Happy Halloween!

Or as Alex says, "Happy twick-or-tweety day!"

We took Alex to the Zoo Boo at the Detroit Zoo on Friday night with his Grammi and Poppi - what a FUN time! 

Then, on Sunday, we went back to ride the carousel and feed the giraffes--it was the last day of the season to do it and we've been promising him since about 1984. Oh, the irony.

Have a fun and safe night, everyone! And here's a TREAT from me: enter code 'DRUGSTORE40' at Walgreens.com to get 40 FREE 4x6 prints--through tomorrow, only!

My brother wanted to be a weatherman when he was little. I wanted to be a "hair doer."

This is truth. But not just ANY weatherman, he specifically wanted to be Mark Torregrossa from the local NBC affiliate in our hometown. (For the record, time has not been kind to that man. Lay off the teeth whitening, mmmkay? It certainly doesn't detract from your receding hairline.)

Anyway, imagine my delight when Kyle sent this little screengrab over this morning:

In summary: it looks like Kyle found a career that suited him WAY more than weather--teaching. Perhaps he can take our local weathermen to "days of the week" school?

In other news, this rain can suck it. And I'll save the "hair doer" story for (another) rainy day.

Sometimes, I'm a nerd.

It's really all Joey's fault. Until I met him, I honestly could have cared less about gadgets and gizmos. Or is it "couldn't have cared less"? I always get those confused. Lately, I've been obsessed with all things home-related. So pair that with gadgets and...

Enter The Nest.

Um hai there, gorgeous. And you ask, right on queue, "What is it?" It's a learning thermostat! Invented by a team of freakin' geniuses who also had a hand in the first 18 generations of the iPod. So obviously, we can't go wrong, here. Nerds are smart, yo. So is this thing.

Did you know that the average person changes the temperature in their house over 1,500 times a year? (Well, if you're my Dad you can all but triple that number.) And your current thermostat? I bet it's ugl-ee. Like, punch your grandma in the face ug-lee. But this thing? It's gorgeous. A total conversation piece. And yes, I'm talking about a thermostat. Who am I?

Anyway, this thing:

• Installs easily.
• Learns your preferred temperatures and schedule.
• Senses when you leave the house or come home.
• Gives you tips and feedback on your energy use.
• Connects to Wi-Fi so you can control it from anywhere--even your smartphone.
• Looks good. Like me.
• Has a positive impact on the world and will help you cut your energy bills--go green!

I realize this sort of post is totally out of sorts for me - and it's not sponsored! Totally my own, nerdy findings and excitement. I think I'm going to pre-order mine for Christmas!

Do you call it a teeter-totter or a seesaw?

We call it FUN!

The reveal!

So yesterday I posted about my crafting inspiration...and after a few tweaks to MY version last night, I'm ready to share it with the world. (Again, remember that what I posted yesterday was the inspiration piece from Pinterest. Yes, Dad. I'm talking to you.)

Armed with  my 40% off coupons, I hunted for letters at Michaels, JoAnn and Hobby Lobby over the weekend. It was SO STRESSFUL. I know they're just letters, but I was so concerned with what size would look good next to what font and what colors could and couldn't be side by side...oh, I almost had a coronary. It was like craftingmageddon.

I got over that fit, and aside from buying an extra E and two too many Os, I finished the day unscathed and with all the necessary tools and equipment to complete my very first big girl craft project.

Joey and Alex had a daddy/son day on Saturday, so I spent the afternoon arranging letters, planning color patterns and painting.

The big H and M were already gold - and half off at Hobby Lobby! I also got the tin letters (O, T, E) from the Hobs...I thought they would add a zip of "different" to the pattern. You know, not all "cut" letters...turns out I was right. The other letters were random finds from JoAnns and Michaels, but I found JoAnns had the best selection. Which is strange, because I'm usually a Michaels girl.

Instead of $6 spray paint, I bought $0.77 bottles of acrylic paint (Except the teal. That HAD to be spraypaint because I plan on using it a trillion times over. I love it so much I literally might spray paint Alex.)

Note the bowl of Baked Cheetos, can of Diet Cherry Coke,
and ever-so-fancy paper plate paint trays.
This is how I roll craft.

Last night, we laid them all out to try and arrange the best pattern. We tried a few:  
 

After much back and forth, I concluded that the black letter M was just not doing it for me. I painted it the yellow color and that for SURE didn't work. So Joey retreated to the basement and emerged with a random can of silver spray paint. Turns out, that's exactly what it needed.

