Poll Time

No, this is not about the election. My decision has been made. And that's my business.

However, here in blogger land, I am going to copy some other blogs I read and post a poll about the next several posts I will do. It's all in your hands now, so vote away! (and if no one votes, I will cry. Because I know people check out my blog. My counter tells me so. So if you look at my blog, take an extra .037 seconds and vote....in the upper right hand corner. Please. And thank you. Muah!)

Fair Time - Part 2

Carter loves spending time with his Uncle Dana. They are good buddies and I hope this relationship continues to prosper as Carter gets older and can interect more. They are so fun to watch.

Carter seeing goats for the first time!!! They nibbled on his fingers and he would squeal.....it was so funny!

It's Fair Time!

....well, it was. And the pictures are slowly coming in. Here are two from Carter's ride on the pony!!!

Hmmmmm

Scattered T-Storms
High 78°F

Precip 60%

This is the weather forcast for the day of my wedding. Yikes!!! Hopefully the forecast changes its mind in the next 8 days.

Random Fact #35

I'm a nose breather.

That's about as random as it gets, don'tcha think?

I prefer to breathe through my nose. When sitting, when sleeping, anytime. It drives me nuts when people breathe loud through their mouths. I personally just find it rude.

I feel naked

So I am without my camera. I don't know how to function. Eric had his bachelor party camping trip this weekend and came home without the camera. It's not lost. It's not ruined. It's just residing in someone else's truck at the moment.....45 minutes away. And it's calling to me. I hear it at all off hours of the night, drifting in on a light breeze.

Seriously - how lame am I? How dependent have I become on this little piece of technology that documents every moment of my child's life? I want it back. I wanted it back like three days ago. Granted, nothing too monumental has happened in our house to warrant pictures. But still. I neeeeed that camera.

And I'm stressed. Which made me sick. Or, it might have been my son. He got sick Friday. Was up every two hours. Same thing Saturday night. And Sunday night. By yesterday morning, when it was time to wake up for work, I laughed. No way was I going to work. So I called in sick. Dropped the child off at daycare, went home and pulled the covers over my head. The ONLY reason I woke back up was because I had someone coming to my house at 12:30 to buy some stuff I listed on Craigslist. That's the ONLY reason my behind left the couch. I started to feel better yesterday afternoon, but this morning, I have no voice. And my nose is stuffy. So, I popped some sinus infection meds this morning. Whether or not I have one remains to be seen. But you can bet I'm going to fight it off with those meds. Afterall, the wedding is NEXT freakin' week!! I will not be sick for it.

And then to ADD to my stress, I hear this morning driving in to work that Carnival Cruise lines are diverting their cruises because of hurricane threats today. Fabulous. Is this going to happen to us and RUIN our honeymoon?! I have been losing sleep over this. Seriously.

My Way is Better

So I have not been having the best of luck with some of the slow cooker meals I have cooked lately. So last night, I made dinner from a recipe I am familiar with: chicken pasta parmesan.

First, I seasoned and cooked the chicken in 2 tbs. of veg. oil.

Once that was done, I set the chicken aside and cooked the onions in the drippings from the chicken. Once the onions were tender and brown, I added the cream of chicken soup and parmesan cheese (and a little bit of milk). I let that thicken up a bit and put the chicken back in to simmer while the noodles were cooking.

Someone felt the need to take a picture of me cooking, as proof, or something like that. Whatever!

Once the noodles were done, I drained them and then added the topping. Delish!!

Wedding Update

So, again, it's been a while since I have posted an update on the wedding. And this will probably be my last update since the wedding is just over two weeks away. Two weeks, folks.

We selected a DJ and we have our final meeting with them this weekend. I will turn in my sheet with my musical selections and then put my trust in them to make it a magical evening.

The flowers are ordered. I'm not a flower person so I have this fear that they will all look like crap. But it's their job to make it look good, so they better do it! I had the final meeting with the florist a week or so ago. I have lost all track of time.

The invitations are gone. Sent. Forgotten about. Hardly anyone has RSVP'd and that makes me mad. But whatever. I can't control the world, right? I wish people would just pick up the phone and make a call.....even if they are assuming that I am assuming they will be there. It would still be nice to have a decent count.

Carter has his tux. He's so darn cute! It needs to be hemmed up a little bit, but that's no big deal. I still need to get him some shoes, but I'm in no hurry on that. There will be shoes any time I'm ready to go fork over my money.

The guys all went in for the tux fitting this last weekend. So that's out of the way, thank god. Somehow, we managed to get them all in on the same day and time - miracles DO happen.

Eric is headed out for his bachelor party this weekend....the boys are taking boats and camping/fishing gear and making a weekend of it. Oh, and there are kegs involved. Surprise surprise. So Carter and I will have the weekend to ourselves. Yee-haw!

My bachelorette party will be Sunday, August 31st......Monday is a holiday, ya know! Party extra late!

