Archive for the 'likes & irks' Category

Feb 05 2008

so far, untouched (knock on wood!)

Published by under kids,likes & irks

So, Monday, James and Jocelyn stayed home, both of them afflicted with what we supposed was the same virus Ethan brought home from Kindergarten.

Ethan’s nose has been running a mile a minute, very thin snot that is clear, but plentiful. He had a fever that never broke 101, and a cough that you could tell was just due to all that clear runny snot going down the back of his throat.

Jocelyn woke us all up crying at about 6am this morning, and felt pretty hot to the touch. It’s hard to tell though, as she had on warm jammies and a warm blankey, what exactly her temperature was. I gave her some tylenol and after sitting her on the potty brought her into my bed.

We both laid there, not really sleeping, Jocelyn trying to breath through her really gunked up stuffy nose so she could suck her thumb, and me reaching over her and patting her back. rubbing her sweet little bottom or moving her hair out of her face. Every now and then I offered her a kleenex and we attempted a nose blow, but it was fated to be futile.

I decided that her symptoms were different enough from Ethan’s to warrant a trip to the doctor, and called and made an appointment (for any doctors reading, I highly recommend the answering service that allows worried moms to make apointments for that day, even if it’s 6:45am.) As 7am is usually the wake up time in our house, I got up at 6:50, went and got Ethan, who was awake probably the entire time, and brought him into our bed as well (James was asleep in the guest room, so as not to infect me with the plague). I turned on a closet light and put on Handy Manny for the kids while I hopped in the shower.

So the day started much like Monday, James and Jocelyn staying home, me taking Ethan to school and heading off to work.

Right when Jocelyn and James were in the middle of her doctor’s appointment, the school called to inform me that Ethan had a temperature of 100.3 and he needed to be picked up.

I called James and didn’t get an answer (for an EXCRUTIATING) 15 minutes, where he told me that … drum roll! Jocelyn has strep throat.

My lord! Poor girl!!

James confirmed that his throat was really hurting and he wanted to go see the doctor as well.

So, while James and Jocelyn went and got Ethan from school, I immediately called and made an appointment for James, and then called and made an appointment for Ethan, thinking he must have had new and improved worsened symptoms, and then left work to head home so James could go to his appt w/out worrying about getting Ethan to his appointment.

Ethan’s symptoms weren’t really any worse. They were the same, so I felt a bit foolish having made the appointment so hastily, but figured it couldn’t hurt and took him in anyway. Sure enough, the quickie strep test was negative, but she took the second overnight strep test and gave me a prescription to hold on to in case his fever spikes above 103 or she gets a positive result back.

James didn’t have to do the strep test however, his doctor (who is the same as mine) listened to the tale of Jocelyn being positive, added it to the fact that his throat was in a lot of pain, and gave him the prescription without much fuss.

Now I’m on the couch at home, working busily away, while James, Jocelyn & Ethan are ALL asleep upstairs.

Please oh please oh please don’t let me get sick!

-amy

3 responses so far

Jan 23 2008

movie day

Published by under amy's head,daily,likes & irks

As you know, Martin Luther King Jr. day was on Monday, but as you may not know, the kids’ school was still open for daycare. Being the cold, uncaring, callous parents that we are, we dropped them off and had our own “free” day to ourselves.

(Do you realize how much a sitter costs?? This was a golden opportunity! It’s like FREE CHILD CARE!! No, I’m not a bit only a teeny bit guilty.)

The last time we had a free day like this (Columbus day in Nov) we drove into DC, noodled around the modern building of the National Gallery of Art, had a lovely lunch, and then perused the Spy Museum before heading back to get the kids and go home.

We have been wondering all month what we would do this time around, and it became clear that there were some movies we both wanted to catch.

It also became clear that we both watched to catch different movies. So, the day dawned, kids were dropped off, and James and I smooched and parted ways. Him to see There Will Be Blood, and I to see Charlie Wilson’s War, Juno, and Sweeney Todd. Except I decided 3 movies was a bit too much, and skipped the first one. It’s a good thing, because by the time I left the theatre my ass hurt, and my back was really aching (chiropractor appointment today I CANNOT WAIT), and I was tired of sitting.

