This year we decided to go the arts and crafts route. (We will probably also do that next year and they following ten years.) I honestly thought that Jansen would have a blast striping down and playing with paint. Yeah, not so much. I took him outside and put a sheet on the back porch. I had a few colors of paint, and some canvases.

I saw some cute things on Pinterest where you put stickers on a canvas, paint it, and then peel off the stickers. I thought I had pinned a really cute one to do for the playroom but now I can’t find it on any of my boards. But really that makes no difference to this post.

I thought that the words “Nana” and “Emmie” would be cute on a canvas. (Those are their grandma names in case that isn’t blatantly obvious.)

I took him outside with everything set up. He timidly stuck his pointer finger in the paint and promptly put it right into his mouth. Lovely. It took two parents, a stick, and four paint brushes to complete this project.

Painting became much more fun when Jansen decided that feet are also an acceptable tool to use on his project.

Once he realized that body parts could be painted, this opened him up to a whole new world of fun!

He was a complete mess by the end of it all, but it was totally worth it. He eventually decided that painting wasn’t a boring activity and I know his Nana and Emmie are thankful for the final product!

1. My blog is moving hosts. Or it moved hosts. Or something about hosts. WHY AM I ALLOWED TO HAVE A WEBSITE??? I know nothing about this sort of thing. Thankfully there are people in this world who do.

2. We are watching a special about Johnny Carson on PBS. It’s pretty interesting.

3. Yeah. We watch PBS.

4. Jansen thinks every letter of the alphabet is a B or an O. He ran up to his alphabet magnets and pointed, “B B B B O B B O B B B B O.” We’re working on that. For now, it’s cute.

5. I haven’t painted my nails in like 2 or 3 weeks. WHY???

6. I want to skip number 6.

7. I’m on HP book 4. It’s a long one! For the record, I didn’t like the 3rd movie. I feel like there were too many changes. You?

8. Why did I decide to tell you ten things?? That was dumb of me.

9. I have the cutest picture in the world to show you tomorrow. GET EXCITED. I also need to show you something I made for the playroom and what Jansen made his grandmas for Mother’s Day. That won’t be tomorrow though.

10. I’m my blog acts up in the coming days or weeks, I apologize. THINGS ARE A-CHANGIN!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I was so busy that my head is just now deciding to stop spinning. In fact, when Stephen and I laid down in bed last night he said, “Did you wrote your blog?” I forgot. For the first time in like 3 years. Wow.

My weekend was great. A friend of mine since THIRD GRADE got married on Saturday. It is so weird to think that we are all old enough to get married. Then I remember that I’ve been married for 5 years and have a kid. That is also weird.

Mother’s Day was full. Full of things I love.

I had donuts in bed with Stephen and my little munchkin.

Then we got dressed and went to the Rice University baseball game to watch my cousin at Senior Day. My parents and sister have been in NY for a week so we finally got to see them. Jansen was in Heaven!

Then we headed to my aunt and uncle’s house for dinner. All of the men had assignments and they made us a wonderful meal. We exchanged gift and cards. Look at what my thoughtful son made his grandmas!

It was wonderful! Then we came him to a gigantic pile of poop from my dog. She has never pooped in the house but I guess when you leave a dog home alone for about 13 hours, they are bound to make a mistake or two. Since it was still Mother’s Day, I didn’t have to clean it up! (Actually, even if it wasn’t Mother’s Day, Stephen would have cleaned it up. He’s just that great.)

No Ten on Tuesday tomorrow because I forgot to write the questions last night and I don’t have time right now. Send me a list for future weeks please!!

Ummm.

Y’all. You didn’t tell me that it would COMPLETELY blow my mind. Well maybe you did and I just didn’t listen. I’ll have to go back and revisit your comments.

If you haven’t read the series, don’t read this post.

