Its Ladies Night . . .

Thats right blogland! If you are in T-town tonight you better watch out!

Can you tell how desperately in need of a girls night I am???? Its been waaayyyy too long. I honestly can't even tell you the last time I did have a girls night. I know for sure of one about a year ago and it went a little something like this . . .

There were wigs involved. Need I say more, come to your own conclusions.

So tonight I will head out with some of my best gals (sans wigs) and try and have some big girl fun. And since Momma's on a budget I will even be taking my own liquor along. :)

In other Tulsa news, Boops is getting her first haircut!!!!!! I know you probably are thinking that she must be one gross looking kid. But really she's not. She was basically bald until recently. And now she has this Mrs. Brady/Justin Bieber thing going on. My husband calls her Justin Bieber and now thats what she calls herself. I'm not gonna lie that I'm a little scared about what this will all boil down to. She can be very very stubborn if she wants to. But I will use my usual tricks of candy and baby dolls. Many pictures to follow I'm sure.

Tonight is also my stepson's last baseball game. I can't believe the seasons almost over! But the heat index for today is 105, so I can't say that I'm sorry. I think he will definitely play again. I don't know that things have gotten much better with dealing with his mom. She is just one messed up pup. But I'm really trying to love her. We had a great sermon last Sunday about the Fruit of Love and I'm really trying to look at her as someone who needs love. So wish me luck. Its good that my girls night follows the baseball game tonight, I can refresh my soul with some girl time after having to deal with SBW. Funny story about SBW:

Last week. We go for ice cream after a baseball game. SBW recently got engaged. She is notorious for her expensive taste (no matter what is financially doable). So she just got engaged and her hand is sporting a huge rock. I only have a band because when we married we were po' and we are still saving for a nice ring. So at ice cream my stepson asks to look at my wedding ring. He examines it. Then looks confused and asks "where's the decorations"? I know what he's talking about, but ask him what he means. He says "mommies ring has lots of crystals on it, where's yours???" HA! I just told him that we are poor because we give her all our money. JUST KIDDING :) I told him something about love and committment being whats important and not the "decorations". You gotta love kids.

I hope you all have a great weekend and I hope you know that even though I'm not posting often, I read your blogs everyday and it is truly what I look forward to!

Ch - ch - ch - changes!

So maybe you are thinking, "Wow! I wonder what Boops has instore for us now?" Well, let me tell you. I want to give myself some encouragement through my own blog. And I will sprinkle on a little extra "Go get um!" for you. I've got lots to spare right now.

It dawned on me a couple of weeks ago that unbeknownst (sp??) to me, I'm almost 30. Shocking, I know.  And we have talked about this before. And I was all gung-ho about getting in shape for my 30th. Since then two things have happened. One - I have gotten six months closer to D-day. Two - I have eaten. And not healthified like I planned. So that means I'm closer to 30 and not closer to getting in shape. So the past couple of weeks I have slowly been processing this vital piece of information. And now it has come time to deal with it.

So for the last couple of weeks I have been putting on my tennis shoes and pounding the pavement (literally, I have had to beg it for mercy on my fat ass). So far so good. Nothing amazing happened. I haven't lost 10 lbs yet, or even 1. But I have been out a few times this week and I'm starting to feel better. But I think more importantly my attitude is changing. I know its mid-year and summer and we are all busy. And it truly sucks. The starting of the working out has got to be the most God-awful, painful thing to do. But it IS worth it. This is my mantra.

So thats it. I just thought you should know. And if you are trying to start working out or whatever, HANG IN THERE! It is so so freakin' hard. And anyone who says it isn't is a retard and you should not be friends with them. But give yourself a pat on the back for any small success. Just putting your shoes on is a big deal. You drove to the track and just watched others workout while you ate ice cream in the air-conditioning of your car??? I say its a SUCCESS!!! You were supporting those on the trail with your good thoughts. Not that I did that or anything.

Happy Sweating Friends!

Loves . . .

Lemme halla atcha . . .

So . . . hello friends. I'm so sorry its been a while, but what can I say. I've been busy. And I'm sure you have too. But here we are again and I think we should talk. There has been quite a lot of excitement around here with all the summer goings-on (I must be really getting old to use this term, jeez).

First off, baseball. My little batter, Willy C is just doing awesome. He actually is starting to give a crap. Not a big crap, but a little kitten turd. He does one or two less cartwheels in the outfield and notices whats going on a little more. To the hubs this is like he just got signed to the Cards or something. So thats fun to watch. Not so much drama with SBW, so that also helps make it more enjoyable. We are on snack duty this week and you would think they told my husband he could pick out a new tv or recliner or something. We had to go to two different stores until we found snacks that met the cool/delicious requirements imposed by . . . him.

Next up, we have some pics for you today. Yay!!! We all love pics right. Well somewhere in Oklahoma there is a little girl that is super duper cute. She goes by Boops and looks a little like this . . .

So do you see whats so exciting and CUUUTTEEE???? I'll give you a clue . . . its the pigtails!!!! This is the first time we've actually been able to do pigtails on her. And it just about smooshed my mommies heart with pride. She knew right away that this was big stuff. She started asking to call her cousin and wanted me to tell her. And yes thats a tackle box and yes, thats what I keep my make-up in. And yes, my house is boring and gross, so thats why you just need to focus on the pigtailed cutie. She wouldn't even let me take them down for bed. Thats right . . . right now she's asleep in her crib with Lammie on one side and Teddy Bear on the other and her with pigtails in the middle. Okay, peeps I will stop gushing about my kid. But have you seen how really really cute she is??? Okay, enough . . . done.

Now for our future together. I'm going to be blogging tomorrow about some changes I've been making and will fill you in on all the details. Until then . . .

Love . . .

Random Crap for Your Enjoyment . . .

So I thought I would follow-up the always popular "so I think I want a baby" post. Well of course, a baby still sounds really nice. But I am definitely working on the logistics of it. Don't worry, I won't make it too much of a boring plan. I loved the spontaneity that I felt with the surprise of my daughter. But I do want to be able to give any child I bring into the world the best that I can.




Basically for me, I would like us to be able to own our own home before we have another one. We are busting at the seems right now. And while I'm not against kids sharing rooms (I did it), I don't see our 6 year old getting too pumped about having his 20 month old sis as a roommate. But in another year I could see Boops handling a roomy pretty well. She's a huge people person and loves babies. Of course, she loves them when they are someone else’s and aren't taking a piece of her mommy-pie away. Oh the joys of siblings!



But on another note, I did go to the doctor. I have blogged here before about some annoying medical issues I've experienced after I had my daughter: i.e. ongoing pelvic pain, very painful sex, bowl issues, ect. Delightful to have a stranger type those words for your soft, fragile eyes to read. I'm sorry. I hope I didn't burn anyone’s retina out. But I think we are in the overshare stage and that’s probably where we will be for the life of this blog.



So back to the doctor . . . He ordered a CT Scan. He thinks I may have a hernia. Now I know nothing about this, except they appear to be fixable. So I have a follow-up next week to find out the results. Keep your fingers crossed. I really want to get to the bottom of this so I can feel like me again.



On a slightly more awkward note, my stepson started baseball this summer. Why is this awkward you ask? Well because I now have to see his mom roughly 3-4 times a week. While it does make me cringe every time, I do think this is good in general. It has forced us to chat and maybe just maybe somehow she can see that I love my stepson and DO want us to co-parent better. So here's hoping. I just wish I could bring my wine bong so we could all relax a little ;)



Loves . . .

Good Lord!

NO, THIS IS NOT ME!!!!

But why oh why am I getting a streak of baby fever???? I need to go lay down and take an aspirin or something. For some reason all I can think about it how I need to have another kid. This is CRAZY! I have nowhere to put another kid, no money to feed another kid, no time to take off work to have a baby. Have I so quickly forgotten the woes of pregnancy??? The lack of sleep, my crazy pregnant self, the weight I still haven't lost from my last go around, heart burn, how tired I was all the time. All I can think about is how much fun it is plan and daydream and hold a little tiny baby. I have a ton of preggers around me right now and that shiz is seriously contagious.

The last time I was pregnant, I was basically a stay-at-home mom. I was finishing grad school and had only 1 class the summer I was pregnant. So I had all day to rest and clean and nest. And now I'm  a busy, working mom trying to get her career off the ground. But I'm also about to turn 30, okay in 7 months, but thats SOON! And I know 30 ain't shit in the scheme of things, but when my mom was my age I was 12! I'm way behind the on the family tradition. Don't forget that I live in Oklahoma, if you aren't married and having your 5th kid by the time your 19 you're an old maid. So I'm feeling like the fertility train is passing me by. I also don't know whats better or worse: two in diapers at the same time, getting it all done at once or waiting and staggering out the amount of butt cleaning I personally do for others????

But realistically I could easily be pregnant at my current job. Its very flexible and not hard physically at all. See, there I go talking myself into it. Oh well, I have an OB appt. on Thursday to try and resolve some lingering issues from my first pregnancy and delivery (cesarean). So maybe I will talk about getting back on the pill, or maybe I won't. Good Lord put me out of my misery!!!!

Loves . . .

Baby Mama Drama . . .

So friends, it is Spring/Summer here in T-town. And if your a parent that means one thing - sports. And our house is no exception. While my hubs is already gearing up for football - ridiculous- there are bigger fish to fry around here. This summer my stepson is playing Coach Pitch Baseball for the FIRST time!!!! We are super excited!

My hubs has been all nervous about the sons ability level since he has never played and doesn't even like to watch the pros yet. It just isn't even on his radar. And I actually have no idea how he got signed up, but I think its a good thing. Hubs is in heaven talking gloves and bats all day. Spending the evenings mowing so there will have a good "practice surface". Stepson is 6. He doesn't give a flip about his practice surface. Through all of it I just nod and reassure hubs that he's setting him up for success. And hey, if my yard looks good as a result, its a win win and all is well. But last night was his first practice and he actually showed some ability. So thats good. You never want to have the worst kid. Your kid doesn't have to be amazeballs but just so he's not the worst.

So one factor that had EVERYONE on edge pre-practice was how this very unstable blended family would do hanging out for two hours together. When I say unstable I mean as co-parents. My hubs ex as a rule prefers to never hear my voice let alone ever have to see me. So for her to comprehend that WE would be at practices, games, etc was more than a shock to her. My husband is ever the peace maker (to a fault) and was on edge all week. I get frustrated because to me it all seems so stupid. We will all be in each others lives for the rest of our lives. And no matter what I think about his ex or her boyfriend, its not going to stop me from supporting my stepson.

So as I pulled in to the parking lot to meet up with hubs and Boops my stomach was doing a few flips. We all exit our respective cars and gather the bags, snacks, etc. and I can see his ex shooting us looks from across the parking lot. I just re-assured hubs that nothing was going to happen unless it came from her because we were there to support our boy. So as we crossed over to the field I could see her looking back several times and commenting to her BF. Good Lord! Finally we caught up and there was small talk about how much gear costs (we pay her a small salary, so it shouldn't have been a problem) and when the first game is and what not. No fireworks thank God. We found a spot on the grass to watch and settled in.

I basically spent the next two hours chasing Boops around, meeting moms and other little ones. About an hour and a half into it, somehow we found ourselves all standing together. Just so you understand, in over two years I have found myself standing in company with this woman maybe 4 times, this is a HUGE rarity. Her BF's daughter was there and about this time Boops actually picked her a flower and ran over to give it to her. The little girl was pretty stand-offish and so Boops just looked at her like "what the???" Then a few minutes later the practice was over and that was basically it. No major drama, no cat fights. You would think this happens all the time. So maybe we can all take something from this - when you decide to put on your big girl panties and act like an adult for the sake of your child you can overcome whatever you need to. Several times I noticed the son looking around as if to see if all was okay with his crowd. He knows that his mom openly dislikes me and our family. So I think for him it had to feel great to see that his family were ALL there for him and it went completely fine. This is huge for him and huge for us.

On a sad note, this weekend is not our weekend with him and he has practice on Saturday. His mom can't take him, so instead of letting my hubs she is having her BF take him. When this was announced my husband looked like someone just stabbed him in the back. We will go to the practice for sure, it was just a sad moment. For some reason the ex is determined to make the son think that he needs a new dad. This is told to him over and over again. But my husbands committment to him will win out in the end and hopefully the son will realize that he has a dad who loves him beyond what he will ever know and he will always be apart of his life.

Loves . . .

And have a GREAT holiday friends!

Boops does PAINT!!!!

Okay, Boops does not actually paint, but I - Big Boops - DO! I'm actually super artsy-fartsy. And also a bit crafty. Although, my craft has been on the DL lately due to the insanity of being alive and trying to function with a bajillion things going on.

But today I am participating in the CSI Project Paint Challenge! I know you guys are all like "what the??? paint? challenge?" But how can I not participate? I bring home the bacon as a professional Interior Designer, complete with Masters Degree to prove it. So I figure I should throw myself out there. Now, typically I don't do much  any residential painting, but I have a ton of personal projects that I am dying to tackle. While those are all collecting dust in my garage, I thought I would share a project I completed in my undergrad that is very special to me. This is more art and less craft, but its still usefull. So here ya go . . .

                              The Van Gogh Chair

So do you likey??? I heart it sooo much. I know you are probably saying to yourself "why did Big Boops paint Van Gogh's Starry Starry Night on a chair?" And the answer to that is very simple, because I had to. My undergraduate degree was in Theatre Design. We had a play we were producing and building that was written about dreams and each of the design students had to do a different chair. These chairs were the only props in the play so the were kind of important. My professor wanted a Van Gogh chair, and no one else would do it, so I got the pleasure. And now maybe you want to know how I did it. And because I love you all so much I will share the process which ya.

1. Get a standard boring cafe chair ----->    

2. Next you will build a square base around the bottom of the legs with wood canvas frame material. You will need this to stretch the canvas onto. I have no images of this process due to the fact I don't know that anyone else has ever done it, let alone photographed it.

3. You will now take canvas (the kind you use to make your own painting canvases) and drape and stretch it around the chair. You staple it under the frame on what will become the "inside" of the chair. If you have never stretched a canvas before, I would suggest you call your local arts supply store and they should be able to give you simple instructions or like all other things in life, you could google it.

4. Now that you have your blank canvas, you need the painting. Find a very clear copy of any painting you would like to replicate. Your copy should be vivid and clear and 8 1/2 x 11 inches. Take said copy to your local copy shop and have them copy it onto a transparency (any aaahhhhh moments???).

5. You then put your chair on a table you don't mind getting paint on. Then  you set up a projector (like the kind your high school science teacher used to bore you to death) and you project the painting onto the chair. Now as you paint you can turn the chair and layout how the painting will wrap around the chair.

6. When you are done use this ------->

      Put some in a bowl and grab a paint brush you never want to use again. And put a nice thin coat on the entire chair when it is COMPLETELY DRY. This will seal your painting and you can use the chair just like any other.

Lets Review:

This   

Plus this

Equals this!!!!!

Thanks so much for checking out this fun project and don't forget to head over to the CSI Project and check out all the other great projects!

***For some reason I'm having some troubles with their button but here's the link***

The CSI Project

Loves . . .