powder to kill a horse. And then she'd proudly put it into tiny dishes and set them in front of Eric and I, waiting patiently for us to try it. Yum. She even did this when we had dinner parties; "appetizers" she called it. It was very cute until we noticed that our spices were depleting rapidly and we never had what we needed when we went to the cupboard. We had to lay down the law, that she could ONLY help in the kitchen when we were cooking. Which, of course, took all the fun out of it.

Well, lately, she has rediscovered the joy of cooking. Her dad has a GIGANTIC garden and they have spent many hours over the past month or so canning tomatoes and making sauces. She has even come up with an imaginary restaurant, called Cousco's Cafe. She was telling me all about it last night, as she helped me make manicotti. "Daddy and I have this restaurant, and we use only organic vegetables from a big community garden and we share our food with whoever needs it." I love that kid.

Eric just called and told me that for her birthday, he is having an apron and a chef's toque made with the name of their restaurant embroidered on them for her! Is that not the coolest gift ever? Almost as good as the year she turned 4 and ALL SHE WANTED for her birthday was a Praying Mantis. Oh, yeah, let me just run down to the, uh, Freaky Insect Store and get one for you. Well, wouldn't you know it, that on the very day of her birthday, Eric was on a job site and as he walked by a bush, there was a Praying Mantis sitting there. He's a good dad. She's a lucky kid.

*Today is BB day!! We are going to pick her up this evening in Coeur d' Alene. Last weekend Anna and I went and bought all the accoutrement that a new-to-us dog requires: a sheep-skin for her to lay on, a new collar and leash and of course some toys of her very own. Anna has the sheep-skin set up on the foot of her bed, so that BB knows that she is supposed to sleep there. We even, oh lord this is kind of embarrassing, got a little foot stool for her so that she can get on the bed without hurting herself. I will, of course, post photos when we get her. We are just a little bit excited.

*Also, it has been almost two weeks and I still like my new husband!!! In fact, I'd go so far as to say I like him even more, now that we are married. And not just because he can no longer make "squatter" jokes and threaten to make me move out. As I've told him (and I think he actually gets it): you can say whatever you want in your head, just don't let it come out. And THAT my friends, is the key to a happy marriage.

::humor::

I've decided that the reason I think Anna is so damn funny is because I have the sense of humor of a 7 year old. This morning as we were waiting in line at the coffee shop, we were laughing hysterically, tears rolling down our cheeks. The girl who opened the window to take our order (our friend and babysitter Melissa) asked what we were laughing at; I just couldn't bring myself to admit that it was because Anna and I thought it was sooooo funny to say, in a mock French accent "Ooooh, I just LOVE how this seat warms my buttocks!!"

Then, on the way to school, she as telling me how she and her friends at school love to chase Josh, her cousin who is a year older than them. Apparently it's become quite the organized effort; poor Josh has had to enlist "guards" to try to protect him from the pack of charging 7 year old girls. Although, she said shaking her head sadly, his guards are quite "weak and senseless."

Seriously, what did I laugh about before I had this child??

eep!

Because I suck at keeping secrets, I have to share this: I have been invited to be GUEST EDITOR for one of my favorite bloggers!! This means I will have my very own monthly "column" if you will.

We're still hammering out the details (my entourage, my per diem, my demand that I only fly first class, my NEED for a personal massage therapist) so I can't say more. In other words, there is still time for her to come to her senses and back out.

But in the meantime, I've encouraged David to quit his day job immediately because, well, it's just a matter of time until, like Dooce (and NO it's not Dooce), my blog will pay our mortgage.

*PS. Thank you sooo much for prying me off the ceiling with your support and advice below. I know that this is just another of the phases that we've been through and god knows we'll go through again. HolyshitisshegoingtobeHELLasateenager.

get some tea and sit down. this is gonna be a long one.

