Sister-Out-Law

I'm stealing that phrase from my friend Michelle because it is SO fitting of me! My local friends think I am way too busy and haven't been around enough but I have hardly talked to my brother's wife - the only SIL on my side, who I positively ADORE - and the rest of my darling SIL's all year. Shame on me. And Brian's side of the family would laugh all too knowingly at my post title, everyone's eyes sparkling with true humor, recalling nearly a decade (yeah guys, as of this month it has been nine years!) of my always-unexpected antics. (Who remembers....well, like EVERY holiday I've been home for....) While Brian hasn't managed to install a filter between my brain and my mouth, his meaningful, frightened warning glances at the last second tend to keep me in check when we visit. I'm always more relaxed in the company of my brother-in-laws (my fellow out-laws?) who never seem quite as startled by the things that tumble out of my mouth...or that they were yet again killed by one of my snipes or sticky grenades as 'Hot Mama' flashes across their Halo board screen. (Except for Jeremy. Grifo kicks my trash.)

The point of my post is that I attempted to be less of a slacker and update my blog link list, only to find I don't have all the (forty thousand) family blog addresses! A bunch of friends have been added and organized in my own what-the-heck order but I need the extended family blogs. And to be taken off the 'blocked' list please. ;) SOL indeed. ROFL!

P.S. I'm really excited about seeing everyone at Thanksgiving! This year I might be outdone by the antics of my cute and hilariously stubborn, clumsy, pirate hat-wearing, iPod-blaring 19 month old. At least I won't be the only one always falling down the stairs...

So What's on Your iPod?

Brian makes fun of my music. (I like a mix of hip-hop, alternative and rock from just about every decade) He's got more sophisticated tastes, picking out chart-toppers a year before they become popular. I frequently download hot 'new' songs only to find he beat me to it by ten months....but I usually identify the up-and-coming hip-hop songs faster than he does so we're even. :)

Any ways, perhaps you'd like to know what I'm blaring while I fly through photoshop, string beads and walk the doberman? Here's a few from my ridiculously random playlist:


That's What You Get - Paramore
You Really Got Me - Van Halen
Live Your Life - T.I. (feat. Rihanna)
Everything is Alright - Motion City Soundtrack
Realize - Colbie Caillat
Misery Business - Paramore
CrushCrushCrush - Paramore
Thing For You - Hinder
Shattered - O.A.R.
Addicted - Saving Abel
Bad Girlfriend - Theory of a Deadman
Decode - Paramore
Whatever You Like (Clean) - T.I.
Got You (Where I Want You) - The Flys
Bubbly - Colbie Caillat
Clumsy - Fergie
Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
Ooh La La - Goldfrapp
Shake It - Metro Station
Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
Swing (Clean) - Savage (Brian beat me to this download by several months, believe it or not!)
Beat It (Feat. John Mayer) - Fallout Boy
Think Twice - Eve 6
Dangerous - Kardinal Offishal
The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars
Strict Machine - Goldfrapp



Maybe you can tell me what Brian is always rolling his eyes at....besides the 70's stuff. (He LOATHES disco.) I'm all over Paramore's songs, including Decode which is off the new Twilight soundtrack. Surprised by the rap? A boy I liked in high school listened to it so I turned it on one summer afternoon to see what the draw was. It was 1997 and the "No Way Out" album had just been released, which I bought a few weeks later after discovering I enjoyed several of the songs. Come to find out the guy I liked actually preferred alternative and had just been listening to it to annoy his mom! LOL! Got You by The Flys is one of my favorite songs, if you define a favorite song by one you always pause to listen to and never seem to grow tired of. It came out at the beginning of my senior year and was still being played periodically when Brian and I met a year later, which is probably why I always like hearing it. It reminds me of good times.

Any other songs you think I should check out?

