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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

you just know me.

i love love love ingenious designs.
especially when it deals with children's items. 
i.  am.  a.  sucker.

i can't help it.
i wish i was more creative.
for me, creativity comes in spurts.
and even then, it's pretty infrequent.

remember when the uber-smaht peeps{aka Amy} over at Giggleberry Creations created that masterpiece?

check out this one from Sutton Grace.



{and special thanks to C R A F T -- it was because of them that i am privy to such amazing redesign.}

if only i had an ounce of their vision.... *siiiiiiiiiigh*

Monday, December 20, 2010

To do:

To Do:

1. Decorate the house.
{check}

2. Bake 25 dozen cookies.
{check}

3. Purchase all the Christmas gifts.
{check}

4. See the new Reese Witherspoon Movie.
{check}

5. Wrap all the Christmas gifts.
{totally NOT checked}

i so totally despise wrapping Christmas gifts.  i just never can gather up the motivation to get it done.  for the last eight years i have waited until Christmas eve to wrap all my gifts.  and every Christmas eve i swear up and down that i will never procrastinate again.  and every Christmas eve i find myself cursing myself silly.

but it blows.

it is cold in my basement.

it is lonely in my basement.

i.  hate.  it.

but i find myself debating.
knowing.
hating.
deliberating.
rationalizing.
procrastinating.
again.

am i alone?
does everyone else love to wrap?
am i the only person on earth that dreads that last, horrible Christmas task?

please, sweet baby Jesus.... help me love to wrap.
make this fun for me.
make that basement my happy place.
motivate my arse to do this.
 i so need you.

*****

in other news...
i got my Christmas bonus.
rock on, right?

i'm proud to announce that with this bonus...

i will be getting...

 four amazing new tires.
Christmas has lost that magical touch now that i'm an adult.  that is fo' SHO'!

watching my kids' faces on Christmas morning will make up for it.
but speaking of magical...
 
if you're in the market for some awesomeness,
head on over to ThinkGeek.

this item is particularly full of magical goodness.



to you and yours this holiday season... 
Merry Christmas!
erica & chris

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

you.

you are so totally awesome.

i am so totally overwhelmed.

{and thus, lack any sort of real blogability.}

christmas is a busy time for everyone.  lots of working, lots of shopping, lots of baking, lots of stress.  with the doggy door closed while we're home, there is also lots of getting up and down to let Buddy out.  and even though old, invalid Jiggah has peed three times today on my kitchen floor {meaning my man has stepped in his pee three times today} we are committed to this closed-doggy-door-way-o-livin.  it's so much better up in this joint.  like a sauna.  only not so humid.

i've been counting down the days until christmas every single day.  i am so out of sorts that while i say "there are only eleven days until christmas," i have a hard time realizing that means IT IS NEXT WEEK. 

holy schnikes, mother of Jesus.  how did this not sink in sooner?

*****

so, we got our big Blue Lily canvas in...
it's big.
it's beautiful.
it's going to require me to paint my walls a new color.

but here it is!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

doggonit.

this freaking doggy door is going to be the death of me AND my electric bill.

i know, what am i complaining for?  we've had it for years!  why am i still annoyed by it?

because my ass is cold.  a freaking sheet of ice.  it's totally like Antarctica up on that thing {my ass}.  it's neither pleasant to wear around nor be near.  i radiate icy temperatures around my hiz-ouse.  

my addiction {the puter} is straight across from the doggy door.  my back faces it and thus suffers every single day while i surf the net.  my butt suffers.  I SUFFER.  

so, i had no choice.

i closed the effer.  i put the panel in the doggy door and am crossing my fingers that my old, invalid pup can make it through the night without wetting or dirtying himself.  it's been closed for approximately 5 minutes and this place already feels like the tropics.  it's unreal.  especially since..... our electric bill was DOUBLE last month.  i know...... I KNOW....... it was due to this doggy door.  the temps around virginia have bottomed out and been super horribly shivery cold this last month.   normally i don't see a bill like this until january, and even then it's only because of our christmas lights.  but this year, i cut that jank down.  we only have them on for about 3 hours a night, and i literally said "screw the neighbors!  i need them on for when i get home, but once i'm inside, i could care less if they're on!"  

that's budget mentality at it's best.  

well, i suppose the best would be to NOT have the lights on.