I saw Juno first, and it was a nice little flick. Edgy teen gets pregnant, ponders what to do, decides to go the adoption route, finds rich yuppies in nearby town to give child to, learns about love along the way.

I thought the story was well written and sweet, but at the end, I did have a certain sense of, “Really? This is what everyone was so hopped up about?” I liked the movie, thought it was well done, but I think what was even more well done was the publicity machine. I guess, how can you blame them, “STRIPPER TURNED WRITER!” has such reader appeal. I can totally understand any backlash going on (“way overrated”) but regardless, Ellen Page did a great job, as did the yuppies, played by Jason Bateman & Jennifer Garner, and Alison Janney who played the step-mom (who James and I STILL call CJ).

I ALSO have a big bone to pick with that same publicity machine – I have a long standing belief that previews and trailers are evil, and once again, the Juno trailers/previews/ads have rung that bell.

Dear sirs,

If you want me to go shell out $8.50 to see a movie, PLEASE DO NOT USE CLIPS FROM THE LAST 20 MINUTES IN YOUR ADS. IT’S JUST RUDE.

Fuck off,
Amy

Juno was not the biggest violator I’ve seen by any means, so this was a mild irritation this time around. Heaven knows other movies have certainly sinned much more in this arena, but still, it irks me.

IRK.

Sweeney Todd

I love Tim Burton. I love Danny Elfman. I love Johnny Depp. I love Tim Burton movies where all three of these things come together, or even just the two (Burton and Elfman) (Nightmare Before Christmas? Yeah, still saved on my Tivo from when it was on around Christmas).

I’ve never seen Sweeney Todd performed anywhere, although I have heard some of the songs at some point. Having gone to three summers of Theatre Workshop in my teen years, by God yes, I’ve heard some of the songs! So really, I only have myself to blame for being a *teeny* (really, it’s miniscule) bit let down. A-DUH, Amy, of course it’s not going to sound like the usual Burton movie with Danny Elfman doing the music… This is Stephen Sondheim’s musical baby.

So once I got through that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Having never seen or heard the storyline, I was delighted with it’s quirks and surprises (although the biggie I totally picked up on halfway through the movie). Excellent movie, and very well done. I did wonder (again, having never seen the musical in a theatre) if there were scenes with Antony and Johanna that were cut for the movie. A little more insight into that whole story would have been nice.

So even though we didn’t spend the day together, it was a pretty nice day regardless.

-amy still has 10 more movies that will probably have to wait until netflix.

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Jan 18 2008

A brick of snot

Published by under amy's head,daily,kids,likes & irks

Isn’t that a lovely phrase?

There’s a brick of snotty gooey green snotty gook in my sinuses. Since sinuses aren’t brick-shaped, I can confess that this is quite painful.

What really sucks is that the brick will NOT loosen up at all. It stays brick-like, in it’s essence, and only leaks a tiny bit of snotty goo all the time. So that you sit on the couch with a tissue box and managed to blow and blow and blow until your nose is totally red and the pile on the table next to you becomes alarming, and you would THINK that with all that blowing, you could have blown 15 million snot bricks out of your nasal cavity, but NO, YOU HAVEN’T, and no matter how much you blow, YOU WILL STILL NOT BE ABLE TO BREATHE THROUGH YOUR NOSE.

You know what I hate? Mouth breathing.

I also hate mouth breathers. If you’re mouth breathing right now, close your mouth, for crying out loud, you look like an idiot.

So Jocelyn woke up at 6am crying and saying her ear hurt, and so since I stayed home sick on Wednesday (day one of this illness), took the snow yesterday as an excellent reason to work at home thursday, I wasn’t too disappointed to stay home with her today. And it’s a good thing, because I decided since I wasn’t at work anyway, I might as well get myself to the doctor as well, which I wouldn’t have done if it weren’t for Jocelyn and her hurting ear.

We are both infected.

Me = sinuses

Jocelyn = ear.

Owies and antibiotics all around.

