{Rubber-Sol: Why, hello there!}

Weekend Wrap-up

Hank and I took the kids up to SLO county for a few days in attempt to go on a vacation. Our radically different work schedules have always prevented us from going anywhere for a prolonged amount of time so we had to seize this opportunity to go somewhere, anywhere. We had tons of fun at the San Luís Obispo Children's Museum; going there always makes me wish I were a kid again!

And believe it or not, San Luís Obispo hosts a pretty darn good Farmer's Market. Since it's held in the evenings, it ends up being more like a social gathering of sorts. I had just as much fun people watching as I did browsing the stands of produce and other crafty goodies. We stocked up on our supply of Orange Blossom honey straight from the honey comb. Yum!

The rest of the weekend was spent rummaging through some stuff that I have stored at my parents' house. Since I'm such a PACKRAT, and have virtually EVERY folder from my academic career, I had a lot of sorting out to do. I found some really, really funny notes and pictures that Tory and I wrote to each other in Biology. I'll have to share those later. Hilarious.

Today was spent in the pool (a real one....not a blow up one! Oh the thrills!) with mi querida amiga, Linda. Alison was overly cautious even with her water wings, and Henry, oh Henry, was up to his usual daredevilish tricks. I actually think I saw him try to walk on water a few times. I also saw him gulp down a fair amount of water as well.

After reading Giao's Suite 101 article, I was inspired to host our own lawnchair theater extravaganza (I think I was even more inspired by the "work sucks" theme). We have a digital projector, lap top, dvds etc....but I'm still uncertain how we would crank up the volume loud enough for all to hear since we would most likely have an audience of wee folk. It seems like last ditch efforts to preserve summer are in the air, because shortly after reading the Suite 101 article, I noticed that LJC has already done her version of guerilla drive-ins! How serendipitious!

I'm Gonna Go, Like, Postal

Visiting the local post office is right up there with going to the dentist. Actually I think a shot or two of novacaine® would probably do wonders if they could, you know, NUMB OUT THE PAIN I must endure while standing in line. Yesterday was kinda chaotic because the whole family was present with me while I delivered my goods. Just imagine a family of four walking in with a Rite Aid cart full of boxes. Hank steered while I frantically tried to fill out the customs forms for several packages that were headed abroad (Finland! England! Sweden!). Henry was entranced with the doorbell that notified the workers behind the counter, and Alison busied herself by looking at the stamps.

The lines there always inch along painfully slow, and the workers are always so CHIPPER! I mean really. Does it really hurt to smile? And could they move any S-L-O-W-E-R? By the time I reached the front of the line, I was sweating like a pig because it was like a freakin' oven, and the clerk kept telling me, "You know if you have to tape up the package like that.....this package might not pass customs.....if you were in another clerk's line, they wouldn't let this slide.......*sigh*...but I will."

Domo Arigato. Mrs. Robato.

Today's trip to the local P.O. was a bit more entertaining despite the fact that the line snaked all the way out onto the sidewalk outside. The man in front of me felt a sense of obligation to entertain fellow customers, by asking quirky questions, like, "If the doctor gave you three pills and told you to take one every thirty minutes, how long would it take to consume all three?"

"An hour," I sighed.

"Oh you're smart!" The man's face lit up. He had an audience now.

Damn...shoulda stayed quiet.

And then he proceeded to throw out random zip codes to get people to guess the location. Like I care, mister. Then he started muttering something about the Mason-Dixon line and time zones, and basically at that point I checked out (as I'm sure you already have while reading this).

So what's the point of this post? Lawd knows! Except the fact that I hate the post office. All I do is spend time and money there.....this week's tally was almost two hours....and two hundred dollars in postage fees. Heck! For that much time and money, I'd rather get some sort of spa treatment at Burke Williams!

Oh yeah. A spa treatment. Yeah that's it. That's the ticket.

****Ed. Note Okay so I just went and re-read through Giao's post office post, and I noticed that I had commented on it. My comment read, "Going to the p.o. is right up there with going to the DENTIST." How original. SHEESH. I need to get some new lines in my repertoire.

Gettin' Knitty With It

Hopefully my mother and mother-in-law won't peek at this page, but here is a little snippet of the gift I'm knitting for them. The diamond pattern is coming out quite nicely afterall. I've decided that typing out the entire pattern (row by row) helps keep the brain focused. I tend to get a little spacey while knitting, so this blueprint idea has helped tremendously!

Spacey and loopy tend to be the adjectives that best describe me lately. Hank has a story for y'all that he'll share later on. But it will showcase just how SPACEY I've been. I tell ya, once you have babies, your brain takes a downward dive. . .you're never quite the same, right moms? Sometimes I'll start walking towards the bedroom with a destination and agenda in mind, and then I'll stop mid-pace to think, "Where am I going?! I don't quite remember!" So my two babes have given me bigger feet (did you know that they grow a bit while pregnant?) and a watery brain. THANKS kids!

