From Trash to Treasure

Last night I was driving home from work around 10:30 and as I turned into the alley I noticed someone's trash by their driveway. I don't dumpster dive or bring home found items to refurbish...but this was something special.

I grabbed my phone and quickly sent a text to T:
Someone has something special for the trash! Let's go get it!

He says back to me:
Seen it. You want it?

Are you kidding?! My heart is racing and I'm so excited:
Sure! Come on!

T takes his sweet time while I wait with the car running in the driveway:
Let me get shoes.

He jumps in the car and I leave the garage door up. We head back down the alley to the special house with something special. I'm excited and also second guessing whether this really is someone's trash. But I want it. I want it bad.

We reach the house and I pop the trunk...knowing this isn't going to fit in my car. T picks it up with a quick swoop and props it onto the trunk. He's going to hold it and walk while I drive back to the house! Oh yeah, this baby is ours!

I slam his door that was left open and get back in the car and start slowing driving back to the house. I look back and T says, "Go...go!" Hmm, maybe he's nervous about this too. I punch it and look back to see him huffing and puffing trying to keep up.

We did make it safely back home with something special. AND we didn't get caught!




A little something special for you sweet Ladybug.

At 21 months + 1 day

Our monthly chair picture for Ladybug's 21 months. Happy Day!

She is:

*animatedly watching short TV shows and interacting with the TV. Just ask her to show you the elephant, it's so cute.

*not a picky eater at all. She loves anything and everything.

*wearing size 3 diapers, 18 month clothing and size 3 (almost 4) shoes.

*still missing 2 teeth...soooo close to being done with the teething problems.

*saying "Mama" and then waiting for me to look at her with my full attention.

*loving the outdoors, walking, and picking up leaves or flowers or sticks.

*building with her toys instead of only wanting to do demolition.

*understanding what we say a lot better than us understanding what she says. Hehe

A few more photos

Happy Thanksgiving

Ladybug's helping in the kitchen...



T's in charge of the turkey....



Me...I'm just supervising.



p.s. More Thanksgiving pics later today.

p.s.s. I haven't forgotten that today is Bug's 21 month update!

Happy Sunday

Ladybug's Stocking

I've talked here about my family's favorite Christmas tradition. Last year we had just gotten our adoption referral so the Grands bought a small, last minute stocking as a surprise for T and I.

This year, her stocking needed to be sewed and embroidered before our big Christmas tradition! AND before I started working 6 days a week.

I just picked it up from the embroiderer and it looks great. Hers is a little bigger too!

Twinkle Twinkle

I'm definitely not a singer and I wasn't going to post this video, but it's a story that I must tell.

Ladybug became part of our family at the end of January and I've always sung just two songs to her when we're cuddling or playing. Ok, maybe three songs, but I made the third one up. Now I never really knew a lot of children's songs so I would sing the ones I knew.... the Barney Song "I love you, you love me" and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

I always grabbed her attention with Twinkle Twinkle and felt like it was a true bonding moment when I sang that song as she would smile and look at me deeply with those dark eyes. As time progressed she began to say "up above" when we came to that particular part of the song. Then, as more time progressed she would babble and try to sing with me her made up words as I would sing.

All of a sudden, just recently when I would sing that song...she would scream after every line of the sing. I didn't tell anyone at first because I was worried. I didn't know if she was tired of hearing me sing or if she didn't want to be close to me, possibly pulling away. I definitely thought the worst.

Here's a little video of how the song would go, Twinkle Twinkle Argh style. (Please ignore my terrible singing voice.) Also, notice that she started out trying to sing with me:





I finally broke down and told T about what was happening and my concerns.

He basically laughed at me and said, "Have you not seen that version of Jack's Big Music Show?"

Well, now it all makes sense! Check this out.





She's like a little sponge...soaking it all up and mimicking everything she's seeing!

Rockin' the pig tails

My photo of the day...

Love how she's finally building things with the blocks instead of just taking them in and out of the box.

Love how she places anything and everything on her arm like it's a bracelet.

Love how later when I asked where Princess Blueberry (I named her) was...she immediately went to fetch her and return her to the throne.

