Weird Cravings

You know, I don't really get "cravings." Sure, there are things I'm in the mood for, but rarely is it: "If I don't have this exact thing, I will die!" Until Sunday. I was sitting in church, trying to pay attention to the importance of food storage (because it is so important), when a craving hit. It was desperate. I needed ice, and I needed it NOW. It took all my restraint not to run screaming from the room, so desperate was my need for the arctic treat. And then, after church, I had to wait 15 minutes for people to come get the supplies for our service project. Torture!

I find myself crunching and munching on ice more often than I ever have before. I wait until it's the perfect size and consistency -- where it breaks apart easily with one chomp. Man oh man, is it ever satisfying.

Weird, right?

First Day of Kindergarten

Mini-me, ready to go. She woke up before 7 am, got dressed, packed her own lunch, and ate breakfast in record time. She was ready to go at 7:30. Since we didn't need to leave until about 8, she got to play on the computer.

Curly was able to come home from work for the big event. See Patch in the background? He really wanted to go with Mini-me.

Mini-me and Ro. Two girls, one brain. Patch, as always, lurking in the background.

I didn't cry. Not even a bit. As a reward, I got to go to McDonald's for breakfast.


We live just blocks from the school, so we walk every morning. Mini-me even loves to walk when it's raining.

One final shot, on the steps of the school. Can you see the excitement written all over her face? I asked her if she would like us to walk in with her. She turned around, and with a look of absolute horror, said "No!" I think she's ready, don't you?

Big Kid Stuff

My baby goes to Kindergarten tomorrow. In some ways, she still seems too small. Her school supplies are ready (including dry erase markers for the teacher). Her lunch bag is crying out to be filled. Her outfit is clean and ready to go. She is so excited. I am excited for her. Mini-me loves to learn, and she's a very social creature. She'll have the best time. The time is bound to pass very quickly here at home. I have very full days planned for the next few days. I am sure it will seem too quiet, but that's not a bad thing.

Our Dad, the Cat

Patch was a little unsure at first. It's hard to recognize Curly under all that make-up and fur!
It was fun for Patch to see Curly in full costume. Mini-me and Flower have both been to see the show, which they loved. Only one weekend of Cats left! Next show in the lineup for Curly is the Christmas show. Hopefully Bambina will cooperate and come on a non-show night.

Photo Friday

Goodbye, Kicka! Good luck at college! We will miss you!!

Some Pictures

We have been busy this week. My parents moved last week, and we got some of their furniture. They have fabulous taste, and I was excited to have that in my home. We also switched the living room and dining room. I really like it. Curly is still not so sure, but he'll come around.

We still have boxes that need to go out, some things to go over to our storage unit, and some furniture that needs to find a new home. But, it's looking pretty good!

Top Chef

The new season of Top Chef starts tonight. For someone like me who loves to cook, it is the ultimate reality show. This time around, I am extra excited. Have you heard of Bryan Votaggio? He's the hometown hero. His restaurant is hard to get into, which explains why I've never been. And, if his stint on the show goes well, it will be even harder. Don't forget to tune in and root for Bryan!

Day Off

Today, I am taking a much needed day off. I'm a little tired and a lot hormonal, and I need to hit the "reset" button. Sadly, I can't just let my manager know that I won't be in; I have to call in a replacement. So our favorite babysitter is coming. It will be her last time here. She leaves for college on Friday and I'm a little sad about it. I'm not done with her quilt yet. Hopefully I can give it to her before she leaves. If not, she'll have a lovely gift coming to her in the mail.

Sleepy

Rooms to Grow

Today has been spent thinking about furniture layout and paint colors. My parents recently sold their house, so I inherited some of their furniture. I am so excited. We are switching our dining room and living room. I think we will have so much more living space that way. It's going to look spectacular. We also have to move around kid rooms. We have decided to hold off on doing that until 2010, since the baby will stay in our room for a couple of months. Patch and Mini-me will share a room for a couple of years. Mini-me is excited to sleep on the top bunk. They will be in Patch's room. The girls room will be the new nursery. Flower gets the attic. She is over the moon with that news. I hope she likes it up there. It will be her very own space, which she thought she would never have.

