Marker Magic

Last night Jeff and I were both taking a time out to indulge in a little FB time.  I was in the living room on my mini laptop, and Jeff was sitting at the desktop.  Luke has gotten really good at playing by himself, so we were both enjoying a little much-needed "me" time. 

Suddenly I heard a "Brandi, come here!" from the other room.  I ran to the office, and here's what I saw:

And then I saw this:

And this:

Holy marker, Batman!

First, let me just say, for my own self-satisfaction, and with absolutely no blame whatsoever (really!), that Jeff was five feet away when this happened.  There are so many times when something goes awry, and I get an earful of "How could you let this happen?"  I just sort of want to put this on record, you know?  Just kidding, Jeff!

Anyway, of course, my immediate reaction, after grabbing the camera, was "How beautiful!  Look at those brush strokes!  He's practicing his pre-writing, which means he's going to grow up to love writing and English class!" 

Then it hit me that I was going to have to clean it up.  And it also hit me that I'd either have to (A) make a trip to the Monarch paint store and end up buying a gallon of David Weekley high-gloss paint (since it only comes in gallons--I've checked) for this one little area or (B) repaint all the trim and crown molding in the house to satisfy my own OCD.  We'll be by the Monarch store tomorrow for story time, anyway.  Plus, I'm sure this won't be the last time I need the paint.  AND, it would really crush my ego to repaint all the trim (even though I secretly want to!) and then have Luke present more inappropriate artwork. 

So the big question is, did I ever get mad?  Nope, surprisingly I didn't.  And Jeff still ended up turning it all back on me ("I thought I told you to get rid of all the markers in the whole house, lock up all the drawers, spank him, and never, ever, ever let him out of your sight.  Oh, and it's your fault for letting him out of your womb in the first place.").  Whatever.  I tried to get down on Luke's level and imagine the difference between a washable marker/sheet of copy paper and a fine point Sharpie/glossy window sill.  They both seem like good writing surfaces to me.

Now the campaign must begin.  I must convince Luke that some artistic mediums are good, and some are bad.  After I lock up the markers.



Oscar Buzz Lightyear

I LOVE Oscar "season."  I haven't always, but my friend Lindsay (http://crawfordhouse.blogspot.com/) got me hooked a few years ago, and now I cringe when Oscar night comes and I haven't seen all the nominees.  So this year I'm chomping at the bit, grinding my teeth, digging my feet in, and getting ready to scrape the chalkboard with my unmanicured mommy fingernails. 

THE ONLY MOVIE I'VE SEEN IS TOY STORY 3!!!!

Seriously!  Well, to be fair, I've also seen The Kids Are All Right, which I loved, and which I second the nomination  of Mark Ruffalo as Supporting Actor.  But I saw that at home.  Which isn't nearly as cool, since I fully support the idea of going to the theater whenever possible. 

Okay, so really.  Out of all the nominees, my art-loving world is colored simply by the toys, the lesbians, and the kids in both movies.  My soul weeps.

In years past I've scoured the reviews, begged Jeff for weekend dates to the movies, listened religiously to Terry Gross's Fresh Air on NPR (She always gets it.), and plotted out the movies going into the Golden Globes.  Two years ago we had seen ever major nominee even before the Golden Globes.  That made it so easy, because then we just had to fill in the blanks before the SAG awards and the Oscars. 

I carefully checked Netflix, Blockbuster, HBO, and Showtime to see what we could see at home to save money.  I eyed the less-than-obvious choices and waited them out at the discount cinema.  I stalked Youtube in the hopes of finding some of the short films.  I even gauged Jeff's mood to see the more dramatic movies when he was in the right mood. 

Now I feel like the kid who skipped a few college classes, then one day looked at the syllabus and realized the test is TODAY.  And I haven't studied!  So how did it all happen?

Duh.  Welcome to our world in toddlerville, population us.  The entertainment budget came mostly from my teacher salary, and when that got cut, so did our movie budget (and our babysitting budget).  And frankly, watching Luke play is very, very satisfying.  And pretty darn entertaining.

Still, there's something so cathartic about watching movies at the theater that are destined to go down in history for being great.  Food for the soul, I think.