Last night we went to Circuit City, and I saw the camera I've been coveting. I have the regular SLR Canon Rebel that uses real life film, but this digital brother is quite handsome and it makes me swoon. A girl can dream, right?

****Batch #3 of eBay is in the oven! ***

A Date with Henry

Last night Cassie and I took our babes (her Kylee, my Henry) to a Tiny Tots Music Class. I enjoyed the one-on-one time with Henry, and he seemed to LOVE the class. He's quite the musical guy; he has been able to hum songs from memory since quite an early age. For an hour, he twirled, jumped, ring-around-the-rosied, marched, stomped, and giggled. He truly is a delightful young boy (despite his routine shenanigans), and he's starting to grow more loving and affectionate each day.

Unlike his more reserved sister, he's very social and outgoing. Alison has taken a slew of creative classes (art, gymnastics, dancing etc), but she usually spent a good 50% of the time either a.) clinging to my legs or b.) observing the others. Upon arriving at the park, Henry BURST! into the recreation room, swinging the doors open as if to exclaim, "Let the party begin!"

Cassie's girl, Kylee, has a very similar personality to Henry (hmmmm....they must take after their mothers....just a hunch!), and they both enjoyed each other's company. At one point we saw them holding hands, and our hearts melted....you see, we've already arranged their marriage! That way Cassie and I can be together for like, forever!

Henry's a silly dude too. After hearing Kylee yell, "Mommy! Mommy," to Cassie, he has assumed that Cassie's name must, reasonably, be "Mommy." So throughout the night the other mothers heard him yell, "Come Mama!......Come Mommy!" Now we're trying to teach Kylee to call me "Mama." We're silly girls, I guess.

On another note, I've met a new online pal, JustJenn. Her site is so fun, and we've already corresponded via e-mail several times. We've found out that we have some similar tastes and interests! She was the first person who actually guessed the meaning behind, "Rubber-Sol!" How cosmic.

Also I have a fresh batch of eBay. Last week's auctions surpassed my expectations, and this week has started to prove the same! (Thank you to those who bid and to those who beat out the snipers!) I'll be liquidating my entire rubber stamp inventory for the next couple of months. If you, dear reader, are interested in any of them, let me know. No bidding necessary! And absolutely no obligation, of course!

Oh! One last thing! My new nephew, Everett Michael, arrived on the 16th (his actual due date!)! Yay! And Hank's best bud Everett (a.k.a. Rett....can you believe another Everett!) just had his second babe, Kate!

Summertime and the Living's Easy

Right now the babes are busying themselves watching Sesame Street, and I thought I'd sneak in a little post. I've been super occupied with vacation: trips to the park, library, music festivals, dips in inflatable pools with wee pals. We've been fortunate as the weather has been favorable, allowing us the freedom to spend time outside.

***TIMEOUT...I hear a "ruckus" going on in the kitchen!***
Okay so sorry. Henry's new trick is to open the refrigerator (that treasure trove!). He's on his second juice box, but I'm gonna let it slide as it's allowing me a (kinda) peaceful moment at the computer.

So where was I? Oh yeah. Summertime. Like usual I have a lofty to do list that I'd like to conquer, but the leisurely pace of summer has made me lazy. During my first week of vacation, I was quite eager, and I actually finished Alison's sweater. And then I sewed up this little knitting roll-up out of a remnant that I found at one of those chic high end fabric stores. Now I can store my circular needles and straight ones too! It has turned out quite nicely, and I'm so pleased that my needles aren't clankety-clanking at the bottom of my bag anymore!

Currently I'm working on this from knitty. I'm knitting one for my mom and one for my mother-in-law, and hopefully they'll be ready for Christmas. The criss-cross diamonds are kinda tricky, and I'm not even sure if I'm doing them correctly. I think I'll have to do some googling to see if there are some diagrams for me to view!

When time permits, I've been enjoying new sites that I've found. Perhaps my newest favorite is The Trixie Update! Another goodie is Paige Pooler. I've also discovered that I seriously need to update my link's page! There's just so much goodness out there!

Well I had better run now. I just heard Alison say, "Henry....lock yourself in my room...and I'm gonna see if I can get you out!" You see, she's gotten to be quite savvy with this tool.

Happy Weekend

We enjoyed a slow-paced weekend with visits from my in-laws (they wanted to see the babes before heading to Northern Cali for the upcoming arrival of my new nephew, Everett!), lounge time in front of the telly, and a trip to the most amazing library ever created. Ever! This library is kinda nearby, and the children's section is an absolutely magical place to be. Who knew that shark tanks and a giganto salt water tank would be part of the fun?! Allie loves hanging out below the over-sized, life-like tree; she enjoys looking up at the changing sky (changes from sunlight to starnight) and listening to the crickets chirping. Henry takes much pleasure in hiding out in the hidden nooks that that GIANT LIGHTHOUSE provides. My favorite part of these trips is sneaking upstairs by my lonesome to check out the wondrous cookbooks and other crafty tomes. I've decided to spend more time at the library and less cash at the bookstores!

