This One's For You, Pop

Ok, so this story is for my dad.

Dad and I are two peas in a pod sometimes.  We have the same interests, the same hobbies, the same illnesses and ailments.

So this evening, I'm suffering from a cold.  My nose is raw from all the dripping and draining and sneezing and I finally got to the point where I shoved tissue up my nose because I couldn't handle it dripping or blowing it anymore.  Of course, Billa saw me.

"Mommy, you have [mumble mumble something slightly unintelligible] boo-kers?"
"Yes, Mommy has lots of mocos {boogers, en espanol}."
"Mommy have big boo-kers?"
"Yeah.  So Mommy shoved tissue up her nose to keep them from coming out."
"Oh." [Pause] "Like Papa?"

Michael and I burst out laughing then.  Like I said, Dad and I are two peas in a pod.  When our allergies get really bad, the kleenex plugs come out.  (Hey, don't hate!  Appreciate!)  I hadn't realized she'd ever seen him do that, much less make that association.

Leave it to the kiddo to know how to make mommy laugh.

And there ya go, Pop.  Hope you enjoyed that little nugget!

Cheers,
Kelly

Bloggety Bloggety Blog

I've been a bit of a terrible blogger lately.  I only have four followers, half of whom I question whether they really follow me or not, so I figure it's not that big of a deal.  Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things; I would love more followers, but I guess one has to post more often (and more interesting material) in order to garner a following.  I've always marched to the beat of my own drum anyway, so forgive me if my tune is a little more chaotic than normal right now!

I have lots of pictures I need to post, but I keep finding things to distract myself with instead of working on uploading and editing them.  Work, mommyhood, playing chauffeur (having one car in our family is humbling and wonderful and frustrating all at once), more work, baking stuff, birthdays, cleaning, Pinterest, reading, work, and random nothingness.  I'm pretty good at that last one.  No matter how hard I try sometimes, I often find myself easily distracted from something that I really want to do.  Some wise person out there might say that the task in question isn't something I really want to do, but that's not it.  It's fear, really.  I don't do what I want to do, because I'm afraid of failing miserably.  Or succeeding and then failing miserably.  Blech. I've been working on that with my therapist, but I still have a long way to go.

I've been thinking lately, that I'd love to take the blog in a new direction.  I love sharing Billa stories, but with so many other mommy blogs out there, it's kind of hard to make oneself stand out.  That, of course, begs the age old question as to what the purpose of standing out will serve, but it's nice to be validated.  I'm not, by the way, looking for validation on my Billa stories or my own existence.  Ok, well maybe a little, but I don't need a blog to do it.  Besides, as entertaining as my daughter is, I'm not nearly as good at relaying the stories in written word as I am in person.  Blogging killed the live performer.

I know, I sound so cryptic.  Forgive me.  It's just one of those evenings, where everything was so nice and peaceful, and then that little niggling thought crept into my brain and tickled something there that made me introspective and thoughtful and a bit morose.  I do this a lot, actually, just not publicly on a blog.  I figure, what the hey, it doesn't matter.  I'm not running for president anytime soon.  Believe me, I'm the last person you'd want in office.  I think my efforts to change the world would be better spent speaking softly (something I'm still working on, ha!) and carrying a big stick.  Maybe I won't carry the big stick.  I never did like violence much, despite my past propensity to yell and throw things.

Pinterest has tickled my crafty creative side quite a bit lately.  I even went out and got some lumber for a project I wanted to do.  Guess where it's at?  Yep, sitting against the dining room wall.  It's not a huge complicated project, but my energy puttered out.  I got distracted.  Welcome to the story of my life right now!  Now if I could write an award winning and million copy selling book on that, I'd be made.

Speaking of books, I've been trying to read 111 books by the end of the year, but now I'm seriously doubting if that will happen.  I could cheat and read kid's books, but there's no challenge in that.  Last year would have been easy.  But with all my distractions and everything else, I am finding myself lacking in time to get anything done.  I need to really buckle down and get organized because the quiet chaos that is my life is getting kinda crazy.  Oy!

Well, I suppose I've created quite a post now.  Not much of one, but again, my four followers aren't complaining, lol.  I will resolve to try and get those pictures at least uploaded, even if I don't put them in a post.  And I'll think about the direction of the blog.  And my writing. And my life!  Yeah, definitely, all of the above.

