V-Day

For a great many years, February 14th and I have had a tenuous relationship. It's just never made any sense to me. What are we really celebrating here? True love or roses, candy, and chocolate? Well, now that you mention it, candy and chocolate did need their own holiday. Something to get them through those long days between candy canes and chocolate bunnies. Dentists have to make their car payments too you know. Not that my feelings for the holiday will cause me to turn down those two vital food groups. In fact, my plans for this Valentines Day include both candy and chocolate - we are making Oreo Truffles. However, considering my potential for baking disaster I will not go so far as to say that they will be an expression of my true love.

One thing I can say with absolute certainty is that this will not be the way to my heart . . . unless it is via a future quadruple bypass. . . but it did make me smile.

Crafternoon

The clutch ball is back! I made another ball for a baby shower this past weekend. I think it turned out rather cute.

Here was the original ball that went to Baby Brady.

Next up, maybe I will actually make something for my own impending child . . . right after I whip up a construction theme party for the three year old. Oh, and in order to host this little par-tee, I'll need to complete the unpacking/organizing/decorating/home-making process. Ok, now I need to lie down. I think that construction is a great theme for this party, because let's face it, my house is always in some form of construction!

By the way, Crafternoon is the title of a book that is being passed around at my office's yearly White Elephant gift exchange. It is never unwrapped with glee. I personally have never been able to confine a craft to an afternoon. . . or a table.

The Wise Guys

What does it say about a family when 2 out of 3 of their wise men have been decapitated . . . 2 years in a row?

Not to worry, Caspar and Melchior had some brain surgery before they were packed away. I can only hope that Balthasar can hold them together this year.

Found: this Blog

People, there's a serious problem out there and I'm a little concerned about it. No, not world hunger, consumer credit, or the man-eating dog fur tumble weeds that roll freely through my living room. I'm talking about blog abandonment. There are thousands of helpless blogs, many of them mere infants, left alone to fend for themselves. They are wandering the Internet, occasionally popping up in random searches (How are we going to weather Y2K? Will Carrie end up with Mr. Big? Should I wear Crocs or Uggs with my low rise jeans?). Sadly, up until today this blog was headed down that dark and scary path as well. What a crime for my child to forever exist as a two year old in the annals of the Internet. Well, today is a new day, and today this blog rides again.

Be warned - it's not like I have anything new and fresh to say. It's just more of me and my very random thoughts. I know you've been missing that the most.

So just what have we been up to around here while my blog was filing a missing persons report for me? Well, just a few things . . .

1. Gestating: Baby #2 will be here in May. It's a boy. He's very healthy and not very modest. We are extremely excited and surprisingly more anxious than we were the first time. Ignorance was bliss last time. Now there are thoughts of sleepless nights and feeding drama (mostly mine and not the babies)dancing in our heads. However, the number one thing I have learned is that everyone survives the hard stuff and pretty much forgets it. Parental amnesia, it's something we can all love.

2. Relocating: Project house #3 for the year became ours. It was a rehab, but it had all these features that were perfect for us. We sold our first house (ahh the memories) and made the big move in November. As moves go, it was a pretty good experience. Minimal stress and a great transition for everyone. It was all Jackson could talk about for weeks and even now the place he wants to be most is his "new house".

3. Urinating: I know, I know . . . way too much information. It's actually not a new activity for any of us, but we are excited to report that after spending the last week in self-imposed potty training Purgatory, Jackson is doing AWESOME. By Day 2 of Potty Training Boot Camp he was insisting that Mommy and Daddy stay out of the bathroom and was pretty much getting the job done all by himself. We have since had success at Grandma's house, at church and in public restrooms. He actually woke up just now and wanted to go. All more than we ever expected at this early stage. We are far from complete, but it has been a great start. Yea, Jackson!

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for another exciting installment of Katherine's World coming soon. Hopefully, sooner than this one.

And again, my apologies to the blog. You've been hanging in there these long bleak months. I promise to take better care of you now (just don't tell the house plants, because I think I made them the same promise last year).

Family Fun

Early in the summer I lined up a non-stop, action-packed weekend for my little family of 3. It included swimming and an outdoor fair. I thought it was a home run for a fun time. I was WRONG. There was sweating,whining, inappropriate footwear and the fact that Trade Days does not support my cash-free existence . . . and most of those problems were mine. How was I to know that it would be 200 degrees in the shade on a June Saturday in Texas? Oh, wait, it's been that way my whole life! And I have sworn that as long as I am still wearing a coat in my office all summer, I will never complain about the heat outside. So after that little debacle outdoor Family Fun was cancelled for the remainder of the summer.

Fast forward to this weekend. Supposedly, it is cooling down in some portions of the country. And in North Texas we haven't seen the sun in about 10 days. Outdoor Family Fun is back!

So this weekend's adventure was the local balloon festival. We were able to meet friends there and watch a parachute team, balloon launches, and the balloon glow. It was a definite improvement from the summer's Have Fun or Else campaign. However, I will say that there are good features for great seats and there are not so good features. Good features: great view. Not so good features: the non-stop territory war you will enjoy with the people around you who are just laying in wait for you to head for the bathroom so they can stake a claim. But it looks like everyone avoided a Hatfield-McCoy situation and was able to have a good time.

Blessings for the Fatted Calves

I have a confession . . . I have been keeping the fatted calves in hiding. Because, you know animal sacrifice is so last season. . . or just so B.C. Your choice. Anyhow, these bad bovines of the human anatomy are mine. And they seem to be with me regardless of my size or fitness level. Most days, the calves and I are at peace with one another. In fact, sometimes I kind of admire them - they seem strong somehow and we all know that keeping me from toppling over in utter (udder?!) klutziness is an enormous task. But there is one thing that the chubby drumsticks have been keeping me from, and that is my pursuit of the perfect Tall Boot. Oh how I would love to slide my perfectly average size foot into a sleek leather boot and zip, zip, zip away. But alas, this has not been possible. Until now. Behold, the fuller calf Tall Boot. I am eagerly awaiting its arrival. If I were less thrifty and pragmatic, I would be on the hunt for some of these or maybe even these. I'll keep you posted on what happens when my full calves meet what used to be fully calf.

This Blog is on HOLIDAY . . . still

Several (2) of you have mentioned the shocking lack of sharing coming from the blog as of late. There are lots of reasons for this, but most of them come down to my daunting workload of extra-curricular activities - it takes a lot of time and attention in order to maintain my FarmTown acreage. However, fear not, for I will be bringing tidings of great excitement . . . soon.

Though all of the children have returned to school, I am refusing to acknowledge the impending end of summer until the last possible second. If you need me, I'll be out running through the sprinklers and chasing the ice cream truck.

Stay tuned . . .