this is why we can't be friends: living a lie..

So Andy is always preaching limiting how much sugar we eat...making sure we get lots of fruits and veggies and, as much as possible, avoiding super processed foods.

This has resulted in this annoying voice in the back of my head nagging at me everytime I think about eating something I really shouldn't.

SO, what  SURPRISE it was to get the in the car this morning, my first time in the car since he returned from Minnesota this weekend, to find these things:

 

WHAT???? I like poptarts, and fruit by the foot and ice cream!!!!  So, secrets out, he is a closet eating, sugar loving hypocrit.

this is why we can't be friends.

(yes, I immediately called him and confronted him...he sounded guilty. really guilty, mumbled something about wanting to grab things that were easy to eat while driving....and the braums was from a "work trip" this week.  sure it was...maybe a working on your LIES trip..)

orange you glad I warned you?

It starts out a great idea...sweetly sitting on your couch, sharing a mandarin with your 1 year old. 

But it's not.  It's really not.

At first it doesn't seem so bad, she is excited when she sees the orange and follows you over to the couch.  Excitedly she puts her little arms up and climbs up to sit next to you.

You start to peel the orange...and now things start to go awry..now she is standing at your shoulder...wondering what the crap is taking you so long to peel that orange!  

Okay the peel is off,  and she has made her way to standing on your lap.  You take have the orange and set it aside and are trying to get some large pieces of pulp off the orange...DANGER WILL ROBINSON...SHE IS NOW PUSHING YOUR FACE OUT OF THE WAY WITH HER CHUBBY LITTLE HAND...climbing up your head doing whatever it takes to get to the orange you are trying to peel just out of reach....WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG --- JUST LEAVE ALL THE WHITE STUFF ON THE ORANGE AND PUT IT IN MY MOUTH....NOW WOMAN! 

and before you know it, she's eaten the whole thing.  You didn't think you were going to get any yourself did you?  silly momma.

Friday 5

Friday 5

1. Thankful our niece Evelyn is in the best hands possible.  Please read her story and send prayers for her family. More here.

2. Andy got a deer ...he's pretty excited about it.

3. It's the last week of class on campus -- which is always exciting whether you are student or not.

4. Andy was able to go up and spend time with / help out Sarah, Matt, Elias and Eveyln....super glad of this, even though Cora miss him!!

5. Cora and went to the Ag Ambassador holiday party last night and even Cora got in on the "ugly sweater" action....but to be fair she pretty much makes everything look cute.

Friday five

Friday 5...

Yes, we skipped last week as we were on vacay....which bring us to #1...

We had a great Thanksgiving in Minnesota (sorry all the good pics are on our "real camera", these were all I had on the old iphone)  But we did a little decorating, a lot of eat, a LOT of playing with cousins and hanging out.  Also got out on the ice for some great skating...little girls were pretty tuckered out by the time we left.

2: We got home Sunday night in time to put up our advent wreath and have managed to get the tree and a few other little things up since them.  Going with less is more...minimizing holiday stress thisyear!

3. Cora got to to bring this new red chair home from Grandma Klein's house..she LOVES it. 

 

4. Cora got some good quality cousin time in over the past two weeks!  Hanging with cousins Elias and Evelyn in MN and cousins Jordan and Alex in KS.  (side note send some prayers to Evelyn and her family as she is in the hospital trying to figure out a few issues)

5. Cora had her 15 month check up....and she's a little girl.  18 lbs 12 oz!...yes that's the 2nd percentile.  She's int the 12th for height, so all in all she's just petite.

bonus:

- Christmas shopping is well on it's way
- It's the holiday season
- It's cold -- enhancing the holiday season

Have a great weekend!

this is why we can't be friends: diaper duty

Tonight's conversation.

Scene: I come back into the living room from rocking Cora to sleep and notice the pile of clean diapers on the couch next to where Andy is siting...he was folding them when I left, but is now looking at the ipad.

Sandy: Oh, did you get all the diapers folded?

Andy: Yea.

Sandy: Yea?

Andy: but some of them unfolded themselves.

Sandy: oh, well that's not good.

Andy: so I'm going to have to start over with most of them...

Sandy: hmm. 

this is why we can't be friends.

speak.

Cora said her first two syllable words this weekend:

1. "outside"

2. "waffle"

that girl loves her some waffles.....

Friday 5

Yes, I've skipped a couple of weeks...moving on.

1. Cora has been sleeping in her crib for a week! She loves it! and it's so pretty and SO DONE!!

2. My Christmas shopping is well underway.  YAYSERS!

3. Cold weather is here! It's exciting to have cold weather this time of year...and it lets Cora rock super cute outfits like this fleece vest.