Send soup. (without leeks, because james has turned his nose up at my leek potato soup, the snobby man – IT’S FROM ALTON BROWN, SHEESH)(screw him, this soup is for ME)

Send vick’s vapo rub. The vat I have is almost gone.*

Send your sure-fire overnight cure for red, raw noses, because mine aren’t working (lanolin, vick’s, aquaphor).

I’ll take cure’s for cold sores too, because the corner in my mouth is starting to get that tingly cold sore feeling. I know. SEXY. Between the red nose and the mouth breathing and the developing coldsore, I am just beating them off with a stick.

And send the plus doux KLEENEX, because I beleive we’re out of the PLUS DOUX and only have the IT FEELS LIKE SANDPAPER ON YOUR RED, RAW FACE variety.

– amy just wants her nose back.

* I’m just kidding. I have never bought a jar of vick’s vapo rub. I believe my grandmother left hers to my mother, and my mother gave it to me when I left home to make my fortune in the world, and someday I will have to choose the between my offspring who to leave it to because VICK’S VAPORUB NEVER RUNS OUT. IT JUST GETS LOST.

** this post is in the category “amy’s head” and when I clicked it, I laughed a sardonic laugh and said “AMY’S HEAD. LITERALLY. I’M WRITING ABOUT MY HEAD.”

*** There’s no double star in this post, or triple star. it’s just my way of doing a post script and post post script. just thought i’d let you know.

**** *waaaaaaahhhhh i hurt*

2 responses so far

Jan 07 2008

OurSchool

Published by under daily,kids,likes & irks

As the new year begins, there’s some things James and I have to start looking into. Ethan is attending kindergarten at the preschool/daycare* he has been at since I went back to work when he was 3. We made the decision to keep him there in their private kindergarten this year, but next year he will be going to public school for the 1st grade.

*I don’t want to say the name of the school our kids go to, so for the duration of this post, we’ll just call it, OurSchool. Sound good?

This makes a big change for us. We’ve been going to OurSchool for a long time. Jocelyn was in a home daycare when ethan first started at OurSchool, but when she turned two (the youngest allowable age at OurSchool) we moved her there as well, for convenience. She will have been going there 2 years in March, when she turns 4, and this year marks Ethan’s 3rd year there.

As you may have guessed, we just love this school. The administrators are fantastic, the classrooms are small, the teachers are wonderful. We’ve had a few spots for both kids where the teachers seemed to come and go, but with other teachers having been around for 10+ years, we were not worried. Ethan’s kindergarten teacher has been teaching at OurSchool for over 20 years, and she is absolutely fantastic.

OurSchool has the hugest playground I have ever seen at a daycare/preschool. It is probably three times the size of some of the cookie cutter daycares in our area. They have a 10×10 covered sand box, a domey monkey bar thingee, a pavillion, swings, a big climby slide thingee, a row of tires, more swings and slides, plus more that I’m not remembering – and that is not including the toddler play area which is completely separate from the big playground. The entire playground is fenced in, and along one side is a wooded area which brings the kids closer to nature. In the fall, they both collected acorns to bring home, stack in bowls, hide in pockets until they turned up in my washing machine – I complain (not really), but I LOVED it. Ethan often comes home with twigs, special rocks and of course, sand in his pockets. I love that their playground is not some sterile rubber area surrounded by concrete just outside the fence. They really are in the outdoors, with tons of room to run and play and watch caterpillars and bugs and nature.

So it’s with a heavy heart that I’m looking around at other situations. You see, OurSchool isn’t in our immediate area, and doesn’t service our public schools for before and after care, so with Ethan moving to public school, we will also have to find a new daycare for him for before and after school. I know these facilities have their good points and once we’re used to it, and used to our new routine next fall, all will be well, but just thinking about it now makes me sad.

One thing we’re definitely doing – summer camp at OurSchool 🙂 At least he’ll have those.

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Jan 04 2008

how happy am i!

very happy. VERY VERY HAPPY.

And a teeny tiny bit guilty.

Wednesday night, I sat with james on the couch and discussed my strategy for getting my ticket lowered.

“The cop needs to have come down with strep throat and not make it to the hearing tomorrow.”

Good strategy, no?

