Thursday, April 26, 2007

radically gnarly

This looks pretty much totally awesome.

ps- are you sick of me using the old skool surfer lingo

because I am like totally bitchin

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

It has been very warm here the past couple of days and that gets me thinking about summer, my favorite time of the year. We are busy doing something or traveling almost every weekend form now until school starts next fall and that makes me a bit anxious but also excited. Between us we have a surfing trip to Nicaragua, a camping trip, a family vacation, a Disney cruise, a bachelor and bachelorette party weekend, a wedding, a high school reunion, and maybe a long weekend get away minus the kiddos. Phew! I'm tired just thinking about all that stuff, but a good kind of tired, like when you've been at the beach all day and are crispy and salty and tired.

Some more randomness...

The girls finished their "refresher" swimming lessons. So they won't drown and that's important.



And look here, I made a pillow. I was feeling like our living room was dark and depressing, so I put up the blinds on our massively tall entry window and made a cheery pillow. You can see more pictures here. I have another one pieced and ready to be quilted and put together in my to-do pile. When I showed it to Jason before it was put together he said it was "girly." I was kind of inspired by my bike and it makes me want a new sofa. Maybe something like this or this or this. And maybe a chair because you know, that's my daughter's name, so that means I have to get it.

Don't you hate it when you are in Target (not the one you usually go to and far from home) and you find the picture frames you've been looking for and in the right size and there are enough (I needed four) but you resist buying them because well, that wasn't what you were there to buy and so then you go to the Target closer to your house to buy those exact frames and because your Target is just a regular Target and not the SUPER Target (do you think it gives the little Target a complex?) they have NONE of the frames that you need. sucks.

I am trying to do things in my house to spruce it up without spending any money or spending very little. It's hard (whining). The backyard is almost finished (finally!). The last part of the yard and the only part that needs grass is currently being prepped for said grass and Jason thinks he is going to build a playset for the girls. Me? I asked him if it would be finished before they can drive?

oh, and I kinda want another baby. BUT, i really should hold off on getting knocked up until after the previously mentioned bachelorette party weekend that will be an entire weekend of acting like I'm a college student on spring break although without the sleeping around and venereal diseases. Seriously, what all does a college spring break involve?

Where is this going? Jason and I saw Disturbia this weekend and i was worried when I saw that it was rated PG-13 and I was right to be worried because the audience was filled with teeny-boppers that are so obnoxious. I like to believe I wasn't like that and I also would like to cut them some slack, however, when one set of girls is talking so loud you want to say "use our inside voice" and the other side is a couple practically humping each other, it is difficult to stay patient. Especially when the movie bites.

I do have this, this, and this to watch at home through netflix, which I love.

We went to the zoo last week and as I pulled into the parking lot I noticed that it had been invaded by about 25 school buses. Great, I thought, because there was no way i was going to turn around after driving 30 minutes and promising the girls (I was not about to put up with the crying and whining that would surely follow had I declared, "the zoo is full.") so we (I) labored on and find out that it was a "very special arts" festival. All of the 25 school buses were special needs kids. Now, I think it is totally awesome that they had this whole day planned out for these kids, there were art stations set up all over the zoo and music and dancing and yada yada yada, but, fir me it was a difficult day because there was definitely not enough supervision and we kind of got trampled over. All Piper really wanted to do was pet the giraffes and she got to do that so the day was a success.

Speaking of giraffes, well, not really, but does anyone have trouble with sunglasses? I have not found a pair that I can wear without getting a headache...not just a headache, but a migraine that makes me nauseous. Any suggestions? I seriously spent like $275 on 2 pairs i thought were going to be the answer to all my problems, only to take them back a week later. bummer.

Next, I made this for dinner last night and it is so good. This is what we're having tonight. I am trying to get us on a more vegetarian type diet in which we only eat meat like twice a week. It's a good thing my girls LOVE fruits and veggies, and pizza counts as vegetarian, right?

Guess I'm ill, with diarrhea of the mouth, or keyboard as the case may be.

The tribe spoke

The "survivor" couples shower was awesome. totally radical.

We had 4 challenges and most everyone participated which made it so much more fun.
Challenge #1 - tug of war across the pool - had the least amount of participants and I think that was because you fell in the pool if you lost.
Challenge #2 - Lay an egg - each couple had to put an egg between their backs and safely get it on the ground without it cracking. This game was fantastic! Very interesting positions were attempted and everyone tried at least once.
Challenge #3 - a trivia game of questions about the soon-to-be-married couple.
Challenge #4 - the food challenge. As I was preparing the food, i made sure that everyone saw me opening the dog food so they were totally grossed out and worried that I was feeding them the recalled stuff.. What they didn't know is that i switched it out with some kind of beef stew (I'm so sneaky). So they had to eat that, cooked chicken hearts, and fishlets, which are some kind of various fish pieces that are kosher. i saw it on the grocery aisle and figured it looked gross enough. It was funny how everyone thought the dog food tasted just like "vegetable soup" and we had success in making someone throw up...it was the fishlets that did it.

Now, the main factor in getting everyone to participate was the beer. Give them enough beer and they really will do anything. Another highlight was the camcorder i set up as the "confessional" so everyone could give the couple advice or well wishes. Again, with the beer, it turned into something unforgettable. If I can figure out how to get a video on this...

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Outwit Outlast Outplay Out-PARTY!

I don't even want to talk about the last few weeks.

What I do want to talk about is this party that I'm giving on Saturday. It is a "His and Hers" couples shower for my brother-in-law and his fiance who happens to be one of my best childhood friends. The theme is "Survivor", so I figure we need an eating challenge, a trivia challenge (trivia about Noah and Tiff) and a physical challenge. I am also setting up a "confessional" where each couple can give Noah and Tiff advice or well wishes.

Anyway, ideas anyone?
Please?

Oh, and is dog food, the wet kind, edible...for like, people?

And just because they're goofy: my family. We went to the beach the other evening after dinner...one of my favorite things to do together.







seriously, a little help with the survivor stuff, ok?

Friday, April 06, 2007

Fo' shizzle

1. My real name?
Shannon

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (first 4 or 5 letters of real name plus izzle)
Shanizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (fav color and fav animal):
Green Dog

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, and childhood street):
Kaitlyn Park

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name:
Dowshgrim

6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
Blue Water

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, last letter of your moms middle
nAME]
Awtrise

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (grandmother and grandfather)
Emma Godfrey

9. YOUR GOTH NAME (black, and the name of a pet):
Black Wingnut

10. YOUR PORN STAR NAME (One of your pets names, and a street you've lived on)
Talulah Whetherbine