Saturday

Goals For A New Year

1. Learn the accordion
2. Get my hair long enough for a wavy side ponytail
3. Read more. I have a stack of books borrowed from my dad to get me started and a brand new Kindle Fire.
4. Try a new recipe once a week
5. Detox/cleanse in the beginning of the year
6. Start cross-stitching again
7. Put myself out there more- I'm signing up for two things to jump start this resolution
8. Reacquaint myself with the basics of sewing

Thursday

What's In My Netflix Instant Queue

1. Winter's Bone
2. The Kennedy's
3. Bleak House
4. Pollock
5. Precious
6. Exit Through the Gift Shop
7. The Safety Of Objects
8. Conversations With Other Women
9. Ken Burns: Civil War
10. Patton
11. The Wonder Years
12. Teen Wolf
13. All The Days Before Tomorrow
14. Crips & Bloods: Made In America
15. Reel Injun
16. Last of the Mohicans
17. Pearl Jam Twenty
18. The West
19. National Geographic: Aryan Brotherhood

Monday

This Week

1. Figuring out where to put all of the kids new Christmas toys
2. Visiting with our friends Mark and Kara and his parents
3. Going to Crane to see my grandparents
4. Going to Branson to see my family and go to Silver Dollar City
5. Visiting with my friend Jaimie, hopefully
6. Buying some sort of multi-faceted, multi-basket/drawer toy organization system
7. Going out with friends for New Year's Eve

Sunday

Christmas Morning Breakfast

1. French toast bread pudding
2. Oranges
3. Scrambled eggs
4. Hot chocolate and chai tea and orange juice

Saturday

My Unrealistic Christmas List

1. There was a wooden piece of art of a Native American in Sierra Madre, CA at a tiny brunch place that I loved
2. A charcoal colored Audi Q7
3. An accordion
4. A Rimi Yang piece
5. A house
6. Maid service for a year
7. "Surprise! We are moving to Arkansas!" -my husband
8. A sectional that includes a chaise and a recliner
9. An at-home private David Gray concert
10. Razorback football season tickets
11. Disney World trip with my whole family
12. New laptop
13. A springtime trip to Portland/Seattle/Vancouver with Andy
14. A lake house on Table Rock Lake

Friday

My Gifts From Conway Christmas

1. Skirts- this one and one almost like it but a different pattern and one long maxi skirt from Anthropologie
2. A wrap top from Anthropologie's sale room that I have loved for a long time
3. A tiffin stacker
4. Leggings from American Apparel in black, mud, and charcoal
5. A charm necklace with a couple letter charms to start me off (an "r" and a "w")
6. A Super Slurpee Shaker that we fell sucker to at a demonstration. It really is novel and fun.
7. This bracelet that I love
8. A bevy of more wonderfulness that would just be entirely too gratuitous to list and should have never been relegated as simply "stocking stuffers." My parents are definitely gift givers.

Thursday

Who We Received Photo Cards From This Year

1. The McClures
2. The Wrights
3. The Peters
4. The Langs
5. The Eoffs
6. The Sarvies
7. The Ewings
8. The Swanns
9. The Lacinys
10. The Moores
11. The McKinleys
12. The Blazers

Wednesday

What I Want To Accomplish Today

1. Run down the street and get W's hair cut
2. Unpack
3. Order some boots
4. Watch an episode of Downton Abbey
5. Dinner and to the Fox to see Beauty and the Beast with W, Mis, and Sonya
6. Read a few chapters of my book

Tuesday

How The Plains Indians Relied On The Entire Buffalo

1. Food
2. Lodging (their teepees made of hides)
3. Fuel-from dried dung
4. Tools (bone implements and water pouches made from the paunch)
5. Tack (bridles, thongs, and saddles made of hide)
6. Ropes- from twisted hair
7. Clothing (buckskins, moccasins, and fur robes)
8. Weapons (bowstrings made from sinews and clubs)
9. I also remember my Aunt Judy saying the kids probably used the eyeballs as marbles while we were visiting the Westward Expansion Museum under the Arch when I was little
10. The book I'm reading also talks about the Indians drinking the stomach contents of killed buffalo- that the curdled milk from a buffalo calf still nursing was an exceptional delicacy.

Monday

What R Received For Christmas From My Parents

1. He-Man DVD set
2. A Mickey Mouse stuffed animal
3. Bristle blocks
4. A toy barn with little animals
5. A plane
6. Playmobil horses set
7. Playmobil motorcycle man
8. Razorback piggy bank
9. Dinosaur puzzle
10. A dress shirt
11. A sleeping bag

Sunday

What We Gifted My Family

(we don't buy for my nieces, nephews, or my siblings- except for Tracy, because she will always be my sweet baby sister)
1. We bought my dad this terranium from Crate & Barrel. He likes terraniums.
2. Mom received a small and medium cake stand from Sur la table.
3. My mom's birthday is Tuesday, so she got her annual wall calendar with photos of her grandkids
4. For Tracy's birthday, I bought her some lavender and geranium Mrs. Meyer's soy candles
5. For Christmas, I bought Tracy these cute little shoes

Saturday

Our Christmas Italian Dinner At My Parent's House

1. Cheese ravioli
2. Meat lasagna
3. Vegan lasagna
4. Garlic bread
5. Salad
6. Sauteed vegetables
7. Vegan stuffed manicotti
8. Stuffed manicotti
9. Chicken Alfredo
10. Pumpkin pies
11. Hello Dollies
12. Buckeyes
13. Thumbprint cookies
14. Chocolate macadamian meltaways

Friday

W's Teachers' Christmas Gifts

A shortened version of 12 Days of Christmas because W only goes on MWF and I got a late start-one for every school day in December
1. Christmas tins filled with Hershey's Hugs and a note
2. $5 Starbucks gift cards
3. Cute little owl ornament for their Christmas trees
4. Fancy chocolate truffle bars from Whole Foods in their favorite flavors
5. $10 Bread Co. gift cards
6. Rosemary trees
7. A baking gift set from Penzey's

Thursday

Today's Must-Do List

1. Pack for a long weekend in Arkansas
2. Wrap my little sister's birthday present
3. Get an oil change for my car
4. Puddy to the groomers
5. Bake sugar cookies for W's school Christmas party. Thankfully my friend Lauren switched with me and took over the deli meat. I didn't even understand what to do. I'd rather make sugar cookies than cube meat or roll up ham or whatever.
6. Take my mom's birthday present to be done
7. Pack car bags for the kids and set up DVD player
8. Do laundry
9. Pick up the house
10. Wrap last of the teacher gifts

Wednesday

Sephora Wish List

1. This body butter. I've adopted my little sister's moisturizing regimen. If you are familiar with it, you know what an undertaking this is.
3. Laura Mercier eye repair serum My "around my eyes" area is definitely a trouble spot.
4. Lipstick in Hot Tango. Love the bold reds these days.
5. My favorite fragrance. I have a hard time spending money on perfume.
10. I love this stuff. Laura Mercier is the best.
12. Cute little makeup bag. I would carry it as a purse.

Tuesday

My Second Day Of Jury Duty: My 5 Favorite Alcoholic Drinks

1. Jack Daniels whiskey and Coke
2. Malbec red wine
3. Gin and tonic
4. Woodchuck hard cider
5. Margaritas

Monday

What's In My Bag For A Day Of Jury Duty

1. Book about the Comanche Indians
2. Dental floss
3. Pineapple coconut water
4. Can of Coke
5. Lunch- Terra Chips, a wrap, (mushroom, avocado, red pepper, spinach, and carrot) and a whiskey brownie
6. Green tea mints
7. My iPhone
8. Burt's Bees lip balm
9. My glasses and contacts case
10. iPhone charger
11. Drivers license
12. A $20 bill

Sunday

Things I Don't Like About Christmas

1. Not being with my family
2. Those peel-off-back bows
3. Yule log- I don't even know what it is, but it just sounds off
4. Holiday ham
5. Egg nog
6. Cold weather and everyone wanting it to snow
7. Overly-glittered Christmas cards that dump everywhere when you open the envelope
8. "Santa Got Ran Over By A Reindeer"
9. Having to buy gifts for people you have no idea what to get for
10. That after Christmas, you have the long cold months of January, February, and March

Thursday

Sweets I'm Planning On Baking Saturday

1. Caramel apple bites
2. Chocolate caramel cookies
3. Hello Dollies
4. Whiskey brownies
5. Chocolate chip cheesecake bars
6. Banana pudding shooters

Wednesday

Today's To-Do List

1. Drop off gifts at school
2. Whole Foods shopping
3. Organize teachers' gifts
4. Clean out car, which means really pay someone to clean it
5. Ask my husband to put away Christmas boxes, take Goodwill bags to the car, and take out the recycling
6. Wrap kids' stocking stuffers
7. Make cookies for art fair staff cookie exchange
8. Fold laundry

Tuesday

Last Night's Supper

1. I was physically and emotionally drained from a long day of decorating, (2.5 hours on trees, 1.5 hours on house, and 2 hours of cleaning up and putting boxes away while also wrangling 2 toddlers) so my husband brought home Penn Station subs for dinner. God bless him.
2. He had the 10" Philly Cheesesteak with just the meat and cheese
3. The kids shared a 6" grilled cheese, and I warmed up tomato sauce for dipping purposes
4. They also had fruit- blackberries and a clementine for R and strawberries for W
5. The kids and Andy had Baked Lays
6. I had my favorite- an 8" Grilled Artichoke with added mushrooms, lettuce, and pickles. Delicious.
7. I also had Terra Chips- sweet potato and beet- which are the ultimate chip for me and ring in at a full serving of vegetables for 15 chips, so you'd better believe I ate 15 chips.
8. The kids drank Bolthouse Farms Green Goddess juice
9. Andy and I had Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade Kool-Aid (don't judge- we are in our 30s, don't let our kids drink it to be ultimate hypocrites- but it's my guilty pleasure in life to partake in the occasional 2 quarts of heavenly drink)

Monday

Numbers: Christmas Edition

1. 3- trees in our house, 2 big and 1 small
2. 5- stockings hanging, because we don't leave out our sweet doggie
3. 70- approximate number of Christopher Radko ornaments
4. 20- days until Christmas
5. 11- presents under our trees right now
6. 5- people on my list I still need to shop for
7. 5- giant snowflakes hanging from my ceiling
8. 23- childrens Christmas books we have
9. 11- days until we celebrate Christmas in Arkansas
10. 5- "Chatham Angels" ornaments I have
11. 26- candy canes hanging on the trees
12. 3- gifts I bought for my husband
13. 16- actual Advent calendar things I put in, because I got a five day late start and we will be out of town for four days
14. 9- Christmas parties/events we have on the calendar for December
15. 0- days I would like for it to snow
16. 19- beautiful crocheted ornaments I have from my beloved, sweet great-aunt Mert
17. 53- balls I use decoratively around the house, not counting the ones on the tree
18. 2.5- hours it takes me to decorate the trees
19. 2- angels we have out made from paper plates
20. 4- members of our little snowman family on the bookshelf
21. 4- nativity sets we own
22. 3000- nativity sets a woman in Denton, Texas owns
23. 6- choices of wire ribbon for gift wrapping
24. 5- poinsettia plants I want to get- I miss working at the preschool that sold them as a fundraiser. They were inexpensive and huge.
25. 1- Christmas card we've received so far. Score one for the Swanns and their cute photo card.
26. 4- Christmas crafts I have planned for the kids
27. 3- lit evergreen garland strands I have used
28. 6- times I've limited the kids to pressing the play button in a row of the little dancing snowman/penguins thing from Hallmark that sing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."
29. 27- days until I take down the Christmas trees
30. 3- gifts we buy each of our kids
31. 1- little baby born a long time ago that often gets put in the background of all the craziness

Sunday

Sunday

1. Went to church this morning
2. I had baked eggplant and and seasoned, wilted greens for lunch
3. The kids broke in their new indoor swing that Dad installed
4. I am going to decorate the trees and wrap presents today
5. The kids are going to watch Mickey's Christmas Carol today
6. Quesadillas for dinner
7. Hot chocolate for dessert


Friday

Smells I Don't Like

1. Damp Cheerios. When I worked in the baby room at a day care, I thought I needed a gas mask during snack time.
2. The car after fast food
3. My clothes after Mexican food or coffee place
4. Coins or my hands after I've touched change...
5. Barbecue sauce
6. Lunch meat
7. My childrens feet when they don't wear socks
8. That plastic-y/chemical smell on some toys that I consequently do not purchase
9. Kentucky Fried Chicken
10. The Disney Store, which is really all of their perfumes and whatnot. It's horrifying.
11. Tires
12. Winter-believe me, it does have a smell, and I resent it.
13. Books you check out from the library

Thursday

This Weekend

1. The kids are spending the night out so I can go out with friends tonight. I really need a girls night out.
2. I'm going to use my free Friday morning to take a long nap.
3. Andy's work Christmas party. Never much fun, but at least I have a cute dress.
4. I am going to make some delicious buckeyes.
5. I am also going to cook cheesy quinoa patties.
6. Hopefully, we'll get our Christmas trees so that I can finish up my decorating.
7. Crafts at the Greentree Advent Workshop. It is such a fun event!
8. Christmas shopping with Missy
9. I have to get the advent calendar up and full of festive activities
10. I'll watch at least one Christmas movie- Love Actually, maybe?

Wednesday

This Morning's Baking a Pound Cake Playlist

1. Grandpa, Tell Me Bout The Good Ole Days- The Judds
2. I'll Fly Away- Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss
3. Back in Baby's Arms- Patsy Cline
4. Lady Down in Love- Alabama
5. My Father's Father- The Civil Wars
6. He Stopped Loving Her Today- George Jones
7. Desperate Ain't Lonely- Whiskeytown
8. Roses in the Snow- Emmylou Harris
9. Little Maggie- Ricky Skaggs
10. Come Pick Me Up- Ryan Adams
11. Jolene- Dolly Parton
12. I Told You So- Randy Travis
13. Silver Wings- Merle Haggard
14. Why Have You Left The One You Left Me For- Crystal Gayle
15. Moonshiner- Uncle Tupelo
16. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain- Willie Nelson
17. Molly and Tenbrooks- Sam Bush
18. Foggy Mountain Breakdown- Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
19. It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels- Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette

Tuesday

30 Days of Thankfulness For November

1. My husband that loves me and indulges my passions and encourages me to get out and do things
2. My sweet and precious children who love me unconditionally and are always available for a good snuggle or eskimo kiss
3. Jesus and his saving grace and the giver of new mercies every morning
4. My brother is the best brother in the history of brothers. Just perfect. And my sisters are equally wonderful..."I could never love anyone as I love my sisters..."
5. A sweet dog who cuddles with me every night while I watch TV and cries for me when I'm not around
6. A beautiful home that is open and airy and easy to clean and great for parties or kids playing
7. My best friend Missy who teaches me every day what it means to be an amazing friend
8. A love of healthy eating
9. I'm finally getting the hang of my hair and am starting to love it
10. The summer. Just looking forward to it makes the winter at least 2% bearable.
11. Grandparents that are still living
12. My parents who remind me all the time through words and actions how much they love me
13. Psalm 62. It has stayed in my heart for year after year and is my comfort and my peace when I need it.
14. The Arkansas Razorbacks. No matter how often they break my heart, I will forever say "Woo Pig Sooie!"
15. My brother and his family that live less than 4 hours away and whose house is such a second home to my family. I love that they are at least a little bit close geographically.
16. My husband and his job allow me to stay at home with my kids.
17. My in-laws love my kids and are extremely supportive
18. Technology and how it allows me to stay in touch with people and keep my too-big world a little bit smaller
19. The Mooneys are bringing Lena home!
20. I truly have the best neighbors on the planet who are the dearest friends and know that it's okay to poke around my kitchen and swipe our Nutella while we are out of town
21. My cozy bed and Dwell bedding that beckon me a little too often
22. Having two healthy children
23. Rosalita's margaritas and spinach-mushroom quesadillas
24. Television
25. Relatively calm children who can rode trip well, entertain themselves when needed, sleep until 7:30, and appreciate drawing and creating
26. That God spared us from a horrible car accident
27. Living in a town that has an abundance of grocery stores like Scnucks, Whole Foods, and Trader Joes aplenty and being able to buy whatever we need
28. Beautiful art in my home
29. A car to drive and indoor parking
30. W's school- it has been such a blessing this year

Monday

Four Questions, For Amber

1. Four States I've Been To- Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, and Colorado
2. Four Smells I Love- Lavendar, Honeysuckle, Paperwhite, and Hay
3. Four Shows I Like To Watch- other than the ones I listed last week, Mad Men, 30 Rock, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, and Gossip Girl
4. Four People I Think Will Respond- Missy, Greta, Jenny, and Sarah. Does anyone else even read this blog?
*comment with your answers to #s 1, 2, and 3!

Sunday

What's Coming Up In December

1. Out for a friend's birthday
2. Andy's office Christmas party
3. Advent Workshop at Missy's church
4. Craft Sale at my friend Katy's house
5. Cookies & Carols at the Art Museum
6. Our Christmas Party
7. Cookie Exchange with the Art Fair staff
8. Jury Duty, not so fun
9. W's class Christmas party
10. A weekend in Arkansas to celebrate Christmas with my family
11. Missy and I are taking the girls to see Beauty and the Beast at the Fox
12. Christmas story reenactment in west county
13. Trip to Silver Dollar City to see the Christmas lights
14. Christmas here
15. Trip to visit my grandparent's at their nursing home
16. Advent Calendar activities

Saturday

My Favorite Christmas Movies

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is my all-time favorite
2. Love Actually
3. Frosty the Snowman
4. The Holiday
5. Santa Claus is Coming To Town
6. Mickey's Christmas Carol
7. Elf
8. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
9. A Chipmunk Christmas
10. The Family Stone

Friday

Our Arkansas Trip

1. On Saturday, we hit up Dazzle Days- the jewel of Conway's holiday season. I picked up some cute silver Christmas trees and hid from a guy I had a crush on in college.
2. I went Christmas shopping with Mom, Jenny, Remi, and W while R stayed with his uncle and boy cousins.
3. We had supper at Pei Wei. W was killing the rice noodles with chopsticks.
4. On Sunday, I went over to the McEntire's and visited with Billy and his family.
5. My little sister drove up to visit and spend the night. She and I later watched "Beginnings," which was quite good.
6. On Monday, I had lunch at Zazas with my sweet and beautiful friend Kate. W tagged along.
7. The kids and I rode around with my parents so they could run errands.
8. My sister, brother-in-law, and I went and watched Breaking Dawn.
9. On Tuesday morning, I went to pick up my husband at the Little Rock Airport.
10. We went to Laura's Toy Store and back to Zazas for lunch then a house-wide nap.
11. On Wednesday, we had breakfast at Stoby's, then went Christmas shopping at Dicks. Mom and I went solo for More Christmas shopping at the Razorbacks store and Wilkinsons.
12. Mom and I took my sister's kids and my kids to see Happy Feet 2.
13. We ate dinner at home and watched Duke win the Maui Invitational and I wrapped a lot of presents for my mom.
14. We drove to Branson on Thursday for Thanksgiving at my brother's house.
15. We stayed the night to watch the Razorbacks game with them- a heartbreaking loss.

