Maggie’s First Olive Garden Meal

We had take-out from the Olive Garden Saturday night with Hubby’s folks, and it was Maggie’s first time tasting their food. She had the cheese ravioli with marinara sauce.

I think she enjoyed it.

(Incidentally, this was also the first time Maggie used the fork to eat. Oh, she also used it to smear stuff around and fling pieces to the dog like she usually does, but she actually ate with it, too. Good job, Doodle!)

5QF: 08.27.10

1. How many pets do you have?  Two cats whose excessive hair and litter box issues are driving me to the brink of sanity.

2. If you could switch places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?  Hmm. For purely selfish reasons, I'd have to say Jennifer Aniston. Pretty, rich, tans nicely - who wouldn't want to try that out for a day. If I actually had a shot at accomplishing something worthwhile in that one day, then I 'd have to say Obama or Pelosi, just to try to undo some of their idiocies.

3. What is your favorite money saving tip?  Netflix. Hubby and I spend sooooo much less on movies (both rental and going out). We have really enjoyed queuing full seasons of our favorite shows.

4. What do you want your kids to be when they grow up?  Happy.

5. What is your favorite quote?  "Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books." -Harper Lee AND "All my hope is in your mercy." -St. Augustine

Got Milk?

Constant Motion: A Photo Op

Trying to catch this girl …

 

to take a decent picture …

is like trying …

to catch …

the wind.

5QF: 08.20.10

1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about? I've had a few. Huggies in elementary school because my last name was Huggins and kids can be mean. My parents call me 'Boo' and have since I was in diapers. My dad also calls me 'Jeno' , and my little brother calls my 'Sissy'.

2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings? Depends on which set of kids you're asking about. I am the oldest of 2, if it's me and my real brother. I am the 3rd of 6 if you count all the steps.

3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other? Hmm. Hubby is a unique so this is hard. Maybe Matthew McConaughey for spunk, general happiness, being a beach lover and being devoid of inhibitions. I would be starring as myself, right? :)

4. What is currently your favorite song? "Hold Us Together" by Matt Maher

5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase? For home repairs, once the weather cools down for good.

Bring on the Cream 'n' Sugah

I drink coffee.

I’ll wait a moment while those of you who really know me pick yourselves up off the floor.

Better? Okay, let’s continue.

I don’t know what has gotten into me, but for the past 2 months, I have had 2 cups of coffee every morning at work.

Y’all need to understand that, while I like coffee (real coffee, by the way, not Starbucks-burnt-beans-too-strong-to-drink-unless-it’s-froofy-coffee), I rarely drink it, and even then I only drink it in the winter. Because coffee is hot, you see, and winter is cold, so they go together nicely.

But now I am drinking coffee everyday. In Arizona. In the summer. During 110 degree days. And I’m at a complete loss as to how it started and why it continues because, as you may remember, I hate heat.

The guys in my office have been keeping the temperature hovering just above freezing since the beginning of July, so inside it feels like winter but still … coffee everday? Hubby continues to be dumbfounded by my newest habit because it’s just so out of character for me, a very hot-natured gal who begins complaining about summer heat in April, to be consuming any type of warm beverage before December.

I actually don’t know the ratio of coffee-to-water to make a pot (because, in case you have not deduced this on your own, I don’t normally drink coffee), so when I asked Hubby to make some last weekend, he was so surprised he actually muted the golf channel to look at me. That is serious, y’all.

My coworkers are just as confused by my new coffee-drinkin’ ways. It has become funny, really - there have been so many “what’s up with you drinking coffee?” and “are you pregnant?” discussions because of this. You would think I was in charge of a nuclear event or something, with all the talk-time this has gotten.

(I would like to clarify that I am NOT pregnant.)

(Nor am I in charge of any nuclear devices.)

So, I guess now I have to call myself a coffee drinker.

On the up-side, drinking coffee as my caffeine beverage of choice has caused me to almost completely quit drinking coke, so ‘yay’ for that nice little silver lining.

Well, I've got to run now. It's time to start my coffee-drinkin' day. Chat with y’all later!

This 'n' That

Hubby and I started our summer ritual last month – we watch The Closer together on Monday nights. We don’t have much TV that we really watch – Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the golf and food channels seem to be flickering most frequently – but we look forward to The Closer each summer, and have since the beginning of the series.


We both like trying to figure out the who’s and whats and whys of the case each week. Plus, we are constantly in awe of Fritz’s patience with Brenda.

Is it sad that we discuss a fictional character’s relationship with his flaky, work-centered (but talented) wife? And that I thought enough to add those modifiers when describing said wife?

I think we may need a hobby.

We are in vacation countdown mode here. In a little less than 2 weeks, we’ll be leaving on our yearly trip to California. Hubby has had to go one whole year without seeing the beach since we’ve been married, and it wasn’t fun for him. The boy needs the ocean! So, off we go.

Me? Eh. The weather is great and I always enjoy the non-beach stuff we do, and Hubby has family there we enjoy spending time with. I do very much love the sounds of the ocean and sitting on the beach with a book, but I have to be honest: dealing with sunscreen and sand is not my cup of tea. In addition, this year I will have a toddler, which means I will actually have to get wet (I’m a beach-sitter not an ocean-swimmer). We go in the mornings, so we can get it over with shower and clean-up for the day’s activities and not be all gritty and gross, but if I didn’t go to the beach, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings.

