Quotable Max Quotes

... and other things of interest.

The other she was trying out the potty, again, and had a toy cell phone with her. She starts talking on it and says "Hi. I on potty. I have pink toes. Bye." She pretended to call Ryan the other morning "Hi Daddy. I love you."

Victoria has a large vocabulary and can communicate her thoughts and feelings quite well. She and "E-sha" play together more and more which is great! They even have conversations using Elisha's current vocab.

The weather here changed almost overnight, it seemed. It was quite sudden, actually. One day we ran the A/C for naptime, the next day we didn't need it at all. Haven't used it since, and that was back in September! It has been dipping down into the 40's lately, so I had to dig out some of our winter paraphernalia. In fact, it even snowed last night! It's definitely harder to get out the door with having to bundle not only one's self up, but two little ones as well. Esp. when one or both of those two little ones don't see the need to do so, or have the desire to stop playing long enough to do so. That definitely makes going anywhere a challenge, and, to be honest, it's quite frustrating. Like I tell Ryan often, we have a great day, except when it is time to try and get out the door. Other than that, things go well! It's often a fight to get everything on both of them, keep it on both of them long enough to get out the door and into the stroller, AND remember to grab my jacket and the backpack. It took us half an hour just this morning. Sigh. A traveling circus sideshow, that's us. We are quite the entertainment for the Korean grandmas and grandpas.

Elisha crawls very well now, and pulls up on everything. He can walk around while holding onto our hands or furniture and walls. He's quite fast, and loooooves playing in the toilet, pushing the buttons on the washing machine while it's running, or pestering his sister during her nap. (Although yes, they do normally nap at the same time. Sometimes he goes down later than she does.)

Almost 5 months...

...since I last wrote. Seriously? Craziness.

Well, we moved. To South Korea. (In case you're wondering, yes, I am still entering giveaways as I have time, as I am still a resident of the US, just not there at the moment.) Ryan is teaching High School Social Studies at an International Christian School. He is loving it, and working really hard. The kids are growing by leaps and bounds, and we are enjoying making new friends.

So, between setting up our apartment, maintaining it, taking care of two kids and a husband, cooking, shopping, laundry, etc., now you know why I haven't been around lately. =)

Why...?

...do I write most of my blog posts late at night? I don't know. Maybe it's because everything else is done, or as done as it's going to be for today, Max is asleep, and the TV's off. I don't know. I'm sitting here with Jack passed out on my lap, FINALLY, and thought I'd hop on here and write a quick post. I'm also not normally up this late, but Jack was sleeping fine, then got all super fussy, so we moved down here, so as not to disturb his daddy, who has bronchitis, or his sister, who is sleeping soundly and I'd like to keep it that way. (How's that for a run-on sentence??)

It was definitely one of those days where "when it rains, it pours." Sigh. And yes, it's technically over now (although it won't be until I'm sound asleep in my bed). And yes, tomorrow is a new day. But I don't really anticipate tomorrow being THAT much better than today was. Maybe a bit. We'll see.

Is it hot in here or is it just me?

Doesn't help that I just drank a cup of coffee, does it? Decafe, since it's almost 10:30 at night (I guess I should say 22:30, but then how many of you would have to sit there and do the math to figure out what time it was??). But still coffee. I should be going to bed, and I will be, shortly. Just wanted to stick my head in (yeah, on my own blog, go figure) and say hi.

HI!

Randomly, (What?!?! Corrie's random?? NO!), the buttons down the right side of my blog aren't ads. Okay, they sort of are. But they're there so I can get extra entries into various and sundry giveaways I enter. I've mentioned said giveaways before, just never what the buttons were there for. They do, indeed, link you to that particular blog (or should, anyway. Sometimes they have issues.), which is the point. But they're there for me, not as like, an in your face type thing.

And with that, I will go. Short, sweet. Not insanely long like the current book I'm reading. 1072 pages, to be exact. I'm on page 572. Woohoo!

