Like the New Header?

I made it on Scrapblog! My friend Martha, who also scrapbooks, told me about the site and I decided to try it out. They have a lot of neat features, but honestly, the website is a total pita. I could have done paper pages must faster without as much difficulty. I wasn't able to publish the page I made into a header, so I had to capture it from the page to use it. There are also several other glitches I faced, but at least we have a nice, new header.

Think I'll still with regular paper scrapbooks for now though. :)

In My Next Life . . .

. . . I want to be Steve. Yes, my dog. He has a sweet life, and I want to be him. Right this second, I am uncomfortably shoved into a corner of the couch while my baby dog is stretched out, on his back, legs sticking straight out in the air, with his head in my lap. I'd take a picture but I'd hate to wake the baby.

Some examples of The Good Life of Steve:

Since he was tiny (we brought him home at a teensy 4.5 weeks old), he's had pillows and blankets, naps on the couch - or wherever he wants, kisses goodnight from Daddy & me, and climbing atop me (when he was younger!) to chew on my hair.

Oh, to be Steve - even for just a day.

Family Times Five

I have lots of blogging to do but haven't had a bunch of time this week. Busy summer so far! Tuesday was family get together day at my mom's. One of the big blessings of that day is that we had FIVE GENERATIONS - yes FIVE - under the same roof!

My cousin Kelly, who lives in San Diego, came to the Big D to visit her daughter & new grandson. Luckily, we were all able to get together to meet Nathaniel Paxton. (The name Paxton is from my cousin - Kelly's brother Paxton - who passed away almost 4 years ago.)

"Mary the Great" is now a great-great grandmother. When I asked her if we should now call her Mary the Great-Great, she replied, "No, calling me 'Great' will be just fine." :) Mary really enjoyed herself but tired pretty quickly from all the excitement.

Here are a few photos from that day:

Mary with Kendra (Mary's great-granddaughter) & Kendra's son, Baby Nate


My mom with her Mom. Aren't they gorgeous?!


Aeva (my niece) talking to Mary the Great. Mary asked Aeva if she wanted to take that baby home & Aeva said, "No. He's her baby!"


Three cousins - Me (looking awful), Michael (my bro) & Kelly (our cousin) + Baby Will (my nephew) who needed Daddy that minute.


L to R: Kendra, My mom holding Nathaniel, & Kelly (my mom's sister Cheryl is mom, gma, & great gma to the other three)


You still with me? That's a lot of who's who, but I can't make a family tree right now. I think I got five generations in there! Not pictured are Danielle (my SIL), Todd (my DH), Fritz (my gpa), Rick (my mom's DH) & Cheryl (Kelly's step-mom who has the same name as her mom).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODD!! (and Will, too!)

Happy Birthday to my most amazing, wonderful, loving, handsome, imtelligent, funny, sincere, kind, (and did I say wonderful? incredible?) husband! Although our blog is titled, "Todd and Kristin", Todd never posts and doesn't really even read our blog. However, he finds out about it through me making him listen to me or from others. Todd told me the other day that he didn't know I posted in our blog about the broken oven. He said his Dad asked him about it because his Dad's wife reads our blog (Hi Linda!).

Anyway . . . here is a photo of my amazing husband on our wedding day. It is one of my favorites.

I just love that man. Told you he was handsome! :)

So far the Birthday Boy and I have enjoyed a fun day hanging out. We had a quick breakfast and some shopping at Ikea, then furniture shopping, lunch, shopped/layed around on some sleep number beds, more furniture shopping, and finally came home to cool off and relax. He's now catching up on birthday calls from his many adoring fans.

Todd shares a birthday with our nephew, Will, so we will go grab a quick beer with the baby on later this evening at Hooters. (For the faithful blog readers, Will is my brother's son, Aeva's little brother. He was in utero when Todd & I married.) Only our cool nephew would have an informal birthday gathering at Hooters for his first birthday!

Here's a picture of Will eating watermelon yesterday. He's such a big boy, and such a cutie! Happy 1st Birthday, William!

