Ooh, baby BABY! Ooh baby BABY!

The baby keeps a'growing,
and Momma keeps a'knowing,
that no matter where we're going,
it's the best we've ever seen!

I'm 35 weeks and 2 days today! I wish I'd have been blogging this whole time, but no internet + crazy job + busy bee = big lapse! Since the last time we spoke:

Jeffica and Annie moved to Slaton,
Jessica graduated,
We found out we were pregnant,
and Annie started kindergarten!

It's been a very busy few months!

At any rate, life is good, God is good, and family is good.

And this BELLY keeps growing and growing and growing!

Aidan Thomas Kelly is due November 21, but I'm not sure he'll wait until then. He's big, and a MAJOR mover! He's up to about 5 pounds, and, if he gains a pound a week, like "they" say he probably will, that will make him a 10-pounder. We're just praying that that doesn't happen. :)

There is prety much no way Annie could be more excited. She can't wait to meet her baby brother, keeps asking to sleep in his crib, and uses all his blankets to cover up at night. She also already knows how to spell his name, and has added him to her family drawings (she's a little artist).

Jeff and I can't wait to meet him, either. Sonograms show that he has Jeff's big nose and my big cheeks. He's going to be a pretty cute little kiddo. :)

P.S. The picture = I don't look very happy, but I am. But that was this morning after a VERY busy weekend! Annie is also caught off guard. :)
In the background you'll notice the bright pink and turquoise bedding. Jeff and I revamped her bedding because little brother got a new bed and bedding, so it was only appropriate that big sister got Big Sister bedding, too! :)

Confession of an Internet Thief

Is it really stealing when all you're doing is catching the internet waves that are floating through YOUR air? I mean, is it MY fault that my computer started picking up some random wireless internet?

So, I've been, ah, mooching internet from my housal air waves for a little while. (The first step is admittance, right?)

If you're wondering why I've been neglecting my blog (I KNOOOW all my "followers" are DEVASTATED that they've been out of my life loop for almost a month or so)...
it is because I got home one evening to Jeff sitting on the couch....

"We don't have any internet."
"What? There must be a mistake. You're lying. I can't live without internet. Nooooo!" says I. (dramatized)

Sure enough, all wireless internets are now set to "Security Enabled Network."

And to add insult to injury, the once "Unsecured networks" were freshly labeled:

"OMG HaCkeRS on StERoIDZ" and "getyourowninternet"

Hhaahahaha. I couldn't help but laugh through my anger. :)
But seriously, how DARE they take away my freedom to capture THEIR paid-for internet waves as they float through MY home? Whatever. We're moving (blog to follow soon), and I suppose we WILL "getourowninternet."

I <3 Savers

Savers is fun. I mean, what could be better than digging through other peoples' trash and finding personal treasures? For, like, three dollars at that? (Actually, because Savers is the "department store" of thrifts, it's actually a little pricy, but still WAY cheaper than the new stuff... and it's recycling, so hey)

Jeff found a really nice pair of jeans that we call "a tribute to auntie bee." Annie really enjoyed them, too, as you can tell by her awed gaze.


I then found a pair of hot crinkly red pants (and these things made some NOISE!), and a matador-esque sequin jacket. I thought it looked quite nice. They even still had their tags, which was a SUR-PRISE to me.

(The hat is Jeff's)

But I think the pinnacle of the shopping experience was this hot one-piece sequin short-set. I don't know what it was about it. It had a certain, oh, jene se quoi....


Unfortunately, we didn't purchase any of these items. We did get a couple really great things, including this Texas Tech cheerleading suit for Annie (a whopping $5, about $45 less than they're sold for in stores)

(Those are my shoes. I've never worn them, because they hurt, but she loves them. They were actually a Goodwill find, brand new)

All in all, it was a fabulous way to spend our Saturday morning, and get Jeff a couple pair of work jeans while we were at it. :)
Love!

In the interest of "just because"

Fun thing to do, via That cat by the bar (my sister's blog...)

Directions to create your own album cover:

1. Go to http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/ and the 3rd picture on the screen is your album cover art.

2. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page and click "Random Article" from the links on the left side. The article that comes up is the name of your band.

