Punkin

It's what I call her EVERYday.... so might as well sit her in one, right?!

Blogging.... Wish I could find more time for it!  But right now, being mommy to 3 and working full time is just keeping me TOO busy!  I will tell you this... for the first time EVAH, I'm hosting the entire family for Thanksgiving!  So... I'll try to find a little time to be creative and show y'all how it went.  (And if all else fails, I'll just show you Punkin's nursery - I know I STILL haven't done that and it's too cute not to share!)

xoxo,

Another Episode of Everything is Bigger in Texas: State Fair Edition

The rides, the attractions, the people watching (you know that part is half the fun), the FRIED FOOD!  We did it all last Monday at the Texas State Fair!  Ever since Sissy was one, we've gone to the state fair DURING the wk (what an important detail - it's the big key to our success in everyone having fun!)

The legend:  Big Tex.  He's huge.  He's Texan.  And he talks.  Really slow and really deep and with lots of "y'all"s thrown in (like any good Southern cowboy).

The Little Hands on the Farm:  Big Sis is a pro at this.  GT did it for the first time this year.  You slip into an apron, do a bunch of chores around the farm... feed animals, collect eggs and milk, plant and harvest crops, drive tractors... at the end, you are paid for your hard work and get to use your $ to pick out a treat at the general store.  Awww, the kids love it!  (And it never hurts to have an extra granola bar in case your kiddo decides to opt out of the fried-whatever-you're-eating.)

Here's my crew at the beginning of Little Hands!  Farmer Fix-It, Mrs. Farmer, and my cute little G-goat.  hee hee

A (rare!) shot of mom with her Little Hands.

There are SO many photo opps at the State Fair, but we do the same few every year and it's fun to compare to past years. 

The FRIED food:  I have a confession.... I'm not really all that into the fried food.  I know, I know... it's all the rage at the state fair.  And I do love some french fries... fried okra... but most the fried fair food is a little over.the.top for me.  But this year was - by far! - the best for fried food.

My biggest priority was trying the award winning Fried Frito Chili Pie.  And it didn't disappoint!  Of course, it came with salsa and sour cream to dip... and how do you go wrong there?

Everyone loves the corny dog.  Again, I'm not the hugest fan.  BUT... add jalapeno and cheddar and suddenly I'm MUCH more interested.

Sissy's fav food in the whole world is "pelly and jelly"... aka PB&J.  So, we tried the fried version.  Again, not bad!  (Is it possible that my taste buds are just adapting to this Texas way of life?)

This pic isn't great, but... we were enjoying Fried Chocolate.  Imagine a brownie (now you're talking - my fav food in the world!) fried!  Which basically meant it was warm, but kinda crispy... then topped with whipped cream.  The 4 of us practically fought over this one!  Whew, seems like alot of food, huh?  The 4 of us shared those 4 sinful treats in between rides....

The annual photo opps:  this is another one!  Last year, baby G-man was much tinier in the stroller.  And before that it was just me and Sis!

This my all-time FAVORITE annual State Fair pic!  mr. fix-it and his sweet girl!

And G-man couldn't be left out... Not to mention that Sissy wanted to prove she was tall enough for the 'big flower.'

The Rides:   GT is currently obsessed with 2 things:  trucks (duh, you know this) and motorcycles.  He was in heaven!  Even if Sissy bossed him into a pink one. ;)

mr. fix-it LOVES the showrooms with all the new trucks and cars.  And now... apparently, he has a buddy in all that man stuff.  It was G-man's hands-down favorite part of the fair.  He wanted "in, in!" every.single.truck.  On the bright side, it was like a ride to him but FREE!

Sissy will ride anything.  No fear.  Here she is, pretty much the lone kid on a roller coaster.

I think I snapped this sweet shot of 2 siblings waiting to ride the plane together.  Not 5 seconds later, Sis is crying because her brother won't hold on and GT is considering hitting her for bossing him around (I swear, I could see the look in his eyes!)

Tell Sissy she isn't big enough?  She'll say she is (and damnit if she couldn't ride just about anything at her VERY tall 49" - she's just 4 yrs old, guys!)  Tell her she'll be scared?  She says she isn't.  Then she'll prove it!  She climbed up a billion steps... carrying this gunny sack thing.... and then slid all the way down. 

And loved it. Wanted to do it again.

So fun!  Already looking forward to next year..... wonder what they'll fry up in 2011.  :)  Any suggestions?

We went to Wonderland!

March Hare:  Why don't you start at the beginning?

Mad Hatter:   Yes, and when you reach the end.... Stop.