So what's a girl to do?  Same thing I did in college, I suppose.  Get the notes from my friends and cram as much as possible.  Seeing the movies in the theater prior to the Oscars is out, obviously, but I just hate to miss them all together.  So Netflix account, I think I'll keep you open a little while longer.  And friends, I'm counting on you to suggest your favorites.  :)

Third-Hand Sandwich

On Friday evening my sweet neighbor called me to see if we had eaten dinner.  Her boyfriend had picked up a gourmet sandwich to take with him on his way out of town but had forgotten to take it with him.  She didn't want it, but she thought we might.  Hating to waste and loving yummy sandwiches, I told her we'd be happy to take it.  After all, I also think it's in the neighbor code book to share; I have tried to pawn off such things on our neighbors as the large packages of cole slaw we didn't use for Luke's 1st bday party and the overabundance of mint growing in our herb garden. 

Little did I know it would begin to sound like a Seinfeld episode...

My parents were just getting into town when we acquired the sandwich, and they had not yet eaten.  I eagerly offered them the sandwich.  They declined my offer.  Instead we met them for Mexican food, and I figured we'd eat the sandwich the next day.  I talked about it with enthusiasm on the way home, and Jeff finally turned to me and said, "Brandi, nobody wants your third-hand sandwich." 

Third-hand sandwich?!?  How funny!!!  That made me laugh and laugh.  Still, the sandwich remained.  We had Chipotle for lunch the next day and chicken fried steak for dinner.  I offered the sandwich again for breakfast this morning, and still no takers.  My mom started to laugh every time I offered it.  By now I was getting afraid that the sandwich would be wasted on my watch--GASP!

Then my mom started to really make me laugh.  She said if I didn't want it she could take it to one of her coworkers, who loves sandwiches, and she could give it to her daughter, who loves sandwiches even more.  I could imagine the little girl saying, "I got this sandwich from my mom's coworker's daughter's neighbor's boyfriend."  Talk about degrees of seperation! 

Anyway, we finally ate the sandwich for lunch today.  And it was still yummy.  So thanks, Vonda and Sheldon.  You guys are wonderful neighbors!

Design a Room around THIS

A few months ago we had some in-store credit to spend at Ashley furniture.  I love having comfy chairs in every room, and, since our guest bedroom didn't have a chair, I was determined to get one.  Jeff decided early on that the process was just too tedious, and he dismissed himself from the great chair hunt.  So Luke and I got to make our first big furniture purchase together.

I really wanted an uphostered chair, but when Jeff took his tape measure and blocked out the amount of space one would take up in our small little guest room, I went to accent chairs.  And, working within the perameters of our earth-colored home, here's what I got.



It's okay.  I don't love-love it, but I like it.  And I thought it was a pretty good chair, even though I had to pick it entirely from the Internet because (A) they didn't have one in-store to look at and (B) I was working with an impatient 8-month-old. 

I was so proud of myself.  I picked it out by myself.  And, Luke and I even picked it up from the warehouse by ourselves.  Jeff put it together, and I soon realized this chair posed more of a challenge than I thought.

You see, I've always thought of our guest bedroom as the forgotten stepchild.  It took me 7.5 years to paint over the David Weekley company white, and I've always felt like it's been the neglected room.  So I was determined to fix it. 

The room the last time it was photographed, a few years ago.  Obviously staged.  And a little crowded, which doesn't seem like a good idea when people are coming with more stuff (especially my mom, who sometimes comes with a LOT of stuff!).



Anyway, with the help of Lowe's Olympic "Pony Tail" and "Belgium Chocolate" paints the room now looks a little more grown up.  I updated the curtains, changed out some of the wall art, and gave everything a good cleaning.  Check it out. 

Ahhh...freshly ironed 600-thread count crisp cotton sheets.  Sweet dreams!! (P.S. I didn't get all Martha Stewart-y; it was more like an experiment!)



My mom took this picture on our trip to Venice a couple years ago.  I had to frame it and hang it above the bed.  Great memories!



So here's the room now.  I can't say it's my dream room (No pun intended!), but it feels more sophisticated.  It feels like I can leave the door open when company comes over.  I should take my friend Lindsay's advice (http://crawfordhouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-million-dollar-idea.html) and add some delicious smells and sleepy music, but I don't want anyone to stay too long.  Haha!  Just kidding!

