Times like this make me happy I have a child who hates to have her hands dirty

I've been running around this afternoon, cleaning up the house and making dinner so Aaron comes home to a clean, delicious smelling house. He had to work today and I didn't, so I had to make it up to him somehow.

Anyway, that's not the point of this story. I was doing my thing and Gabbie was quietly playing in the family room. She entertains herself so well, and when she wants attention she comes and asks for it. I was in the kitchen when I heard the pitter patter of little feet coming up behind me. I turned around to see what she needed, and she held up her hand to me, to show me there was something on it that needed to be washed off.

Oh, yeah. It was poop. She had a major poopsplosion, and was offended that it had made it onto her hands. Since she doesn't like dirty hands, she came to show me and have me clean them up instead of *gag* licking them or something. Gross. Thankfully she was also sitting inside a box when the offense occurred, so the mess was contained to the box, her hands, and the waistline of her pants.

We immediately made it up to the bathroom where she was stripped, wiped, bathed, and the messy clothes were deposited in the washer to rinse out. And I only sort of gagged once, so hooray for me too.

Now we're playing again, the lasagna I was making for dinner is safely in the oven, and the house smells amazing. Although, it totally could have gone the other way.

Things I'm thankful I'll be eating tomorrow:

Cheesy potato casserole
Aaron's family's traditional corn casserole (even though there are only about two of us that like this, they still make it every year)
Green bean casserole
Stuffing
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Crispix Mix
Caramel Apple Salad (possibly - I haven't decided if I'm making it yet)

I really can't wait for tomorrow afternoon when I get to hang out with family and dig in to all the delicious food!

I totally suck at this

I forgot to post on Friday night, and chose to sleep instead. So, I'm out of the running for NaBloPoMo. I really do suck at remembering to post every day in November. Of course, it doesn't help that November is typically one of my busiest months.

This weekend was wonderful though; busy, but it also seemed to take it's time. It was a nice, long weekend full of fun things. Like my new shiny birthday present from Aaron - an iPhone. I love it, and it is distinctly possible that my thumbs ache from overuse of the phone this weekend.

In addition to the iPhone excitement, I went to see New Moon with a friend last night (SPOILERS AHEAD), and we both agreed that it was much better than the first Twilight movie, but also that people are way more into the Twilight thing than we are. People gasped the first time Jacob took off his shirt, cheered when Bella stopped Edward from stepping into the sun, and were in tears at the end when Edward proposed. When the Jacob-related gasping happened my friends and I burst out laughing, and may have gotten evil glares from a few Twi-hards around us. And, perhaps not surprisingly, there were as many middle-aged women as teenagers doing the gasping. Not that I can talk, I mean, I did pay cash money to go see the movie on opening weekend, and was really excited to do so.

Overall, it was a great weekend and a great start to my birthday week (yes, I get a week, what of it? I turn 30 this year!). Even though I'm hella busy this week, I'm happy that this particular week is finally here. It's going to be a lot of fun.

Test

Ignore this.

I'm having another one of those days where I need to think happy thoughts

Here are a few things I'm excited about that are happening in the very near future:
1) We're taking Gabbie to her very first movie this weekend. I think we're going to go to Planet 51, and we're going to the 11:10 show, since I'm guessing it will be a younger/smaller audience. We'll see how she does. Matinee prices also mean we won't be out as much if she decides the theatre experience is not yet for her.
2) Thanksgiving. I'm not cooking this year, but I am making pies. We're going to Aaron's cousin's house, and his aunt typically buys pies, but I figure once a year isn't too much to make a bunch of pies so I volunteered. I'm making pumpkin, apple crumb, and sweet potato. Yum!
3) A week from Sunday I turn 30. Aaron's taking me out to dinner at a new fancy restaurant in town that has been getting rave reviews. Then a week later he's throwing me a big bash at the house. I love a party, so I can't wait.
4) We're going on vacation, alone together, for our 5th anniversary the week before Christmas. It will be 4 days of togetherness. We're heading to a ski resort, and I'm guessing we'll try a little skiing (neither of us ever has before, but we're all for new experiences), but I'm also guessing we'll spend most of our time sleeping. What can I say; we're exciting vacationners.

