Monday, April 26, 2010

The Bad Day

Is there a cure for procrastination?

I'm the WORST. I'm doing it right now....blogging when I should be working on what actually pays the bills.

But I can't....I should work, I need to work but it's simply too much.
I'm tired, overwhelmed, stressed out, angry, sad, delirious, scared, deflated & cranky.

I don't have 1 single good reason to be this way- I have 5.

*I stopped eating carbs today. That may have a little to do with it.
*Or maybe the fact that it took me almost 2 hours to figure out how to properly format my homework for the photography class I'm taking. I am NOT a fan of phot*shop. AT ALL.
*Or that Cooper was sick today....not really sick, just the kind that means your a bad mom if you send him to school...
*Or that my job has been kicking my rear.
*Or that my knee is bothering me again.

On the bright side-
*After the shock of no carbs wears off, I usually feel pretty good.
*I am learning in my class which was the reason that I signed up in the first place
*Cooper is better and his sick was really no big deal
*I have a job-
*I think that if I start doing PT again, my knee will be ok.

I think my mood is changing already.
Whew-
.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Birthday Dog-

2010_Spring_0263_edited-1
This silly dog turned 1 today.

Typically I would scoff at the thought of having a birthday party for my dog. I mean- I love her and everything but I have to draw the line somewhere.

Cooper was obsessed with having a party for Gypsy.
And so, the opportunity for scoffing didn't present itself.

I went to our local dog bakery and I made treat bags for Gypsy's best friends...Henry and Charlie.
2010_Spring_0022_edited-1
These were inside and evidently they loved them!

We took Gypsy to see her pals- they had a fantastic time (especially Charlie who's not used to having a pretty girl dog around).
2010_Spring_0015_edited-1

The humans had fun too.
2010_Spring_0008_edited-1

Gypsy's gift was a new dog bowl (since she's gnawed her old one almost beyond recognition) and a special bone cookie.
2010_Spring_0036_edited-1
Clearly, Cooper was a big fan of the festivities (check out the scar- it's looking pretty good!).

Here's to puppies growing up....and to little boys finding happiness in the small things!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Lake Review

My girl get-away was such fun!

We ate....LOTS.
My favorite? Artichokes!
2010_Spring_0065
Have you ever had one? Steamed, with butter?
YUM!

On Saturday we hit a yard sale, a hardware store and this awesome little shop. I could have spent a ton of $$....but I refrained.

After lunch we hit the dock, soaked up the sun and enjoyed the last few bits of bliss before we returned to the real world.

lake 4

I love our tradition and the ease of our friendship. Thanks for a fantastic weekend! I can't wait until next year.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Five Things on Friday

No reason....just a list!

1) I am SOO thankful for good doctors, kind nurses and the grace of God that watched so carefully over my sweet kid last weekend. His wounds are healing nicely & we get the stitches out this weekend.

2) I have taken a crazy plunge...and I enrolled in this fabulous photography class. I am either going to emerge with mad skills, or will be crying in a corner because I stink! I'm hopeful it will be the former but i'm VERY nervous.

3) I am heading out for a girls weekend. A fun overnight spent with women I find inspiring, fun, hilarious and just plain awesome. I can't wait- this has been a LOOONNNGGG week.

4) I must make an appointment at the eye doctor. The pollen is wreaking havoc with my eyes and I'm running low on contacts (and of course, my prescription has expired).

5) Although I'm now drinking diet*coke again, I've drastically reduced my consumption- I'm a little bit proud of myself.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Before & After

Saturday was perfect for bike riding.

This is what Cooper looked like when he left the house......

DSC_0317



And this is what he looked like after we came back from a visit to the local urgent care.......

DSC_0347


My poor baby. He had a bit of a run in with a mailbox (pesky thing- what was it doing so close to the road???)

He had to get 6 stitches and they are his 1st. It was not pretty, but we have much to be thankful for.