I’m not going to summarize the second half of this book. I just can’t. I think I would confuse myself and make JKR upset. In one small paragraph:

So the dogs HP kept seeing weren’t Grims, he’s not going to die. Which we obviously knew since there are still 4 books to go. The dogs are actually only one dog and he is the prisoner of Azkaban, aka THE GODFATHER. Y’all, there was just so much in this book! So as I suspected, that creature didn’t die. It was rescued at the end of the book when HP and Hermione went back in time and also saved Godfather Black. Scabbers was never eaten by the scary cat. Scabbers is actually Black and James Potters old BFF who actually was the one who led LV to Harry’s parents. Then he framed Sirius and disappeared and became Ron’s pet. Yeah. You read that right. And then about 10 pages of information “cleared” this all up for us and now it all makes sense. The bad news is that Scabbers escaped and Sirius went into hiding so people would still think he was the bad guy that blew everyone up. I’m not okay with this. Something could have been done to clear his name. SOMETHING. Right? COME ON DUMBLEDORE, USE YOUR HEAD. YOU’RE A WIZARD! So Harry is back with the Dursley’s again, not living with his Godfather as he’d hoped for 10 minutes. Also, Ron got a new baby ADHD owl. He sounds cute.Oh and the Dark Arts teacher is gone, he’s a werewolf!

And now I’m on to book 4. It looks long.

1. Who is your favorite talk show host?
Daytime – Ellen. Night – Jimmy Fallon.
They are both so funny! They look like they are doing it because they are trying to make the world a happier place.

2. How do you style your hair on a daily basis?
I pretty much just blow dry it and use my flat iron on the weird curl I have on the left side of my head. Sometimes are I curl the ends a bit but that’s about it.

I mostly asked this question because I wanted to tell you that I got a new blow dryer. This may not seem like a big deal but I had my previous blow dryer since high school!!! Y’all, that’s at least 10 years. Well I decided to order a new one from Kohl’s and it came in on Friday. Let’s just say that blow dryers have come a long way in 10 years.

3. If you were stuck in your bedroom for a week, what would you need in order to not go crazy?
Well if we’re ignoring food, a bathroom, and a shower? I’d need a few books, some of my favorite movies, my laptop and charger, and my phone. I think that would be all I need. I was in my room for a week after my tonsillectomy but I was on codeine so I slept a lot. Between books, movies, and my technology, I’d be just fine.

4. What are the best non-reality shows on television?
Big Bang Theory, Community (though I haven’t seen it in 2 seasons), Castle, Psych, HIMYM, and 30 Rock.

My favorite reality type shows are The Voice and Shark Tank.

5. Do you mow your own lawn and clean your own house?
Stephen mows our lawn. We both clean our house. One day I’d like to hire someone to do both. Stephen really shouldn’t be in the sun much because of his skin, so he has to mow in the morning or evening. It’s more inconvenient than you’d think.

6. As an adult, what is the best part of summer?
I love that it stays light later. I love cold drinks: iced coffee, sweet tea, beer. I love our weekend trips to the beach.

7. If you could ask one celebrity one question, who and what would you ask?
I don’t like this question, sorry I asked it. I have no idea. I’m not sure that I have one.

8. Post a picture.

9. How many books do you read a year?
Not very many. Anywhere from 3-7 depending on the year. This year will be a high since I’m reading the Harry Potter series, plus I think I read one or two books earlier this year. Maybe?

10. Which national chain makes the best delivery pizza?
My preference is Pizza Hut but we usually get Domino’s. They have the best carry-out deals. Plus Stephen worked at a Domino’s in high school so I think it’s nostalgic for him to go back.

Link!

I’m far from that now. We don’t have cable so I probably watch one or two games a season. Sad, I know. But I will always love it. Always.

Yesterday we went to the Astros/Cardinals game and met our wonderful friends, the Campbells. Sadly, they were cheering for the Cardinals, and even worse, they won. But quite frankly, I don’t really care. I got to spend time with my lovely friend Molly and her family. And that’s a win.

See that cute little blonde kiddo? He’s got the love. He understands baseball. That kid is going to know the feeling of the stitches in his hands, the smell of leather from his glove, the snap of the bat when he hits a pitch on the sweet spot of his bat. Mark my words. The other little boy there? The one in my hands? It’s to be determined.

We arrived at the game and settled in, said all of our hellos and let the kids get over their shyness. It soon became clear that Jack loved baseball. He cheered for the Cardinals and paid as much attention as a 2 year old can. We had seats along the third base line in outfield, right by the fence. I was having a nice chat with Molly when John looked over at us, his face white as snow, “Jack just threw my hat over the fence.” As in, over the fence in Minute Maid Field. As in, on the field. As in, on the baseball field during a major league baseball game. Yeah…

The game went on, nobody seemed to notice for about 2 or 3 minutes. Then an ump gestured to the ball boy to go get it. The hat was back in John’s possession, and we could stop sweating. For about 10 minutes.