Why didn't anyone tell me how hard parenting is? And damn it, you manage to survive the sleepless nights, the colic, the projectile vomiting, the "Terrible Twos" and the year they are 3, which is so hideous there's not even a name for it. It should be known as the year of throwing one's self on the ground crying uncontrollably because mommy reflexively reached out to assist with pulling up a sock and THAT. RUINED. EVERY THING. BECAUSE. I. CAN. DO. IT. MYSELF. AND. NOW. I. HAVE. TO GET. COMPLETELY. UNDRESSED. AND. START. OVER. BECAUSE. YOU. TOUCHED. MY. SOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So you get through those years without killing yourself or your child or the dog, and they start school. And while it is true that they can spend hours sitting in a chair reading to themselves and they can dress themselves and even get their own glass of water and sleep in their own room (most of the time) and they are, for the most part, all sweetness and light, well, they start school where there are other kids and teachers and learning and STRESS.

Every child experiences stress, but it is so much more difficult for the "sensitive child." And oh man, do I have a sensitive child. Also, I have come to realized that Eric and I probably should not have reproduced. Between his deeply sensitive nature and my tendency toward Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), well, this kid is SCREWED.

I started noticing some signs of OCD back when she was three. But as I said above, three is just plain C-R-A-Z-Y so you can't think about anything other than "how do I get through the next 12 hours without walking into a mall and opening fire?" Anyway, when she started kindergarten (the year her home life imploded), she began obsessively washing her hands. She would come home from school with her poor little hands just bloody and raw. I understand that behavior because I have lived it: when life as you know it has changed irreparably, you seize control of whatever you can. For me it was counting repetitiously. For her it was hand-washing. We got through that one with a lot of love and compassion and it eventually went away.

Over the past few years (ages 5 to almost 8) there have been periods of OCD flare-ups; first grade brought on some short-lived stuff, so did David and I announcing plans to marry and her father's increasing emotional stress. Her bouts were fewer and farther between, and frankly, I thought it was over because she has grown increasingly comfortable with our family situation and she flourished in first grade, so her self-confidence soared. She was a leader amongst her friends, she was reading off the charts, her teacher was kind and loving and gave her lots of praise and support.

And then, second grade. Her two best friends from 1st grade are in a different class room and her new teacher is COLD and brisk and just NOT a kid person. Her teaching style and personality are the exact opposite of what Anna had last year, and Anna is struggling to find her place in this new world. Her stress has started to manifest itself in the constant urge to go to the bathroom. I noticed it a little bit a week or so ago, at bedtime; she's been at her dad's for the past several days and then, last night, back at home, it was in full swing. She brushes her teeth and goes to the bathroom, and then immediately feels the urge to go again. She went probably 10 times in 30 minute period. She broke down crying last night and told me that it's a real problem in class, too. She'll need to go and then, on the way back to the classroom she'll feel like she needs to go again. So she goes back and goes again, and then when she washes her hands, the running water makes her need to go again. So what is happening is that she'll end up spending 5-10 minutes trapped in the vicious cycle of feeling like she has to go and then when she gets back to class, she's missed the teacher's instructions on what the kids are supposed to be doing. So she has to sit there and figure it out herself; this makes her take too long so the teacher makes her skip recess to get it done, which makes Anna feel more isolated and, as she said, "stupid", which, of course, makes her stress and OCD go through the roof. She also told me that when she asks to go to the bathroom, the teacher will loudly announce "You're in second grade now! WE don't have to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes in second grade!" Then Anna feels like the other kids are laughing at her. It is effecting her self-confidence and could change, forever, the way she feels about school and her ability.

What can I do?? I know it is not physical; she NEVER has accidents at night, so I know she can go 9 hours at a time without going. I pointed that out to her this morning; it is in her mind but she just can't control it. Once you start thinking you have to go, you have to go. I'm just worried sick about her. I know that with time, it will pass, just as it always has. But her teacher is making it worse, not better. I sent a note to school today asking the teacher to contact me; I want her to understand that making Anna feel badly about it is only going to make it worse and last longer. If this teacher can't be compassionate to an 8 year old who is going through an emotional struggle, then she has no business teaching 2nd grade.

Do I try to get Anna switched to the other class-room to be with her friends (and the much warmer teacher)? I know that we can't protect her from every pain or challenge, but as I said, I am really worried that this could have a long-term affect on her self-confidence in her ability to learn.

