Details
I know I already blogged a little about Baby Girl's birthday and how Murphy's Law lost a great battle, but I thought I'd share a few pictures from that fun day.
We did a "Fancy Nancy" dinner just with the family. Baby Girl wanted spaghetti and kool-aid slush. So, just to make it a little fancier, I pulled out some old green goblets and found the little paper umbrellas. Nothing too great, but she thought it was fantastic! (Yeah, her teeth are blue from the slush)I made little crowns out of royal icing for the cupcakes. They were really easy to throw together. They aren't anything amazing, and the red one broke (you can see where I stuck it back together), but Baby Girl loved them! She had an "Art Party" with her friends. We let them draw with sidewalk chalk while we waited for everyone to arrive. Then we gave each kid a canvas just like a REAL artist (you can get a 3 pack of canvases from WalMart for $3.50 - they aren't fabulous, but they worked...). The kids loved it! After that we came in and had each kid make their own personal pizza. We used frozen rolls for the crust, so it was pretty simple. While the pizzas were baking we let Baby Girl open gifts and then we ate pizza and had cupcakes. Again, I used royal icing to make little artist pallet candies to go on the cup cakes. Overall, I'd say she had a pretty fantastic birthday!

Snort
Baby Girl is obsessed with Halloween costumes right now. If you give her the chance, she will ask you what you're going to be for Halloween and tell you all about her costume. She's MORE than excited about this trick or treat stuff. It's fun to watch her enthusiasm.
The other day this conversation took place in our home... and I'm still laughing about it!
Baby Girl: Daddy, what are you going to be for Halloween?
Hubby/Daddy: I'm going to be a grumpy old dad!
Baby Girl: You mean you're going as yourself?
Ha! This is why I had kids! To keep me entertained!

Wha...??
Sometimes I do things. Dumb things. My latest and greatest dumb thing? I decided to try out the whole NaNoWriMo thing. Unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo? So am I! Which is why it wasn't very smart of me to sign up for it.
It stands for National Novel Writing Month. There. Everything should be clear as mud to you now. I know it is for me...
Here are the basics: Starting November 1st I will embark on a quest to write a novel that will have 50,000 words. I will have those 50,000 typed onto my lovely computer before the end of November. That's FIFTY THOUSAND words! You'd think this wouldn't be such a daunting task, but here's the real issue here - I have no idea what I'm doing or what to write about. I started to jot a few ideas down, but all of them are fairly lame... no, they're really lame! And I'm fairly certain that most of you have noticed that my grammar is not stellar.
BUT! I'm going to try. Don't be surprised if I'm not in blog land much for the next 6 weeks... my parents come this weekend for a week long visit and then I start writing! If I do make it to your blog and my comments are completely incoherent, I beg your forgiveness. I'm not so good at trying new things and it tends to addle my brain... wish me luck!

We Don't Need No Stinkin Roads
I did it! I got all the laundry done on Friday!! Well, as done as laundry can technically be... we were all wearing clothes - a.k.a. potential laundry. But, that's besides the point. Everything in the baskets was washed, dried, folded and PUT AWAY. I'll have to do it all again soon, but it was nice while it lasted!
Saturday we decided to go on a little adventure. This is the road we followed...No, really! We went off-roading on Saturday! We went down washes like this...And up hills like this...We stopped at an area that was used in WWII for training purposes. General Patton wanted to get the soldiers ready to fight in West Africa. He needed an area that was hot, dry and remote. Enter our lovely desert! They built stone bunkers and part of them are still standing...And then we got to this...It was much more imposing in person. In one spot there was a rock that would have taken the bottom of our truck off. Up over the hill was another little gully with really steep sides and there was NO WAY we could get across it. The desert conquered us, but we did have a great time and hope to go out and do it again... after I get through my next pile of laundry.

A Full Day
Today is going to be full. I wish it was going to be full of life experiences that I will learn from. Or full of new and exciting things. Or full of laughing with friends and family. It would be nice if it was going to be full of sand, surf and sun. But no. That's not what my day is going to be full of.
Today will be full of laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. Not dirty laundry. No. Clean laundry. You see, I've been keeping up with washing and drying the laundry. I've folded and hung up the things that will wrinkle badly.... and then I've tossed the rest back into the baskets to fold another day. Things like towels, underwear, pajamas... things that don't matter if they look rumpled. But now my baskets overfloweth. Apparently we have a lot of items that I don't care if they are wrinkled.
I have been trying all week to fold them. Honestly I have! One day I even took everything out of the baskets and threw them on my bed. I figured that I would HAVE to fold everything before I could go to bed! Great idea, right? Well, it would have been. But, instead of getting folded, they got put BACK into the basket around 11:00 that night. I was going to fold while watching some T.V. the other day, but then I got involved in another project and didn't watch the show OR fold laundry. I was actually hoping that eventually we would just use all the clean laundry and I wouldn't have to fold and put it away at all. But I've been efficient. I've been washing the clothing as it got dirty. What was I thinking?
Who knew that clean laundry could be such a burden? It's taken over my bedroom and I'm putting my foot down today! So, wish me luck as I try to uncover the master bedroom, fold an endless amount of towels and pajamas, and try to find mates for each sock (that sounds kinda creepy, don't you think?).
So, I want you all to go out there and live life to the fullest! Do something new! Laugh with a loved one! Make a new friend! Because one of us should have fun today. And heaven knows it's not going to be me!