Good night.

Ask me if I care. Go on, ask!

About LOST? Nope. Watched some, maybe all, of the first season while in Suriname. Tried watching more of a later season while living in the states for year. It had already gotten too weird and hard to follow, and that was 3 1/2 years ago.

About the new Sex in a City movie? Nope. Didn't care about the first one, didn't care about the TV show. Pretty sure I never watched even a bit of it.

About car seat safety, esp. as it pertains to infants and small children? You bet your last dollar I do. Why are people in such a roaring hurry to turn their kids forward facing? It's 5x safer to rear face. FIVE TIMES, people!! It isn't "bad for their legs." They're not "uncomfortable." They can see perfectly fine. Winter coats and car seats do NOT go together. I know it's the end of May, so this is a moot point now, but they didn't go together last winter, and they won't go together this winter, either.
She is rear-facing in this picture- I'm in the seat next to her, with Jack on the other side.

About baby-wearing? You betcha! I won a Sleepy Wrap when Jack was a baby and I adored it. Sad day when he got too heavy for it. I'm currently using an Oh! Snap by Babyhawk, and really really like it. I just strap the baby on my back and off we go.

There are, of course, tons of other things I do and do not care about. Some of them you've probably figured out if you've been paying attention. Others, well, if I don't care about them that much, no need to waste time writing about them, right?

It's Friday!! I think...

wooo hoo!

That is all. Have a good day!

A few things you may or may not have always wanted to know about me...

...inspired by another fun mommy blog I follow. But I can't remember who (whom?). So you'll have to take my word for it. Oh, also, you may or may not care about the following. Can't say I didn't warn you.

1. I cloth diaper my babies. I love it, and it's highly addicting. Except I realized the other day that if I spent as much time and energy sharing the love of Christ and the good news of the free gift of salvation He offers, there would probably be more Christians in the world. How's that for conviction?

2. In case you didn't just figure it out, I'm a Christian. If you didn't already know, I'm sorry. That means I haven't been doing a very good job showing Him to the world.

3. My three most favorite people in the entire universe are my husband, Max, and Jack.

4. I wish my first OB had not been as scare-tactic-y as he was.

5. #4 stems from just having finished watching "The Business of Being Born." WOW.

6. Said movie was amazing. Totally inspiring and empowering.

7. I have driven on the left side of the road more than the right. Because it was law. Figure that one out!

8. I wish I could still jog. But it ends up hurting my knees too much. Bummer, dude.

9. I became a Christian in 2nd grade. Around Easter.

10. I've been trying to do a Random Act of Kindness every day (at least once) since reading that post I referred to in my previous post. A little bit harder to find ones that don't involve money, but I'm working on it. Any suggestions, hit me up!

11. I turned 29 years old this year. I will not be aging any further, however. There will be the 1st anniversary of my 29th birthday, the 2nd anniversary of my 29th birthday... you get the idea.

12. My kids crack me up. They are both a hoot! Does anyone ever even say that anymore?

13. I'm also addicted to thrift stores and yard sales. Is there a support group somewhere for that?

There are, of course, more than 13 things you may or may not have always wanted to know about me, but I'm tired and having a hard time typing. So I'm going to add a picture, or two, then take Jack upstairs and go to bed. Ryan is playing a game with some of his friends. A playdate, if you will.
Not the best picture ever. Bummer. This was at Max's birthday party on Saturday.



The baby on the left is mine. The one on the right is 2 months younger than Jack, and they had a good ol' time playing together on that quilt. They slimed each other, touched each other's heads and hands, it was pretty darn funny.

Well of COURSE!

I'm trying to finish getting the house clean for Ryan's aunt and uncle's (on his father's side) arrival. And of COURSE I manage to break the vacuum cleaner.

Finished sweeping and spot mopping the kitchen floor. Of COURSE I drop food on it.

