I just LOVE her!!! :-)

OMG!!! Is all I can say! Isn't this necklace PRECIOUS!? It's from The Vintage Pear and I just got done playing around on her web-site and the stuff is so fabulous and really reasonable! Check it out! And tell my hubbie I want this for Christmas, k?

Eeevery Rose Has It's Thorn....

Ok, so I have had this series of dreams where I am dating Brett Michaels from Poison! Shhh... Don't tell Brian! Ha! :-)
Anyways, the long flowing hair of the musician is the only thing I remember when I wake up! What do we think this means?????


Quite possibly that I am envious of his long locks!?
Last year, right about this time my sister and I CHOPPED and I mean put a fork in it I'm done CHOPPED our hair off! We were going for the Ellen cut - short, funky, easy, ya know? NO! NO! NO! It was none of the above... I really didn't enjoy it after the 1st day and now I just want my long hair back! Or I can just dream about Brett Michaels hair instead :-)

Tonight!

Did I mention how totally stoked I am to watch the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Plaza tonight? From my own living room, of course! :-)
I think I am only watching for a few reasons:
A. Josh Groban is singing and he is handsome! And has a good voice too!
B. Mariah Carey is singing and word on the street is that she is preggo and I want to see if she is wearing maternity clothes yet or not.
C. It's festive! (My husband is saying "Bah Humbug" right now!)

You won't want to miss it! :-)

I'm BAAAAACK!!!

Hey Lucy! I'm HOOOOME!!!
Hello there! :-)
Sorry I have been MIA for quite some time - actually a REALLY long time according to my last post! My baby is so itty bitty in the pictures I put up last - with two tiny teeth and crawling. Might I just say that Miss Josie is now a bright shining star of a ONE year old!!!
AND walking everywhere - destroying anything in her path if she can get ahold of it (I kid, she's a gem - but pretty much a Tasmanian devil).
I have NO IDEA (here let me practice my Spanish: Yo Quiero Ni Idea) where to start with catching everyone up... oh, wait a sec let me explain the Espanol - we leave for our Mexican vacation January 1st! Yes... that's right ladies and gents, Josie is going abroad! Not exactly sure how we will manage on the airplane, but more on that later! I can hardly wait to sip a daiquiri (or 2 or 3 or 8), lounge in the sun, read, read, read and of course SCUBA dive!
The hubster and I got our scuba certifications a few weeks ago after about a million hours in the pool (my hair will never be the same) and some classroom work (ugh!) - we are certified to head into the deep (minus any sharks) and scuba scuba scuba
Thanksgiving was wonderful! My sister hosted for the 2nd time in a row and there were about 18 of us, I believe.
Poor little Josie had a cold (trying to get over Pneumonia) but was still looking darling as ever in her turkey dress (that will fit her the rest of her life!)
Now that we have all of that covered... can I just say that I made a complete fool out of myself just a little while ago... all for the love of children! I was trying to make my daughter smile by dancing to Mariah Carey's Christmas CD. As I was jiving like the complete doofus I am, I began to think of Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and how he would dance!!!
H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!! :-) Just call me Carlton!
~It's great to be back! More soon! xoxo~

My Sweet Girl!!!

Hey y'all!
So, for the 1st time EVER I spent the weekend away from my baby girl!!! We're talking Friday night, Saturday night, and not laying eyes on her until Sunday at 4:30PM after being in traffic and chugging Diet Coke (and then stopping 10 minutes from home to pee!) Now don't get me wrong... it was quite luxurious to sleep a whole 10 hours at night, knowing that she was in her papa's care and they had SUCH an amazing time together!!! :-) Yay for success! But when you are used to being around a baby day in and day out - you get lonesome for them! It's just SOOOOO good to be home! And feel her soft chubby legs, and see her top tooth poking through, and give her a bath and snuggle her! OHHHHH how I love my girl!!!