P.S. I was going to add pictures, but Blogger said, "NO! Quit wasting time and get to work!" Who knew Blogger could be such a task master?!

Murphy's Law vs. Prayer
I'm sure we're all familiar with the concepts of Murphy's Law and of prayer. But just in case you need a quick refresher....
Murphy's Law states that anything that possibly can go wrong, will.
Prayer is supplication to a higher power - in my case, it usually involves pleading and often times, begging.
Baby Girl had her birthday last week and I was afraid that Murphy was going to win out. But you know, prayer is a pretty powerful thing... let me give you my examples.
#1 - Baby Girl got up on her special day and stumbled into the living room where she just about passed out. She ate a few bites of breakfast and then was sick to her stomach several times. Not a great way to start out the day. So, I said a quick prayer. By that afternoon, she was feeling so much better. By the evening? She was 100%! The majority of her birthday was spent with her feeling good.
Murphy's Law - 0
Prayer - 1
#2 - We invited some of Baby Girl's friends over for a party Saturday morning. We had planned for the kids to spend the first hour of the party outside. When we first looked at the 10 day forecast it said the weather would be nice and cool. But, as we got closer, they started predicting a wind storm with gusts up to 40 miles an hour right during the party. Not the best weather for kids to be outside painting in. Again, I prayed. And we had a lovely breeze, but no major winds. Our artists created their masterpieces without any interruptions.
Murphy's Law - 0
Prayer - 2
#3 - As soon as the birthday guests started arriving at 10:00 I realized that the gardeners usually showed up around 10:30 every Saturday (we are renting and are NOT allowed to touch the landscaping for any reason). The kids were outside painting and, once again, I said a quick prayer asking that this party would go on as planned. And, once again, my little prayer was answered. The gardeners were late. They didn't get to the house till around 1:00 that afternoon.
Murphy's Law - 0
Prayer - 3
Apparently good ol' Murphy is losing his touch! These examples may seem silly, but to me, they aren't. They are beautiful reminders that God does love us and He wants us to be happy. He cares enough about us to be involved in our lives - even in the little things! Now that I've learned this lesson (again), maybe I'll be able to remember it for awhile... I hope...

Simple
I am not extraordinary. Not in any way, shape or form. I don't like to stand out from my neighbors. I'm more of a "blender". I live my life the way I see fit, but it is nothing to marvel at.
But now, well, now it's time to take a stand. It's still me. Still your Average Jane, but I find myself needing to speak up just a bit. I'm still going to keep it simple. Nothing fancy. No deep thoughts. No big words.
Now, before I get started, I'm going to give a warning: I can and will delete comments. I am going to try and express my feelings in a thoughtful and honest way. But I will hopefully not be hurtful. I encourage you to express your opinions. But, this is a "hot button" topic and I will not tolerate any sort of hateful thoughts. So, everyone, please be on your best behavior or I will put you in the time out corner with the kid who picks his nose... got it? Okay... here we go.
As a citizen of the United States of America, I have the opportunity to vote this fall. As a Californian, I have the opportunity to vote on a State Constitutional amendment - Proposition 8. Want to read about it? This is a Wikipedia article... it presents both sides fairly well. The basic outline of Prop 8 is this: there will be an amendment added to the Californian Constitution that will make marriage legal only between a man and a woman.
Here's what I believe...
... I believe in marriage between a man and a woman. I believe this is sacred. Sacred as in divine. As in set apart by God. And so, I will be voting yes on Prop 8 this fall.
And that's it. I told you this would be simple. If you would like to learn more about my position, you can visit this site. If you disagree with me, that's fine! Please express your opinion, but don't be obnoxious or nasty. If you agree with me, that's fine! Please express your opinion, but don't be obnoxious or nasty. Now... talk amongst yourselves...nicely!

