Proof

…that my son and my cat do not hate each other. They stood at the window looking outside, less than a foot between them, for several minutes. Tom wasn’t trying to touch Tia, Tia wasn’t trying to swat Tom, and angels sang a triumphant song.

Ten on Tuesday

  1. Looks like there are a couple teams working on  Goodreads apps for Android phones. I think the integrated barcode scanning would be a great way to get instant reviews when browsing bookstores. I’m looking forward to trying a stable release.
  2. I’m in the middle of a busy few weeks at work. With new features comes great responsibility (and a crap ton of data entry!).
  3. I gave up and ordered a couple sweaters last weekend without cleaning out my closet. I’m looking forward to trying this dark teal wrap sweater the most. Not so much weeding out my older things to make room for it.
  4. All of those cool temps last week helped put me in a fall state of mind. But I can’t pack up the linen pants just yet: this week’s forecast has us melting in the mid-90s. Isn’t it winter yet?
  5. How can it be so easy to make a card for a challenge, but feel so daunting to make one for a publication call? They’re really just challenges like the others, right? I had loads of ideas for the Stamp It! techniques call that closed last night, but only a few that actually worked out well enough for me to submit them. It was fun to experiment though, especially with the spray mists.
  6. The downside to spray mists is that the little bottles don’t last very long. I’m thinking about mixing my own using a little of the Twinkling H2O watercolors I already have.  Next thing you know there’s going to be a little shimmer on everything I make.
  7. Or maybe not. I’m not really a sparkly sort of person.
  8. According to Jon, we’ve officially entered the TERRIBLE TWOS. I can’t help but think the small tantrums we’ve seen over the last week are just the tip of the iceberg. This kid is learning new ways to demand and exercise his independence every day. And he’s too clever to distract. Just imagine how frustrated he’ll be by the time he’s actually two.
  9. In case you haven’t seen them, check out these absolutely adorable printable lunch notes from Mariah de Marco. I want to print them on sticker paper and use them as labels for Tom’s stuff.
  10. Tom loves cake almost as much as he loves cupcakes, so I made sure that Jon’s birthday cake was toddler friendly. He would’ve eaten half the cake, one giant forkful at a time, if I’d let him…

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-29

  • made no progress on @PaperCraftsMag submissions this weekend, but plenty of headway on A Reliable Wife, the latest book club selection. #
  • is getting clobbered by our multimedia files. #
  • a windy 60 degrees has me eyeing the fleece peacoats at Lands' End. #
  • finally placed my first order with Papertrey Ink. Can't wait to try their well-reviewed cardstock and stamps. #

Ten on Tuesday (on Friday)

  1. So, there was no Ten on Tuesday last week. I felt bad that I didn’t have photos to share, but I’m doing my best this week, even without photos.
  2. I really admire the people who carve out time to maintain a great blog. It’s a lot more work than most people think, even after all of the technical stuff is up and running.
  3. Tom has new shoes. As in NEW new shoes. Not just new-to-him shoes, like almost every pair he has ever worn. I took him to Stride Rite last weekend to have him fitted. Good thing too, because he needs a full size bigger than I expected. He’s just shy of a 6 and a little wider than average, but not enough to need wides in most shoes. I saw these Robeez (did you know they were bought by Stride Rite recently?) and kind of fell in love. I’m totally tickled by the tiny aliens peeking up from the soles.
  4. And the best thing about the new shoes? Tom has been obsessed with putting on his own shoes (and diaper and clothes and socks and pajamas) to the point that he’ll cry if he can’t get them on or has help he doesn’t want. These shoes go on really easily and secure tightly with the Velcro, so Tom can do it himself.
  5. I haven’t bought any new shoes for myself, but I’ve been eying these CloudWalker flats for fall. Along with about a dozen sweaters that I shouldn’t buy until after I’ve cleaned out my closet. Why is it so hard to let go of things I don’t wear anymore?
  6. How to strike a nerve: compare the average cost of childcare to the average college tuition bill. While considerably less than the $38,700 my alma matter is charging this fall, our day care is not cheap. Although we’re in New Hampshire, our area is commonly lumped into the Boston Metro area, and the price we pay reflects it. Tuition is going up next week, but only a fraction of a percent.
  7. I think I’d like to take Jen’s A Muse Advent Calendar class at Ink About It this fall. I saw the sample when I was there the other week and thought it was entirely too cute. And Tom should be able to participate in the countdown this year.
  8. Handmade flowers are all the rage in the craft world right now. I made my first, a trio of rolled roses made of kraft paper, last night. Now I know why everyone is jumping on this bandwagon. They’re cute and pretty easy to make.
  9. I still maintain that this floral trend is just the 80 regurgitated. Remember the tiny mauve and country blue rosettes we used to hot glue to everything? Add a little ivory lace (another hot trend) and thin satin ribbon and you’re in business.
  10. Although I don’t have photos to share, I do have a little video of Tom in the aftermath of dinner. But I can’t get it uploaded properly.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-22

  • I must be a mom: my purse contains more coupons and Happy Meal toys than makeup and cash. #
  • worth making again: whole wheat white pizza with garlic, rosemary, mushrooms, chicken, fresh mozzarella, and provalone #
  • enjoying a giant edible arrangement with my coworkers, courtesy of my husband of five years. #
  • My hometown made it into Today's Top 10 Most Tattooed Cities list (http://bit.ly/9hR7nh), but I don't have one yet. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-15