Although this did make me think of one thing I'm not excited about - only about 4 weeks until Christmas and I have yet to buy a single gift. I'm going to have to get on that!

I don't know if the good outweighs the bad, but I guess I'll survive

Today was definitely one of those days, but then two things happened: I remembered tonight is the final of America's Next Top Model, and Aaron made me my favorite comfort food dinner. Macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, not to mention chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven for dessert. Have I got a great guy or what?

I also made the executive decision that I'm going to bed early tonight. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Uninspired (also sick)

I'm feeling the need to get my rear into bed right about now, so I thought I'd just share something that made me smile. Enjoy!

My weekend by the numbers

(Idea shamelessly stollen from the Rude Cactus)

2: Number of nights in a row we ate pizza.

6: Loads of laundry done

6: Also the number of bags Aaron filled up with leaves raked yet again from our back yard (it would be nice if they would all fall at once instead of over many weeks.) We were busy yesterday!

0: Number of baked goods I made, which is unusual for me.

1: Number of times I ran the dishwasher, also unusual for me on the weekends. Usually it's at least 3 due to all the cooking I do.

162: Number of times Gabbie ran around me in circles. Literally.

4: Really funny jokes I made usuing the word "Literally." The above was one of them.

0: Number of other people who laughed at my really funny jokes. At least I amuse myself, right?

So, not the most exciting weekend ever, but I sure enjoyed the hell out of it!

Almost Perfect

Tonight we went out for pizza at a local pub where Aaron and I used to hang out. We haven't been since I was pretty early in my pregnancy with Gabbie, so it's been a while to say the least. Let me tell you, I missed their pizza a lot. It's amazing.


While we were there someone put some fun songs on the juke box - Journey, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson - many of Gabbie's favorite songs to dance to. And dance she did. She had about half the restaurant smiling because of her "moves". Great food, great entertainment - this has been a great night.

Then I got home and went to start a new load of laundry and walked into the laundry room to see that I had started my last load but never closed the top of the washer, so they just sat there in water for the past couple of hours. I guess everything was going too well; I had to screw up something.

Luckily I had a large hard cider, so I'm feeling too good to care.

Birthday Questions

I have to make it quick because a certain someone seems to be waking up from her (way too short) nap. So, I have some questions:

1. What snacks should we make for my birthday party in a few weeks? We're planning on making all the food ourselves, but I have no idea what to make. It's going to be more of a cocktail party than a dinner.

2. Also, anyone got a good cake recipe? I can't decide what I want! I don't know why it's so hard this year, but I just can't seem to choose.

3. What would you rather have for your birthday: a garage door opener (where there is currently none) or an iPhone?

Pressing questions, to be sure. Only two weeks left of my 20s!

I can't decide if this was a good or bad idea

It has been a long week, but I'm still feeling some motivation to get moving more and hopefully shed a few pounds. So, with that in mind, I decided to take a class called Cross Fit at noon today from the most fit man I've ever seen in person. The instructor is approximately 2% fat and was telling us today about the favorite class he teaches - a combo class that's 1 hour of weight and abs work followed up by about 2 hours of spinning.

So what I'm saying is he's obviously insane.

But, he's also an incredibly nice guy who just wants us all to feel and do our best, and he gave us one hell of a workout. I felt a little, well, rubbery right after the workout. Then I felt okay. Now, despite a nice hot shower I'm feeling a little sore already. Tomorrow is going to be painful.

Also, I'm solo parenting tomorrow. I kind of don't always think things through completely.

Baby's First Vlog

Currently Gabbie is trying to break into our den (a closed off room that is typically off limits to her anyway, but is really off limits right now because our replacement stovetop is currently housed there and I'll be darned if I'm going to break another one), but earlier she had some things to share:

(I'm not incredibly tech savvy, so it will be up here shortly, but I want to make sure I got the post up for the day.)

(Also, I love the bunny thing. It's my favorite. You'll see.)

ETA: Here's the video!

Baby's First Vlog from Jessie Ca on Vimeo.

Recent Discoveries

Today I discovered something: If you have to psych yourself up to go somewhere nearly every single day, maybe it's time to look for somewhere else to go, if you know what I mean. (It's possible you don't, but I'm being deliberately vague.)

