worth my weight in gold

and I am quite sure I would be RICH.  However, worth my weight in chocolate and I am still RICH, just not the desirous kind of RICH.

Because ... this weekend I believe I ate my weight in chocolate covered almonds.  At least.  I have been trying to eat more nuts -- the healthy fat group -- almonds, pistachios, walnuts.  I am not sure why I chose nuts as my target food group, but there you have it... I chose nuts.  Although, I am quite confident that my dietician/nutritionist (IF I had one) would not agree to the nuts being smothered in a thick, yummy, coating of milk chocolate or dark chocolate.   And I did get my quota of healthy fats met, as well as my quota of unhealthy fats for the ENTIRE month!!

So for the next three days or three months ... no nuts.  Which won't be too impossible considering I spent a good portion of the weekend being ill from ingesting too many chocolate covered almonds.  I almost wish I was having a colonoscopy next week. 

Meanwhile ... the rest of the weekend went something like this ... 

Daughter:  "Mommy, do you think her family likes OKRA?"
Me:  "I suppose."  (Who is she talking about?)
Daughter:  "Do you think they grow OKRA in their backyard like we do?"
Me:  "Probably."  (Who?)
Daughter:  "I said, DO THEY GROW OKRA OR NOT?"
Me:  "Who?"
Daughter:  "OKRA."
Me:  "What are you talking about?"
Daughter:  "You know, that lady on tv."
Me:  "HUH?"
Daughter:  "OKRA WINFREY."

My daughter wants to know why OKRA WINFREY is named after a vegetable.  I smiled because after all isn't OKRA WINFREY from Mississippi??
{I believe that Oprah's parents who claimed to have made a spelling error and meant to name her Orpah is another mistake, I believe my daughter is correct, they meant to name her OKRA.}

Soccer season has begun.  Let me tell you this is one soccer mom who is excited for this season.  But not nearly as excited as the soccer mom who was on the field this morning giving countless directives and competitives.  And it was only practice.  This is going to be a great season... must remember to sit next to that soccer mom so my cheers will be overshouted. 

Have I mentioned that I have a new obsession?  Yes.  It's name is _______.
 
Me:  "I think we should travel to _______."
Me:  "Oh, and adopt a child as long as we are there."
Him:  "WHAT?"
Me:  "I think we should travel ..."
Him:  he interrupts, "I heard you, I just wasn't sure if you were kidding or not."
Me:  "No, not kidding.  No fake laugh."
Him:  "What is this about?"
Me:  "Well, since you are not in favor of getting a puppy from the humane society  -- I thought maybe a child from X?!"
Him:  "That is not even the same thing.  Where are you from?"


Well I passively mentioned my plan to my husband, only because I felt that he should be forewarned before the social worker arrives to do our homestudy. I would really not be happy if he blew the homestudy by feigning SURPRISE!!

I was thinking how nice number 4 would be as an addition to our fun!

And the last part of our weekend, oh how I hated to end the fun we were having....
I was thinking about curb appeal.  And indoor appeal.  Details that make a home.  Not just a house.
I need some ideas.  My big time consuming focus is on a sliding glass door.
What do you do to cover a sliding glass door?

Here's the requirements:
1.  I need sun blocking from 7am to 11am.
2.  After 11am, I can open to let the afternoon sun in because the sun will be high enough that I won't have to worry about glare or furniture destruction. 

Some suggestions I have heard:
1.  solar film on the window part of the sliders. 
    a.  does this work?
    b.  does this ruin the windows?
2.  Drapes.
    a.  where on earth do you buy drapes that wide?  each window is 37 inches.  it is recommended to double the width.  so two panels at 74 inches each?  where does one buy 74 inch panels??? 
    b.  most shops only sell panesl at 50 or 54 inches wide.
3.  Sheers.
    a.  will sheers keep my morning sun off my furniture?
4.  A new sliding door with low e and 366 UV blockage.
    a.  I cannot find that kind of door with that type of glass.  I found a new door but it just has glass.  Which means I still have my morning sun problem.
5.  Vertical blinds.
    a.  I really do not want these.  Nothing personal.  Just don't really want them.
6.  Spray fake snow on windows.
    a.  Not really fond of this idea.  At all!
7.  Anybody have any new ideas???
    a.  I peruse many catalogs, and not one catalog shows a sliding glass door.  Their drapes always cover just a window.     