Help. I really need some words of wisdom.

don't panic, it's organic

Bean dip, anyone?
No, really: look at the beautiful color and texture. If you squint your eyes and rotate your head in a counter-clockwise direction, it almost looks like the swirling sea-foam green of the Pacific ocean. Oh look! Is that a tiny surfer in there?

I inherited my refrigerator-cleaning-out abilities from my mother.

Ok, ok, here's a pretty picture, so that you don't completely lose your lunch:

Sunrise over the Palouse, on the way to work on Friday.

6 unremarkable things about me

This silly blog of mine is mostly for my personal entertainment and that of my mom and sisters. However, I do have 2-3 completely random people who have found there way over to my little corner of the world and the read and comment regularly. Hi Robyn! Hi Cheryl! Hi MP! In fact MP (or Mary Pat as I like to call her because, well, that is her name) "tagged" me for a meme. A meme (which must stand for something but hell if I know what) is where someone in the blogosphere starts a questionnaire and then asks people to answer the questions.

This one is called "6 Unspectacular Things About Me". Now really. How in the hell am I supposed to limit it to six??By the way, my interpretation of "unspectacular" means common/boring/unimaginative and downright dull. So, here we go.

6. I do not like sushi. This has been a near deal-breaker with every man I have ever dated. You could offer to take me out to the best sushi restaurant in the country and I would say "No thank you, I'll just have a bowl of Cheerios." Seriously: what is it about men and sushi??

5. I like plain cotton underwear. Preferably black although I have branched out now to pink, lavender and even orange. No prints, no lace, and NO thongs.

4. I prefer white bread over wheat. I know it's wrong. I know that white bread is completely lacking in nutrition. I know that this puts me on the same culinary plane as every 7 year old on the planet. But peanut butter and jelly on white bread? Simple Delicious. Satisfying. Oh, and smooth peanut butter only, please.

3. I need 8-10 hours of sleep a night. Flannel sheets and down blanket year-round but WITH the windows open.

2. I do not understand spending time watching reality television. Although I guess that this actually makes me rather remarkable, because god knows I am in the minority in this country.

1. Las Vegas is truly the last place on the planet that I would go on vacation. I would choose Calcutta over Las Vegas. Although again, this probably seems remarkable to most people in this country.

Oh hell, who am I kidding? There are few things about me that could be considered normal. And you know what? I am ok with that. Although I'm sure if you asked David, he could come up with a list a mile long of things that make me unimaginative and all-American. But we're not asking David, are we? Besides, I think I am a unique and special flower.

hhmmpphh.

So now I'm supposed to tag 6 other bloggers. Jodi, Lala, Jacki, Heather, Cheryl and Robyn: you're it!

::wedding::

It was a beautiful day, the weather was lovely, I got to marry the love of my life and we had fun. Now, here are the pictures:

I loved my bouquet; I'd sent my mom a photo from a magazine and she and my sister made it happen. Pretty, hmmm?

Because David is a Jewish/Agnostic with Buddhist tendancies and I am an Atheist, we needed someone, um, "special" to perform our heathen ceremony. Enter, Steve the Most Beloved Hebe (aka David's brother). He is also a stand-up-comedian which means he is almost never serious. So when he asked me, a week prior, if I would mind if he wore an orange ruffled-tuxedo shirt, I said "Go ahead!" Because, well, I thought he was joking but also, hell, orange my favorite color so even if he wasn't kidding, why not? He wasn't kidding.

The ceremony was so fun and funny. Steve said that given today's divorce rate, rather than vows, we should have "goals". So he asked things like "David, will you promise to try to realize that tennis clothing is not, in fact, appropriate for every occassion?" and "Kate, will you try to understand that just because you still have checks left in the check-book, that does no mean you still have funds available?" To which we each had to answer "I'll try."

In a nod to both David's Jewish roots and my Hillbilly heritage, instead of smashing a wine-glass, we smashed a Bud Lite can.

Despite evidence to the contrary, we did take the wedding somewhat seriously and we wrote our own vows. David's were so beautiful and heartfelt.