The rooms need a new coat of paint. For the nursery, I was thinking of painting it grey and using purple as decorating color. I think grey and purple are very chic. For Mini-me's and Patch's room, I am torn. Eventually, it will be the girls room. I don't want to paint it a girly color because Patch has to live there, too. I also do not want to repaint in a few years. So what color? I could do grey in there as well, or maybe tan. Or yellow. I'm stumped! Suggestions?

Prediction

I see more pink (and not blue) in my future.

It's My Party

Today is my birthday. I am very old. To celebrate, I took Mini-me and Flower shopping yesterday. We got new shoes and Target, and then those sweet little things bought me some fabric. Aren't they the best? Last night, Flower coughed her little self silly, so Curly got to stay home from church with her and Patch. While at church, I got birthday wishes, chocolate, and bouquet of beautiful iris'. For dinner, we are having steak on the grill, fresh fruit, my famous rolls, and peanut butter cupcakes for dessert. The cupcakes are my favorite -- especially because the recipe only makes 12. That way, I'm not tempted to eat cupcakes for a week. Now, while Curly and Flower are resting, the dough is rising, and Mini-me and Patch are having a giggle-fest, I am going to sew. Ah, what a day.

Happy Birthday...

...to Curly!

Sadly, in addition to being really old, Curly is also sick today. He came home from work early and is even missing his show tonight. Luckily he has an understudy from when we were on our road trip. He can eat cupcakes tomorrow.

O'Kigin Celebration Week

Patch's birthday on Sunday kicked off our O'Kigin Celebration Week. The schedule is as follows:

2nd -- Patch's birthday

3rd -- Our anniversary

8th -- Curly's birthday

9th -- My birthday

It's a week of presents, reminiscing, and cake. Lots and lots of cake. I love cake! I must confess, however, that yesterday goes down in the annals of time as the "Lamest Anniversary Ever." Curly felt sick in the morning, and then had to work from 1-10. I, as always, was followed around by my pint-sized entourage. When Curly made it home at about 10:40 last night, we had fondue and leftover cake while watching a show. Then we went to bed. He did get me the prettiest orange roses I've seen in a while.

Yesterday was not a complete wash, however. I got a great package in the mail. It was from Amanda at The Quilted Fish. I won a contest on her blog, and got to choose 2 patterns. This is what I got:

Could you just die? First, honey treats from Utah. Yum. Second, the Year At-a-Glance pattern will be so fun to do. And finally, the best activity book pattern I have ever seen! Look at the pages from the Piece and Quiet book. I can't wait to get started on it!

Thank you so much, Amanda! I love it all!!!

Road Trip (Are You Sick of it Yet?)

More O'Kigin's than you can shake a stick at. We stayed at the Timber Ridge Lodge at Lake Geneva.

My girls don't smile with their lips open. It appears to be hereditary.

Lake Geneva was beautiful. We took a boat tour around the lake that gave us an inside peek at the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The homeowners list read like a "Who's Who" of Chicago.

The cousins love Aunt Becky!

The resort boasted an indoor water park. I stayed clear of all the slides, but most people loved them. Even Grandma and Grandpa!

Aunt Beanie made the trip all the way from Alaska. She took Flower horseback riding. I was jealous. I am quite the resort equestrian.

Flower loved this horse. It looked similar to the one she had at YMCA Horse Camp a few years ago.

On the final night, there was a talent show. Flower sang an original song about families, Curly and I performed from Spamalot, and Patch sang no less than 3 times. It was quite a night.

Thanks for sticking with us on our Family Reunion trip! Next year, we're headed to Sun Valley!

Happy Birthday...

...to my little stinker! And sorry about the eyes in the photo. It gives him a devilish quality that frankly suits him.