4.  It's the last day of classes at K-State before the students are off until after Thanksgiving...so that means lost of "Happy Thanksgivings" and "Have a good breaks"...and even though I will be at work next week, it is still sort of exciting that it's the "last day of class" for students before Thanksgiving.

5. TV....so I have been lobbying for a new TV for a while....you can see my college set above...it is old, has broken buttons, needs the assistance of a converter box to work.  And thanks to a "pre black friday sale" it will be replaced tonight with a shiny new flat screen!

Have a great weekend!

lead by example..

My mom is one of those annoying people that has their Christmas shopping done by the 4th of July....

and as irritating as that is to people like me that always seem to be in the "last minute boat", I think we can all learn from her example of buying me presents.  

Here are two excellent examples of how you can wrap and display my gifts (although feel free to not use an ENTIRE roll of tape on each one like my mother does). 

No need to feel limited to just two gifts, the more the merrier. (I'm so punny!) There was actually a third gift I spotted with my name on it...but it written to "Andrew and Sandy", which was probably just to make Andy feel good, but still, I feel that is a bad precedent.

She sometimes likes to throw in what I call a "decoy present" which is simply a present to someone other than me.  I don't recommend or condone this practice.  Seems like a waste of time, effort, energy, etc.  

Time to get your shopping on....

this is why we can't be friends: fart machine

So back in the day Andy added "fart machine" to a grocery list...see here.  Which actually inspired the "this is why we can't be friends" feature.  He later received a fart machine of his very own from my parents on Christmas...the gift that keeps on...well...anyway.  He has taught Cora how to use it.

This is why we can't be friends.

i go to college: what not to wear

Not sure how clearly you can see this...but it is in the twenties this morning so smartly this student is wearing a stocking hat.....and shorts....

Friday 5

 

1. Cora went to her 1st K-State football game last weekend -- she had tailgated several times...but it was her first time watching the game.  She LOVED it and was such a good girl...even napped for an hour!

2. This week it has finally felt like fall, and we hit the PRIME of fall colors.

3. Cora is changing and learning so many new things.  She loves to find mommy and daddy's noses and says all kinds of words, knows what a "puppy says", etc. 

4. Halloween on campus...hollah.

5. And of course our own little Tinkerbell enjoyed trick or treating as well.

Happy Friday!

this is why we can't be friends: little bird

Our conversation this morning:

Andy:

Sandy:

Andy: WHAT??  Do you know how cold it's supposed to be today?

Sandy: Like in the 50s...

Andy: Yea, but the "feels like" temperature is in the upper 30s low 40s.

Sandy: You're a Minnesotan.  That's like light jacket weather.

Andy: Yes, it is.....but I haven't lived in Minnesota in years.  Plus I'm little

Sandy:  Did you just say you are little?

Andy: yeeesssssss.  are you calling me fat?  Next time we go to the science museum in Minnesota I'll show you this display they have with a little bird in a box and a, like, bigger animal...and they have a heater in the box, they aren't real animals.

Sandy: oh really? they aren't real animals in a box?

Andy: and they show you how the little bird gets colder and hotter faster.

<>

Sandy: So in this scenario you are the "little bird"?

Andy: yeeeessssss.

<< awkward silence >>

<< a while later... >>

Sandy:  I hope you stay warm, little bird.

Andy: I hate you.

<< this is why we can't be friends >>

Friday 5

Fab Fall Friday.

1. Cora got her first hair cut this week -- she is no longer rocking the baby mullet. 

2. SEASONAL COLORED M&MS....gifted to me after an exceptionally frustrating morning at work this week...



3. Tis the season for hot tea!

4. I think I've finally decided on Cora's halloween costume..you'll have to wait and see..

5. Lovin' me some fall weather....western friends send the snow our way!!

It's beginning to look a lot like....oh, too soon? :)

Day of Misery

Today is a day of Misery...or as the people of the state would say, "Missouri".  Normally this is not a fact I would know, or care about -- why would anyone, you might be asking??

Vandalism. Yes, today my office was vandalized, yes VANDALIZED, in the name of this most disgraceful day. 

Not only were their symbols of this dark day posted everywhere in my office....I suspect my own tape dispenser was used against me.  

So, here's to the 24th state to join, and hopefully the first to leave, these United States of America....You might be interested to know that Missouri Day was triumphed by a self proclaimed state day bequester (she later wisely moved to Oklahoma and founded "Oklahoma Day) who not only wrote the former state song (I'm guessing she was as good at music as she was at picking dates for state days) but also inexplicably decided to celebrate Missouri Day, not on the dates of it's statehood...which is August 10, by the way, but on the third Wednesday in October...which according to wikipedia, purveyor of all relevant knowledge,:

does not garner as much attention ....as some in the state have become critical of its ambiguous October observance.

they also mention that:

Though an established day, little observance is carried out in the state.

So, I think that pretty much wraps up the pointlessness of the state and the state's day of misery.  I know most of us try not to think of the state at all...but if you must think of it, think about the fact that their state animal is the mule.

To the vandal: I have a feeling this display of Missouri allegiance is in response to my enthusiastic celebration of Kansas Day - the best day of the year - and  I WAS planning my retaliation...but I have come to the conclusion that being from the state of Missouri is probably a worse punishment than anything I could think up.

government holiday

So Andy has been furloughed...dun dun dun...

wait! Before you start to feel to badly for us...keep in mind that we have been referring to this unexpected unpaid leave as "government holiday" and quite enjoying it.

That is, not to lessen the economic impact or politician bashing or, no doubt, eternally impact of this 2+ week hiatus....admittingly my knowledge base of a government shutdown comes from a fairly exciting episode of the West Wing.

But....we have been having a great time!

Cora is getting a lot of daddy play time..

the crib is literally on the verge of completion...

we've had a few lunch dates (some where we saw former K-State basketball all stars)...

and there have been a lot of days of hot breakfasts for Cora and I...

So... congress...while I applaud your efforts to find a resolution...and while Andy starting to accrue income again will be exciting... no rush here....

again, apologies to you all who are not having as an enjoyable government holiday as we are....I assure you we have no control over the situation...so our happy vibes are not actually prolonging this....


i don't think....

i go to college: cooking class

So...in lieu of a Friday 5 today there's this:

So a student group I advise his having a tailgate this weekend...one of the students nicely decided to make popcorn cake/popcorn balls for the festivities...when college students decide to cook something it sometimes can turn into a humorous experience and nearly always reminds me of the good ole days when I didn't have to and didn't need to know how to make anything.

He came into the office today, all in a flurry, proclaiming his near death kitchen experience.  He was heating up the marshmallows when the glass pan he was using apparently exploded...causing the marshmallows to catch on fire, which made the smoke alarm go off and sent glass everywhere.  

Sort of weird as I've used a glass pan to heat things up before and it was fine...so upon further investigation we learned that:

1. he had set the glass pan on the BURNER to melt the marshmallows
(which he has since learned isn't a good idea)

2. had to leave for class before he was able to clean up his mess
(so hopefully his roommates don't go in the kitchen?)

and 

3. he is a good sport and willing to try again
(way to take one for the team...get a bandaid for that cut, buddy!)

and also, he once before had an unfortunate with a fork in a microwave...

Friday 5

FRIDAY!!!!

1. We survived the long weekend to A-town for Smokin on the Beaver....and we've almost got unpacked....

2. Andy has been on "government holiday" this week! It's great for him to have extra time to complete my list of tasks for him.

3. Nephew number 5 was welcomed to the world yesterday! Can't wait too meet you buddy!

4. Little monkey has slept through the night 4 times in the last week! Holla!

5. This is Gill Snyder....the fish at work...representing a great, productive week in the office!

Friday five

Still Friday for a few more hours so...

1. Got to see a great friend las weekend and help celebrate her birthday!

2. Baby girl was home sick... On the bright side we had 2 extra days of cuddling!

3. Been going to the rec and running over lunch for a few weeks...LOVE for so many reasons

4. Fall weather is here!!

5. Had lots of great conversations with great students this week! 

wordizzle from baby J: beer me

It was like that guy at a party who's enjoying a good beer...

and he seems all normal about it....chillin, relaxin acting all cool, etc.

Then all of a sudden he's really focusing on drinking it....

and he's off in the corner chugging it down by himself..

and before you know it he can't remember how to use a cup....

Except I'm guessing the j-dizzle version ended with a sugar high...followed by crashing by the 4th quarter....

Friday 5

This Friday 5 is a summary of a few weeks...here goes:

1. Many of offices are getting new furniture -- So I am able to pick and choose a few things to be "new to me" in my office...that and some rearranging make it feel like a new space! (still a work in progress and a lot of cleaning to be done!!

2. Another salvaged item -- Arnold cousins, I just couldn't let this chair go to auction.  It was rescued from the storage unit and is now living with us...we'll see how long Andy let's it stay.  I might add that it's in perfect condition and is really comfortable, actually.

 3. The first few weeks of school are pretty packed with nights and weekends of work...but MOST of those are behind us now for this semester!

