Remember the Blur

 I stopped posting this year because things were out of control and I knew if I wrote about it at all, I wouldn't have much to say that I would want to read or remember later.  It's all rather a blur.  365 days of survival blur.  Truth be told, I feel like I'm kind of having an out of body experience to be on the flip side of crazy.  The trick now will be to not fill my hours with new crazy.

Here are a few things I, however, do not want to forget.

 Family is everything isn't it.

He is a much better man than I

Just yesterday Q ran into someone I went to high school with.  This someone basically said to Q that he should feel honored to be in his presence and the presence of his family because they were so rich and at least four of them were millionaires.  My Q, my perfect Q, simply replied, "cool."

Well, Q is a much better man than I because I can think of at least 7 come back lines that would include rude, sarcastic remarks. There is no way I could have let something like that slide with grace and humility on my part.  It's times like these when I am most proud to be married to Q... a real man who is ten gazillion times more fantastic than any rich millionaire!!!

Speaking of fantastic:

 I'm not quite sure how it was managed, but the day after school got out, I put on this fantastic bridal shower for my sister Megan.  Never mind the fact that my body hurt so wretchedly from teaching dance the day before (really, that was one week too many- my baby dropped this week and all that bouncing was no bueno).  It took 3 days to recover.

I even made and strung way cute banners that I am planning to leave up all summer because Annie and I love waking up to them.

And I made these fabulous clothespins covered in ribbon and lace...

 Check out our new rug.  New Zealand wool and it is 12 x 9.  Got it for a dream at the overstock warehouse!

 It is still quite unreal to see little Meg so close to getting hitched,

 I bought these darling candle magnets at 50% off and am now wishing I had picked up all of them.

 Also splurged on this party banner. Planned to give it away as a gift but in the end I couldn't part with it.

 A few extra details...

 The guest of honor:

 And some really awesome hair the morning after:

Big Sister Annie

Annie is going to be a big sister!
June 20th, 2012

We have a small pocket of beautiful grass in our mammoth yard. It is a gorgeous sight and I can only imagine the whole thing finished. Imagine is all I have until who knows how long... a decade? In the mean time, we let Annie out today and she loves the little patch of grass as much as we do! St. George weather is pure bliss. I am assuming there aren't as many of us left in the U.S.A. who still turn on their AC's when driving home from work. I am pleased that I can count myself among them. (The part about the AC, not about the work. I've decided it's time to become independently wealthy and sit home collecting royalties instead of grading 100 essays every other weekend).

After much pleading and begging, Q finally started our first fire tonight!
Ironic that he is the one lounging on the couch enjoying it whilst I am blogging in the library.
It is a positive DREAM! I even pictured myself roasting a duck on an open spit
should the world end and it ever come to that. At least we have the option.

Poor Duke. It's been super cold at night so we broke down and let him in
the mud room. Don't tell his owners who live in our downstairs apartment.
Annie and Q and I LOVE Duke. I hope they let us keep him when they move.
He is the sweetest dog on the planet and Annie tries to ride him like a horse.

I brought home this massage chair cover from the cabin and it entertained Annie
for at least an hour. It took all of 60 seconds for her to figure out the remote.

I've been a wretched photo-taker as of late. This it it from Thanksgiving.
We had a mix of family members and some terrific food.
The most entertaining part of the evening was Megan bringing home her
serious boyfriend whose family owns Pasta Factory.

We spent Thanksgiving weekend at the cabin with Q's family.
Annie was not her usual self.
There was much whining and crying and gnashing of teeth.
Oh Annie. She's got spirit, we'll put it that way.

Annie was the cutest Halloween Chickie on the planet!
I have been dying to document her choice of costume. Last year I spent months pouring over thousands of costumes to find the perfect zebra but this year, Annie wasn't letting me have anything to do with it. When she saw that chickie costume across the store at Costco, it was beyond love at first sight! She begged for me to put it in the cart and completely shunned any other costume I tried to show her. She spent the next hour hugging it tightly as I loaded the cart with large amounts of everything you never knew you needed (because that's how Costco is).

Annie spent over a month before Halloween crying every day for me to get the chickie costume down and put it on her. Then she would spent 20 minutes in front of the mirror admiring her costume and wiggling her fluffy tail while she crawled. She cried every time I tried to take it off and once I even broke down and let her nap in it. Halloween was her dream come true because she wore that thing all the live long day, everywhere we went, and was content as could be.

She is a unique child. Halloween confirmed her immense love to be scared. I'm serious. She can't get enough of the genuine adrenaline rush of being terrified. I am probably the only sick and twisted mom that took their 1-year-old to the haunted corn maze, but she thrilled with delight whenever a ghoulish fiend or crazed zombie jumped out and terrified her. I must admit, it is quite rewarding to hold her while she is being scared. She gasps and cuddles right into your chest and then starts giggling to beat laughing gas. We had to leave the screaming motion ghost up a week after October 31st because she kept looking for it and clapping her hands so it would scream and scare her.

Annie is currently super cuddly. It is the best ever.

October also marked Lailee's birthday party. I would pay some
good money for the recipe of that incredible Italian cake I keep dreaming about.