honesty is the best policy

ok, here's the story.

a few weeks ago, my friend marci and i decided we needed a little girls day out day out for the big girls. so we headed to a somewhat near by town to do some antiquing.

we only made it to one store, because we got a little caught up in the clothes. i don't know how it happened. i've never been much of an antique clothes shopper, but there were a couple of things that caught my eye.

so...i tried them on. one fit and one didn't.

i showed marci. we discussed. and it was decided that i'd just have to buy the dress. all it needed was to have the sleeves taken up a bit, and the length brought up to a more flattering level, and i'd be set.

i came home, went upstairs, put the dress on unbeknownst to juC, and came downstairs to show him. he looked at me. i smiled. he looked some more. "it's...vintage."

my heart was broken.

but then i remembered that he's a boy who has a lot of tools and a big truck, so what does he know about fashion.

so i'm bringing it here for some more opinions. what do you think? taking the alterations that will be done into account...

up down circle circle

so a while ago i posted a few different "embarrassing" things about my dear, sweet husband, juC. the whole reason behind it was to try to get him to post a comment. i just wanted him to say something...ANYTHING. but he never does. but surely, if i gave him a reason to "defend" himself, he would, right? i mean, him posting a comment on my blog would be a true sign of his deep and undying love for me, right? but...nothing. not even a peep from him.



so i'm trying again. if there's one thing about me, i am persistent. it's time to renew my efforts. so let's get this party started.

i posted quite a while ago about juC using my toothbrush on accident several times. it made my stomach churn. but i'm not sure which is worse. him using my toothbrush or finding my toothbrush in this condition this morning.



yeah, that would be juC's shaving cream caked onto my toothbrush.



thanks babe.

this past weekend i had my sister LoW in town with her family. we were busy, busy, busy. but i did manage to have a few solitary moments enjoying the nice weather outside.

there i was. i was sitting on the front steps in front of my house. the weather was perfect in the shade. not too hot and there was a lovely breeze.

i was about ready to go in, but then i noticed a couple of fellas going door to door. it's the time of year when the fellas start selling security systems and pest control. since little jC was inside taking a nap, i didn't want these fellas to ring my doorbell and potentially wake up jC. so i sat patiently waiting for them to get to me so i could tell them no and go inside.

finally it was my turn. they walked up and the guy that had been doing all the talking with everyone else says...

"are the owners of the house home by any chance?"

i should have said no, but pride got in the way, and i just had to inform him that i was, indeed, the owner.

and he couldn't just say "ok" and go on with his spiel. instead he was all "oh really?! you are?!"

i shoulda said "yep. i'm an 18 year old homeowner."

so then i had to listen to him try to convince me to get his free security system and "alls" i had to do (his words, not mine)(do you think he was from utah?) was put their sign in front of our house.

i knew juC would never go for it. and the guy decided that he'd talk to the "18 year old owner of the home" long enough and he moved along.

but we should get it. to protect the early birthday present juC got for me. i'm in love with it!! just like i'm in love with the day late anniversary gift he got me.

when we were down in s.c. i went with some sisters to some antiques stores. imagine my joy when i saw that a painting that i'd seen months before and loved was still there!

it took a little convincing, but juC finally let me get it. and now, after over a year of having a bare wall over our couch, we finally have this beauty.

i love it just as much as i love my home, that i was able to acquire at such a young and unimaginabe age.

life's a beach

recently our little family traveled down to s.c. to see my big family.

because of different circumstances, it ended up being a 10 hour drive down there. and because of other different circumstances it ended up being a 10 hour drive back. oy!
but it gave me lots of time to think about all the things i love about long drives on 95.
so i made a mental list of all those things i love.
-all the traffic
-the people who drive slowly in the fast lane, and won't get over for you
-when people don't use their blinkers (i really could do a whole blog post about that)
-the people that brake for no apparent reason. no one is breaking in front of them. in fact, no one except us is even around.
-when traffic comes to a complete standstill and then crawls ever so slowly for a very minor accident that is miles ahead on the other side of the interstate
-when people drive fast to get around you, then drive slow in front of you, then drive fast again, then slow again, then fast again, then slow....
-all of the very insightful bumper stickers


and then probably the thing that i love the most is
-the really clean, non-ghetto gas stations


but in the end, those 10 hour drives in the beautiful traffic and stops at the pristine gas stations just couldn't compare to the fun we had with my family.
and nothing compares to the fun of little jC experiencing the beach for the first time.

from the mouth of me

this week i'll be guest blogging on my sister LoW's blog. while she's away at girls camp she challenged me. she said "i'll save pictures on my blog, and i challenge you to blog about them." i was scared, but i accepted her challenge. so head on over to see how i explained this and other pictures of my niece and sister:

while you are there, head over to this post to enter to win a free CANsoilidater for your food storage needs!

every which way

i'm a lucky woman all around.

