Snowball Fight...a virtual one

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Photo of the Quilt

I know y'all were just DYING to see a photo of the soon-to-be-famous quilt. For some reason, I couldn't add this photo after I had published the post. Technical difficulties.
The orange fabric is soft and furry....and was the most difficult to sew!!

Quilting Bee

Yesterday I went to Sears and bought a sewing machine. Whoohooo! It's a pretty basic model. In fact, the box says that it is for "ages 8 to adult." I guess that means it is safe for me. Mom and Dad came over to hang out and watch the football games. Little did Mom know that she was also going to help me make the first quilt.

It was really OUR first quilt. Mom hadn't made one before either. We learned a lot on our first quilting adventure. One thing we learned was that stretchy fabric doesn't play well with non-stretchy fabric. We battled that one over and over. Another thing we learned was that pressing the fabric really is an important step...that we skipped. We were winging it (at my direction) and the final pieces weren't exactly lined up. We improvised pretty well and the final product looks pretty cool. Havanna LOVED it. I had it draped over my legs and she was sitting on the floor by my feet. She kept giggling and grabbing it. She blessed it with a heavy dose of drool.

If I am going to continue in to the world of quilting, I'm going to have to learn some patience. I've already picked out my next project. A t-shirt quilt. Wish me luck.

Last night, Stinkerbelle woke up about 4:30 am and was fussing/talking/playing in her crib. Lovie got up first and gave her pacifier. She was already fussing by the time he got back to bed. I laid there hoping that she'd fall back asleep. Lovie and I listened to her for a while before I felt him give me a gentle nudge, as if to say, "Your turn." I had to laugh. I went and got her and brought her back to bed with me. She was struggling to breathe through her little stuffed up nose. Once she finally fell back asleep, cuddled up next to Mommy, she slept for two more hours.

We got the Christmas tree and the rest of the decorations up on Thanksgiving Weekend. Stinkerbelle didn't really seem to notice. She's happy as long as she can sit on the floor with her toys and have PLENTY of room to wiggle around. Still not really crawling, just a lot of "skooching."

She's still a very good baby. Lots of smiling and an occasional laugh. She still gets the most entertainment from watching the dog.








Stinkerbelle has become quite the drool monster. Drool and boogers. There is a never-ending flow. I should come up with some sort of use for all that drool...

I'll bet if I bottle it and say that it removes wrinkles, like some sort of youth serum, I'd make a fortune! Or, maybe enough to pay for a gallon of gas?

Thanksgiving Blur

Has it really almost been a week since Thanksgiving? Sheesh. I think my finger is stuck on the FastForward button in life.

Thanksgiving was great. We went to my parent's house on Thursday morning and ate and then had a very relaxing afternoon. Mom and I decided to brave the crowds at Garden Ridge and I managed to find a whole bunch of stuff I probably didn't need, but bought it all anyway. Mom managed to find significantly less. It has all been put to good use. We stayed over Thursday night and made our way home that afternoon. Lovie and Son braved the cold and went to the high school football playoff game that evening. Stinkerbell and I stayed home and started on the Christmas decorations. We managed to completely avoid Black Friday. Well, sort of. Keep reading.

Saturday, Lovie and I decide to go to some antique stores to look at some corner hutches and armoirs. Son is spending the day with his mother and SuperNeighbor offered to watch Stinkerbell. It's just the two of us...feels weird, but we love it.

We hit 5 different antique stores. Really. FIVE. We picked up a shopper's guide at the first stop and it mapped out the other local stores. We bought little stuff here and there and saw lots of beautiful (expensive) furniture, and a lot of junk too. We hit paydirt at the last one. We found a great corner hutch and a HUGE armoir for less than the other places wanted for a single piece. Now that both pieces are home, we realize that furniture looks much smaller when it's in a huge warehouse than in your home with low ceilings. We still love them, but stand in awe of all of the wonderful "junk" they will hold.

Monday was SuperNeighbor's birthday. We met up with her family and some other friends at a Ft. Worth restaurant. The guest of honor was coming later so we got all set up while we waiting. There were flowers and a bunch of balloons on our table. (Thank goodness for their tall ceilings.) We watched through the windows until we saw her walking toward the front door. We quickly decide that we'll stand up and start singing to her as soon as she walks in. She comes in (cue the singing) and turns to her left (away from us) to look for us. She finally turns the other direction......uhh....not her. Stop singing. Sit down. Entire restaurant is laughing, along with us. Poor lady didn't even realize she was being serinaded. SuperNeighbor arrived about 10 minutes later. Undaunted by our earlier mistake, we sang for her (again.) It was a great evening. She loved the story about how she was replaced, temporarily.