Max turned 2 today. (Can you believe it??) Of COURSE she has to act like it. (Bless her heart. <-- That's what you say in the South when you're really ticked at someone but still want to be sweet about it.)

BUT, one of my friends on Facebook posted a link to a blog where the lady and her kids did 35 random (ish) acts of kindness on her 35th birthday. WOW. Go read it. I'll wait. ...... Did you read it? Weren't you inspired? If not, why not? I was!! Can't wait to think up and execute RAKs!!!

Diapers I NEEEEEDDDDDD...

...okay, my KIDS need them. But, um, either way- they're on the need list. These particular diapers are called Bagshot Row Bamboo diapers, or BSRBs for short. Why are they a need? Well, they're bamboo. And we all know the amazing reasons to use bamboo. Oh, you don't? Well, where HAVE you been? Bamboo is SUPER absorbent. Super soft. Sustainable- it grows insanely fast. (Some think it grows faster than kudzu. They're wrong. Don't know what kudzu is? Google it.) The list goes on and on. But what makes this particular brand of diapers so desirable for me right this moment are two of her custom fabrics. Annnd there's not current pictures of the fabric I want. So you'll just have to take my word for it. One is the "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" fabric based on the Wizard of Oz. I'm a big Oz fan. (But NOT Ozzy Ozbourne. Nooooo.) The other is a retro-Pac-man fabric, which, when Ryan saw it, he wanted it. And he doesn't usually do that with diapers.

Sooooo I'm trying to win two custom BSRBs from Emi at The Cloth Diaper Report. Unless someone feels the need to stalk her hyenacart site and buy them for me. =)*hint hint hint*

What's new?

Hmmmm...well, Jack has two teeth now. And he knows how to use them, so WATCH OUT! He can move around on the floor on his tummy. A lot of times he just goes in circles, but hey, it's progress. He is still a very very happy baby. Loves to smile and laugh. And grab. And stick things in his mouth. And grab some more. He's a very grabby baby- I don't remember his sister being quite this bad.
That picture's from April. Sorry. Just roll with it.

Max is going to be two tomorrow. ....cue the Whambulance.... WHAAAAAAAAAAA! I don't want my baby to be two! I don't want her to grow up! (Okay, but I also don't want her STUCK at two, kthanxbai.) She's a great big sister to Jack, and takes good care of him.
Let's see... what else is new... well, Lord willing, we should be moving to Korea in two months. Woohoo! My very own apartment to take care of! Ryan will finally be teaching again! We're going to be surrounded by signs and people that I don't understand! It'll be weird. I've been WITH people who are experiencing that, but have only ever experienced it once. In case you're wondering, that "once" was a day trip to French Guyana. (Although why it didn't happen in Brazil, I don't know. Maybe because more people TRIED to understand us and WANTED to help us. Go figure.) Guess I should get off my butt and start learning Korean. Menh, I have birthday cupcakes I need to ice first.

Did you miss me?

Didn't think so! But it's all good. Been busy and such, lots of playing outdoors... once the snow melted... lots and lots of diaper changes, even more feeding of a baby and a toddler. Max isn't two yet, but you can't tell. For a while she screamed bloody murder for every diaper change. That seems to have tapered off, but she's taken up screaming over other things. But she's still super smart, generally happy, and extremely sweet to her baby brother. Who, really, isn't that much smaller than her anymore. Jack weighs approx. 21 lbs at just over 6 months. My arms hurt.

Lots more going on, and did go on, but it'd bore you. =)

What....?

... will I be doing with these?


Not the toddler- the shirt she's standing on. I know what I'm going to do with her: love her forever and like her for always.

How big is the baby?

....sooooooo big!!! Jack loves to eat, loves to sleep, and loves to be happy. He really is a happy, smiley, laughing baby. Even when he had both pneumonia AND RSV last week and into this week he still tried his best to laugh and smile. And yes, he's big!! Just over a week ago he weighed in at 17lbs 4oz. That was about a week before he turned 4 months. Yep, he's a big bundle of cuddles and happiness!

