What a Nice Niece!

Ever have one of those days where you just miss your niece? Yeah... I have them a lot. I got to spend the whole day with her yesterday!!

So today was brutal. Knowing all that cuteness was being hogged by her mommy. Selfish sister. Naughty chess-winning sister. Uber-cute-baby-having sister. If only I were better at scooping up the camera instead of the niece, you all could see how stunningly cute she is.

It must be brutal for you. Knowing all that cuteness is out there, but it's being hogged by me. Selfish Susie. Naughty chess-losing Susie. Uber-non-picture-taking Susie. If Melanie just weren't so distractingly cute, maybe I'd remember cameras exist.

It must be brutal for her. Being so cute and hogging it all to herself. Selfish sweety. Chess-piece-slobbering on bugface. Darling goldfish-drooling baby. Uber-huge-stride-taking-wobble-walking duckie. If only you weren't so absurdly cute maybe I would be getting something done instead of blogging about you.

COME BACK HERE YOU MELANIE!

It's Like Talking to a 3 Year Old

Enjoy these quotes and conversations from Clark.

A conversation on the way back from my parents' house. Thankfully, it's a short drive ;)

"I was yellin' at Aunt Bee and she was sayin' "no" to me."

"Why were you yelling? Why was she saying "no?"

"Cause I couldn't have that thing and I was telling her "NO! Don't say 'no' to me Aunt Bee!"

"Y'know, God wants us to get along with each other and be kind to each other. It's not very kind to be yelling and fighting."

"Yeah and Aunt Bee shouldn't have been yelling at me and saying no to me."

"Clark, you shouldn't have been yelling at Aunt Bee. You need to be kind and sweet. It makes God sad when we're rude to people and we want to make him happy by being kind."

"Yeah."

"Are you sorry you weren't kind to Aunt Bee?"

"No. Just that she was sayin' no to me. And she shouldn't do that and I was tellin' her "NO! DON'T YOU SAY 'NO' TO ME, AUNT BEE!"

"Okay, enough."

Various and random quotes.

"Hey, come here and put my jacket on me you woman!"

"Happy birthday you old man!"

"Yeah, I've been tootin' up a STORM!"

"Tell mom not to say no to me Dad."

"I need more syrup. I don't see any on my plate."

"Okay, I suppose you can give me my truck now Hannah."

"Can I give this toy to Hannah?" (interpret as "can I go take Hannah's toy?)

"No sank you. I just did/had one."

"Okay, I ______... can I go see Grandma now?" This is especially funny when I've already said for the 10th time that we are not going to see grandma today and he repeats it after each and everthing he does. I ate my carrot... I found my shoes... I went potty... I picked up that toy... etc. It's extra cute because whenever he says the "can I go see Grandma now" part, he does a little hop and tilts his head and just holds it there looking up with this goofy expression on his face waiting for a YES! LET'S DROP EVERYTHING AND GO SEE GRANDMA! Someday, I'm going to do it just because I think his joy and rapture would be uncontained.

Another conversation

"Can I help you water those plants?"

"Nope, sorry. We tried that and got water all over the place. I think that will be a 5-year old job."

"Then can I water those plants?"

"Yes, when you're 5. Right now you're 3 years old. When you're a 5-year old, it will be your job."

"I'm a 3 year old. Then can I water those plants?"

"When you're 5. Then you may. But not 'til then."

"Okay, when I ten. Ten I water those plants. But not 'til 10."

"or 5..."

And a song

Remember "concrete girl" by Switchfoot? Clark sings it a lot now and was singing it while playing outside. Until he saw a squirrel. It received a lovely serenade, his concrete squirrell. "Concrete squirrel, don't fall down in this broken world, my concrete squirrel. Don't be robbin' you concrete squirrel."

Design Style

Okay, taking quizzes and posting them isn't exactly my style, but...
... I thought you might all be interested in what a magazine designed to appeal to the uber-organized and orderly folks like Emily (http://langness.blogspot.com/) has to say to a misfit like me!

Here is the quiz if you want to take it yourself. http://www.homegoods.com/hghq_quiz.asp It says the same thing to everybody really. If you are organizationally challenged and forget to do laundry until you finally end up going to the grocery store in a formal because that's all you had left that was clean... you, like me, might be amused when you get a result saying "you value order."

Okay, so I'm a "Bohemian Eclectic." Just so happens that I DO happen to actually be Bohemian! and we all know I'm eclectic. Good job quiz!

Here is how I'm defined... with my notes in parenthesis.

