Saturday, January 12, 2013
Take that MEEME and shove it!
True Story: I was discussing THIS EXACT THING with the 20-somethings with whom I work. The dude in the crows feet IM exchange, actually. This is proof that Mike Rowe and I are soul mates:
Friday, January 11, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Airport
I went to the airport to pick up my miracle niece and my SIL Who Does Not Wear John Deere Pajamas this evening. I was standing in baggage claim waiting for them when I heard Sarah say "There's Aunt Elizabeth!" to Baby AJ so I walked over to them, took AJ from Sarah and gave her 100 kisses.
At the same time, the flight crew was coming down the escalator and walking past us. I noticed that a few of them looked at us and smiled at the warm and fuzzy "my niece has been gone for five days and I missed her" cheek kissing that was happening. I commented to Sarah that AJ must have been a good girl on the flight because none of them were giving us "THANK GOD that nearly-two-year-old-who-has-all-of-her-Aunt-Elizabeth's-less-awesome-qualities is off our plane!!" looks. Sarah said that no, AJ slept for the whole flight.
Then later I was thinking about the beginning and the end of Love Actually and about how it talks about the arrivals gate at an airport as proof that love is all around us. That flight crew, for all the bullshit I'm sure their passengers offer them, are also lucky that they probably also get to see people being happy to see each other all the time.
Also: I'm not sure if not-quite-two-year-olds are suppppppposed to speak in full sentences, but I swear to you that if Baby AJ enunciated just a tiny bit better, she'd be about ready to join Toastmasters. (Assuming the topics involved Dora the Explorer, trains and the dog.)
At the same time, the flight crew was coming down the escalator and walking past us. I noticed that a few of them looked at us and smiled at the warm and fuzzy "my niece has been gone for five days and I missed her" cheek kissing that was happening. I commented to Sarah that AJ must have been a good girl on the flight because none of them were giving us "THANK GOD that nearly-two-year-old-who-has-all-of-her-Aunt-Elizabeth's-less-awesome-qualities is off our plane!!" looks. Sarah said that no, AJ slept for the whole flight.
Then later I was thinking about the beginning and the end of Love Actually and about how it talks about the arrivals gate at an airport as proof that love is all around us. That flight crew, for all the bullshit I'm sure their passengers offer them, are also lucky that they probably also get to see people being happy to see each other all the time.
Also: I'm not sure if not-quite-two-year-olds are suppppppposed to speak in full sentences, but I swear to you that if Baby AJ enunciated just a tiny bit better, she'd be about ready to join Toastmasters. (Assuming the topics involved Dora the Explorer, trains and the dog.)
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Blog Mom & Dad's Anniversary / Retirement Party: CHECK!
My brothers, sisters in law and I hosted a party for my parents' 40th wedding anniversary and their retirements (my dad basically retired 100 years ago, but he's OFFICIALLY retired now). This all happened back in October so while their garden is lovely, it's not this lovely in January.
And this isn't really a blog post as much as it is a picture dump because it was all just so stinking pretty...but I can't really take credit for all the great ideas - it was like 80% Pinterest. I will, however, take credit for being on a ladder at like 5:30 that morning, hanging those damn lanterns. It all looks so simple and easy breezy, but it did take a lot of effort.
And speaking of effort, our friend Mary -- my brother and SIL Who Does Not Wear John Deere Pamajas' neighbor, was SO AWESOME. She offered to help and at first I told her not to worry about it because I knew I'd be in bitch mode but she was like "Elizabeth, I totally know what it's like to be our kind of person in party prep mode. You tell me what to do and I will do it."
And hot damn, she rocked it. SO HELPFUL!
I believe I've already reported that I wouldn't do the driveway balloons again because they got all tangled with even just a light breeze:
The main food was a taco guy who I didn't get a picture of, but there was also a table of supplementary items - the big hole was for the artichoke jalapeno dip that was in the oven when Laverne took this picture:
The oranges in the mason jar were a bit of a twist on something I saw on Pinterest that I'd totally do again...though my morning would have been less hectic if I'd decided on baby's breath earlier and did the running from store to store to buy enough sometime OTHER THAN the morning of the party.
Sangria and sun tea down at the end (not in view: the jelly jars I rented for said sangria and sun tea! I LOVE A THEME!):
One of my favorite Pinterest ideas:
The crates for the empties (there was another one for dirty dishes and another for something else that I can't think of right now) were my idea -- I have three of them in my garage now, so expect to see them again at any future adorable outdoor parties I may throw.
The other side of the yard with the seating. It was unexpectedly warm so umbrellas would have been nice, but then I couldn't have done the lanterns:
The kids' table was this adorable little midgety table (with matching midgety chairs) that I stocked with kid stuff:
See that bike in the picture above? Mary and I looked over at it at one point during the set up process and we both noticed that her husband had sort of awkwardly tied the balloons to it (per my request), but we were busy and I was thankful for his help and we had bigger fish to fry so I was going to ignore it...but then Mary, my party execution twin, was like "You're thinking the same thing I'm thinking."
"Um. Probably. But don't worry about it."
And then the next thing I knew, her husband was re-doing the balloons on the bike.
I'm pretty sure that when he offered to help he thought he'd be doing masculine things like moving tables and putting beer on ice (my brother's ONLY day-of job was to get ice, but I had to send him back to the store three times because this task wasn't being completed to my satisfaction) and that he didn't at all expect to be named the VP of Balloon Decor (he also did the driveway balloons for me!), but those balloons on that bike (which were an afterthought because my dad's bike just happened to be leaning up against the fence and we had extra driveway balloons) actually turned out to be one of my favorite details.
Mary also made the cupcakes and her mother-in-law made the party favors (chocolate pops) -- I would have FOR SURE been up a creek without Team KPR!
We had a huge turn out, it was a lovely day for a party, and I know my parents enjoyed themselves.
WIN!!
And I totally overbought on beverages so we have beer and soda in the basement to last us for years.
I also had a bunch of people say that OMG ELIZABETH, YOU SHOULD DO THIS PROFESSIONALLY and I was like OMG THANK YOU BUT NO, because then I'd have to execute other peoples' ideas and truthfully, it's a lot of effort and it's really only worth it when I'm doing this for someone I love.
And speaking of someone I love, here's a beautiful picture of my miracle niece that Laverne took (one of many -- some of which I've stolen for use in this blog post):
And this isn't really a blog post as much as it is a picture dump because it was all just so stinking pretty...but I can't really take credit for all the great ideas - it was like 80% Pinterest. I will, however, take credit for being on a ladder at like 5:30 that morning, hanging those damn lanterns. It all looks so simple and easy breezy, but it did take a lot of effort.
And speaking of effort, our friend Mary -- my brother and SIL Who Does Not Wear John Deere Pamajas' neighbor, was SO AWESOME. She offered to help and at first I told her not to worry about it because I knew I'd be in bitch mode but she was like "Elizabeth, I totally know what it's like to be our kind of person in party prep mode. You tell me what to do and I will do it."
And hot damn, she rocked it. SO HELPFUL!
I believe I've already reported that I wouldn't do the driveway balloons again because they got all tangled with even just a light breeze:
The main food was a taco guy who I didn't get a picture of, but there was also a table of supplementary items - the big hole was for the artichoke jalapeno dip that was in the oven when Laverne took this picture:
The oranges in the mason jar were a bit of a twist on something I saw on Pinterest that I'd totally do again...though my morning would have been less hectic if I'd decided on baby's breath earlier and did the running from store to store to buy enough sometime OTHER THAN the morning of the party.
Sangria and sun tea down at the end (not in view: the jelly jars I rented for said sangria and sun tea! I LOVE A THEME!):
One of my favorite Pinterest ideas:
The crates for the empties (there was another one for dirty dishes and another for something else that I can't think of right now) were my idea -- I have three of them in my garage now, so expect to see them again at any future adorable outdoor parties I may throw.
The other side of the yard with the seating. It was unexpectedly warm so umbrellas would have been nice, but then I couldn't have done the lanterns:
The kids' table was this adorable little midgety table (with matching midgety chairs) that I stocked with kid stuff:
See that bike in the picture above? Mary and I looked over at it at one point during the set up process and we both noticed that her husband had sort of awkwardly tied the balloons to it (per my request), but we were busy and I was thankful for his help and we had bigger fish to fry so I was going to ignore it...but then Mary, my party execution twin, was like "You're thinking the same thing I'm thinking."
