Written by admin on May 13th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
I haven’t been exactly where I want to be lately. I don’t mean physically, or even emotionally- but mentally? Mentally I think I’ve been a little checked-out. I haven’t finished a drawing in at least a week, but I’m pretty sure we’re nearing two. I haven’t finished any of the number of projects (including 2 drawings) I’m in the middle of, or been able to consistently keep the kitchen sink dish-free. Some people know how much a dish-filled sink gets under my skin.
But today I am counting my chickens before they hatch and I’m loving it. I’m being happy with what I expect to have and see and find. I’m being positive and that feels good. I’m refreshing my RAM.
I am organizing my life with ridiculous tags like, ‘on campus, at movies, under a bench’ and it makes a lot more sense.
In just over half an hour I’ll have my third and-a-half Mother’s Day. Third-and-a-half because I count the one when I was pregnant, some people don’t. Trust me- for those who have that special, only-I-know-you first Mother’s Day (and you may not, depending on when your journey begins) it is special. Very special. You know in another year, this little mystery person will be revealed and by then you will be so in love you’ll never remember a time they were not in your life.
I’m loving this weekend, and it has nothing to do with tomorrow.
Well, maybe not nothing. (You’re it).
It’s been a bright, sunshiney weekend with cool breezes and smiley faces.
And guitars. And Avengers School. And Avengers School dropouts.
And statues you are just afraid enough of, and adventures you can only have with your big brothers.
And flowers to get lost in.
Pictures to color with daddy, and desks you put together with mommy.
And in five minutes, bedtime.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Written by admin on May 4th, 2012 at 1:41 am
May has come to play with us. Angel and I started the month by heading out for a morning bike ride. While I strapped my new wicker bicycle basket to the front of my cruiser and pulled out the trailer Angel headed around to the side of the house to hang out on the storage bench and chew his gum. He loves gum, and he loves that bench.
We were asked to wait and enjoy company, so we rode in circles and up and down our street for a while. Mommy got pretty warm, so we took a break and had a Kool-Aid while we waited patiently for daddy to patch his rear bike tire.
Unfortunately some lining came off of the bicycle wheel and so we switched gears (haha- gears) and made a car trip out of it. We bought coloring books, board books and went to see fish, hamsters and chinchillas.
And then we bravely headed over to a childrens salon and Angel fought and screamed his way through a shampoo (he hates when his ears get wet), condition and cut. Sigh. I was not thrilled with how his hair came out. If you confirm three times that the bangs should touch the eyebrows, you expect the bangs to, you know, touch the eyebrows. 
I was very sad in my disappointment. Not only did my sweet boy cry throughout the experience, but none of us liked his haircut. I have done a much, much better job cutting it myself and it does not cost us any money. The only reason I took him in for a cut was because he is so sad when I cut it, I thought maybe a fun place might make it easier on him.
Kevin talked me through it, though. My baby is still beautiful, and as long as his awkwardly-short bangs are off of his forehead he looks like Angel to me.
From the salon we went to tackle another issue- getting my little Bug new shoes. We have made efforts at this, but he is opposed to even having his feet measured so it has been a difficult endeavor. After enjoying circumventing our best efforts to try shoes on him we ended up taking him out in his stocking-feet with a new pair of shoes identical to his last pair except a size and a half larger.
He was wise to our trick and spent a good deal of time telling us he was not goh’n wear new shoes and he wanted HIS shoes back. Eventually we ‘found’ ‘his’ shoes in the car and he reluctantly put them on as we agreed we would have ice cream.
or… frozen yogurt. But he is my son, and it’s all the same to us. This was the best cup of frozen yogurt I’ve had- pink grapefruit fro-yo with popping boba, blackberries and a side of crushed peanut butter cups for the serious indulgence. Yes.
I’m enjoying the warmer weather. Not too sure how cheery it will feel in a month, but for now, we’re happy.
Written by admin on April 27th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
I’m not too much for Hershey’s chocolate. In fact, I kind of wish all chocolate was like Hershey’s chocolate. I’d be a lot thinner.
But the commercials for Hershey’s Air Delights bug me even though I don’t really buy their products in the first place. How can injecting air into milk cocolate make it somehow taste better? Presumably Hershey’s milk chocolate is Hershey’s milk chocolate, no? It doesn’t change the flavor and presumably only does little to change the texture. It’s been bugging me. A lot. So much that when someone came pounding on our front door one morning this week, ringing the bell in rapid-fire succession, not even letting a ring end before they punched the button again, working the two giant dogs into a frenzy (FOOOOOOD, MOM! Opne up! There’s foood!) and a note was discovered (they were already in their truck by the time I got to the door) and Kevin needed to go to the corner store to retreive his wallet I stopped him and made a request- a regular Hershey’s, and an Air Delights. Angel and I were going to taste test.