firstly, i'm lucky because i have the greatest father. he's always been a great example to me and has always been there for me when i need help. and even now that i'm grown and gone i know that if i ever need any help or advice i can call him and he'll be there for me.

i'm also pretty sure that he's where my love of adventures comes from. i couldn't possibly even count the many times he would ask me if i wanted to go for a ride with him, and he'd take me some place fun. he's also the reason i know anything about sports, fishing, and why i drive the way i do. and most importantly, he's where i got my sense of humor from. if he did nothing else for me, i'd have to be forever grateful for that one thing alone.

secondly, i'm a lucky woman because i have a great husband who is a great father to our son.

i honestly couldn't ask for better. i can't imagine that there is anyone better suited to be the father of our babies.

he's so patient and loving with little jC, and willing to help when i need it. he's also the bath giver, which i could never express how grateful i am for that! he's also kind enough to get up with little jC on the weekends so i can sleep in a little longer.

he also works so hard to provide for our family which i'm so thankful for. i know not every woman gets to stay home with their children and i'm so glad that my husband is willing to work hard so that i can be a stay at home mom. i know that i'm the mother that i am because he is the great father that he is.

and of course there is juC's dad. i know that he was a great example to him. and he continues to be. and in the short time that he's been my father-in-law he's been a great example to me as well. i'm grateful to have such a great father-in-law.

see, i really have it good in all directions. happy fathers day fellas!

WIGAC spotlight---

it's been a while since i have done a spotlight. which is why i appropriately named it "when i get a chance spotlight".


i decided to spotlight a special member of my family. he's near and dear to me,. actually he's so near to me that he came from me. so i figured it was about time for him to be spotlighted. so i sat down with him and had an interview.


meet my dear, sweet little jC.



me: hey there little one. are you ready for this interview?
jC: ...........bububu....


me:: ok, good. let's get this party started. let me start by asking you this: do you just feel so completely lucky to have me as a mother?
jC: ......


me: i thought so. so, tell me. is it as awkward for you as it is for me when random people in the store stop and talk to you and ask you questions that you obviously can't answer? like...hey there little man, how old are you? and aren't you cute, what's your name?
jC: .........


me: yeah, it definitely makes me feel uncomfortable and i don't know how to respond when they do it either.
so tomorrow is fathers day. is there anything special you'd like to say to your daddy?
jC: ...........dadada...dada.....

me: awww, that's sweet. he'll love to hear that.
now here's what i really want to know. why do you only take hour naps? is it to test me and drive me crazy or is it because you dont want to waste time on a useless thing like sleep?
jC: .........


me: fair enough.
and another thing i've really wanted to know...why do you love your daddy more than me? why can't you love us equally? i mean, i know he's great...but i am the one, after all, who carried you for 9 months and labored for you, and supplied you with the nutrition you needed. so why the favoritism?
jC: ..dadada....da..da...


me: alrighty. i guess we will agree to just disagree on that one.
well, it's been fun chatting with you. one more question before we close. who are you most excited to see when we go down to s.c. next weekend?
jC:......

i want that

the giveaways on popular sites are a tricky thing. you can enter multiple times, but one way you can enter again is by broadcasting it to the world that there is a giveaway they should enter. which is fine, except, i REALLY want to win the giveaway. so i take my chances by informing other people about the awesome giveaway when i really want to keep it a secret so that my odds of winning are higher. but my odds of winning are also higher if i tell people about it and i get to enter again. it's so tricky.

which is my really long way of saying....

shelf reliance is having an awesome giveaway...the harvest 72'. this bad boy would be AWESOME to have and especially nice to get for free! check it out people.

colors

this past week was fun for me. because i got to practice taking pictures again, and it had been a while since i really have. thursday i went to a place with a friend i'd driven past several times and wanted to visit but hadn't. we went to historic occoquan. there were lots of fun old buildings and houses for me to take pictures of. as i was going through and playing around with the pictures i was doing this one and thought if i were a professional and titled my photos i'd call it red.

this one wold be titled green.

and i'd call this one blue.

and this one would be brown--ish.and last but not least, this one would be...gray. maybe.

thanks

i love craig's list. (apparently this is my week to post about loves)
but seriously, craig's list has been amazing to me. it is, after all, where we have gotten jC's crib, car seats (yep, infant car seat and big boy car seat), stroller, bumbo, high chair, and the glider and ottoman i use in his room. so what is there not to love? really good condition baby items for much less than buying them new. thus allowing me to not feel quite as guilty when i buy a new skirt or a pair of shoes.
right now we are looking for a baby backpack carrier. you know, for all the hiking we do. i have a specific one in mind, and it hasn't been easy because apparently everyone else has decided they want one too. but as i've searched for one, it's reminded me of the other reason why i love craig's list. humor.
yes, that's right, humor. because of posts like this:

Graco BABY Stroller -- GREAT for parts /strength training - $5

Baby Stroller in good condition -- BUT -- it's missing the rear wheels.
This stroller would be great AS-IS for pushing your kid around while increasing the strength of your hands, arms, legs, and back muscles. Since it is missing the rear wheels but still has the front wheels, you would be able to push the stroller around while supporting the weight of back end of the stroller and thereby increasing your strength.
If that doesn't appeal to you, then it is a great parts stroller. You can cannibalize this stroller for parts to replace on another stroller or custom make your own stroller.
If it had the rear wheels it would be one hand steering, but as it is, you need two hands and arms, or one really strong one, depending on the weight of your kid.

thank you craig's list. thank you for appealing not only to the bargain shopper side of me, but also the part of me that likes a good laugh.

i hate to say it

i'm in love. some people may think i'm crazy but i love me an old dilapidated building/house. any and all of them. love love love love love!

since i moved here to northern virginia in 2000 i've seen this old prison that was built in the early 1900s. for years now, as it lay empty, a part of me was willing to get a criminal record for breaking and entering so i could check this place out. but i never talked myself into it. i was excited though, when i found out it was being transformed into an art center. it opened up last september and today i went with a friend to check it out.

amazing! the artists were great, and it was so fun to watch them working. but i have to admit that for me, the most fun part was peeking through the windows and holes in doors to see parts of the buildings that haven't been revamped yet.

and now that part of me that's willing to get a criminal recoard for breaking and entering is back, because i'd love to go back into those old buildings and really check them out.

cha' cha' changin'

since the dawn of our marriage, juC and i have had a headboard-less bed.

but today we made like adults and finally got one. one that i love. the amazing thing is i NEVER make the bed. but with this new headboard, it makes it look like i do.

when in rome

i'm not much of a soda drinker (or pop as some people choose to call it) i definitely wasn't always that way. i used to drink it every day. sometimes several times a day. but now water is my friend.

but every now and again, i get that hankerin' for a nice cold soda. (or pop as some people say) which happened earlier this week. so monday, when i found myself out and about at 2 and i still hadn't had lunch, i headed to wendys and decided to get a soda (or pop as some people call it)

for a split second i had to think about what size to order.

a small would be...too small. two sips and it would be gone and it wouldn't fulfill my craving. a large would...very obviously be too large. i don't want to drown in my soda (or pop as some people refer to it as) so medium was obviously the logical choice.

but holy hannah!! when did medium get so large?! when did medium become the new large?! if that was a medium, what does the large look like?!

no wonder there are so many unhealthy people in america. we can get a bucket of soda (or pop if you wish) for a little over a buck.

i'm sure it has nothing to do with the food that we order at these places too. (in my defense i did get a salad) (ignore the fried greasy chicken nuggets i got) (and in my defense, i rarely eat fast food) (and by rarely i mean, it takes an hour to get to sonic, so i have to limit myself)

yowza

nothing like starting your day with part of a tree on your two family cars. (yes, juC's car is hidden on the other side of mine)
there was no damage, except a small dent on juC's hood, so i laughed a lot about it. and am still laughing a lot about it.
the verizon man is here though. installing our fios so we can have dvr and faster internet. our lives, as we know it, will never be the same again once we get dvr. nothing can bring me down today.
except juC just called a few minutes ago to say he locked his keys in his car. that is a bit of a bummer. but whatever....we're getting dvr.

look at me! look at me!

(realize that what you are about to read is coming from a person that does all of these things)

i've been thinking a lot about "status updates" these days. with websites like facebook, twitter, blogs, and instant messangers that allow you to put status updates or things about you, we are always up to date on every little detail of everyone. it's funny to me that we use multiple functions to publish our status. just to make sure no one misses out on what's up with us, and all in an effort to be hip.

our world has quickly changed into one where everyone wants everyone to know what's going on with them (kind of, i'll get to that in a moment) but they don't want to actually talk to people to inform them. that would take too much effort? do we all really need to know who is eating a piece of cake at what time? do we all really need to know that someone just rang your doorbell? gone are the days of making phone calls to announce pregnancies, now are the days of twittering about it. and no longer do we call people to check in on them, we just post comments on their status when they updated us to let us know that things aren't going so well.

now back to the "everyone wants everyone to know what's going on with them....kind of". i love the cryptic updates. you know the ones. the ones that say things like "i knew something bad was going to happen." or "i'm so excited about the next week!" but that's all they give you. if you want to know what bad or good thing happened you have to ask. they want the satisfaction of knowing someone cared enough to ask.

it all kills me. it kills me that i'm so completely a part of it. it kills me that our world is one that rarely uses phone calls and visits anymore, but relies on text messages and status updates. (i could do a whole other posts about cell phones) i know some people say it's about convienance and being able to let multiple people know things all at once. but why does everything have to be convienant? doesn't it mean more people people put forth effort?

really people...is this how we want to live our lives?
ok, i'm done. i'm gonna go twitter now to let everyone know i blogged.