I also discovered that the fastest way to give yourself a (probably) psychosomatic stomach ache all day is to eat your lunch, using water from the sink tap to make it, and then read on the news that there's a boil water alert for the very area in which you sit right now. Thankfully I microwaved the hell out of that water, so I don't think it will be a problem. Once the idea that you've just consumed tainted water gets planted in your head, though, it's hard to get it back out.

Finally, Gabbie just discovered something "fun" (from the sounds of it) - pouring a cup of water out of the tub, soaking her dad in the process. Glad I won that rock, paper, scissors tonight!

Reversal

I'm sure this has happened to everyone else too. You have a day that starts out okay, but very shortly devolves into a day when you hate everyone, their face, and their brother.

I had one of those days today. I'm still having one of those days today, although coming home to an itty bitty girl who wanted nothing more than cuddle and hug and kiss me. A husband who made a delicious dinner from scratch was also an awesome mood adjuster. Thank God for my family and their ability to make it all worth it, even when I spend most of the day wanting to throw everything away and just hide for a while.

I also love being able to say "my family". It's amazing to have created this small group of people who mean the world to me.

And just like that, I'm feeling even better. Counting my blessings never fails to put everything else in perspective.

You know what else helps? Listing out a few things I love right now.

1. Say Yes to Carrots C Through the Night Moisturizing Cream. I've been using this every night lately after cleaning my face with their makeup removing cream (which I also Love). The cream smells so good and is kind of a relaxing scent, which totally makes sense. I really enjoy being lulled to sleep with good smells.

2. The Bloggess' posts about her trip to Japan (including and especially the posts to her "sex column". She makes me laugh incredibly hard.

3. V on ABC. I'm actually missing the second episode right now, but no worries because I'm recording it. On a related note, I also LOVE my DVR. Anyway, I'm always looking for new shows to enjoy, and this one fits the bill. It had enough in the pilot to keep me intrigued while still answering some of the questions with which it started out.

Now I'm going to watch my husband work out. From behind. It's kind of a nice view. See? All kinds of things are happening to improve my mood tonight!

We're pretending my blog is Twitter today

Just watched Aaron do his first EA Active workout. He's not talking so tough any more!

The Bare Minimum

I'm posting for NaBloPoMo, but just this sentence, because it's sunny and 70 out, which is unheard of in November in Michigan, so we're going to go enjoy it!

Perfection

Aaron's college roommate and his wife came for a visit today. Not only was it a lot of fun, but it also pressed us to clean up, and we got one more room unpacked and put together. Now we just have the basement that's full of boxes and empty of furniture, and we'll finally be officially settled in!

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and it makes me realize how much I miss having good friends that live nearby. We are definitely going to have to remedy that somehow.

So, yes. Fun day, clean house, and I've got a nice buzz going from some delicious margaritas we had with dinner. All in all it was a pretty perfect day. In addition, it's going to be sunny and warm tomorrow. I really couldn't ask for a better weekend.

Fun things were definitely needed today

Last night everyone in our house got approximately 3 hours of sleep. This was because a certain nearly-3-foot-tall person decided sleep was for chumps and was ready to party all night long (or she was hungry but we are trying not to reinforce the idea that it's okay to wake up for a mid-night snack). We finally gave in at about 3:30. She fell asleep at 4:00. Then she woke up for the day at 6:00.

In short, I'm exhausted, and the person that caused it is the only one who is expected to take a nap during the day.

Anyway, Aaron and I spent our lunch hour together and started to plan our anniversary. Our 5th anniversary is in December and we're going to a ski resort for about 4 days, or at least that's the current plan. We don't really ski, but there's a first time for everything, right? Plus, there's a spa, a winery, and lots of fancy restaurants.

And a bed, and no toddler, so it's pretty much perfection. I can't wait!

Priorities

I had a post stewing in my head, but then a helicopter flew right over our house and Gabbie completely lost her shit. Well, first she looked up, then she froze, and then she started screaming. It was impressive. So, instead of a comprehensive post, I'm going to go spend even more time cuddling with my girl.