The M-O-U-S-E (not Mickey Mouse either)

So, about 2 evenings ago... My husband comes to bed around 11:00 PM just as I am waking from my 3 hours of sleep thus far (yes, I go to bed WAAAY before him... I know I'm a baby... I need my sleep tho people) and am heading to the door to go to the bathroom and he grabs me by the shoulders quite calmly, looks me straight in my sleepy eyes and says "Maggie, there is a mouse in the house." Now I am not one to exaggerate (NOT! I am a total drama mama!) but I do believe the first thing I did was slam our bedroom door and grab onto my husband as tho we were on the Titanic and it was going down. (And p.s. I am pretty sure that little ole' Mousey McMouserton could squeeze his little germ infested body under our bedroom door as well.) So there we are, me squeezing the life out of my hubby and him pushing me away like I have cooties or something and he says "Everybody gets them Maggie! Everybody!" As though we are talking about some common cold or something! SEEERIOUSLY! Not me! Not this chick! I DO NOT GET MICE! So I climb back into bed with goosebumps covering my body and cling to Brian (again, as he is pushing me away) and start asking him 1,000 questions:
"Babe, did you set any traps?" "Yes... 3"
"Babe, where did you set the traps? "Kitchen, living room, basement."
"But honey, what if it climbs into our bed?" "It's on my face right now."
"Babe, what did it look like?" "Field mouse. Small."
"Babe, was it carrying a Juicy Couture purse? "No, a Coach one."
And so on and so forth... all the while my husband is getting more annoyed and impatient with me (really, I have no idea why he would be)... and ends the discussion by saying "Enough! I am going to bed. I never should have told you!" And I comeback with "I know! You shouldn't have told me! What am I going to do NOW?" And that was that - quiet took over and we let Jesus Take The Wheel....
This is DEFINITELY a 2 part story - because I have been waiting for the CLICK of a mousetrap to go off... And have not yet had the pleasure of hearing it! :-( I just KNOW that the mommy and daddy McMouserton's are reproducing as we speak and pretty soon it will be like the Duggar family in my basement "19 and counting!" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I can't take it! I think I shall take my Juicy Couture purse and sleep in my sleek new mini van - Also, another story!
Til then...
God Speed.

A Leslie-ism

Earlier this evening, I called my mother dearest to report that Brian had successfully sold his car (YAY!) and her response??? Not, oh good for him! Not, oh that's great! No... her response (which made me tinkle a little - I'm just say'n) was "Oh, that boy could sell dog food to a cat." And that, my friends would be my mama!

A bathroom saga

The other day, Josie and I were in the pharmacy picking up a bunch of stuff after our visit to the pediatrician (Josie's 2 front teeth are coming in and she has been miserable!) and I was trying to hold her (can you say 22.5 pound BUSTER?) her diaper bag, my purse (which isn't a small little satchel) the pharmacy bag AND sign the receipt. Luckily the woman behind the counter was a gentle loving nice lady and held the paper while I signed... but if you have ever been in this kind of predicament before you can understand how it makes one SWEAT!!! (Oh wait, that isn't sweat... it's drool! Not mine, but BUSTERS!! Oh Buster!) So while all of this hoopla is going on, part of me (even though I never would) wanted to just turn to the lady next to me (she looked friendly) and say... here.. can you hold her for just a sec? Pardon the drool. Thanks! And then pray that she wasn't at the doctor for anything contagious! Now, as I said I would never do that (or at least I don't think I would - ha!) BUT, believe it or not this has actually happened to ME! YES, little old me... when I was about 9 years old and in the church bathroom (of all places!) I had just washed my hands and was just about to walk out the door when in stormed a woman and her slew of children (pretty sure it wasn't Kate Plus 8 - but it coulda' been!) And in this woman's arms is a precious newborn who is basically along for the ride. I kind of stood to the side wide eyed and bushy tailed waiting for them to all get in so I could sneak out when she said in a very matter of fact way "Hey! Can you hold him?" And I am pretty sure the look on my face was one of disbelief - because she repeated herself and then proceeded to hand me a baby all swaddled like Jesus!!! Then she sent one child into one stall and took the other young child with her into the other stall. Dumbfounded, I stood on that bathroom tile and didn't move a wink - except to glance into the mirror and see what I looked like holding a precious young "baby Jesus!" I looked pretty natural... not gonna lie :-) and before I knew it mama and the kiddies were out of the bathroom... washing up and she took the baby back and was out the door - off to hear the end of the sermon! It was like a whirlwind experience! I couldn't believe what had just happened! I headed back to our church pew and told my mom and she just shook her head in disbelief and said "See Maggie, Jesus put you in that bathroom right when that lady needed you!" I felt oddly special. Lucky. Blessed! And would do it again in a heartbeat! I would probably check myself out in the mirror too... not gonna lie! ;-) wink wink