Then we were pronounced husband and wife:

Anna came up and acted as the "Interrupting Kisser" just like she does at home, which is to say, any time David and I kiss, she squeezes her way into the middle of it for a "group love".

As we walked out, we had "She's No Lady She's My Wife" by Lyle Lovett playing:

"The preacher asked her,

and she said 'I do'.

The Preacher asked me, and she said

'Yes, he does too'.

The preacher said

'I pronounce you

nintey-nine-to-life'.

She's no lady

she's my wife"

Then, on to the party:

Christina and Nichole

Christina, Jennifer, me and Nichole. My girls.

Lala, me and Anna

The Calechmans: Susan, me, David, Steve and Jim

Sarah, my mom and Heather

Jodi, me, mom and Linda (aka Lala)

Me and my beautiful mom

There aren't very many pictures of Anna because she was either in the bounce-house, catching grass-hoppers or playing in the ditch behind the barn with her cousins. Look at sweet, sparkly-lavender and muddy Grace:

My 19 yr. old niece Andrea is like Peter Pan; the little kids follow her everywhere. This is the first time I've ever seen her in a skirt, and yet she didn't hesitate to play in the dirt.

Really, the day was so fun. We had a bouncy-castle on-site for the kids. Even big ones.

This is my sister. She managed to get herself stuck between the floor and the mesh netting not once but twice. We saw her underwear. She is almost 50. Insanity runs in my family.

I had several people tell me that it was the most fun they'd had at a wedding, ever. It was completely "Kate and David", every last bit of it.

This is exactly how I felt, all day:

I'm so glad that I found David so that every day can feel like this.

I love you, Sweetie!

And just remember, no one can hear you scream.

xoxo

I shall post wedding photos soon

just as soon as I finish weeding out the pictures of my sister's (who had the camera) grandchildren.

Pictures of the groom: 3
Pictures of the groom's mother: 1
Picutures of the groom's middle brother: ZERO
Pictures of Allie and Kole being cute: 189

I am not even exaggerating.

Proving, once again, that you get what you pay for.

; )

weekend

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I got married this past weekend. Did I mention that?

I don't have all the photos yet but when I do, I'll certainly post more. Many, many more. So many that you will BEG me to rant about politics and trash Sarah Palin for her loan-officer-at-a-small-Utah-bank hair-do. Oops, lookee there, I got off track.


Anyway, here are a few photo appetizers, if you will:

On Friday we went to meet the people arriving from out of town; the hotel they stayed at was right on the Boise River so Anna wasted no time getting her feet wet. I wasted no time losing my car keys and spending then next 45 minutes in the scorching sun making David help me search through brush and weeds and sand. Christina found them in a trash can. But I wasn't stressed out. Oh no.

Here is just ONE from the wedding, of me and my girl friends, of Mom's Gone Wild fame. This is the first time my sisters had met these girls (although they've certainly heard the stories). The next morning my sister Lala said "Man, those girls are TROUBLE. Now I see how you ended up in the emergency room after your last weekend with them!"

And look! I managed to get the JCREW dress zipped! I didn't wear it for long, but while I did I loved it. Look at Nichole's vintage in-laid cowboy boots. If I didn't like her so much I would have killed her and hidden her body and stolen her boots.

Ok, there is so much more coming about the wedding, including pictures of the man I married. He does exist, I swear. Hi sweetie! It's day 2 of your life sentence. I'm so glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you.

So hopefully my sister will get off her skinny lazy butt* and get the photos to me. Hello? Sister? tap tap tap....Are you out there??

*the truth is, this wedding wouldn't have happened without my sister's hard work. She did 98% of the work involved. She must be exhausted. I hope she's taking a nap.

guess who's coming to dinner

Meet BB:

I FINALLY wore David down. I have wanted a Corgi for sooo long. And because I want one, Anna does too. Well, she's not choosy; depending on the day she wants, "more than anything in the world", a Golden Retriever/Great Dane/Boston Terrier/Rhodesian Ridgeback/Miniature Schnauzer/Giant Schnauzer/Standard Poodle or a Pit Bull (!). In other words, whichever dog is passing through her field of vision at that very moment. But once she seized on the fact that mommy wanted a Corgi, she realized that the odds increased if there were two of us pestering David. Or, as she loves to say "Two against one!!"

