Today I bought 14 cans of cranberry sauce. 8 of the jellied kind at CVS and 6 of the whole berry kind at Target, where I had them price matched to CVS. Yes, 14 cans purchased in one day may be a little excessive, but Landon and I both like cranberry sauce - a lot.
The word "trough" sends shivers down my spine every time I see it. Why, you ask? Because I can't pronounce it. I look at that word and every single time I absolutely butcher it. It's not so simple as pronouncing "rough" with a "t" in front of it, which is what my brain and tongue want to do when they encounter that word. And, since it's Christmas, we're reading about the birth of Christ quite a bit, so as a result, I'm encountering my least favorite word in the world with way more frequency than I would prefer.
How about you? Any purchases you've made in excessive quantities or words that send shivers down your spines? Please share!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Surprise! It's a....
...REVEAL CAKE!
Several months ago, I saw this article in the Star Tribune and knew immediately that I wanted to do the same thing for Baby #2. Although we were certainly excited about Baby #2's arrival, things didn't seem as special with this pregnancy as it did with Landon. There wasn't a sense of newness with the whole experience and there wouldn't be registering or baby showers or a whole slew of new baby items that there were with our first. I wanted to do something meaningful and special for our second and this seemed like the perfect way to do it. Oh, and I also love cake!
I contacted Amanda of "I am Baker," a blog that I absolutely love and adore to see if she would be willing to make a reveal cake for us. She so graciously agreed and things were set in motion. I knew that our 20 week ultrasound would happen in the beginning of November and knew that we would be celebrating Thanksgiving with my side of the family at, well, Thanksgiving (so, basically 3 weeks after the ultrasound). For the ultrasound, I had an envelope pre-addressed and stamped to Amanda and told the ultrasound technician that we wanted her to put the gender results in the envelope and seal it and that we would find out the results later. The techinician was absolutely amazing. She asked us if she should just turn the screen away when she was getting near possible sightings or if we wanted to keep our eyes on the screen figuring we wouldn't know what we were looking at. We opted to have the screen turned away because it was pretty obvious with Landon that he was boy and didn't want to risk anything with this one! It was hard laying on the table knowing that she knew but I figured I had been waiting to find out the gender, what was another 3 weeks?!?
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I went to pick up the cake from Amanda's husband's office and LOVED it. So did all the ladies in the office, because they came to the receptionist desk to see the cake and hear the story of how we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl, but Amanda and the ultrasound technician knew. Wednesday and into Thursday was probably the hardest. We had the cake in our possession and just had to refrain from cutting into it. Apparently, it was hard for other people too. On Thursday, my Grandma called and left me a cell phone message worried that we wouldn't be able to get a hold of her to tell her the news because of the poor cell phone reception in the area of Iowa we were in. When I called my Grandma back (prior to cutting the cake), my Grandpa answered the phone and as we were exchanging greetings and "How are yous?" I could hear Grandma in the background, "Well, did you cut it yet?"
We sufficiently stuffed our faces at Thanksgiving and I refrained from eating dessert so I would be in the mood for cake later. Finally at 7:00, we gathered Landon, my mom, my sister, her husband, and their 3 kids together to cut the cake. For added dramatic effect, my brother-in-law turned out the lights as we cut into the cake.
As I pulled the knife out, I saw a glimpse of blue but wasn't quite sure if it was from frosting on the inside or the frosting on the outside.
When we fully cut the cake (and the lights were turned back on), this is what we saw:
Blue, blue, blue! Definitely a boy! And do you see the image there? It's a heart. Because Amanda's cool like that and she makes designs on the inside of her cake! Which, by the way, not only looked amazing but tasted so, so good as well. We had such a fun time finding out this way and was so glad that we could share in this moment with family. And now we wait some more for a different kind of sweet thing in March!
