It's Thursday, right?

Oh heeeey.... so Fiona all of a sudden looks huge. And last week she dumped 1/2 a cup of pink milk into the DVD player. Turns out electronics don't drink pink milk.

And Adrian is enjoying the pup. Here he is brushing her with a grooming glove. My favorite thing is to watch the two of them run in circles in the backyard, while Adrian shrieks with glee.

And this past weekend with two days of beautiful weather, I took Adrian outside and showed him how to build "pirate houses". Teaching him to find natural materials and see them as building materials has kept him busy for DAYS. And I am exhausted from trying to cram everything into the regular 7-day week.

Where would you go?

Occasionally, Aaron and I toy with the idea of moving. Not just from Chicago, but from the United States. (Don't get all panicky, we aren't actually going anywhere)

Our criteria for our new home country varies wildly depending on our moods, the weather, and what time of day we're having these discussions. We have chosen places based on free healthcare, year-round temperatures, the national custom of a many-houred lunch followed by a nap, the ability to thrive on 5 US dollars a day.

Which leads me to wonder: where would you go, if you had to?

Looking for suggestions

What can I give the pup to chew on when she's bored?
I have an aversion to rawhide, as it gets all slimey.
I can't keep giving her treats or she'll never eat her kibble.
And she can't keep raiding the kids toy bin, because that is just trouble waiting to happen.

On to happier things

I just looked at the calendar this morning and saw that it was Friday the 13th.
And to that I say: enh. Just another of 52 Fridays in a calendar year.
I do like the number 13, though. 13 full moons in a year. 13 plates on a turtle's shell. It's one of those numbers that pops up & waves from nature every so often.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be 50 degrees! I can totally take the kids outside to play. Or rather, Adrian will play and I will try to keep Fiona from eating dirt by the shovelful. I was pretty sure she was supposed to have outgrown that by now, but as of last Friday she was still enjoying dirt as a part of the food pyramid.

And Sunday we will be hosting scouts! I am excited. It is always nice to be surrounded by people with whom you can just be yourself. It's been a while since I have had that in any quantity. Us grown-ups will be talking about upcoming projects, and the little ones will be hunting for eggs and burning off energy so they will sleep like rocks. (Hooray for sleepy rocks)

And Friday next is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING. (happy dance-happy dance)
I am excited because I am no great lover of Winter. The kids are excited b/c we can go outside to play more often and we're going to watch a tadpole grow into a frog. Aaron is excited b/c it'll be the first time I have shaved my legs since the first day of Winter.

Is it just me?

Or does everyone have that person in their life; the one you want to take by the shoulders and shake while you yell:
WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LOVE ME FOR WHO I AM?

yeah.
so that's on my plate now.
I'm going to art it out.

Meet Rhianna!

Hey! We adopted a dog. Because I am crazy. Crazy for chaos. Her name is Rhianna, she's a 2 year old english coonhound. She is sweet and gentle and AMAZING with the kids. She is also scared of the cats (they are pretty pleased with that).

Adrian is currently enamored of her. He talks to her, feeds her, trails after her and makes sure that she is never lonely. He is so enamored of her that this morning he didn't even turn the TV on. Fiona cries whenever Rhianna goes outside. Did I mention that this dog is housetrained? That right there is a whole bag of weasels I can completely avoid. So, she's keeping us entertained and we're making sure the kids don't love on her too much....And Aaron the self-proclaimed hater of dogs has said that he might like to get another coonhound in the future. (behold the miracle of a good dog!)

Mixing business and life

I try not to have too much crossover between my art blog & this one, but I have just open my etsy store and I am too excited to keep it in one place.
So go visit!
Or I will set an onery 4 year old upon you.

norabbitshere.etsy.com

Farewell!

Last Monday, when it was still February, we had some men come and cut down our pear tree. It was a decision I struggled with. I liked the free fresh pears. I loved that the kids would beg to go outside and watch as I manuvered the giant manual pear picker around the branches, searching for the perfect snack. I loved that they would eat and laugh and smell like pears for the rest of the day.
But I did not care for the the pears that would fall when the wind blew, and turn to jelly on impact. I did not enjoy the fact that your previous owner had let you grow untended and that most of your fruit was too high to reach, even with a 20 foot pole. I did not like the influx of mice brought to my attention by generous cats. I did not like the wasps which were territorial and covered the back half of the yard for three months.
So farewell to you giant pear tree. You were fun for a bit.