catnip and coffee

I really have to do some work today, but want to share something with you first. It’s kinda hairy. Literally. Disclaimer: if you’re a boy and you don’t want your rosy vision of girls lives to be ruined, look away now please.

Okay, now that they’re gone….

I have a confession. I have a few stray hairs in some odd places. Like the one next to my bellybutton. That’s the one that doesn’t hurt like hell when I pluck it anymore, since my c-section cut off all the nerve endings in my lower abdomen. Pants too tight? Can’t feel it! Cell phone vibrating in my front pocket? Can’t feel it! Pluck that hair? Not a twinge! Hey, if you guys are still here, it’s just your own fault.

Ahem. Okay, there’s also the solitary hair under my chin. Let’s just say I know I inherited that one from my mother. And I should expect more as I get older.

I will also confess to having a mono brow that I pluck regularly, but that’s nothing compared to having to use my cuticle scissors to clip my nose hairs once in awhile lest I get a moustache growing of of there. Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about!

I suppose it’s to be expected to have nose hairs in my nose. But here’s the real horror people: what about one on your nose? Yes indeed, I was inspecting my face on Saturday morning (you all do that don’t you?) and I found what I at first thought was a teeny tiny blackhead. But it wasn’t. I had to pull it with the tweezers, and dang it really smarted. It was, in fact, a little tiny hair growing out the TOP of my nose. Tiny, but a hair nonetheless, and it was dead center. I am officially old.

My parents reminded me of a an anniversary today. Twenty two years ago my father had a heart attack. It was Mother’s Day. I was in eighth grade. I had forgotten. Not that he had a heart attack, but that it was on Mother’s Day. It was good I came here this weekend. It was good to spend time with them both.

I’d rather have a little India Arie stuck in my head all day:

I’ve always wanted to try making risotto, but it sounds so intimidating doesn’t it? Well when I saw this version of it on Pioneer Woman Cooks I couldn’t help but think it was actually doable. I pretty much followed her recipe to the letter. My only changes were to run the onions and garlic in the food processor - I didn’t want chunks. I also discovered grating real parmigiano reggiano will only make your knuckles bleed - take my advice and run that through the processor too!

Apparently, the most important thing about making risotto is: you must stand at the stove and stir stir stir, every few minutes. For about 40 minutes. So if you want a make it and walk away recipe, stay away from this. BUT if you want a truly glorious food experience, go, try it right now! It is so worth the effort.

Oh and by the way, it was great this morning too, when I ate it cold for breakfast!

When the color on the box is nothing like the color it turns out on your hair.

<deep sigh>

I naturally have very (? it’s hard to remember!) dark hair, but with a few bright white bits of fishing line hairs thrown in. I typically just do highlights to distract you from blend the gray. I’ve did some crazy highlights over the winter so when I started to see roots I thought that this time I thought I’d just do an all over color, lighter than my natural shade, but slightly darker than my highlights. I also wanted it a little more red. Doesn’t “medium auburn” sound about right? It did to me. But, no. It might as well have been labeled dark blah.

On a different note - I have something fun coming up later this week! Here’s a hint.

Everyone, I’d like to introduce my nephew Nate, a newly graduated Airman in the Air Force! I’d post one of his super freaking cute baby pictures but he probably learned how to kill with his pinky finger, or something like that, while he was in basic, and I’m just not willing to risk it. No really, it’s because I don’t have any of him that don’t also include me and there’s NO WAY I’m posting evidence of my big 80’s 90’s hair. (Okay, I still have big hair, but whatever.)

Anyway, he just moved to Pensacola but doesn’t have off base privileges yet and so he’s been bored all week, waiting for his next round of classes to start. He’s so bored he’s shopping online on his cellphone because he doesn’t even have his computer yet. Yesterday his ennui was soooo bad I risked my secret identity and sent him my blog to read. Heh. You just know a 20 year old man (dang - just saying that makes me feel really old) is just going love reading about his auntie’s life of motherhood and gardening. I haven’t heard from him since this message last night: “LOL your blog lolol.” I’m pretty sure he’s laughing at me not with me, eh Nate? Hmm, I may have sent him into a glassy eyed stupor with my writing.

So now, everyone wave hi, and leave a comment for Nate! I’ll make sure he comes back to read them!!!

I have a great day today! I neglected everything all day in order for my boy and I to have a playdate with my sister and her boy! I just love days like that, unplanned and just perfect. (Thank you dear, for coming to visit us!) Not only that, but she brought me plants! And helped me plant them! What could be better

I’ve spent this evening working on my other website, the one for work. Meh. It’s hard. I want it to be perfect and I want to fuss with it, but, because of the platform it’s on there are a number of things I don’t know how to do myself. It’s a bit frustrating. DH, aka my own personal technogeek, will have time this weekend to work on it, but in the meantime, dang….I just want to get it done!! Sorry honey! Mostly it’s because I’m excited about it, and I think it’s really starting to come together the way I envisioned. It promise to reveal it here first just as soon as it’s ready to launch!

ps. I finished a book last night! I won’t, however, tell you what it was, cause I’m embarrassed, but I did finish it! Now I’ll start on something a little more worthy. heh. (if you believe that….)

I just tried to write a post about why I don’t read as many books as I used to. The basic premise was that I just don’t have the same attention span since I’ve been a mother as I did when I was younger. Problem is, I got bored writing it. See? Lack of focus! <Sigh.> Anyway. I’ve really been trying hard to read more books. (As opposed to all the other brainless crap I do.) I’ve got a stack waiting for me to dive it. Let’s just see if I can unplug more often so I can.

Maybe that’ll be my Earth Day pledge. Turn off the TV, put the computer to sleep, and pick up a novel.

Looky Looky! I got very first bloggy badge!

I love it

My free rice post was mentioned on the Houston Chronicle blog Good Mom/Bad Mom this morning! Thanks Min and Jenny! If you’ve never read either of them, you must go now. Especially if you need a good laugh - but go pee first, cause damn they’re funny.

Yes, if you’re counting, this is my third post for today. But I’m not obsessed or anything.

I drafted a post this morning that ended up pretty emotional, and then I stuck it in my drafts folder until I decide how deep to go here. It’s a tough decision, to open yourself to the world, even mostly anonymously. The question is, is this place going to be my possibly much need therapy? Or do I want it to be a safe fun place to come hang out when I need a break? Or can it be both? I just don’t know yet.

While I think about that, I’m going instead discuss the horrible, putrid, baby poop tan color of the exterior of my house. Really. It’s awful. We’ve been here for 2 years now (!) and we’ve made some improvements here and there, painting a few rooms, ripping down some wallpaper, finishing the basement, lots of landscaping yard work, but this is the summer we will tackle painting the house. Ourselves.

I wish I had better photos to show but it’s raining today and there’s snow on the roof, again. I do have a few images we took before we bought it, and not much changed except the ugly curtains in the back windows are gone! You can click on the images to enlarge them to get a really good look. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Really, really awful. No really.

So, unfortunately, you can’t really see the color of the roof, but it too is brown, though luckily not poopy brown. It does, however, limit our options for a new house color. I would love it if the roof was a nice light gray so we could go with a dark gray or slate blue paint but I can’t really afford a new roof right now!

Working with what I have, here are the options I’m thinking about:

Sage green with cream trim (even though my neighbors have green paint, mine wouldn’t be quite the same.)

A light/medium blue with white or cream trim.

A cream paint all over with an interesting trim, like red or dark blue.

Other suggestions??

Advice? Comments please! I need opinions or will never manage to make a decision.