Good Vibrations

A few weekends ago we met up with some of our "Okie" friends in Corpus Christi/Padre Island.

Aside from the hurricane induced rain, sleep deprivation, moldy hotel, and whiny kids (we both have two), we actually had a really great time. We were hoping to make this a sun and surf trip but with the weather being as bad as it was, there really wasn't much of a window for swimming. Asher and Elijah did manage to get in some "wave time" but it really was just a there and back sort of visit. (We drove down Saturday morning after I got off work and headed back Sunday afternoon.)

Although the weather was gloomy and the trip was uber short, it was so nice to see our friends. We knew some really amazing people in Oklahoma and I am truly touched that so many of them have come to visit us in Texas. It's nice to know that we haven't been forgotten by our "Oklahomies."

(Note: This post was so old I almost didn't publish it, but we ate at the most wonderful place, I couldn't NOT share. If you are ever in the Corpus Christi area you must check out the Black Sheep Bistro. Amazing food, great atmosphere, it's just what a run-down, over commercialized, beach town needs.)

Everyday I Write the Book

What an amazing book! This was one of the most beautifully phrased, honest, readable, and relatable books I've ever read. If you have not read it yet, turn off your computer, go get this book, and start reading.

Seriously. Go. Now.

I envy Elizabeth Gilbert's voice. I covet her ability to write a book like this. I was so freaking jealous it was almost painful to read. She has this rare quality where she comes across so clearly on the page, it felt like I was listening to a good friend. This is how I want my writing to be perceived. And, aside from the total collapse of her marriage, this is the book I want to write.

On the surface, it might seem like this story wouldn't be interesting for anyone who isn't keen on taking a year long spiritual journey. But who can't relate to the dream of taking a year off to wander around beautiful places? Who hasn't felt the need to find themselves; spiritually or otherwise? Her story is so relatable, and while I realize why this has been branded a "chic book," I can't see why any one wouldn't be able to see how her search for self and sanity translates to their lives as well. If you only read one of the books I've reviewed or recommended, make this be the one. You will not regret a single page.

Don't Interrupt the Silence

I had this week's blogging all figured out. Then life happened. This week wasn't supposed to be crazy busy, but it has sort of ended up that way.

Elijah found out Monday that he will working late every night this week. He didn't get home until past eight o'clock last night. This puts a VERY BIG cramp in my sleep/work schedule. He was able to get out early so I could work Tuesday, but the rest of the week is pretty much a wash Elijah, sleep, dinner, getting a break from the kids wise.

Late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (during my shift) I received a message from my parents (via FaceBook, by-the-way) to let me know they were arriving in Austin the next day!

Alas, I've been paralyzed by change and have been pretty much unable to do anything besides the immense pile of laundry I've obviously been saving up for a special occasion like this. I hope to be back next week with more to say.

Friday I'm In Love

This Friday's love list is dedicated to Fall treats. There is so much I love about this time of year, I can guarantee we'll have more Autumnal love lists in the near future. However, in the spirit of blogging with integrity, I thought I'd start with the goodies since they are my favoritest part of the season.

Nothing says Fall to me quite like a caramel apple. While I've made these at home, on occasion, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory really is the go to place when I feel a little Fall in the air. I like mine with just caramel and peanuts but they have plenty of concoctions for those more adventurous.

These Halloween Truffles from Moonstruck Chocolate look spooktastically delicious!
(Sorry, but I'm in the mood for whimsical verbiage today!)
As I mentioned before, I love caramel apples. I also love truffles. This box from Dean & Deluca is nothing short of perfection.

Being from California, I am a long time fan of See's Candies. This is a very rare treat for me though. We don't have any real shops around here, just the mall kiosks that sell the basic boxes during Christmas, and I don't order this type of stuff for myself. My granny would always send me a box of my favorite candy (scotch kisses) on special occasions.

Last, but not least, is the need for a cute place to put all of the Halloween candy that I plan to steal from eat with my kids. I found this cute little gourd at PoppyGoRound on Etsy.

A Better Version of You

The differences between raising the first and second child are beginning to become clearer to me. I'm surprised by some of the things I've let Amelia have/eat/do that I'd never dreamed of doing with Asher. I just know he'll throw this in my face one day. I've even resorted to having imaginary conversations about this. However, they usually end with me forgoing all attempts at reason and screaming "just wait til you have kids mister, you'll see!"

But for Amelia, while being a little sibling has it's perks, it's not all rose colored life all the time. We'll exchanged letting go of some quirky rules for tightening up in other areas of life. And as hypocritical as it may sound, we'll probably end up raising our son and daughter differently based not only on their personalities but also on their GENDER. (Yep, I said it...let the stones fly.)

All those big scary parenting questions are still a ways off thank goodness, but at least for now, however I've come up with three things we've allowed Amelia to do, that we would have never dreamed of doing with Asher.