I've joined a charity/social organization in my little local town. One of the annual events is the adoption of local families and buying the kids some gifts. I hoped from store to store last night and got it done. It was a little stressful because you know very little about the kids. It's hard to know their interests. Hopefully, the stuff I got for them will make their Christmas a little brighter.

While I was out "doing good" I went in JoAnn's craft mega store and found a little quilt kit. It comes with instructions and all the fabric, pre-cut. I've always wanted to learn how to quilt and this one seems pretty harmless. All of the pieces are square, no funny angles or curves. It is designed for sewing on a machine. Huh. So here is me. Buying a quilt kit. No sewing machine. Not a needle or spool of thread in the house. Good plan. (Um, Mom? Can I borrow your sewing machine?)

In the world of blur....I need to give a shout out to my to bro-in-law. Happy Belated Birthday!!

Happy Half and Four States

Today is Stinkerbell's Half Birthday. She's officially a Half.

She's so alert and is really thinking about talking and crawling. Today she got up on all fours and was looking around. As soon as she lifted up one hand, she fell over. It's progress!! :-)

I had to go on a short work-trip to the Washington DC area this week. I flew out on Sunday morning and went to my friend Bridget's house. She works in Philadelphia and lives in Delaware. I flew to Philly and drove through a bit of Pennslyvania and Maryland on my way to Delaware. It was so beautiful along the way. The leaves on the trees are just amazing. I tried to take some pictures along the way.

Bridget's House in Delaware:Bridget's lawn had a few leaves scattered on the lawn. I think they thought I was a little nutty for taking a picture of their lawn, but I couldn't resist.

Just a little dust

The BeeBee is sick. She's all stuffed up and is running a fever. She is still eating and sleeping good and is still in a good mood. The rest of the family is exhausted and cranky.

Yesterday, Lovie tells me that he thought she had a dirty diaper. He could smell it. He opened up the diaper and it was clean. "I guess I just smelled the fart dust." ???Who says this stuff??

This weekend was a birthday party for my sister and niece. They came in from Florida for the weekend. Here's a picture of the birthday girls:

Here's a "Four Generation" picture too

This fall weather is making me think about Christmas shopping. What is wrong with me...it's like some organized, non-procrastinating person has taken over my body. Ack! It's only November 8. (Happy Birthday to Emma, by the way.)

I have been doing some online browsing for gifts for the BeeBee. Given this whole China/lead paint crisis, I have decided that she is getting a ball of yarn and a rock for Christmas. Okay, maybe not a rock...how about a set of measuring spoons? Basically, we're totally avoiding anything made in China. This year, it won't be a big deal because she doesn't really "get" Christmas yet. Next year will be a little more difficult.

Brock, in a most shocking turn of events, wants a new basketball and football for Christmas. This time, I actually support them as gift ideas. I usually give a huge eye roll because it seems that the LAST thing we need in the house is more balls. However, this year in basketball his age division uses the "official" sized basketball (not the junior) and his football was stripped of it's leather by our most favorite dog, Parker.

New Toys, New Games

So today I was wandering around thinking that I'd have nothing to blog about. Parker and I went for a walk today and it gave me some thinking time.

This evening, JJ and Brock were playing catch in the front yard with the football. For a little while, it was just a game called "throw" because neither was doing very well at the catching part. Brock then decided to punt the ball, right in to the tree. The tree was much better at catch. They need a new game.

We got a new toy at our house. A new TV. A very big new TV. So far, the channel still seems to be stuck on ESPN, CNN and Fox News. Before too long, it will be PBS Kids. Clifford the Big Red Dog will be ginormous. Eventually, we're going to put the tv over the fireplace, but there is some minor construction that needs to occur first. For now, it is on the corner of the fireplace hearth. It's kinda hard to miss. ;-)

Havanna was in a funny mood tonight. She was very giggly. She was sitting on JJ's lap, holding her toes and kicking her leg out. Brock thought it was pretty funny and mimicked the pose. Hehehe...he's going to hate this blog when he's older. :-)

This is Havanna and her slobber-proof photo album. You can tell by her face that she takes her chewing very seriously.

Well, there you have it. For those of you that are still awake, I guess I did find something to blog about.

Tomorrow I'll try to do something more interesting. The dishwasher has a funny smell, maybe it will catch the house on fire. Now THAT would be interesting.

Weeds

I may have gotten slightly distracted today. Those of you that know me understand how rare it is for that to happen. I am normally extremely focused and rarely off task. Ahem.

I was organizing my photos today and putting some pictures in this nifty little infant-friendly photo album. It only hold 5 pictures but, most importantly, it is slobber-proof. While I was digging through all of the pictures, I was amazed at how much Brock has grown. He's only been in my life for 3 years and I am amazed at how much he has changed.

