Posts

 

Christian Louboutins. I can't even fathom how much these cost. Meluvs.

7.23.08

Has ANYONE found my J Crew zebra merino wool dress yet???? I'm WAITING. And have been checking eBay everyday. Here is the pic again in case anyone forgot...

 

Sigh.

 

7.19.08

Today my friends Amy and Natty Lite threw me a baby shower (so get ready for a buttload of photos of their FABULOUS, creative work). It was amazing. Seriously. The theme was The Sweestest Thing, in honor of my love of candy and all things sugary, and our three sweet lil peanuts. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say a lil something about each person who was there.

Mom: Mom has been nothing short of a life saver for Tom and me since the babies were born. She has spent every single night and day with us, getting up numerous times in the night to change diapers and feed hungry mouths, and occasionally, to make sure the smoke alarms work. She has cleaned my house, done laundry, and cooked meals. She is the best mom and grandma, and I am so grateful to her. I will NEVER be able to repay everything she has done, and I love her soooo much.

Tracy: Tracy is my super creative friend who worked with me at our collective jobs from hell. She is an amazing photographer, house decorator, and jewelry-maker with a wicked sense of humor and a streak of sarcasm as wide as the Mississippi.

Jen: Jen worked with Tracy and me in our previously mentioned jobs from hell. She is one of the sweetest people I know and TOTALLY reminds me of Mandy Moore, the little stinker. She is getting married in September, and I wish her much love and happiness.

Teresa: My current co-worker and sincerely THE NICEST person I have ever met, hands down. Teresa never says a bad word about anyone, sees the best in everyone, and encourages me to be a better person without even knowing it. She is an amazing woman.

Natalie: Natalie is my friend from a previous job, and came to see me many times when I was on bedrest in the hospital, bringing me meals from the outside, movies to watch, books to read, and basically helped me stay sane by just sitting and talking to me. She is a socially conscious, politically savvy, totally cool woman who recently started an eco-friendly online boutique with her sister, which you can check out here: http://ecogirlsboutique.blogspot.com/.

Colleen: Colleen is ANOTHER survivor from our past job, and is hilarious, kind, intelligent, and a bit of a celebrity - check out her work in the 70s classic movie "Take This Job And Shove It." Colleen is the kind of person who can meet someone and instantly make them feel at ease. In short, she rocks.

Natasha: Natty Lite - what a gorgeous person. She is SO funny, smart-ass, beautiful, smart, creative, I could keep going. Dude, she made curtains for my hospital room when I was in the clink. She is not afraid to be funny and crazy in public, and girlfriend has THE BEST hair. Just check out her blog - she'll tell you: http://myhairisbetterthanyours.blogspot.com/ I want to thank her so much for helping throw my shower, for acting as bartender, and for the beautiful gifts. Love you, Natty Lite!

Amy: What can I say? Sometimes you meet someone who you feel like you've known your entire life, even if it has just been a few short years. Amy is that person to me. She IS the most stylish, chic, gorgeous, talented, creative, funny, sassy, awesome person. The lengths she will go to to make a party fabulous are nothing short of amazing. Check her blog to see some of her work http://stemparties.blogspot.com/, and check the pics below to see more. Ames - thank you SO much for the party, the gifts, and everything else you do. It was really too much, and I fear I will never be able to repay you! Loves you Pooper!

 

Fabulous candy themed table setting

 

 

 

Uh, HELLO delicious chicken mandarin orange candied almond salad.

BRING IT TO MY MOUF!

 

More chickeny goodness, plus an adorable menu card.

 

 

 

Keyoot table decor

 

 

 

Appetizer station, sans apps

 

 

 

Game station

 

 

Drinks station

 

Drinks station detail - how CUTE are the candy necklace wine glass markers?

 

More drink station detail

 

What can I say? I really LIKED the drink station!

 

What's not to love? Lime or Grapefruit Spritzer...fresh squeezed juice, vodka, club soda, and simple syrup = YUMMM.

7.18.08

We've had some "incidents" at our house recently. While some people might call us "amateur arsonists," we consider ourselves "sleep deprived." Last week, we had a security system that we did not want installed. Let me 'splain. The house was a mess. The Direct TV Dude was here to fix the satellite on our roof that some doofus installed in the plywood rather than in the rafter, so that everytime the wind blew the slightest bit, our damn TV went out, and as we live in the Midwest (aka Tornado Alley) that was quite a bit, but I digress. Anyhoozle, while Direct TV Dude was here, and I was juggling babies, the Please Buy Our Security System Guy shows up at the door. Actually, he referred to himself as the Hey, We're Just Introducing Ourselves In the Area And Are Giving Four Security Systems Away Free, Do You Want One Guy. He SHOULD have introduced himself as the We Are CLAIMING That The Security Systems Are Free, But Then We Lock You Into A 5-Year Contract Guy. Again, I digress.