So... this morning, after I finally got a break from chasing the baby away from Harley's food dish (she is OBSESSED with it!) I went onto Etsy (one of my FAVORITE places to browse for yummy finds) and found these purses!!! You MUST go on and check them out - my favorite part is what she names the purses... for example "Waffles With Fresh Mulberries" or "Beetle Juice!" They are extremely funky and I will be purchasing one in the near future!

Enjoy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jogioriginals

Rollers... HOT rollers

“Women.... Who made 'em? God must have been a... genius. Their hair. They say that the hair is everything, you know? Have you ever buried your nose in a mountain of curls, and just wanted to go to sleep forever?” ~Bo Goldman, "The Start of an Education," made popular by the movie Scent of a Woman

My mother burst into this world on December 10, 1954 with a full head of black, gorgeous hair… and even though I wasn’t there I am quite positive that she had hot rollers in… poor grandma Wini! Did they have epidurals back then??? Now there is some definite strategy when it comes to these suckers… and Miss Leslie Kay had it nailed! I remember watching her put them in her hair in the mornings like she was born to do it (which it was because after all she did come out with them in, right?) and asking her if she would pleeease put them in my hair so I could have luscious locks like mother dearest. Her reply was usually something along the lines of “not this morning, we’re running late” or “I don’t know if I ’ll have any left Maggie.” because she would use all three rows. and all small, medium and large sized rollers to get the “poof” she so desired! (Makes me think of Snookie! Ha!) The woman has the thickest hair I have ever seen - SERIOUSLY! However, on a special occasion, or random day that she didn’t need all 56 curlers (that’s an estimate) she would decide to spare a curl for her youngest! I would pull a chair out at the kitchen table - plug those babies in and let them heat up - and in they would go! I would tell her I wanted to look like Blair, from the Facts of Life - remember her? The one with the To Die For long blonde curly hair? She’d say “I’ll do my best.“ and would put in the remaining curlers and I would close my eyes and dream about the end result - yes I was very putsy and usually made us run very late - after all we NEVER rode the school bus because the bus drivers short shorts scared me beyond belief! I believe he - yes HE is still out there hauling kids to school and back home again. Yikes!
Anyways, where was I… oh so I would leave the curlers in until the very last dog died and then slowly take them out and reveal the stunning, wavy, mind-numming curls I had so desired… USUALLY… Then there were the occasions where either my hair was too damp from washing it the night before OR the curlers weren’t quite hot enough and I would take the curlers out and plop… down went the straight chunk of nasty hair that I was so trying to escape! Ohhh man, WATCH OUT town of Alexandria, MN… This usually led to a curler being chucked across the bathroom or bedroom (depending on where I was taking them out) and screams of horror from my impatient, sailor like, mouth! Usually I was ignored from all ends of the house (dad in the kitchen washing his hair in the kitchen sink - (again, a whole nother story), mom running around frantically with her make-up on, white pants and lab coat on (she was a nurse and a “dang good nurse” as she likes to say) - complete with some funky bobbled seasonably correct pin - the kids loved her, and rollers still in tact - she didn’t mess around people! The curlers stayed in place until the last second) and depending on the year (we are 4 years apart in age difference) … my sister had either been picked up by a friend (lucky!) for school or was in college.) After my fit of rage I would usually cry, attempt to fix the nastiness that was my hair, but to no avail, and put a hat on, My mom would take me to school LATE with a note saying that I had had a doctors appointment and a stern warning: “Maggie. This is the LAST time this will happen!” (oh, little did she know I WOULD have curls tomorrow! Poor mother!) “Do you hear me young lady!? It is unacceptable!” and I would just think about my shattered dreams of “Blair Hair” and walk into school with puffy eyes and a doctors note.