Something to do when you're running low on ideas...

So yesterday we (and when I say "we" I mean "I") whipped out the Cool Whip -or whatever knockoff brand we have in the fridge- and plopped some on a plate for Max to play with. I put a drop of food coloring on it, gave her a toothpick, and let her run amuck. It was great. Entertained her for quite some time.

Started mixing...

Decided it was edible... (okay, I told her...)

Then she discovered that she could use her fingers and get more into her mouth...

And if she uses her WHOLE hand, she can get MORE in her mouth!

Let's put some MORE on our plate!

Or... we could just lick it off the plate.

What Will They Remember?

When my babies are grown, and they talk about their childhood, what will they remember? What do I WANT them to remember? Do I want them to remember a clean house? Nice meals every night? Clean clothes? Fun outings? Reading books together? Playing together? I want them to remember all of those things, but with varying emphasis. I don't want the house to be a pigsty, but I don't want them to remember Mommy as being too busy cleaning to play. Nice meals are all well and good, but I don't want them thinking back on those and wishing I'd stopped and read a book with them. Max and Jack will, eventually I hope, be even slightly appreciative of clean laundry, but not at the expense of taking a walk outside together.

Through a roundabout way I found the story of Layla Grace the other day. She is just over 2 years old, and in what appear to be the final stages of stage 4 Neuroblastoma. As I write this, her mom recently Tweeted that Layla is having a harder and harder time breathing. The page that I linked to at the start of this paragraph is the first post I'd ever read about Layla. Her mother talks about regretting complaining about having a toddler underfoot, and wishes Layla WAS up and running around like a "normal" 2 year old. (I may have paraphrased, forgive me.) While reading this post I got seriously convicted. Now, I had thought of all this stuff in the past, but for some reason it really hit home this time. How often am I more concerned about getting "Stuff" done than I am about playing with and loving on my babies? How often do I get frustrated at Max for doing normal toddler things that are simply creating a bit more work for me? How many times have I gotten short with her because of my own selfish desires to do what I want to be doing??

In fact, right before reading that very post, I had snapped at Max for something stupid and small. It was my pure selfishness, and she hadn't done anything really wrong.

Having "met" Layla and read her story, I now am striving to cherish my babies more, spend more time with them, and less time worrying about the stuff that doesn't really matter anyway, and that they won't care about in the long run. I don't know why God is allowing Layla and her family to endure this pain and heartbreak, but I do know that Layla and her family have touched more lives, mine included, then they will ever know.

Sleepywrap!

You know how Oprah has a "Favorite Things" episode where she highlights and gives out her favorite things for that particular time? (Like summer or whatever. Say what you will about Oprah, she's got some cool faves and giving them out to her audience is way cool.) Well, if Oprah had a baby, then I'd be willing to bet good money that the Sleepywrap would be at the top of her list of favorite things until said baby was too heavy to be worn in it.

When I first saw wraps in general, I was seriously daunted. It looked like a ton of work to put on, and how could it possibly be more comfortable than a Snugli (patooie!) or a ring sling? Well, the more types of carriers that I tried, and the more I read about the Sleepywrap, the more I really really really really wanted one. And finally, I won one! (Yeah, I could have just BOUGHT one, but that would have been too easy.) Now, after having used mine for just over 2 months, I don't know how I survived without it. Both with DS, now, and with my DD, who is now 20 months. With her, i just had a ring sling and a Snugli (patooie!), so I didn't wear her unless I really really needed to. Looking back, I can only wonder if I would have been more relaxed and confident as a first time mommy and if she would have been a happier, more content baby, if I had had a Sleepywrap. Having the wrap now with DS is simply amazing. I can wear him almost wherever, whenever. (The exceptions being in the car, while taking a shower, etc. You get the idea.) He's happy, I'm happy, and stuff still gets done. When he's awake he can look around and laugh and smile, and then when he goes to sleep I can tuck his head under one of sides of the wrap, and it's supported and I can continue with what I was doing.