After hanging out at Hooters, we'll do dinner wherever Todd would like and then meet a few friends Saturday night to continue the festivities. Happy birthday to Todd and Will! We're over halfway through June now!

Music Meme

I'm getting tagged left & right lately. I usually lost playing tag when I was young because I didn't run fast. In fact, I ran slower than normal so I could get out of the game. :) Anyway . . . I received a music-themed meme from Rebecca. I met Rebecca IRL last December & had a blast with her!

You’ve been tagged. List the seven songs that you most closely tie to a specific memory. These songs do not have to represent your happiest memories, good memories, or even strongest memories…The connection between the memory and the song is what you should use to determine what fits the list. These songs, when you hear them, ABSOLUTELY force you to recall a specific person, time, or event. GO!

I'll just list the first that come to mind. This Meme will DEFINITLEY show my age! And thank goodness I don't have to explain the memories behind these songs. WHEW!

1. Magic - The Cars
2. At Last - Etta James
3. Crank dat Soulja Boy - Soulja Boy
4. Drink, Drink - Drink Your Orange Juice - my dad
5. These are a Few of My Favorite Things - Sound of Music
6. Friends are Friends Forever - Michael W. Smith
7. Testify to Love - Amazon

Now, pick 7 to show their stuff:
1. Laurie
2. Amie
3. Jess B.
4. Jess H.
5. Kelly
6. Sarah
7. Virginia

Happy Father's Day

I have been blessed for almost all of my life to have two Dads. One is my father by birth, the other by marriage. I used to call them Daddy Mel and Daddy Jim when I was young, but I think it was more for others than myself. Now people just have to use the name "Dad" in context to know to whom I am referring. :)

My Dad, Mel, is my father by birth. You'll know who he is because I look like him (with hair & in girl form!). I lived with him as an infant (through 8 months) and on weekends until I was almost 16. He is an amazing man, full of strength, emotion, and sense of family. Some of my behaviors were learned from him --- being organized, yelling at other drivers, and knowing what's important. We've both changed a bit since this photo was taken:



My Dad, Jim, married my mom when I was two. He took me to father/daughter dances and played a toy ukelele for me. He helped raise me and taught me what respect is, how to relax and enjoy life, and how to keep calm and bite my tongue when necessary (something I still have to practice!). He bought me my first two cars, both of which I drove into the ground. And we won't talk about when he repaired the neighbor's fence for me. :) Weren't we cool in our mod, 70s-style home?!



Both of my Dads walked me down the aisle when Todd and I married in March 2007. That was the way I always wanted it, and it was most likely the main reason I made it safely down the aisle! Here's a wonderful picture as the doors to the sanctuary were opened:



So HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to both of my Dads. I love them both, and I feel so blessed to have the love of two men that I can call Dad.

Crazy Dreams

This morning at 7:30, I was awoken by my husband telling me to go back to sleep. Doesn't make sense to you? It does to me! I was having one of my many crazy dreams & was trying to scream. It woke him up, so he was trying to wake me up (only to tell me to go to sleep!). If you know me somewhat well IRL, you probably know that I have very vivid and STRANGE dreams. Even though I've been up a while (which makes me forget lots of details), let me see if I can recap this morning's:

I was at school. There were more kids than usual in the halls, and I was trying to shuffle them to different place. I do remember there was a semi-shallow swimming pool area in the middle of the main hall, where my hall connects across to another and to the kids' restrooms. It was a beautiful, sparkly blue and clear. There were invisible retaining walls to keep the water in, so it looked as if the water was just standing freely. A few kids were playing in the pool and having a great time.

Flash forward to a party setting. It was like an awards banquet type thing and there were stairs involved. I was sitting on the stairs, directing traffic and getting on to wayward children. Actually, I think it was a wedding. I do remember the mother of a bride asking me wedding-planning question. Then I saw people sitting outside on a patio/deck with their chairs in a circle. I remember feeling unsafe, and people began to leave. I came inside to the looks of a cabin because the walls and doors were wood. I tried to lock one door and eventually did. I didn't feel like it locked well, though. I went to lock the second door and was getting increasingly frightened. When I tried to lock this 2nd door, the lock just spun on a screw and I got scared. That's when the assitant to "The Greek" from "The Wire" stumbled through the door. He was shirtless and had been shot, but there was no blood. I tried to scream . . .

