Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Arts and Crap

Rowan has been sick since Saturday, leaving us housebound and stir crazy. He felt a little better today, so we ventured out to Michaels to pick up some wreath-making supplies. I also bought Rowan his first 64-count box of Crayola Crayons! I was surprised to discover that the crayons are made in the U.S. (Hopefully, that means they're less likely to contain lead, melamine and other toxic chemicals that some factories like to feed to children.)

When Kyle came home from work, he asked Rowan where he got his awesome new box of crayons. Rowan replied enthusiastically:

"Mama bought 'em at the arts and crap store!"

Hmmm....toddler mispronunciation or statement of fact? You decide.

Then I told Rowan that I wanted to take some pictures of him coloring. For once, he seemed excited to pose for me. "Mama, I'm going to give you my best smiles EVER!" he said.

This is what I got after that bold promise:






Still a cutie to me!

-Angie

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Help Me! I'm too Tired to Think.

I'm beat.

After completing the Breast Cancer 3-Day last weekend, I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. And it didn't help that I returned home to an empty fridge, piles of laundry, a messy house, and the anticipation of a busy work week. Bah! (Why is it that any semblance of order vanishes when mama's away?)

So rather than hit you with the usual "blah...blah...blah," I'm asking for YOUR input.

I'm turning 29 in a little less than two weeks. (Yikes!) I'd like to compile a fun list of "30 Things to Do Before I Turn 30." Any recommendations? How shall I spend the last year of my fleeting 20s?

I'm trying to keep the list fairly realistic. A second honeymoon in France is unlikely to fit in our budget, for example. And I have no interest in risking my life by base jumping, sky diving, or performing other stunts that involve speed or heights.

But I guess I'm stifling your creativity...

What would you do during the last year of your 20s? What did you do? What do you wish you did?

Suggest away!

-Angie

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Happy Birthday, Toilet!

Kyle just removed the main-floor toilet from our historic 1936 home. We were surprised to discover that the inscription on the lid reads:

Sept. 16, 1936
Made in the USA

Cool, huh? Our toilet is 72 years old TODAY!

We plan to replace the flooring in the tiny bathroom and reinstall the toilet with a new seat and wax ring (it was leaking). We had been considering buying a new toilet, but today's discovery felt like a sign. The toilet is in good shape, really. And I have to admit, the newer low-flow models can be rather annoying despite their "green cred."

I'll have to post a pictorial tour of our house sometime soon. Believe it or not, we live in the former parsonage of the Lutheran church just around the corner. We've been repainting and decorating, but it's amazing how long it takes us to finish projects. In fact, we've been living without a door on our second-floor bathroom for... I can't even admit how long. But don't worry, the door is painted and ready for hanging. I'm not sure that I'll know what to do with my newfound privacy!

-Angie
(Who is glad that Rowan's birthday is approaching, forcing us to finish various projects before his party.)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Mama and the Boogie Man

I never said that I was brave. I’m therefore cutting myself some slack for a rather cowardly performance as "boogie-man vanquisher" last weekend. I was watching television when I heard Rowan through the baby monitor.

"Mama!" he yelled. "Mama, get in here!"

Thinking that he had to pee, I rushed upstairs.

"I saw something," Rowan whispered. Then he reached his arm out from under the blankets and pointed behind me. "It was right over there."

As I glanced over my shoulder, a prickly feeling crept up my spine.

"It had two eyes," he continued, cupping his hands around his eye sockets. "Then one of the eyes disappeared." His left hand closed into a fist on "disappeared."

"Well…I’m sure..." I started, but Rowan quickly interrupted me.

"I'm serious," he insisted. "Close the door and you'll see it."

At this point, I'm thinking, "No way, kid! Don't suck me into your scary imagination! I've seen enough horror flicks to know that when little blonde children say creepy things, it's a bad sign."

Of course, I didn't say any of this to Rowan. No, I kept my composure and did what any freaked out mama would do: I snuggled into bed with him, pulled up the covers, and called out for reinforcements.

Kyle wasn't impressed.

He discovered that Rowan's monster was actually the smoke detector. "Oh, right," I thought. "That makes sense."

Deep down, though, I know that my cuddles reassured Rowan as much as Kyle’s investigation did. At least that’s what I’m choosing to believe.

So we now have a new division of labor: mama cuddles while daddy investigates.

Works for me.

-Angie

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Yearbook Yourself!

What would I have looked like as a high school senior in 1976? Now you don't have to wonder! (Thanks Molly!) Enjoy my pictorial time warp and then Yearbook Yourself.

Class of 1952

Class of 1960

Class of 1968

Class of 1976

Class of 1980

Class of 1994

Class of 1998
(MY senior year!)


Thursday, September 4, 2008

Pedal, Baby, Pedal!

With chants of "Drill, baby, drill!" filling the Xcel Energy Center, I think it's fitting to announce that we're now a one-car family!

But before you go thinking that we're green, I'll admit that the decision wasn’t ours. My silver Ford Escort with the orange hubcap — the car I bought when I turned 17 — won’t start. After serving me well for nearly 12 years, it now sits in our garage among the other junk and unfinished projects.

We don’t really know what’s wrong with the car, so there’s a chance that we (“we” meaning someone else who knows something about cars) can fix it. But I won't be holding my breath.

Surprisingly enough, we haven’t missed the second car. In fact, we rarely used it when it did work. Our house is perfectly situated for commuting to either downtown by bus or bike.

Kyle totes his bike to work on the bus and then pedals home. He'd bike both ways, but his employer doesn't have on-site showers. Maybe biking to work will be more practical now that the weather is cooler.

A side benefit: Kyle comes home in such a good mood when he's biking! The sunshine, fresh air and exercise must be a welcome change from fluorescent-lit cubicle land. And our pocket books are happy, too. We don't even fill our gas tank once a week.

At least we can feel good knowing that we've further reduced our family's dependence on big oil.

Every bit counts! (Something to keep me sane this election season.)

-Angie

*Shall I continue with the disclaimers? I think not. I don't plan to make this a political blog, anyway. I'm not enough of an expert (AT ALL) for that. I just need to get my feelings off my chest sometimes! And I think that it will be fun for Rowan to know how his mama felt during this history-making election.
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