Fess Up Friday
Sorry for the absence of the last two weeks. With Thanksgiving and Landon being gone, blogging wasn't exactly on my mind. But without further ado, here's my confessions for this week:
This week I had to go rummaging through the garbage not once, but twice. And the first time was for the most ridiculous reason ever. Landon and his Iowa Grandma had gone to McDonald's on their way home and his Happy Meal toy was some action figure that carried some red sword. I threw the red sword away because: 1. It seemed kind of pointless and 2. I don't like clutter. Well, of course Landon asked for it, so as a result I had to dig deep into our garbage past the ground coffee and leftover food to try and retrieve this miniscule piece of a cheap McDonald's Happy Meal toy that he forgot he had even asked for 20 minutes later.
I also totally stifled laughter as Landon acted in complete and utter defiance today. I know I shouldn't laugh, but it was just too funny. Bed time was a little rough tonight. Lack of nap results in an overly tired boy. Landon had expressed that he was thirsty so Alan and I told him that he could either get a drink of water when he brushed his teeth or Alan would get him a small glass of water before getting pajamas on. Landon opted for the water before hand. When Alan came back with the water, Landon looked at it and declared, "I wanted milk." He looked at me, looked at Alan, looked down at the cup and, then proceeded to dump the entire cup of water on the floor. Classic, I tell you and, hence, the laughter on my part (which, thankfully, I don't think he caught because Alan was very swift in removing him from the room for further discipline.)
This week I had to go rummaging through the garbage not once, but twice. And the first time was for the most ridiculous reason ever. Landon and his Iowa Grandma had gone to McDonald's on their way home and his Happy Meal toy was some action figure that carried some red sword. I threw the red sword away because: 1. It seemed kind of pointless and 2. I don't like clutter. Well, of course Landon asked for it, so as a result I had to dig deep into our garbage past the ground coffee and leftover food to try and retrieve this miniscule piece of a cheap McDonald's Happy Meal toy that he forgot he had even asked for 20 minutes later.
I also totally stifled laughter as Landon acted in complete and utter defiance today. I know I shouldn't laugh, but it was just too funny. Bed time was a little rough tonight. Lack of nap results in an overly tired boy. Landon had expressed that he was thirsty so Alan and I told him that he could either get a drink of water when he brushed his teeth or Alan would get him a small glass of water before getting pajamas on. Landon opted for the water before hand. When Alan came back with the water, Landon looked at it and declared, "I wanted milk." He looked at me, looked at Alan, looked down at the cup and, then proceeded to dump the entire cup of water on the floor. Classic, I tell you and, hence, the laughter on my part (which, thankfully, I don't think he caught because Alan was very swift in removing him from the room for further discipline.)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Landon to the Rescue!
Landon's imaginative play lately has been all about super-heroes. Together, we don our capes and put on our flying boots. Landon insists that we pack a bag of clothes to take with us to the "Super-Hero Rescue." I'm not exactly sure what a "Super-Hero Rescue" entails but I know that it's somewhere down by the Mall of America.
And, although I try really hard to act the part of Super-Hero and Super-Mom (and fail on a daily basis), it is Exceptionally Super Being a Mom to Landon.
And, although I try really hard to act the part of Super-Hero and Super-Mom (and fail on a daily basis), it is Exceptionally Super Being a Mom to Landon.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Fess Up Friday
It's getting late, but I'm getting my confessions up!
First, it appears that I can no longer watch daytime TV in which the host surprises the guest with a new car. I was watching "Ellen" while working out the other day and next thing you know, she surprised one of her viewers with a brand new car and next thing I know, I'm tearing up at that moment - in the "Y" - while on the treadmill. Ahh, pregnancy hormones. Gotta love them.
Went out shopping after dinner yesterday and didn't check or change Landon's diaper before then (no, this is not the same incident that I recorded a few weeks ago). While we're getting him in and out of his carseat, he's complaning about his bottom hurting. We came home and found that he had pooped in his diaper (and it was there for a while) and now he's got a bit of diaper rash. Ugh! But, in our defense - Landon will always tell us when he's pooped (and we can usually smell it). This time no such words came from his mouth.