So, Tom is not yet home from work, I am trying to get Direct TV Dude into the backyard to fix the satellite, Security System Guy is giving me his schpiel AND giving Tom his schpiel via the phone. I tell him we're probably not interested, and Tom tells him we're probably not interested, and I think he is done. Then he keeps making chit chat and is here when Tom walks in the door. Babies are starting to cry for their dinner, Tom is talking to Direct TV Dude and Security System Guy is trying to find out when Tom moved to the States from Ireland, and we finally cave and agree to said Security System that we really do not want.

Fast forward to 3 days later. We call the Security Company to tell them we have decided we don't want the system, and to please come and remove it from our home. Done deal - they will call in a day or two to schedule a time to come remove the system.

Fast forward to 2 days later. Mom has been spending the night with us every night to help with the babies since Gavin came home. It is 4:02 a.m. I know this because at 4:02 a.m., both of our smoke alarms and the new security system go off simultaneously. Tom and I leap from bed and run into the hall at the same time mom does from the guest room. We run downstairs to the kitchen that is filled with smoke.There is a saucepan on the burner that is turned on, which mom had turned on at the previous feeding to warm up the bottles, and then, in a sleep induced haze, forgot to turn it off. Said saucepan has now burned dry and is black with a small flame in the pan. I grab a towel and start fanning frantically at the smoke alarm in the hallway while Tom does the same with the smoke alarm in the stairway. They both stop their horrendously loud siren, but the damn security system alarm keeps on going.

Why is the security system alarm going off when it has been cancelled, you might ask? I might ask the same thing. You might also ask if the fire department showed up at the door, or if the security system company called us to see if everything was okay. They did not, and no, they also did not. NICE. Meanwhile, the security alarm is STILL going off, and because we cancelled the contact and did not bother to remember the access code to disarm the system, we cannot turn it off. By now Tom and I are both shouting obscenities at the security alarm while trying to stop the blood flowing from our eardrums. Tom unscrews it from the wall, takes it into the garage and slams the door, where I am waiting to hear the death of the security alarm via hammer. Finally, mercifully, the damn thing stops. Tom did not kill it, but rather, unhooked the wires to the alarm. Mom feels terrible, I tell her it is okay, everyone is fine, we go back to bed and lie there wired until the next feeding.

To make a long story longer, fast forward 2 days. Tom, mom and I are watching a movie in the family room, and keep hearing a "crackle, crackle" noise. I ask "what IS that noise?" to which Tom replies "I think it's on the movie." We keep hearing it, and I mute the TV and STILL hear it. "OH SHIT," I say, jump off the couch, and run up to the kitchen to see flames SHOOTING from another saucepan on the stove which I have been boiling nipples in, and obvoiusly forgotten. I grab a pot holder, throw the pan in the sink and turn on the water. Again, the kitchen is filled with smoke. However, since we disabled our smoke alarms a few days prior, they clearly did not go off. "WHAT IS IT WITH YOU PEOPLE?" Tom shouts, "IS THIS HEREDITARY????" Apparently it is.

Since that night, mom and I have agreed NOT to boil nipples, not to boil bottles, and basically not to use the stove, light candles, smoke cigarettes, burn insects with magnifying glasses, or eat anything with hot sauce, just in case.

When The Trips met The Catlin Clan for the first time last weekend, but it wasn't. Our friends Luke and Carrie from Wichita (who we WISH would move to KC - hint, hint...) brought their four beautiful girls to meet The Trips for the first time. Here is the evidence:

 

Gloria and Gavinator

 

Madelyn and Simon

 

Emma and Gavin

Oh no! I just realized I didn't get a picture of baby Audrey - that is terrible! I guess that means Luke and Carrie will have to bring the girls back sometime SOON so I can get one!!!

7.15.08

There were never such devoted sisters. Okay, they're actually brothers, but I could only think of a sister song this morning, so SUE ME! Look how cute they were last night....

 

Simon and Gavin

 

Patooey! I spit on your onesie!

 

Oh yeah??? Take THAT!

 

Cheeky wee lads

 

So. Precious.

 

Annnnnnd we're DONE!

7.12.08

No, not the hokey pokey, but CARDIO. After the babies' 6 a.m. feeding this morning, I came downstairs and turned on Fit TV to see what inspired me. I caught the tail end of Cardio Blast, and then Get Fit With Sharon Mann. She's not my favorite, but it was a good little introduction to my first cardio since I did invitro, when my doctor told me to stop my workouts.

At that time I was in the gym 4 - 5 days a week, doing weights every time I was there, and cardio about every other visit. I loooooove Zumba and TurboKick, so between all of the above, I was in the best shape of my life, which was my goal before trying to get pregnant. It was a serious mental challenge to lay in the hospital on bedrest for two and a half months watching my muscles atrophy, my arms dwindle to pasty white sticks and my legs, always one of my better features, lose every bit of strength and power they had. Drop something on the floor and have to squat to pick it up? Forget it. Half way down my legs were quivering like jello, and had I actually GOTTEN all the way to the floor, someone surely would have had to come in and help me back up.