The gifts for the bridesmaids have been purchased. That's a secret. :-)

I am still stressing about the little things that need to be bought......picture, matte, frame, tiara, votives for cake table, hotel in Tampa before the cruise, etc. I'm stressing big time. Eric was laid off for a week, so his last paycheck and this coming paycheck will be short, meaning he will literally have no money to contribute to the honeymoon. So I'm wondering if we will even be doing anything "fun" or drinking, lol. I'm sure it will all come together.........somehow. (If you are reading this, ditch the wedding registry and just give us cash - we are desperate)

My out-of-town bridesmaids will be here next weekend and I'm so damn excited to see them. We get a whole week to visit this time, so hopefully we can cram everything in.

Reservations for the venue of the rehearsal dinner were made today....for 20 people. That's a lot of people! Old Chicago-downtown Boise. I am stoked. One of my old stomping grounds back in the day, lol!

My mother and I did a walk-through at the venue for the wedding; making sure the count for tables/chairs/linens were accurate.

I got a new ring. Eric got his ring.

I think that's it. I can't think of anything else right now. I'm just ready for this day to be here so we can get the party on. Hope to see you there!!

Random Fact #34

I can't STAND tomatoes.

Blech.....just looking at that picture makes me gag. I seriously cannot do tomatoes. Raw, cooked......doesn't matter. I will find them and pick them out of any meal, forming a little pile on my plate. Ironically, I LOVE salsa. I could eat salsa for three meals a day. Only the thick juice though - I don't eat the chunks because I can't stand any individual ingredient in salsa. Don't ask me to explain that - I can't. I can't find any logic behind it. And I love tomato soup and ketchup. Confused yet?

Funk

funk (fuŋk)
noun

the condition of being greatly afraid or in a panic
a low, depressed mood

Etymology: Fonck

Sharing

It was H*O*T today....like, over 100 degrees. We put Carter in his pool for the second day in a row....though, today, he had an (un)invited guest.....his father. And I know Carter was thinking, "hey, there just isn't room for both of us here....someone has to go." Fortunately, they figured out some sort of agreement.....Eric sits down and Carter crawls all over him. Works for me!

The Finished Product

Here is the finished product.

We also had cucumbers and onions in vinegar, that had soaked for several hours. They were delish! And for dessert, I made strawberry/vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Yum!

Contrary to Popular Belief......

....well, just Eric's....I CAN cook. And I can cook well when I want to. And when I'm not being harassed by those who think they are better cooks than me.

Eric's mom got us a slow-cooker for Christmas and we have cooked in it a couple times. Eric made a delicious chili last week and today, it's my turn. I decided to make pork chops. Honey cinnamon pork chops with carrots, to be exact.

First, I chopped carrots and added those to the slow-cooker.

Then I seasoned the pork chops.

Then it was time to add the tomato soup, honey, and cinnamon.

Then Eric came in and added his ingredient he adds to everything......even cereal. Just kidding.

Then I mixed it all together and dumped it into the slow cooker. Set the time for four hours. Check back later to see the final result!

11 Months......young

Carter is 11 months old today. Almost to that milestone! He's so much fun right now. He crawls like crazy....all over anything in his path. He walks along furniture....grasping for anything he can get his hands on. And he'll walk along with you if you hold his hand, but not unassisted yet. He has started clapping, which is super cute. And the high-fives and low-fives are a crowd-winner.

Happy almost-first-birthday baby! You will hate me later in life for these pictures.......

By a round of applause.....

Carter has the cutest clap....I swear. It's so fun to prompt him and get his clap back!

High-five
Low-five

Progress is progress

Carter is now walking along furniture and climbing over everything in his path.....people, animals, any obstacle in his way. And he will walk along with you if you hold his hand, but still can't do it unassisted. Baby steps, baby steps.....pun intended.

Please Explain This.....Part Two

Seriously?

No explanation is needed.

Keep laughing at me.

Highlighting Idaho - Meet Placerville

Meet Placerville

Where: Boise County

Elevation: 4,324 feet

Population: 61 (2003)

Namesake: Placerville was named for the placer mining that took place beginning in the 1860's. I have no clue what placer is! Back in 1863, when the town was "booming", there were approximately 5,000 residents.

Placerville is a very (very) small town in the way to our family's cabin. It's actually quite OUT of the way, up a very steep, very narrow dirt road......clear on top of a mountain. My dad and I drove there once and scouted out the place......which is one square mile, mind you. Our tour didn't really last long, until we got to the cemetary. I think we were there for hours. And these pictures aren't pictures I have taken. Though, I HAVE taken pictures there - I have no clue where they ended up after all these years. This cemetary is ancient. There are iron creations all over - including an iron baby carriage where an infant was buried. This image is burned into my brain and I wish I knew where the picture of this was because it moved me, and I was probably only about 14 years old when I saw it. The graves are very old - dating back to the 1700s for various (early) deaths, including the plague. It's a very haunting cemetary in my opinion - situated in the mountains, in a (nearly) deserted town. The huge pine trees blow and it makes you wonder what life was like back when these folks were alive.