Actually I had more than that, but no need to get into it, because the officer didn’t show up! The state has the burden of proof, so I denied the charge (equivalent of not guilty in DC traffic hearings) and with no officer to give the goods, my ticket was dismissed.

I can’t even tell you how relieved I am. Our insurance SO DOES NOT NEED TO GO UP. It’s already too up.

I didn’t end up going to a movie. I stayed home to process the photos I took while in DC instead. Project #366 – Post a Photo a Day is on track! I think it’s time to do up a new theme however – I want to kill the side columns for photo posts. Surely there’s a theme for wordpress that will do that for me, right?

OH SO HAPPY! SO SO HAPPY!!

So happy that I am happily ignoring the bad news that I had to enter on my Project Skinny page concerning December’s numbers. HAPPY DAMMIT, I’M GOING TO STAY HAPPY! OK, not really that happy that I gained nearly 2 lbs in December, but seeing as how I tossed all self control out the window, it could have been worse. MOVING ON! Goal for February January: 5 pounds, baby. I have an extra day to accomplish it and everything. (OK, this is JANUARY, Amy, JANUARY. Keep with it!)

– amy enjoys the show “TOP GEAR”. Go figure!

2 responses so far

Nov 28 2007

new guy on the blogosphere…

Published by under daily,likes & irks

… my brother Larry, has started a blog:

He and my brother Joe participated in The 24 hours of LeMons race a month or so ago.

The 24 Hours Of LeMons is a 2 day, 14 hour car race, held at a race track, and restricted to cars that are worth roughly $500 or less. […] It was the most thrilling experience of my life. It was incredibly intense and outrageously entertaining. It was like being in a Mad Max movie.

How Joe convinced Larry to join the fun:

Some months previously Joe, my youngest brother, had sent me a link to a video article on the first 24 Hours Of Lemons. It looked like great fun. Yes I wanted to do it. Yes really. Yes enough to help fund a car. I knew better than to think this was one of the half-ass schemes Joe would lose interest in. His history demonstrates the crazier the scheme, the more likely Joe will follow through to the end.

Truer words have never been said of my brother Joseph. They drove an old Toyota MR2. Here it is, with Larry as the cake topper:

larry standing on his beat up MR2

It was like playing Tetris with your body parts (not in a sexy way). At some point your ass juts awkwardly out the door as you unfold the rest of yourself into the seat.

I’m not all that much in to cars and racing, and figured I would skim through the few posts about the race that he put up… but I read every word until I was done. Exciting stuff!

Welcome to the blogosphere, Larr!

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Nov 15 2007

things I have NOT purchased…

… since I’m feeling a little bit guilty for spending recently (nothing major*, but amy ruppel christmas stuff at target, martha stewart stuff at kmart, more martha stewart at michaels, some stuff off of ebay (christmas is coming, get off my back!) and let’s just say that’s not the end of the story and leave it at that, ok? i do have a marriage to sustain here, and you know the key to that is SECRECY AND LIES AND HIDING THE EVIDENCE SO MUM’S THE WORD), I would like to show you some things that I managed to NOT BUY, even though the item(s) BEGGED me, LEAPT into my cart (online or physical) and yet I DID NOT PURCHASE.

First off, this was actually in my target cart, and I DID NOT BUY IT. I got to the checkout, and put it aside. NOW THAT’S WILLPOWER PEOPLE.

flor at target

FLOR at Target is just so mean. I mean, they KNEW it would be SO HARD TO RESIST. Poopyheads. *pout*

The aforementioned Amy Ruppel print over at ReForm School.

expedit bookcase

the white 5×5 expedit bookcase from Ikea. I’ve been watching for this sucker on craigslist for the last 4 months and there’s been birch, there’s been black-brown, there’s been 4×4 but NO 5X5 IN WHITE. I admit, I would own this now if James hadn’t have talked me down off the ledge. I can wait. It will show up on craigslist. I CAN WAIT– she says testily.

Now if you have a 5×5 white expedit bookcase and are ready to move it along.. please contact me!

Oh and then there’s the fabric…

I add it to my cart, but then never check out.

even though i want them..

nay.. I NEED THEM..