Hank and I are still planning our studio/office conversion. We have to sit down and layout the entire room, from outlets to phone jacks etc. It's all very exciting (and it's starting to get quite expensive too!). We recently re-wired the entire house which cost a small bundle so we're hoping that this studio conversion goes smoothly. In the meantime, I have oodles of rubber stamps up for auction on eBay (starting at 50 % below retail!). Check them out if you so desire! I'm trying desperately to liquidate my stash to make our studio dreams a reality! I'll be launching auctions for the next couple of weeks! Wish me luck!

Fun N' Sun or Bores N' Chores?

Oh, I have a whole day stretched out before me. How luxurious! Hank is at work, and this morning I sent the babes to the sitter so that I could do as I please! It's kinda like I'm a single gal. I'd really like to finish working on Allie's sweater (I'm getting sooo bored with BLUE yarn!). And I'd also like to watch some t.v. (all those shows queued up on TiVo!). Oh maybe I'll have a cup of tea, curl up with a good book, and take a nap (a nap!). Oh the thought of such goodness is so tempting!

Bah! But then I have a list of chores that I must do:
1. Go to the gym (must meet my thrice/weekly quota!)
2. Go to the credit union (do all credit unions suck like mine?)
3. Sort through the kids' closets (they're unwieldy messes right now)
4. Work on my sad, sad website
5. Laundry, laundry, and then....yep you guessed it! More laundry.
6. Declutter my desk.

You get the point!

I've read tons of baby books, and they all advise, "Nap when the baby naps" or "Use your free time for you....to recharge, relax...."

Have they ever stepped into my house? Alison and Henry rarely NEVER nap at the same time, and the one time they did, I crossed many chores off of my list! And now I'm finding it quite difficult to relax and recharge when the house is about to eat me alive! Don't be surprised if you read news like..."Woman Suffocated from Excessive Laundry" or "Husband Searches for Wife; House Filled with Clutter!"

Rubber-Sol Adds: Okay so I made it to the gym. And one of the trainer asked, "So which dorm do you live in?" Yes, she was talking to me. I pumped it a little harder today. Compliments can do that to you.

Ms. Pac Man Taken Down by Little Ghost

So it's not a good sign when your four year old proclaims, "Boy! It's a mess in here!" Actually that's not really how she said it. She said something more along the lines of, "Mama....Nemo (her fish) is looking out of his tank....I think he's wondering why it's such a mess in here!" Anyone who has children knows that it is virtually impossible to keep the abode tidy and clean. My house is no exception.

This morning, my first official morning of vacation, I decided to sweep and mop the floor. Any sight of the broom or mop gets Henry in a stir, and today he was exceptionally excited to see them out. After two minutes of mopping, I realized that my task somehow turned into a virtual video game. You see I was a video character like, say, Ms. Pac Man, and Henry was one of those pesky ghosts that chase around the screen. My first round of the game resulted in a clean sweep of the floor, and I was quite content with my achievement. Perhaps Little Ghost was just getting warmed up.

The movement of the mop seemed to get Little Ghost worked up, and he sped around like mad, chasing me, blocking my path. At one point he refused to budge and he remained guarding a big, black dirt spot on the floor. And there was no way I was going to lose this round! No siree! I cleverly went AROUND Little Ghost, careful that he didn't grab the mop. Because then I'd be out of the game for sure.

I was quite proud! Beaming in fact! Just as I was about to finish up, Little Ghost threw a cup of apple juice on the floor. Right in my path! That little stinker. I took a detour with my mop and quickly soaked up the mess, eager to finish the game. As if on cue, Little Ghost then grabbed a box of Frosted Flakes (with 1/3 less sugar...) and strew them ALL OVER THE KITCHEN FLOOR. ALL OVER!

I was screwed.

The kitchen was a mess. Little Ghost ran down his path of destruction, throwing more and more onto the floor. Sippy cups. Juice boxes. More cereal. Kleenex. Back to the broom. Sweep, sweep, sweep. Quickly now. I think at this point the music started to pick up, tensions grew. Sweep, scold, sweep, scold, sweep. My tactic wasn't working.

During my last attempt to sweep the floor, Little Ghost opened the bottle of cleaning solution, and emptied it on the floor. At that point, the infamous losing noise of being taken down by a ghost came into play. I was out of power pellets. I was doomed.

Later on I think I'll demand a replay. Wish me luck.