$h*t.

in any case, wish me luck.  i may be opening that damn door back up tomorrow if my rage over cleaning up fecal matter overcomes my rage towards the electric bill.  i sure hope it doesn't, but... if i step in that $h*t like i've done before.... you can't put a price on that jank.  doggy door OPEN!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

panache.

two entries ago...
i used the word 'ganache."
i felt so fancy.

today i use the word 'panache."
i feel fancy yet again.
i have a panache for fancy words when drinking coffee.

my girls have a certain panache...
when it comes to headwear.
not hats.
just headbands.

and i love it.

two of their current favorites are from

they are beauts, let me tell ya.
 there are constant fights over them.
it's ridiculous.

but because of their panache for awesome headbands, i always am on the hunt for some awesome ones.




and 




... are totally rocking my world right now.

and of course, there's the always amazing




unfortch... EMERSONMADE beauts are just a tad outside of my budget.
beautiful, nonetheless.
and always fashionable.


and my newest craze...




Gracylu's work is amazing.
she's worked with some of my favorite designers and photographers and is simply...
A M A Z I N G.

of course, it doesn't hurt to find them all on facebook and "like" them, too:

(they aren't on FB YET, but here's their blog!)

i share because i care.

they are fabulous designers with a panache for awesomeness.
check 'em out!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

holly jolly.

i come from a small town.
scratch that.
it's crazy big, yet small in fundamentals.

we're south of washington d.c. in a county that many, MANY commuters live in.
it's pretty stinkin' big.

but the traditions are totally small town.

today was our annual christmas parade.
we had the perfect location...
the curb outside my mom's store.

it's good stuff, i tell ya.

here is a visualization of our day...

all lined up and ready for this jank to start...


aidan and ethan.
ethan is aidan's best friend... and cousin.
they are 4 years apart.

emma with her daddy (aka my  man).
if any of you will volunteer to come to my house and yank out her front tooth "unannounced" ...
i will seriously pay you $10.

oh yes. yes that's right.
two of santa's elves.
right there behind us.
aren't they adorable?
and they're oh-so-nice.

somehow i just don't think this is safe.
you're driving a trailer load of kids on a christmas float...
IN COSTUME.
full face mask.
w.t.f?

i'm totally not into Narnia, but i know a lot of you are.
this was a decent float put on by the movie theater (i think).
my little Aidan loooooooves some dragons...

this is Aidan saying "WHOAAAAA!"

this is Aidan saying, "don't breathe fire on me!!!  AAGGHHHHH!"

i saw this very guy on the road last month.
the car part was all grey.
it hadn't yet been painted.
i think he did a damn fine job!
i know a lot of Harley riders were probably cursing this guy...
but i'm sorry... this HAS to be a fun ride.

this boy is just too much.
i loved the shot and had to post.
he's totally edible.

the boys tried to climb this light post.
as those of you that know Ethan...
he couldn't get 2 inches up that thing.
he's physically l.d.
and i can say that because i'd give my life for this kid.
:)

soso was in and out of the store all afternoon.
if there was someone in costume, she was gone.
in fact her exact words were...
"Sophie's Out!"

daddy showing her that santa was about to make the turn around the bend.
she couldn't believe it.

oh... sweet, sweet, SWEET litte addi...
she totally made out with this pole.
i don't know what gets into kids sometimes,
but when they want to taste something,
THEY TASTE SOMETHING.

she then fell off the little cement step around the pole,
knocked her head into it,
and proceeded to scream bloody murder.
with a knot on her forehead, i might add.
poor, poor, POOR little addi!

oh he TOTALLY made it on time.
*phew*







i don't know why people don't take the opportunity to visit with santa after the parade, but thank G they don't.  it's free and the line was super short.

my girls are STILL deathly afraid of being near santa.
but can you blame them?
some stranger that wants them to sit on his lap and whisper sweet nothings wishes into his ear?

totally bizzare.
and totally something i want them to believe in forever.
i'm so conflicted.

Friday, December 3, 2010

blogability.

it is so hard to blog,
when i'm mad at my man.

i start to feel all guilty for writing ANYTHING on paper,
when i'm having trouble putting words together for my spouse.
i get that blog guilt.

because of this,
i recently have lacked any sort of blogability.
blogspiration.
don't hold it against me.
i'm in one of those freaking funks.

my back and neck are all off track.
{when you hate taking naps, you know there's something wrong.}
it's christmas time and there is so much to do.
{although black friday was off the chain!}
we had my sweet emma's birthday CELEBRATIONS.
and i've been in charge at work.

usually this blog is what keeps me grounded and a tad bit sane,
but lately it's just provided me with guilt.
mommy guilt.
wife guilt.
worker guilt.
yadda yadda guilt.
 
so to add to all this guilt,
here's some more.

it's called "too much chocolate cake."
 
emma's special request on her birthday.

chocolate devil's food cake.
chocolate pudding.
chocolate chips.
chocolate ganache.

 chocolate GUILT!

but here's a third of my pride and joy...
she's so beautiful.
and a model citizen.
and now she's seven.
and losing her top two teeth.
and all SORTS of grown up.

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY, EM!
you.  are.  perfect.


XOXOXO,
yo' momma.