Things Are Lookin' Up!

Bad News: 'Puter is completely fried, never to return. So sad.
Good News: Our friend MSB was able to retrieve a ton of stuff off my hard-drive...I have 5 CDs full of stuff to download onto...

{The New Laptop!}

Her name is Blanche. She has Windows Vista (I don't even know how that is different than XP, but that's what the box says), and is white.

T went out yesterday evening and came home to surprise me with a new Sony. He and Natalie popped out of the doorway yelling "Surprise!" (Natalie yelled "Supwise!" and kept wanting to "Supwise Mommy" for the rest of the evening) I'm still using his right now, but when he gets home tonight, he'll help me upload the discs onto the new machine. I am praying that MSB was able to get everything from my old computer.

When that happens, I'll be able to get back to blogging, and more importantly...reading what you guys have been up to! I have had some major withdrawals, not being able to check out my favorite blogs...I seriously had a twitch going on.

I can't wait to get back to reading all of your fabulous blogs, and I am really looking forward to doing some writing again. It's so much fun to have a creative outlet in blogging! Missed you all!

A Dark Day...

Good morning, readers! I hope (both of) you are having a great start to your weekend. I am not, which is why I may have to wait until tonight to post my Spend Less Saturday piece. I'm using T's laptop right now, and he's going to need to take it to work in a little bit.

On Thursday afternoon, I spilled water on my laptop keyboard with my purse. *REALLY* dumb move. Was trying to run out the door to the grocery and as I ran by the computer, my enormous bag knocked my Nalgene bottle over and spilled some water onto the 'puter (as Natalie likes to call it).

I won't lie to you. I had some conflicting emotions in that split second that it happened.

Do I drop the baby and save the laptop, or do I gently set the baby down on the floor as my beloved 'puter fries?

I chose the best of both worlds. Michaela Byrd was deposited not-so-gently on the kitchen floor and in my haste to save the laptop, a little bit of water might have trickled down her neck, which scared her. While she screamed, I screamed inside my head.

Why me?!

Everything I have is on that laptop. Thank goodness I follow my own advice and probably 98% of my pictures are on discs, which is good. But I can't get to my work files, music, MOPS stuff, nuthin.'

T was surprisingly okay with it. This could be because he spilled Pepsi on his old laptop once (or twice) and the baby spilled water on his new one once when she was on his watch. So he can't say too much. 'Cept his always worked, or were under warranty. Sigh.

We let the 'puter dry out for over 24 hours, but it is a goner for sure. T's friend, Matt, says he can get stuff off the hard drive for me (yay!) and will attempt to check out the power source to see what he can do, but it looks like my early birthday present will be a laptop.

The good news is that we scoped them out at Best Buy last night, and the Sony closest to mine is about $500 cheaper than what I paid for mine 3 1/2 years ago, and it's a better laptop too. She's beautiful, but she's not the same as my good ole' laptop.

Happy early twenty-fauxth Birthday, Amanda. I will never again keep any sort of beverage next to my electronics!!!

Thrifty Thursday: It's Chic to Be Cheap {4}

Today's edition of Thrifty Thursday will be about saving money on household products by going GENERIC (a dirty word in some houses!). I have a big reveal for ya'll. I discovered an *aMaZiNG* deal on tissues! This winter has been rough on my family, and we go through tissues a lot. We ran out at some point, and that's when I discovered this thrifty choice: (scroll down to see)















































Ta-Da! White Trash Tissues!

This is really so versatile, people. You can dress it up a little and place it on a cake stand or hang it by pretty ribbon from your cabinets. For very special occasions, a Waterford crystal bowl really enhances the soft whiteness of the paper. You can even keep it casual and go the old-fashioned route, and rip it right off the dispenser. Good-bye, Kleenex...Hello, Charmin!



In all seriousness, I have found that our Costco membership is turning out to be a good thing. I used to buy the Target brand paper towels, and we'd go through a roll almost every other day or so. The Costco brand, Kirklands, lasts days longer and is more heavy-duty. The same thing goes for the Kirklands brand of toilet paper. T is super picky about toilet paper...must be a guy thing. He hasn't said a word since I switched to buying tp from Costco, and I've noticed we are replacing the rolls far less often...although this could be due to the fact that Natalie has learned what an acceptable amount to use looks like.



