half of three scores and ten

Rafe, shown here with his "I hate to take pictures" face, turned 35 this weekend! For his b-day, we went to Dallas to see the Mavericks play the Jazz. He got to see his boy Paul Millsap, who now plays for Utah:

I got to see (live-in-action!) 7-foot German Maverick Dirk Nowitzki, soon to be MVP:

A great time was had by both. (Other celeb spottings included: Mark Cuban, Bill Bellamy, Joel McHale of The Soup, Raven Simone, and Brandon Routh of Superman Returns. You take what you can get.)

easter egg hunt (blah, blah, blah)

the easter mama brought them baskets (yes, that's what i told them)yay! paintbrushes!

the thrill of the hunt
she's happy here
elle and rhoda
my mom's azaleas
stopping to assess the situation...poor strategy, my childelle and egg
my boy Logan
baby girltrying to keep that sweater on...at least we didn't get snow like shannon

...and they must find something to cry about...
...both at the same time!

Oooh, I'm just like them. A whining, crying little girl with a complaining heart. And because I'm just like them, we've been butting heads like nobody's business. Especially the 6-year-old and me. I have so little patience with her right now, probably because I see myself in her over and over again and I can't stand it. So maybe pray for Anna Kate and her mother if we come to mind.

As for the blah, blah, blah, (a little a-hrefing for you AD fans) that's how I've felt the past few days. Generally discontented and blah. Ugh. Not exactly thrilled with the occupation I've been given. That's just the truth, folks. I have seen my utter selfishness in whole new lights and it hurts. I hate it. And joy just feels a bit elusive today. I've never been more aware that in every detail of my life, I am at the mercy of the One who made me. I love these two girls so much and lately I have not been the kind of mother I would hope for them...I want to love them as the ultimate Parent loves me. And I can't do it. Unless...
God, please help me...again have mercy....

I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow my foot to slip; He who keeps me will not slumber...The Lord is my keeper; the Lord is the shade on my right hand. The sun will not smite me by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect me from all evil; He will keep my soul. The Lord will guard my going out and my coming in from this time forth and forever.

This I call to mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is His faithfulness.And thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ... 2Cor 2:14

snapshots of the little boogers...march 07

experimenting with sponge rollers

I'm begging Elle to smile here...

typical...

Elle throwing gang signs?

AK's new friends, "Crystal" and "Diamond" (hehe)

Elle doesn't really like "callapitters"

Anna Kate loves 'em

Elle's warming up...

Letting the friends go a week later, after we acquired 10 or so...

Bad News about Crane Flies

I've heard it rumored that every Spring a specific insect will overpopulate for some reason, and an abnormal number of that one certain pest will start bugging around. Maybe my Tech friends remember the ladybug infestation in the dorms one year, then the stenchy cricket explosion the next? You couldn't walk across Centennial Plaza without getting cricket guts on your shoes and nausea from the smell. Well, this year it has to be the Mosquito Hawk. Maybe it's just me, but I host at least 20 of these visitors every day in my home. And apparently my little house guests keep sending word to their friends about the wonderful amenities at the My Last Name Hotel.

The things are getting on my nerves! They're big, dumb, and invading my space. To make matters worse, Elle is petrified of them. "Mama! I don't like those mosquita hops flying all around this house!" And that's what they do: flit all around this house, only to lay to rest (I'm sure it's all the hurried breeding they've done that's killed them) on my window sills, the overrun cemeteries that sit under my windows.

The good thing is they pose little challenge to their predators. They're super slow and kinda nervous. If they weren't so easy to catch and flush down the potty (or if I'm feeling merciful, throw outside) I'd surely be a bit intimidated.
I kid you not, there is one so close to me now, I can hear its stupid little wings flapping against the wall. Aaaaaaargh!!!!!

But! I'd always heard these clumsy things eat mosquitoes! Right! Haven't you? So, in hopes of assuring myself of this redemptive quality, which is a huge one if true!, I googled the mosquito hawk. Here's what I found over and over again:

What people often call "Mosquito-hawks" or "Mosquito-eaters" are actually Crane Flies. Crane flies are large tan-colored fragile flies with long legs. Contrary to popular myth, Crane flies do NOT prey on mosquitoes.

DANG! Now I just hate them!

..... I remember when I didn't mind the ol' crane fly. Seems like yesterday. I mean, they don't bite. They don't swarm around your head. And, back then, their *duh* quality was kind of endearing. And, of course, I thought they hawked mosquitoes. So, compared to all the other pests coming and going out my front door, I kinda liked the little boogers. Not no more.