Ahhhh, yes... LOVE that movie!  Just wanted to share with you the totally enchanted morning we had last weekend at the Gaylord Texan!  Upon news that Sissy's bestie was moving (and quickly!), we set out to plan THE perfect last weekend in TX for her.  See, this is her sister and partner in crime... the girl that makes her giggle... the girl that knows ALL her secrets (whatever that my be when you're not yet 5 years old!)  And perfect is what that day was...

The picture above makes me both happy and sad.  We had so much fun getting the girls all glammed up.  The four of us had been spending more and more time together - miss them already!

Below is the girls with Alice and the White Rabbit.  This year's Summerfest at the Gaylord featured scenes and characters from the Lewis Carroll version of the story.  I loved the umbrellas and flamingos and teapots that surrounded us at breakfast... every detail was perfect.  And you've never met anyone half as sweet as Alice!

Alice led the girls in all sorts of wonderful activities... things you can't do anywhere but in Wonderland.  Like standing on a chair for pictures.  And eating chocolate for breakfast (at the White Rabbit chocolate fountain!)

The menu was full of yummy Wonderland treats like:

The Hatter's Mad French Toast

Tweedle Dee-licious Eggs Benedict

The Humpty Dumpty Omelet Station

Queen of Hearts Chocolate Fountain

We're all mad here...

The girls pose with Alice and the mommas (I was still in my old glasses then... I just wonder how much fun I would have had if I could SEE that day!)

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.  Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't.

And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would.  You see?

And because we were celebrating Bestie's time here in TX... the girls had to get in some time as Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!  (This looks like some interpretive dance?  Maybe a little too much So You Think You Can Dance?)

Curiouser and curiouser...

After breakfast, we walked around Wonderland.  Amazing!  And what would Wonderland be without mushrooms?  If you look closely, you can see a giant caterpillar sitting on a mushroom in the distance behind the girls.

In my world, the books would be nothing but pictures...
Each display had a book with information on the artist and materials.

Drink me

Off with their heads!

Why, you're nothing but a pack of cards!

As we approached a giant scene with most of the pack of cards in various stages of painting the roses red... we couldn't help but notice the fragrant smell of roses in the air.  They left no detail undone!

Here's our favorite little spades.... (we let them turn the cameras on us mommas, too - hilarious!)

This is just part of a scene built from SAND, which included the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, Tweedle Dee and Dum, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit... and, of course, Alice herself.

I got soooo much inspiration for Big Sis's Madhatter bedroom!  I'm working on a wall of clocks - vintage/new, working/not, whimsical/serious.... We've hit a rough patch with medical bills lately (nothing serious, but including an adnoid removal for G-man the day before we went to Wonderland!), but I'm planning to start building the clock collection as soon as I can!

(Oh, and do you see that cute Alice in the pic at the left?  So many girls dressed in costume.. loved it!)

These pictures do NOT do this justice!  Just know... that keyhole was on the side of a rocky ravine... and stood at probably 10 feet tall... and the golden keys laid across the water below and were just as big.  SO cool!  (I'm also working on a variety of key accents for Sissy's room - I've found some amazing treasures on Etsy, as always!)

Every lampost was covered in scenes from the book.  And I scored a coloring book at the gift stop with all these same pictures.  Except I didn't tell Big Sis I bought it.  See, I'm thinking I might frame some of the most recognizable prints... THEN give her the rest of the book to color!
The bottom pic shows you just how excited those girls were to be together and in Wonderland... they couldn't help but skip thru the atrium!

And who.... are.... you?

The Caterpillar presides over his section of the atrium, atop a giant mushroom... and the Mad Hatter's mad hat sits on top one of the resort's restaurants (and again, this hat was GIANT!)

The second I saw the singing flowers, I instantly broke out in Golden Afternoon.  In my head, of course. ;)  These flowers were equal parts creepy and totally cool.  Nearby, we strolled thru topiaries of flamingos and the White Rabbit.

A few more details included a shower of colorful umbrellas that started at the 9th floor (and worked its way down), the Gryphon made of balloons, the Rise of the Jaberwok sculpture, and a 256 sq ft chess set (like the ones I've seen in pictures at some of the amazing Alice-themed birthday parties!)

When I get home I shall write a book about this place... If I ever do get home.

We didn't WANT to go home!  What a special morning for 2 special friends.  Oh, and the girls, too! ;)

State of the Semi-Homemade Address....