Love, love, love that her hair is just long enough for the pig tails.

Photo of the Day

The red cups have been sighted! Oh happy day!

Scrap Happy

I haven't found the time to scrap my Halloween photos yet...

but I did find time to complete a one hour challenge over at Cocoa Daisy.

Photo of the day

Inspiration from a small gift shop wall.

Happy Sunday,
Deana

The Power of a Flower

The cutest little boy with a Bieber haircut was making balloon toys for donations. Although, he said he didn't know how to make a ladybug, hrmph.

We ran into him while having lunch today. A late lunch, that is, around 2 o'clock. Ladybug was starving and just ate and ate and ate. We spent the rest of our day doing some Christmas shopping and errands. Yep, we were totally off schedule and her two mini naps were both in the car.

She's a trooper and rolled with the punches. The flower helped, she carried it around the rest of the day!

Friday Randonmess

*Ladybug discovered this little cubby all on her own and proceeded to spend the day climbing in and out of it.

*Our TV is finally fixed so the above mentioned table has now been removed. It was housing the tiny little TV that we had to watch for 3 weeks while waiting for the part to arrive.

*I have been scouring the internet for play foods to go with the little kitchen that Santa's bringing to Bug. Imagine my surprise when Coco finds the cutest play food at the Dollar Spot in Target! T tolerated my wild hair to go straight to Target last night to check them out before they were gone! I <3 you Target!

*I'm off this weekend..well almost. We have a Family and Friends event Sunday night from 6-9. It'll more than likely be my last little weekend hurrah until the holidays are over.

*I hear rain.

*I'm almost finished with my December Daily album. I'm going to try to keep up with this project again this year!

Love this girl

It was gorgeous outside today, mildly warm with a nice breeze blowing.

After working for the last six days straight, it was nice to relax and enjoy the day with Bug.

We played outside with the bubble machine for the whole afternoon and I snapped a few photos.

Love this one...

Love this girl.

She's got it made

with plenty of room for a snack.

Just lean back and enjoy the ride Ladybug....

A funny thing happened last week

We have lived in this house for 6 years, actually it might even be 7 years by now. I have had to listen to this extremely loud-rocket firing off-going to take flight dishwasher for all of that time. I'm serious, we usually don't run it until we're going to bed so that we can shut our door and not have to listen to it.

It's been no secret that I have been wanting a new one...a nice, new quiet one at that. I work at Sears so this should be an easy task, right? I have been looking at them for over a year...waiting for a get-the-most-for-my-money dishwasher opportunity. I hadn't found anything until last week when T was working out of town for a few days.

I did all of the leg work and scheduled it for delivery when I was off thinking that I would save a few bucks and not have them install it. How hard could it be?

T found out by accident earlier than planned when he listened to the message about the delivery time. He promptly sent me a text that said, "What is being delivered?" I told him about the great find and how much money I saved him. He knows that I have really been wanting this for a long time so he was on board.

Well, I guess he knew about installing such mechanical beasts and typed back, "Are they installing it?" I sidestepped the question with a, "It's being taken care of."

They drop it off and I'm excited! I get it out of the big brown box without a problem. I get the old dishwasher out of the cabinet without a problem. Wow, I'm on a roll!

Unfortunately, installation marathon came to a screeching halt. The old one plugged in...why couldn't I find a plug on the new one?! At this point I had both dishwashers laying face down on the kitchen floor trying to make heads or tails from all the connections and why they were so different from one unit to the other.

Wow, I'm in big trouble.....

For two days I worked and read the instructions and looked online. I just couldn't figure it out.

Then T came home from his business trip....uh oh.

He wasn't too mad, but he wasn't very happy either. I was supposed to call a plumber the next day but I just couldn't do it something was holding me back. That something turned out to be daddy!

My parents ended up visiting for Halloween and helped us get that dishwasher installed. Talk about saving the day! Whew.

Thanks Dad, you rock!




p.s. The new dishwasher....it's so quiet that you have to hold your head against it to make sure it's actually running!

In the blink of an eye

Things can go from this...





to this!