Anyway, I've been researching Corgis for awhile and they seem like the PERFECT fit for us. They have a "big dog's personality in a little dog's body", they are wicked smart and very eager to please their people.

Now, Corgi puppies are ADORABLE. Seriously. All puppies are cute, but Corgi puppies are, well, here, look:

I mean, have you EVER? Anyway, as much as Anna and I would love a puppy, puppies are so much work. It would be different if we were home during the day to train him or her. So an adult seemed like the way to go, to get the Corgi experience.

So I did some searching and found BB, up top. She currently lives in Montana and has been a show dog and has had several litters of puppies. So now at the age of 5, BB is ready to "retire": to lay around on the couch, eat, get lots of love and just be a family pet. And that's where we come in. I think she and Moby will get along really well, and Anna and I are so excited!! We get her in 3 weeks. Wahoo!

closure

Ok, so those of you who know me (or read this silly little blog) know that I, in attempt to be funny, surprised and offended someone by making light of the woman in Oregon who was hit by a train. And those of you who know me know that I am VERY sensitive to offending people. I mean, OBVIOUSLY I have no problem offending my family by ranting about politics **snort** but the thought of offending a stranger? This bothered me deeply. This person, "anonymous" as she calls herself, :) left a comment on that post saying that she would never come back. First of all, the fact that someone OTHER than my mom and sisters reads this blog blew my mind. Second, the fact that I have a reader that is not required by law to love me and yet she CHOOSES to read my blog and THEN I offended her? That was more than I could stand. Anyway, she came back and softened her stance a bit, and says she forgives me. While I will never stop laughing at dumb shits who bonk their head on tree branches or fall on their butts on the ice or whatever, I did need to be reminded that that woman is someone's daughter/sister/friend. And obviously, she needs our compassion. So thank you, "anonymous", for reminding me of that and for coming back. As I said in my response (in the comments on that post), you and your opinion are welcome here any time!

And now, I can sleep tonight and get back to focusing on the task at hand: getting married in 3 days! Whooohoooo! Family and friends, I'll see you this weekend. The rest of you readers (um, all 3 of you) I'll be back next week with stories and photos!

::oh, baby::

Awhile back I blogged about my urge to knit, specifically for a baby, since the size and scope of baby objects can usually keep my interest long enough to complete. Unfortunately, I don't know any newborn babies at the moment. Well, good news! My niece is going to have a baby! Wasn't that so thoughtful of her to answer my wishes? She did it just for me.


One of the things I posted was this:







I have been wanting to try quilting, although it terrifies me. Then I saw this amazing rag quilt and thought "Hey, I could probably do that without screwing it up too badly." And then, because I am a fabric-nerd, I tracked down the EXACT fabric she used:



I even got all crazy and added a couple extra fabric selections (the stripe and the dots). Aren't the colors fabulous? We don't know yet if it's a boy or a girl, but this can go either way. Orange and green....yummmm.....


Oh baby, now I have a reason to spend the fall and winter in my "craft cave" creating...Next stop: YARN STORE!!

But wait, there's more!

More and more information is coming out about Sarah Palin. Here are some I found particularly interesting. (If you can't bring yourself to read all of these truths, you MUST read the last two, at least.)

*She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret FROM HER OWN FAMILY for 7 months.

*When she was elected mayor, she inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million.

*More than $15 MILLION of that debt was for a new sports complex (for a town of less than 7,000 people) that was built on land that the city didn't even have clear title to. It is still in litigation 7 years later, much to the delight of the lawyers involved.

*While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire the highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. That's called censorship, people.

*Sarah Palin believes that homosexuality can be cured through prayer, and that it is a choice.

*As Governor of Alaska, Ms. Palin lives in the state capitol of Juneau. Her expenditures are now being scrutinized because she charged the state (ie tax payers) for more than 300 nights she spent AT HER HOME in Wasilla. Furthermore, she spent another $43,490 ferrying her husband and children back and forth between the two towns.