1. Eating - Amelia really got the delicious end of the stick in this area. I can absolutely guarantee that Asher didn't touch McDonald's until after he was two. And it wasn't even me who gave him his first bite of this horrifically addictive, yet delicious fast food. Amelia, on the other hand, eats McDonald's when Asher does. She's learned that if she screams loud enough and long enough we'll give her almost anything that's on his plate. This also explains why Asher called plain Cheerios "O's" and Amelia's "O's" are Honey Comb. Some nights Amelia just spends dinner time walking around the table asking for "bites" from our plates. I realize at some point that this is going to come back to haunt me, but right now, I just want to eat in peace.



2. Television - That's right. The good ol' idiot box. When we moved to Oklahoma Asher was about 18 months old. We didn't have a television in the living room before then so he never had an opportunity to watch cartoons. Around two we allowed him one Wiggles episode/movie a day which he watched while I made dinner. We have always made an effort to tightly control his screen time, however, based on his love for all things screeny (TV, internet, movies, iPhone, Leapster, etc.) I fear that might have backfired. Amelia, on the other hand is already watching TV. If Asher's watching a movie I can't blindfold her as she wanders around the living room. Unfortunately, I can't just blame Asher for her television watching, I have used the television as a mother's helper at times, even for something as non-emergent as checking e-mail. And do you honestly think she's nappy while I'm writing this?


3. Exploration - Asher walked later than Amelia and definitely fell less often. If I wasn't two inches away from him at all times, I think my head would have exploded. Amelia absolutely gets more freedom in this area. In some ways, I think it's good. She has had more opportunities to explore the world and enjoys our walks around the neighborhood and park. However, with that freedom also comes consequences. She's had skinned knees and more tears than I recall Asher ever having. Plus, it seems to us that all her practice isn't doing very much good. She is just as clumsy as ever.

So there you have it, three things that Amelia gets to do, that Asher can use as emotional weapons against me. I think I may have to dismantle this blog before he gets wise. On the other hand, it'll be good to show Amelia ALL the wonderful things she got to do that we never would allow with Asher. Hopefully she'll consider it a fair trade for her curfew when she's 16.

Candy Girl

I smoked my last cigarette Saturday night so Elijah bought me a "distract yourself" candy jar.

My forray into smoking cost me $28, a touch of self esteem and 20 or so mosquito bites. The first day off was fine and I don't anticipate another relapse anytime soon. I actually think allowing myself this indulgence was good for me (not in a healthy sort of way, of course). It's just that I'm always so concerned with withholding from myself. Be it food, a break from the kids, or any number of other little indulgences, I rarely allow myself a true break. Smoking was definitely something I did ALL for me. There was no one else I was even considering. So, I knew when it was over, when I had had my fill of "me time." I was even sort of relieved to finish the pack (because you don't just THROW AWAY a half full pack of cigarettes!).

We'll see how the week goes. The kids have been sickly, so that really isn't helping on the stress side of things, but rarely is life without it's complications and stressors. Plus, I now have Blo-Pops to help me cope!

Pride

While taking Asher to school this morning "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls was playing on the radio. It reminded me of watching Sesame Street with Asher when the Goo Goo Dolls were guests.

I had to post the video. Years ago, we recorded the song and watched it over and over again. It still makes me smile, so I thought I'd pass it on. Enjoy!

Up In The Air

I've completely stepped out of my reading comfort zone this year. I've always intentionally stayed away from the newest books, the bestsellers, that everyone is reading. I prefer the old standbys, works from long dead authors that have stood the test of time. Things usually found on a "100 books everyone should read" list. But seeing how this year's reading has turned out, I may be free of those dusty old books forever; once I finish my 100 books list, that is.

As it happens, I'm starting to believe that there actually is a pretty good reason for a book to be a national bestseller (Twilight and self help books aside).

I've also been hesitant to board the Afghanistan, Pakistan trend that's been pretty popular since 9/11. I've never really been interested in south-central Asia, so I didn't see the point. Once again, a book has proven me wrong. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini was unpredictably riveting. I was fascinated by the story of this young boy's life and the journey that brought him to America, and then back to Afghanistan again. Granted, his childhood in Afghanistan was sheltered and his approach to his culture and religion rather moderate. Still, this author, through this deceptively simple story of self discovery, has opened my mind to something that I'm sure I'm narcissistically late in understanding. We are all just people, often caught between who we think we are, and who we think we ought to be, trying to build a life that we can be proud of.

What a novel idea, eh? Sometimes I can be so dense.

Do You Believe In Magic

We have BIG news in our neck of the woods.

We will soon have a new address and should be closing next month. I finally feel like we are settling in to our new state. The plan had originally been that we would stay in our house through the end of our lease. Once we sold our home in Oklahoma, I started looking at places out here just to get an idea of where we'd like to live and what the market was like. When we found this house it was just too good to pass up. Yet another upheaval, but I'm hoping this is the last home we buy...EVER.

Introducing what we refer to as our "Forever Home."