it could be worse

There have been a few (or maybe more than a few) times recently that I have caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror and have been horrified by the puffy and almost unrecognizable reflection staring back at me. Luckily, I came across this little emerald that made me realize that things could be worse in the looks department. Its funny now but at the time my grandma was ready to file for a divorce from my grandpa (at the time retired orthodontist) for installing (installing/hammering with no mercy) an expansion plate to open up my jaw "just a little bit". Because it happened so gradually, I didn't see what the big deal was until every other person commented on how unfortunate it was that I had lost my two front teeth at the same time. I kept frustratingly correcting them and explaining that these WERE my two front teeth and that I was just undergoing the beginning stages of orthodontia. Clearly we turned the key that expanded the tool/my mouth a few too many times as not only did my jaw expand but my two front teeth, my nose and my entire face took part in the fun as well. I remember trying to blow out the birthday candles on a cake that summer and being really frustrated at how ineffective I was at the task.
Anyway-here is the photographic evidence. Yes those are my two FRONT teeth and yes they did eventually grow back together and no divorce proceedings were necessary.

simon says again

We were headed out the door for a quick walk around the park when Simon said:

"I can't go out in this--I'm wearing green on green"

(please note the outfit--I hope the camera and your computer lighting cooperate)

rice, fried

Simon and I went to a fancier than your average chinese restaurant for my birthday the other night and had some leftovers that needed to be consumed but were missing their best friend in crime: fried rice. (run-on sentence who?). This recipe can be changed up according to your vegetable likes and dislikes of course.

For two hungry persons:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of dry long grain rice
1 cup of chicken broth or water
a few shakes of salt
a generous pour of oil
1/2-3/4 cup of vegetables (we like bell peppers, onions, asparagus, sugar snap peas and yellow squash)
1 egg
a generous pour of soy sauce

pour the rice and the broth/water into a medium-sized sauce pan. Bring the water/broth to a roaring boil and then turn the burner down to medium-lowish and cover for about 9 minutes. Saute the vegetables in the oil-if you are using onions-begin with those. Once the vegetables have taken on a pretty brown color, crack the egg over them and stir quickly so that the egg scrambles and meshes nicely with its new pan mates. The rice should be nice and fluffy and soft by now so you can just dump the rice into the saute pan and stir around. Turn the heat way down/off and pour the soy sauce over everything that has been sufficiently fried.

Serve and enjoy.

so, like, what do you DO all day?

someone recently asked me.

I do lots of important, important things of course. But the other day it was what I didn't do that was important. Simon very kindly took it upon himself to clean out the six loosely organized junk drawers in our kitchen. The junk ranged from our marriage certificate to felt Christmas gift card holders to electronic cords galore to tape measureS (multiple) to lots of exciting other things..most of which ended up in the trash (not the marriage certificate or the tape measures--fear not). Simon got a little tuckered out during the cleaning and needed a little nap break whilst he was organizing away. I managed to get these during nap time.





***maybe the most unexciting post of all time here at Camp Patton? well..its Saturday and you should be outside enjoying the sunshine anyway.

there is a difference

lose vs. loose

their vs. they're vs. there

defiantly vs. definitely

separately vs. seperetely(hint:isnotaword)

the tangible

I remember a time not so long ago when Simon's family was teasing their mom for her enthusiasm and excitement for those magical moments on Mondays-Saturdays when the snail mail would arrive. I can't make too much fun because I have found myself getting equally excited for the daily arrival of the mailman this summer. I'm sure he doesn't, but if the mailman were to care and study the (disappointing) contents of our mail yesterday--I wonder what he would've thought about the inhabitants of our little house.

We received:
a Pottery Barn catalog (exciting enough)
an invitation to try out some new dermatological wonders to enhance aging skin
an advertisement for a photography studio that specializes in baby photos
a box of formula samples
and an invitation to take part in a chlamydia study

all shapes and sizes reigning supreme here.

and on an equally unexciting note--we are off to once again see the New Mexican wizard today. A family friendly car and sewing machine awaits us!

29 weeks pregnant

I'm a little behind but trying to catch up. 30 weeks is justaroundthebend!!!

and no, I am not taking these with the self timer on the camera while Simon is off doing more important things.

confused glare at computer screen

Week 29 Pregnancy Tip: Counting Baby's Kicks

Have you counted your baby's kicks today? no

Once you've passed week 28, you should be counting them every day. vvvhat.