Good night, dear friends!  May flights of angels sing thee to thy sleep!
Kelly

Who's been lazy?

Ooh, ooh–me! Me, me me!!!

Ok, to be fair, my therapist would tell me that I haven't been lazy, my energy has simply been focused elsewhere.  It's not like I was sitting on my bum doing absolutely nothing for almost two weeks.  Although if I could figure out how to do that without driving myself insane, I'd be all over that like white on rice.

Instead, my energies were diverted to my trip to Chicago for training.  Part of my recent promotion involved heading to the Windy City (well, one of it's suburbs anyway) for a whole week to edumacate myself on how my company does project management.  It was a lot of fun when I got there, but the few days leading up were kinda hectic.  Packing, worrying that the plane might drop out of the sky (I really hate flying), cleaning, making sure that Billa and Michael would be ok, worrying that I'd experience airplane ear and my head would explode, worrying that something would happen to Billa and Michael, unpacking and repacking, and more worrying.  The plane didn't fall out of the sky (duh), and Billa and Michael were fine.  I did experience one helluva case of airplane ear, but my head didn't explode.  I lost my hearing for about a day and experienced intense migraines, but that was all.  I need to find me some earplugs for next time I fly [shiver].  I did get a chance to visit with one of my relatives who live there and to visit Millennium Park for an hour or so before I flew out.  I gotta say, Chicago in the springtime is GORGEOUS! 

I also celebrated my very first 29th birthday!  Next year, I will be celebrating the first anniversary of my 29th birthday.  I spent the momentous occasion getting a mani and pedi, shopping, and eating junk food until I could burst.  And the best part was that I did it all by myself.  Not that I required assistance for these things.  Sometimes all a girl wants is some alone time, ya know?  My presents included a new case for my iPad, a super cute laptop bag for my new work computer, and the pedi/mani.  My mother in law gave me a really neat solar powered butterfly for the garden that glows at night and Michael's grandmother gave me a fun little ceramic cross that she had for years.  All in all, turning 29 for the first time felt pretty good!  Most of my friends and family were all out of town or otherwise occupado, so there is still more birthday shenanigans to be had this month, hooray!

Mother's Day was equally nice.  I baked enough to feed a small army and then had half the brunch attendees cancel on me due to some stomach bug.  Oh well.  It was a lovely morning with just us and Michael's mum.  Michael and Billa both got me jewelry; Michael gave me a long necklace made of bluish black pearls that I can wear several different ways.  I love me some versatility.  Billa gave me a pink and silver butterfly bracelet that she made at school.  She was so proud of the work her teacher she did. I totally wore it every day the week I was gone!

Now that I'm back home, I'm just kicking back a little bit before the craziness at work and with the baking sets in next week.  Michael and I will celebrate five long years this Friday and Memorial Day is coming up.  It's going to certainly be a busy rest of the month and early summer, so if I've been a little lazy, forgive me.  I'm just enjoying the calm before the storm.

Cheers!
Kelly

Billa Bubble Wrap

I finally got my laptop for work yesterday, hooray!  Nothing like getting an electric leash to make you feel so important.  Anyhoo, I didn't have a case for it, so to keep it protected on the way home from work, I wrapped in bubble wrap and put it in the box for the docking station.  Voila, ghetto laptop case!  I pulled it out when I got home to start customizing, hook it up to our wireless network, and answer some emails, when all of a sudden I heard a pop.

Pop.

Pop. Pop.

Pop, pop, pop, popopopopopopopop POP!

I turn around and Billa had spread out the bubble wrap on the floor and was dancing on it.  Talk about the best. toy. ever!

Now I know what we can do on rainy days...should we ever get some rain :o(

Happy Wednesday!
Kelly

Wordless Wednesday

Waiting

It's been a roller coaster around here lately.  Our life seems to be composed of nothing but waiting.
Waiting to see if I get promoted to PM and if we'll be relocated to Atlanta.  Waiting for Borders to close and see what job prospects Michael has.  Waiting for upcoming events and parties to occur.  Waiting for old wounds to heal.


We're stuck in limbo and it's driving me crazy.  I've been praying for patience, but I'm failing miserably at it.  I'm sure there's a lesson somewhere in all of this about enjoying each step of the journey blah blah blah. 

Meanwhile, back in reality, I'm trying to keep myself occupied by writing, spring cleaning the house, reading, and being social with people.  I've really enjoyed visiting with friends and family lately, something that we hadn't been able to do for a couple of months since the liquidators at Borders kept scheduling Michael for closing shifts.

Currently, I'm on a mission to declutter the apartment.  It feels heavy in here most days, and I think it's because of the crap we have.  We haven't really deep-cleaned in some time and we've been accumulating more stuff: the rest of Michael's things from when we were separated, books bought on clearance at Borders, toys and clothes from Christmas and Billa's birthday, and more.  I can't function and focus in clutter.  I think getting rid of a lot of things will help us to calm down, relax, and maybe allow some positivity and good energy into our lives. 

The process is made harder not by getting rid of things, but because we find things that cause old hurts to bite all over again.  We weren't very organized during our separation, so it's hard to know what you'll find in a box or a bag.  I wish we could just chunk it all into the trash, but we have to gather receipts and other important papers for our taxes.  Part of me wonders if it's more worthwhile to take the financial hit than the emotional one.  Would ignorance be bliss right now?

Despite the difficulty and frustration we're experiencing, it's given us an opportunity to see firsthand just how much we've changed and what else we need to work on.  We've come a long way, but there is still a long way to travel and it's hard to place faith in the process sometimes.  Perhaps that's the lesson in all of this: learning how to trust openly–ourselves, each other, and God.  I hope that I can move closer to that goal; I think my life would be much better for it. 

I pray that we'll get answers soon.  I know God will provide for us just as he always has.  In the meantime, it's yet another waiting game. 

Cheers,
kelly

Red Dress Club: The Adventures of Capt. Marius, Esq.

With a strong breeze filling her sails, the Queen’s Key raced homeward at a merry clip.  Heavy with goods pilfered from Spanish ships, we were riding high on spirits in the bright August sunshine.  The waves crested gently across our bow and God willing, we’d be home before Michaelmas.

But as quickly as we’d left port, the waters darkened and the swells grew higher. The blackening sky felt heavy and the winds gusted violently.

“Hurricane’s a-coming!” the crow’s nest called.  The crew threw their weight into the lines as the ship strained against the sea.  Rain stung our eyes and the decks quickly became deadly slippery.

“Man overboard!” someone screeched.

“Tie your lifelines!” I shouted, but the words were thrown back into my mouth by the wind.  I struggled to keep the wheel steady as the Key tossed about, but alas, it was too much!   Blinded by rain and mist, I couldn’t see the rocks ahead and the wheel was torn from my hands.   The ship shuddered and groaned, splitting in two.  The crew screamed as we were pitched into the swirling water.

Desperately searching for flotsam to cling to, I winced as my face smashed into rock by the crashing waves.  My hands gripped an outcropping and I clung to it, exhausted.

The wind tore at my back and despair settled like a stone in my belly.  How much more could I take? Where were my men?   I strained my ears for their cries, but the wind screamed, whipping around me.

Suddenly I heard a voice above the wind’s howl.  Could it really be?  Was someone else alive?

“HERE!” I cried. “I’m here!”

“Captain!” the voice called, soft and soothing.  I stiffened.  Something was wrong.

“Curse you!” I shouted. “I won’t be swayed by a siren’s song!”

“Captain Marius,” the voice moaned louder. “Come with meeeee!”

“Never!” I hugged my rock as I watched with dismay as the rest of the Key sank beneath the roiling water.  The crew, the goods, my ship, all lost!

“Captain Marius,” the voice tried again, this time with urgency.

“No,” I whispered, shutting my eyes tightly and scrambling further up the rock. “No, I won’t go!” I shouted.

“Don’t be silly,” the voice crooned. “The storm is leaving. Loooook!”

I opened my eyes and blinked. The siren spoke truly; the water WAS ebbing away.

“This can’t be!” I cried. “What’s happening?”

“It’s called ‘bedtime,’ Missy May,” Mama’s voice thundered.

“Who is this Missy May you speak of?” I growled. “I’m Captain Marius, the fiercest sailor on the seven seas!”

“You’re certainly fierce!” she laughed. “Come on, out of the tub!”

“Never!” I shouted, diving back under the water. It swirled around me as I searched the bubbles for the plug. Mama snickered and I looked up to see it dangling from her hand.

“I’ve changed my mind.” I scowled. “You’re not a siren. You’re a harpy!” I screeched.

Mama cocked an eyebrow and placed her hand on her hip.

“Out. Now.” Her tone was icy, dripping with venom. I pouted as I climbed out of the tub. Definitely a harpy, I thought.

I stood naked and shivering as she toweled me off, combed my hair and dressed me in my jammies. Captain Marius wouldn’t complain, neither would I.   Mama washed the suds down the drain, carefully placing my toy boat at the back of the tub to dry.   As she carried me out of the bathroom, I took one last look.

“I’ll be back, me hearty,” I whispered as the light flicked off.


Word Count: 593

This post was written as part of The Red Dress Club. This week's prompt was to write a 600 word piece - fiction or non-fiction - inspired by one or both of these statements: "Water gives life.  It also takes it away." 

Weeble Wobble Wednesday

I'm calling today Weeble Wobble Wednesday because that's what I feel like.  I have no idea what's caused me to wake up feeling a bit dizzy, but I feel like the leaning tower of Pisa this morning whenever I'm standing.  Good times!

In all fairness, the dizziness could be brought on by the pizza and suds we consumed last night, but I didn't partake of that much and I drank lots of water, so who knows?  Honestly though, I think it's due to the fact that my world has been rocked recently. 

As I was driving home Sunday, I called my parents to tell them about my win at the cake show.  My dad confirmed something that I pretty much knew, which was the fact that my 90 year old grandmother has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  I'd known she had an oncologist appointment last week and had prepared myself for it, but I hadn't prepared myself for the wave of emotions that crashed over me when I actually admitted to myself that my sole surviving grandparent might not be around much longer.  My family has had it's share of hardships and suffering and I know a lot of that created deep wounds in all of us.  I haven't been the best granddaughter as a result, and I felt immensely guilty over the fact that I don't visit with my grandmother as much as I should.  Michael reassured me that as long as Maw Maw is still here, I still have time to see her and make amends for my lack of visiting her.  I felt much better about that and am planning on visiting her sometime this week and help her with anything that needs to be taken care of.

I've also been rocked by recent developments at work.  I've been feeling a bit stagnant with where I'm at, and for several months I'd been bugging my manager to let me take on more responsibilities and start working towards becoming a project manager.  He and his manager have been incredibly supportive of this, and they agreed to let me start shadowing some of the PM's so that I could learn some more about it.  Then crazy Q4 hit and we all forgot about it. 

Now that things have settled down a bit, I asked him about it again last week and he told me he couldn't talk about it yet because he was waiting for more info from his manager.  Yesterday morning he called me and told me that they were going to skip shadowing for the job and instead outright interview me!  He also told me to think long and hard about relocation as there is a very strong possibility that they may ask me to move to a new office they want to open. 

This happened about five minutes before I had a meeting, so I was a little shell-shocked.  I was wearing my best "deer in the headlights" look that's for sure!  It was certainly hard to focus the rest of the day, what with all the questions running through my head about what a move would entail, would I be able to handle a move as well as a position change, how will it affect my family, does this new city have good Tex-Mex, etc.  (Hey, a girl has her priorities you know.  I need to know that I can get some decent enchiladas, guacamole, and margaritas without too much effort!)

Granted, this is all up in the air right now.  I have to be approved for the position firstly, and then they have to decide whether they're going to open the new office, but it sounds like it's 90% certain that this will all happen.  I can't help but feel that this is all happening for a reason. 

Since starting the Artist's Way back in January, I've been amazed at how much the book has really helped me as a writer and an actor.  I can't help but think that this week's theme of Abundance is part of what's happening to me recently.  I didn't ever think I would act again or work in production and yet, I'm now heavily involved in the production team at our church and performing this upcoming Sunday! I'm writing more frequently and getting positive feedback on it from the peeps at Red Dress Club.  And now, my career seems to be taking off. 

