Friday chill

We have the music cranked (Classic Rewind-70s and 80s rock, perfect for today) and I'm cleaning and puttering, and Lila is playing "Africa". It's a nice day. And Justin gets home tomorrow.....finally! Yay!

P.S. The band-aid on her head is just for show. She loves putting band-aids there. Weirdo. ;)

Can seedlings feel smug?

Because I think these guys are feeling pretty warm and cozy and smug right about now. Poor little outside plants, thinking the snow season was over!

Lila and I have been planting seeds and buy herbs and generally just loving getting ready to garden. We have dill, basil (growing in the egg carton), wheatgrass (that she planted at preschool,) and lettuce (in the yogurt cups). We'll be getting to tomatoes soon!

April Snow Showers Bring May Flowers

We've had an extremely snowy April this year, which makes me very happy, since I love LOVE snow. Especially since I hardly have to go out in it if I don't want to (amazing what a difference that makes, right?). The past 2 days have dumped over a foot of snow around us, and Lila took advantage of the weather by building loads of snowballs (mostly thrown at me) and a snow fort.

I'm so grateful we got some much needed moisture before late Spring and Summer hit; here's to a beautiful green Spring!

National Western Stock Show

Despite my little bear having a terrible head cold, she still had a really terrific time at the National Western Stock Show this weekend! I wish we could have stayed longer so we could have seen the Mexican rodeo, but 2 and a half hours was L's limit. She was a trooper the whole time, but at the end she was really wilting and dragging. Still, she keeps telling me she wants to go again--but I'm sure her memories of the gigantitron ice cream cone that Grandpa bought her have nothing to do with her wish to go back (seriously, it was big, and she ate the entire thing).

Grandpa also took her into the cool petting zoo--there were llamas and chickens and goats and sheep and pigs milling about, and they were all so gentle! Bear loooooooved the goats, and didn't really care about any of the other animals. I thought the pigs were beyond cute, but L had zero interest in them (or the llamas, either)--it was all about the goats for her. So sweet!

Too Early For Xmas Movies? Never.

It is fast approaching my favorite time of year, and I'm getting into the spirit with movies! (I haven't started with the music yet, but that will be coming very soon--sorry Justin.) I bought Love Actually at Target today for $6.50! Bargain. It's one of my favorite anytime movies, but it's especially good around the holidays.

I also bought The 12 Dogs of Christmas for Lila. It's so cute! I mean, it's predictable and fluffy, but it's also sweet and warm and happy, which makes for a perfect Christmas movie. Plus, it has all sorts of doggies in it...how could I resist?

Happy Early Merry!

My kid is crazy smart.

I had my first parent/teacher conference for L-Dawg yesterday! Basically, she's a genius. ;) Seriously though, her teacher explained that L's very advanced in math and language, farther ahead than kids that are a year older and that have been in pre-school a year longer. Her teacher said she'd been doing this for 10 years, and she didn't often have a kid that made her sit back and go "wow", but that L is one of those kids. She also said that L is very sweet, and puts all her toys and gear away without being told. So of course I'm wondering why that kid doesn't come home with me! All I'm getting is attitude these days.

Good job, baby! You're awesome.

Also, Happy Birthday to Justin! You'll be a crotchety old man in no time.

We did it.

And it's a wonderful, hopeful day for America. I believe that after 8 looong years, we are finally on the right track.

And it heartens me to know that a fundamentalist, intolerant "Christian", hateful, fearful America is NOT the real, true America. They may be loud, but they aren't the majority. (And the Christian is in quotes because a loud, vocal segment of those folks proclaim as hotly as they can that they are followers of what Jesus taught,that they are the only true Christians: but in practice, in their actions.....not so much.) Where's the tolerance, love, peace, the hope for equality, for ALL of our brothers and sisters? Stinginess, exclusion, hate, bigotry....is that their idea of Christianity? How can that be justified? Is that really what they think Jesus was all about? In their heart of hearts, do they truly believe they are following Jesus' example?

--Let me be clear that I'm not saying that if you didn't vote for Obama, it automatically makes you any of the stuff above. I know people, am friends with people, who had legitimate policy issues and that's why they voted for McCain. My comments are about a specific subset of "Christians" who have done, said, and posted some of the most vile, hateful things I've seen in a long time. And now I'm done talking about that, because it isn't healthy, and it isn't the way our President Elect would want us to behave. --

Onward. Onward and upward. Tomorrow is waiting.