~"My cup runneth over."~

Word of the day...

Bliss - complete happiness: perfect happiness

Memorial Day Weekend

Hey all! Not to worry! We are still here out on the homestead. Sun soaked and feeling fine! :-) We had a fun filled Memorial Day weekend including a trip to Taylor's Falls for some hiking (and carrying a stroller over boulders with a 22 pound Buster on board - she loved it!) an evening bonfire with Alfred Hitchcock moments of June bug insanity (don't even get me started!) and some boating with friends! Josie is still recovering from all of the fresh-air (sleeping hasn't been her friend - or mine) AND has 2 very sharp bottom teeth coming in - just ask Brian... She bit him this evening! :-( Poor papa bear! Overall though we were blessed with warm, sunny weather and more importantly FAMILY FUN!!! :-) Here are some pictures for you......
Josie loving up on daddy :-)
Big smiles!
My little outdoor girl :-)
Swim Swim!
This is how we roll :-)
Allow me to share a quote from a young boy I once nannied for - referring to his wacky nanny (ME!) he says "Now I know why your mom calls you nutsie!" (I thought that suited this picture quite nicely :-)
The Hubster (and his dimples Sven and Olga)

Now you must excuse me - Jersey Shore is on in the next room and I MUST go check out Snookie's "poof" hairstyle (Just kidding - kinda!)
xxoo,
M.

Ode to the June bug...

June bug, June bug go away.
June bug, June bug it's only May!
June bug, June bug get out of my hair.
June bug, June bug you are causing quite a scare.

The end.

Underwear? What underwear??

So, I'm not sure how the weather has been treating everybody in their neck of the woods... but here behind the outlet mall it has been HOT, HUMID, and what I might call "GLORIOUS!!!" Yes - I love summer and all that it entails! My husband would rather be ice fishing, but not me folks! Bring on the heat... Anyways, in the midst of this spicy summer weather that we have been sporting, a memory has come to mind that I thought I should share with all of you! Yes, even strangers (Hey y'all!) - I guess I'm just brave like that!
So.... without further ado... pull up a chair (preferably a chaise lounge chair), a cold beverage, and your peepers (if you can't see anything without them (mother!) and enjoy...
Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a land far, far away (actually in Jefferson City, Iowa. Which in my case was REALLY FAR, FAR away in an un-air-conditioned yellow car with sticky fake-leather seats that you had to peel yourself off of and my sisters feet on my lap) my family had all gathered for my dad’s cousins wedding. I remember being just a tad bit miffed that I wasn’t in the wedding as a flower girl, like my other cousin and her 2 brothers. I was BORN for that role, I tell you! No, I was just an on-looker. Sitting in a pew on a hot summers evening awaiting the cake and more importantly ice cream! Now as great as this sounds (wink wink) let me take you back to a few hours previous to this. Cue the crowded motel room where my father, mother, sister and I were all running around to get ready. My mom had laid out my peach colored knit sundress for me and I recall putting that on fresh out of the bathtub but not being able to find any underwear to wear. Now, under normal circumstances you would think I’d go find mommy dearest, or at least call for her a dozen times to have her dig in the clothes to find me my undergarment that I was missing (most likely labeled with the days of the week - NERD) However, I must have either been so hot and ticked off about not being IN the wedding or just didn’t care so I didn’t wear any. Now, I was only 6 or 7 but REALLY should have had something on. But off we went- headed to the chapel - this chick was going commando! Ok… back to the wedding pew. So there I sat. The only one in my family aware of the fact that I was wearing zip. Zero. Zilch underwear! It was kind of a freeing moment (literally) and one in which I knew I had a giant secret and wasn’t about to let it out - at least not yet! The reception site was at a nice restaurant and after dining they had a wedding dance! Now, this was my time to shine! I was an avid dancer and once the music began I was on my feet. In awe of the beautiful bride dancing amongst me! We did the “Hokey Pokey” “Bunny Hop” “Limbo” “Chicken Dance” you name it… I owned it! And I distinctly remember rolling around on the wooden dance floor - under the disco ball just grooving and doing my thing - showing all of the wedding guests my moves - and probably a whole lot more of Maggie then they would ever want to see. Yet there I was! Free as a bird! My mother unaware of the fact that I was NOT I repeat NOT WEARING ANY UNDERWEAR! Cue the motel room a few hours LATER! We are all changing out of our dress clothes and into something a little more comfortable (little did they know how comfortable I really was! Ha!). My mom recommends that I put on some leggings and I remember very non-shalantly saying “Ok. But shouldn’t I put some underwear on first.” And that my friends, is when all holy hell broke loose in Jefferson City, Iowa. Now I don’t remember all of the details, but I do remember my mother being absolutely mortified at the fact that her daughter had just attended a wedding AND reception AND danced all over “God’s green earth” without any underwear! She was the woman whose daughters ALWAYS had nice dress-up clothes (whether they were hand me downs or not) and a matching cardigan to attend any type of event. This “no underwear” event about sent her overboard! There was a lot of “Maggie Amanda! How could you?” “Why didn’t you ask for some?” “Did you LOOK for some?” “Oh my goodness gracious land sakes alive!” “This is UN-ACCEPTABLE! Do you hear me!?” All the while, I of course began crying because my secret had finally come out AND because I think I was probably embarrassed! Let’s just say I was put in underwear and didn’t make much eye contact with my mom for the rest of the evening. But when I was re-hashing this story with her before writing this we both had to just throw our heads back and laugh because we’re pretty sure this instance began my wild streak - even though the wild part of me didn’t necessarily come out until, oh, say college - I think it all really began in Iowa at the wedding when I didn’t get to be a flower girl so instead I decided awww… screw the underwear! Who needs em’!
P.S. I will not tell you if I am wearing underwear at this very moment! But, if you ask me to attend your wedding - you can figure it out for yourself!
Happy Wednesday,
Mamasita