(My 1st result was Vallejo, an Austin band. I didn't think that would be appropriate for the name of my band because, well, they're already a band. I used the next one. :) )

3. Go to http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 and the last 4 to 5 words of the last quote on the page is your album title.Use photoshop or something similar to create your album cover. (I used picasa because it is free and has a text editing tool.) Here's mine:

Lent - n - things

Woke up early on Thursday and cooked breakfast (for myself, it turned out. Jeff and Annie preferred cereal and frozen mini-pancakes), transferred the clothes from the washer to the dryer, showered... it was the perfect start to my Lenten "sacrifice." I'm lazy. Okay, not necessarily lazy, but I do like my sleep. A lot. And that is to stop. Starting this Lent. (I mean, not the sleeping part, but the going to bed late and sleeping late thing.)

Went to the gym last night. Ran on the eliptical for 30 minutes (Jeff came too, and he set the time length. He's a trooper, and he helps keep me going), and cycled for about 10. Lenten promise #2 started nicely.

I'm doing okay. I'm still not eating like I will be, but okay thus far. Yay for Lent! Yay for prayerfully checking myself befo' wrecking myself!

And on a sort-of self-indulgent note:

I've got a heel spur (flip-flop disease, according to internet doctors). Possibly. It hurts to walk in the morning and at night. Bad. I limp, and I feel ridiculous... like I'm 90 or something. Ouch! I bought Icy Hot to put on it, then I stunk all day.

We miss those cousins (and their parents) like CRAZY! Can't wait to see them again!

I need an art release. I feel like painting EVERYTHING. Maybe I'll add that to my Lenten list... Paint. Make time to paint. I'm going to paint something and post it by, um, Tuesday. Yes, Tuesday. Hold me to it. :)

Annie Annie Bo Bannie

Annie is hilarious.
She's growing in to this hilarious little person, who dances like a goofball when a good beat comes on, and who makes jokes and acts funny just to make us laugh.



It is, well, weird watching her grow from a kiddo into a buddy. Sure, she has her little kid moments, but now, more often than not, she's just this little person who is really, really fun for hanging out and laughs.



On another note, a few days ago we were driving to Savers and Annie said
"Mom, I need to start working on my letters."

"Okay, sure Annie, we can do that."

"I need to start learning to spell words."

I was so proud of my smart little munchkin. At Savers we picked up a $3.99 half marker board/ half chalkboard, and we started working on her letters.



Since then, she's spelled several words with a little help (I tell her the letter or sound it out and she writes it), but there are a couple she can do completely on her own. I'm so proud. :)



"Annie, how do you spell STOP?"

S.
T.
O.
P.



With a big, fat, T. :)
(And that stuff below it is Scribble Crabble, FYI)

Help. Me.

What is wrong with my blog?
Why doesnt "enter" make the text go down?
Why, when I add pictures, does it put a million miles of space between photos and text?

Someone blutor me (blog-tutor, in case you didn't get the gist).

Much love.
Jes

The Origin of Scribble Crabble

My daughter, the artist.

She dressed herself for school on Wednesday. I had her in jeans and a long sleeved t, which I thought was appropriate for the day, but she had something else in mind. She disappeared into her room and called for me a few minutes later. Upon entering, this is what I saw...

You'll notice a pink flowered shirt, red skirt, purple argyle tights and bow-y shoes. You'll also notice I hadn't yet brushed her hair for the day. Let me give you a close-up of the important part...

Those shoes are Tinkerbell "high heels." And she wasn't done.

Until she added a sparkly silver belt, of course (and changed into "school shoes" per my request). We talked about it as we brushed our teeth.

Me: "You look cute. Do you match?"

Annie: "No."

Me: "Do you want to match?"
Annie: "Nope."

She is her mother's daughter. :)

Annie dresses in bizarre get-ups without regard for reason, and she's got a real knack for mixed-media art. See what I mean:

This is me, surrounded by a glue heart, complete with flowers in my hand (and one on my skirt), white yarn hair that was "painted blond", and... get this.... pantyhose. :) Yep, she even threw on pantyhose, though I rarely, if ever, wear them.

This is a costume she made at school. It's cuter when it's on her. The material she glued on to it was apparently donated, and an old work in progress. It came complete with about a dozen pins sticking out in random places. Thankfully Laura realized it before Annie was forever scarred of costumes.