Observe...
October 2005











October 2006







October 2007







Doesn't he look so grown up??!

Marci

Sofa King

For those of you that heard about JJ's halloween costumer, this video will make you laugh. Actually, even if you didn't hear about his costume you'll probably think this is pretty funny.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!

Here's a picture of the little princess. She looks so sweet her little pink princess/ballerina outfit.

Brock hasn't decided on a costume. I don't think he is much of a "Halloween kid". He has never shown much interest in dressing up. However, the prospect of getting a bagful of candy is a very strong motivator.

JJ and I attended a costume party over the weekend. I didn't get any good pictures so I have asked the hosts to email me the photos they took. I'll post them as soon as I can.

Homecoming Mum

I forgot to post the pictures of Brock with his Homecoming Date, Katie.

The flower corsage they are wearing are called "mums." There is a silk chrysanthemum flower in the center and lots of ribbon attached. The ribbons have their names spelled out in stickers. The girls pin the mums to their shirts. The boys have a garter so they can wear it on their arm. The ribbons have little bells attached so you can hear them as they walk around.

This is a true southern tradition, although I hear that they are starting to make their way north and west.

Little blessings

Sometimes I think we are given little moment of clarity. Moments when you are able to look back and see what is right and good.

JJ and I were talking today about getting a new puppy. A dog for the dog. Parker, our Jack Russell Terrier needs a buddy, someone to chase squirrels with, someone to sniff around the house and find every possible crumb on the floor. And hopefully, someone that will tire out Parker. Our logic had a tragic flaw. You should never make a decision like that when the baby is at day care and the dog is outside running free. That isn't reality...

Tonight, I sat on the floor with Havanna so we could have some tummy time. Of course, Parker sees that as an opportunity to bring me a toy so we could play Fetch-Tug-of-War. (That is when you have to wrestle the toy from him and then throw it so he can bring it back to wrestle again.)

Havanna and I had a few breaks from Parker's games. He found a cricket in the house that entertained him until he killed it. (Note to JJ: there's a dead cricket that needs to go in the trash. :-P) As I sat and tried to feed Havanna with one hand and keep Parker away from her with the other, I realized what a BAD idea it was to think about bringing another puppy home right now because THIS is reality.

We've hit that time of the year when it gets chilly at night. I think it's in the 40s right now. Brrr. It feels kinda nice though. I pulled out a pair of sweats that I haven't worn since Winter. I found $20 bucks in the pocket. Sweet! I love it when that happens.

Changes in Life

Did anyone else hear that very loud sucking sound Tuesday night? It happened about 8:00 pm. Well, if you did and you wanted to figure out the source of the noise...it was me. The sound was the huge quantity of money being sucked from our bank accounts.


For some unknown reason, I went to Target Tuesday night...alone. No Lovie, no kids. I strolled around through every department (and this was a Super Target!) I was only there for diapers but somehow managed to come home with over $200 worth of stuff. Then I went to Best Buy to get a DVD burner. We've been taking home videos and need a way to get them off the computer and on a DVD. See, very justifiable purchases.

Today was one of those days where you just feel the need to make a change in your life, no matter how small. I made about a change that resulted in a new look for Mommy.
What do you think? Pretty cute huh? Where is an airbrush artist when you need one to get rid of that little pimple on the end of my nose??










Upcoming events in the Parker household:
Homecoming - Big B's first Texas homecoming. He's got a date and a mum. Photos to come...
Lovie's trip to San Diego - Before starting the new job, a quick trip to visit his family and his recently reconciled brothers.

Hope everyone is enjoying our fall weather!!

Pea Soup

We woke up this morning with a thick layer of fog. I thought the house and the neighborhood looked cool so we took some pictures.

Is Fear a Factor?

Warning. This might be a little gross.

Parker, the wonder dog has had the WORST breath lately. It smells like he has been eating Parker Poo Sandwiches. I am sure those are a delicacy in the dog world, but they are not well-received here. We've tried getting special "breath freshening" treats but they didn't make a dent.

So last night, we were sitting in the living room and I was doing my usual job of "poking and proding" at the dog and I noticed he had something stuck between his teeth. With a little help from JJ holding Parker still, I look closer and get out the biggest chunk of stinky smelly who-knows-what out of this big gap in his teeth.

I have no idea how long this junk was in his mouth. Amazingly, now his breath is starting to improve.

JJ asked me if I would have eaten the smelly stuff glob of dog stink for $100,000. No way. He claims that he would. Brock said he would eat it for $100. (Kids. sheesh.) The thought of it all is still making me queasy. I settled on $1 million.

