Summertime

To celebrate what we have left of spring, I took the Peanut to the Arboretum today. It is getting hot, so I decided to put on sandals in spite of the sorry state of my feet (so neglected and unsightly!), and short pants, in spite of the fact that my legs, which haven't seen the light of day for several years, might reflect the sun and possibly blind some innocent Arboretum patrons. "I will get some sun!" I thought. And I need to if I plan to wear the $19.98 orange Anthropologie skirt on Saturday night. Well, I don't think I got much sun, so I'll have to go check my cabinets for some sun-in-a-bottle, left over from a couple summers ago. (Will it still work? Does it expire?) What I DID get, though, was a giant blister from my sandals, which is a drag not only because it is painful, but also because it is going to shoot the wheels off my plans to finally cash in a pedicure gift certificate I got for Christmas. I was going to do it on Friday. Dangit. With all that said, the Arboretum is beautiful and we had a great time. Daphne likes the waterfalls and fountains best.

SCORE!

Yesterday I went to the mall with my mom and the Peanut and look what I found! It is a cool orange skirt from Anthropologie, and it was only $19.98! (Original price a whopping $88.00!) I am going to wear it Saturday night because Kev and I are going out to celebrate our anniversary. I wish it matched the sweater I made. I love finding a bargain.

Inner Tulip

This is what you see if you get as close as you possibly can to the inside of a tulip.

Cedar Waxwings at the Arboretum

Cedar Waxwings at the Arboretum
Originally uploaded by Tara Holt.

Cedar Waxwings are cool looking birds. These are ones we saw at the Arboretum a couple weeks ago. I am testing sending photos to my blog from my flickr page.

Mall Walking

Today is a kind of yucky day, so I took the Peanut to the mall to stroll around. She is sleeping it off, and I am blogging. Every time I go to the mall, I stroll through Anthropologie. http://www.anthropologie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE

Do you have this store at your mall? They have the most awesome clothes. Especially skirts.

As I stroll through Anthropologie, this is what I say in my head:

Seventy-eight dollars! I could make that. Fifty-six dollars! I could make that. A hundred and thirty nine dollars! I could make that.

And so forth.

It is time, my friends, to get out my machine and do some sewing.

The key to the stuff at Anthropologie is the fabric. I need to know where these people get their cool fabric. Then I could make all the stuff for way cheaper, and maybe I could finally be the modern urban mom I want to be. My orange shoes have just about had it. And they don't have them on the Lands End web-site anymore, so I can't replace them.

Daphne loves going to the mall. Her favorite things are the guy who plays the piano by the escalators at Nordstrom (he is fabulous), the big spouting fountains by La Madeleine, and the window at Puzzle Zoo toy store which has a giant Big Bird, and other huge stuffed animals. She looks at it and squeals with delight. All the people at the mall like her red hair. I do too. She is a good little baby.

Tulips

Last year, Kev got me some tulip bulbs, which I planted. They came up last spring, and were really pretty, but all the experts assured us they wouldn't return this year. Since we have mild winters, tulips are more like annuals here. But against all odds, I have a flower bed full of tulips, and not only did they bloom, but some of them even multiplied. So there, you so-called experts!. If not for all the dandelions and other pesky weeds, my little flower bed would be lovely.

Exciting LRHS News Alert

If you entered the LRHS logo design contest but didn't win, your exciting parting gifts will be shipping out today or tomorrow, so watch your mailboxes for fabulous prizes.

Hmmmmm....

Knitting Rules

Project Number 4 is finally complete, and I am really proud of this one. I didn't think I could do it, but here it is: my first yarn sweater. Woo-hoo! The only trouble is, I soaked it in our bathroom sink, and it sorta smells like Kev's shaving cream.

Now, I just need a place to wear it...

Being the Butterfly

Stroller Brigade

Yesterday, our playgroup went to Dallas Blooms at the Arboretum for Mommy and Me Monday. There is Daphne in the middle, trying to take the toys off the kid's stroller next to her. She had a great time. There were kids to play with (steal from), goats, sheep, chickens, a pony, and nice soft grass to walk on.

New Blogger is Bad

Hell on Wheels

This weekend I busted out my roller skates at the Katy Trail. I pushed the stroller while Kev walked behind and took some very unflattering pictures that will never see the light of day. Daphne slept through the whole thing, and I had a blast in spite of fearing the public fall-down the whole time. My center of gravity has changed since my last roller skating adventure.

I need to make a roller skating song section in my iPod, and do this more often now that the weather is so nice.

PS. I got these roller skates for $19! They are Nike!