Thursday

What I Ate For Thanksgiving

1. Corn casserole
2. Sweet potatoes
3. Green beans with almonds
4. Stuffin
5. Cranberry sauce
6. Broccoli rice casserole
7. Mashed potatoes
8. A carrot cookie
9. Sweet tea
10. I'm about to eat some blackberry cobbler- I didn't have room earlier

Tuesday

Today's Hobby Lobby Purchases (Christmas Stuff Was 1/2 Off)

1. Gift tags
2. Maybe about 200 ft. of various colors of wired ribbon. I do love wire ribbon.
3. A small Christmas tree for the kids to decorate
4. Tiny ornaments for their tree- snowy wreaths, gingerbread men, and candy canes
5. 3 stamps for R's stocking- a robot, a dinosaur, and a Lightning McQueen

Monday

W's Stocking Stuffers

1. A butterfly notepad she loved
2. A Melissa & Doug stamp set
3. OPI "Rainbow Connection" nail polish
4. A big hair bow
5. New underwear
6. A bracelet- making kit

Sunday

My Text History Names

1. My husband
2. Margie Mc.
3. Melinda H.
4. Tracy
5. Aaron R.
6. Mom
7. Dad
8. Matt
9. Chang
10. Missy L.
11. Blaine W.
12. Stephen B.
13. Ben A.
14. Lauren E.
15. Josh L.
16. Jaimie A.

Saturday

Our Road Trip Snacks

1. Bananas
2. Applesauce squeezies
3. Barbara's Snackimals oatmeal cookies
4. Organic Valley 1% milk boxes for the kids
5. Lychee coconut water for me
6. Mini Larabars
7. A pear for me
8. Trail mix- Kashi Heart to Heart cereal, raisins, mixed nuts, and chocolate chips

Friday

What I'm Excited About Doing In Arkansas

1. Sleeping in
2. Cooking with my sisters
3. Going to watch Breaking Dawn with Jenny and Ryan
4. More Christmas shopping with my mom
5. Seeing Tracy- it feels like its been forever
6. My kids playing with their cousins
7. A Stoby's Tropical Storm
8. Going to visit the McEntires
9. Zazas Pizza...I think I'll have the Feta, Potato, and Rosemary
10. Shopping at Wilkinson's

Thursday

If I Could Only Watch 5 TV Shows

1. New Girl
2. Fringe
3. Parks & Recreation
4. Parenthood
5. Modern Family

Wednesday

Andy's Bucket List

Not my husband, but Andy from Parks and Recreation- my favorite comedy on TV
1. Catch the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl
2. Make the most amazing grilled cheese ever
3. Win the lottery
4. Ride a unicycle
5. Invent something
6. Remake the movie Kazaam, where Shaquille O'Neal plays a genie, and get it right
7. Go skydiving
8. Outrun a hippo
9. Ride first-class on a plane and when people are walking by, go like this...(he makes a condescending face and gives a little snicker)
10. Hold $1000 cash
11. Be an action star
12. Drive to the Grand Canyon


Tuesday

W Lined Up Her Cakes For The Next 8 Years

1. Her 4th Birthday party- a Princess cake
2. 5th- a Cowgirl cake
3. 6th- a Minnie Mouse cake
4. 7th- another Princess cake
5. 8th- a Buzz Lightyear cake
6. 9th -a cake with heart, stars, and dots candles
7. 10th -a cowboy cake
8. 11th- a Razorback cake

Monday

What I'm Loving

1. R's new little gray cardigan. What a hipster!
2. Red red lipstick
3. The Fossil store at the Galleria
4. Christmas shopping
5. Kiwi Magazine
6. Bailey's Range restaurant downtown
7. Highway to Heaven reruns
8. Cranberry walnut bread from Great Harvest
9. The new charm necklace collection at Anthropologie
10. The new Disney Store at the Galleria. I'm just like a little kid in there.
11. The book I'm reading

Sunday

About Plant-Based Proteins, Or A Vegetarian Defends Herself For Once

1. Plant-based proteins offer almost as much protein as animal-based ones.
2. Plant-based proteins are easier on the environment than animal-based ones.
3. Plant-based proteins are often less expensive than animal-based ones.
4. Most plant proteins are high in fiber and low in saturated fats.
5. Also in plant proteins are a variety of vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, and vitamin E.
6. Many nutritionists are now saying nearly 2/3 of your dietary protein should be derived from plant-based sources.
7. I know that I need about 43 grams of protein a day, but I don't remember the formula for figuring that out.
8. Some great sources of plant proteins: lentils, chickpeas, almonds, tofu, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, sunflower seeds, soybeans, peanuts, kidney beans, walnuts, flax seed, oats, corn, spinach, non-dairy milk, potatoes, broccoli, peas, and artichokes.
9. Basically, any bean or nut is a source of protein.
10. Your body cannot store excess protein, and an excess causes undue stress on your kidneys and liver.
11. Too-high protein consumption is linked to obesity, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and cancer of the colons, pancreas, breast, and prostate.
12. Dairy foods are another good source of protein, such as milk, greek yogurt, and cheese, but they are often high in fat and calories.

Saturday

What I Want To Do On My Next Chicago Trip

1. An afternoon at the Art Institute
2. Go to the Zara store
3. As always, shopping in Wicker Park- especially my favorite stores, Una Mae's Freak Boutique and Free People, and either a milkshake at Veggie Bites or a cone at iCream.
4. Visit Soul Vegetarian East, which is vegan on Saturdays, and features an entire room of baked goods.
5. Make sure to stop in Renegade Handmade (who started the Renegade Craft Fairs) in Wicker Park on Division St.
6. Stay at my favorite hotel in the city, Hotel Felix...perfectly situated between Whole Foods and Karyn's Cooked, another Chicago favorite and close proximity to the gallery district.
7. Another river cruise boat tour. We loved our last one!
8. High tea at the Peninsula Hotel
9. Browsing at The Chicago French Market
10. Ogling art at Melanee Cooper, my favorite gallery
11. Buying the kiddos a fun thing at Pearl

Friday

Fun Trivia About The Olympics

I can't wait for the summer 2012 Olympics! I saw all of these facts on the London Olympics Website.
1. The word "gymnastics" comes from the Greek word for 'naked' because early gymnasts used to performed naked.
2. Hollywood actress Geena Davis competed in the US Trials for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
3. America's Ray Ewry won 10 gold medals in standing long jump, high jump, and triple jump. As a child, Ray was confined to a wheelchair due to polio. He exercised his legs until he could walk, then strengthened them by jumping.
4. A Marathon commemorates the run of a Greek soldier from the town of Marathon to Athens in 490 BC, except for he ran 171 miles in two days then died after. I would probably experience the same fate if I ran a modern marathon.
5. The best shuttlecocks (badminton "ball") are said to be made from the left wing of a goose.
6. The world's largest shuttlecocks, 18 ft. tall, are part of a public art display in the yards of the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, MO.
7. Our family favorite Mike Krzyzewski has been coaching the men's basketball team since 2005.
8. In Mountain Bike Cycling (I always like this event because of our old Kanakuk mountain biking cheers), Julien Absalon will be going for a hat-trick after winning the gold in 2004 and 2008.
9. St. Louis hijacked the Games in 1904 from Chicago, who had already won the rights to hosting. It was such a disaster and was overshadowed by the World's Fair, that the Olympic movement almost died that year.
8. Greg Louganis hit his head on the diving board in 1988 and fell unconscious during the pre-lim rounds. He rallied to win the gold medal in that event.
9. Equestrian is the only Olympic event where men and women compete on equal terms. It's also the only event where humans and animals compete together.
10. Football is a summer Olympic sport. I had no idea.
11. Handball is considered one of the oldest sports.
12. George S. Patton, the General of the US Army during World War II, competed in the Olympic's first Modern Pentathalon.
13. Rowing is the only sport where the competitors cross the line backwards.
14. The US team recently won the World Championships and Russia (or whatever you call it these days) won the silver, so the Olympics are going to be good!
15. The Olympic motto is "Faster, Higher, Stronger."

Thursday

Recipes Galore

1. Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole I will make this on a Sunday, then eat leftovers the rest of the week. No one else in my family will try it. Maybe R?
2. Apple Cinnamon Toaster Strudels (I'm making these next week...I've mentioned my weakness for the real, unhealthy thing here before)
3. My friend Meghan swears by this Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole
4. I'll make these Chocolate & Mascarpone Cupcakes the next time the situation calls for something special
5. I think I'll make this Vegetarian "Chicken & Dumplins" when I'm in Arkansas next week when there will be a family full of vegans and vegetarians to appreciate it.
6. My mom's making fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn bread for Andy on Sunday. This Cauliflower preparation will be my contribution.
7. These Apple Fritter Muffins might fill the hole in my heart when I dream of the heavenly apple fritter I ate in Pasadena at the awkward, yet delicious "Burgers and Donuts" restaurant located in an odd strip mall.
8. These Vodka Cocktails might be the signature drink at our Christmas party next month?
9. I make these Marinated Garbanzo Beans at least twice a month. The whole can's worth lasts about second.
10. Maybe these Mashed Potatoes and Gravy will be another Arkansas try. At least my nephew would be excited.
11. This is right up my ally- Carrot Slaw with Walnuts and Cranberries

