10 Random Things

1. Ripping open your arm and getting a tetnus shot is not the most pleasant way to start the day.

2. Realizing that you cut yourself on something rusty every 5 or so years, just barely in that "let's go ahead and give you a booster just to be safe" range instead of sooner and NOT needing a booster is really annoying.

3. Reading 500 articles about how Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilight and then shipped it off and got a $750,000 three book deal without ever breaking a sweat can make one crazy. Especially this week.

4. Blackberry Sprite from Sonic is a religious experience in a cup, I swear.

5. Hiring landscapers to do the lawns was about the smartest decision I've ever made.

6. So You Think You Can Dance is over next week. That means the Olympics are near. I hate the Olympics. Time to jump up some shows in the Netflix queue to tide us over.

7. Sammy had his first piece of candy last Sunday at church. Unfortunately, he had it nearly gone before I realized he had it. I really wish they would asked before assuming taffy was ok for a two year old.

8. Sammy randomly started saying book today at the library. Yay for new words!

9. Broccoli from the garden is so much better than from the store.

10. When you are invited to a birthday party with new friends, it is inevitable that YOUR child will be the one to a) destroy the lovely birthday cake and b) have his head rotate on its axis demon style. And after you leave with your toddler (kicking and screaming the entire way to the car, or course), you get to imagine your new friends shaking their heads and sighing over their poor choice of invites. Ok...maybe not the last part, but the first part is definitely true!

Down The Drain Like Molten Toothpaste

I am starting an online class tomorrow and I'm very nervous. It should be good - it's about marketing magazine articles - but it's been so long since I've done anything like this that I'm afraid of getting back on the horse. I've always been afraid that I am not as good of a writer as I think I am, but then I wonder why I have this fear. Seriously. Worse writers than I get published all the time!

Recently I had an online discussion with someone about becomming a writer. She wanted to know how quickly she could make money and publish many articles a week. I was amazed at the amount of people telling this girl that she should apply to local newspapers and start writing for them. This girl, who has no background in Journalism. This girl, who is barely out of high school and has no writing experience to her name, other than a love of writing. I'm not sure why that hurt my sensibilities so much (ok, I really do) but I had a nice long rant to Isaac about it. Not everyone can just write (not to mention how difficult this business really is) and I think it was doing this girl an injustice to simply tell her to bypass an education of some sort and just apply to newspapers. Take some classes, workshops, something and hone any skill you may have. Then you apply to the jobs. However, if the local newspapers actually hire her, well...that is a whole different rant.

Clearly this is bothering me since this conversation was a couple of weeks ago and I'm sure it was the catalyst for me signing up for the workshop. I guess if this spurs me into action in regards to my own career, the rant and incredulousness was totally worth it.

Guess Who's 2!

Today is Sammy's birthday. I can't even believe it's been two years. It gets me all choked up to think about the past two years and what has happened. Especially to think about the time surrounding his birth. It is always bittersweet to think of that day. So very difficult and scary. But, still. Two years. Crazy! Not to mention it's mind blowing that we went from this:

to this:



We had a family party for him yesterday which was a lot of fun. We were so grateful to all who were able to make it!


Birthday table complete with Coldstone Cake and all the decadent sodas a Mama's heart desires (can we saw Boylan's Black Cherry?!)


There was singing:

And candles to blow out:

And enough trucks and trains and cars a two year old could ever need:


And, of course, playing:


My mother-in-law made the cutest quilt for him. I thought it would be cute when she told me about it, but I had no idea. And, unfortunately, seeing one square doesn't do it justice!
Front (all of the squares are different sock monkeys, all with a school theme going on):

Back (cute flannel monkey print):


Thanks, again, everyone! I hope you all had a good time!