Earlier this week, I went to pick up Landon's new bedroom furniture. There were a few cars ahead of me picking up their furniture, so I went to turn on my hazards as the car in front of me had done. Do you think I could find the button to get the emergency lights on? No, of course not! It felt like an eternity and I knew that it had to be somewhere visible because after having a car with a very difficult to find emergency lights button, I said that all my future cars were going to have a button that was easy to spot. It wasn't until the car in front of me had their furniture loaded and out of the way that I finally found the ridiculous emergency light button...
Do you see it there? It's that rectangular button to the far right of the photo, right under the vent. Relatively visible (although not in this photo, it was taken with my phone) and I think I found it just as I was going to get the owner's manual out of the glove compartment.
First, it appears that I can no longer watch daytime TV in which the host surprises the guest with a new car. I was watching "Ellen" while working out the other day and next thing you know, she surprised one of her viewers with a brand new car and next thing I know, I'm tearing up at that moment - in the "Y" - while on the treadmill. Ahh, pregnancy hormones. Gotta love them.
Went out shopping after dinner yesterday and didn't check or change Landon's diaper before then (no, this is not the same incident that I recorded a few weeks ago). While we're getting him in and out of his carseat, he's complaning about his bottom hurting. We came home and found that he had pooped in his diaper (and it was there for a while) and now he's got a bit of diaper rash. Ugh! But, in our defense - Landon will always tell us when he's pooped (and we can usually smell it). This time no such words came from his mouth.
Earlier this week, I went to pick up Landon's new bedroom furniture. There were a few cars ahead of me picking up their furniture, so I went to turn on my hazards as the car in front of me had done. Do you think I could find the button to get the emergency lights on? No, of course not! It felt like an eternity and I knew that it had to be somewhere visible because after having a car with a very difficult to find emergency lights button, I said that all my future cars were going to have a button that was easy to spot. It wasn't until the car in front of me had their furniture loaded and out of the way that I finally found the ridiculous emergency light button...
Do you see it there? It's that rectangular button to the far right of the photo, right under the vent. Relatively visible (although not in this photo, it was taken with my phone) and I think I found it just as I was going to get the owner's manual out of the glove compartment.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Fess Up Friday
Thankfully, none of my confessions this week revolve around breaking down in tears!
Friday night, I opened the back door and was calling for Bentley (our dog) to come in. Landon was standing right behind me as I called and whistled for her to come. No response. I started to panic because she had been barking earlier and I feared that maybe someone dog-knapped our dog because of her barking (yes, I seriously thought that). I had Landon go check his room to see if Bentley might have been in there. She wasn't. At this point, I'm started to think, "Do I call the police when my dog is missing or the Humane Society?" I told Landon to go downstairs while I go get my shoes so I could investigate outside. It is when I turned on the light that leads to our basement that I see my dog's legs...and had no recollection of ever letting her in.
Tuesday I went to the "Y" while Landon was at school. Before going to the "Y," I had some errands to run so my time was short. I walked on the treadmill for 18 minutes, including a cool down. I even inclined the treadmill to make myself feel better about only walking on the treadmill for 18 minutes. Hey, it's at least better than getting your card scanned and not working out, right? (Which, I'm guilty of having done in the past too).
Yesterday I put Landon down for his rest time and went to work on the computer. When he didn't fall asleep after spending an hour in his room I brought him down to the basement while I finished what I was doing on the computer. He asked if he could bring out his art supplies box and I said, "Yes," as I typed away. He asked if he could bring out his stamps and I told him he could figuring he meant his child-friendly, no-mess stamps. Do I stop and turn around to see what he's taken out? No, I was busy doing my own thing. So when I did turn around, I found that he had taken out the rubber stamp pads that you open and use a rubber stamp on. And that he has ink from the stamp pads all over the bottom of his feet. And that we have 3 month old carpet in our basement. Fortunately, none got on the carpet, but Landon had a hard time understanding why I was putting away the stamps when I had clearly told him he could. Obviously using the computer when my 2 year old is up and playing is not going to work (and for the record, he is sleeping while I type this!).
