Conversation Between Matt and Me About Nurses

Matt: "I can always spot a group of nurses from like a mile away."
Me: "What do you mean? In a restaurant or what?"
Matt: "Yeah."
Me: "The scrubs probably give them away."
Matt: "No, not the scrubs."
Me: "Okay, the stethoscopes."
Matt: "Nope."
Me: "What then?"
Matt: "Um, their... demeanor."
Me: "So... by demeanor, do you mean attitude?"
Matt: "You could say that. Yeah."
Me: "So, you're saying nurses have attitude?"
Matt: "Yep. You can always hear their opinion even when you're not part of their group."
Me: "This is hilarious. I'm going to put that quote on my facebook. No, I'm going to blog this."
Matt, as I walk toward the computer, "You could also say, 'Nurses are really sweet until you cross them.'"
Me: "Now YOU'VE crossed the line."

Things that Made Me Smile Today

Our azaleas


Ladybug at a neighbor's


Casey's old craftsman house
When I first moved to Tyler, Casey and Sarah Jane lived there. Then Casey and Alyssa. Then, finally, Casey and Travis. Other people I know lived there before, but I always think of it as Casey's.


Lizard on a fence post


Ethan on the playground

The Unboxing

My aunt sent me a box of things from my grandmother. Tomorrow, it will have been two years since Abuela died, and although my aunt set up a memorial website where we could post about her, and my sister-in-law wrote a lovely tribute, I haven't been able to write anything yet. I'm not sure I can, still.



The box contained old pictures and letters to my grandparents from my father, scraps Abuela had saved from when we made my wedding dress, and an empty bottle of her Chanel perfume. It smells like her.



I cried looking through the pictures and reading the letters. I'm not sure why. Maybe because Matt and Ethan never got to meet her, and maybe because she never got to meet then. Maybe because I never knew my father as an adult, and he never saw the person I've become. Maybe because I had a happy childhood.

Why Crude is up to $110 a Barrel

This is Matt at work. And yes, that is oil all over the ground. I'm just glad it's not all over my carpets. Something... "blew up," I believe is the technical term he used tonight. Babe, I appreciate your hard and sometimes frustrating work for us!

A Post for Knitters

Mom watched Ethan for us for a few hours while I went in to a staff meeting and some training at work. I've been called off so often lately I'm desperate for a few hours. So while I was gone to work, Mom and Ethan played and browsed free knitting patterns at Knitting Pattern Central. A page was up on my computer, and there were so many free patterns available, I may never buy another knitting book again. I downloaded about 10 in one sitting, including the pattern for these adorable baby socks:



I'm already thinking of making them for a friend who's having a girl. Thanks to f. pea for the picture, and Pickin' and Throwin' for the pattern.

Ethan Chills on Marmee's Swing

You light up our life, baby boy!

How to Get Your Toddler to Eat Grapefruit

Every time you eat a grapefruit, give your baby some. Eventually, he will eat it and like it. Or he'll go off to college.

Here, Ethan eats grapefruit so fast I could hardly take a picture with any in the tray. It's not the first time he's had it, but the first time he liked it. He liked it so much, in fact, that he managed to sort it out from the boring, bland, nearly-the-same-color-and-texture tomatoes.

The Dream Car

So, we bought our dream car on Friday, a Volvo S80. If it had been new, it would have matched the car Matt has as his laptop wallpaper, which really is a dream. It was used, so it matches the pic below. We're excited about a much larger, safer car than the Bug, which we recently discovered needed almost $1,500 worth of work. Although it is supposed to be mine, Matt's got it today, ostensibly so a friend who is a mechanic can look at it. I think he just wants to drive the new Volvo.

Ethan's Birthday Book

For Ethan's birthday, I made him a little Winkflash photo book about the first year of his life. I put an apple green cover on it, called it "My First Year," and wrote simple text in first person. I'm thrilled with the results, despite the fact that I did it in one sitting late at night. I plan to make one for him every year, but I've been thinking about a colors book next: Ethan in green clothes, holding a green toy, for instance, and the word "green" in a large simple font. This will enable me to preserve a few more brain cells by not having to come up with text that chronicles an entire year. I started looking into some different online photo places, and put the results into an article at Real Clever Moms. Follow this link to get the lowdown on photo books: Creating Custom Photo Books.