i'm thankful that we have some things to make up for the nearly total lack of weather in this region:

1) there are flowers blooming all over the place. year round. it's beautiful.

2) we can go to the beach pretty much year round, too. 

today my boys are gleefully thankful for the rain that we are getting today and tomorrow. they splashed in puddles all the way home from school. 

our weekend:  

bake- 2 pies, potatoes, green beans, and a cheese ball.

visit - 3 couples and 3 kids at the Thomson's for Thanksgiving dinner (we created our own family-away-from-family)

visitors - old friends from college coming to hang on Friday

OO7 - yay! Saturday movie

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

the bump.

here's your first photo of that thing growing in my belly. i have to say that it looks kinda puny in this photo. i assure you, it feels much, much larger.  baby kicks a lot now, especially when daddy is talking (they have all been like that so far), and we should be able to give it he/she status in a few weeks.  

and then i'll be asking for names. 

Pretty Things that Smell Good

Just wanted to post a link to my friend Catherine's Scentsy Website - in case any of you who missed the party wanted to order anything, and I know some of you did.  You can click on "place an order" and that takes you to my name and then you can browse the catalog and stuff. There's no shipping, and the "party" is open until the 29th.  I also have scent samples here if anyone wants to come over and smell stuff.   (the fruity smells were my downfall. yum!)

You can order online, or you can fill out an order form with me.  Enjoy!

I really don't love sushi.

I've tried it, and there is some that's fine - I do enjoy the tuna at Gyu-Kaku  - but I never have a craving for it, and I'll never chose it over any other kind of food. 

But Catherine loves it. And Craig has recently become enamored of it as well. So last night Craig took us ladies out to Kiriko Sushi on Sawtelle. We waited for about 10 minutes for a table, which was nice because apparently the place is highly recommended. 

I got a salad and edamame (which was very good) and they ordered a variety of spicy sushi rolls and sushi which they then proceeded to drool and fight over for the remainder of the meal. It was appalling.  Craig had the smoked salmon sushi first, because it was the best, but Catherine saved hers for last ("it's dessert" she said). Her eyes nearly rolled back into her head. 

So if you enjoy yourself some sushi, I pass along the suggestion. Apparently it was the best smoked salmon sushi either one of them had ever had.  

yay. 

Guess Where I Went Today - 

la Ciudad restaurant in downtown LA! Catherine and I went down for a cooking class and an amazing lunch made by celebrity chefs Mary Sue Miliken and Susan Feniger. It was all about how to cook with chilis - 

here we are with the chefs!

doin' their thing

we didn't think of taking photos of ANY of the food until dessert! noooo! 

Visitors

Catherine and her oldest son Noah are here visiting us from Texas. We haven't seen her since we moved from Utah to Los Angeles when we graduated more than 5 years ago.  When we moved away,  I was 2 months pregnant, and she was 3. Now we are both 4 months pregnant. Our kids are all the same age except she has a little girl who is 15 months old now.  I dropped the ball on that one. 

yesterday we tried to find a park in Santa Monica for the boys to explore in, but we got lost, and I ended up saying, "well let's just go to the beach". Noah was thrilled because he had never, EVER been to the ocean before.  Because we weren't really prepared, we said, "but only get wet up to your knees!" 

yeah, right. 

We're going again today, since the forecast is for a freakish 95 degrees.   More pictures to follow!

i apologize in advance for your tender eyes - i just have to post this, because all of my dreams came true in one instant and then were completely shattered in the next. 

See this skirt? :  (sorry! I'm sorry about the bra!)

I had a dream a year or so ago. the most vivid dream I've ever had. I was in a dress, that color, with this huge flowing skirt just. like. that one. , and this corset-y pretty top, anyway -  and I was running through this castle which was making my skirt all flowy and billowy and it was possibly the most beautiful thing ever but there was no way I was ever going to find a dress like that, right? 

well there it is. The bottom part anyway. And even though I know I would never have any opportunity to wear it, I was all set to buy it the moment the catalog went from my mailbox to my eager little fingers (yes, I get VS, I am not ashamed).

But they don't even sell it. They don't even specify in the catalog how they got their hands on it! 

I had to throw it away. I spent too much time sitting on the couch and gazing at it...

Ultimate Advent Calendar

this piece of wonderfulness is available at Pottery Barn Kids for $69.  Or you could just make one. It's all polyester felt, with embroidered numbers. It's simply delicious!

confession: I typed nary a word yesterday. GASP! Only November 5 and already behind! Plus my friend Catherine is visiting for 5 days this month and I very-much-doubt I'm going to get much/any writing done while she is here! But I will persevere! No giving up! This can be done!

Statistics:

words written: 4,220

words to write by end of day to be caught up: 2, 267

I'm doing it! almost 20 pages done! I LOVE MOTIVATION!

also, please vote today

it's very important. 

