you'd better not

Tonight Kevin and I were playing Word Racer (like Boggle, but free and online).
After the timer was up on one of our puzzles, the computer told us that one of the possible words that could have been found in the puzzle was

eelpout, pout n.(marine eellike mostly bottom-dwelling fishes of northern seas)

Indeed.
I can't believe I didn't see it.

Why it was just today, I was discussing the difference between cusks, eelpouts and lota lotas with the woman standing behind me in the checkout lane.

good plus good equals goodgood

I love eBay.
I love Christian Children's Fund.

And lookie, now they have come together:

CCF Auction Page!

Baby Tuesday

Yes, just one photo this week.
But look how much it tells you.
-Baby R is very big
-Baby C got a new pink hoodie
-We have our tree and decorations up
-The tree-tent is finally a success this year.
-Baby C is capable of making the psycho 2 yr old face.
-Baby R has top teeth now (not pictured)

Later on in the week I sewed the rest of the little red puffball trim onto the other side of the table tent, and shzooshzed the top part up so you can't see the ugly plastic tree holder underneath.

Baby C went with me to get our tree, at the local nursery, just like I used to do with my mom. It's not sentimental, but it worked. And the tree guys there were very friendly helpful and shoved it through the sunroof of the Audi for me.

Grandma and Papa Thayer, however, took Baby C for the *real* Christmas tree experience up in Santa Cruz Mountains. I don't think I need to tell you that it was like Christmas Disneyland for her. There were horses and cocoa, need I say more?
She's still talking about it.

Baby C's been learning all about Christmas through some toddler textbooks I bought her on the subject: Biscuit's Scratch and Sniff Christmas, What is Christmas, etc.
None of them are heavy on the Santa Claus part and that's fine with me. I'm avoiding the subject as long as possible. Most of what she knows about St. Nick is from local suburban lawn decor. So far, snowmen have beat out Santa, 2:1.

stupid fruit

I bought the wrong kind of persimmon.
I have concluded that if there ever was such a thing as a stupid fruit, this is it.
The right kind of persimmons, you can eat like an apple.
They taste good.
You can eat them
.
But Hachiya persimmons are like the monarch butterfly of tree fruits.
It does not want to be eaten.

So if you bite into it, "it is [as] if you just drank six cups of extra strength tea."

I'm so annoyed with them.
Apparently you can either wait until they get soft as a water balloon or you can freeze and thaw them, to get rid of the tannins.
I think I'll choose the latter, just to punish them for being disorderly.
Also because the former sounds disgusting.

Oh no!!

My orthodontist refuses to do porcelain braces!!!!

If I had known this 6 months ago, I may not have agreed to do braces.

I know it sounds terribly vain, but I'm seriously considering using another orthodontist that will agree to do non-metal brackets. I made a consultation/second opinion visit with another dentist for tomorrow.

Public opinion, please!

Am I crazy? That I'm willing to leave a dentist I love over two years of "tin grin"?

I have two weeks to decide....

(aaaaa!!!)

Baby Tuesday

Happy Thanksgiving!
(Baby R's the only one showin' his cold, the rest of us are hiding it well)


Here was my view. I'm sure everyone is happy that I photographed them eating. It doesn't get more flattering than that.



Daddy had to put his foot down after Baby C's third glass of wine.


Okay, who am I?
a. editor for the "Life & Style" section of the newspaper
b. owner of a midtown clothing boutique for baby-boomers
c. costume jewelry saleswoman featured on QVC


Baby C looks 4 yrs old and I look 44.


Turkey shmurkey, gimme my fingers.


Meet Mr. Chubbs, Thayer family!
He was a little worried I was leaving him.


"Here we go, Grandma, I know her!"

Wise-guy face.



Kevin's aunt and uncle bought Baby C her first UC Berkeley board book.
I should have passed around a collection plate for her tuition.
C'mon Baby C, chess scholarship!


If I had a desk at work, I would print this out and frame it.





And now, a toy that I came across this evening:

"African American Girl in Glam Pants"
Yes, that's really the title of this cabbage patch doll.
Instead of Xavier Roberts' signature on her butt, it's Lil' Kim's.

this is shameless

but I'm blogging a Christmas list.

or rather

a list of items that someone could buy for either christmas or my birthday, because I'm purposefully holding off on buying them until February.

