Web cam photo

I feel like I post about the kids' illnesses a lot, but tomorrow will be Anna's first day missing school. Poor kid has a fever all day but didn't get sick until I tried carrying her up to bed. *sigh*

Art room in progress

So... I went from greens and purples to blues and purples and greys. : ) I am loving it. Just hung this painting today. Can't wait to finish the room!

On the catwalk...

I volunteered to be in a runway show/competition similar to project runway. This is me and my designer, Marta. I met her for the first time this same day. I LOVE the outfit she designed and that I had the honor of wearing. Had such a blast! Was a fundraiser for an AIDs awareness organization.

Elmo

Anna brought Elmo in for reference on making the cake. I was low on red gel dye, so he turned out a bit pink, but the party was rescheduled due to weather anyway.

Bottom bunk

She talked for an hour, reaching the end of Anna's patience, but she's in a big girl bed for the first night. She's on the bottom bunk of Anna's bed.

Deliciousness

Tried a new restaurant today with my friend Katie. It was so good! Focus is on local ingredients. I got a portobello mushroom sandwich with fried okra - which I don't think I've ever tasted. It was all so delicious.

Happay Burdday Pahkah

She wanted pizza and a cupcake for her birthday. She was pretty happy (and dirty) by the end.

a-choo!

I am REALLY looking forward to not having to use tissues for awhile. This congestion from my cold two weeks ago is lingering, lingering. ... So sick of it.

Big sister

Some days it's hard being a big sister.

Fourth Grade Nothing

I cried while reading Judy Blume's Fourth Grade Nothing to Anna tonight. It was a hard last chapter!

Growing

Look how much my plant has grown over the last few weeks!

"Parker Play Hockey"

Can you even stand how stinkin' cute these are? Parker insisted she play hockey when she saw the kids playing on the pond near our house, so Anna and I found a pair of skates for an early birthday present. She loved being on the ice. Bet she's skating by the end of the season!

Final class

Tonight was my final cake class. : ( I brought my camera to mark the moment. I took one of my friend Katie too.

chocolate goodness

I tried making my first chocolate buttercream this afternoon. It's so yummy delicious.

Gap-toothed grin

Somehow when Joe and Anna were horsing around this afternoon, his bum made contact with Anna's loose tooth. I can't believe how tiny those teeth seem now. When they came in, they seemed so big for her tiny mouth!

Powering through

How to power through the end of a final project for my first grad class (and how to make a somewhat healthy whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter and make it really, really unhealthy).

A fine mess

Day 2, and this is what my nightstand looks like when I'm sick - books, magazines, medicine, tea bags, etc. all over the place. : )

View from my bed

Could barely get out of bed today. This cold feels like the flu. One bright spot though is being able to watch the pretty sunlight pour into my bedroom between 4 and 5.

Another love note

Can you believe I have a kid old enough to write me a love note when she stopped by for a few minutes the other day?

Love notes

I know, I have it really good. Joe left this under my mouse so when I started my homework, it was a sweet reminder of who was waiting for me when I was done.

Soup and Oprah

Started to get hit with the bad cold everyone's been getting in the office. Came home and made some soup and curled up in bed.

Repotting Audrey II

Joe repotted Audrey II tonight and then showed me what a creepy subject she would make for a horror movie. At least she's no longer trying to reach through the floor under my bed.

Tea time

This is my newest tea cup that I bought at Pier 1. It makes me happy. : )

What remains

I took my cake to work today. It was a hit!

Goose & the Daddy

Joe's home with Anna this week. He sent me this picture to make me jealous, I'm sure. Of both spending time with her and of the food!

Audrey II

This creepy plant now has creepy tendrils reaching up to the ceiling below my bed. Creepy.

Getting better. : )

I'm really proud of my cake this week. We learned how to do a rope border and fondant roses. fun!

Happy Valentine's Day

I think I might be getting the hang of this cake decorating thing. : ) I love making stars. They're my favorite.

Morning

I woke up to snow and a beautiful sunrise. What I really love about snow is how quiet it makes the day. It was so peacefully quiet this morning.

Paintings

I also finally got my artwork hung up on the walls. My little corner is quite cozy now!

Dusting

It started to snow tonight. By morning we'll have two inches.

New wall

Instead of staring at Katie all day, I now stare at a wall. A wall that I covered and decorated. It feels weird, but it's a good change for us, I think.

Mentos and coke

I just missed it but these kids got to see what happens when you put mentos into a 2-liter of coke. I heard them scream outside my office window and had to see what was up. Kids, let alone kids giggling and squealing, are a pretty rare thing in our part of the building.

Black and white

Day two of being sick. I have really been into old black and white movies. This one stars Clark Gable, "It Happened One Night." Great film!

Sick

Home sick, but I have lentil soup and Julie and Julia and a bunch of movies to help me through it.

Lunch at home

This is what an almost-2-year-old chooses to eat for lunch when she's home sick. She caught Anna's nasty cold and got sent home from day care yesterday. Joe's got it now and I feel it coming on. *sigh*

Addicted to NPR

Our poor kids know nothing about music, but they're up on current events. Our radio is almost always tuned to WXXI, our local NPR station.

Cake class No. 2

My most recent creation. We learned dots today. This stuff is hard to do!

*cough cough*

Anna was supposed to come with me to an ice cream social today for families with kids with congenital heart defects, but she got a fever and a cough.

Hoarders

Until we finish painting the art room, we had to put all my crap in the den. It made me feel like we were on that TV show hoarders.

Po-nay

Parker really needs a haircut, but until then, we've been using ponytails to keep the hair out of her eyes. She calls them "po-nays." Cute!

Painting

I'm painting my art room. I'm thinking greens and purples.

Snow day

We are getting more snow/ice/freezing rain today. I'm home bc I didn't want to risk driving in the ice. Yuck. I'm looking forward to a relaxing day. Thank you snow.

How I feel

This is exactly how I felt tonight before I went to bed -- utterly exhausted.

Purple cabbage plant?

I drive by this plant every week on my way to the doctor's office. I had to finally pull over and take a picture of it. In all this drab winter, it is a beautiful bright spot.

Tiny person

She looked so small walking down this giant hallway at the medical center.

Staring at the ceiling

I'm doing a lot of staring at the ceiling before I go to bed this week.

One shoe, one boot

She wasn't embarrassed leaving school with one boot and one shoe on, but she refused to hold still for a photo after she came home without her bookbag with the other shoe and boot in it.

Purple Irises

As part of my detox, I am trying to create a peaceful environment. So I bought these flowers to put next to my bed. They lift my mood every time I see them.