Stay tuned for more adventures from our crazy household...
Have a great week, everyone!

Part I, We Won!

The finish!  And the baby is sleeping!  Whew!



Preparing for the start



Petra crossing the FINISH and receiving her Participation Ribbon. 
She ran the ONE MILE in 14 minutes. 
Way to go my 2 year old!!



Victoria and Coach Daddy finished 7th OVERALL. 
She was the first girl to cross the FINISH. 
We are so proud of her.  She is a great runner! 

Ahhh.  Done for the morning.  Now it's pancake time. 
And then off to Victoria's Soccer Game!

Second place, that is!
Winners of a "Chic-Fil-A" meal.
Woo-HOO!

Wanted:  one decorated stroller for our elementary school run!

There was a contest for this "sillyness".  And Victoria wanted to enter the stroller contest because we, in fact, DO have a stroller to push during this 5K/1mile run.

How does one decorate a stroller?  Balloons?  Streamers?  Frankly, my sleep-deprived brain cannot even begin to be creative for this Saturday endeavor.  Besides, by Fridays, I am so out of it... I am amazed I even remember to pick my children up from school. 

So, there you have it.  I have NO idea what to do for a stroller?!  Originally, I contemplated decorating for Halloween but then I decided that since it is actually a school spirit run I should focus on school colors and symbols. 

Plus, a sidenote:  my husband is in Turkiye (as IN the Country that lies within two continents -- he is in the Asian continent) and I was clearly NOT invited on this trip.  So, I had to manage the home and the children and life all on my own.  Which is not too difficult nor is it stressful, but it does make me extra tired especially knowing that my loving husband is actually getting a wonderful 8 hours of UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP with ROOM SERVICE while I get to wake every three hours or so.   And adding a decorated stroller into the mix makes me extra extra tired. 

The stroller idea blossomed from a "Halloween Mantle" I saw ...
We made two Pennant Banners with Red and White triangles.  Red and White being the school colors.  The pennants were then sewn to Red, White, Blue ribbon for easy tying access to the stroller. 

The first banner read:  "SAS   W I L D C A T {paw print} R U N {school symbol}".

The second banner read:  The class of _________ .  On the red triangles, we displayed the Class 8th Grade Graduation Years for each of our daughters. 

Class of 2017.  Class of 2022.  Class of 2024. 

We were asked several times if that was High School Graduation?  or College Graduation? 
No, people, it is 8th Grade Graduation ... Graduation at the end of SAS!  There is an end.  But really, 2024 seems so far away.  Almost a JOKE.  Because one needs to add 4 years to each class year to obtain the High School Graduation date.  And add another 4 years to obtain the College Graduation date.  Do the Math.  My brain cannot comprehend those numbers.  UGH.  Can that even be possible?

Well, We WON!  Second Place.  The first place winner was a Rocket.  That's right, a rocket.  We lost to a rocket. 

We did beat the stroller with balloons and streamers!

recaps of the last six weeks

4.  The nursery is ready.

I wanted to change the room I call "nursery" because it has been almost exactly the same since 2003.  The monograms have changed.  The wall letters have changed.  The photos in the frames have changed.  But mostly, the room has not changed. 

Blue walls
Stars
Claire's Check by Waverly (blue/green/yellow plaid fabric)

I thought about adding a "monkey mural" -- I had the perfect one selected but I decided not to change the entire room because really it is a nursery for such a short time.   And in 18 months, I will be redecorating on a whole new level:  a big girl room. 

I did add vintage 1972 Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy prints.  I love this duo.  They are classic.  It reminds me of a simpler time. 

This is the mural I would have painted: