It's a Smore mess!

Yesterday we made Smores in the microwave. Dee-lish! So good that as I am writing this...I want one!

What did you do this weekend?

Everyone is very concerned with my well-being while Bob is in Houston. Yes-it is lonely. Yes- I miss my hubs. Yes-I wish he were here. But No, I am not bored. I have broken my summer into 2 week intervals. I work on projects, exercise, go to the pool, and pretty much do whatever I want to do. This past week, I finished working on some projects to beautify my bedroom/bathroom. I'll post pics when all crafts are done. On Thursday I took Pip out on a "date". We met up with some friends for pizza at Mother Bear's and then went over to Chocolate Moose-where I ordered a delicious chocolate cone and then dropped it on the asphalt. It was very sad.

Then on Friday, I took Pip to the pool and we swam. Some friends joined us and we had dinner and talked until the wee hours of the night. Saturday was the busiest. We went with a friend and her mom to tour local gardens. It was hot, but the gardens were lovely. Later that evening, we met up again for "Taste of Bloomington"-a festival where you get to eat samples of food from several local restaurants. Dee-licious! This week will be no different. I already have my To-do list!

So tired, she just fell over

and closed her eyes.

"Taste of Bloomington"-there was a band and Piper couldn't help but shake her groove thang!

Garden walk. Pip's new thing is to stop and smell the flowers...before she rips them off the stem and tries to eat them.

After the Storm...

I was washing dishes when my room filled with yellow light. I was a little alarmed, until I looked outside and saw the most amazing sunset. Who knew that minutes before the sky was black with thunderclouds, rain pelted the windows, and the wind made even the thickest trees bow.

Looking to the east, I spotted perfectly formed double rainbows. By the time I got my camera, the second one had nearly faded, but if you look hard enough, you'll spot it.

VAROOOOM!!

Need a ride?

Gotta get my favorite tune on "Hey Soul Sister"

Put the car in gear.

And I'm off! Eat my dust.

Of Being Sick...

After returning from our fabulous trip to Houston and mentally preparing myself for the next few weeks of aloneness, Piper and I got SICK! Piper and I don't get sick. We have very strong immune systems, but when we do get sick...we get SICK! As we were leaving for Church, Piper barfed all over the herself. She started crying hysterically which made her barf even more.

For those who know me, throwing up is one thing I CANNOT under any circumstances handle. If I see it, hear it, envision it, smell it, imagine it, sense it coming-I will gag uncontrollably. The gagging turns into sobbing which eventually turns into me crying for my very own mommy. It is so sad.

For 2 days straight, Piper's routine was: eat breakfast, barf, sleep, poop explosion, try to eat, barf, sleep, and repeat. By Tuesday, she was feeling much better. We went to the park, we went for jog, and we went shopping.

Then Wednesday hit me HARD! I woke up feeling okay, but off. I ate a small breakfast, but still felt funny. I put Piper down for a nap when I suddenly was hit with the worst bout of nausea. I couldn't even move, I felt so sick.

Again, for those who know me, I do NOT throw up. I will gag and dry heave, but I will -with every fiber of my being- stop myself from throwing up. When I do throw up, I cry. It is so sad.

For 2 days straight, I did not eat anything and cried a whole lot. By Friday, I felt much better and had a "Girl's Night Out".

Through this ordeal, I realized how very alone I was in Bloomington, so on Saturday I went to Alabama to get a little "mommy care". I might be turning 30 this year, but this past week, all I wanted was my mommy. Guess some things never change.

Little Miss Independent

This is my daredevil, on the go, independent, willful, and fearless child. Holy Heck she's cute! When I was pregnant with her, I knew deep down in my heart that she was going to be all personality. I didn't realize how true that feeling was. Pip continues to amaze me with how much she learns and how eager she is to do everything by herself.



In the ocean for the first time. No, that isn't her crying as the waves hit her and yes, she kept running for the ocean.

Pip has taken a liking to cars. She's so fearless, she drives standing up. On a sidenote, I shaved off a bulging belly using photoshop. Love that liquefy!

I thought for sure she would go running when we took her to the petting zoo. NOPE! she went straight for the goats. Me-that was one too many times being next to a goat. Ducks and goats...I simply won't do! Just so you know, I am pulling her hand away from the goat.

I wish I had a picture to show her on the airplane. She is a hoot! We were lucky enough to have a free seat next to us on the plane ride home. Pip sat herself down, "buckled" herself in, and "read" a magazine on the flight.

I'm making a prediction now: Pip will be my "did you know that if you do ______, this will happen?" child. Pray for me.

Houston, we have a problem...

I think I'm in love.