*Meanwhile, while she was mayor of Wasilla, her city CHARGED RAPE VICTIMS FOR THEIR OWN FORENSICS TESTING because, as Ms. Palin said, she didn't want to place the burden on the tax payers.

::random::

Ok, plan B is in place for the wedding dress fiasco. The back-up dress arrived yesterday and it is cute and best of all, IT FITS. No buttons, no zippers. I have my final fitting for the wedding dress tomorrow, with the zipper replaced. We'll see.

In other news, it's really beginning to feel like autumn. David re-lit the pilot light on the fireplace today in preperation for those chilly mornings when it feels sooooo good to sit and bask in its warmth. Despite that today is supposed to be in the low 80s, I'm wearing pants. I live in skirts and dresses and shorts and flip-flops all summer, but now I'm ready for sweaters and clogs.

I was listening to Bill Mahr the other day; I love him! One line in particular made me laugh: "Five kids. Five kids?! Doesn't anyone in the Republican Party know the meaning of the phrase PULL OUT??" *snort!*

Um...ok, is it obvious that I have nothing to say but I'm just trying to move on from my last (admittedly sick) post? Yeah. Turns out someone who lives near Junction City reads my blog and was offended. Which makes me feel sick and ashamed. God, I could never be Dooce, who gets hatemail by the barge-full. Of course, when your blog has enough readership (and sponsorship) to allow your husband to quit his job and your blog pays your mortgage, you can find it in yourself to develop the skin of a rhino when it comes to hatemail. Me, not so much. sigh.

Yes, I'm sick and twisted

And yes, I'm going straight to hell. But I couldn't help but laugh at this story:


JUNCTION CITY, Ore. - A woman lying along the railroad tracks in Junction City survived being struck by a train on Saturday.

Police say the unidentified woman suffered a deep laceration to the back of her head. (NO SHIT) She was in serious condition at a Springfield hospital.

The engineer of the Union Pacific freight train made an emergency stop but was unable to avoid hitting the woman, whose head appeared to be resting against the tracks. Police said she did not respond to the train horn, and alcohol appears to be a factor. (YA THINK?)

She was described as a white female between 40 and 45 years old, 130 to 140 pounds and 5 feet 5 inches tall. She has brown eyes, brown hair and a small tattoo of the words "far out" on her left hand.



I think those last few words pretty much sums it up.

Happy Friday

Ok, I don't care WHO you're voting for, this is funny as hell:



Have a great weekend.

Does anybody know if there's such a thing as Vanilla Caramel Fudge flavored Ex Lax?
(That's not as random as it may sound; read the post below.)

Why?

Why is it that even though I've known for approximately 4 months that we are getting married September 13th, WHY HAVE I FAILED TO LOSE WEIGHT so that I could be comfortable in the dress I picked out? Why is it that just because I was painfully thin and could eat and eat and never exercise for the first 29 years of my life, why have I failed to grasp the reality that that is most definitely NO LONGER THE CASE?

I learned a harsh, harsh lesson yesterday, and it is this: if you put on a "body shaper" in a desperate attempt to squish your mid-section together enough to fit into said dress, what happens is that the fluffy bits that prefer to hang around near your belly button get forced UPWARDS toward your arm pits causing THE ZIPPER ON YOUR DRESS TO BREAK.

My very helpful mother suggested:
a) that I fashion DUCT TAPE sash to keep the zipper from breaking during the ceremony. She even offered to decorate it with rhinestones for me.
b) that I buy some pretty pink shoe-laces and lace the dress up.
c) that I develop an eating disorder immediately.

Now, a mere 8 days before the wedding, I am forced to frantically search for a NEW dress, one that does not make me feel like humming the jingle from the Jimmy Dean sausage commercials.

Help.

::soap box::

I just finished reading Dooce's take on Sarah Palin and she said it so much better than I can. But like Dooce, my family and I had very different interpretations of last night's speech.

