Baby Heaven

Meet Bubbs......

No, that's not his name.....he has a perfectly great name....it's his cute nickname.....and it suits him. He is the most precious, sweetest thing I've held in a long, long time.

You forget how they start out so tiny and so totally dependent.

You forget how easy it is to fall totally, madly in love.

He is just precious - and I'm so happy to be a person who gets to watch him grow....and gets to watch his parents raise him. It was a lovely morning and I'm so glad he's here!!

J. said 'seeing you so happy in that picture means one thing: you need grand kids'.

Yes, I do...but not for 10 years or so......

I had J. edit the picture a bit - and it's even sweeter that he named the photo 'bugbaby'.....my sweet friend Bug is a mama! The adventure begins for her and her hubby....

Obsessions

Months of planning are culminating into the mad dash towards the goal: getting to (and returning from) a week at the beach in one piece with my sanity intact.

Met with the lovely lady who's watching over the house for us this morning. Walked her through the pet routine, etc. Gave her a three page list of the pet routines, veterinary info, etc. Phone number of where we'll be and email addresses, too. Just in case. She's caring for a 13 year old feline and a ?? year old neurotic bird - anything could happen. I feel happy to have her watching over stuff 'cuz I know she will do a good job.

I am heading into Livermore for brunch with N. and her new baby - can't wait to cuddle him! Then running a couple (more) errands - heading home to start the packing. Leaving notes for the boys, who both promised they'd be up early this morning - and they're not. I even vacuumed outside their doors and didn't hesitate to bang the floorboards or their doors 'accidentally' - and still, they sleep. Oh well. They will awake to 'to do' lists carefully crafted and left for them on the kitchen table. You can sleep but you can't escape the pre-vacation lists! They will be done before we leave the house at 4:30AM on Saturday morning. Ugh. Just writing that is painful. Won't be a bit hard for me - I'm up early fairly often, including at 5AMish this morning on a 'vacation' day - but the boys? That's another story entirely. Will bribe them with McDonald's for breakfast so we can get on the road - it's a long drive to SFO from here.

I can't wait to try my new iPhone Starbucks app and pay with my phone! It's like the greatest thing EVER and I can't wait to see if it works!! (It won't work in Mexico, sadly - but oh well! We have cash for down there since my gold card means nothing to them)......

J. is off starting tomorrow - so they'll be an extra set of hands. We've got the bathroom scale in the garage to weigh our bags and are strategically adding things as we can. Peanut butter, coffee, snacks, coffee creamer, etc. are ready to be taken with us - hoping we have room. It makes that first evening/morning so much easier if we have that stuff on hand. The boys could live on peanut butter alone if they had to!

It's a beautiful day - warm but not miserably so. Hoping the huge heat stays away - but setting all the thermostats for 84 - J. suggested 89 but that's way too hot - if we arrive home to an upstairs that's 89, we won't be able to sleep up there....so we will plan for 84 and hope it helps. I'm also going to unplug anything we don't need to be plugged in - can openers, coffee makers, etc. Reminding everyone when they look at me like I'm nuts that every little thing draws power, even when it's not being used. So UNPLUG!!

I hope to unplug successfully myself.....sort of wishing we'd tried for 10 days 'cuz I know about the time I really start unwinding, it will be time to come home. I have projects planned for the two weeks I'm home - but wow, the time is already flying by. It's an age, thing, I think -

Adios. More from the beach, including pictures if I can figure out how to take them and download them from my iPhone.

Pressure

Up and moving at 5:30AM this morning - on a Sunday! A friend invited me to attend a cooking demonstration at Williams & Sonoma in Pleasanton...it was lots of fun! And of course, there was shopping. Got up early because I woke up and didn't want to go back to sleep and have the alarm wake me up just a short hour later....