He is alive.
He had on a helmet (that evidently broke much of the impact although it got knocked off in the crash).
His injury was small and could be easily fixed.
We got to take him home and he's really no worse for the wear.
He'll heal....without a scar (hopefully).
We had THE nicest doctor and nurse possible for this, our 1st trauma.
We have insurance so cost is not an issue.
We've all learned so much.

It happened on Saturday, and in just a day he looks so much better. It's not so angry looking....which is good. He's self conscious, which isn't good.

We'll just take it day by day-

Sweet little kid, I love him so!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Mini Vacay!

Jon had spring break and we decided to take a day and have a mini-vacation. Our original plan was the beach, but in the end we decided to be economical and head to the river. Since Cooper would miss a day at school, a trip to Jamestown seemed the perfect choice for our day.

We started at the settlement- and saw an archeologist working in the believed location of the actual fort. We spoke to an incredibly knowledgeable volunteer and learned a ton.

DSC_0277

Although the week had been warm, suddenly the temperature dropped on Friday. Thus, Cooper's hands are missing in many of my pictures!
DSC_0279

What a bad mom- I was completely unprepared for the change and hadn't packed with cold in mind. My poor kid.

We met some great characters- this is James. He demonstrated how to shoot a musket and was totally into his role.
DSC_0283
Doesn't he look so authentic?

It wasn't too crowded and Cooper was able to participate in some of the daily activities of the settlers. He took his jobs very seriously.

DSC_0288

DSC_0290

Making a Powhatan canoe was a highlight & has sparked conversations on how long it might take for us to make our own.

DSC_0306

DSC_0310
I love this one!

The ships were another highlight....
DSC_0321
Thankfully, the sun came out and warmed us a bit.

While we were on one of the ships, I heard an oddly familiar voice. Of all the crazy things- I ran into one of my sorority sisters!
DSC_0333

Laurie teaches 4th grade and her class was making the necessary pilgrimage to Virginia's birthplace. We last saw each other at this event- 2 years ago! It was super to see her and fun to catch up, if only for a minute.

Our afternoon ended at the Powhatan village where Cooper tried his best to gross me out by holding things like skulls and hides and really, all things dead.
DSC_0340

I tried to focus elsewhere but each tent seemed to hold something worse.
DSC_0339

Our mini vacay ended with dinner and the dragon movie. Cooper had seen it with a friend and proclaimed it the best movie he'd ever seen. We enthusiastically joined him in the 3rd row and had to agree- it's super cute.

DSC_0336
We had a terrific day, learned a ton and had more than a few laughs.
I love a mini vacation!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Egg-strava-ganza!!

In my family, I'm responsible for the Easter celebration. Basically, Kathy did Thanksgiving, Maggie did Christmas and so Easter was mine by default. We celebrate the day before Easter and I adore it. There are many things that I'm good at and a ton that I'm not.

Regardless, hands down- I CAN ROCK AN EGG HUNT.

Because Cooper is the youngest by almost 10 years, the thought of having a 1 kid Easter Egg Hunt was a little sad for me. So I created Egg-strava-ganza. The concept was that everyone had an assigned "thing" to hunt for. Let's be clear- I have some amazing nieces and nephews and they willingly listen to the crazy directions and play along. I try to make it worth their while.

Cooper's job is easy- search for eggs.
DSC_0150

If you're a boy over 21, you get to search for beer.
DSC_0179

Warm beer- because cold beer sweats in the sun and gets really dirty.
DSC_0177
Sometimes searching for beer is much harder than searching for eggs.

Girls over 21 hunt for treats in colorful bags. Hmm, no pix of Katie hunting.

We've added Jon's cousin and his family to the mix.
DSC_0162
The little girls search for eggs and look adorable doing it.

Sometimes even moms get to search for things.
DSC_0176
George the Giraffe gets send back and forth between mom and daughter with lots of love.

After the hunt we have lunch, empty eggs and count the bounty, eat way too much candy and talk about how much fun it is to celebrate together.

DSC_0193
It's one of my favorite days of the year!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy Easter!!

easter mosaic

Happy Easter from our home to yours!