Anyway, we do love company, so come visit us whenever!  :)



Luke's 15-Month Checkup

Luke had his 15-month checkup with the doctor on Tuesday, and I thought I'd post his stats...

He is still tall (Dr. F. says "Like his dad.") at 32".  He is still at the 75th percentile, which is the lowest he's gone on height.  He weighs in at a whopping (NOT!) 22.6 lbs., which puts him in the 20th percentile for weight.  Personally, I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to be in the 75th percentile for height and the 20th percentile for weight.  :)

The good news is Luke is starting to grow into his head!  In case you want to buy him a hat, he's measuring at 18 3/4", which is the 75th percentile.  At his one-year appointment Luke was weighing in at the 15th percentile, with a head measurement in the 95th percentile.  Whoah!  We never thought of him as having a big head, and I'm glad it didn't look awkward on him.  When I heard that report I began to fluff up my peacock feathers in pride--I mean, what big brains in that big head!!!, right?--until the doctor told me it's not so much the size, it's what you do with it.  Still, our little Luke didn't disappoint, and he's made all those hours I've spent training in gifted education for my doctorate feel a little more worth it--you know, just in case.  Hehe!

Luke is slowly growing into 18-month pants.  We're still looking for a clothing brand that loves tall, skinny tots.  And it got warmer here, so we're anxiously looking for sales on 18-month short sleeve tops to fit his tall frame. 



It is appears that absolutely no cabinet is safe from Luke's ravenous paws.



P.S.  Not to jinx Luke's spot in the elementary school gifted and talented program (ha!), I thought I'd share this pic I snapped at the store after we left the pediatrician's office.  LOL!

Dissertation Update

So I have a confession:  This is the most I've written on my doctoral dissertation in a long time.  With the exception of the week my most wonderful, generous aunt came to hang out with Luke so I could work, I really haven't given it much effort. 

I know I need to get some work done on the project.  And I know I'm digging in my heels.  Here's an amazing article I found while I was procrastinating one day.  It validates the idea that I'm a procrastinator.  It also validates that I have a tendency to be a perfectionist, which means I'm prone to not even beginning for fear of failure.  Oh fun...

Anyway, I'm lacking the motivation to get this show on the road, and I'm going to try to use the blog as a platform for regular reporting.  I'll be back next week (hopefully!), and I'll have worked through my ideas a little more.

Ten Years? Really?!?

Confession:  Jeff and I "lived in sin" before we got married.  My mom still doesn't want to talk about it (Haha!).  But I'm glad we did, because I think it really helped us know what we were getting into with our marriage.  We've been married for 7.5 years now, but we lived together for about 2.5 years prior to that. (I know...Gasp!)

So what's the big deal?  Well, ten years ago today(!!!), Jeff and I moved "in" together.  And "in" was in Burlington, MA (Which we always refer to as "Boston," just as we refer to our current town as "Dallas").  Even bigger deal:  We had only known each other for 4.5 months--and only dated for 3 months--when we left all our friends and family in Texas and headed to New England.  We vowed we'd never tell our children.  But I guess when you know, you just know. 

We didn't stay in Boston for very long, for a variety of reasons, but I must say I'm very happy to have shared a home with the love of my life for a whole decade. 

So I went to dig up some pictures (for fun), and I realized we've lived together longer than digital cameras have been popular.  Haha!  Here is a baby pic that we had taken on our way there:

So happy "anniversary," Jeff.  Thanks for all the love and laughter!! 

Best Cookies. Ever!

Once upon a time (like, three months ago), I had no confidence in my baking abiliites.  Zero.  Then I Googled "Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies" (Aim high, right?!) and found this most amazing recipe:  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/best-big-fat-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie/Detail.aspx.  I was intrigued.  Then I saw that over 69,000 people had saved the recipe.  SOLD!  What could I possibly lose?  I hadn't had success baking any cookies, so these couldn't disappoint.  I started reading through the 4700+ reviews, and here's my own version.

First, let me give all of the credit to ElizabethBH and allrecipes.com.

