Girl's Best Friend

My niece on my husband's side is 15 months old and she's starting to talk, but she isn't so much into the walking yet. Her main mode of getting from point A to point B is to scoot super fast on her butt, but sometimes she grapples along side a piece of furniture.

Well, over Christmas she and I were playing and we both had out hands on the coffee table. She grabs the center stone/halo part of my engagement ring because it has a high profile. Knowing she can't get it into her mouth (because that would involve removing it from my cold dead hand), I pull my hand away, show her my ring and say:
me: Look Ella! This is a diamond!
Ella: OoooOoooo!

Diamonds are a girl's best friend!  

Face Palm

I was at the desk at work when story time let out, and a mom approached the desk. She and her family had just move to the area and wanted to know what she needed to get a library card. I informed her that I would need a photo id and proof that she lives in the county, so a lease, a piece of mail, etc. She didn't have anything with their Charlotte address on her at that moment, so I couldn't get her a card. She was quite understanding and said she would bring in something next time she came in, no big deal.

Her son though (who was about 4), was really, really hoping to check out a book. So when his mom told him they couldn't today because she didn't have the paper they needed, he was very upset. Because his reaction?

He facepalms!
And then big fat sloppy tears start rolling from his eyes and he is inconsolable. I know I shouldn't have, but I  jut had to bite my lip to stop giggling at the kid's reaction.

Take Out Part 2

Back in July we gave our kitchen a facelift by changing the counter top color and putting in a tile back splash. I posted pictures of my "new" kitchen here, but we knew we weren't done quite yet.
We painted. We put "art" up, on the walls and on top of the cabinets. I made curtains! (major craft points for me!) And though you can't see this part I put new shelf pins in most of the cabinets so I can easily change the shelves heights and use my cupboards much more efficiently. (expect the Tupperware cabinet, the bane of every organizers existence. I hate my Tupperware cabinet). All those changes were a pretty big task combined, so we figured we were done with the kitchen for the moment.

Except.

I got it in my head that I wanted a new kitchen table. Well, ok, not exactly. I started pushing/really looking for a new kitchen table set is what really happened. See, for most of my adult life. I've wanted a real, vintage Formica kitchen table set. The kind that was built in the 1950's and made to last. But dr soc didn't see the need to get a new table set since we had a perfectly functional one already, he thought a retro table wouldn't really go with our old red kitchen, and he likes things new shiny (except his wife, that he has to like even old and busted), so vintage isn't his ideal look. But we were going for a somewhat retro look in the kitchen facelift, so now a retro table look wasn't a look out of left field for him. Plus, I knew we would have to change the counter top height table to a standard size table once we have kids.

Because a counter-top height table requires higher chairs, and if my kids are anything like me not only will they want to climb* things, they will also want to jump off said things and/or fall off said things. And that's long way for a little kid to fall, plus having to help them get in and out of a chair every. single. time they need to sit at the table is going to get really old, really fast.  And we can't use the higher chairs with any other table in our house.

So...it really was only natural that we get a new kitchen table set that we were totally planing on getting anyway at some point and one to match our pretty new kitchen! So I give you:

Our Christmas present to ourselves!

 

Also pictured**: the curtains I made and some of the aforementioned "art."

*Still do.  And squeal "and I go WEEEEE!!!!!" while leaping.
** not pictured: me giggling and clapping and squealing with absolute delight over how much I love this table.

Den Mom

So I never saw this coming, but I really love NFL football. Growing up in Kentucky we only have one sport, (UK basketball), and even when I lived in Cincinnati I really just didn't care about the bengals. But when I moved to Charlotte, I decided I would be become a Panthers superfan, because I figured my (eventual-to-be) husband is a die hard Browns fan so I would be watching football anyway, I may as well cheer for the local team.
Turns out, I love the Panthers. Even when I first moved here we weren't that great (we had first pick in the draft! Wait.), I decided to be loyal. And I just adore our first round pick from last year, the young man Luke Kuechly. After Luke had a monster game, I decided I just loved him.  

However, the way I love him is like a momma lioness loves her cubs. He can stay in my spare bedroom, I'd tuck him in at night, and I'd make all his favorite foods (his NFL salary can cover the grocery bill it takes to feed a linebacker). And then I realized I had crossed yet another threshold into adulthood. Because my first thought was not: "I could be his girlfriend," it was: "I want to take care of him and make lunch." 

Lonley Goatherd

me: You're such a dork!
mike: Yep. That's why we work.
me: True. But you're still a dork.
mike: Says the girl who was bouncing around yodeling* the other day.
me: Hey now, I wasn't bouncing, I was prancing.
mike: Fine. But you were still yodeling.
me: Yes. "She yodeled off to the lonely goatherd, lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!" **
mike: Dork.
me: Yep. Hi kettle, it's pot!

*Sound of Music Live. Of all the songs you have to admit that when you sing you just can't help but be silly and prance around.***
** There was spinning and prancing here too.
***Oh, just me?