1. Photoshop Elements 4 (or higher), used is fine
2. A scanner that's compatible to Mac OSX, used is fine.
UPDATE: Sam is giving me her scanner.
3. Black Prima Crocs, used is fine.

If you're like me, you ignore Christmas lists and buy whatever you please.

But I know there are many people who like lists, and get irritated with people that buy stuff for themselves in December.
So there it is.

As for Baby C, she has a brand new dollhouse that will be sitting under the tree in a month and is absolutely unfurnished. Bring on the furniture.

leaky turkey for 6

I got jiggy with my iVideo and compiled me filming myself putting together our give-away Thanksgiving dinner.
Enjoy!



Dang, look at that pie.
I mean, c'mon, it's got a crust-turkey, how great is that?


And that pie ended up somewhere in the left hand side of this photo.


This is right before we rang the doorbell and some guy we didn't know took the stuff.
I mean, I'm sure he was somehow related to the family, but I was worried he wouldn't chill the goods while the ladies were away.

iphoto, uphoto, we allphoto

Baby Tuesday

Baby C is pounding on her bedroom door, because thankfully she hasn't' figured out how to open doors, unlike another little Jurassic raptor I know.
So at the moment I don't have time to fine-tune this photos in Photoshop, I just gotta get the material up before there's a oatmeal riot.

Nevermind Beautiful Day weekend, this past weekend was Baby V and Baby E's big birthday party! Complete with pugs, baby animals, and cake! Woo! Baby C was stoked. She even happily helped wrap their gifts: (Sacajawea, Jackie O, Harriet Tubman, and Amelia Earhart action figures.)
The animals were so gosh darn cute and all the little girls loved them. Baby C kept [very gently] hugging the goat. I couldn't believe that the chickens tolerated the toddlers but they did.





Yes, the kids eventually got to go inside the pen (The lady had to poop-patrol first).
I just happen to use up most of my camera card space beforehand.



CAKE! Baby C was the the only kid there that sat herself down in antipation of cake. I don't blame her, I mean, it is cake after all.





Baby R was more interested in the shubbery than the bunnies.
He wasn't alone, all of the other buy were busy pushing and fighting with each other.
Oh Baby R, please be my little Ferdinand.


Look at that outfit! Velvet jacket? Yes!


Baby V didn't know if the party was all it was cracked up to be.




Baby C LOVES pugs. They were kept in a pen because a couple of kids were afraid.
Who couldn't laugh in the face of a pug?


This is the play structure that later Baby C somehow managed to tumble off of. I was watching Baby R but she came up to me crying with grass in her mouth, so I'm guessing it was face first. Nothing a juicebox and a pug-pet won't soothe.

Surviving the holidays and why no one comments anymore.

A few nights ago we were praying with Baby C before bed and Kevin prayed about "making it through the holidays" or something like that.

And it always makes me sad to hear the phrase "surviving Christmas" or any of it's cousins.

I know what he meant though.
I signed myself up to do lots of things for the next few months, like:

delivering a whole Thanksgiving meal for 6 to this incredibly nice family who needs it,
doing appetizers and baby-crowd-control on Thanksgiving at his parents house,
teaching art lessons at the AIDS/HIV center,
his company Christmas party,
driving to Sac-town with Baby C to see Aurora for a weekend,
building the dollhouse,
sending my overachiever Christmas cards,
making/buying/wrapping gifts that don't suck,
etc.

But even though it can, and probably will make me stressed to do all that, I don't want to see it all as something to endure.
He however, does have to endure me doing those things, so his prayer is justified.
Especially considering his assembly skill set is greater than mine and a fair bit of the dollhouse project will fall to him.

Our TV is broken and I don't listen to commercial radio much anymore, so I can't get too irritated at capitalism-christmas. As long as I don't look at all the silly junk mail, I'll be fine.

I plan on cutting out a few things:
We'll buy our itty bitty tree off a lot just like last year, instead of having the cut-your-tree , eco-creed-conflict experience.
Not making cookies. I make them really pretty and then no one gives a crap and I have to clean it all up.
I bought the cards this year, instead of making pop-up ones like I had planned. I will however be making the envelopes, because I'm weird.
Flying my friend out for my birthday instead of me flying to TX. Because nothing shaves years off your life like being trapped on an airplane with a baby.

