time to party

The auction is over and it's time to party!

I was "in charge" of the Friday night portion of St. Matthew's auction yesterday.  Man, was it a lot of work!  Mostly this past week, and all day/night yesterday.  It reminded me of horse shows...leaving early in the morning, on your feet working all day, barely eating or getting a chance to use the bathroom, getting home late...and that great feeling of tiredness after hard work, and the feeling of accomplishment.   Don't get me wrong, there were times yesterday where I just wanted to QUIT!!! but I found out this morning that we raised $14,000 with little to no cost.  Not bad for a "community event."

I think people had fun, got some great deals.  I know what I would (will?) do differently next year.  Marcus was great with the kids and the kids were great without me (is it OK that I have mixed feelings about that?).  It will take at least this whole next week to get the house/laundry/schooling back in order but that's OK.  I am wondering, though, why did I schedule the kids' dentist appt. at 8am for Monday????

Here's a random picture--from Meghan and Sophie's birthday party 2 weeks ago.  I thought it was really cute, the two cousins sitting there together.  :o)

Dancing with Cinderella

Earlier this month, Marcus took Bunny to a daddy-daughter dance at St. Matthew, and it was such a wonderful experience! The dance was a sign-up event at last year's auction, so we kinda forgot about it until I saw it on my calendar, so it was a nice surprise.

Bunny and I spent the afternoon washing her hair then blow-drying and curling it, choosing the perfect outfit, and painting her face (just a little!). She was beautiful, see for yourself. **side note...while getting ready and admiring the results in the mirror, she looked at me and said, "you know, mom, it isn't THAT hard to look just a little nicer....". I took a look at myself in the mirror; I wasn't feeling well that morning so I had just thrown on some sweats and a tee, thrown my hair back, and barely brushed my teeth. Not so hot. Thanks, Bun.

Bunny was the perfect age, and had the perfect attitude, for the dance. She loved being with her daddy and wasn't self-conscious about dancing or that she was the only home schooled kid there. She just danced, sang, and had a blast! She recognized the other girls from when we go to school Mass and other activities, but didn't worry about being different or trying too hard to be part of the crowd.

She came home with her face painted "I love my daddy.". They are definitely going again next year!






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There's Something about Gemma

Pbj Sammie


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Trendsetter

I just saw that Roseanne Barr has a new reality show on Lifetime called "Nut Farm." What? I thought of it first!!!! This is just like when they came out with Barbie Mariposa right after my redhead was born. Maybe I'm just a trendsetter.


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Valentine's Day

Just trying out my new blog app on my iPad (thanks, Justin, for finding it!). Now my blog can be like twitter on steroids. Or is that what facebook is?

Baby on my hip, preschooler singing "Ring Around the Rosie" in the living room, kinder. playing legos, and an 8-yr old changing into dry pants after playing outside.

Husband at a romantic Valentine's lunch date with his work-husband, ha ha ha. I not-so-secretly hope that it's an excuse for him to get out of the house and buy me a V-day present, maybe even jewelry. Or at least a cupcake.

We're planning a nice dinner tonight, an annual event featuring steak, 2x baked potatoes, green beans, and salad, with individual molten chocolate cakes for dessert. Too bad no new recipes for NYR #2 (2 new recipes a week). Probably some TV-watching then a romantic night of auction work.

We hope you have a Happy Hearts Day!


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New Year's Resolutions

I imagine that a portion of this blog will be devoted to the progress of my New Year's Resolutions 2011, since that's something that will be occupying my thoughts this year.  We decided to go with a "top ten" list of manageable and measurable goals for the year.  Notice I said "manageable"...I decided against "clean the barn storage" (too lofty), "fix my Mustang" (never got started), and "go through old-house boxes" (let's keep a lid on it).  Also "take a shower everyday" may be measurable, but not realistic, so that didn't make the cut.  Besides, people would know when I broke that one, and call me out on it.  That would just be embarrassing.  At least now no one points out when I smell like baby vomit and unwashed hair.


But I digress.


So as we go along this great year of 2011, let's see how my NYRs come along....


First update: NYR #8: read 8 books this year.  Ok, stop laughing, this would be a major accomplishment for me seeing as how I've tried to do the library's summer reading program (5 books) for about seven years now, and have not once completed it.  I'm more of a magazine reader, so to read 8 books this year will be great.  Last week I have finished one book, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson, but unfortunately it doesn't count since I started it in 2010.  This book is a writer's memoir of growing up in the 50s and is hilariously funny.  I especially liked how he researched topics outside of his own little world in Des Moines, so I felt like I was actually learning something about the times back then.  Marcus thought it was funny when I would laugh out loud when reading it (something I only do when people are around, oddly) and then read him the passage.


From the foreword of the book:
"My kid days were pretty good ones, on the whole.  My parents were patient and kind and approximately normal.  They didn't chain me in the cellar.  They didn't call me "It."  I was born a boy and allowed to stay that way.  My mother, as you'll see, sent me to school once in Capri pants, but otherwise there was little trauma in my upbringing.
   Growing up was easy.  It required no thought or effort on my part.  It was going to happen anyway.  So what follows isn't terribly eventful, I'm afraid.  And yet it was by a very large margin the most fearful, thrilling, interesting, instructive, eye-popping, lustful, eager, troubled, confusing, serene, and unnerving time of my life.  Coincidentally, it was all those things for America, too."


Now I am working on Michael Pollan's book Food Rules, which is sort of cheating since it is such a small book and I already know the lesson.  It takes about 30 minutes to get through (really) and I've put in about 20 so far.  But I really need a "win" right now, so Food Rules will be it.

Our Life on the Nut Farm

Friday night, warm stove-popped popcorn, 4 crazy kids dancing to the "Amazing Race" theme song as we try to catch up on last season before the new season starts on 2/20.  This is "our life on the nut farm."