I've Officially Become My Mother

Last Saturday I bought two rolls of Scotch tape and promptly came home and hid them. I hid them because I can never find tape when I need it. It's always under a bed or in the clothes hamper.

My mom hid tape when I was a kid, along with cans of those crunchy onions you put on top of green bean casserole.

So...do tell...

Do you have a secret stash? chocolate? your favorite pen? a can of cashews?

You don't have to tell where you hide, only what you hide.

'Cause there is no way I'm telling you where my tape is.

Ups and Downs

If there was any place I needed to be last Sunday, it was in church. I desperately needed an attitude adjustment. I was coming off a hectic week at work, and I guess maybe the full moon had pulled my hormone wave pool a little off course. (I don't even know if there was a full moon, but let's just go with it).

Taking a shower and blow drying my hair, an obvious necessity, seemed almost unbearable. My hair has a life of its own and takes FOREVER to dry. I flipped the light on in my closet and it popped and went out. Besides the fact I couldn't see anything in there, I couldn't find anything to wear that fit right or looked right. The blow drying frenzy had left me hot and sweaty and I was not a happy girl.

By the time we left for church at 9:40 I'd been up nearly four hours. I was not mad at my husband for anything in particular, but of course I lashed out at him.

"I'm just so frazzled", I growled. "Every single day is rush, rush, rush. I've been up since 5:30!"

Then for some reason as we were backing out of the garage he pushed the button to close my side of the garage as well as the button for the other door, which opened that side. It hasn't been working well for awhile, so that involved him re-opening my door, going inside the garage to close the ailing door, then getting back in the car to close my door with the remote.

Grrrr... "And why haven't you gotten that garage door fixed?" (You knew I was going to say it, didn't you!)

So there we were at church. Happy Couple of the Year. Perfect Mom, dressed all cute. Accessorized beautifully. Glowing! Fresh! Together!

Yeah. Right.

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow."
If I have to tell you one more time about that garage door, I'm just going to call someone to fix it and it will cost us $100 or more.
"Good Morning. It's so nice to see you. Are you ready for the new school year?"
If I have to load and unload that dishwasher one more time this weekend, I swear I am going to explode.

Have you ever been there? Sitting in church praising the Lord outwardly, and inwardly reeling with negativity? Oh! The hypocrisy of it all. I'm guilty, oh yes I am. And I know other people are, too. We're all human.

I got over it. By the end of the day I was feeling much better. My husband knows to just let me have some space so I can wallow in my misery.

Oh.... The garage door?
Don't ask. I've let it go.

Oreo Cupcakes

I baked these delicious cupcakes last night and thought it would be fun to share the recipe.

1 box Devil's food cake mix

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese - softened

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 egg

1 container Cool Whip

1 pkg. mini Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350. Make cake mix according to directions on box. In separate bowl, combine softened cream cheese, egg and sugar.

Fill cupcake cups half full. Drop in 1 tsp of cream cheese mixture and top with a mini Oreo. Top with more cake batter.

Bake at 350 for 19-22 minutes. When cool, top with Cool Whip and another mini Oreo.

Enjoy (eat two or three!)

Elvis

As fans around the world mark the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death, I'd love to hear what your favorite Elivs song is, and why.

I'll bet there is at least one good Elvis story out there!

My favorite is Jailhouse Rock.

An Apple for the Teacher....

...or maybe not!

We hope your school year is off to a great start!

The Last Word

Adam, the little bugger, is developing quite a personality. Most of the time it's charming and so darn cute you'll often find me clapping dramatically while aaaahing and oooooing. The past couple weeks he's begun repeating the last word of nearly every sentence spoken to him.

Me: Adam, did you have a good day?
Adam: Day!
Me: Did you play with toys?
Adam: Toys!

You get the idea.

Today, when I had to put him in the naughty chair, this mimicking became so funny I could barely keep a straight face.

Me: Adam, do you know why you're in the naughty chair?
A: Chair!
Me: You have to sit here because you disobeyed.
A: Bayed!
Me: You do not tell mommy "no-no."
A: Moe!
Me: What do you say to mommy?
A: Mommy!
Me: You say, Yes, ma'am.
A: Man!

Later, we were playing in the living room and a fishing show came on. The camera panned a close-up onto a man holding a fish he'd caught.

"Look at that man holding the big fish!", I exclaimed.