. . . and that's when Todd woke me up. I think my words have just confirmed to you that I'm nuts. :)

Kitchen's Closed!

Monday night, while my meatloaf was baking, Todd called to me asking for help with the oven. I knew that dinner wasn't burning! Instead, the oven itself burned. The heating element just melted!

Now, I know you're wondering why the kitchen closed just because the oven died. The microwave and oven are a single circuit unit, so we lost use of both. And if you're wondering about my meatloaf, I carefully finished baking it in the toaster oven and it was good. :)

Well, my kitchen actually reopened by noon today thanks to a very prompt repairman. Now that the kitchen has reopened, I guess I'll get some cooking done.

The Movies!!!

I'm so excited!!! We're leaving in a little bit to see IronMan.

I know you're probably thinking I'm crazy for being so excited, but I am! We love movies (Todd even more than me), but we have VERY different taste & don't hit the theater very often. It's sometimes difficult to find ways to stay busy during the summer, and we're always looking for ways to get out of the house. I like Robert Downey, Jr. even though he's proven a lack of character through his many indiscretions. (But him in Ally McBeal? Oh baby!)

However, my FAVORITE part of going to any movie is popcorn. Especially when I can add my own butter and even get my fatass some refills. Get the napkins ready. OMG I can't wait!

Update - We saw IronMan & it was SO COOL. I even liked it better than the popcorn! (I couldn't dispense my own butter & the kid doing it put too much on there & didn't layer it like I asked!) ANYWAY --- go see IronMan. Very cool.

Please Leave Me Comments

I know you're here . . . whoever you are. :) I missed out on NaComLeaveMo, but just because I don't know you IRL doesn't mean I wouldn't love to hear from you. If you came over from my other blog, you've read this already. I want comments on both blogs. I know. I'm needy.

I'm out for summer vacation and will need lots and lots of attention until August 18th. Thank you in advance for your help! COMMENT AWAY!

More Bread Gone

One half-full package of hamburger buns. (Pippin thieves, Steve helps eat it, Mackey is clueless) When the bread is where it's supposed to go, maybe the dogs won't get it. *ahem*

Just sayin' . . .

Stevie's NOT the Host with the Most

Our friends Marc & Jess came over Saturday night to hang out & eat some food. Their little Boxer lady, Bella, came with them. We were so excited about having them over to play! However, Stevie was NOT happy about it. In fact, he was a downright jerk. She barked like crazy, growled at Bella, and even snapped at her. Guess who spent the evening in his crate?

Todd and I were so embarrassed. I felt bad for everyone involved because Bella just wanted to play with Steve and he has never snapped at another dog. (In fact, he got his ass kicked by a Corgie a couple of years ago. He's just a big chicken.) I'm sure Marc & Jessica were worried that our big, dumbheaded dog was going to chew up their baby.

On a couple of good notes, Mackey enjoyed having someone his size around for a while & Pippin played with Bella all night - even when Pipp got tired! Mindy would have nothing to do with all of the dog-ruckus, so she opted to stay out front and rest under the hedges.

Luckily all of the humans got along just fine. :)

Oh, Mary

Some Mary updates:

* Mary became a great-great grandmother last week. Does that make her Mary the Great-Great? ;)

* She's feeling okay. Unlike the other cancers she has had/has now, the cancer in her bones really causes pain. She has a morphine pain patch that helps some. If she does too much, her back really begins to hurt. Mary told me that's when she "hits the pills".

* Mary fell on Saturday. I figured it was while walking to the bathroom or kitchen. Nope. She was out pruning pushes and she fell climbing the steps from the yard to the patio. Unfortunately, her hands were full and she landed on her face. Luckily nothing is broken, but I'm sure she looks pretty beaten up. She doesn't need to be gallavanting around the backyard, and I told her to knock it off.