Wednesday

My Current Favorite Snacks

1. Toast with butter, garlic, and a slice of cheddar toasted again in the toaster oven
2. Terra sweet potato chips dipped in Green Mountain Gringo salsa
3. Whole grain tortilla chips with nutritional yeast sauce
4. Toast with butter and hulled hemp seeds
5. Blackberries and apples
6. Baby carrots
7. Mini Larabars
8. Graham crackers and Nutella
9. Cauliflower florets
10. Banana slices with cinnamon sprinkles

Tuesday

My Christmas List, First Draft

1. Cropped chinos from Macy's
3. Dress from Anthropologie- it would be perfect with my gold belt and boots
4. A new iPhone case
5. I always want iTunes gift cards
6. New pillow covers for our gray sofa
7. Fossil bracelet. I die.
8. Any of the New York Review children's books
9. Some Louis L'Amour paperbacks
11. This wrap from Anthropologie that's in the sale room
12. A couple plaid button-ups
13. A new pair of slim, straight leg jeans
14. A new cleaning scrubber for vegetables
15. Doughmakers mini pizza pans (This is the brand of all my baking stuff- loaf pans, pizza pans, cookie sheets, etc. They are the best!)
16. A starter from my Aunt Mert's cactus

Monday

My Current Favorite Sandwich

1. Mashed avocado
2. Red onion
3. Pea shoots
4. Sautéed shiitake mushrooms and garlic
5. Wilted spinach
6. Great Harvest's sunflower flax bread

Sunday

Today's Agenda

1. Sleep in, read
2. Christmas shopping and lunch out with Andy
3. Baking cookies
4. Constructing kid's art center
5. Hanging out and drinking wine with friends tonight

Thursday

Today's To-Do List

1. Clean out and carve our pumpkin- a little late, I know...I forgot about it in my trunk last week
2. Grocery shopping at Whole Foods and Schnucks and Great Harvest Bread
3. Cook brown beans and lentils and nutritional yeast "cheese"
4. Order baby gifts- I never did that last week
5. Manicures and pedicures for the kids
6. Have Andy teach me how to clean out the fish tank
7. Finish watching Mammoth
8. Wash dog bed
9. Work on Christmas lists

Wednesday

My Goals For My Kid-Free Morning

1. Stay in pajamas until noon
2. Finish reading Hunger Games
3. Watch last night's Parenthood
4. Eat some halloween candy
5. Lay in bed while doing all of the above

Tuesday

Books I'm Using To Press My Tofu

1. Tina Fey's Bossypants, a cute and funny read
2. Intelligence in War by John Keegan- this must be my husbands
3. Shadow, a book about the five presidents who served after Watergate and having to deal with its legacy, which is surprisingly mine
4. Bob Spitz's biography of The Beatles
5. The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, which is a great book
6. Black Hawk Down, by Mark Bowden. We know the author's son.
7. A devotional book, A Year With C.S. Lewis

Monday

10 For Today

1. Elf On The Shelf = Totally creeps me out
2. It's really cute to hear my two year old son say "Albert Pujols."
3. I bought marshmallows today for gas stovetop s'mores.
4. I also bought two books- The Hunger Games and Empire of the Summer Moon.
5. I can't find the kids winter stuff from last year, including their mittens, hats, Arkansas Razorback hoodies, and the like.
6. At the art museum halloween party, a printmaker was there making to-order Frankenstein monster and mummy prints for the kids to color. Of course, the art museum would knock the art activity out of the park.
7. Since reading an article concerning it a while back, I only single space after a period now.
8. I had a dream the other night that David Freese kept trying to walk off with my Target buggy with R sitting in the seat.
9. I stayed up the other night until nearly 3:00 am reading up on biodynamic farming.
10. I bought my first 2011 Christmas gift- something for my dad. He is the best person to shop for. I could buy him 100 things and he would love them all.

Sunday

What R is Loving

1. This huge book we have called The History of Animation that has great shots of He-Man, Mickey Mouse, and Lion King, which are among his favorites.
2. My tub of Cetaphil lotion. He grabs a walnut-sized dollop and just sticks it to his face or arm and walks off.
3. Riding on the tall and narrow arm of our daybed-style sofa and pretending it's a horse or BattleCat.
4. Nuts- they are his favorite snack. He likes 'em all.
5. Me scratching his back and head
6. Quinoa and blueberries. That is his favorite meal.
7. Watching Shaun the Sheep or He-Man or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
8. Cowboy boots
9. Climbing out of his crib
10. His friend Teddy
11. The Super Grover stuffed animal that he has fly all over our house
12. Singing Ba Ba Black Sheep and The ABC's
13. Doing anything and everything his big sister does
14. Andy made him these little saddles for his Schleich horses- they are so cute- so they can have a rider

Friday

About Last Night

1. Halloween party at the Martin's house...I didn't want to dress up so I said I was dressed up like an attractive woman.
2. I ate about 45 baby carrots from a veggie tray at the party
4. Watched the Cardinals win the World Series on both their living room TV and on a screen projected onto their garage in the back yard
5. We all went outside to watched the last inning and cheered together at the end
6. My friend Karin was dressed like a cowgirl and had two cap guns. She ran around us in the back yard shooting her guns into the air at the end of the game. It was hilarious and I'll treasure that memory of her for a long time.
7. We had to drive through the pandamonium and celebration to get to our loft downtown. It took an hour to get from Hwy 44 to our garage, which is really just about 1.5 miles.
8. People were coming up to our car to give high fives, people were dancing on top of their cars, a guy was skateboarding down 4th St with a 12 pack of beer in each hand, and a large woman got out of her car, screamed "Cardinal Nation!" then got back in and kept driving. It was all weird and wonderful.
9. We won the World Series! I fell asleep about 15 seconds after my head hit the pillow.

Today's Laid-Back Playlist

1. Transformation- David Gray
2. The Curse- Josh Ritter
3. Five String Serenade- Mazzy Star
4. Like Rock & Roll And Radio- Ray LaMontagne
5. These Are Days- 10,000 Maniacs
6. The Only Living Boy In New York- Simon & Garfunkel
7. The Wind- Cat Stevens
8. The Last Time I Saw Richard- Joni Mitchell
9. Hip Hip Hooray- Margot & The Nuclear So-So's
10. Whiter Shade of Pale- Procol Harum
11. Alien- Bush
12. I've Got This Friend- The Civil Wars
13. Elephant- Damien Rice
14. Night Rider's Lament- Garth Brooks
15. Always On My Mind- Willie Nelson
16. I Fall to Pieces- Patsy Cline
17. All My Mistakes- The Avett Brothers
18. All The Right Reasons- The Jayhawks
19. Lies- Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
20. Fly- Nick Drake
21. I Don't Know What It Is- Rufus Wainwright
22. Jacksonville Skyline- Whiskeytown
23. You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push the River- Van Morrison
24. Avalanche- Heather Nova
25. Kid Fears- Indigo Girls
26. The Ice Is Getting Thinner- Death Cab for Cutie
27. Holiday In Spain- Counting Crows
28. God Only Knows- The Beach Boys
29. Skinny Love- Bon Iver
30. The Funeral- Band of Horses

Thursday

Our Busy Halloween Season

1. R and I went to the Magic House's Halloween Party on Monday morning
2. Halloween Party at the St. Louis Art Museum last night
3. Harvest Party at Greentree Church on Thursday night
4. Sunday night Trick-or-Treating in our building. Five kids live in the building, so it'll be pretty low-key.
5. Trick-or-Treating with friends in Warson Woods on actual Halloween night.

Wednesday

Right Now

1. W is at school
2. R and his friend T are playing in the living room- something that involves Lightning McQueen cars, hats, horses, and hollering, "WooHoo!" every 3 seconds. I love it.
3. I am listening to David Gray and Annie Lennox sing Full Steam- it's been about 3 times on repeat. I am always practicing Annie's part in case David ever calls me up on stage.
4. Apple crisp is baking in the oven- made with Murphy's Orchard in Marionville apples, which I swear I could pick out of a lineup. They are so delicious.
5. My eyes keep wandering over to W's SUPER cute school pictures
6. Puddy is sleeping upside down on the sofa
7. I need to clean out the toaster oven then order diapers, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and 2 baby gifts.
8. I am wearing gray sweatpants, my brown house slippers, and one of A's long-sleeved thermal shirts.
9. I've moved on to Fleet Foxes- He Doesn't Know Why.
10. R and T have added sunglasses to their get-up.
11. I just was called away for a stinky diaper change.
12. T keeps coming up to ask me to push the horse's ear to make him neigh. I keep telling him how he can do it himself, but he prefers me doing it. He's so cute that I oblige.
13. I've moved on to my first listen of the new She & Him Christmas album.
14. I am snacking on some Chia Pudding. A lot of you ask about it- just chia seeds and some milk (I use unsweetened almond) and some fruit (today is blueberries) and let that sit in the fridge. My sister blogged about it on her vegan food blog.
15. The boys are now standing on the sofa looking at the window.
16. I am going to take the crisp out of the oven.

Tuesday

Shows I Am No Longer Going To Watch

1. The Bachelor
2. The Bachelorette
3. The Bachelor Pad
4. CSI:NY
5. Law and Order:SVU
6. Real Housewives of (anywhere)
7. Dina's Party (I don't know why I even started this one. It's pretty dull.)
8. CSI
9. Watch What Happens Live
10. Grey's Anatomy
11. Ringer is circling the drain. I'm giving it two more episodes.