So after his mid-afternoon nap, hair-crazed and food-stained, I plopped Angel up on the counter and his little face lit up when he saw what we were up to.
We unwrapped both bars carefully and each popped off a sample piece. Angel gave his much time and consideration, moving the pieces around in his mouth and enjoying them without bias.
Justified as always, there was no real difference. To me, Hershey’s bars kind of feel like soft wet chalk on the teeth. Creamy chalk, but chalk nonetheless. Not really a great experience, but the Air Delights bar was somehow… kind of… crumbly? It did not crumble, but it felt crumbly when I bit into it. Angel happilly ate the entire regular Hershey bar but did not ask for another piece of the Air Delight (not sure why, I’m not going to complain if he doesn’t eat gobs of junk food).
It is definitely not the sweet adult-geared indulgence the commercials try to make it out to be. I can’t see myself ever buying another one.
Written by admin on April 21st, 2012 at 12:33 pm
It’s finished. In the last 4 weeks Echoia.com has been redesigned, rescripted, replanned and relocated. And now, rereleased.
After working myself crazy writing 3 image gallery scripts the last thing I wanted to do was toil away at the little things. The hardest part for me is always the details. Ideas I’m pretty great at. I can even start the ball rolling and run away with it- but when I see myself reaching the top of that hill? I start to balk at the downslope. What’s that? Customized comment forms?
When I declared it done I smiled to myself and joyously declared, “I can take a design break!” Then I promptly drew a cartoon version of my son in Vector as practice for the children’s book I hope to start writing this year. He is definitely a huge inspiration for the character’s physical appearance.
And an inspiration for life. To stop, grab a spoon, and eat cupcakes from jars sent to us by amazing people. Or to choose matching Phineas & Ferb tattoos (he picked Perry, I picked the girl with the black hair and the pink bow).
But the NEXT day I took off. I lazed, I shopped, I had a Wendy’s baked potato, side salad and some sort of berry tea that was not worth my $2. Or Kevin’s $2 since he paid for it. I had high hopes for that tea.
I painted my toenails.
I took a hot bath.
I wrote this blog entry. I planned the next (arty, crafty, custom picture frames! GET EXCITED!)
I planned my attack plan for cleaning my admittedly-neglected house. Planned all the things I’m going to bake. The bike rides I’m going to ride. The spring rolls I’m going to enjoy. The sushi gift card I’m going to tap out.
Did you know how quick and easy fresh pita is to make? Well, not ‘quick’ exactly, you do have to exert yourself to stir together ingredients the night before, but boy when it comes out of the oven, step back. I’m feeling very content.
Hopefully this weekend our planter will be set out and our veggie garden transplanted.
Hey, cupcakes aren’t the only delicious things that come in jars. Though cupcake and cookie plants would probably encourage more Americans to grow their own food ; )
It’s good to be back.
Written by admin on January 3rd, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Written by admin on December 28th, 2011 at 3:39 am
I’ve decided to not worry myself over finishing my biking this month. I’ve biked more than I’ve tracked, but for Christmas I was gifted a new Nikon D90 and am finally able to process my NEF images again, so I will probably be pouring a lot of my free time into relearning some photography for a while. Also my beautiful darling Angel received so many gifts for Christmas, and we are spending a good deal of time painting, play-dohing, markering and imagining.
Eventually Juan started buzzing Ethan. We’re going to try taking him to this new place though. If they mess it up, guess we’ll be buzzing it again. However, I think Angel looks adorable. Even Juan decided to be nosy and poked his head over here and asked ‘Is that Angel? He’s so cute!’ 
I haven’t even examined it again in sunlight, so I’m afraid there may still be traces. I definitely can’t recommend it : )
This post made me smile.
Is that the oldest playing guitar? I don’t think I’ve ever seen his photo before. Anyway, the boys are adorable. Hope you had a great Mother’s Day, friend.
No, it was just a student on campus. LK is in a few photos on FB, he tends to glare at me when I take his picture, and on this particular day he was carrying around this ridiculously large soda and any photos it was in I nixed : / Isaac had one too but kept setting it down, so photos he’s not holding it in made it.