To make sure that you do — and to make sure that everything's A-OK in your belly — make a habit of counting your baby's kicks twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.
Best to do your counting lying down (since babies are more likely to kick up when Mom's lying down — a pattern they tend to continue after they're born). If you can't lie down, sit. Count any and all movements (even swishes and rolls) until you hit ten. If you haven't reached ten within an hour (your little Rockette may just be on her break right now), have a light snack and try again — that blood-sugar rush is likely to get baby on the move again. andd--if after the torturous hour ten movements haven't been reached--then what?

Just remember that fewer than ten movements within two hours warrants a call to your practitioner. Chances are everything's fine, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. and I'm sure she would love that. "Oh, hello practitioner--I haven't felt the normal ten kicks in the past hour..panicpanicpanicpanicpanic"

I'm no pregnancy guru but this was the first I had heard of the kick counting exercise. It seems like a lot of unnecessary stress-inducing nonsense to me. I think I'll just trust that my 'little rockette' is getting in her recommended daily kick quota on her own.

and in a follow up to the recent "Simon Also Says" post--

I just was asked by Simon:

"would you ever want to go to a dump with me??"

My polite answer was..."no, thank you"

x pounds over the high end of your target weight gain for 29 weeks pregnant

The other night I had a brief meeting with brilliance. With my birthday looming around the bend and my stomach grumbling for some sweet treats, I googled birthday clubs and signed up for as many as I could find. My heart rate skyrocketed as I feverishly click clacked away thinking of all the heavenly goodness coming my way for free. Bonus: certain birthday clubs even send coupons as a thank you for signing UP for their birthday club (coupons taken advantage of that night--worry not). To my salivary glands' delight-the real birthday email coupons have started pouring in. I will be enjoying a slew of ice cream cones and doughnuts beginning today and ending in about three weeks.



I think Simon's new birthday will have to be in three weeks and one day.

**I promise the posts will maybe not be SO saturated with baby and food talk--some day soon. Maybe.

also coming in October

facebook on the big screen

28 weeks along

why so fancy?

I've seen some chatter about these on mom blogs...with mixed reviews. My opinion lies somewhere in between indifference and dislike.

As with many other things, maybe my tune will change when I have a baby. The white diapers just might get too boring and a little variety might be welcomed at some point.



DIFFERENT STORY WITH THESE:



As always, I don't ride a high fashion horse but Simon and I saw these at Target last night and couldn't believe our fingertips. (well, I couldn't believe my fingertips....he couldn't believe how long it was taking for us to leave the premises) They looked like skinny jeans with their waistband and seams but they were a cruel optical illusion. And..I am curious as to who would look good in them. I can say with absolute, absolute certainty: not I.

Emily

(thank you facebook and my shameless creeper self for this photo)

I love this photo. Her romper, her shades, her location, her smile and I envy her flat stomach.

names

the namegame is getting hot and heated over at camp patton. We can't seem to find the perfect name for the little lady. Luckily, I did come across some interesting names in Gone with the Wind recently:

She was named Ella Lorena, Ella for her grandmother Ellen, and Lorena because it was the most fashionable name of the day for girls, even as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were popular for boys and Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation for negro children.

Simon Also Says

(while passing a landfill along the highway)
"dumps really interest me"
(we didn't dive deeper into this subject so take that as you will)


(the following said twice now)
"haha I picked up YOUR khaki shorts thinking they were mine"
yes, haha.

(while observing a 4th of July parade in which the grand marshall was a 93 year old in a wheelchair and there were more animals (toy and living) than humans marching)
"this is the most drunk I've ever felt sober"

your lucky day!

mini-recipe to feast on in the near future:

(pre-pregnancy tasted just as good)

ingredients:

pizza (all shapes and sizes)
jam/jelly (barring the apricot or peach variety)


spread jam/jelly generously on pizza slice and eat hungrily.

delicious each and every time.

"God's Nightgown"

and that's all I've got today. I couldn't help but indulge in a little literal LOL when I first read this expression in Gone with the Wind.

preferred flavors du jour

not easily procured in Wichita but thoroughly enjoyed in New Mexico:


I know. I know. Super cliche. Who doesn't love Starbucks? But I think I might sinfully covet the iced lattes and drool like a canine whenever I sense that I am within 3 miles of a bucks establishment.


(taking a break from the edibles for the briefest of seconds) -- new fave moisturizer. Economical, seasonal and smells really, really, really good.


Can't put this sucker down. A definite must-read.