Monday

What I Love At The Magic House

1. My favorite is the room that plays music and projects your dancing image in an awesome, psychedelic, cheap-music-video kind of way.
2. The bubble room
3. The toddler sand table- R could stay there for hours
4. That thing that displays some scientific principle (clearly, I don't pay attention to the scientific facts) where the balls float over the blown air. I think it's amazing!
5. The "grocery store"
6. They really know how to put on a show. I love all of their members events. We went to the Halloween morning today; It was so fun! And W swooned over their Beauty and the Beast Tea Party last year.
7. The St. Louis Blues bubble piano. So cheesy, but fun.
8. The little creek and fishing pond

Sunday

Today

1. Woke up in Branson
2. Silver Dollar City with my parents and my brother and his family
3. R is finally tall enough to ride most of the kids rides
4. I ate French fries and cinnamon bread for lunch
5. Andy and R went through Marvel Cave with my dad, brother, and niece.
6. I found a bracelet I want for Christmas
7. I rode the roller coaster, butterflies, and the elephants. Way too much for me.
8. Back to Matt's house for some family football and Big Wheel riding for R.
9. Stopped at Subway for some supper on the way home
10. Listening to the World Series on the way home- Go Cardinals!

Saturday

W's Christmas List

1. Belle doll and Beast doll from the Disney Store
2. White and blue Cinderella dress
3. Ariel and Prince Eric dolls from the Disney Store
4. Sparkly nail polish

Friday

To Do Before 3:00 Tomorrow

1. Hand wash shirts and cardigans
2. Watch Fringe! It's going to be a good one.
3. Still need to eat dinner. I feel like a beany, cheesy quesadilla.
4. Pack for Branson
5. Go to the Tower Grove Farmer's Market Harvest Festival in the morning
6. Clean out my car
8. Make something to take the the Reinberg Bonfire

Thursday

What's In My Purse

1. My Hobo wallet
2. Two pairs of sunglasses in their cases
3. Two pens from the Sheraton in Clayton that write really well
4. A few Organic Valley suckers
5. My art fair badge lanyard-R loves wearing it, so it comes in handy in pinch.
6. A jar of garlic salt. You thought I was kidding when I said that before.
7. A cloth zippie with baby wipes in it
8. Four mini Larabars
9. A calculator because it will pacify W if I need something
10. Dental floss
11. Cough drops
12. A blood work order for me- I'm having my thryoid tested
13. Several loose bobby pins
14. A crumpled up Target receipt
15. My small camera
16. A Say Yes to Carrots carrot flavored lip balm
17. iPhone ear buds

Wednesday

My Great Monday and Tuesday

1. Monday morning, both of my kids went to school, so I spent the morning with the birthday girl Missy
2. We went to the Chesterfield Mall to go to H&M Kids and had lunch at Bread Co.
3. Back to the boys school for Mommy & Me music time
4. Stephen came over for dinner. Of course, W was thrilled.
5. Tuesday morning, the kids spent the morning with Grandma, so I spent the morning with Aaron
6. We went and got pedicures then did a little shopping
7. I bought W a Snow White dress and R a cape and mask- both huge hits
8. W and I took a snuggle nap together
9. We spent the afternoon/evening at the Reinberg's house for a movie
10. Aaron made delicious strawberry mint slushies and quesadillas for dinner
11. Fringe 3-episode marathon with Andy last night to catch up to our queue. That show couldn't get any better!

Tuesday

Cards For Our Super-Cute Advent Calendar

1. Go on a Christmas Lights drive
2. Make hot chocolate
3. Read our Christmas story books
4. Make a special treat to give to our neighbors
5. Watch a Christmas movie and eat popcorn
6. Read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible
7. Make Christmas cookies
8. Write Christmas cards and letters for our out of town family
9. Make homemade Christmas ornaments for our little tree
10. Make S'mores
11. Make Santa faces with construction paper and cotton balls
12. Make Christmas trees with popsicle sticks and pom-poms and glitter
13. Drive around looking for Salvation Army bell ringers to give money to
14. Make Christmas doggie treats for all of Puddy's friends
15. Go to the Nativity Play
16. Get out your nativity set and act out the story from your Jesus Storybook Bible
17. Go Christmas shopping for the family who needs help buying gifts for their children
18. Scavenger hunt in our house for a little Christmas treat
19. Make paper plate snowmen
20. Christmas party with the Reinbergs
21. Unwrap a new Christmas book
22. Christmas Jammy Day
23. Put together teachers' Christmas gifts
24. Attend Gardenland Express at the Botanical Gardens
25. All-day Christmas music dance party

Monday

Top 10 Legal Addictions

1. Prescription drugs (I could hook someone up with this one...we've got about 20 bottles leftover from the accident that I don't want to flush into the water system.)
2. Cigarettes (I wish. My husband would disown me.)
3. Alcohol (I don't drink much. Usually only when I go out for margaritas and Mexican food or red wine when we are out fancy)
4. Pornography (Not really a struggle, but the male kind isn't too tempting.)
5. Gambling (I've been to a casino twice in my life. Once with my friend Josh somewhere around Lake Providence, LA and once with some friends in STL. Kinda depressing places. I did have quite the addiction to the computer poker on our cruise ship once, but only because my father-in-law was financially supporting my addicition.)
6. Fast food (Because of my vegetarianism and distaste for fried foods, I steer clear of fast food. I do partake in veggie burgers from Burger King and Subway veggie subs on road trips. They'll do.)
7. Celebrity gossip (I don't like the gossip that's negative or speculations. I do love hearing who is dating who, reading about celebrity weddings, and hearing what celebs name their babies. And I like all the fashion and fancy dresses at award shows.)
8. Online role-playing games (Well, I just mastered the Apple N, Apple A, etc. functions, so I don't think I have the computer skills for any sort of online gaming. Maybe Pinterest is more of a temptation, although lately, I've been mostly annoyed with it. Or annoyed with myself when I judge peoples weird and not-cute pins.)
9. T.V. (Um, yes, I watch a lot of TV. However, I have in the last month deleted about 10 shows from my Season Pass Manager. I'm taking steps.)
10. Shopping (I would shop and buy things every day if I could, but I guess that's no surprise to you, list blog readers who have combed through scores and scores of my "things I want to buy" lists.)

This list, besides my commentary was originally taken from listverse. Sorry if I put the periods in the wrong place in regards to the parentheses. I don't remember all those rules.

Sunday

Fruit My Children Have Consumed Today

1. One banana
2. A handful of blueberries
3. Eight strawberries
4. A small bag of dried pineapple
5. Two apples
6. Two boxes of raisins
7. A can of pumpkin

Saturday

Today

1. Breakfast at our neighbor's house- Aaron made homemade cinnamon rolls
2. Watched some Backyardigans
3. To the Galleria for BabyGap, Anthropologie, Sephora, and The Disney Store
4. Lunch at Whole Foods
5. Naps for the kids...and me
6. The City Museum with the Reinbergs- we dominated that place. Definitely did things most 1, 2, and 3 year olds have never done before there. I blame Aaron. She's hardcore. I may have dislocated my elbow.
7. Quinoa and vegetables and cheesy garlic bread for dinner
8. Biggest Loser marathon with Andy. Our TiVo is backed up a few weeks.

Friday

Thursday

What's Hanging On The Walls In Our Loft's Main Area

1. Three wooden squares with patterns from West Elm
2. A large Alicia LaChance painting
3. A Michael Hoffman painting
4. My 18 art collaged boards
5. A Bruce Holwerda painting I gifted my husband a few Christmases back
6. A William LaChance painting
7. A small framed photo of the St. Louis Art Museum in the winter over our sink

Wednesday

Supper Tonight

1. Quesadillas
2. Nachos
3. Yogurt and salsa for dipping
4. Guacamole
5. Corn
6. Fruit smoothies
7. Homemade brownies

Tuesday

What's Hanging On Our Master Bedroom Walls

1. A matted and framed David Gray poster
2. A three-photo frame featuring W as a baby
3. A pair of medium sized Alicia LaChance paintings
4. A pair of quirky photos by Amanda Linn
5. A big photo collage of a tree that my husband made me while we were dating


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Monday

Our Trip

1. Flew into Los Angeles on Friday evening
2. Our friends Mark and Kara came to pick us up from the airport and we listened to the Cardinals win to advance in the postseason!
3. Late supper at Umami Burger then drove into Pasadena
4. The next morning, we had breakfast at Burgers and Donuts, which is weird, but the donuts were delicious.
5. We went to the Pasadena Farmer's Market and bought some goodies, including this sundried tomato pistachio pesto that I think is the best thing I have ever eaten.
6. We went over to Fuller Seminary to see where Mark works.
7. After a rest stop at their apartment, we walked around downtown Pasadena and did a little shopping. All I bought were things for the kids at American Apparel- a purple tank and blue dress for W and a gray cardigan for R.
8. Lunch at Barney's Beanery. I had a veggie club sandwich and sweet potato fries.
9. We spent the afternoon at Mark & Kara's watching the Razorbacks and Michigan games. Two wins for our teams!
10. We had a late supper at Tarantino's, a hole-in-the-wall pizza place.
11. Back to their house for board games
12. Sunday morning, we drove to BEAUTIFUL Sierra Madre for brunch at Mary's Market and some exceptionally good live music. I had a cinnamon biscuit and a veggie and egg on a bagel.
13. We walked around the mountain towns narrow and winding streets for awhile, admiring the interesting houses.
14. After leaving the mountains, we did a driving tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills and stopped in Beverly Hills for Sprinkles cupcakes (chocolate coconut) and a walk down Rodeo Drive.
15. Back to Pasadena for some resting and to watch my old friend Bryce win his first PGA tournament!
16. Dinner and margaritas and mariachi at El Portal
17. For dessert, we met up with our friends the Garcias and the Cables at a fro-yo place.
18. On Monday morning we slept in, then headed to LAX for our flight to Little Rock to pick up our babies!