Hubby might go into shock, but I would be okay.

Plus – and I know this is the worrier in me coming out – I constantly have to check on where Hubby is when he’s in the water because I'M TERRIFIED HE'LL BE EATEN BY A SHARK. Shark Week was on the Discovery Channel last week, which has only served to increase my fear.

Irrational? Perhaps. He, of course, thinks I’m nuts.

I just hope a shark doesn’t decide to prove him wrong.

The temperature here will be back up to 110 by Thursday. I never thought I would utter these words, but I will be glad when the temp is consistently under 100. Who am I kidding? I want to have 60 degree days again. Come oooooon, Winter!

I have been on an Oldies kick lately with regards to my music preference at work. Pandora has thrown out some fantastic tunes for this genre: Jackson 5, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, Stevie Wonder (a personal fave), The Temptations … great stuff!

Maggie said "kiss" yesterday. According to Nana. Mommy and Daddy have not yet heard her say it because The Doodle is not a performer and just smiles when you ask her to say something. Sometimes I think there is an awful lot going on inside that noggin' of hers but she just can't be bothered to actually say any of it. Stinker.

Okay, I’m off to work now. I will leave you with this quote:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye. ~Miss Piggy

Happy Monday, Y'all

Well, I spent most of the weekend working on Christmas gifts. I try to start this early (or earlier) every year - I find it easier to spread the expense over a few months instead of cramming it all into November.

So, I have Christmas on the brain. I'm not the only one, though - we went to lunch at Cracker Barrell yesterday after Mass, and they had Halloween and Christmas froos-froos out already. Egad.

Maggie's sleep was all off this weekend. She is usually an 8:30am to 9am waker-upper ... and yes, Hubby and I realize and appreciate how lucky we are. Saturday she woke up around 8am, which isn't so bad, but Sunday morning she was sitting up in her bed at 7:10am. She refused to take a morning nap (which means we had an active Mass) and didn't eat much lunch, probably due to the overwhelming need for sleep. She finally took a 2 hour nap after being up for 7 hours straight. I finally put her down for the night at about 8:45pm (a full hour before she would normally go down) because she was stumbling around. At one point she laid down on her blanky amidst her toys and I thought, that's it, she's done, only to see her pop up less than a minute later to continue playing. I don't know why kids fight sleep so much. As an adult, I would love to get back all the naps and bedtimes I missed.

The Doodle has really started to enjoy the swimming pool. She'll jump to us from the steps and kick her feet and even get in her floaty, which is a great improvement over how we started the summer. She loves to chase the chlorine duck, too. That's her newest word - duck.

She's so stinkin' cute I could just gobble her up!

Happy Monday, y'all,

5QF: 08.13.10

For this Friday the 13th ...






1. Have you ever visited another country? Yes. I stayed in Turkey for a total of 6 months, visited Italy twice and honeymooned in Ireland. I also spent one night in London and Frankfurt, but I just don't feel like that counts because it was basically a bed to sleep in until I caught a plane the next morning. But it's stamped in my passport!

2. Where is the strangest place you have ever been? A WC (water closet, aka: the toilet) in Turkey. You get used to it, but the first time I visited was definitely different.

3. What is your favorite season? Autumn. But only when the temperature drops like it should. I love crisp autumn days with falling leaves, college football and homemade stew.

4. What one song will always cheer you up? Right now, it's Matt's "Hold Us Together" ... it's just a great little tune. I also can't help but sing along to "Sweet Home Alabama" - that one gets cranked up whenever it comes on the radio!

5. What Disney character do you resemble most? In looks? Maybe Tinkerbell for coloring, but with a bit more girth. In personality? Hmmmmm ... A combo between Tinkerbell and ElastiGirl/Helen Parr from The Incredibles? Maybe Hubby could better answer that :)

The Sound That Makes a Daddy Happy

I believe this is Hubby's favorite childhood song ... because his last name starts with "W". He has been singing it to Maggie almost since the moment she arrived (or at least once we started recovering from newborn sleep deprivation). He was tickled pink when she finally started imitating the sounds:

(video courtesy of Grandma Webb)

The W Song

Oh what is the letter we love?

What sound are we extra fond of?

It's not any trouble, you know it's a W

When you hear "wu-wu-wu-wu"

That's Grandma you hear, by the way. I'm sure she'll be delighted about her national singing debut :)

A Reader's Meme

Yep, again with the reading stuff. You know me, I can't help but answer question-y things, so here is another list of reading things you never wanted to know about me :)

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Not usually - I find it distracting.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
It depends. If it's a pleasure book, they need to be treated like delicate parchment. If it is a school or instructional book, mark it up all you need to.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Bookmarks, though I use whatever is closest when in a pinch (receipts, coupons, scrap paper). Dog-earring (or laying them flat open, thereby ruining the spine) will ensure you never get to borrow one of my books ever again ever.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both, but usually fiction.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
I don't count audiobooks as actually reading. I can't concentrate enough if I'm just listening because more often than not I am involved in something else (like driving). I usually listen to audiobooks of hardcopies I have read and liked.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I read to the end of chapters (or at least a section if the author is fond of lengthy chapters). I hate just putting a book down in middle of somewhere - when I've had to do that, I often end up starting back at the beginning of that part just to get the flow going again.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
No, I use the context to figure it out. Or I'll write it down to look up later. (A friend on mine uses blank cardstock cut into bookmarks and writes down words she comes across that she doesn't know on the bookmark, so she can continue reading but also have the word written down to look up later - how smart is that!)