You will never go back to plain old peanut butter again. Heaven in a jar. Alone on a large spoon or accompanied by bread, banana, or alone on another large spoon...


and another flavor that refuses to go away. the pregnancy tribal paint that seems to have found a cozy home on my cheeks. No amount of scrubbing, sunscreening, or cloroxing will get rid of these disgusting new inhabitants. Halloween just might have to come early and stay late this year for Grace.
not even kind of joking.

twenty seven weeks

still an eternity to go.

winter challenge

for the challenge 'tails click here

day one

~~~

professor meets equestrian meets mom

blazer: Ann Tayor (geriatric, not Loft), sweater: Gap via Goodwill, turtleneck: Target, pants: Target, boots: Famous Footwear, Scarf: Target

I forgot I had this gem of a velvet blazer in my small stash of formerly necessary, no longer needed but not getting rid of professional clothing. I think it clashes nicely with my stop sign red pants (that are just tight enough so that you can probably perfectly make out my knee hair that I haven't shaved in six-eight months).  This outfit makes zero sense in my line of work but I'm pretty sure my kids took me more seriously in my authoritative getup. 

Giddy up.

day two

~~~

cardigan: Target, turtleneck: H&M, pants: altered Banana Republic, wedges: Target, scarf: H&M, watch: Target

I was originally going to wear all black but then I thought I'd spice things up a bit by wearing um .. all neutral/split pea soup/sand/grey/no colors at all. The scarf acted nicely as a spit up stain cover up, the pants were high-waisted like mom pants should be, Julia removed and hid my watch 45 times, and the shoes were impractical. Your basic recipe for Monday success.

day three

~~~

button up: Polo outlet, v-neck: Gap, wides: H&M, booties (hidden by wides): Target

What is the trend here? All I see is a mediocre outfit that I definitely wore in middle school and will rock again as a middle aged mom.
Wide legs (!) and I even cashed in my crazy ticket and tucked in my sweater (!!).  Who knows, tomorrow I might get really bold and highlight my teeth (!!!). A little pop of neon might do me good.

day four

feebly attempting to channel Emerson

very naturally sitting on the two inches of window ledge. so Emerson.
turtleneck: H&M, jegs: Target, shoes: Target

Emerson, if you're reading this (very likely) ... don't be too insulted. Obviously not winning any points for channeling or emulating here, unless you count cuffing my spandex. Em seems to love a good cropped pant paired with a turtleneck so I followed suit sort of ... somewhat unsuccessfully. And my hair looks unkempt, not effortless like hers always does. And the wedges are purely for looks, I have to confess. This is what I looked like 3 seconds post shoot:

 I won't take the blame for Julia's ensemble (or her fake smile). That was alllll her doing.
I'm sure my idol, Suri, would not approve.
(I will take the cred for Sebastian's look of glee ... what a ham.)


day five

---

button up small stripe: Jcrew outlet, large stripe: Old Navy, jeans: Banana Republic (altered), boot ease: Target

Yawn. This outfit may appear boring, predictable, and tired to the general public but in our house it was big news. Julia took one look and started chanting, "kee" (her syllable for everything: banana, no, cheerios, chocolate, orange peel, go away I'm eating some lint ... etc) over and over and Sebastian stared and nose dove right on into the getup like a kamikaze moth to a burning flame. 
(photo below proves there are two patterns mixed ... albeit minor)

Open to Interpretation

I'm branching out on a crazy limb today...I'm getting dressed.  Many thanks to Kayla for the inspiration.


I'm about as literal as they come and had grand plans to cut and paste this exact outfit right onto my bod but an ugly little reality called ... postpartum body casualty ... got very much in the way and I looked like a stuffed sausage busting at the casing.
Not pretty ... very, very ugly.
So ... this is my compromise.

khaki shirt: the Goodwill, navy sweater Gap via the Goodwill, reds: Target, boots (withnofurrrrr): Target, hair: sockbun leftovers (new fave ... the bun is ugly but the curls are nice)

fa la la la la
~~~

where's waldo?

and Happy Fourth of July to my four pretty followers!

trooth schmooth

the other night, after a little trip up the mountain on the tram, Simon, my brother Peter (12), my sister Sarah (11) and I were getting ready to put some frozen pizza in the oven.

Peter: Grace, what kind of crust would you like? thick or thin?

Grace: Oh, whatever you want Peter

Sarah (in a softer voice to Peter but not out of my hearing range): Peter, she is pretty big--probably thick crust for her.

Grace:



end.

Cliff Jumping in the Jemez

backpacks on back:

check.

pretty hike to the sight:

check.

water shoes securely velcroed for the forging of the creek:

check.

Huckleberry Finn attempting to spear minnows:

check.

mint oreos for the jumpers:

check.

jumping


check, check.

In-laws

Some of my siblings and Simon (and I trailed behind) on a little trip in search of some diet dr. pepper cherry for the baby.