Shoes I Took To California

1. Black canvas peep-toe wedges
2. Snakeskin ballet flats
3. Brown combat boots
4. Snakeskin and gold sandals



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Saturday

My Umami Burger Experience

1. Some sort of grain-based veggie burger that ended up being soft and more like a sloppy joe, but it was muy delicioso.
2. Brioche bun- my favorite kind and stamped with a "UB"
3. White soy and truffle aioli
4. Roasted tomatoes
5. Butter lettuce
6. Mystery cheese
7. Sweet potato fries dipped in umami ketchup and roasted garlic aioli
8. Black cherry soda in a bottle


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday

Most Of My Childhood Memories Take Place Here

1. My grandpa's yard
2. The woods
3. The Crane gymnasium
4. The Keithley's house
5. Our Crane house
6. Mert and Donald's house
7. Our old yard
8. The park in Republic
9. Silver Dollar City
10. The Aurora Pizza Hut
11. The Berkstresser's house
12. Table Rock Lake
13. The creeks on my Grandpa's land in Hurley

Thursday

What Came Out From Under My Stove With The Help Of The Long Arm Of My Swiffer Duster

1. 6 pieces of popcorn
2. A multitude of dry beans of many varieties
3. Dust bunnies that combined to be the size of one small possum
4. A few kiblets of dog food
5. Many bits of uncooked spaghetti
6. Three glittery crafting pom poms
7. Six cents
8. A pinwheel pasta piece
9. Random trash- hair strands, bits of unknown, crumbs, etc.
10. Popcorn kernels
11. Something that looked like a dried, shriveled, peanut in its shell

Tuesday

The APA's "Great Places in America: Streets"

1. Santa Monica Boulevard- West Hollywood, CA
2. U Street N.W.- Washington, DC
3. Front Street- Lahaina, HI
4. Main Street- Galena, IL
5. Main Street- Nantucket, MA
6. Washington Avenue- St. Louis, MO (no big deal, just the street I live on)
7. Market Street and Market Square- Portsmouth, NH
8. Davis Street- Culpepper, VA
9. King Street- Alexandria, VA
10. Downtown Woodstock Streetscape- Woodstock, VT
*the source of this list can be found here

Monday

How My Husband Was A Good Dad Yesterday

1. Took the kids to the City Museum so I could clean
2. Crafted W a Cardinals necklace so that she'd have something to wear on Cardinals Day at school
3. Took the kids to Target
4. Watched He-Man with them after dinner
5. Let me get a lot of cleaning done
6. Gave piggy-back rides and engaged in wrestling sessions

Sunday

My Cleaning Frenzy Today

1. Cleaned under and behind the cribs
2. Vacuumed all mop boards
3. Dusted the whole house
4. Cleaned all shelves
5. Washed bedding
6. Vacuumed under all the furniture
7. Vacuumed under all the sofa cushions
8. Carpet cleaned the rugs, sofas, and carpet
9. Did laundry
10. Cleaned the leather chairs

Friday

What I Listened To Today While The Kiddies Napped

1. Poison & Wine- The Civil Wars
2. C'est la mort- The Civil Wars
3. Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue- Crystal Gayle
4. June Hymn- The Decemberists
5. Thanks For Nothing- Middle Brother
6. No One Knows My Name- Gillian Welch
7. Nightswimming- R.E.M
8. Chelsea Hotel #2- Leonard Cohen
9. He Doesn't Know Why- Fleet Foxes
10. Blue Ridge Mountains- Fleet Foxes
11. Fly- Nick Drake
12. New York City's Killin Me- Ray LaMontagne
13. Fade Into You- Mazzy Star
14. Lost In My Mind- The Head and The Heart
15. Scarlet Town- Gillian Welch
16. Die Die Die- The Avett Brothers
17. As Tall As Cliffs- Margot and the Nuclear So So's
18. Call It What You Will- Joe Purdy

Thursday

Thursday's Errands

1. Great Harvest Bread- we picked up a cinnamon swirl a honey whole wheat
2. Galleria- exchanged a pair of ripped leggings and returned a pair of too-skinny jeans at Baby Gap
3. Target- we had to return 3 items, and I needed contact solution
4. Whole Foods- we cleared out the on-sale Naked Juice case and picked up some dried organic blueberries for a recipe
5. Trader Joes- we went in for homemade pizza fixins and a few other things

Wednesday

Different Names For The Walks We Go On

1. Trash can and back
2. Around the block
3. To the fountains
4. To Beau's office
5. Busch Stadium
6. The Arch
7. The library

Tuesday

Shows I Could Probably Easily Stop Watching, But Probably Won't

1. The entire Bachelor franchise
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. CSI:NY
4. Law & Order SVU. I am not happy about Elliot leaving.
5. Real Housewives of Wherever. I think the accident knocked my tolerance for them out of my head.

Monday

Why Today Was Not So Great

1. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid being hit by someone who ran a red light and then later had to swerve out of my lane to avoid being hit by a tailgate that fell off of the truck in front of me
2. R got sick this morning at preschool-he's been feverish and whiny and tired all afternoon
3. I had to have a couple emotionally tough phone calls
4. Andy's aunt is not getting better
5. My now 3 day headache is making me feel like a crazy person
6. I got assigned to "deli meat" as what I have to bring to the first party in W's preschool class...do they not know that my baking powers are unlimited? That I can make themed snacks and elaborate fruit presentations?! That I am a vegetarian who gags when I touch deli meat?
7. I ran out of Mad Men episodes, and now I just have to wait and wait for new episodes. I shouldn't have watched all 52 episodes in one week.
8. Puddy puked three times today. Twice while I was just trying to leave the house this morning. Nevermind. Make that five. He is literally puking (twice) right now as I type this.

Sunday

Coming Up In October

1. Getting my hair cut for the first time since June
2. Andy and I are going on a kid-free trip to Los Angeles to visit our friends Mark and Kara
3. I'm going to the dermatologist
4. The annual Reinberg Bonfire in Washington
5. Halloween- I believe this year we will have a beautiful princess and a handsome prince
6. The Martin's halloween party
7. I am trying to squeeze in a Branson trip one weekend

Saturday

Today

1. I cleaned the house and Andy took the kids to the City Museum
2. Meghan McKenzie came and visited me!
3. I had a junky-for-me lunch...veggie burger with mustard and onions, cheddar SunChips, and a Coke
4. Andy and I watched this week's Biggest Loser, one of our favorites to watch together
5. Andy's been spending a lot of time at the hospital with his family because his aunt is really sick
6. The kids and I made smoothies and our favorite chocolate-banana brownies
7. R ran around the house all afternoon with his sunglasses on and his inflatable light saber saying, "I'm He-Man!" and calling Puddy Battlecat and trying to sit on him. Puddy= not amused.
8. Dinner- the kids had Gardein strips and sweet potato fries and Bolthouse Farms Green Goddess drink and I had a salad with spinach, romaine, peas, broccoli, and carrots.
9. When Andy came home, he watched He-Man with the kids
10. The kids are making pallets on the floor for a "campout" and pushing back their bedtime.
11. We are watching the Arkansas/Alabama game- not looking good.
12. I busted out my wintertime fuzzy slippers last night and will be wearing them until May.

Friday

The Unhealthy Amount of Chocolate Chips and Such In My Fridge

1. Two bags of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
2. One bag of bittersweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips
3. One bag of Hershey's cinnamon chips
4. One partial bag of Nestle butterscotch chips
5. One bag of semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips
6. Two bags of 365 vegan chocolate chips
7. One partial bag of Nestle minis chocolate chips

Thursday

Every Hour

*this is a snapshot of what we are doing every hour, all day yesterday
1. 7:00 am- Blow-drying my hair
2. 8:00 am- Pushing R on his turtle "motorcycle"
3. 9:00 am- Driving to my friend Karin's house with R
4. 10:00 am- Karin's house
5. 11:00 am- Still at Karin's
6. Noon- Still at Karin's
7. 1:00 pm- Making lunch- cheese quesadilla and guacamole
8. 2:00 pm- Watching Mad Men and organizing my new recipe folder
9. 3:00 pm- On the phone with Missy
10. 4:00 pm- Outside on a walk down Washington Avenue with the kids and Puddy
11. 5:00 pm- The kids are "taking care of me," which includes lotion, wet washcloths, combs, brushes, Band-Aids, and barrettes
12. 6:00 pm- Making dinner for the kids-egg sandwiches and quinoa and carrots
13. 7:00 pm- Washing my face
14. 8:00 pm- Standing by the elevator waiting on Aaron
15. 9:00 pm- Rosalita's for dinner and margaritas with Aaron
16. 10:00 pm- Still at Rosalita's
17. 11:00 pm- Watching Ringer

Wednesday

Our Stay-Home Tuesday and Thursday Activities

1. Fancy breakfasts
2. Stay in pajamas way too late
3. Movie and popcorn
4. Fun lunches
5. Painting
6. Wild art time
7. Long walks with Puddy
8. Reading lots of books in bed
9. Baking
10. Walk down to get gelato or smoothies
11. Baths that are really just playing in the water- no soap
12. Painting nails
13. Put up the tent and the tunnel
14. Hi-Ho-Cherry-O

Tuesday

Things That Are Annoying Me Lately

1. People, in general
2. Things that I view as a waste of time
3. High-pitched squealing. Coming from my toddlers.
4. The high price of school photos
5. My dog keeps peeing in the hallway or the elevator
6. Headaches, that I never had before, but I guess a concussion can leave you prone to them forever
7. My inability to find a great pair of jeans
8. How slowly some people walk across the street when you motion them to from your car
9. How long it has taken Nordstrom to open at the Galleria. Now that it's just a week away after all these 4 years, the annoyance has surprisingly increased. Open already!
10. My dining room table. Always looks disgusting. With or without a tablecloth. I would throw the whole thing out the window if I knew it wouldn't hurt anyone and if I didn't have to clean up the glassy mess.
11. Finding something that was once delicious but was hidden in the fridge and now is spoiled and has to be thrown away
12. Laundry. I usually actually like to do laundry.
13. I need a night out.
14. Stepping on Brio track
15. My throat has been killing me for days. I just want to swallow properly and pain-free.
16. Bachelor Pad. Thank goodness it's over. It's good enough to watch, but somehow bad enough to not enjoy.