The 'House' Word Mystery

Aiden has recently discovered the power of 'I want', especially since his annoying squaks and screams resulted in him getting all the wrong snack foods, toys and pretty much the complete opposite of whatever item he was acutally wanting. It took about 3 days of persistently asking him to 'use words' and then it clicked. He speaks real english around the clock and the screaming has been greatly reduced.

Lately he's been using the word 'house' in very odd ways. Frequently he will say 'I want house' or will just run up smiling and shout 'House!' Most of the time he says it when we're actually at home and since he doesn't have any toy houses, we were confused. Until this evening. I had just finished reading Aiden a book on the couch when he looked out the window towards the rapidly darkening sky and asked 'Daddy work?' I told him, yes, daddy was at work and that he would be home soon. He looked at me and said 'I want...' and paused for a moment before finishing with 'house'. I think the confusion was apparent on my face because he suddenly started jumping on the couch, making monkey noises and looking at me with the same gleam in his eye that Brian gets right before he pounces and tackles me. Instantly I understood. "You want to rough house!"

Indeed, sunset is the usual time of day that Brian and Aiden rough house. Since daylight savings time has thrown Aiden's visual time cues off, he asked about Brian and then decided it didn't matter who was around. He was ready to play!

The most fun was seeing Brian's face light up with realization when he got home and I told him the story. I feel like an interpreter most days, repeating Aiden's martian garble so Brian can understand what he is asking. I'm fluent from constant exposure! LOL! I'm sure Aiden is relieved that we are understanding him better.

I will add that his newest word 'canny' (candy) is VERY clear and we have had to hide all the halloween candy and anything resembling a sucker. On Sunday he settled for a caramel apple rind on a popsicle stick as a 'sucker' when I wouldn't let him have one before dinner. Halloween introduced him to candy. NOW I fear the grocery store checkout lane...

Secret Pottery Barn Kids Codes???

Sounds like an Urban Legend, right? IT'S NOT! I was skeptical myself but I really wanted a beautiful pair of light blue pajamas for Aiden to wear and they just were NOT going on sale fast enough! So I thought why not? I'll try the 'secret' codes. Here's the proof:

What's Online Right Now: Solid Flannel Pajamas

What's Hidden And Only Available if You Have the Link: SALE Solid Flannel Pajamas

E-mail me if you want the link to make the $45 shopping cart $39. :)


Edited To Add: No more e-mails!!!! LOL! Look up these items on PBK THEN use my links to see the lower prices/sale prices.

Abigal Jewelry Box: $28.99 LOWER Sale Price

Discount on Some Canvas Tote Colors/Sizes: Totes Price Swap & MORE On Sale

Shopping Cart: $39 Price Swap

Plush Playfood Candy Apples for $8.99 (down $1): CandyApples

Red or Pink Toaster for $29 (not $49): Toaster

Red or Pink Mixer for $49 (not $59): Mixer

Fabric Tea Set: SALE Priced

Color Wheel Toy: SALE Priced

Wood Animal Block Puzzle: $23.99 Price Swap

Memory Flash Cards: SALE Priced

Wood Number Puzzle: $12.99 Price Swap

Wood Alphabet Puzzle: $23.99 Price Swap

Octagon Play Mat: SALE PRICE

Tone Bells: $29.99 Price Swap

Pink Tea Set: $55.99 Price Swap

Geography Wall Clocks: $29.99 Price Swap

Thanksgiving Turkey Plush: SALE Price

Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar: SALE Price

Thanksgiving Leaf Garland: SALE PRICE

Thanksgiving Table Cloth & Runner: Sale Price

Pink or Red Metro Phone: $64.99 Sale Price

Christmas Advent House: $99 Special Price

Some Stockings On Sale: Quilted Stockings

Family Halloween Fun & A Tay Story

Alright, I've gotten things a bit out of order here so let's back up to last Friday October 24. Our neighbors three doors up were having a pumpkin carving party that night so Aiden and I went up to HEB the morning before to buy a pumpkin. When we got there, the nine foot stacked hay bale display out in front of the store had been stripped of all the pumkins that were easiest to reach around the middle. Scattered along the ground were the deformed rejects that couldn't even stand upright and on top of the higher bales were other pretty pumpkins that no one was brave enough to scale the tower for. Well, almost no one.