Dinner tonight was a delicious pot roast - cooked in just under an hour in our new pressure cooker! It was fork tender and deliciously delicious!! Do you remember your mom having a pressure cooker? My mom did - it was huge and heavy and scary....rattling and 'spitting' and making a huge racket - and my mom cautioning us to 'stay away' whenever it was on the stove. Like it was determined to blow up at any minute. Now, they make an electric model - takes all the guesswork out of it getting to 'full pressure'....and all kinds of safety features. If there's any hint of pressure remaining, the lid will not open. And the 'quick release' works easily to release the pressure. It was a breeze to use and the roast came out perfectly! Being able to make things in 1/3 the time will make workday evening dinners so much easier -

It's starting to look like a family is going on vacation - 'packing areas' are springing up. Things I don't want to forget are going into a Sephora tote bag and I'm gathering as I see stuff. I've been saving the little samples and small pieces of Zum soap to take with us. The water is pretty hard there and having a good soap will make a difference. Also taking the Purell wash/dry sheets we took two years ago - they didn't clean perfectly but they sure are easier to pack than liquids. Sunscreen, aloe, sunburn cream, etc. In a perfect world, I'll be practically 'done' by the time Friday rolls around! I hope so -

I've loaded some books on my iPhone to read on the trip - but I already finished one book and am more than half way through another. It's great to have the 'joy' of good books again - and to really enjoy that break from busy days. Not sure why the electronic delivery method makes such a difference, but it really does.

I'm planning to pack incredibly lightly - learned last time that I will live in bathing suits and my cover ups, capri pants, t-shirts and one pair of jeans - which will be the pair of jeans I'll wear on the plane to/from. I can pack far less then I did last trip. United has changed their international luggage policy and we can only have one checked bag each. We're already resigned to paying the fee for one extra bag - the snorkels, fins, masks, etc. take one duffel on their own....

I work tomorrow and Tuesday. Having lunch with a friend in Tracy on Wednesday. Having lunch with Bug and her baby on Thursday. J. is off on Friday and we'll be madly busy getting everything nailed down around here. House sitter will come over Thursday evening to get the list and tour and pick up the key. She will come once a day and water the patio plants, pick vegetables (if there are any) and feed the bird and the cat. Chloe will go to the puppy spa on Friday. J.'s going to take her 'cuz my heart can't take it. Last time I took her, she sat down and wouldn't budge - made me worry the entire time we were gone that she was unhappy.....I'm sure she's well cared for but it's not home.

I know exactly how she feels.....I'm missing home too and we haven't even left yet....

Happy Father's Day

[I'm writing my own card to my sweet husband].....

To J.,

For always being there for your sons.....

For always being there for your wife.....

For laundry, dishes, mowing, weeding, trimming, sweeping and the myriad of stuff you do around here......

For waking up each morning ready to start another day of being the head of this family, always smiling.....

For laughter and love and happiness......

Happy Father's Day!

There isn't a Hallmark card on earth that can put into words how much I love and admire you, sweets! I can't imagine parenting with anyone else - and I love you more than words can say....

Love,

Wifey

Nirvana in the Neighborhood!

J. and I went shopping today for some 'beach' clothes - headed to Manteca for the bigger JC Penney there (vs. the small one in our mall here). We'd planned a date of shopping and lunch - the first time we've spent together on any kind of 'just us' activity in a long time. Well, except last weekend when we did yard work together - but that hardly qualifies as a 'date', right?

Before heading out of town, we went to the bank and deposited H.'s paycheck for him - down to $2.20 in his account.....he was glad to get that paycheck. Especially glad 'cuz they are both buying the majority of their own gas these days - it's been quite an eye opener for them both to see just how quickly they're using it. They are both driving less; driving more slowly; starting more slowly from a stop....all the things we've been nagging them to do. Take away the money bag - and viola! They become frugal! Next on the list of things we won't pay for much longer is car insurance....

Upon pulling out of the shopping center, there it was.....the familiar logo staring at me; her mermaid eyes beckoning....yep! Starbucks is opening in the shopping center nearest our house - and I was so excited!! I was practically dancing in the car!! I won't go everyday - 'cuz McDonald's iced tea is $1 for a large vs. $2.95 for a Trenta black iced tea from the mermaid....but it's just so great to have it be so close by - a nice treat now and then....lattes on cold winter mornings when I'm going in super early.

Our shopping trip was successful and lunch was delicious - Red Robin. Yum!!