The Force is With Her
First of all, I'm so excited about everything I have accomplished this week! I have a huge pile in my hallway of things I'm hoping to sell at the neighborhood yard sale in a few weeks! I also have a big pile of empty boxes and Rubbermaid containers. It feels so good to get this stuff ready to leave my home. I'm not done dejunking, not by a long shot, which means I'm not quite back into the blogging world, but I had to share this story!
Red had a friend stay the night last night. Both of his parents are nurses and had to work the night shift. So, we had another contributor to the general chaos in our home. He's a good kid and we don't mind helping out. They were really good about going to bed on time and getting up early. Maybe a little too early, but they didn't come in and wake me up, so it's all good!
The boys got ready for school and had half an hour till they had to leave. They asked if they could play with the light sabers and I said sure... so off they went smacking and crashing into each other. Now, Red isn't supposed to use his right arm (the broken one) very much. We went to the doctor yesterday and he said that things are healing well, but that he needs to be very careful for another week or two. He explained to Red that the muscles in his arm and hand are connected to the bone. So, if he uses the muscles, it pulls on the bone and could pull the bone out of place. Which would then mean surgery. This is something we don't want...
So, Red was light saber fighting with his left hand and his friend was really taking advantage of the situation. He had Red backed into a corner and Baby Girl came running into the room...
Baby Girl: Can I play with you guys?
Friend: Um... I don't know...
Red (tired of getting beat up and knowing what would happen...): YOU BET! Let me get you a light saber! (We have plenty of light sabers around the house...)
Now, you need to know that Red's friend is 10. Baby Girl will be 5 tomorrow. This kid outweighs her by 40-50 pounds. But Baby Girl... well, she's fearless! As soon as she had her weapon in hand she attacked. And she held her own. Pretty soon I could hear the friend saying, "Hey, not so hard! Hey!! That's not fair! HEY!!! STOP!!!!!"
I walked into the room to see HIM backed into a corner and Baby Girl striking blow after blow and cackling like crazy! She was relentless and Red was throwing his saber into the fray every once in awhile, but the bulk of the fighting was between the friend and my girl. Eventually, the friend got tired of this tiny creature beating him up and called a time out. Then he ran out of the room hoping to escape for a moment. No such luck. She chased him "Mwahahaha"-ing all the way. She doesn't believe in time out. Especially when she has the upper hand!
Finally the time came for the boys to go to school. Red grinned and said, "She's pretty good, huh?" Baby Girl grinned. The friend? Well, he's a good sport. He grinned too and said, "Yeah, she's good. I guess that was fun."
I probably wasn't the best hostess by letting my teeny little girl thrash on our guest. Perhaps I should have stopped her..... nah! It never hurts to have a victory over a bigger opponent or to have a little humility thrust upon you, right?

Dear Wonderful Awesome Blog Friends,
I just thought I'd let you know that I'm taking a blogging break for a week or so. No reading, no writing. As I look around my home I feel completely overwhelmed by the messes that I see. I'm tired of it. I did a dejunking during the summer, but it seems to have all found it's way back into my home. So, I'm trying again. And I'm in the mood to be brutal. I'm tired of all the crap here in my home. Every time I see a pile of clutter I can feel how it affects me physically, mentally and emotionally. I don't need this in my life. I have a lot of wonderful things to focus on, and the clutter isn't one of them. So, for the next week or two, I am not going to turn my computer on till the evening. I'll check my email and perhaps write a little on Facebook, but I'm afraid that will be it. I've got to make priorities and I'm starting today!
See ya on the flip side!
Melissa

Sporadic Speculation
Okay... so I got tired of calling these random posts "randomly random". I needed something new... I think Sporadic Speculation works... don't you?

• Red's arm is now casted. The orthopedic surgeon would like to x-ray it again next week to see how it's healing. The break is right near the wrist and he's a little concerned about the way it might heal. Last night we saw some friends in Costco and they asked how long Red had stayed in the hospital.... uh, come again? Apparently everyone thought that since Red had seen an orthopedic surgeon that he must have had surgery? Or something like that... hopefully we'll get that set straight... but he is doing great! He went to school today and you should have seen the little crowd that gathered around to make sure he was okay... mostly girls! :)
• Speaking of girls.... do retailers know that not EVERY little girl in the world is in love with Hannah Montana or High School Musical? Baby Girl's birthday is next Friday and I wanted to get her a few shirts... I really had to search to find something that didn't have good ol' Miley Cyrus or Zac Efron plastered to it! I did finally find a few things for our birthday girl.
• Speaking of birthdays....My parents will be here in 3 weeks to help us celebrate our other October birthday - Little Bug. The time is here... he will be 8 years old in 3 weeks. I think I'm coming to terms with the fact that he won't be baptized and probably won't start Scouts... it will be nice to have my parents here! We'll do some fun things and focus on what a great kid Little Bug is!
• Speaking of happier things... Baby Girl has decided to be Fancy Nancy for Halloween! For those of you who are unfamiliar with this Character, Fancy Nancy loves all fancy things! She uses fancy words and then explains what they mean. She loves to dress up and she always looks very "posh" (that's a fancy word for fancy). I'm not sure who's having more fun with this - Baby Girl or me?! I've been buying fun things that will be for her costume, but I'm going to give them to her for her birthday. We're going to curl her hair and put on some fun jewelry and sparkle shoes... I know that most people won't have a clue who she is, but that's not really the important thing, right?
• Speaking of Fancy Nancy... In conjunction with the Baby Girl birthday... I am thinking of baking a Fancy Nancy cake... any ideas?
• Speaking of baking...Baby Girl has her last cooking class today. Let's hope nothing gets burned today... last week, it didn't get burned. We did french toast sticks. We didn't get the sticks back that we had made. We got the kid who soaked his stuff in the egg mixture so long that they didn't cook all the way through. Yeah. We are glad to be done with this class...

I think that's about it for my randomness for today. Thanks again to everyone who gave sweet thoughts and encouragement the last few days! I really appreciate it!