* She wants us (Todd and I) to come dig up four of her rose bushes. We don't want any rose bushes. Anyone want four rose bushes?? They're free! (Seriously - come get em!!!!)

* When I talked to Mary about her fall, I recommended that she try out a cane just to help her with balance. I think she may have actually listened to me because she asked my mom about getting her one.

* Mary mentioned that she wasn't going to bring up the fact that I haven't sent her the recipes she asked me to collect for her. Uh, she was in the hospital for two weeks. I have them, but she wasn't home to cook them! I told her I'd bring them over this week.

* When she called me, I told her I was going to call her that afternoon. Her response? "What were you going to call me?" :) Smartass. I told her that I was going to call her my "fat little grandmother" (that's what she used to say when she called me) but I can't do that anymore. She said I still could, though. I love my grandmother.

Considering everything she's going through, all in all, Mary's doing okay. And when she's not okay, she doesn't usually admit it. I just pray each day that she is given peace and comfort.

What's That I Hear?

Yep. I added some tunes for your enjoyment/torture during your stay here. Some of the songs make me dance while driving, some put a smile on my face, some bring back memories, and some fill my heart.

I have an odd variety of music tastes, and my playlist is just a sampling. If you don't like it, HIT MUTE! :)

::crank up dat soulja boy!::

Stick a Fork in Us

We're done. With school that is! Todd was officially finished yesterday. Me today.

I am moved back into my old fourth grade classroom, semi-unpacked, stuff stored, and signed out for the year. The moving process was a pita, but I'm looking forward to being back in 4th grade.

But, until then, I shall summer. Not to be seen in my district until my August 4th training.

aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

FINALLY

Today was the last day with kids. Two years with the same crew. Ugh. They are gone. I am glad. Checkout tomorrow. Summer begins.

'Nuff said.

Kristin Cooks

That subject line makes it sound like me cooking is a rare thing. I can honestly say that I cook plenty. Anyway . . .

One of Todd's favorite dishes is Pad Thai. I make it every now & then, and I know he wishes I made it more often. It's really tasty, fresh, good for you - plus it looks good. I've always been into presentation & color of dishes. Apparently when I was very young I made a dinner salad for my parents. It included red hot candies to give it some color.

Tonight's Pad Thai did not include red hots. :)

Jailed

Although there is absolutely NO physical evidence, all signs have pointed to the thieves.

JAILED

Steve & Pippin H. Determined guilty for thievery of new loaf of bread. No reward offered. Sentence to be deferred and served in comfy home of leather couches, plush beds, and lots of treats.

Rotten damn dogs. :)

Happy Birthday, Aeva Claire!

My little niece, Aeva, turns FIVE today! It truly seems like yesterday that she was born.

Her baby shower was planned for Sunday, June 1, 2003. Aeva had other plans - she was born two weeks early that morning! So . . . mommy, daddy, and baby weren't able to attend their own shower. We all had a good time for them, though.

Aeva Claire (initials A.C. after her great grandfather "Papa") is such a neat little girl. She is extremely bright and creative, funny, sensitive, kind, silly, serious, talented, and imaginative. Aeva LOVES dinosaurs and can tell you about the different kinds of dinosaurs, whether theys were omnivorous, carnivorous or herbivorous. She likes her plastic bugs and laughs when her Mimi gets scared of them. (Note: scaring Mimi is a family trait enjoyed by all!)

It has been fun watching MY baby brother, Michael, raising his baby. I helped raise Michael and consider him partly my own, so the pride I feel in Mike having a wonderful wife and children has been a neat reward. Aeva looks like her Daddy's side of the family, and we (obviously) have the kinship of blonde, curly hair.

Here is tiny little Aeva the first time I saw her (less than 12 hours old). She was SO tiny - not even five pounds.

The first time I got to hold her (10 days old). No, I wasn't proud!

Aeva's first birthday party with her Papa, Daddy, Mommy & Mimi:

Aeva's first trip to Mexico around her 3rd birthday. She is beautiful!

Xmas 2006 with Aunt Kristin:

Aeva's debut as a flower girl on my wedding day:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AEVA! You are a precious little girl and we all love you!