Basically, I love it. I can't WAIT to hang it. In related news: there's a perfectly good reason it's not hung already. I will cover that soon.

My only hangup is that last H in home. I love the color, but I think I want the size to be bigger. Who's with me?

In summary: I think I have caught the crafting bug. Don't expect me to sew up curtains or decoupage a mural anytime soon, but if it involves spraypaint and shopping, I'm in. And for $30, I'd say this particular craft is a WIN.

Crafty Momma.

I did a CRAFT this weekend. Yeah, that's right. Read it again.

I. Did. A. Craft.

I don't even know if that's grammatically correct, nor do I care. Although, now that I read it again it does sound a tad sexual. The point here is that I saw something that inspired me. And then I re-created it. AND I still have all my fingers and toes and my house is still standing. Parts of my lawn are spray painted red and teal, but that's not the focus here, now is it?

I have a few more tweaks to finish up tonight (after--gasp--input from Joey) and I will post completed pics tomorrow.

Until then, peep at the inspiration piece, courtesy of my new mistress, Pinterest.

Mine is WAY better. Promise.

I did not eat Puppy Chow for breakfast.

Well, that's a lie. Because I did.

And for those individuals that either live in a hole or only eat things Mother Nature provides, I didn't eat dog food for breakfast. I ate CEREAL covered in powdered sugar, chocolate and peanut butter. So it's totally legit.

In other news, "Operation make Joey his freshly ground coffee in the morning" is going very well. Today is Day 3 and I've officially become a pro at setting the coffee pot to "auto brew" at the witching hour of 6 a.m. Also? getting everything prepared the night before is so efficient. Why have I not been doing this all along?!

When all this to-go coffee brewing is paired with my horrible memory (see also: forgetting to bring my travel mugs home every night), I tend to get low on mug options. Thusly, my 2 favorite mugs are currently in the wash. And by "in the wash" I mean they are in the sink, untouched. So today, I'm rockin' a mug with the mugs of my boys:

I know, right?! Christmas 2 years ago. My how time flies. Please also note how adorbs my desk is. Lamp. Desk calendar courtesy of blue soleil, Mentos gum (duh). Love notes from Joey. Everything a girl needs to survive!

Storytelling.

And no, not from Tori Spelling. From Alex. And it's hilarious. Before I got smart enough to bust out the camera, he was telling tales of "Baby Sam-e-oh who wivs in da 'netticut." I die.

I also love how he is seriously looking for the pages of the stories in his book. And by his book, I mean Joey's copy of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo."

And yes, we taught him to say "Uncle" when we tickle him. And he looooooooves to look at himself in the mirror. No self-esteem issues here.



Also? I need a tan. And for those that are curious, day one of "Operation make Joey his freshly ground coffee in the morning" went very well, thankyouverylittle.

Coffee talk.

My husband has a problem. Well, he has many, but today we're going to talk about his obsession with coffee and random small appliance purchases.

This morning on the way into work he dropped the bomb on me that he wants to buy a new coffeemaker. But not just any coffemaker...the kind that automatically grinds the beans FOR you. Right. Here's how that went.

Joey: I want to get a new coffemaker.

Kristi: For real? You do know that we already own two of them, right?

J: Yes, but I want one that automatically grinds the beans for you. So it's like, super fresh. And we can save money!

K: First, we have a coffee maker, a coffee grinder AND a Keurig. I can basically whip you up a mochafrappawhatevermajig at the drop of a hat. And how will buying another machine save us money?

J: But we have to grind the beans ourselves. This one does it for you. And it's FRESH! And we can save money because we can set the coffee maker to brew in the morning and we can take it with us instead of going to Starbuckies.

K: Is grinding your own beans really that labor intensive? And there's nothing that says we can't brew to-go coffee with one of the TWO machines we already own. For me, it's about the snobbery of having Starbucks in the morning, obviously. But, if it is really that important to you to have freshly ground coffee, I will grind the beans and have the coffee pot set to go the night before. And before I get in the shower I will just flick it on and viola! Freshly ground coffee for my weird husband.

J: Our coffee pot has a timer.

K: ::facepalm:: Then why are we having this conversation? We own all the equipment (and good stuff, too!) to do exactly what you're asking.

J: Butbutbutbut it doesn't automatically grind the beans for you. It's, like, SUPERFRESH. Treat yo-self.