Monday

R's Shoes

1. Gray New Balance sneakers
2. Brown Toms
3. Black, high top Converse All-Stars
4. A pair of tough brown and green cowboy boots
5. Gray and black Western Chief rain boots

Sunday

Things I Appreciate About W's New Class

1. They sing a song during every transition, in the line, before they eat lunch, during circle time...there is nothing like having a cheerful song in your heart.
2. They are very mindful of cleanliness and sanitary practices.
3. Her two teachers dress very nicely, proving you don't have to look like a slob when dealing daily with toddlers.
4. Her teachers are the two nicest people I have ever met.
5. Parents are welcome to stay anytime they wish.
6. Her teachers think I pack good lunches.
7. There is a good mix of wild boys, spacey girls, chatty girls, leaders, followers, and quiet boys.
8. Her teachers are very respectful towards the children.

Saturday

Why I'm Thankful For My Friend Matt Mooney

1. When one of my old boyfriends broke up with me over e-mail, Matt was next to me in the computer lab (Matt was always next to me in the computer lab) and told me the guy was an idiot then took me down to the cafe and bought me a juice and a muffin to cheer me up.
2. He told me to stop wearing body glitter on my shoulders and chest sophomore year. Again, Matt, thank you for that.
3. He teaches me so much about faith and endurance and perspective long-distance via his blog.
4. He never made a move on me. All of my guy friends back then used to make a move on me. You can't save a friendship after that.
5. Any time I'm feeling blue, I can picture him doing the Chris Farley Chippendales dance, and I immediately feel better.
6. My senior year of college, when I missed him, he let me constantly drive to Fort Worth to visit him. I was lonely that year.
7. He is one of the funniest people I know, in a very smart and non-obvious way.
8. My old friend Josh Bell told me to stop wearing overalls because they looked terrible on me. When I asked if he agreed with Josh, Matt just smirk-ily nodded in agreement. (I wasn't a stylish person back then, so again, thanks Matt.)
9. His house was my second home in college, even though his roommate creeped me out.
10. You never get away with anything with him.
11. He is a very non-fussy, easy, and faithful friend.

Thursday

What I'm Loving Lately

1. Nature's Path organic "Love Crunch" granola. So good plain, with almond milk, over ice cream...
2. Reading poetry to the kids
3. I've been listening to, almost exclusively, Summer of Love/Monterey Pop hippie music
4. My new boots
5. Making W's school lunches
6. R is starting to talk!
7. A center part in my hair
8. My newly configured laundry room
9. Little new, red potatoes
11. This video. Don't you just love bluegrass, or is that just me? The majesty doesn't start until 2:40, so skip to that time.
12. Buttered, whole grain toast with hulled hemp seeds. My new favorite snack.
13. If I get the guts to dye, this hair color. Clearly I won't look as hot as she.
14. Yang Yang's art. I met with him at the art fair last weekend, and he was a sweet and gracious man. His art is beautiful, and for me- somewhat reminiscent of Chagall.

Wednesday

Little Quotes I Put On W's Boards I Made For Her

1. Feel the wind blow our wandering hearts like a feather (from the David Gray song, Shine)
2. Art does not reproduce what is visible, it makes visible (my favorite quote from my favorite artist, Paul Klee)
3. Don't you fear, when you dream, waking up is never what it seems (a lyric from Say Goodnight by Beth Nielsen Chapman)
4. April brings the primrose sweet, scatters daisies at our feet (a line from The Months, a poem by Sara Coleridge in honor of her birth month)
5. The glory of this imperfection (from David Gray's New Horizons)
6. Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life (a Pablo Picasso quote)
7. Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold (a line from the Robert Frost poem Nothing Gold Can Stay)
8. Hath won my affection and bound my soul fast (a lyric from Thy Mercy from Caedmon's Call)
9. We were born before the wind (the first line from Into the Mystic, by Van Morrison)
10. He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name (Psalm 147:4)
11. Turn around and say good morning to the night (Elton John lyric from Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters)
12. May the sun shine warm upon your face (a line from an old Irish/Gaelic blessing)

Tuesday

Today's Menu

1. Carrot cake Clif bar, orange juice
2. Wrap with black beans, spinach, sweet potato, kale, and salsa, carrot sticks, water
3. I am currently eating a slice of raspberry blackberry pie my parents picked up from the Kirkwood Farmer's Market
4. Quesadillas and guacamole for dinner tonight
5. I will probably eat another slice of pie for later night dessert

Monday

Numbers-Art Fair Edition

1. 7-greeter stations
2. 2-information booths
3. 29-hours I spent working at the art fair this weekend
4. 10- roasted corn, sweet potato, black bean empanadas I ate at the Commerce Bank welcome party Friday night
5. 3- times I rode in a police vehicle with lights and/or sirens going
6. 2- old ladies I gave rides in the golf cart to their car
7. 4- new t-shirts I have, despite the fact that I rarely wear t-shirts
8. 3300- dollars the painting cost that I fell in love with
9. 6- young, emerging artists who showed their work at the fair
10. 4- metal animal hooks I bought
11. 208- artists this year
12. 18- restaurants at the fair
13. 5- Dr. Pepper's I drank over the weekend
14. 1- water I drank over the weekend
15. 5- different crafts W and R did in the Creative Castle kids area
16. 1- golf cart flat tire
17. 6- times one of my old man volunteers tried to kiss me
18. 3-times I went to the bathroom on Saturday. Only 3 times all day!
19. 4- really rude people I had to encounter
20. 37- art fairs a man told me he went to with his wife, and she still won't even go to one Rams game with him. Good luck with that, buddy.

Sunday

What's Hurting Right Now

1. My forearms
2. My calves
3. My eyes
4. My knees
5. My shoulders
6. My lower back

Saturday

R's Favorite Things To Watch On TV

1. Clifford the Big Red Dog
2. Clifford's Puppy Days
3. Sesame Street
4. Dinosaur Train
5. Finding Nemo
6. Lady and the Tramp- Scamp's Adventure
7. Spirit
8. He-Man

Friday

Why Yesterday Made Me Proud Of Myself

1. Accomplished my entire to-do list from yesterday, except for grocery shopping, but that was a bad Thursday activity, so I'm saving it for when I have at least just one child with me.
2. I baked blueberry bread.
3. I organized our endless stock of art supplies.
4. Our laundry room looks phenomenal and I now have a great place for said art supplies.
5. I e-mailed all of my art fair volunteers.
6. W's closet looks beautiful as well, and I now have a place to rotate small toys out (beading strings, puzzles, paper dolls, blocks, etc)
7. My husband is taking a huge pile to Goodwill today.
8. W made picture frames for her Arkansas family.
9. I took the kids to Forest Park for a Member's Picnic and we had a great time.
10. The kids and I took Puddy on two long walks.
11. I did these last two lists all by myself with two kids with me all day because A was gone from 8AM-midnight.

Thursday

Today's To-Do List

1. Put away the kids summer clothes
2. Make a list of what clothes the kids need for fall
3. Clean out the laundry room
4. Grocery shop for the weekend
5. Organize pantry cabinet
6. Clean the house
7. Do laundry

Wednesday

Pinterest Pet Peeves

1. Crafting with paint samples
2. Furniture made from pallets
3. Those mummy dogs- made from hot dogs or viennie wienies and crescent rolls- that just won't seem to go away
4. When someone, instead of repinning one of your original pins, goes to the website and pins it themselves also
5. When the pin's description ends with "GENIUS!" or "Why didn't I think of this?!"
6. While most people think it's a great go-to spot for teacher gifts, I think the opposite. I think teachers don't want your homemade crafts. You might think, "but they did love it!" Well, I was a teacher, and I pretended to like a lot of things, too. At least attach a gift card or something. My favorite gifts were thoughtful letters/notes and a gift card.
7. Maybe #6 has roots in this other pet peeve of mine...crafts that have cheesy taglines, like a bag of Rolos (I mean, your teacher served your family for an entire school year for little pay- give her something nicer than a bag of Rolos!) with a tag that says--YOU ROLO-VER THE REST!
8. I should stop now before I continue to offend people

Tuesday

Spotify Today

1. Pearl Jam live
2. Hem
3. Adele
4. David Bazan
5. Margot and the Nuclear So-So's
6. Buffalo Springfield
7. The Mamas and The Papas
8. Ricky Skaggs

Monday

This Morning's Dunkin Donuts Order

1. Coconut for me
2. Apple & Spice for me
3. Chocolate iced with sprinkles for R
4. Butternut for Andy
5. Chocolate glazed for Andy
6. Pink iced for W

Sunday

My Dream Show

1. Emmylou Harris
2. Alison Krauss
3. Gillian Welch
4. Dolly Parton
5. Joni Mitchell
6. Patty Griffin
7. Indigo Girls
8. Lucinda Williams


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday

Today

1. Well, I fell asleep last night at about 8:30, and slept until 8:30, so I woke up with 12 hours of sleep under my belt.
2. Andy was gone all morning on a 51 mile ride
3. I showered and cleaned the house
4. My great friend Jaimie and her daughter Brooke came over and visited with us
5. I am currently on the Internet and eating leftover California Pizza Kitchen (Yesterday was a hard day, and my sweet husband took the kids and I shopping and out to dinner last night because I needed it)
6. Nap time for everyone
7. Tonight the kids are spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa, and we are going out to eat and to GILLIAN WELCH with the Langs. Not too shabby.