Other things I've recently purchased in a generic brand:
~ Parent's Choice Little Puffs (Plus Calcium!): they come in the same little canister that the Gerber baby puff snacks do, but are way cheaper. Michaela Byrd has not shown a preference for either.
~ Target's cheese slices: much thicker slices than regular brand sliced cheese
~ Wal-Mart taco/chili seasoning packets: same taste as the expensive brands. a good buy when I just need it to add some flavor to a meal.



Is there anything you've found that is better to buy *Generic*? (dirty word again!!) Is there anything you won't buy in a store brand (it was formula for me, once I started my girls on it)?

Ask, and You Shall Receive (??!)

Like many moms I know, I spend a great deal of time in the car. We drive to preschool, church, friends' houses, and to run errands. When we are not listening to TalkRadio, I have a lot of time for deep, existential discussions with my kids. We chat about all sorts of things; the meaning of life, politics, fashion, and literature. (I don't think The Berenstain Bears series has been added to the canon yet). Or maybe we just talk about colors, the alphabet, whether the stoplight is red or green, and sing "Old MacDonald" over and over. I could be fuzzy on the details.

Sometimes, Natalie wants to know what her friends and their families are doing. I'm sure their lives are really much more interesting than my standard "they're at home taking their naps" reply. A few weeks ago, we were talking about who has girls and boys in their families as we drove to the bank.

"Why did Caroline get a boy?" Natalie wanted to know. She cut a sidelong glance at Michaela Byrd, who did not look very apologetic for being born a girl.

"Well, I guess Jesus knew she needed a brother, so He sent her a boy." I answered, turning onto the highway.

"How can we get a boy?" asked Natalie, as if we could just open a Babies 'R Us catalog, choose model #487, and request overnight shipping. "He can have my room, and I'll sleep in Michaela's room." (I'm sure he'd love the green, cream, and pink stripes on his new walls)

Not wanting to go into details of insurance premiums, hospital bills, and percaset prescriptions for post C-section pain, I just told her she'd have to ask Jesus about it.

A brief pause. "Jeeesus, can you send me a brudder?" she called loudly, looking at the ceiling of the car. Always the proactive one.

Intrigued, I peered at her in the rearview mirror. "Well, what did Jesus say?" I asked.

She sighed. "He didn't send one right down."

I guess that was a good lesson for her in the importance of prayer versus instant gratification.

I, personally, am glad He didn't send a brudder "right down."

Our Trailblazer only has room for two carseats in the back. That would have been a tricky ride home.

Kisses from Heaven?

{"SnOwFLakES ARe KiSsES fRoM HeAveN"}

I'm not sure that I completely agree with the quote from above, as I once mentioned in my LetItSnow post. To a stay-at-home mom, snow can be both blessing and bane. We finally had our "big snow" here in Virginia. So much for global warming, eh?

Normally, I would have been really excited to go out and play in the snow with Natalie, but I was just too tired yesterday. Not your normal, "I'm a mom of two kids and I chase them around all day while attempting to pick up my house and run errands and volunteer for some church groups and work from home" tired either. Sheesh. I need a nap after just reading that.

No, I was tired because of the late night we had. The power went out sometime around 1 am on Monday morning, and we knew the house would be coooooold. Michaela Byrd's room is already chilly, so she was dressed in about 64 layers, along with three or 4 blankets we added. Unfortunately, Natalie has some sort of inner nightlight alarm. When her nightlight went out, she woke up and freaked out. In a rare display of utter stupidity, we stuck her in our bed before she could wake up Michaela Byrd. This was the first, and last time she has ever *slept* in our bed.

She sniffled for a minute before T turned the lantern off. As the light dimmed, I saw a tiny smirk cross her face. She sighed a long fake sigh, the kind a cartoon character makes as he nods off to sleep. One of those.

Then I heard, "Heh Heh Heh," and I knew we were in for a long night.

She jammed her bony little knees into my back for awhile, then sighed and sat up. T told her to lay back down, so she did, draping her arm across my face; then she played with my hair for awhile. Her complaints about being hot sent T over the edge and he issued an edict that she return immediately to her room.

I led a very teary three year old through the darkness, back to her own bed. I pulled up her shade and showed her how the snow made the sky glow. She settled in bed and went to sleep with her music (if you have a baby or toddler or preschooler who likes to self-soothe, I can't say enough good things about this product!).