As I watched her speak, I could see why people are charmed by her. She is funny and "real". Her delivery is warm and she managed to melt a very tiny piece of my icey-cold pro-choice, tree-hugging, assist-the-poor, gay-rights-supporting heart. She seems like someone who might work at the local bank or who might chair the annual fundraiser at your children's school. I bet she makes a mean batch of chocolate chip cookies. She is approachable and, sure, even likeable.

She's no Hillary, that's for sure. And I mean that both ways: while Hillary is highly educated and has the experience and drive to run this country, Hillary is not exactly warm. Sarah Palin HAS the warmth and the charm to connect to "real" people, especially women. Which is, of course, the precise reason McCain chose her. He did NOT choose her because of her qualifications; it was a desperate attempt to pander to every soccer mom in this country. I beg you not to fall for it; do not drink the Kool Aid.

Please read this article (for my family, this is the one I tried to link to on Lala's blog). As Dooce mentioned when she linked to it, it is a FACT CHECKING article from the Associated Press, NOT the "liberal media".

In other words, every charming word out of Sarah Palin's mouth last night was either an out-right lie or a very poor attempt to brainwash undecided voters. How she and the Republican party can stand up there and say, with a straight face, that this country is in the mess it's in today because of the Democrats is just...laughable. Do they think that the average American is so stupid that we've somehow blocked out JUST WHICH PARTY HAS BEEN "IN CHARGE" FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS?? Seriously? Even if they point at Congress, the Dems have only been the majority there since January. Please don't forget that the reason we, people like you and me and our neighbors and friends and families, have to decide whether to buy groceries or put gas in our cars is because of THEM. The party who has had EVERY OPPORTUNITY to "fix" this country for the past 8 years. If they haven't done it yet (and McCain has supported Bush NINETY PERCENT of the time), why do they deserve 4 more years?

Just how bad does it have to get before every man and woman in this country stands up and says "ENOUGH!!"?

weekend photos

Ok, NOW I have photos.

First off, some of Anna and her best friend Annie. If I hadn't given birth to one of them, I'd swear they were separated at birth. They are so alike it's SCARY. Smart, wildly funny, into science and nature and art. And oh man are they TROUBLE. Behold: Furthermore, they wrapped our pillows in saran-wrap, and they were plotting to wrap our CARS in it until I overheard them cackling and I intercepted.

Here they are, worshipping me while chanting "We're not worthy, we're not worthy" because I agreed that we could make chocolate chip cookies first thing Saturday morning.
They spent most of the day creating a "bird aviary" between the garage and the fence; there are bird houses, various things for the birds to sit on, a couple of feeders and a bird-bath. I love that they occasionally channel their energy into stuff like this.


Here are some photos from Turnbull Wildlife Refuge on Monday. Anna took her "Identiflyer" to try to call in some red winged black-birds. It worked!
There is a duck-blind on the edge of the pond, where you can hide and watch the birds. Anna has always called this "the submarine" for some reason. There is an old journal out there in which to write your wildlife observations; Anna loves to go through it and find all the times we've written in it, going back to 2003 when we first moved here. Here you can see, on the right side of the book, where she wrote her name in the book many years ago. I love that it's still there. And then as a special treat, we let her stand up through the sun-roof while we drove slowly on the back-roads looking for birds and animals. I LOVE this picture.


And lastly, the first day of school. Second grade!
My favorite little face:


Other favorite moments of the last-weekend-of-summer:

Having dinner on the back porch with David and Sarah, two of my favorite people on earth, talking politics and life. I think it's safe to say they adore each other as much as I adore both of them.

Sitting out under the big old clock tower in Riverfront Park, watching Lucinda Williams perform under the stars.

Snuggling in bed with Anna and David as we read from "Misty of Chincoteague" last night after she refused to go to bed until he came home. "I want Davie!!" Yeah, I think she likes him.

Taking a walk during sunset, looking at the beautiful pink clouds and being able to hear the Spokane Symphony playing "Moon River" at a nearby park. They give a free performance each year on Labor Day at a park 4 blocks from our house.

Getting out of my car this morning at work and smelling the change in the air; it is cooler and just smells like Fall.

Aaaah. Happy Autumn, everyone.