Okay, if you want to raise your own baking self esteem, send these million-dollar morsels with your husband to work one day and see what happens.  :)

I'm not familiar with all the rules of recipe ownership, but I call mine...

Brandi’s Big, Fat, Chewy, Chunky-Chip Cookies

• 4 c flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
• 2 c packed brown sugar
• 1 c white sugar
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 2 egg yolks, room temp
• 4 ½ c assorted chips (butterscotch, peanut butter, white choc, milk choc, etc.)

1. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
2. Cream together the melted butter and sugars until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chips by hand.
3. Cover and chill dough in fridge for several hours or overnight (or a couple of nights if you're busy!).
4. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Generously fill large ice cream scooper with dough and drop 3” apart on lined cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly toasted.
7. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wax paper to cool completely.

 Makes 18 cookies.

Let me know if you make them!

Valentine's Day: Our Own Three Forks

Jeff and I debated what we would do for dinner this Valentine's Day.  In past years we've really enjoyed a nice dinner out on the town.  This year, with a toddler in our brood, we didn't think that an expensive dinner would go in our favor.  And we wanted Luke to be a part of our Valentine's Day evening, so we didn't get a sitter.   Until about 3:30 this afternoon we thought we'd go to The Keg, one of our favorite steakhouses.  But when it became apparent on the way home from storytime that Luke was not going to go down for a nap, we stopped off at the grocery store and went to plan "B," or cooking dinner at home. 

Then it dawned on me that dinner at home was our tradition for years.  I think we stopped one year during my doctoral program when I had class on Valentine's Day.

Disclaimer:  I call this post "Three Forks" because we set the table so that each of us had, well, three forks, and not because we made an all-out effort to emulate the famous restaurant.  We did get semi-fancy.  We had wine.  We used cloth napkins.  We had multiple (six) courses, though I made no real effort to follow protocol.  I concocted the plan at 3:30, after all.  In fact, here's our menu:

Because time was short, I channeled Sandra Lee and went with a semi-homemade plan.  It worked!  The foods tasted great together, and with very small portion sizes we were able to enjoy the evening without too much guilt.  The best part of the evening?  When Luke got fussy he went to play.  We always forget we have our formal dining room, so eating at the dining room table was like going to a restaurant we never visit. 

Here's Luke looking a little restless (while Mommy and Daddy look tired, but as in love as we were when we moved to Boston together ten years ago this week) and proving he's not quite ready for a "fancy" restaurant (ummm...feet off the table!):

Finally, here's a reminder that (a) we're getting older, (b) life has gotten much more "nuanced" over the years, and (c) even though we balk at the commercialized holiday, Jeff and I still look forward to opportunities to show each other how much we love each other.  Here's a picture of tonight AND a picture I dug up from our second Valentine's together in our tiny apartment in San Angelo.  I do wish I had that body back, but I am happy for the time Jeff and I have enjoyed together, the things I've learned, and, most importantly, the adorable little guy eager to celebrate with his mommy and daddy. 

We hope this finds you well and enjoying a happy Valentine's Day!

Mommy's Little Schoolhouse

Because teaching's in my blood, I sometimes get overly excited about it.  My mom loves to tell the story of my sister Megan pleading, "Please make her stop.  I don't want to learn anymore!" when we were kids and I always wanted to play school (and be the teacher).  Well, now it's Luke's turn.  Haha!  This winter we've had what seems like more snow than ever in North Texas.  We've really been able to use the snow as a learning tool.  Here are some pictures from a recent "school day".

Yep, it's snow.  We did the obligatory play-in-the-snow time on a prior snow day, so this time we decided to keep things a little cleaner and put some snow in a bowl.  It really was a very scientific experiment for Luke.  He got to use his senses and really see what happens when water gets too cold, and when it melts later on. 

And here's art class.  Luke really enjoyed playing with the cotton balls that we used for snow.  Yep, he got to eat a little glue and cotton.  Yumm...

When it is time to read, Luke seems to take after his daddy.  He's up and running away before I can turn the pages.  I have to remind myself to make reading fun for Luke, even though I feel it should be as second nature as breathing.  We keep working at it, however, and I know he'll come around.

Thanks for stopping by our little classroom!  May the learning continue!