I MUST HAVE THEM!!

ARGH!

And finally,

Luciaillus.jpg

LOOK AT THE SWEETNESS!!

I am kind of sort of hamming it up with all the other stuff, but I seriously had to bite my tongue down.. HARD.. to not order these. And I may give in. Alicia from Posie Gets Cozy is selling these sweet “Santa Lucia and Attendants
Clothespin Dollmaking” kits for only $20, and they would a) be awesome fun to make with the kids and b) look great on my mantelpiece (along with my martha stewart snowy village from michaels *cough*) I am aching for it a little bit. I only have a little while longer to waffle about it though, before they’re gone for good – so you go get some now, won’t you?

The sad thing is there is more that I have managed to not buy that I’m not telling you. Some things which sound kind of crazy, like polyfill in bulk. It’s hard, but I managed to not buy it.

I just want credit for my amazing will power for these things! Is that so much to ask??

that is all.

-amy is a huge talent. she’s kind of a big deal**

*a SKRUVSTA chair off of craigslist for $50 isn’t major, right? RIGHT? RIGHT?!!? I need it to put my yvestown cover pattern to use! Which I’ll of course need to buy fabric for! At least the pattern was purchased some time ago.

**isn’t that guy on Project Runway just WEIRD?! I can’t tell whether I love him or hate him!

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Nov 08 2007

Things I must make for the holidays

Published by under crafty,daily,house,kids,likes & irks

Pillowcases for the kids using this fabric from reprodepot:

Lollipop cookies from Me and My Girl:
lollipop_cookie.jpg

An advent calendar from allsorts, which I know realistically I won’t ever make, but isn’t it lovely? I can dream can’t I!
adventpockets.jpg

One response so far

Oct 23 2007

personal style

Published by under amy's head,daily,likes & irks

I feel like I have come a long way in the last year in figuring out what I like and don’t like. Or rather, what I like the BEST, and other stuff, just a little less than that.

I think my style is a comfortable, mid-century modern. When I thumb through design magazines, I find myself REALLY attracted to those minimal, all white rooms with white furniture, white walls, and the room itself studded with bright, breathtaking, accent colors. I love those, but I know I coudl never pull it off. We have too much clutter in our lives. Maybe I could do a white kitchen in our next house, whenever that is.

becoming home kitchen
Ariana’s kitchen at Becoming Home

However, my newfound island of style (Can you just see me, sitting on an island with a lone palm tree and a flag planted firmly in it stating, “MODERN, BUT COMFY”) gets rocked from time to time when I see other styles that I just think are SO CUTE AND ADORABLE. Usually I can admire it and move on, knowing that it isn’t really for me. I don’t particularly like cute and cottagy, when you get right down to it. I rather, I DO like it… just not in my home.

This foundation is always rocked, ALWAYS, whenever Alicia from Posie Gets Cozy posts pictures of her home. I just melt into the beautiful, but not too frilly loveliness of it all and I think, “I love that. I WANT THAT.”

http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/2007/10/buffet-bliss-ou.html

Alicia’s new buffet, at Posie Gets Cozy

And honestly, don’t you too? (I do totally want that cuckoo clock. In turquoise.)

My blog list is long, long, long, but you know how you glance over the feed reader list and click on your favorite feeds to read first? Posie is at the top of my mental “read first!” list. Reading Posie always makes me feel better about myself, happier about my day, skippier in my step, smoochier with my family.. and more thoughtful in my thoughts. She’s in my “craft” folder in Google Reader, but she’s just so much more than that. I can’t recommend her enough.

And honestly, I know that just because I am more of a modern style doesn’t mean I have to hold exclusively to it, I mean, free love baby, mix the styles around! It’s just that every time I see her photos, it’s like I jump in, nay, DIVE in to the romantic chic cottage feel and swim around until I get all pruney.

Oh well. A dip is always most refreshing 🙂 I am planning out dining room furniture in my head, for future (next year) reference.

One response so far

Oct 19 2007

it’s nice when you work with folks with a sense of humor

1019071400.jpg

Birthday cake for a co-worker, which reads, “One Step Closer to Death”.

2 responses so far

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