ThE LeGo InCiDeNt...

Ok, so one of the main reasons why I started this blog (actually the only reason) was to share with the world all of my stories! What kind of stories you might ask, my oh my let me tell you this girl has got stories! :-) From growing up behind a bait shop and trying to save minnows - (this bait shop eventually turned into a strip club when I was 11 (a whole different story) - to studying abroad in the mountains of Spain - to meeting my hunky delicous dimpled husband (it's true!) - to giving birth to a buster ... I have alot to share! And can hardly wait! So... on with the show... this blog selection is entitled "The Lego Incident" and stars none other than myself and my adorable yet "up to no good" nephew Willem - I call him Willfred:

Now to give you a bit of background information let me just tell you that after Josie was born and was 2 weeks old to the day, we packed our suitcases, a newborn, and the dog (of course) and headed to the prairie to stay with my sister and her family (Willfred's mom - my sister - an angel sent from above) for what ended up being one solid month so my hubby could help a friend combine corn! We needed money - the corn needed to be combined - so that was that! It was one of the BEST BLESSINGS in the world - I was dealing with postpardum depression and my sister had alot of experience to share! Ok... back to the story:
So, one evening my darling sister has agreed to take the crying baby (she was going thru a fussy stage - help me Rhonda!) so I can go upstairs to the bathtub to shave my legs and relax! So there I sit.... water up to my chin.... legs dangling here and there. head back. eyes closed. and hanging on by a thread - child birth is not for the weary my friends - completely unaware of the fact that little ole' Willfred had made his way up the grand staircase and was doing whatever he pleased in the next room! So.... my head is back and my eyes are closed and all of the sudden a little hand comes around my neck and little tiny edible fingers shove a lego in my mouth! And Willem says in his little old man voice "You eat it." Now not only am I practically peeing all over myself AND in my bath water, but I am also trying not to swallow the small lego that has been shoved into my esophogas! So I gasp... flail around for a bit... come to after almost drowning and look and there stands Willfred - a not quite naked 1 year old in his size 3 diaper (what Josie wears now!) staring at me! Not laughing. Not smiling. Just looking at me and wanting to know how the lego tasted! I busted out laughing and he kind of grins non-chalantly and goes walking out of the room as though he hadn't just seen his Auntie's post pregnancy body drowning it's sorrows away! (Poor little fella!) God love him!
Happy Bathing y'all!