The power came back on around 5:30 or so in the morning. Thus the fatigue I felt Monday. Here are some pictures from our day in the snow!



















{Winter fairyland! Tree in our front yard}

{Took the girls out to T's parents' house in the "country." Natalie's very first sled ride!}























{T borrowed this hat from Anna Karenina. Not really. His dad made that hat. He's a real SurvivorMan. T forgot his hat, so Pop let him borrow one.}



















{Zoe belongs to T's parents, and she is wild! She had the best time chasing Natalie and Pop down the hill. She made a great game of ripping Natalie's hat off as the sled would go sailing past}























{First solo flight. Now I know how the Wright brothers felt!}




















{Trekking back up the hill}























{Michaela Byrd kept saying "Go-go, Go-go," so T took her on one ride. That is all. She wasn't thrilled.}

The Gourmet {2}

Tepid Review of Dining at La Maison en Désordre
by Michaela Byrd, age 13 1/2 months


When I'm in the area, I dine at La Maison en Désordre on L Avenue. This is more out of necessity than enjoyment. The fare is mediocre, at best. The establishment is tucked away on a busy street, and the noise of passing cars is frequently muffled by the dull roar going on inside the dining room. I always request the best seat in the house, and because of my status as a world renowned food critic, I always get that seat...in front of the window, the place to be seen and heard. It's cushy and, well, high. It affords the diner a superior view of the restaurant. A small, fluffy dog lends a European flair to a dining area otherwise devoid of any charm.
I'll start with the positive. La Maison features live entertainment. There. They have entertainment. I didn't say it was good entertainment. Miss Nollie provides song and dance routines during the first course. Her repertoire consists of bouncing dance moves and tunes like "Jingle Bells" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Riveting.


During my most recent dining experience, the chef (who is a lovely woman) tried to pass a mess of peas off as a gourmet meal. Imagine that! I politely let her know that the disgusting green concoction on my tray (this 'Burg hot spot has trays!) was not the lobster bisque I requested.


After a lengthy argument, she returned with a pleasing dish that I've never sampled before. Some sort of turkey rolled into a pocket with a real pop of flavor inside. The flavor was familiar somehow, but I just couldn't place it.


A glass of Sauvignon Blanc would have been the perfect pairing with this acceptable meal, but the chef presented me with whole milk instead. I was unimpressed.


Overall, I give La Maison en Désordre two stars for their creativity with the turkey dish. I would consider returning again if the chef would agree to prepare my meal in a timely manner and serve more than two courses. Really. Are we barbarians? The next thing you know, I'll be expected to resort to eating with my hands. Ahem.


{Editor's Note: When interviewed, the head chef claimed that the reviewer's screaming was distracting to the other diners. "Multiple attempts to satisfy Miss T were made, but her palate is obviously too sophisticated for our menu." she reported. "The turkey pockets were really just a slice of turkey wrapped around some peas. Miss T didn't seem to notice."}





















You expect me to eat this filth?

Stop the Presses!

I have exciting news, ya'll! I know I said I don't normally blog on Sundays, but some things must be blogged right away. ;)

If I didn't already have enough fabulous blogs to read, my sister Alison, just started her own blog in honor of her 26th birthday! I know what you're thinking...

"Amanda, how can your younger sister be turning twenty-six, when you are only twenty-faux?"

I know, I know. I've been twenty-faux for a few years now, and I'm not sure when I stopped having birthdays. I don't know where they went. We still celebrate, of course, and I get cake (always cake!) and presents, but I just am not getting older. It's wonderful, really.

But that's another blog post, entirely.

The main thing is, that even though my sister beat me up and bossed me and messed my stuff up and told on me that one time I came home drunk and annoyed me, she really turned out pretty well. I'm surprised. I thought she'd be a dictator of a small island country by now. Eh, I guess she got side-tracked. She is better than me at just about everything (except whining...one day I will blog about the Great Whine of 1995-it was my best one). So she is guaranteed to be better than me at blogging. See my logic? If you like what you're reading here, you'll love her blog. She's witty and honest and silly. I am also envious of her nice, smooth (unfrizzy!) hair. The title of her blog will make you smile...she is forever in search of the perfect stylist, and they always (so she claims!) let her down. I just hope she remembers to write!

Enjoy, and be sure to tell her I sent you! (Ya'll come back now, ya hear?)