Field Trip

On Saturday, we took the Peanut to the zoo because it was nice out. Guess what. Most of the other people with babies in Dallas had the same idea. So it was kind of a beating. Crowded and hot...strollers everywhere. But we still had a good time, and Daphne liked seeing all the birds and animals. We took her on her first carousel ride, which she seemed to like. And she got to pet a chicken. It was cute. She was very gentle with the chicken. She fell asleep on the train on the way home, so we walked around the station until she woke up, and then had dinner at the Trinity Hall pub. Daphne likes lemons. She demands them back if we take them away. She's a funny little baby.

Pie at Last!!!

This morning my dad came over to play with the Peanut so I could cook some stuff. I made cream of wild mushroom soup, some meatballs (some to go with the sauce I made Monday, and some to freeze), and as you can see, I finally had a chance to use my new awesome apple peeler/corer/slicer gadget to make this apple pie. My house smells like Christmas in Italy. My dad said it is one of the best apple pies he's ever tasted, so thanks to him for watching Daphne so I could make it, and a very special thanks to Kev's mom for the recipe, and his sister for the awesome apple peeler/corer/slicer gadget. All y'all should get one of these gadgets. If you are worried that it is a one trick pony, you should know that it can also be used for potatoes and probably other stuff, but I haven't read the instruction booklet all the way through yet. Even if it DID only do apples, it's worth it for the pie. I will see if I can get permission from Kev's mom to post the recipe. It's really easy to make.

Rock On, Little Peanut

I will blog a real blog soon.

Good Stuff

Today at Central Market, I bought a big giant bag of Popcorn, Indiana brand Smoked Cheddar Kettle Corn, and let me tell you, this is some GOOD stuff. To find out where to get some, go to www.popcornindiana.com and it will tell you, and you will also see their cool tractor logo which would make a great t-shirt. Apparently, Popcorn, Indiana is a real place, 20 miles south of Bloomington. Perhaps my Kentuckiana cousins have been there. I would go there if I lived in Kentuckiana. Next, I am going to try BBQ flavor.

By the way, there is also a Santa Claus, Indiana. There used to be an amusement park there called Santa Claus Land, and we used to go there when I was little. I found out on the Travel Channel that it is now called Holiday Land, and that it won an award for "friendliest" amusement park, or something like that. Sorta like the Miss Congeniality of amusement parks I reckon. Anyway, maybe we'll take the Peanut there when she gets bigger.

The Travel Channel is lame. All it ever has are poker shows and shows about Las Vegas.

Problem Solved!

I think I have solved my halter problem without cutting. I made a crochet chain and weaved it through the back to use as a draw-string. Voila! Instant cinching! Tie it in a bow and go. Plus, it is adjustable and removeable, so maybe the Peanut can get a couple year's use out of it. This makes me so happy...I was really bummed out about the whole thing yesterday.

And the Winning Logo is...

So, yesterday, I printed out a sheet of paper with all the entries on it. Then I spent a long time staring at the sheet of paper with all the entries on it. Dang, this was a tough decision!

A lot of entries were ruled out because of details or colors that wouldn't be possible to screen, but then I had several really great entries left to choose from.

Finally, when I was trying to fall asleep last night, I made my decision:

The prize of a t-shirt and the honor of designing the official t-shirt of the LRHS goes to (drumroll) Kev for his very first entry, the Squippie Symbol: http://housepants.blogspot.com/2007/02/contestant-number-one.html#comments

I decided that while penguins and guitars and sock monkeys and owls and so forth are all single aspects of the LRHS, and all things I love, they all sort of fit under the squippie umbrella. And so, the squippie symbol best represents the overall spirit of the blog. Congratulations Kev!

With that said, there are so many good entries, that I promise you haven't seen the last of them. Plus, everyone who participated will be receiving exciting prizes in the mail (please be patient, it may take a few weeks for me to get my act together). Fooie, I need your address. Thank you all so much for entering my contest and reading this blog. Yay!

Knitting Semi-Success

This week, I knit this halter for the Peanut. I was so proud because it was quite a bit more challenging than the hats I've made, and as you can see in the picture, it is a really cute little halter. Here is the roblem: it is about 3 inches too big around, and to take the picture I had to cinch it up in the back with a clothespin. My friend Emily seems to think it can be fixed, but it is going to involve some cutting which is very scary with a knit piece, so we'll see. Anyway, live and learn. Stay tuned for tomorrow's big contest announcement!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLEACH AND BEAN!

Last Minute Entry

This last entry is from my cousin, Ben. Finally, one of my relatives comes through! Nice work Bean!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. OK, all the entries are in. An official announcement will be made on Monday regarding the winner(s) .

2. Speaking of Bean, please visit his blog for an rare and exciting interview with the great LarryFeathers. http://beanblog.com/