It's a lot to take in and it's no wonder I'm feeling a bit like a weeble wobble!  But you know what's funny about being a weeble wobble?  Is that no matter how much you knock them around, they never fall completely over.  So while this all may be a bit much to take in, I know it's not the end of the world.

Wobbly yours,
Kelly

Red Dress Club: Free to Good Home!

PLEASE NOTE: This post is a JOKE.  It was written as part of The Red Dress Club weekly prompt, which asked us to imagine that we just had a fight with someone and decided to get even by disposing of some of their stuff. The task was to write a humorous listing for eBay or Craigslist and talk about the history of the item and why it must go in under 600 words.


After putting up with the trials and tribulations of motherhood and housewifery, I’ve decided that I need a total change in my life and career choice. I’m donning my pirate hat to embark on a worldwide trek to pillage, plunder, and seek out buried treasure. As this new venture might be quite dangerous and will cause me to move from place to place frequently with nothing but the clothes on my back and cutlass swinging from my hip, my last act of goodwill in the world is to find a new home for my husband and daughter.


Husband is in late 20’s, good health, very few behavioral problems. He does fart a lot, but a change in diet should fix that. He’s sweet, very social, and handsome to boot. He’s 6’0” even, has dark hair, hazel eyes, and weighs 185 pounds. He’s usually pretty good about cleaning up after himself, but you may need to stay on top of him every once in awhile. He’s also very creative and loves to show his affection by writing poetry, bringing home books, and giving back rubs. The husband is very laid back and spends his spare time reading, dinking on the internet, and listening to music. He can be very adventurous and will keep you on your toes with his latest ventures.

Daughter just turned three and is up to date on her shots, also in good health.; She’s a little over 3” tall, has long strawberry blonde hair, blue-gray eyes, and about 40 pounds. She’s very energetic and spirited, so an owner with lots of time and energy to spare is a must! She’s mostly potty trained (still wear pull ups at night), is very intelligent, and has quite the vocabulary. Some examples: “two minits, Mommy”, “Mommy, stay here. Be rye back!”, “NOOOO!”, and “I want Scoo-dee Snacks!” She is very affectionate and quite the ham. She loves chasing laser pointers, climbing things, and playing on the playscape at Burger King after a rousing shopping trip at Target.

Ideally, they’ll go to a good home as a pair, but I’m open to different arrangements. If you’re willing to take them both, I will also throw in my intelligence-challenged cat, Snack. She’s small, gray, fuzzy, and very lovable. Plus, she’s easy to take care of.

Location: Austin, TX
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Plum Tuckered

Billa had a great birthday on Monday!  Wanna know how I know?

The brown pooch nestled into her arm there is one of her birthday presents from us; it's a Scooby Doo beanie baby, which she has not put down for more than a few seconds since she got him.  She usually takes a book to bed.  The Poky Little Puppy has been a favorite lately. And I swear, this was exactly how we found her when we came in to turn off her Christmas lights!

As you can see, she done wore her little self out!  So what got her so tired?

Well, after having cakes for breakfast (pancakes), we watched some Scooby Doo and Busytown, played "eh-lun"(Elefun), cleaned house, made some juice, baked cookies, played video games with Mommy, went to the shop (Target), visited the fishies (PetsMart), and then had dinner at Burger King, where she played on the playscape for over an hour and made some new friends.  Whew!  That exhausted me just writing it.

Happy birthday, Sugary.  We love you so much and wish you many more wonderful birthdays to come!

Love,
Kelly

An Artistic Streak

We are a very creative household!  We love to craft, paint, sing, dance, write, act, and create and we are very talented in our own ways.

Here, Billa is channeling her inner Picasso and painting a very lovely abstract piece that ended up being my mom's birthday present:

She loves to paint and gives all the colors equal love!

Billa got a little crazy with her markers the other day as you can see.  Fortunately, it wasn't anything a little soap couldn't handle!

Sugar Pop, this is why I love you!

Artfully yours,
Kelly

Some Friday Fun...

A co-worker of mine sends out a fun email every week.  I really enjoyed these and thought I would share!  Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!


Real life definitions

BEAUTY PARLOR:
A place where women curl up and dye.

CANNIBAL:
Someone who is fed up with people.

CHICKENS:
The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.
 