This is a garden Annie put together. She is the short flower, and I'm the taller one. The really tall one, which was a car sticker before she cut it out, was Jeff. The small car, the one she separated with a line and circle (which was really profound without her knowing) is Will. Crazy, eh? (Yes, the "eh" is Canadian).

I call this one "Glitter and glue on paper." She told me that it sort of looks like a butterfly.

I'm telling you, that girl is an artist. :)

And so, this leaves the question about scribble crabble. I don't have a picture off hand, but Annie sometimes creates random drawings... scribbles, if you will. This also occurs sometimes when she's coloring.

She's an artist. And, though she respects and appreciates the lines that keep her in bounds, she's also not afraid to venture out of them to see what happens. And, many times, the result is something beautiful and unique.

And what does she call this rebellion?
Scribble Crabble.

I thought it was a good idea at the time. It's still growing on me. :)

P.S. I hate this blog setup. Don't think I haven't noticed that pictures and captions post all sporadically. It's a big pain, and I don't understand why it's doing this. But I'm tired, I'm done with messing with it, and I'm going to bed. Happy Birthday to me, thanks Mom for bringing me in, and good night.

Blog One, third time 'round...

So, yes, I'm back on the blog wagon. Too much to say, nowhere to say it? Nah. I just like to write. And ramble. I'm thinking of this as my, um, ramble du jour of sorts. So, without further ado, my first blog of my third attempt at blogging. :)

_________________

Dinner Series!!!

My dinner series was a success! I mean, it was even more than that. As a requirement for my degree plan, I had to host a dinner at Texas Tech's restaurant, Skyviews.

The plan: create a theme and menu (and have it recreated by Chef), and get one hundred people there.

The catch: get one hundred people there who are willing to pay $30 bucks a person.

The crap: I was lucky enough to draw #1, meaning that I had essentially three weeks to pull it together (decorations, menu, theme, guests).

The crappier: I was gone for a week to Canada (another blog later), so I had TWO weeks to plan it.

The crappiest: my partner was a guy. Who didn't really know what to do without me. :) (But who, to his credit, was a great sport when I told him what to do and freaked out on him once. Okay, twice.)

The theme was "Opposites Attract" (Our idea was Dinner for Two in a Bottle of Brew, where we'd do beer foods, but the other days tweaked it a little. All good. I still threw in a beer bottle to the table deco.)

We pulled it together in about two weeks, and it went flawlessly. My family rocks. My community and friends are fabulous. And God was on my side. We (I) got 104 people there, with the help of a couple "secret donors" and a lot of word of mouth.


(My ten minute creation: I call it "Paint on a Used Canvas")

My Slaton community and my Lubbock peeps seriously pulled through. They all came out to eat a gourment crab and avocado pizzaiola, spicy cheddar beer soup (YUM), four other foods made somehow with beer, and an ice cream trio featuring, get this, wasabi brown sugar lime ice cream. You'd just have to try it to make up your mind. It was like, in the words of my friend Savanna, edible art.

(The Slaton crew)

(My precious with her Chef-delivered dinner of chicken, fries, and strawberries)

(Clockwise: Roasted pepper, cucumber, and tomato salad with poached shrimp and Guinness viniagrette, Monte Cristo chicken with raspberry Shiner glaze, Spicy cheddar beer soup, Ace Pear Cider beer puff with pear and brie, and Blue Moon glazed blue cheese balls rolled in walnut and bacon - that was the weird one)

(From left: Raspberry peppercorn, Black and Tan - Chocolate ice cream with Guinness and Bass Pale ale with vanilla, layered, with an edible orchid, and the infamous wasabi brown sugar lime ice cream)

All in all, my dinner was fabulous. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all those who came to support me (especially my BEAUTIFUL sister who came from Austin just to be at her lil sista's dinner! And Laura, my little helper who kept me on the edge of sanity that day). And a special thank you to those who couldn't come but supported me anyway!

(Me and my lovely sister. No, I'm not on her lap. We're squatting as to reduce the hereditary double chin picture-face.)

(The prophets, the priest, and the parents. :) )

Yesssss. Another check off my "about to graduate" list! Whoop!

(El fin)

Okay, off to study for a test in Legals manana.
Weech me luck.