Near the top I spied a BEAUTIFUL pumpkin. It had a long stem, a plump, symmetrical shape and a broad, smooth face for carving. I parked Aiden in a shopping cart where he couldn't reach or touch anything, hopped the decorative split-rail fence (to keep people off the hay stack) and climbed it myself. Aiden was quiet for a moment as he watched me then his loud scolding "NO, NO, NO!" caught the attention of all the middle-aged women passing by. Several glanced at me with understanding looks, one even smiling until her eyes crinkled, obviously pleased that I was being such a good little mommy and carving pumpkins with my child. One older woman actually stopped and asked if I would get her a pumpkin while I was up there, too! I climbed down from the bales with my prized pumpkin, dusted the hay off myself, finished my shopping and went home.

Fast forward to Friday night when we have Aiden and the pumpkin loaded in the wagon. We're half-way to the neighbors house when I look at the back of my pumpkin for the first time and gasp. Brian wheels around to see me staring wide-eyed with my hand over my mouth before I burst into a roar of laughter. My perfect pumpkin with it's beautifully smooth face is also anatomically correct:





He's got the cutest pumpkin butt I have ever seen! Of course, I'm the only person who would climb a store display in broad daylight to unknowingly pick out the only pumpkin in all of Houston that could match my humor!



Here he is all carved up. I doodled the face and Brian did the flawless carving. Great job babe!

Okay, next party. Saturday the 25th was our church Halloween party. Aiden and I dressed up as pirates and since Brian went as himself, I had him take the picture of us:



We really had a lot of fun! Most of the adults dressed up and everyone got a kick out of Aiden's tattered-hem cropped pants. (Little did they know that although the costume is 2T, the pants aren't supposed to be 'cropped'. His legs are just THAT LONG! Notice the sleeves fit fine?) It was a great party, mostly because my fun and trendy friend Rachel organized it and her family's excitement about dressing up really got everyone into it. She decorated the gym over the top with a HUGE spider web that spanned the entire ceiling! Excellent party Rach!

I'll post the trick or treat pics next but for now I need to get off the computer and pay Brian some attention - he's hardly seen me today and every conversation earlier was interrupted by trick-or-treaters!

Halloween Hybrid Goodies!

It was worth the wait - the halloween kit is adorable and was so much fun to scrap with! (Nevermind that I haven't made it to bed before 1 am two nights in a row...) I am also VERY excited to say that something I made is being sold on Miss Mint's website! I made the template for the Halloween Treat Bags, Miss Mint provided the papers and we both agreed they are so easy to put together, we're going to offer them for each holiday. Click here to see the Hybrid Template Set

Here are some of the bags I made with the new papers:

Below is a little thank you gift for our next door neighbors:

And this is a candy bar wrapper for a jumbo Mr. Goodbar I made using Miss Mint's Custom Candy Templates:

WHEW! Now I need to sort through the dozens of pumpkin carving, petting zoo & halloween party pictures I took and post them next! LOL! Well, after I clean up the mess in the kitchen from making caramel apples this afternoon. ;)

P.S. I know why Miss Mint was a bit late with the halloween kit - she was distracted by the STUNNING fall kit she's assembled! It's almost done and wow, it's going to be a new best seller.

Halloween Kit Coming!

My time stamp isn't wrong, this post really was written at nearly 1 am. I love launch nights! LOL! Here is a teensy sneak peek Miss Mint posted on the forum of the halloween papers:

The full kit is due out sometime before Halloween day AND it will be on sale this weekend because it's Digi Scrap Day!

Be sure to keep a special look out for the new hybrid product Miss Mint and I designed. It's my first one being sold on the site and I am sooooo excited!