4. & 5. It's K-State volleyball and football season!! Cora was able to tailgate at the first football game and got a cute K-State cheerleader outfit for her birthday so she's ready for the next game day....she also went to volleyball and sported her new noise reducing ear muffs..in purple of course!

Happy Friday!

1

Cora is one! We had a great little party...more on that later...but for now here are the stats:

Age: 1 year!

Weight: 17 lbs 14 oz (yes, she's a little thing)

Height: 29.5 inches

Likes: walking along things; unloading drawers, buckets, toys, etc.; playing chase; cuddling; climbing onto/into things

Dislikes: guys, people leaving the room, 

Favorite Foods: pizza, fruit, meat, green beans, BREAD, cheese

Says: "hi" "ma ma" "da da" "whoa" 

friday 5

So..I dumped all my photos off my phone..so no pics today ...but...

1. Crib building is FINISHED!! Now just need to finish and stain!!

2. Got my last few "treasures" out of my grandpa's storage unit before the rest went to sale (pics to come)

3. Finally had a quick chat with my BFF -- looking forward to more!

4. Headed on a quick trip to Wisconsin this weekend for a wedding -- it will be nice to miss the rush of all the students coming back!

5. My last few days in my 20's...with Cora's birthday coming up I keep forgetting mine is too!

happy friday!

Friday 5..er uh 4

Another Friday:

1. We have stain on the crib people, get excited!

2. Cora's birthday prep is going well -- we are doing a sunshine theme

 

4. What a great August day in KS...the whole week has been nice.

5. I got some new (to me) book cases in my office! Much better than the old gray metal ones!!

I go to college: know your audience

You know you live in a college town when this is the sign by the bananas....

Friday 5

Friday Five:

1.  Family Pedicures

2. FISHING!

3. Still workin' away on the crib -- Cora has decided to take matters into her own hands.

 

4. Cora has more teeth!! Seriously...two molars are coming in...and upper and a lower...that makes 10...and she's only 11 months. yeesh.

5. Lunch at So Long Saloon today where Cora enjoyed her first raspberry chipotle bean dip!

Have a great weekend!

I go to college: Did you know?

You can just mail a ball?

Things you leant while working with college students an recent grads.

Of course it probably cost more to mail the ball than to buy the ball... Perhaps another class in economics is in their future??

Friday 5

Happy Friday! Here we go:

1. Alex turned 1 last weekend! We got this cute shirt for him!  Can't believe Cora will be next!

2. I updated my fall calendars. Sigh. Ready or not here it comes!

3. We went to a church picnic where we had great fried chicken, I got to catch up with a good friend from high school and Cora helped her daddy lose at BINGO.

4. I FINALLY passed the candy crush level I have been stuck on for like a month. Yes, that is a sad, lame-o high for the week, but I was psyched.

5. NO CAVITIES! Dentist cleaning this week and a great report card!!

 

Have a great weekend!

hmmm interesting: nothing but good ideas

So in my family we have nothing but good ideas..seriously...we are like a family of people will really good ideas.

While in West Virginia my dad noticed a dead tree branch that needed to come down, over my grandpa's pavilion, ...only problem...it was too high to reach, even with a ladder.

Please note, in the video, my mom's complete lack of confidence in my dad's ability to throw the hammer by basically suggesting everyone else in the family would be more likely to achieve the goal...

also notice my super calm reaction as the hammer fell no where near me..

good idea #2 involved really long sticks, a ladder and tug-o-war style rope pulling.  But, thanks to our good ideas the branch did come down...so did one of the rope pullers (almost got that on camera, darn!)...I GET KNOCKED DOWN, BUT I GET UP AGAIN, AIN'T NEVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN.....I digress

Friday 5

Happy Friday folks!

This week:

1. Andy got a lot of work done on Cora's crib...it will look something like this when it's finished only stained much darker!

2. Cora's hair is so fun -- bows, pony tails, mohawks, oh my!

3. Been deep cleaning my office and storerooms at work...it's so bad 3 people have asked me if I'm moving offices...


4. Watching Cora trying to figure new things out is so funny.  She really couldn't grasp what was going on as I brushed my teeth.

5. Donuts at work today! YAY!!!

wordizzle from baby J

So when my dad works outside in the summer he sometimes wear's this hat to protect his neck....and of course if Apa was doing it, J-man wanted one too. 

And although he thought it was cool at the time, I think he has a instinctive sense of how silly he looks, as he was quite the wizard at avoiding getting his face on camera.

 

He could give celebrities advice on avoiding papparazzi...

side note:  I totally didn't notice my dad and J-man are wearing matching outfits until this post....