If you're disappointed like I am, that not only is the mosquito hawk annoying but completely worthless, take heart: I have found satisfaction in a new sport you might also enjoy. It's called "sneak up on the mosquito hawk with your Dust Buster, turn it on, and watch the number of 'em in your house decrease by one." The bigger ones are fighters and sometimes escape the suction, but I'm getting good and they'd do better to just stay out of my way and outta my house!!!

my top five

Prospect Street, Gloucester, 1928

Hotel Room, 1931

Rooms by the Sea, 1951

Compartment C, Car 293, 1938

Early Sunday Morning, 1930Chop Suey, 1929

El Palacio, 1946

New York Movie, 1939

I never met an Edward Hopper I didn't like. Love, really. This is my top five. It's a loose five 'cause they're all so amazing...it's impossible to pick. This list almost does for me what my other top five does.

( But that is another subject. )

bittersweet chocolate stain

My weekend project was staining this rocker. (I say that like I have a project every weekend. Ha!) Six years ago when I left the office of Brian D. Basinger, D.D.S. to stay at home with Anna Kate, my boss and co-workers gave me this chair as a baby/going-away gift. It is very special to me for that reason and because, of course, it's where I rocked my girls when they were little. It was in the nursery with Anna Kate til she turned 2. Then, when she moved up, the rocker stayed put in the nursery for baby Elle to come along. But a few months ago, Elle's room got to be so full with toys and other junk that I decided it was time for the rocker to go. I could never really part with it, so I had to find another spot for it: the den. Not my choice of seating for that room, but we did need another chair in there so...I decided I'd stain it to better fit with the other furniture in there. I finally got around to it this weekend.

It was an emotional thing to do, taking the rocker out of the "nursery." Cause you know what that sounds like: sounds like not having any more babies. Rafe and I are content. We feel complete with our two girls. So we're not wanting to have any more children. Still, it's sad to know there will probably never be anymore tiny feet like Noel's, or miniature fists clenched around my index finger, or sweet feedings in the middle of the night with that stare into your face that tells you no one will ever be more in love with you... But, with the ones God has given us, how could we ever ask or want for more? That's how I feel right now.

So, anyway. About this staining business, I have some words of advice: don't skimp on the preparation process. I know, know, KNOW this, but I was really looking for a quick-fix, wanting to get away with not much effort. The rocker had never been stained, but did have a couple coats of polyurethane. But I found my lazy self barely sanding the thing, much less chemically stripping all the poly off, which I totally should have done. So with my fingers crossed, I went to work staining, somehow trusting it would work like it should, the chair magically absorbing the stain as if the wood were bare. Well, it didn't. I chose a stain called Rich Ebony, which I imagined would be very dark, almost black...like ebony or something. Instead, it ended up this chocolate color--not exactly what I wanted--but all in all, it's fine. Because it's still my special rocker.

And now we have more space in Elle's room for big kid stuff. A good thing. But I will miss using my chair for its once intended purpose.

the toilet talk is overflowing...

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard the words "poop," "tee-tee," and "toot" (followed by rounds of giggling) from the mouths of my little ladies in the past month alone, I could afford to send them to a real live etiquette school. Cause they're obviously not getting the kind of home-training they need in that department. My own lady-like discretion is simply not enough to balance the free-speaking ways of their father. Yes, I blame it on him.

He asks me, "Why do they talk about potty stuff so much. Why do they think it's so funny? I don't talk about it that much. What? I don't." Hmm-mm.

Since Rafe assumed, when he first saw it, that this shirt was for adults, I should call attention here: I'm pretty sure it's intended for the 4-and-under crowd. Which makes it pretty funny to me. The other way, not so funny. Tho I think he was better amused with his first impression. (See what I'm up against here?)

Ladies, do your sweet angels enjoy talk of this nature? Or just mine?

Make a Meez pleez

LAUREN AS ELINOR

I was introduced to Meez.com today via Jen's blog. You have to try it. Make your own "3-D ID" and if you want, email me your code and I'll post it here with mine, or put it on your own page--I want to see it...oooh, fun!

MEEZ AGAIN

ANNA KATE

RACHEL (designed by Lindsey)

MIKE (designed by Lindsey)

LINDSEY, self-meez

SUSAN (designed by Lauren)

BEKAH (by Lauren)

BEKAH w/ a Route44 (by Lauren)

CHERISH, self-meez

SIC, self-meez

CALLIE, by Lauren and Cherish

The novelty of this meezness is wearing off, even for me. But this post wouldn't be complete without a meez Rafe. When I asked him if he wanted me to make him one, he looked at me like this:

Guess he was never really intrigued in the first place. Love you, Honey! :)

Last, but not least, a self-meez by our friend ARTHUR, pretending to be a weirdo. (But he's completely harmless. This image of himself probably makes him want to hide under the covers.)