Friday

My Must-Haves For Fall

1. Short boots (Somewhere between cowboy boots, those old "half-boots" that were popular in the late 80s/early 90s, and my dad's steel-toed work boots. I'll know them when I see them)
2. A gold belt
3. A couple new plaid button-ups
4. Patterned tights
5. Long-sleeved tissue tees
6. Striped henley, boyfriend-fit
7. A cardigan with some bones and structure. Not like all of the wrap-around, loose ones I always lean towards
8. A knit poncho
9. Aaron got the cutest black dress this week, and it inspired me to get a perfect black dress
10. I have this mental image of the perfect pair of jeans, I've yet to find them, though
11. A statement collar necklace
12. A chiffon bow blouse. I love this one.
13. Opaque black tights and navy tights and gray tights. I love tights.
14. Military-inspired jacket
15. A long, airy, pleated skirt
16. this

Thursday

The Best Thing I Ever Ate

*this list was taken from the episodes of the Food Network show The Best Thing I Ever Ate
1. Totally Fried- Fried artichoke tapas plate at One 19 North in Kirwood, MO
2. Pizza- Patsy's Pizza in New York City
3. Wake Up Call- Sweet potato pancakes in Nashville, TN at Pancake Pantry
4. Between Bread- the avocado/sprouts pita from Karyn's Green in Chicago
5. With My Hands- Hush Puppies from Oceanic in Wrightsville Beach, NC
6. Hometown Favorites- Stoby's cheese dip in Conway, AR
7. Cheesy- Cavatelli al Forno from Rosebud on Rush in Chicago
8. Chocolate- the Chocolate Mess at Marketplace in Conway, AR
9. Guilty Pleasures- cinnamon rolls from the bakery at Silver Dollar City
10. Chilled Perfection- house margarita at Rosalita's Cantina in downtown St. Louis
11. Simply Irresistible- the fried pickles at Fitz's in U City, MO
12. Sweet Tooth- can I say my sister's vegan chocolate pie with strawberries? I think so.
13. Appetizers- Spinach and artichoke ravioli at McGurk's in St. Louis
14. In a Bowl- the tomato garlic soup at Almond's in Clayton, MO
15. Hidden Treasures- Coconut cream pie at the Blue Owl Bakery in Kimmswick, MO
16. With Fruit- Candied Walnut & Grape Salad from Dewey's Pizza in St. Louis
17. Best I Ever Drank- A goji berry & acai slushie from Karyn's Raw in Chicago
18. Bang for the Buck- vegetarian dinner #1 at El Maguey in St. Louis, with the white cheese dip all over the top.
19. At a Deli- the egg salad sandwich at Burger Heaven in New York City
20. Under Wraps- the old Weedwacker wrap they sold at Wild Oats in Little Rock
21. Cake Walk- strawberry cake from Stoby's in Conway, AR
22. With Chopsticks- Buddha's Feast with brown rice from PF Changs, anywhere
23. On a Stick- Tofu on a stick at Terrene in St. Louis
24. Ice Creamy- Peach ice cream in a sugar cone at Kilwin's in Asheville, NC
25. Childhood Favorites- chocolate milkshake from Jane & Ed's in Crane, MO (long gone)
26. All American- veggie burger and fries and a root beer from Fitz's in U City, MO
27. New Orleans- Snowballs. They put every other sno-cone in a state of shame. So good, and you can only get them in New Orleans. Don't be fooled by sno-cone shacks that claim to be New-Orleans style. They aren't.

Wednesday

My Old Favorite Game Shows

1. Family Feud
2. Win, Lose, or Draw
3. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
4. Wheel of Fortune
5. Jeopardy
6. The Newlywed Show
7. Price is Right
8. Double Dare

Tuesday

Things I'm Loving

1. Pistol Annies on Spotify
3. Nutella and graham crackers, or as W calls them, "matella sandwiches"
4. Restoration Hardware's birdcage caged chandeleirs- look
5. Figs
6. W's new school
7. My clean car
8. The Today Show. Now that W's in school, I can watch it again.
11. Cameo jewelry

Monday

Things That Remind Me Of My Great-Aunt Mert

1. Halls cough drops, the yellow ones
2. Roses- seeing them, smelling them. They grew beautiful roses.
3. She always called her purse her "pocketbook." I love that.
4. Pink Dove soap. I used to walk by it at the store and smell it just to remember her. I bought some at Schnucks this week, and I can smell it all over our house.
5. Her skin was always so cool, but it was silky and warm at the same time. She was the coziest person ever.
6. The song Make Me Down a Pallet On Your Floor by Gillian Welch. She used to make us cozy pallets in the living room to nap and watch TV with blankets and bed pillows. Their house always made me sleepy, because it was so comfortable and safe.
7. Any time I see someone lying on the floor with their feet pointed to the TV. She wouldn't let us lie like that because she said we wouldn't be able to have babies.
8. Back scratches- no one does them better than she did. She filed her long nails often and they were always perfect for a good scratch.
9. She had this blue/purple mole at the bottom of her neck on her chest. It used to freak me out.
10. Their radio in the kitchen used to play softly 24 hours a day.
11. Those little candies that are like caramel Tootsie Rolls that are either pink, blue, or yellow. And Hershey's miniatures. And Werther's Originals. Their candy drawer was the second one down to the right of the refrigerator.
12. Beauty pageants- we used to watch Miss America with my sisters and make score sheets and rate the contestants and pick our favorites.
13. They had the best cabinet that was also Mert's end table by "her seat" on the couch. It had Cool Whip tubs full of crayons, Big Chief tablets, coloring books, lined tablets, and those things you could draw on the plastic sheet with the plastic "pen" then lift up the plastic sheet to erase it. They also bought us those big 64 crayon boxes with the sharpener on the box, which was really fancy for us.
14. I would love to have the wallpaper that was in their kitchen and hallway.
16. Every time I drive by the Lebanon exit on Hwy 44- I used to go their with her and Donald to Mert's doctor appointments
17. Every time I make mashed potatoes, I use what I think is her recipe, but must not be, because they don't taste 1/100th as good as hers did.
18. She always, always wore those thick white support/control stockings. Those must have been really uncomfortable, and even more uncomfortable to NOT wear them, which makes me sad for her.
19. They used to decorate their huge cactus in the living room for Christmas instead of bringing in a tree.
20. Their 3rd bedroom was converted into a yarn room for Mert to keep her shelves and shelves of yarn and crochet supplies.
21. Fishing. Donald was a terrific fisherman, and he and Mert would take us out on their boat for the day. I would catch little tiny perch and then we would eat chicken nuggets and drink grape juice and Mert would put wet washcloths in ziploc bags and keep them in the cooler to cool off our hands and faces if it got too hot on the water.
22. I didn't really have a traditional grandma. She filled that role for us. She let us have candy and cookies and junky cereal and drink Kool-Aid with our meals and have cans of grape juice for no reason and was an amazing cook. They would take us to Wal-Mart to buy us anything we wanted. We would eat meals with them, and they babysat us. She gave her whole life for us.
23. She loved us like crazy. I hope that I can love that well.
24. I loved the smell of their house. If I remember really hard, I can still smell it. And sometimes it's mixed with their wood fireplace.
25. My little sister always got to sit with Uncle Donald in his chair. I was always too nervous to ask if I could sit their, too. I'm glad I just let that be their special thing. I loved snuggling with Mert, so it wasn't like I had it rough or anything.
26. We used to play kickball in their front yard. I wish I remembered the bases. I think that first base was the corner of the wrought-iron fence around their front porch, and third base was a pine tree.
27. Their front driveway was a super-steep gravel one. They would say "push! push!" and we would all push the dashboard, seat in front of us, whatever thinking we could help push the car up the hill.

Sunday

If I Had a Race Horse, I'd Name It After a Song. Here Would Be Some Good Ones

1. Miss Ohio
2. Real Real Gone
3. Tupelo Honey
4. Steppin' Out Queen
5. Lonely Soldier
6. Speed of Sound
7. Love's Old Song
8. Beauty for Ashes
9. Rebel Prince
10. Southern Anthem
11. Such Great Heights
12. My Strongest Weakness
13. Prince of Darkness
14. Sounds Like Hallelujah
15. Fleet of Hope
16. Lesson Learned
17. Acony Bell
18. Say Your Prayers
19. Chase This Light
20. Mary of Silence
21. Bang and Blame
22. Pennyroyal Tea
23. My Old Man
24. Poker Face
25. Calamity Song
26. Thunder Road
27. Penny Lane

Saturday

Today

1. I feel like Mexican food for lunch
2. My children are little monsters because they woke up too early for a Saturday
3. I am rewatching Glee, so I'll watch a few episodes while they're napping
4. A's been gone all morning cycling
5. I need to clean out and organize W's closet and R's chest of drawers
6. I went grocery shopping at 8:30 with both the kids
7. W is putting all of her bows and barrettes in her stick-pony Sarah's pink hair
8. I think I'll take a nice bath this evening
9. R fell on the sidewalk this morning and skinned his knees
10. Soundtrack for the day- The Head and The Heart, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, and The Civil Wars

Friday

If I Were A Celebrity, My BFFs Would Be

1. Sienna Miller
2. Nicole Ritchie
3. Heidi Klum
4. Gwyneth Paltrow
5. Whoever could get me closest to Ryan Gosling
6. Michelle Williams
7. Amy Poehler
8. Victoria Beckham
9. Jennifer Garner