  • just churned a batch of decadent peach ice cream (http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/6853) and have to wait for it to set… #
  • likes recognizing classical music I've played on the radio. Dislike not remembering where I played it. Overture to Candice stumped me. #
  • TMI: Tom used the big toilet today, successfully. #
  • amazing how a closet can be so full yet seem so empty of wearable clothes. Time to whittle down the wardrobe. #
  • Who wouldn't like to take a bit out of Darth Vader? Cute and geeky Star Wars cookie cutters: http://bit.ly/bO3GwH Too bad there's no R2D2. #
  • *everything* is making Tom cry this morning. #
  • just spent an hour in the busiest McD's playplace I've ever seen. Calgon, take me away. #

Ten on Tuesday

  1. I had hoped to write this post from my phone, but I have to use an actual computer to change the permissions to allow my WordPress app to access the site.
  2. I sent Jon a link to Justin’s Tomato & Vegetable Tart recipe yesterday and came home to find it on the counter. It was a nice alternative to pizza, but I think I would’ve tried mixing up the veggies instead of layering them.
  3. I hate to admit it, but I haven’t stamped in over a week. Unless you count the tiny bit I did in my scrapbook on Saturday. I spent a lot of my free time prepping pages for Saturday, which I spent blissfully scrapping away with Amy and Carol in Amy’s mother-in-law’s basement-turned-craft-room.
  4. Tom’s baby album was my big project on Saturday. The first eight months are exactly as I imagined them, perhaps even better because they’re all but complete. I plan to use number stamps to add the months and they’ll be totally finished. Sadly, I ran out of paper right about there too, so the rest will have to wait until I can find more.
  5. The worst part of running out of something you bought a year ago? The scrapbooking industry rarely leaves any paper or embellishment lines in stores for more than a year. The last time I saw the paper pack I used was early in the spring. I won’t be surprised if I have to resort to begging on a few stamping and scrapping message boards.
  6. I love the herringbone flannel sheets I ordered from Lands’ End. I just wish the weather were something less than sweltering so I could justify putting them on the bed.
  7. Jon and I celebrate our five year anniversary next Friday. It hardly seems like we’ve been married that long. Then again, it also feels like we’ve always been married.
  8. I indulged in a little art last week, ordering this lovely Bear Mountain print from Diana Sudyka. I haven’t found the right frame yet, but I think it will live in the bedroom for now.
  9. I didn’t make it to the Newport Folk Fest. Or to see Suzanne Vega in Lowell. One of these days…
  10. Tom has been listening to a lot of music and learning new songs at school. I’ve been trying to build our collection starting with songs I know he loves, but I don’t know where to go from there. What are your kids’ favorite albums and artists?

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-08

  • Suzanne Vega is coming to Lowell on Friday. How to squeeze it in… Sox on Thursday, scrapping with the girls and Bob Marley on Saturday. #
  • is not looking forward to a sticky, rainy night at Fenway. #
  • at Fenway squeezed into the old seats. So very grateful for the breeze. #
  • is looking for a babysitter for late Saturday night. Maybe we need more friends with teenage kids. #

Ten on Tuesday

  1. I like the new bed, but I’m afraid my knees and shins do not. It’s far too easy to forget about the giant frame in the dark. I misjudged the placement of the footboard last night and nearly took out my kneecap, hitting it hard enough to take my breath away.
  2. Something you probably didn’t know about me: despite my propensity to bump into things, I rarely bruise. Unless you looked close enough to see the pale purple cast to the tiny bump on my knee, you wouldn’t know I lost a serious fight with the bed last night. I’m not sure I can count the number of times I’ve caught my hip, thigh, or shin on a piece of furniture hard enough to make my eyes water. Yet I could could the number of bruises I’ve seen from my clumsiness on my hands. I find I can’t wrap my mind around plot points that hinge upon tell-tale bruises when I read, but I’ve never had to worry about hiding a hickey or getting a black eye from my rambunctious toddler.
  3. Speaking of terrible toddlers, Tom is in a hair-pulling phase. Whether it’s the cat, his friends at school, or me, he seems to think it’s fun to grab fistfuls of hair and yank.
  4. At least it’s not biting. Yet.
  5. The local corn we picked up last weekend was more than tasty. The chowder I made with the leftovers wasn’t half bad either. I just need to get comfortable with chowder recipes so I can experiment with success. Alas, my husband does not share my year-round enthusiasm for soups and stews.
  6. I would like to ban brazil nuts from mixed nuts.
  7. That battery life issue with my Droid X? Turns out the wifi was eating up my battery searching for new signals. Now that I only use it when I need wifi, I can easily go three days between charges instead of 12 hours.
  8. N0 new crafting to report. I did a lot of cleaning up in the office last week to swap the folding table come printer-stand for modular book shelves and ended up covering my craft table in debris. It’s too messy to use right now, even for me.
  9. I started using overnight pull-ups for Tom instead of just overnight diapers. Since he stays dry most nights, I figured a good first step toward potty training would be to take him to the bathroom as soon as he wakes up.
  10. The most daunting part of my plan is being up and ready before Tom.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-01

  • doesn't like the new clunking sounds the washing machine has been making at the start of a cycle. #
  • soy sauce and white sweaters will never, ever be friends. #
  • Local corn is finally ready. I know what I'll be eating this weekend! #
  • won't be surprised if I wake up to find the living room in tatters from the cats' determined fly hunt. #