Inside the cemetary are the graves of the three fiddlers.......the story goes that these three men made a living by providing musical entertainment at various mining camps. In Placerville, however, their luck ran out (dun, dun, DUN). (I love old stories like this!!) Actually there were only two musicians, Fred Cursons and L. Moulton, and the third man was a miner carrying a considerable amount of gold dust. The miner, George Wilson, was the intended victim of the robbery while the musicians were killed only to ensure the silence. The three were killed in 1865. One man was arrested for the brutal slayings, but a jury found him not-guilty and the true killer was never found.

Impatient

Main Entry:
im·pa·tient

Pronunciation:
\(ˌ)im-ˈpā-shənt\

Function:
adjective

Etymology:
Middle English impacient, from Anglo-French impacient, from Latin impatient-, impatiens, from in- + patient-, patiens patient

Date:
14th century

1 a: not patient : restless or short of temper especially under irritation, delay, or opposition b: intolerant 1

2: prompted or marked by impatience

3: eagerly desirous : anxious
— im·pa·tient·ly adverb

What LIE will be revealed next?

There are now two stories that have surfaced from the Olympic Games revealing some not-so-true aspects of the Games. First, it was the story that parts of the fireworks display during the Opening Ceremony were "faked". And now this story about the little Chinese girl who sang during the Opening Ceremony......a wonderful talent. Only it wasn't HER. The singing belonged to another little girl, who was deemed not "cute" enough and who did not reflect the true "cuteness" of the Chinese children. How harsh! Here is the link to one story about it.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/The-Chinese-pulled-a-Milli-Vanilli-during-the-Op?urn=oly,100162

What next?!

Random Fact #33

I am named after Morgan Fairchild.

My father had (has) a slight celeb crush on her from way back. Morgan was considered for my first name, but my mom won out with Jennifer and Morgan was decided as my middle name.

Driveway Adventures

Here are pictures from the driveway adventures last night. I love sitting in our chairs, cold drinks in hand, watching our son scoot around in his walker. Last night while we were sitting out, the sprinklers came on. Carter thought they were pretty entertaining, so he scooted over to the grass and bounced like a mad-man in that walker as the sprinklers sprayed him. It was too dark by this point to take pictures, so I'll let your imagination create your own images. It was extremely entertaining....my sides hurt from laughing so hard.

Summer Days

Since every penny of ours is tied up in savings for the honeymoon, we are having to get creative on our summer weekends. Yesterday, we played outside pretty much all day. Carter splashed around in the pool, we went to the local nature reserve, made a yummy hot 'n spicy beef and broccoli stir-fry dinner, and then had part two of our driveway adventures.

Here are Eric and Carter playing out back.

My little boy, squinting in the sun.

Uh oh, I have been spotted. The attack is on!

Impromptu pool adventure. Yes, he is nekkid. It wasn't planned. The pool came out, the clothes were stripped and he was thrown in......the water was coooold!

Have to remember ourselves too!

I demand to know.......

....what has happened to my child? What happened to my quiet little reserved Carter? Who played quietly, cried quietly, and would say "mama and dada" in soft, oh-so-cute tones. Where did this child go? I now have a child who screams while he plays (in delight, not distress), cries "loud" (though I am still told by others that he doesn't know how to "really" cry), and now yells "DADA!!!!" all through the house, with every crawling movement....all....day....long. (are you laughing at me yet?)

Here are some pictures from snack time over the last couple days. Please note in these pictures his organizational skills. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking back to my previous post where I mention that I, myself, could possibly display a very tiny symptom of OCD. And now I wonder if my son is now displaying these symptoms. (in all reality, I AM just joking....I'm not the type of parent to diagnose her child with various "diseases". it's all in good fun) Please note that all the "fishes" have been moved off to the side, in the silverware portion of his tray. All by themselves, to play with those that look like them. He does this every time at snack time. It's like he organizes his food into like colors, like textures, etc. Do I have a boy genius on my hands?

In these snack pictures, I would like you to note the messiness of his hands, which he has chosen to lather into his fine, blonde hair. Look, ma! I'm sure that's what he is saying to me as I snap these pictures. It was not a scheduled bath night.....however, it quickly turned into one. I let him marinate in the juices of his pineapple and "fishes" before tossing (not really) him into the tub.

And finally, here is a display of nap time. We have moved his crib all the way to the bottom level because he has threatened to crawl/climb out. And I believe him. My child tells no lies (yet). So now, every time I go in to check on him, he is in this position.....standing against the bars that prevent his freedom, wailing for me to free him from his comfy prison. It's a fight we have. I choose to just let him lay in there and chat himself to sleep. He always seems to talk himself into it. :-]