You have wide-ranging interests (that all take precidence over cleaning) and influences (named Clark and Hank) and so appreciate a mix of styles (of clothes laying on the floor), cultures (of bacteria), periods, and objects (toys... I get them from my influences). You would never use (afford) a matching suite of furniture (and when you finally do, you would buy stupid papasans, that not only break in 3 months, but aren't comfortable ... but don't they look nice?) or want a home that seemed cookie-cutter (unless cookie cutter becomes one of my wide-ranging interests I guess...). You have an artist's eye (or lack thereof) that enables you to mix the old or the unusual with the new and modern (or just appreciate the beauty of bare white walls). When traveling (by stroller...), you seek out unique objects (weeds) that reflect what you love (weeds), and you use them in a sophisticated way (eat them). Your home is visually intriguing and comfortable (I think so!), with a delightful mix of cozy chairs (back-crippling papasans, the perfect antique rocker and my old office chair from Compassion!!), ethnic fabrics, elegant pieces (Hank), hand-made items (tissues the kids used once and then threw on the floor), even a little touch of quirk or humor (I've always thought of Ian as a big comfy piece of furniture laying on the floor. I think the rest of the furniture actually moves around a little more frequently!), all of which gives your place a laid-back, Bohemian feel.

You value order (no, but I value it looking like I do... ). You feel happiest if your home is well organized (Just not the closets and anything else you have to open to look into. I like those to explode at me when I peek in). You understand that when your house is in order, your mind feels clearer. (unless I concentrate and inhale too much cleaner...) Rather than a lot of meaningless objects or overly-designed items, you are happier with a few well-placed things. (like that toy RIGHT on the last step...) Your home is your respite from a busy life. (are you assuming I have one?... you nice magazine.) Try to avoid letting things into your home that you don't really love. (and maybe turning on the porch light for the ones you do ;))

okay, I joke a lot about being messy. And I am, deep down. But I do have a clean, cute, tidy living space.
It's mostly my beautiful home's fault. It's extremly special and cute to begin with. Especially to me and I'm so blessed to be living here. I want to keep it super clean just becuase I'm so thankful that at least for a season, it is mine. sighs. Don't open any closets, end tables, trunks, garage doors, or cabinets though. They take the brunt of my lack of organizational talents and are all defensive tackles ready to stop any attemp to get anything else past them :)

YUMMM!!!!!

"Steaks and stroganoff have driven me away.

Had my mother cooked spaghetti squash, I'd have opted to stay."

-not old german folk song

It Started With Lo

When Laura and I were young, we bit our finger nails. I really enjoyed biting mine... not nearly so much as she enjoyed biting hers... but it was fun. We both used to grow ours out just for a nice, SATISFYING nail-bite.

She took it to a whole new level when she started eyeballing mom's fingernails ("unbitten territory!!!") and would try to bite them. She was in her teens...

She left levels behind when she started using fake nails just so she wouldn't have to grow her own out for a satisfying bite.

Somewhere, somehow, Brenda (littlest sister...) picked it up. Can't think of where she might have learned this habit since Laura was still living there... hmmm...

Now Clark is biting his nails. ...I'm assuming because Aunt Bee does all the time and everything is y'know... always her fault ;p

And now, Hank, in an effort to be like her big brother, is pretending to bite her nails. She doesn't really get it quite yet. But she does enjoy snacking on mine.

THANKS A LOT LO! You should be banished from impressionable young children for the rest of your days!

If you need someone to watch Mel while you work on your disgusting habit, I'm here for you!!!! Who wouldn't be!?!?

A Few of My Favorite (and Least Favorite) Things

Like: Nap Time
Dislike: People "opting out" of naptime
Happy Compromise: Kids in bed by 8

Like: Eating watermelons by myself (I read a food-combining rule that melons should always be eaten "alone")
Dislike: Seeding watermelons
Happy Compromise: Those seeds were quite crunchy and tasty! Now you all know how this happened... http://campbellschunkysoup.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html#7780908602773186845

Like: The satisfaction of eating the WHOLE melon! (it was a personal melon...)
Dislike: Fruitflies

Like: Killing fruitflies
Dislike: Being unable to catch them... even though they are right in my face... trying to get to all the melon juice covering my chin and arms.

Like: Working up a sweat to discourage the fruitflies from being my visual aura.
Dislike: Houseflies

Like: Killing houseflies (or should I say houseWIFE flies?)
Dislike: They won't LAND!

Like: Long showers! With happy fruity scented shampoos and lotions!!!
Dislike: Fruit flies.

Lending a Housekeeping Han

There are way too many words, so unless you know HER... you'll never know. All I know is that life is beautiful just because she is in it. She is the sweetest, most lovely, joyful, obedient, trusting, most special person I've ever met and I can't believe she is my beautiful little girl! We named her well when we named her Happy Hannah! My little Hankie-pie. If you have a single flaw, or have ever had a less than lovely moment, you've never let me in on the secret.

"OOH! It makes noise!
...I think even more noise than yours!"

"My own apron? In my size!?!? YOU'RE KIDDING!"