COMMITTEE:
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

DUST:
Mud with the juice squeezed out.

EGOTIST:
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
 
GOSSIP:
Never tell a lie if the truth will do more damage.
 
KLEENEX:
Cold Storage.

INFLATION:
Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

MOSQUITO:
An insect that makes you like flies better.

RAISIN:
Grape with a sunburn.

SECRET:
Something you tell to one person at a time.

TOOTHACHE:
The pain that drives you to extraction.

TOMORROW:
One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.

YAWN:
An honest opinion openly expressed.

WRINKLES:
Something other people have.


Cheers,
Kelly

Candid Camera

Billa got a hold of the camera again.  This is what she captured for posterity:

Her favorite thing to watch right now: Shaun the Sheep

Mommy's cooking!

Mmmm, Ponyo noodles (ramen)...my favorite!

Mommy: "Hey, whaddaya doing with that camera, Billa?"

Billa: "I takin' pic-cha, Mommy!"

Mommy: "Oh, ok.  [pause] Wait, what!?"

Thank you, Billa, for making sure to capture my good side and my double chin.  If only the media aspired to your standards of honest reporting!

Captivatingly yours,

Kelly

Deckin' the Halls and Thanksgiving 2010 Recap

Now that we are recovered from our food comas yesterday...

We had a wonderful time visiting with Michael's mom's family and my family yesterday for Thanksgiving.  It was Michael's mom's birthday yesterday, so we drove out to Wimberley, TX to have dinner with Gigi, Aunt Cait, Auntie 'Chelle, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Steve, Aunt Jerry, Nana, and Mrs. Roberts (Uncle Steve's mom).  Dinner was fabulous and we watched the Macy's parade, a dog show, and the beginning of the Cowboys vs. Saints game.  We also took a lovely walk around the ranch to make some room for dessert:

Some of us climbed...

And ran...

And played in the birdbath!

Afterwards, we drove to my parents' house in Buda and enjoyed Thanksgiving 2.0 with my folks, my brothers David and Philip, Phil's girlfriend Andrea, and his roommate Aaron.  I am sad to say that my beloved Longhorns put up a good fight against the Aggies, but it wasn't enough.  We lost 24-17 and I was so very sad.  I seriously hope the Aggies make it the Big 12 Championship though; we need a Texas team to represent!

This year's Thanksgiving was one of the best, although it was marred just slightly by the news that my husband's Gramma Bobbe took ill and so we won't be seeing that side of the family this year.  We hope you feel better soon, Gramma!

We traditionally spend Black Friday decorating our home for Christmas and we definitely did that this morning!  Michael had to work in the afternoon, so we got an early start and were done in about an hour.  Now that's what I call teamwork!  Billa lent a hand hanging ornaments on the tree.  Here is a fine example of her handiwork:

At least she's consistent!

The stocking were hung by the chimney with care...

...In the hopes that St. Nick would soon be there!

In other news, the weather is finally cold!  I don't know how long it will last, but I am s thrilled about cold weather.  I broke out the sweaters this morning and put away some of my summer clothes.  I like to layer in the wintertime, so I didn't put away everything of course, but it was so refreshing to see my sweaters hanging back up again.

I have to say, given everything that has happened this year, I am so grateful to be able to spend the holidays with my husband's family as well as my own.  I have come to consider them as my family too and I grieved to think that I might not be seeing them at the holidays.  You certainly never know what you have until you are faced with losing it. 

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well and that if you are going out today that you're safe!  And if you are going out today, show a little kindness and appreciation to any retail employees you encounter...it will make for happiness all around!

Cheers,
Kelly

Perspective

This is what happens when you leave your camera sitting within reach of tiny hands:

: 

You get some perspective on life.

Cheers,

Kelly

A Little Bit of Crazy

Part of being sane, is being a little bit crazy. - Janet Long

The above was one of my quotes for the day and I laughed out loud when I read it.    The last couple of weeks have been a lot of crazy for me.  I'm hoping that makes me very sane, because right now, I sure don't feel that way.