As to why no one comments, I don't know, you tell me.
I know that people are still reading, the hit counter tells me so.
C'mon n' comment, that means you too Kevin.

yah afrikaans

I like to make lots of long term plans for myself, so that the future always seems bright (in the face of mutating viruses and increasing coal consumption)

Here's another one for the list:

World Cup 2010 in South Africa!

It's Kevin's idea but I'm totally in. Especially considering both kids will be potty trained then, no one will mind keeping them while we're gone, right? [nudge nudge, wink wink]

I'd like to do a little bit of this

and a little bit of that

and then of course, that.



riiiight, I believe it's more like--


--this.

it's a __ __ in your neighborhood

UPDATE: I just gave blood and Trina's crew filmed me, thinking it was the first time I'd donated blood. Then halfway through filming, they found out it wasn't my first time. Oh well. Me and my bad morning hair will be in the film anyway.


Since tomorrow is our organization, Beautiful Day's Beautiful Day, I think it's timely to explain what we're doing this year in the San Jose area(biggest year yet, as always):
(If you click that link, you can watch a video of what we did last year, and those two women crying at the end, I was there for that. I was crying too.)

Thanksgiving deliveries:
This is the one that our small group is doing (7 families) and Kevin and I have one family of 6.
Our family's phone line was cut off so I'm still waiting to hear from her, after I sent her a letter.
If I don't get a phone call, I'll just drop a standard meal for 6 to them.

Carts for Compassion:
Apparently the City of San Jose's answer to the shopping cart theft problem/homeless population, is buying their own shopping carts to give to the homeless. I'm astonished still, but I think it's so cool. So we're bolting them together (I guess they come in pieces) and filling them with blankets, food related items, coats, etc.

Traveling Coats:
Everybody drops off a coat they don't wear anymore to participating dry cleaners and pays a cut rate to have it dry cleaned. Then our people come and pick them up and distribute them to the homeless. I gave my extra coat last year, maybe next year I'll have one that I don't like

The Living Well:
We did the AIDS walk and we bring the AIDS/HIV center them cookies year round. Last year we slightly remodeled their rec' room. This year we totally overhauled their "Food Pantry" which gives food to people with HIV and AIDS in Santa Clara County. My big contribution? I picked the new paint, chairs and carpet (armchair warrior).

Blood Drive:
Self explanatory, my appointment is for 9:15 AM tomorrow. :)
(I haven't given blood in about 5 years because I went to West Africa and had two babies, not at the same time!)

Elementary Clean Up and Fair:
We are sending out hoards of people to run a carnival and to clean up the campuses at two local "underachieving" elementary schools in our area. During the year, we have a weekly group meeting with over 50% of the students to give support and help with homework.

Can for Compassion:
The 5th grade students at our church are collecting cans to buy a washer and drier for the (AIDS/HIV) Living Center. I don't know what they need to clean, but apparently they need 'em.
I usually just chuck my cans in the blue bins, but for the little 11 year olds, I've been baggin' them up and one of these days I'll remember to bring them in.

Better Homes:
This is what I helped with last year. Westgate only took on one house, while we passed the torch to other churches to take on houses of their own, that have been cited for blight by the City of San Jose, and whose residents are too desititute to help bring their properties back up to code. This year we have a lady with cancer and a chicken coop full of poop.

Single Women's Car Clinic and Spa:
Any single mother, widow or military wife in earshot came last wednesday to have their car's oil changed, detailed, while they got their hair and nails done, and I think they got massages too. Pretty sweet. I heard good things...and that we needed shampooing sinks, ha.

Women's Shelter stock up:
The local battered/homeless women's shelter is in need of kids books and other things that I can't remember at the moment.

Tons of other churches are doing their own events tomorrow all across the bay area.

So I'm excited for tomorrow, it's gonna be a great day, er beautiful day...

add it to the list

I want this thing.

and maybe also things like it.

Just think of all the shapes I can cut and emboss...did you see the human heart shaped embosser?
Why is this text underlined? I can't make it go away.

welcome to the dollhouse

warning: cheezy mom post

I bought Baby C's big Christmas gift today: A dollhouse.