That face means trouble! Jack and his daddy would yell down to the ball boy, “Throw us a ball!” throughout the game. You see, everyone along the fence yells that. But Jack is cute, so he won. The ball boy threw a ball up to him and he was BEYOND thrilled. His face lit up and looked like the luckiest boy in the world. He grabbed that ball and did what a true little baseball player would do, he threw it back. Yep. Threw the ball back onto the field right as they were about to begin the inning.

Thankfully the ball boy had mercy on them yet again and threw the ball back up to them. Delight lit up his face again. Only this time the reason it was short-lived was because his parents hid it from him. He threw the saddest little fit so they did the most Parents of the Year thing I have ever seen. They told him that the players needed the ball. They were going to finish playing the game with the ball, give it a bath, and then take it to their car for them. It would be there when they got back to their car.

Amazing.

We had a great day! It’s hard not to when you’re surrounded by such great friends and your sweet family.

And this little booger tuckered out about 2 minutes after getting in the car. It looks like he’s dreaming about baseball.

2. Jansen thinks that every letter is a “B” and I have no idea why. We’re working on it.

3. Hey y’all. Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. I’m aware that not everyone is from Texas, so it may just be the 5th of May around your parts. But around here? We eat chips and queso, we have margaritas, we sometimes wear sombreros. You should do that.

4. I think I may be anemic. I’m usually borderline anemic but it has been about 5-6 years since I’ve officially been told that I am anemic. A few months ago, we almost completely cut our red meat. Stephen has high cholesterol and they said that based on his age and size, it’s obviously just a genetic thing. The doctor didn’t want to put him on meds this young if she didn’t have to, so she told us to cut out red meat. He really only eats it if we are at someone’s house or sometimes if we go out to dinner. (We don’t go out to dinner often.) Anyways, my point is that I think I might have a negative effect from cutting out red meat. So I need to be more intentional about taking iron pills and ordering red meat when we go out. My nails are brittle, I’m always cold, and I’ve been super tired lately. Hopefully I’ll start feeling better in the next couple weeks. If not, I’m going to go get checked.

5. Do you ever drink flavored water? I don’t mean the kind you buy, but the kind you make? I need to do that. I got addicted to sweet tea after my tonsillectomy after now water is boring to me. I made a pitcher of mint and strawberry water a few weeks ago. It was darn good but the strawberries plump up after a day and it grosses me out. Any thought or feelings?

6. This weekend is busy but I will be making myself read some Harry Potter. I need to finish book 3 soon. I haven’t picked it up in almost 2 weeks… Yeah…

We met with Stephen’s cousin last night to talk about fixing our bathrooms. Yes. Plural. I don’t want to talk about it.

Every weekend in May is packed to the brim. I’m looking forward to all of it, but it’s also very daunting.

I miss people. I miss quality time with friends.

I miss Lucy.

I need to do my monthly grocery shopping trip. I haven’t planned it and I have no clue when it’s going to happen.

Let’s count some blessings, shall we? That’s always the best step to take when life seems overwhelming. I need to take a step back, away from the unnecessary exhaustion and see my life for what it truly is.

I am thankful that Stephen’s cousin offered to help us with our bathrooms. He is a good guy, honest, and talented. We are lucky to have someone in our life that is eager to help us even though his life is extremely busy.

I am blessed to have a job that doesn’t stress me out. I can leave it at work if I want to.

Stephen and I went on a date last night. Just the two of us. We stayed at the restaurant for 1.5 hours and talked. He’s a good man and I’m beyond blessed to have someone like that in my life. Plus, he’s easy on the eyes.

My child. He’s just the best.

I get to see Molly again this weekend. Two weekends in a row… unbelievable! She and her wonderful family are coming to Houston for a Cardinals/Astros game and we’re going to join them. Our little boys will get to see each other again. How can I not be thankful about that?

Maybe it’s hormones, maybe it’s just life. Whatever it is, I’m just not in the mood for anything right now. I’ll snap out of it soon enough, but for now I’d prefer to cuddle up in bed with a book and my two boys by my side. With an iced mocha. And comfy jammies. And maybe also some Double Stuf Oreos.