I've had a sinus infection since the Sunday before last which has completely colored my world in every shade of green and yellow.  I haven't been this sick in a long time and it's really wearing me down.  My mornings are spent getting cereal and chocolate milk for Billa and then hacking up my lungs and clearing my sinuses of all the gunk that's collected there during the night.  I spent an entire week working from home because I felt so yucky and I had to bail on baking a birthday cake for a friend's son.  I thought I'd recovered enough, but I was just too worn down.  Earlier this week I thought I was getting better, but now I think it's turned into bronchitis or something similar.  My coughing at night has become so bad that I had to spend last night on the couch to keep from waking everyone up.  I can't speak half the time which is really frustrating.  Sometimes answering a question with a simple yes or no is even too much at times. 

I'm trying to remain upbeat about it all though.  I'm grateful I have a job that allows me to work from home, so I didn't have to miss any work, although in hindsight I probably should have taken a day off to rest.  Things financially have been terribly hard lately and by not going to work, I saved considerably on gas since I didn't have to go anywhere except daycare and back.  It also enabled me to get a bit of cleaning done around the house that desperately needed to be done.  That meant more time with Billa and Michael.  It also meant enjoying the view outside my window and being able to sit in my pajamas while orking.  That's always a plus, right?  I don't know about this one, but my pal Wendi says that all my coughing is giving me a workout and rock hard abs.  I'll give her the benefit of the doubt on that one, lol!

I'm hoping that this will all pass soon.  I'm ready to climb back in the saddle and have some sense of normality, whatever that looks like.  I'm taking the day off tomorrow to go to the pumpkin patch with Billa's daycare and I think spending the rest of the day lounging and doing nothing is just what the doctor ordered. 

Cheers,
Kelly

About a month or so ago, we were visiting my folks and we stayed so late that Boppa (my mom) gave Billa this shirt as a nightgown.  The shirt was one my dad would use for working around the house, so it's super soft and cuddly.  Billa LOVES her "blue shirt" and she looks so stinking cute in it!  I really love it when she spreads her arms and runs around...it looks like muumuu on her, lol.

How can anyone say 'no' to this?!

Cheers,
Kelly

The Writing on the Wall

Michael was helping me hang some pictures and things on the wall over the past weekend and we didn't realize how much Billa was watching us.  Oops!  Fortunately, it's just pencil, so it was easy to clean off.  I just hope she doesn't get the same idea with marker or crayons or I'm really in trouble!

Kelly

A Season of Change..

Hi everyone,

It's been almost two months since I posted last.  A lot has happened in those two months, the biggest thing being that Michael and I are currently separated.  Sybilla and I are readying ourselves for moving into a new apartment (smaller than our current space) in about three weeks.  It's been a very rough two months, but we are slowly moving forward, one baby step at a time.

Over the past two months, I debated about posting the news on the blog.  On the one hand I didn't want to share with the world that I was a failure and couldn't keep my marriage together, but on the other, I love blogging and writing.  At this point, enough time has gone by that I feel I can safely post about things.  In addition to that, I've decided that this blog is going to take a different tack now.

For a long time I've wanted to make this blog a bit more personal and more in line with who I am.  I always hated the fact that I felt like I couldn't truly be myself while I blogged or on Facebook.  It feels like living a lie.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not going to start posting long diatribes against people or things.  I just want to be able to share more things, like my interests, what's happening in our lives, and maybe some of my writing.  I started Lapiz de le Guerra with the intention on sharing family news and pictures about my daughter as she grew, and I've done that.  But it felt very flat and one-dimensional and as we all know, life is anything but!

There will be some changes coming to the blog soon.  I plan on continuing the pictures and the stories and features about Sybilla, but I will also be sharing some of the things I love, like cooking, crafting, interior design, writing, gardening, and the creative arts.  Lapiz de la Guerra will still be mostly family friendly (Yes, I swear.  I'm working on reducing it, but it's still a part of who I am!) and I don't plan on using it as a forum to bash people.  I might complain every once in awhile, but there it is.  I ain't perfect, ya know! 

Thanks in advance for stopping by.  I have no idea what lies ahead, but know that you'll be in good company on this crazy ride!

Cheers,
Kelly

Oh Billa...

How we love to watch you play. And dance. And splash. And um, whatever it is you're doing in this photo. I can't stop snickering when I see it.

I promise, no fabric tote boxes were harmed during the making of this photo. She was trying to get in it, not smash it!

Peace,
Kelly