It's a modest, do it yourself-er so that's why I bought it so early. I didn't want to be painting the tiny shutters at 4AM on December 24th.
I just realized I didn't buy roof shingles...oh well. Who need's em? I'll figure out something else to use instead. Maybe I'll make it a "green" build and install solar panels, hahahaha.

I'm tempted to paint it the same color as our house is, inside and out...I guess I won't.

Any color scheme suggestions, from the peanut gallery?
The one that was already built in the store was seafoam and pink, and even that was cute so I guess it's pretty hard to make it look ugly.

Part of me thinks I should have bought this one, because I plan to buy those Calico Critters to occupy the new residence. But I wanted something modest, like a real house. And fill it with animals wearing clothes and walking on two legs which aren't like any real houses I've been to.

(Say no to rattan furniture, even if you're hamsters and you live in a tiny dollhouse)

I'll be honest, I always wanted a dollhouse. My Aunt Norma had a big victorian one in my cousin Malinda's old room, I guess it was Malinda's. And when I stayed in there I coveted it! I knew I wasn't supposed to touch it (or her Little Women Madame Alexander dolls) but I would get into it (and the dolls) when no one was looking.
My dad half-heartedly tried to make a dollhouse for me one time. But 6 wobbly wood-glued particle board planks, spray painted fuscia, does not a dollhouse make. It was akin to a bookshelf that got left in a paintball range.

My mom bought me a few Calico Critter toys when I was a kid and I adored them.
(I remember it bothering me that I didn't have any complete animal families, just various animals living together. There are so many conclusions to draw from that.)
Until I saw them in the window of the hobby store, I had no idea that they still made them or what they were called.

The hobby store has houses and critters out for kids to play with and she was all over them like white on rice. Good thing she's only two and didn't understand that I bought her gift right in front of her.

I'm so excited for her to open it!

Baby Tuesday

I have just wasted my last two hours wandering eBay for random things and just realized as I was about to turn off the computer that I hadn't done Baby Tuesday yet.

So here it is, express-version...


I am now right where she's sitting in that photo.
She's watching Sesame Street.
I'm blogging.


Woooo!!
Who cares about potty training?!
My little girl made a butterfly out of her pancake!
That's my girl!
(She said "butterfly!", I turned around and lo, there it was, a banana pancake butterfly.)


If I hadn't wasted my time just now, I would have created funny inner monologue captions for him in this video. Oh well. I guess it's audience participation, you make it up.

bittersweet apple

I love my new laptop but it has two major problems that cause me to continue to use this old P.O.S. laptop instead of my brand new Mac:

1. No Photoshop [Elements].
I'm not willing to spend my whole month's allowance to buy it.

2. No MS Word.
And I'm not willing to spend my whole month's allowance to buy it, either.
(Especially when I just bought it for this one 6 months ago!)

So I'll just tragically continue to use this laptop until it dies.
I do watch TV and surf the internet on the Mac, but all my business still has to be done on here.

Software fairy, where are you?

yippee!

Natalie's coming to visit me!!!!

Woo!

I had to do some serious pestering. We've known each other since 4th grade, so I figured she'd forgive me for calling and emailing and text messaging her about flying out for my birthday.

I'm so excited, I've already begun planning our super-weekend-of-fun, even though it's two months away.


This is us 3 years ago at her house. It might as well be 13 years ago judging by our goofy conversation.

cute like a quilt

(poster)


(ticket)
Some women knit or scrapbook.

I stay up late making women's ministies flyers.

(they wanted "retro" "brown green and pink" "simple" and all that text)

Woo. One project down.

mexican pastry

I went to go close the bathroom/dog-bedroom door tonight and I found that a certain chi-weenie had pulled his blankie into the hallway and created a bun from it.
A stinky bun in which he is the furry filling.


It's hard to get mad at him for barfing on the carpet when he does cute things like this.

Franklin is asleep on the bed next to me as I type this. And even though he's not supposed to sleep on our bed at night, I'm gonna let him. He's cute too.

email compulsive disorder

I sent off two emails to two separate people with some important information in them a few days ago and I can't stop checking my email to see if they've replied.
I haven't been this much of an email weirdo since Kevin and I first met.
Hurry up and reply, people!
I can't call because that would show how crazy I am, so just email back already so I can calm down!