Wednesday, October 21, 2009

hohoho.

The Poem That All Rhymes With Go

The weather was warm
so we decided to go
to our most favorite beach
and it's called Buckroe!

Looked over the pier
saw the ocean below
Walked along the shore
& got sand on my toe

Decided to jump
because it's fun, you know..
And of course we took pictures
so get ready for the show:


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Our life is such a permanent vacation.


Oh, and special thanks to Trader Joe's for tonight's yummo dinner. Delish!

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seven.

This past weekend, upon heading to the grocery store (after already having been to another grocery store earlier that day...) it hit me: We shop at seven different grocery stores on a regular basis.

I know, I know -- you're wondering why on earth we do this. Well, um, we really love to shop for groceries. It's never a burdensome chore. We love food - healthy food - and we love a variety! We simply could not limit ourselves to one store.

Kroger: The trusty grocery just minutes from home. This store has all the goods that I need to cook - and, often, other stores won't have them. In all actuality, we've only been here once since moving to Virginia. But it's the store I trust most, truthfully!

Wal-Mart: Clearly, the lowest prices in town. We get our (rare) cokes there, bottled waters, and frozen dinners from here. The long lines really stink. And, in our town, there are usually only four lines open - despite there being about 30 lanes. Argh.

The Fresh Market: Probably our favorite store. We especially like the spices that come in little pouches, not bottles. The meat is fresh and a deli dude has to scoop it out for you. It's quite an experience. They also have a HUGE thing of freshly made desserts that look more amazing than what Martha Stewart could whip up. I'm not sure who is behind the counter making these desserts (totally fresh), but the person is a genius.

Trader Joe's: We love this place because they offer gobs of food frozen, and you just have to cook it at home! The entire store is organic, which makes organic prices more affordable. They also always have free samples.. of fancy things. Last week was wine, but it's too bad that we don't drink. They also have an entire aisle of nuts. Good grief, I've never seen so many nuts in my life!

Farm Fresh: Another cutesy healthy organic-ish store. We go here for, yet again, more variety of health foods.

Food Lion: Right next to our subdivision. So, if we go to the other 5 stores and somehow forget something (yes, it happens), we head there.

Commissary: Our last choice. We might be the only military couple who avoids shopping there. But, um, it isn't our favorite. At all. Plus, it's always always busy on the weekends - and that's when we like to shop. But... if we're on base, and we need food.. we're headed there!



Yep, there you go -- 7 grocery stores. I really never knew that such a wide variety of foods existed. This morning, I had some Flax Seed cereal with raisins and organic fat-free milk. Last night I snacked on baby organic green grapes. Tonight we're having orange-glazed chicken stir fry on a bed of rice with egg rolls. Oh gosh, yummo.





The Fresh Market. So quaint!


Tuesday, October 20, 2009

escapade.

If you read my Not Me Monday, you'll recall that this past week included a few misfortunes on Piper's part. Not a day goes by where Piper doesn't do something outrageous. Today it came in the form of a walk, a small girl, and a leash.

It's, like, summer here. No joke. This weekend was frigid winter.. but this week, Virginia decided to go back to summer. I don't mind. We were on our second walk of the day -- a leisurely walk through our neighborhood. The kiddos were off from school and were joyfully totting around on their skateboards, bikes, and scooters.

And then we saw her: a little girl, around 8, riding on her pink scooter. Little girls love Piper, and Piper loves little girls. So, you could say it was mutual. She ran up to her and asked (politely) if she could pet "him." Of course, I said yes, and she and Piper went to town! Wrestling in the yard and having a fun old time. We said our goodbyes and continued on our little walk.

la la la

Then, as we came upon our house, we saw her again! The two new buddies reunited and, again, went to town with scratches and they were wallering in the grass.

Girl: She loves me! She's crazy - I think she wants me to walk her
Me: Haha.. yeah.. you're new to her, so she's excietd!
Girl: Can I walk her?!?

Hands her the leash

Girl walks her down the sidewalk and back

la la la

Piper gets tangled up in the leash

Girl tries to fix it

Piper slips out of her collar

And all hell broke loose. Like, literally

Piper darts around the yard

Piper resembles a bunny rabbit on Speed for the second time in one week

Piper darts under the car

Girl: Oh no!! She's under the car!!

Me: Come heeeere, Piper! Piper, treat!! Treat!

Holds out hand and acting like there's a treat in my hand, when clearly my hand is empty and Piper can see that there is NO treat and she probably thinks that I'm taking her for a fool

Piper stays under car and stares at us

Girl: I have an idea!!