What are you currently reading?
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

What is the last book you bought?
Remember my post about using the library and not buying new books? Right after that I found out that Barnes and Noble was having a summer clearance, and I could get books for as low $1.99 with free shipping over $25. So, um ... I just bought 11 books. Too many to list :)

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I used to read several books at a time with no problem, but now I'm a one-book-at-a-time girl. Especially with novels ... my post-pregnancy / toddler-raising brain can only take so much :)

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
All the time is my favorite time, but I usually get quiet time at night before I go to sleep.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
No preference. I do love a good series, though I hate getting involved and then having to wait for the next installment.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Not really, though I think everyone should read To Kill a Mockingbird at least once in their lives.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Right now, they are just grouped by author. If I took the time to really organize they would be alphabetized first by author, then by title (unless it's a series, in which case they would be in chronological order).

My Good Eater

I was a fairly picky eater growing up with an especial dislike for peas (cue flashback of mean daycare teacher). Hubby would eat anything put in front of him ... except cauliflower ("because dirt gets trapped in the brain part" - that's an actual quote).

Well much to my delight, Maggie doesn't seem to be as finicky as Mommy or as fussed about dirt as Daddy.


Sweet peas, cauliflower, cheese and chicken – and she didn’t even throw any to the cats. That means she really likes it!

(The cats, by the way, have begun hovering under her chair at mealtime, as Maggie is usually obliging when she is finished or doesn’t like something and will toss it down. Who knew cats liked peas or ravioli? I guess beggars can’t be choosers … and they are certainly beggars.)

My girl is a really good milk drinker, too (just like her Mommy and Grandpa).

                                              

Oh, and don’t forget our love affair with watermelon. I have learned it is best to undress her first – it saves on the stain treating I have to do :)
 

Maggie is also a little food thief. She grabbed a couple of fries off my plate one day, then snatched green beans from Hubby's plate the other night when he wasn't looking. She is so related to her Uncle Danny :)

5QF: 08.06.10

1. Are you a neat sleeper or a messy sleeper? A very neat sleeper. The same cannot be said about Hubby.

2. Fill in the blank. I wish I was more  ... inclined to exercise. I really really do. Because I hate it, but I need to do it.

3. What is something that you wish you had been warned about? That your body doesn't metabolize food at 36 like it did at 16, and that those eating habits are gonna catch up and land on your butt.

4. What was the best thing you ever found at a garage sale/flea market? My 25 cent Kurt Cobain-old man sweater. I still have it. It is ugly and comfy and brown.

5. If you could have any meal brought to you right now, what would it be? the Plato de Carne with pork from Rosa's ... oh me oh my.

Be sure to head over to 5QF Headquarters and link up!

A New Non-Issue

Do y'all remember me telling you that Maggie doesn't like grass? She didn't want to stand or sit in it, and if you got her near it, she would try to scale you like King Kong on the Empire State Building. The only time we were ever able to get her on grass without all the drama was at her birthday party in April, and I think she did it only because Jack, Norah and Hailey were all on the grass and were surviving just fine. Heck, they were having fun!

Apparently peer pressure works from a young age.

Anyway ... it's never been an issue with Hubby or me, really, and we just figured it's grass, she'll get over it. And apparently, she has.

While grass to Maggie was like kryptonite to Superman, she can now walk about it without crying or trying to climb the nearest adult like a rock wall.

This video shows when Maggie first got on the grass the other evening. She just stood there or turned in a circle, but we didn't have drama and it was deemed a successful venture. Later, though, she was pulling Grandma outside to go look at the flowers ... the flowers she voluntarily crossed grass to get to.

The things we celebrate as parents ... she makes our lives so fun :)

Water Baby

Hubby’s band had a gig Friday night at Tempe Marketplace, so Maggie finally got to see her Daddy perform. With the exception of church, Hubby’s usual venue is a bar of some sort and Maggie doesn’t yet have the proper ID to enter those establishments. Not to mention the fact that bedtime for Maggie is usually when the show starts for Hubby, and really, she’s just not that sociable when tired and in need of milk.

The fun thing about the gig on Friday was the splash pad. I had never been to one – so of course, neither had Maggie. It took her a few minutes to warm up to it, but I think she enjoyed herself.

It was also nice because dang … it was muggy, and that water felt good. All that were missing were mosquitos and lightning bugs to make it an Alabama evening.

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All in all, I think the girl had a good time. And so did I … though I think the flashing lights around the water may have damaged my retinas.

(video courtesy of Grandma Webb)