Treasure Hunt: Tear Gas

Going to your grandparent's house is always so fun.  You never know what you will find....a hot pot of stew, freshly baked cookies, and a gun that shoots tear gas hidden in the garage.

 of course it had to be tested...

Let's just say if you are relying on this for protection you might want to also enroll in some kind of marshal arts or self defense class...

We bring the heat...

No, seriously, I think it's following us.  

 

We vacayed up to the land of ice, snow and freezing weather over the 4th of July and it was uber hot...then we headed to the mountains of W. Va last week....where it is always in the 70s in the summer and again..90+ temps.  Sigh.  

 

MN trip highlights:

Clearly I just said something hilarious in the photo below that Cora is laughing at. 

If Andy had his way this would be our new car.

 Cora will eat you.  Evie will wonder if that is wise.

This is how Cora feels about us.  Truly.

Gotcha covered...

 

As I was finishing up packing this morning for vacay I wanted to make sure I had a hairband in the car....I think I'm good....

hmm interesting....yes.

Saw this beauty during our trip up north..and thought. YES. Yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. 

 

(don't worry, Minnesota, I won't embarrass you by saying what northern state).

Just a subtle reminder that someone in the world thought this would look good on their truck...

and look good it does.  I thought it was a window through to the other side, where there was a field with a deer in it.

I truly hope this was a gift...from someone that hates this person.

Fa fa fa fa fa-riday!

Happy Friday! This week was all kinds of exciting:

1. First, I got my hair cut!  8 inches to donate!! I'm diggin the new locks so far...definitely a lot faster!!

2. Summer is in full swing -- don't tell anyone but I kind of like the super hot weather! Makes it really feel like summer!  (it wasn't really 108 BTW...after I started driving it dropped to a chilly 101)

3. I finally got a new car seat ordered for Cora.  It won't be here in time for our first trip...so this will be a nice last big trip with the old seat!

4. Shopping FAIL.  After forgetting my wallet in the cart at the grocery store this week I decided I should probably go back to carrying a purse...not trying to juggle a baby, wallet, phone and keys all the time.  So I went everywhere in town but couldn't find what I was looking for.  So bummed.

 

5. Last, it's vacation day!! We are headed to the northland for a week! YAY!!! (on a side note I CAN NOT believe it is the 4th of July next week -- eek!!!!)  It's going to be in the 70s and 80s there, so I need to remember to throw in my snow pants and wools socks before we leave this afternoon.

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peaing....

Corabella is getting quite the little personality.  She is the happiest little thing -- always smiling and giggling.  She is a good little eater....she LOVES meat -- she will pick it out of everything on her tray.  Meat, then bread, then cheese, then fruit, and last vegetables.

She is also really coordinated with her hands she can pick up the smallest crumb with her pincher fingers.  Friday night we were all eating dinner...she was enjoying roast, potatoes and some peas.  As usual eating all the meat first -- but then apparently the peas were in her way...she carefully picked up one pea (peas are hard to grab because they roll around) and nonchalantly dropped it over the edge of her high chair...coincidence? no.  She repeated it several more times...only with peas.  THEN she picked up a potato and ate it. Then a pea and over the side it went.  

What a naughty girl -- it really was too cute and too funny not to laugh. 

of course she wouldn't do it when I started filming her..

baby giggles

Having a bad day?  Baby giggles is the cure..

6 years???

I can't believe it has been 6 years!!!!  6 years...wow.  that is 72 months -- more the 26,000 days.  This seriously could be one of the most impressive, fulfilling things I have ever accomplished.  And certainly, it seems, like more than most people can say.  I know I don't usually get sentimental --- but this really is sort of a big deal.  I mean I lose my car keys and phone 5 times a day on a GOOD day...I lost my hair brush like a month ago...still haven't found it (don't worry I have a back up)...so today, when I realized that I bought my sunglasses 6 years ago before we went on our honeymoon and that I STILL have had the SAME PAIR of sunglasses 6 years later, well, with all due modesty, makes me pretty freakin awesome.

on the other hand, it probably says something about my lack of style....

True love...

True love on this the 6th anniversary of our marriage.. up to this point I have been unwilling to match my dear husbands socks...as he is super super super over the top silly about it...see here.

but today...yes, I thought...hey I can read code...wouldn't it be nice of me to go out of my way to help him out...make his life a little easier...

(okay, actually I thought, "hey I can either match these and put them away now, or be prepared to look at them piled up here for the next two weeks waiting for someone else to match them")

either way, I searched for the code, deciphered the markings and matched the **** socks. happy anniversary.