He's well over 15 pounds now, at just 3 months, and this wrap distributes the weight AMAZINGLY well. I wore him at the mall the other day for 3 hours and had no discomfort whatsoever. When he's fussy, putting him into the wrap calms him down almost instantly. On the rare, rare occasion that he does fuss while being worn, at least I know he's okay until I can get to taking care of whatever is bothering him, and his crying doesn't stress me out like it does if he's in his swing NOT being held.

Okay, so I know a lot of people like to do lists for pros and cons, so here's mine for the Sleepywrap:

PROS:
- easy to use, after initial time or two of learning
- happy baby
- happy mommy
- truly hands-free
- ease of portability
- machine washable!!
- weight distribution is AMAZING
- can be used by almost anybody, regardless of size or weight. (I.e.- DH who is 6'6" and over 280 can wear the same wrap as I can.)

(Yes, he's striking a "isn't my butt sexy?" pose.)

CONS:
- not safe nor recommended for back carrying
- I have yet to figure out how to nurse while wearing DS in it. UpstateMomof3 says she's done it, but I haven't gotten around to e-mailing her to ask how.

Would I recommend this to a friend? YES YES YES. I think EVERYONE with a baby should own one. They are VERY affordable and, as I mentioned before, I seriously wish I'd owned one when DD was a baby.

Smiling baby!

I haven't been around for a while... sorry! Did you miss me? You probably shouldn't answer that unless the answer is "yes." Body After Baby has been slightly derailed, but oh well. I've been busy sewing and fixing diapers. It's been a lot of fun! Then Max got sick. Then Jack and I got sick at the same time. Max is almost better, and Jack finally slept well last night, but I think it's going to take a while longer for him and me to get better.

Jack is almost 4 months old! So crazy. He's generally a very happy baby- loves to laugh, smile, chuckle, etc. (So when he was being super cranky I knew for sure he was sick!) And he already weighs just over 17lbs! He and Max wear the same diapers now, same sizes and all! It's nice for stuffing and grabbing!


Did you make it this far? Good for you! Ugh, now if my nose would just STOP running, I'd be set...

Things- Day 2 + Menu Plan Monday

Continuing in the Things Week, today is Things I never get tired of eating. And since it's Monday, I'll throw this week's menu plan in, too. Now I just have to go make it...

Things I never get tired of eating and/or baking:
- Christmas Crack
- hot cocoa
- twizzlers
- pizza
- lasagna
- chocolate
- Matt's chocolate chip cookies
- Pad Thai
- Surinamese food =)
- McDonald's french fries
- donuts from Country donuts

And, since I've not gotten around to it, there's no menu plan yet. Oh well.

Things- Day 1

The other day I was washing dishes (or something like that) and thinking about various and sundry things, and I decided that I wanted to try and do a whole week of posts about "things." Today's is:

THINGS I LIKE TO READ
I love to read. My mom did a great job fostering a love of reading in both me and my 2 brothers. My parents modeled reading in their downtime in front of us, my mom read out loud to us pretty much every day while we were growing up, and they read us good stuff.
Lately I haven't had much of a chance to read. I figured out when it was still just Max and us that trying to pick up a book while there's a baby moving around isn't the easiest thing. I'd have just found my place only to have to put my book down and stop her from doing something or other. I do still use the computer because it's a lot easier to pick up and put down. =) I was also reading before going to sleep at night, but now I'm so tired by the time I can even GET in bed that I go right to sleep. Like, seriously, pass out.