Work was a long, slow slide into 'holy crap, I do this process [the budget] every year and I always seem to forget just how time consuming it is'....but it's done! I actually was off yesterday - which is unbelievable! That has NEVER happened - but I had a great helper this week and she plowed through a lot of my board prep easily and quickly - making it very easy for me to get stuff done in plenty of time - and to be off yesterday. I needed it - I'm beat!

Two weeks from today, we'll be in Mexico - and I'm starting to get excited about the trip. I just hope I don't sleep the entire wee we're there.....'cuz that's what I feel like doing - just sleeping for days on end.

I'm loving my iPhone! Using it as a reader and enjoying reading more than I have in a long time. I'm going to buy a couple more books to download for the trip - a six hour plane ride and time on the beach will allow for plenty of reading time.

Summer!

FINALLY! Sweltering heat!! Temps in the mid-to-high 80's and it's finally feeling like summer. The pool is 'up' to 76 degrees - the 'up' is still not high enough for me....nor anyone else in the house at the moment. Soon, though...very soon!

I'm ending the busy (filled with work) weekend in a productive way - we just fertilized and weed-protected both lawns. The front one is looking pretty horrible - though the pretty purple and yellow teeny, tiny flowers add a certain flare, I think. Still, the weedy stuff is taking over and we are hopeful the magic of Scott's Turf Builder with Weed protection will do the trick. Nothing else we've tried has. The spray-on stuff just doesn't 'stay' long enough to do anything, I guess....

So with an ice cold Blue Moon in hand, I head to the kitchen to concoct something for dinner (again, with J.'s help) and trying to 'relax' a bit. Another crazy busy week looms - but oh well. This time three weeks from now, we'll be on the beach in Playa del Carmen without a care in the world - except getting up the energy to walk downtown to decide where to eat dinner! We are getting more excited everyday -

My lovely Bug had a baby boy yesterday! I'm practically stalking all of her family on Facebook to find as many pics of him as possible - he's a cutie! And lots of black hair! I can't wait to see her and hope we can visit soon - congratulations to the new family and most especially to the new mommy. It's such a special time....

I have a couple posts in draft stage but need pics - so maybe later this week, I'll get there. Hopefully, I won't be working next weekend - which will be the first non-work weekend in a long time.

Happy Sunday and Happy Monday!! Yeah for summer! And again, a heartfelt welcome to Baby P. ! Can't wait to see you, Bug!!

i

Today is my birthday - and no, that's not a reason for a post....acknowledging my 51 years on the planet is just another day -

My husband got me what I really, really wanted....I don't need it, there's no logical reason for procuring it - but we got H. one for his grad gift and J. came home with one for me - just what I asked for.....

A shiny, lovely, totally awesome iPhone!

And the neatest thing about it so far (there are so many but today in particular this one is the best) is how it 'pings' me to tell me someone has posted something on my Facebook wall - so I've enjoyed lovely birthday greetings all morning. [Thanks to my friend J. in Dublin who just now posted - heard the chime as I was typing - thanks for thinking of me, J.]....

What a great way to start the first day of my 52nd year on earth.

The first free book that downloaded automatically was Winnie the Pooh and it was hard not to spend all day yesterday sitting and reading. But I didn't 'cuz that would be terribly wrong.

I've downloaded Angry Birds and Tiny Wings - two highly recommended games for when you need to pass the time.....

And one book by a new author - the first of the 'Immortal Series' by Alyson Noel.

I love it and while I feel a teeny bit bad about spending the money on something I don't need, it makes me happy.....I've wanted one since they first came out and now I have one....and it's great. I haven't actually had a personal cell for a long time 'cuz the kids' phones broke and H. has been using my old phone as his phone....then it broke too....so now we're all set for the forseeable future.

I am spending the day at work - which sucks....but it's just that time of year....budgets don't build themselves when you work for a state entity. So....off to the trenches.

It's raining today. It's June and it's 55 outside. The weather is crazy here......I wore a sweater most of the week 'cuz it's chilly.

Thanks to all for the birthday greetings - it will be a great day. I will accomplish much and then enjoy a delicious Chinese food take out dinner with my family.