Without missing a beat, Adam said, "Yes, man!" "Yes, man!" and promptly sat down in the naughty chair.

At least he's trying.

Jill's Book Bag #3 - **WINNER**

The winner of the "cooking" book bag is Judi at Mommy of Two.

Judi, please email me at the address on my profile page and let me know two types of cookbooks you're interested in (cuisine style or even specific titles)

Thanks again to everyone for participating.

Jill's Book Bag #3 - August 2007

**UPDATED: Due to some smarmy comments and other weird stuff, I will be closing comments first thing Sunday morning (August 12) and drawing a winner then. Thanks to all of you!

This month's book bag is a colorful quilted backpack. The flap on the front snaps and is also held in place by a decorative rope and bead. The inside is one large compartment, and there is a zipper pocket on the back. I thought this whimsical, carefree style was the perfect way to end the summer!
The books this month will be a collection of four cookbooks. I'll choose two on my own and let the winner give me ideas for the other two. Perhaps you love crockpot cooking, or grilling, or Italian. Maybe you'd love a regional cookbook, or one all about chocolate!

I've also simplified the rules. All you have to do is leave a comment (one comment per person). If you'd like to link back here, it's much appreciated, but not necessary.

Thanks!

I'm No June Cleaver

The witching hour, that whiny and unsettled time between 5 and 6 o'clock mothers of young children know so well, was in full force at Casa de Norwood this afternoon.

Honestly, I was a frazzled by about noon. And Adam, in his own 19-month old way, was too. He only napped for 45 minutes. I did not nap at all.

I thought an ice cream cone might be just the ticket. I added a handful of blue corn tortilla chips and toaster waffles, with a side of syrup, for good measure. When throwing nutrition to the wind, I go for the gusto.

Momma fixed herself a gin & tonic... tall, with salt on the rim and a splash of grapefruit juice. Thankyouverymuch.

We headed out to the deck, not because I wanted to bake in the 90+ degree heat. It just sounded more appealing than mopping sticky syrup and ice cream off the kitchen floor.

Adam proceeded to take a bite out of the bottom of the ice cream cone, which resulted in a slow drip down the front of his shirt and onto his shorts. Until the cone turned to mush, that is, and he squeezed it like a sponge.

A lick of ice cream here, a bite of waffle there, a spoonful of syrup for good measure....

It bought me 15 minutes of sipping and reading without anything attached to my hip or leg.

Never mind the sugar rush that came later.

We've Named Our Deck

Adventures in Shopping

I get teased about a lot of things around my office. For instance, I have a thing for cleanliness and neatness and, when working with a bunch of men who cut, sand and paint fine frames, that can be a hard goal to attain. Another of my quirks is the amusing shopping and errand lists I give the office assistant.

Honestly, if I were her, I would squeal at the thought of getting out of the office for an hour or so to shop with someone else's money. And, since you know I have the whole beverage thing, I'd make my first stop the Chick Fil-a drive thru for a large unsweet tea with two Splendas.

Just so you can get a feel for the variety of the errands I conjure up, a list last week included a bank deposit, buying certain feminine supplies for the front bathroom plus 8 travel sized toothpastes for the owner, dropping a pair of shoes off to get the heels cut down, and a quick stop at the liquor store for Fernet Branca, a spirit known to cure nausea (for one of the messy guys in the back).

I'm also known to be a real stickler for efficient errand running, which means I've trained everyone to make lists. The most reliable list maker is one of two Vietnamese brothers who have been with us for nearly 14 years. They are in charge of cleaning the messy back studio.

One day last week he put the following shopping list on my desk:

Next time store, please buy:
1. Four toilet cleaner bottle use upside down
2. Three cleaner with scrubbing bubbles men
3. Four Kill! Virus! Spray!
4. One large hand soap

On another shopping note, I want you all to know my mascara dilemma is now over, because I have found Dior Show Mascara. It rocks.
I look for five things in a mascara
1. The suction on the wand when it comes out of the tube (sorry, there's not a more delicate way to put it)
2. The shape of the brush on the wand
3. The way it goes on.. not too thin, not too thick, not too sticky
4. Wearability - I don't want to fork over $23 for dark circles by mid-day. I can get those for free just living life with a toddler.
5. Removability - When I want to take it off, I want it to come off with soap and water.
BINGO. All five. DIOR SHOW MASCARA.
Go! Buy! Now!