But anyway, here are some things I like to read:
- the Bible. I'm not as good about it as I should be, but I do try.
- mysteries. Lee Child ROCKS, as does F. Paul Wilson, Tess Gerritson, James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, and a slew of others.
- humor. Patrick McManus-good, clean fun. Comics like Baby Blues (a bit close to home...), Zits, Get Fuzzy, Foxtrot. I suppose Janet Evanovich falls into this category, as well.
- various magazines.
- non-fiction baby books. Take the Baby Whisperer, for example. She's awesome. Seriously. Oooohhh that reminds me that I meant to pick up a book at the library called "Things to Do with Toddlers and Twos." I checked it out sometime last summer/fall, and really liked the ideas it had, but need to check into it again.
- historical fiction and non-fiction. I think I've read the majority of books out there about the Holocaust.
- cookbooks and such. Yeah, I'm a dork.

I'm sure there are more, but it's time to take a shower and go to bed. And if I get up NOW I might have time to read!! =)

No, no, no

So, like I said in yesterday's post, I missed last week's BAB post. But I'm here now. Hopefully. I'm misspelling a TON of words, so... we'll see.

Last week's BAB question was "What is your favorite part of your workout?" (Or something along those lines... it was my question, which I'm totally stoked about!)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE kicking and bicycle crunches. Am I weird? Probably. I save those for last because I look forward to them.

This week's question: Why do you want to lose weight and/or get healthier? What is your motivation?
Well, mainly because I HATE the way I look with this much extra weight on me. I know what I look like *normally* and this ain't it. I also want to fit into my regular clothes again. I don't want to have to buy new clothes in a larger size. I don't want to keep having to wear my size small maternity clothes.
Get healthier? Probably a good idea....

Kerplunk, sort of

I didn't do a Body after Baby post last week. You may or may not have noticed. Mainly because I went a bit overboard over that previous weekend in the eating crap department. And in the not exercising department. Sigh. So I was feeling like I had fallen off the wagon.
And I'm having a hard time getting back on said wagon. Too much to do, not enough time. And so I missed last week's Body after Baby challenge link up, which is sad because her question for everyone was the question I had submitted!!! Grrrr.... silly me. I also didn't weigh myself last week or this week. I keep meaning to, but things get in the way, and I don't.

In other news... menh, same old, same old. Although I did get the GroBaby kit that I won from a giveaway in the mail today. Yippeee!! And Leg Huggers, too. =)

Food food food! Or, Menu Plan Monday.

I did it again! I made a menu plan, and it feels good! LOL. And we actually DID last week's menu, so YAY!! Both the recipes I tried from that Asian cookbook turned out marvelously, and I'm trying the Phad Thai from it this evening.

Monday- Vegetarian Phad Thai (minus the tofu. Tofu is gross.), salad

Tuesday- Spaghetti with Italian sausage, carrots, bread (if I get around to making it.)

Wednesday- Chicken Taco Soup, salad, and possibly cheese fondue

Thursday- Sweet and Sour Shrimp, rice, fruit

Friday- Beef or Turkey Tamale Bake, corn

The Witching Hour

Surely you've heard that phrase. Usually in reference to a certain time of day where all heck seems to break loose at once in your house. People with school age children tend to complain about that time right before dinner. For some, it's bathtime. For others, bedtime. I decided today that, for us, it's right before lunchtime. That 30-45 minutes before lunch is a nightmare. I realize that part of it is Max is hungry and tired. But take today for instance. 11:15 am. Jack is sleeping peacefully on the couch. Max is happily watching "Pat the Bunny Playdates." All of a sudden she decides she wants something she can't have. (If I remember correctly, that is...) So she starts screaming. Shrilly. Which wakes up and upsets her brother. So HE starts crying. Loudly. THEN they decide to have a contest to see who can cry/scream the loudest. I'm not even kidding. NOTHING calms either one down.

Now, I KNOW Max's main deal is that she's hungry and tired. But will she let me put her down to make something to eat? Not without screaming about it. And let's not forget the 2 1/2 month old who is ALSO still crying. After a fight I manage to strap Max into her seat, cut up some string cheese to mollify her, and hold her brother, while finishing getting something for her to eat. ARGH.