This summer Bobby is completing an internship for CenterPoint Energy (an energy company in d'town Houston, TX). Living in Texas has always eluded us-we applied to UT for MBA school-so when Bob got this offer we were really excited. This past week I spent some time in Texas helping Bobby get settled into his new bachelor pad. I arrived on Saturday, but since we couldn't move in to his apartment until Monday, we stayed at a hotel. For the first 2 days I was there, I felt like a tourist. But after we "moved" into the apartment, Houston actually felt like "home". I kept thinking to myself, "I could see us living in Texas." I mean seriously (and this is total blasphemy), I can hear Pip going "Hook 'em horns!" (my Bama friends are going to kill me for that one). The heat and humidity are terrible (and it's only May) and they have concrete roads (everywhere, not just interstate) -combine that with the sun and you have a very hot, blinding surface. I got a headache every time we drove somewhere because it was so bright. Everywhere you go takes 30minutes or longer and traffic is downright scary. Other than that, it's fabulous! I'm sad that I'll be staying here in Bloomington and won't get to experience every facet of Houston, but what I saw made me excited at the idea of living there.

Another thing that shocked me about Houston was that I really thought of myself as a suburb type of person. Bobby's apartment is a city apartment-heavily gated to keep the riffraff out, surrounded by office buildings, and barely out of "the loop". After being in the thick of it, the burbs seem...boring.

Shhhh...

While this cutie has been sleeping:

I've been busy sewing this:

Piper's Very Own "Quiet Book"

It took me an entire week working roughly 4-6 hours a day to complete. I really enjoyed making the "Quiet Book" and look forward to adding more pages. The hardest part was cutting the actual canvases (it would've been easier if I had followed the directions more closely...) . My favorite pages are the "Counting buttons" page and the "Barn" page. I hope she enjoys playing with it on the plane ride to Houston, TX!

and this...

Summer Sleep sack for Piper

The sleep sack was a total PAIN! First, I didn't have a pattern so I cut one from a sleeper she already had. Secondly, I had to attach a zipper which I had only done under direct and constant supervision from my mommy. I am proud to say I attached a zipper- all by myself! The stitching isn't perfect, but thankfully Piper will only sleep in it.

I have more sewing plans this summer: a few skirts for myself, another sleep sack (which I will sew under direct supervision of my mom), and more pages for the "Quiet Book".

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye...

I made a carrot cake. I ate 2 pieces of it today. I went out for an hour. When I left, there was half a carrot cake. When I returned, I found this-

and then I saw her-

GOODBYE CARROT CAKE! I will miss you. I am so sad you aren't on Facebook or have a blog. Because if you did, I could continue to check on you and it won't be like you were ever really gone. I feel as though I never really got to say a proper goodbye. Maybe if I had taken a pic of us together or spent more time talking to you, I wouldn't feel this way. Sigh.

Seriously, though... GOODBYE MBA FRIENDS! I will miss you. I'm terrible at goodbyes and just rush through them as if I'll see you tomorrow. Thankfully, I can continue to blog stalk you and keep up with you on Facebook. To the MBA playgroup girls, you were my saving grace when I moved here and needed some friends. Our life will always be connected in some way. Good luck as you move forward in your new adventures. Sigh.

Pretentious Photo Critique

"I love the juxtaposition of the arch and looking through it, reminiscent of a window or perhaps a doorway to your education."

"I'm inspired by shadows-the dancing of light and shadow."

"I played a little with angles here."

"I wanted to capture the singularity of this sculpture."

Ever play Museum Critic? If so, then you get my comments. If not, you need to go to a local museum and pretend you know something about art, then with your Starbucks coffee mug in hand and tortoise shell glasses, rattle on about light and shadow or elaborate on the artist's motive or inspiration.

I went on a Campus Photo Safari-taking pics of beautiful things on campus. Not bad for a simple point and shoot. IU's campus is gorgeous and I wish I had taken pics of the buildings and their detail. Maybe another day...On a sunnier note, can you believe that it had been raining/cloudy for 3 days straight-including this morning and most of the afternoon?!?

Daddy's Home!

"I'm so glad when daddy comes home, glad as I can be!"

I can always tell when Bobby is walking up the front walkway because the girls will make a beeline for the front window. They jockey for position-pushing and shoving each other-and squeal/tail wag in delight at the sight of their favorite person: Daddy!

Once he's home...I'm chop liver. Mommy who?

On a side note: Piper has taken quite a liking to wearing Bob's hats backwards. The other day she kept going into our closet and taking a hat, putting it on backwards, and parading around the room. Of course, when I went to grab the camera...she was done.

Sprinklers and Popsicles

Nothing like a day playing in the sprinklers and eating Popsicles-who doesn't have that memory?

Getting in on the action!

Seriously, have you seen a happier kid?

Running for the sprinklers!

Popsicles---yummm!