K: Stifling laughter at the obviously appropriate 'Parks & Rec' reference. I really don't understand you. You are an anomoly to me.

And then I promised to wake up extra early every day this week to freshly grind his coffee (no, that is not a euphemism) for a to-go cup instead of stopping at the 'buck. He has officially challenged me to this, because when it comes to sleeping for an extra 10 minutes and basically anything else in life, I will always choose to sleep. Always.

However, I am not willing to purchase and find shelf space for yet another coffeepot in my home. So, in the words of Barney Stinson, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

You've been warned.

It's officially that time of year. I have packed away the summer toys. The shorts and tanks. The flip flops. And in turn, I have busted out the turtleneck sweaters. The hot cocoa tins. The extra-snuggly blankets. The heated matress pad. The Christmas music.

YES. It's Christmas-ish time. ::happy dance::

I accept and embrace that I'm a raging lunatic. I realize that I'm one of the few that prefer snow and sweaters over sand and shorts. And if you don't like it, that little red X in the upper right of your screen is the door. Unless you're on a Mac, in which case I have no idea how to excuse you from my presence. Why does your mouse only have one button? Srlsy!

And, on the off chance you were wondering...why yes, my Christmas shopping is done. Complete. Finished. Ta-da! Aaaaaaaaaaand it's mostly all wrapped, thankyouverylittle.

In summary: unless you are pervvy enough to catch a sneaky peaky of me in the shower, you will not see my neck until April 1, 2012. And if you hear me whistling "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," please do not punch me in the throat. I'm just spreading glad tidings and cheer! Also, how is it almost 2012?

Things I do that are totally, admittedly bizarro.

1. When using any restroom that is not in my own home, I never take the first wraparound piece of toilet paper. I always unwind it at least 1 time fully around, toss that piece in the loo and use the next piece.
2. I always hold my breath while walking down the basement steps in my childhood home. Not up, just down. My parents should probably move out before I suffocate on a random visit.
3. Unless others are needed for dress-up reasons, I always wear anklet socks. White.
4. I log into online banking at least 3 times a day, because I am certain someone is going to hack my account. So far, so good.
5. I eat my ice cream and yogurt with Alex's baby spoons because it lasts longer.

Off with their heads!

I'm sure it will be changed soon, but I can hit "print screen" faster than a speeding bullet.

People.com should fire their copywriter. Apparently Geico or Allstate need to get involved in the Queen's affairs...

Click image to enlarge.

See, Dad? My CommunicationS degree does come in handy every once in a great while. ;)

Panny-cakes.

We went out for breakfast on Saturday morning with some friends (hi, Kelly, Mark and Joyce!). Obviously, Alex had the "pannycakes." HOWEVER, when the waitress asked if we wanted the Mickey pancakes, who knew we'd get this little plate of awesome?

Mommy's pannycakes will never again be good enough. Time to start practicing...

That happened.

Apologies to those who are a Facebook friend and are reading this twice, but I wanted to make sure it was documented on le blog as a milestone. And also, I wanted my Mom to know and it's too long to text and she will likely be the second-to-last human being (next to my Dad) to join Facebook.

Anyway, today was "Bring something that starts with the letter D" day at daycare. We talked all last night about what he wanted to bring and settled on the dinosaur and the dump truck. Obviously.

Much to my surprise, when he woke up this morning the little squirt had a different plan. He bounced over to me, chipper as a lark and asked, "Kristi, we go to the donut store?"

Here's what is AWESOME about the above. One: He called me Kristi. I love it. Two: He KNEW that donut started with a "d." And C: He wanted donuts.

He is so his father's child.

Hump Day.

Blah. I find that even Starbuckies is unmotivating today. If it helps, I typed "globber dot com" in the address bar about ten seconds ago...so just trying to get into globber blogger to type this post has been a trainwreck. Happy Hump Day, indeed. Pffft.

And to be fair, I don't really have all that much to talk about. We did experience a "first" this morning -- when asked to brush his teeth (a task typically completed with shining success due in part to the help of Thomas the Toothbrush Train), Sassypants Alex put both hands on his lips and boldly proclaimed, "NO. I will NOT brush my teeth, Mommy!"

It probably didn't help matters that I busted out in laughter instead of remaining calm, cool and collected. Parenting fail.

The good news is his teeth are brushed and we all survived. Perhaps the terrible twos are just a little late knocking on our door.