In case you're wondering, yes, I think I've learned my lesson. From now on I'll work on having something for her to eat before the hullabaloo begins.

Self-control- I haz it

(In case you're wondering, yes, I know how to spell. The "haz" is from LOLCats.)

Moving on.

Yes, I have been exhibiting self-control over the last couple of days. For the most part. We GAVE AWAY most of the 2nd batch of Christmas Crack. (And NO, Grammi T, I'm not telling to whom.) *pats self on back*

I've only been putting 2 teaspoons of sugar into my coffee, instead of, ummmmm..... more.

I did really well with hopping on the treadmill and such. Except I took Sunday off, and didn't have a chance on Monday. Or yesterday. We'll see what happens with the rest of today, but it's not looking good.

I DID, however, get to my goal weight for the week (taken on Tuesday), which was 157. Yay!

So SO happy that Samantha over at Mama Notes is hosting this!! It's really helping!

Wordless Wednesday #2

Then... at 3 days old...

And now (okay, last week)... at 2 months and 6 days old...

Yum!

The Stir-fry Chicken with cashews that I made on Monday turned out perfect!! It was ALMOST identical to one of our favorite dishes from an awesome Thai restaurant in Suriname. SO happy! It was a hit with everyone, including Max.

A menu plan, for a change!

It's been a while since I've done this... I'm going to blame it on Jack again. I always dread sitting down and making a menu for the week, but then once it's done I feel SO much better! I'm not wasting my time in the mornings going "what are we going to eat???" "what should I cook???" etc.

Two of this week's recipes are out of that new Asian cookbook I talked about yesterday. Every time I flip through it I find MORE recipes I'm excited about. But I figured it was best to limit myself to 2 out of there and see how it goes.

Monday: Stir-fry Chicken with cashews, rice, cucumber salad.

Tuesday: Beef with Black bean sauce, rice pilaf, salad.

Wednesday: Orange-Scented Carrot Soup, bread, fruit.

Thursday: Salisbury Steak with potatoes, salad.

Friday: Chef Salad

And now I have to go cut up chicken and check on those gluten free banana muffins in the oven.

So excited!

One of our newly discovered favorite things to do on a Sunday afternoon is hit up Barnes and Noble. Okay, it's a "newly discovered favorite thing" because up until it turned insanely cold, we'd go to parks and play. And then Jack came along, and we'd all take nice long afternoon naps. Well, Max and Jack still take naps, as do I, on occasion, but it's nice to get out of the house and go somewhere that Max can run around and play. We don't usually buy anything, just make a mess. I mean... nooooo we never make a mess. (I DO try to clean up after Hurricane Max...)

Today we discovered their after Christmas stuff. I remembered about the candy sale at CVS, and the sale at Kohl's, but somehow managed to forget about it everywhere else. But, back to B&N. They had tons of amazing stuff for basically dirt cheap. My most favorite finds were a "Wicked" calendar (based on the musical, which is based on the book) and an Asian cookbook. The cookbook has a recipe for what appears to be Ryan's favorite Javanese beef dish from Suriname, as well as several recipes of stuff we would order at our most favorite restaurant in the whole world- Garden of Eden. I'm SOOOO excited!!! (Hence the title of the post.) They have recipes for lots of dishes that I've had before and am looking forward to trying.

There are some things I WON'T be trying: Chilli Octopus Salad. Chargrilled Thai-Spiced baby Octopus. Peking Duck Pancakes. Salt and Pepper Squid. You get the idea.

Moving on. Also snagged a Crock Pot Made Simple cookbook and a Good-Housekeeping Best Loved Desserts cookbook. Yay!

Yesterday I made a double batch of Christmas Crack. AKA Magic Toffee Brittle. You get the idea. Kind of counterproductive, though... you know, to the treadmill and weight loss goals...