I've been making loads of lists lately. Thanksgiving ideas (we need kid crafts to keep the little snookers busy), Christmas ideas, sewing ideas (so much sewing! ooh lala!), things-to-do-while-Catherine-is-here ideas, I feel very very busy but I'm also managing to keep myself scheduled so I'm not overwhelmed.  Of course today I've gone to Target, and voted, and done nothing else even though I've been home for 2 hours and could have washed dishes and covered one of my couch cushions... mmm.  OH WELL!  I feel great! Yay!   Sadly, this euphoria tends to hit around mid-morning and then come crashing down around 1 pm (shoot, only 1/2 hour to go!) when my energy flies away with the morning clouds.  Ah, pregnancy.   

I should go write. Or sew. Or - haha, make lunch for my poor son..   Happy Week!!!

Thanksgiving plans:

menu

decorations

kids table and crafts

place settings

entertainment

hmm? what's that? 

you say i'm hosting Christmas this year?

not Thanksgiving?

Oh...

oh my. 

this is going to be 

so. much. fun!

Beautiful and Spooky photos found HERE! 

Happy Halloween!

tomorrow is the big day.  I'm cleaning and organizing today like crazy to try to prepare for it.  I did it in '06 (it helped that I had a class centered entirely around the idea) and then tossed the idea around in '07 but I don't think I ever got farther than 3 pages.  *sheepish grin*

this year I have a pretty solid idea though, and I'm excited. 6 and 1/2 pages a day! wooooo!

Cake Balls.

because I have been motivated enough this week to do exactly two loads of laundry and nothing else, I once again give you a post that is in fact nothing more than a link to someone else's creativity.  If you haven't already heard of Pioneer Woman (well, then shame on you, the woman is a hysterical genius. I love her deeply) then now you get a LINK to her blog! (okay so the link is just to a single post on the cooking section of her blog, but whatever).  

since I've been so Christmas-post-y this week and since it isn't actually Halloween yet, I thought I'd give you a fun, yummy, and quick (sorta) Halloween food/craft.  Enjoy.  

If I can bring myself to get up off the bean bag,  I might even make some myself. 

this advent calendar caught my eye - It's easy to make and would be major fun for the kids (each tin has a surprise of your choice inside). I found it HERE.  It's not nativity-esque, but it could be put together in one or two afternoons! 

eventually of course, I'll have to actually make some of these things myself... not sure when that's going to happen since I've just decided to do NaNoWriMo again this year!

Here's another one, for the sewing-crafty types. There are no instructions (it was made to sell) but I found it HERE, and it's a lovely idea. 

another holiday craft (directions HERE) that is super-cheap-and-easy to do. Also, Christmas tree ornaments make great gifts for far-away family members, friends, and co-workers (of the Christian variety, anyway).  I've been thinking of doing Christmas packages this year for all of our extended family - ornaments and treats that they can open when the box arrives. 

then the guilt for not giving presents is gone, and we don't have to worry about our bank account in these times of amazing economical bounty.  

If I haven't already emailed you the link:

I am totally addicted to THIS BLOG. Karalenn has been calling me every time "Cordy" updates and we've been squee-ing like teenagers. 

Start at the beginning, folks. And don't bother starting it until you have an hour or so to spend reading, because you won't want to stop. 

I'm really feeling the urge this year to jump into decorating and planning for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. This craft (found HERE) is autumn-y and could work for Halloween or Thanksgiving and is super super simple.  

Maybe it's the fall weather we're finally having, or maybe it's the Christmas carols I listened to all day yesterday; but I am FEELING THE SPIRIT!  yay!

i have a lot of fur left over from Craig's Raccoon Mario tail. Naturally I've been daydreaming of sewing stuff like this:

even though I don't have a girl and am pretty sure I would HATE sewing such a project.  This lovely photo comes from HERE - where they sell these beauties in all kinds of styles and colors. 

it's a good thing I don't have a girl, I believe...

Our church held the annual Trunk-or-Treat early this year; so Halloween for us was last night. This year's theme, as you know, was Super Mario Bros. 

the boys had a lot of fun, and naturally came home with too much loot:

princesses! 

the Burrows looked AWESOME this year! way to go Vera and Brett!

Craig's tail was a huge hit. People kept hugging  it:

our little family. 
apparently I overdid it last night and woke up this morning coughing and hacking. Craig declared me unable to go to church, so I've been sitting at home planning the rest of the years' holidays. It's almost Christmas!!!

Halloween, Part I:

I finished Jen's Snow White costume (except the collar - that kicked my butt and I whimpered and whined and eventually gave up), and I'm almost done with my Princess Peach getup. 

It is very frustrating that all of our parties are a week before Halloween this year! Stress!  I have about an hour's work on mine and the boys' stuff. Tomorrow morning I'll be making a raccoon tail and ears to stick on Craig's costume. (heh)