"Um. Probably. But don't worry about it."
And then the next thing I knew, her husband was re-doing the balloons on the bike.
I'm pretty sure that when he offered to help he thought he'd be doing masculine things like moving tables and putting beer on ice (my brother's ONLY day-of job was to get ice, but I had to send him back to the store three times because this task wasn't being completed to my satisfaction) and that he didn't at all expect to be named the VP of Balloon Decor (he also did the driveway balloons for me!), but those balloons on that bike (which were an afterthought because my dad's bike just happened to be leaning up against the fence and we had extra driveway balloons) actually turned out to be one of my favorite details.
Mary also made the cupcakes and her mother-in-law made the party favors (chocolate pops) -- I would have FOR SURE been up a creek without Team KPR!
We had a huge turn out, it was a lovely day for a party, and I know my parents enjoyed themselves.
WIN!!
And I totally overbought on beverages so we have beer and soda in the basement to last us for years.
I also had a bunch of people say that OMG ELIZABETH, YOU SHOULD DO THIS PROFESSIONALLY and I was like OMG THANK YOU BUT NO, because then I'd have to execute other peoples' ideas and truthfully, it's a lot of effort and it's really only worth it when I'm doing this for someone I love.
And speaking of someone I love, here's a beautiful picture of my miracle niece that Laverne took (one of many -- some of which I've stolen for use in this blog post):
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Nail Polish Strips
Using a free sample before I have to go back to work and be age appropriate and professional.
I have known all these ladies since we were teenagers
You know what's totally stupid?
I see pictures like this one from a wine tasting trip last summer, where I'm not in a particularly flattering position (hello thigh spread!), and I'm surprised that while I'm definitely the fat one, I don't look like Jabba the Hut compared the others, but in my head this is an optical illusion and that in real life I *am* Jabba-esque:
There are pictures that confirm my Jabba theory (like one my mother took on Christmas that was from a sitting-down-and-looking-up-at-me angle and where I was holding a tiny little five week old baby -- a prescription for an unflattering photo), but there are ten times as many where I look way better than I do in my head...yet I believe the Jabba ones are true and all the others are just flukes.
There's no talking me out of it, but that's what's in my head.
Jabba the Hut with an ass of steel, of course. That's part of me I know is true.
But I'm still happy to have pictures like this one because I look happy to be with women I enjoy and admire, which is also true.
And the other thing that is stupid is that one of these ladies has expressed similar thoughts about herself and it blows my mind because I look at her and see a strong, healthy, successful, funny woman and I totally don't get it...except then again, I totally do because the same could all be said of me, but I see it all so differently.
Maybe 2013 is the year I fix all that. Or maybe it'll be 2014. Or never.
I see pictures like this one from a wine tasting trip last summer, where I'm not in a particularly flattering position (hello thigh spread!), and I'm surprised that while I'm definitely the fat one, I don't look like Jabba the Hut compared the others, but in my head this is an optical illusion and that in real life I *am* Jabba-esque:
There are pictures that confirm my Jabba theory (like one my mother took on Christmas that was from a sitting-down-and-looking-up-at-me angle and where I was holding a tiny little five week old baby -- a prescription for an unflattering photo), but there are ten times as many where I look way better than I do in my head...yet I believe the Jabba ones are true and all the others are just flukes.
There's no talking me out of it, but that's what's in my head.
Jabba the Hut with an ass of steel, of course. That's part of me I know is true.
But I'm still happy to have pictures like this one because I look happy to be with women I enjoy and admire, which is also true.
And the other thing that is stupid is that one of these ladies has expressed similar thoughts about herself and it blows my mind because I look at her and see a strong, healthy, successful, funny woman and I totally don't get it...except then again, I totally do because the same could all be said of me, but I see it all so differently.
Maybe 2013 is the year I fix all that. Or maybe it'll be 2014. Or never.
Pinterest Strikes Again!
My brother came over today to help me hang a heavy picture and I was reminded of a trick I saw on Pinterest -- a post-it note positioned under the hole you're drilling will catch the debris.
AND SURE AS SHIT, it worked! I had a tiny bit to sweep, but I will never drill without a post-it ever again!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)