Splish Splash!!!

My oh my have we been LOVING this yummy summer weather! It definately beats the rainy gunk that's been greeting us lately! Waking up to the sun shining. Birds tweeting. And a baby cooing in the next room over just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! And extremely blessed! :-)
We have been taking advantage of the balmy 75 - 80 degree weather by hopping into the kitty pool (I know, I know it's kiddie pool - but kitty just sounds cuter to me!) the past few days - yes, that's right, I said "we" as in Josie AND 6 foot 1 inch mamasita! It's quite a sight but we love the water! And this ain't no cold - outta the hose - makes your hair stand on end water either! I personally fill "our" pool with warm water from the tap in a giant soup pot! Dang, I'm good!
Anyways .... here's a few snapshots .... none of post-preggo mama though! Sorry!
P.S. You'll notice that little miss is attempting to stand up and hop out of the pool and go grab Diet Cokes for both of us, but she hasn't quite mastered it yet! (Wink Wink)

Up, Up and AWAY!!!

This past weekend, my hubby had the baby all to himself at his parents house (I was away on a girls weekend - more about that soon!) and informed me that Josie had pulled herself up to stand 3 times! Twice on a foot stool and once on a saucer! The girls got strength - let me tell you - her arms are ginormous!
So... this morning as I am cleaning and chugging coffee (a girls weekend doesn't include much sleep) I look to see how Buster is doing and there she is - getting ready to stand by the coffee table! I dropped my mop... grabbed the camera... and it was like watching Bambi try to stand!!! Up she went and then she had no idea what to do... so she just fell over and kept playing! What a CHAMP! :- )

Miss Thang :-)

Ok... so after all of the talk about little miss Josie in my previous post I thought I should share with you the delight of my life! She's currently 6 1/2 months old and a total joy!!! Almost crawling. Managed to pull herself up the other day (couldn't believe that!!!) and is loud and proud (kind of like her mama!?) Everyday I am reminded what a precious miracle babies are and how lucky I am to be with mine day in and day out - although we do have our trying times... current example: teething... She is a total blast! I can't wait for all of our summer adventures! So here she is folks: Miss Josie Kay:




Much more to come.... I hope that tides you over!

Horses, Cattles and calves oh my!!!

So this past weekend Josie and I loaded up the good ole Bravada with about a trillion bins, boxes, and miscellanious items for my sisters annual garage sale (3 and a half hours away I might add)! Now let me tell you, in western Minnesota they DO NOT mess around when it comes to garage saleing! We had advertised that we would be open 3-6 on Friday and the cars were parked and people were waiting outside of the garage door at 2:55! It was a complete success, and totally not what this post is about! :-) sorry.... now where was I... oh yes... the drive there was a 3 and a half hour one and most of it was back woods style - scenic country - DELCIOUS to the eyes! I have a dream to live on a farm with horses, chickens, goats (maybe), cats, dogs, and the whole nine yards... until then I bask on my 1 acre spread with all I've got! So as I am driving it just got better and better - farm after farm!!! I would squeel and yell back to Josie (as if she understood - poor lass) "Look at the mama cow!!!!!! Ohhhhhhh Josie look at the baby!!!!!!!!! The baby is nursing... you didn't nurse... but that's ok!!! Ohhhh look at the horses Josie! Aren't hey beeeautiful? Someday mommy will take you riding!" Yadda Yadda Yaddda... I was so tempted to get my camera out and snap a few (or 80) shots of the creatures we came across, but alas, we had a garage sale to run! Money to make! And people waiting!

My First Blog EVER! Eeek!

Okay.... so after much contemplating I have officially decided to start a blog! Wooo Hooo! I am really excited and have so many thoughts, ideas and stories - I am bursting at the seams! Giddy up... let's go!