Madame Speaker(s), distinguished Friends, and fellow Bloggers,

I found it was time to give y'all information about the state of the Semi-Homemade Union.... just a quick recap on what I DO know (because so much is still UNknown), because so many of y'all have left me sweet comments, emails, and phone calls.  And because I know I've seemed a little pissy lately.  ;)

1.  The house is ON the market.  But we don't know if we're going to sell it this year or wait til next year.  There is LOTS of unknown behind this topic (which was contributing to pretty much ALL my pissiness.  I'm working on that.)  In the meantime, we're showing it.  Alot.  Like 6 times in the first 2 wks since the listing went up.  Including a showing on Sunday, when we were home.  Uh... the doorbell rang and when I answered it, I encountered THE perfect person to play the role of a realtor in a comedic film.

Platinum blonde hair?  Check
Orange tan?  Check
Skin tight denim leggings?  Check  (With too short shirt instead of tunic?  Uh, check.)
Smoker voice?  Check
In defense of all you realtors out there (don't hate me!), I didn't know these people actually existed in real life, I thought they were just characters on tv/movies!

She told me she had just gotten clearance to come in our house.  I assured her that we had not received a call.  Then she realized.... my house was 1234... and she thought she was at 1239..... how could she have made such a mistake?  (This was the least of her mistakes, based on her fashion choices, in my opinion.)  She asked if they could see inside anyway, and before I knew it, they were touring my home.  While Big Sis and G-man ate craisins at the table.  They pretended not to see the pile of crap on the island (stuff mr. fix-it had brought in from my car when he detailed it for me!)  They pretended not to notice my bed was unmade (because Big Sis had been napping in it until 3 min before they arrived.)  Weird.... all around.

Where we will live and what our daily lives will look like a year from now, we have no idea.  Stay tuned, it'll be an interesting show.

2.  Puke Fest 2010.  Yes, it happened.  But it's over.  There's nothing like hearing a sweet child voice at 3am.... saying, Mommy my tummy hurts.  Followed by, And I'm gonna throw up!

Poor Big Sis.... It began Sun at 3am and lasted until about 7.... but bless her heart, by Sun lunch, she wanted chicken nuggets! 

3.  The Vegas Challenge is going strong!
I'm jogging 4 miles at a time now and feeling amazing!  My work pants are so big that I've resorted to wearing dresses everyday.  (I love spring weather in TX and wearing dresses with sandals!)
I have worked out 14 of the last 18 days, and by the time I go to bed tonight, I'll have workout #15 in.  Just 5 to go before we head to Vegas next Friday!

I should have probably also institued a Wardrobe Challenge to myself!  I'm currently on the watch for a Vegas appropriate (which means kinda sexy, kinda fun, not working-mother-of-2!) dress... a one-shoulder that's reasonably priced.  If you've seen one, you let me know! 

4.  Have a blessed holiday weekend!  Here's a message from us:

Here is mr. fix-it with the kiddos at our neighborhood egg hunt. They do it right - the Easter Bunny makes his appearance, along with a bounce house, train rides, clowns, a petting zoo (with bunnies, chicks and various others!), and an egg hunt (of course!)  Super fun!

Ready, set, GO!

Big Sis took to the egg hunt like a seasoned veteran!

G-man is new to this game, but he's a natural!

Face painting is Big Sis's fav part.  Last year, she got a kitty face that was too cute.  This year, they matched a floral design to her shirt!

Snow Day in TEXAS

Or what I was doing while management was in MY meeting. (I'm over it, I promise. Okay, I'm mostly over it. I'll BE over it after happy hour on Thurs. And again on Fri.)

Quiz: Is G-man crying because:
a) he was forced to wear his sister's coat when his mysteriously disappeared?
b) he hates the snow - that's why he lives in TX, damnit!?
c) he took 1 step in the snow and face planted? (okay, I can't help but giggle. sorry, g-man!)
d) all of the above



You know it's always, always d!!! Poor g....

Seriously, Big Sis was out to impress! mr. fix-it said, roll a snowball for a snowman... and she did it like it was part of her regular day. You go, Southern girl!

The finished product! Frosty with his new friends, the Semi-Homemades. And yes... Frosty is an Oklahoma State fan (go, pokes!) He's sporting his o-state cowboy hat and scarf! (And that's popcorn from Mom and Popcorn for his eyes and mouth, lol!)

Big Sis making snow angels. We got a FOOT of snow! A foot! Which means that Big Sis could do snow angels and not even sink to the ground - crazy!

She convinced daddy that HE needed to do snow angels, too... lol....

G-man was watching safely from his post on the porch. That boy did NOT like the snow. He must get that from his momma. And he's trying to pull off that manly hat to combat his pink & grey plaid peacoat.... I'm still laughing. ;)

The snow missed us today - woo hoo! And seriously, I have a call in to Spring and she better be on the way stat. But we'll always remember this snow day... in more ways than one! What a fun day with my kiddos!