Friday night, I opened the back door and was calling for Bentley (our dog) to come in. Landon was standing right behind me as I called and whistled for her to come. No response. I started to panic because she had been barking earlier and I feared that maybe someone dog-knapped our dog because of her barking (yes, I seriously thought that). I had Landon go check his room to see if Bentley might have been in there. She wasn't. At this point, I'm started to think, "Do I call the police when my dog is missing or the Humane Society?" I told Landon to go downstairs while I go get my shoes so I could investigate outside. It is when I turned on the light that leads to our basement that I see my dog's legs...and had no recollection of ever letting her in.
Tuesday I went to the "Y" while Landon was at school. Before going to the "Y," I had some errands to run so my time was short. I walked on the treadmill for 18 minutes, including a cool down. I even inclined the treadmill to make myself feel better about only walking on the treadmill for 18 minutes. Hey, it's at least better than getting your card scanned and not working out, right? (Which, I'm guilty of having done in the past too).
Yesterday I put Landon down for his rest time and went to work on the computer. When he didn't fall asleep after spending an hour in his room I brought him down to the basement while I finished what I was doing on the computer. He asked if he could bring out his art supplies box and I said, "Yes," as I typed away. He asked if he could bring out his stamps and I told him he could figuring he meant his child-friendly, no-mess stamps. Do I stop and turn around to see what he's taken out? No, I was busy doing my own thing. So when I did turn around, I found that he had taken out the rubber stamp pads that you open and use a rubber stamp on. And that he has ink from the stamp pads all over the bottom of his feet. And that we have 3 month old carpet in our basement. Fortunately, none got on the carpet, but Landon had a hard time understanding why I was putting away the stamps when I had clearly told him he could. Obviously using the computer when my 2 year old is up and playing is not going to work (and for the record, he is sleeping while I type this!).
Friday, November 5, 2010
Fess Up Friday
We'll start out light with this week's confessions: I ate the majority of Landon's Halloween candy. Probably not a surpise to many of you since I'm guessing you also dug into your kids' candy, but I'm still fessing up to it. As a matter of fact, Landon's been pretty oblivious to the fact that we still even have candy in the house. It's like he's forgotten that he even collected it!
And on a heavier note: My pregnancy hormones (at least that's what I'm blaming it on) hit me like a Mack Truck this week. I cried when the garage door wouldn't close and knew that Landon was going to be late to school. I cried when Landon decided not to go to school because he said he wasn't feeling well and then changed his mind after I had already called school to say he wasn't coming. I cried when I really wanted to talk to someone but my sister was too busy to talk at the time. I cried when the pizza dough I was making didn't stretch out onto the pan like I wanted to. Those last three examples were from yesterday alone. It was a very emotionally exhausting day. I'm hoping that I got all that crying out of the way - or at least for the weekend, considering Alan has gone hunting and I don't know what I'll do if I have a day this weekend like I did yesterday!
Whew. Thanks for letting me get these off my chest : )
And on a heavier note: My pregnancy hormones (at least that's what I'm blaming it on) hit me like a Mack Truck this week. I cried when the garage door wouldn't close and knew that Landon was going to be late to school. I cried when Landon decided not to go to school because he said he wasn't feeling well and then changed his mind after I had already called school to say he wasn't coming. I cried when I really wanted to talk to someone but my sister was too busy to talk at the time. I cried when the pizza dough I was making didn't stretch out onto the pan like I wanted to. Those last three examples were from yesterday alone. It was a very emotionally exhausting day. I'm hoping that I got all that crying out of the way - or at least for the weekend, considering Alan has gone hunting and I don't know what I'll do if I have a day this weekend like I did yesterday!
Whew. Thanks for letting me get these off my chest : )
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