For the past 2 weeks, since the doc gave me the okay to start working out again, I have been struggling with trying to get my diet back in check and find the time and motivation to get my ass in gear and start MOVING again. Every day has been different. Some days I eat very healthy (and let me express that when I say get my diet in check, I do not mean depriving myself, starving myself, but rather, eating clean, healthy, non-processed foods). Welllll, I'm still working on the healthy eating aspect, and some days are better than others.

This morning though, I am sitting here sweating as I type this. Wow. SWEAT? I barely remember it. But it feels GOOD. When I was working out faithfully, I enjoyed seeing the transformation of my body, especially through weight lifting. I loved my arms, the defintion I could see in each subsequent visit to the gym. I loved the sweaty, nasty, red-faced, stanky feeling after a good round of TurboKick, the cardio that as far as I'm concerned is the most intense work out I have ever experienced. I loved being the only girl in the "men's only" free weight area, and feeling confident enough to stand there by myself and work out. I loved the fact that I could do three sets of 20 regular push-ups in a workout. I loved the feeling of total release and stress DRAINAGE that yoga or pilates brings. I loved the feeling of sore muscles the day after working out, and realizing that there are parts of my body I didn't know could feel so sore when discovering a new routine.

So. Hopefully today is the beginning of my journey back to exercise, and my journey back to my previous powerful self. This is not to say I am not and have not been powerful just because I haven't been working out, because having three babies has made me realize I am powerful in a different way. I am strong in a different way. But I know how much better I can feel when I am mentally, emotionally, and PHYSICALLY strong.

Damn, who knew this post would end up so I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar? I really started it as an ironic bit of smart assery so I could then post this recipe I came across on the GlamDish blog:

http://blogs.glam.com/glamdish/2008/07/10/rich-risotto-rice-pudding/

But I guess I had more in me this morning than smart assery. At least for the moment. Never fear, my smart assery is ALWAYS here.

7.11.08

Anyone who has ever had to endure a colonoscopy, and even more than that, the prep for a colonoscopy, can appreciate Dave Barry's completely accurate description of the procedure below. I know it's a lengthy one, but DANG if I didn't laugh until I cried while reading it, and believe you me, TODAY, I needed to laugh.

... I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenteritis, to make an
appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy
showed  me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears
to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through
Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a
thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I
didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking,
quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a
prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box
large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in
detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to
fall into the hands of America's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being
nervous.  Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my
preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any
solid food that day; all I  had was chicken broth, which is basically
water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the
MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter
plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water.  (For those
unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.)  Then
you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because
MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat
spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a
great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose watery
bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you
jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here,
but:  Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much
the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when
you wish the
commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined
to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And
then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink
another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your
bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you
haven't even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next
morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only
was I worried about the procedure,
but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep
spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?'
How do you apologize to a friend for something like that?  Flowers
would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood
and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they
led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little
curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those
hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you
put it on,  makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually
naked. Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left
hand.  Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I
was already lying down.  Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their
MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but
then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to
make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire
Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room,
where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not
see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there
somewhere.  I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll
over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something
up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and
I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA I remarked to
Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this
particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' has to be the least appropriate.
'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha
ha,'  I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for
more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I
am going to
tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was
yelling 'Dancing Queen, Feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next
moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood.
Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt.  I felt
excellent.  I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was
all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors.  I have
never been prouder of an internal organ.

ABOUT THE WRITER
Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

7.8.08

I realize the title of this post may confuse you, but it is just that I have two burning topics on my mind, and they happen to have nothing to do with each other, but still, I feel the need to discuss both. First, I am not being conceited, but I happen to have a way with potatotes. I can't help it - I just do. My french fries are fabulous, my roasted potatoes rock. Tom says they're the best potatoes he has EVER tasted and he is Irish, so he knows from potatoes. I don't believe he is just saying it either, because we happen to sleep together. I really feel he MEANS it. There is nothing more to say on the topic, just know that my potatoes are the shiz-nit.

Secondly, on a more somber note, I am saddened that the EXCELLENT zebra dress that I THOUGHT I had ordered from J Crew last week did not only go through because their website SUCKS right now, but now the dress has been sold out. The bastards. I was SO excited to get my new zebra dress in the mail and wear it, but alas, it is not to be. If any of my readers live out of town, and near a J Crew, and happen to see said dress in a small, I would HAPPILY send you a check and pay postage for you to pick it up and mail it to me. Seriously. For realsies. I am not kidding.

I just do.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/snl-people-getting-punched-just-before-eating/3021388882

Enjoy.