Girl pulls out her wallet, which has cutely been clipped on her belt loop. Girl offers Piper her wallet, because we all know that puppies love pocketbooks and that sort of thing

Piper stays under car

Girl: Drat! That didn't work... Ok, I have another plan. Let's leave my wallet on the driveway and walk away and act like we don't see her. Then, when she comes out to get it, we grab her

Me: Ok...

We walk away like two clever cats and peek behind us. And, by golly, Piper does come out from under the car

Little girl whips around and tries to grab her

She isn't fast enough. Piper darts back under the car.

Me: CRAP! We're never gonna catch her!

Girl tries to grab her again - and fails - and Piper runs around the yard

Me: I have an idea! I'll get food from inside and lure her in...

Runs inside to grab a treat, brings it to the driveway, and Piper suspiciously comes to me

Little girl nabs Piper like a lump of flour and drops her in my kitchen floor

Me: Thanks a bunch for helping me! Have a nice day!



When, what I should have said was: Thanks for causing this escapade!! It really made my day! :]

I couldn't even make that up. That's a fuzzy mobile photo of Pi
under my car and the elbow of the little girl. Sigh.




Edit: I forgot to mention that, upon leaving, the little girl shouted, "HEY! Next time you ought to get her a collar that fits!"

... thanks for the tip, sweetheart!

Tip o' the Day:

Tip o' the Day:

Hey, dear bloggy readers! Ever wanted to leave a comment, voice your opinion, or just tell me how darn beautiful I am -- but you feel like you can't because you don't have a Blogger account?

Well, fear no more, DBR* because I have a solution for you: the Anonymous feature. Go ahead and click, "Comments" at the bottom of the post. It will ask you to either log in with your account name and password OR leave it anonymously. You can still sign your name at the bottom if you wish to take the anonymous route.

And, please, don't forget to write your name at the end of your comment so I know who you are! It's always fun to get some feedback from the 4,100 hits per month I receive on this blog. Even if I don't know you, I promise I won't bite your head off. Or call you out for being a newbie. Or something dramatic.

So go ahead - be brave and leave a comment. Pretty please?



*Dear Bloggy Readers


[Edit: There is an update on the growth of my 2nd offspring, err, nephew, below this. Didn't want you to miss it. Enjoy!]

more about the kid who grew up really fast

When I left Kentucky, my babe looked like this:



He was 13 months old. Sporting only two bottom teeth, he was my little baby. He grunted like a dinosaur and was proud of his new-found ability to walk. Keeping up with his big brother was his main priority. His only word was, "dat" as he pointed at something he wanted. Big Brother took care of him, making sure that he didn't play with any toys too small - just in case Hudsie decided to swallow one. His hair was thin and light brown, and his knack for crossing his chubby little feet was the cutest thing ever. He weighed a ton, but he was my baby.



Two months later, my Hudsie looks like this:



He looks like a toddler. Hair is now covering his little head, and teeth are sprouting up like it's going out of style. Now saying a few words, such as book, my favorite new vocabulary word of his is "Shh" -- which, cutely enough, means Shannie. When he sees my picture, he says, "Shhhh!" And I love him for it.

Oh, Hudsie, I wish I could bottle you up and keep you 14 months forever. I love you so much. I could almost eat you with a chip. Or eat you with a spoon. Or just plain eat you. You're a doll baby, and you're the cutest kid I know.

Hugs and kisses from your favorite aunt, Shh.


Monday, October 19, 2009

I could eat her with a chip: A poem



I Could Eat Her With a Chip


Once upon a fuzzy time
there was a little dog named Piper
she was so fun - but she peed so much
you'd think she needed a diaper

Her favorite thing is mom & dad
and lazy, frequent naps
and when she is let off her leash
she likes to run fast laps

When she was born, she was teeny
at 2 pounds, she knew no tricks
but now she has tripled her size
and weighs in at exactly six

Her first best friend was Lily
a little Weim, so blue
but then Piper moved far away
and bid her friend adieu

we got our puppy back today
she's been gone three days, you see
and when she saw me this afternoon
she ran so fast to me

we took her to a park
a field trip of sorts, for hours
but when we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised --
we saw a land full of tall flowers

Now she's asleep on the couch
tuckered out from our trip
I love her so much, I could eat her up
like guacamole with a tortilla chip

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clearly going through awkward teenage years


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clearly channeling his inner model

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clearly a wannabe A&F model


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who's THIS kid!?

from your head to your toes
you're not much, goodness knows

but you're so precious to me
cute as can be, baby of mine