Un-Fun

My fun thing for yesterday (which might not sound like much fun) was a 30 minute workout on the elliptical machine at our work gym. I also did 30 minutes of EA Active, so I felt like a superhero. I love the elliptical almost as much as I love step classes, so it felt good to get back on one.

But today. Today is apparently my un-fun day. Un-fun thing number 1 is that the swim class that I signed Gabbie and I up for is cancelled because we were the only people that signed up. But at least that negates un-fun thing number two which was going to be swim suit shopping. I think that's the most un-fun thing ever.

So instead, we're going out to eat for dinner, which is fun. I also had some delicious Indian food (and a basket of naan) for lunch, so that was fun too. All this fun today is negating my fun from yesterday. Also I think I said fun too much in this post (10 times).

Meow.

Day three and I'm already resorting to bullet points

I have been super motivated lately, which is super weird. What happened to my laziness? I kind of liked it even though I never got anything done. Case in point (of the missing laziness), take today:

1. By 7 a.m. today I had made breakfast (breakfast sandwiches) and dinner (pork roast in the crock pot).
2. I worked out last night and was a little sore, but I decided it might be fun to stop by our work gym at lunch today and did 30 minutes on the elliptical. And I can't wait to do my EA Active workout tonight again. What the hell is up with that? (Also, my ankle is doing so much better; I would say I'm at about 75% of normal)
3. I checked off more items on my work to-do list today than I normally do in 3 days.

Some other items worth sharing:

• I didn't think the time change had affected Gabbie too much - she's been going to bed at her normal time and waking up a little late even. I thought I had the Fall Back mastered! Then her teacher at daycare told me that Gabbie was so tired by lunch time today that she ate her entire lunch with her eyes closed, and then crashed immediately after. She ate all her food, including yogurt with a spoon. Color me impressed (and amused)!
• The constant whining - it is killing me! She is in a whining phase these days. Actually, it started on Sunday. Maybe the time change had more of an effect than I thought.
• I was scared to death of teething before it actually happened. Besides a night of crappy sleep every now and then, the only way we've noticed she's teething is when we look in her mouth and notice, Hey! Another Tooth! My daughter is made of awesomeness. Just sayin'.

And, to finish off this incredibly random post, here's a picture:

Gabbie at the Cider Mill/Pumpkin Patch - she LOVED that wagon and cried when we made her get out of it and leave. Guess who's probably getting a wagon for her birthday next spring! (p.s. she has a much cuter hat now)

Halloween v.2009

For Halloween this year, Gabbie dressed up as a pumpkin/ballerina/interpretive type costume/her parents are lazy. Plus she wasn't going trick-or-treating (she doesn't get to eat candy yet), so we just made her cute. See?

She has 3 tutus, and I felt the need to use at least one of them. She was going to wear a black onesie underneath, but guess who just had a growth spurt!

Also, I put her hair up in a ponytail, which was about the most adorable thing ever:

Sometimes she's so cute it hurts.

**********

For my fun thing yesterday I bought a bunch of new beauty products, including a "trendy" nail polish in a very dark purple color. After Gabbie went to sleep I painted my toenails while Aaron was cleaning up the disaster area into which I had made the kitchen. (I used almost every dish in the kitchen - I swear.)

When he came into the room, he asked why I painted my toenails black. I told him it's purple, but he refuses to agree. Whatever, I think it looks cool.

I don't know what my fun thing will be today, but I'm really looking forward to Thursday's fun thing. I signed Gabbie and I up for a Mommy and Me swim class. We'll be doing 6 weeks of swim class, and I think she will love it. I can't wait!

NaBloPoMo

I'm on for NaBloPoMo on both of my sites. Here's hoping I do better than last year, when I'm pretty sure I was out within the first few days. Then there was the year before when I forgot on the 3rd to last day. That sucked.

Anyway, this should be extra fun, because I have decided to do something fun every day (starting yesterday) for the 30 days leading up to my 30th birthday. Yesterday's fun thing was dressing up (just glittery makeup and a witch hat) for handing out candy. I have a few pictures of Gabbie too, which are adorable, and I'll post when I get a chance. I'm not sure what today's fun thing is yet, but just the thought of having to do something fun every day has put me in an excellent mood.

Happy NaBloPoMo and good luck to the other participants!