So until someone is willing to pony up a cool million, I will have to stick with the satisfaction that Parker's breath has improved. As a reward for being good during his dental torture, I got him a new squeaker toy. He's running around the house with it now.

Having Patience...not sure where I found it.

I really do believe things happen for a reason. Really. It's a matter of having enough patience to reflect back and see the reason. Maybe I am eternally optimistic but here I am, writing a little piece that proves the point.

JJ went and met with another school district this morning and got hired in to a great position. He is a supervisor responsible for training and menu development. He isn't assigned to a specific school but will work with each school throughout the year. It's basically the job that the other school district promised him but couldn't deliver. When the whole drama boiled up, I kept hoping that there was a reason for all of this mess...and there was!

I am bursting with pride and happiness for my hubby. Congratulations Lovie!!

On a totally unrelated topic... you know those commercials for Dove deoderent where they tell you how it will make your armpits look and feel better? It really works!! I don't think it works as quickly as they claim but it I am noticing that mine look so much better than before. I am a Dove convert.

Drama in Parkerville

This weekend Havanna and I went to San Antonio for my best friend's wedding. It was an adventure to travel alone with the baby, but I survived with only one notable moment of panic. My friend's dad dropped the little one and me at the airport and drove off. I reach in my pocket for my driver's license...and no license!! I assume that it is sitting on the passenger seat of the car...as I watch it drive away.

Right about now, I'm about 2 milliseconds away from a full-blown panic. I start to call my friend's daughter's cell phone when I find the license in my other pocket. Deep sigh. Roll eyes at myself for coming so close to panic.

What is about going to the airport that makes you so paranoid about forgetting something?

On Saturday after Big Brother's football game, Havanna shared with us her latest trick...a good ol' fashioned belly laugh! I got it on video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzp9SrWWg6A

For those of you that haven't heard the FULL story, you'll have to call him yourself. There is way too much to type. The short story is that JJ is changing jobs. He left our local school district and is speaking with the neighboring districts this week. For now, he's enjoying a few days off from work and the absolutely awesome weather.

We are both very glad that the whole situation is over so that we can stop thinking/talking/stressing about it all. It really stinks that he was forced to resign. I am hoping that there is something better in the works...that would at least make this all make sense.

Later,

Marci

Feeling Dim

Is it just me? I read other blogs and I feel incredibly un-witty. I like to think I am a pretty intelligent person and yet, when I read other writings on blogsites, I can't help feel a little dim.

For now, I am telling myself that it is temporary. That the more I blog, the better at it I will become. In the mean time, you'll have to suffer through my unwitty thoughts.

Once again, the Parkers are dedicating the upcoming weekend to "finish the house projects." (That was last weekend's objective too.) The list of remaining chores isn't long

-Paint and install door casing (trim) in Marci's office
-Install lighting in dining room
-Repair and paint drywall in Havanna's room
-Paint and install baseboard in Havanna's room/closet
-Paint and install baseboard in Hallway
-Paint and install baseboard in master bedroom
-Clean party room and guest room

Whew. All of this has to be wedged in between football games, baseball games, and volunteer work. Anyone want to take bets on whether this gets done?


Right now, I'm listening to some singer named Leslie Feist. She sings the "1234" song on the iPod commercials. It gets stuck in your head. I started making up my own lyrics and I sing them to Havanna. She thinks they're witty.

Little Havanna's Ears

My grand intentions of posting daily are out the window...so I will lower my expectations and shoot for "periodic posting."

Life is starting to become a little more normal again around here. They house is starting to recover from the burst water pipe. My office is complete...and gorgeous I might add. (Thanks honey!) The dining room is almost complete. We have a few more details and some decorating decisions.

Havanna was unusually fussy the last few days and was running a temperature. She would perk up when we gave her Tylenol but that wasn't really solving the problem. On Sunday we took her to the doctor--ear infection. She's on some antibiotics now and is really doing better. This morning she woke up with a big smile on her face.

Last night she helped Dad in the kitchen. This is her with a wooden spoon. She played while he whipped up some pasta for dinner.

Next week will be another adventure for us. We have some friends from San Diego coming to town. I'm not sure what all we'll do while they're here. Probably do some touristy stuff which is

always fun. Just for good measure, I'm going to post some more photos of Havanna. :-)

The first blog

Welcome to the Parker Family Blog.

I'm really new at this so we'll se how it looks and sounds. I can't type more than two sentences without posting a photo of the world's cutest baby - Havanna.

The purpose of this blog will be to share the life and times of our family...sometimes crazy, sometimes routine. I'll probably vent some frustrations here and there.

Come back anytime. Let me know what you think.