It's been a while...

...and I've missed you all.

Unfortunately this is going to be short and sweet...a working mom's job is never done. That, and I'm feeling highly uninspired.

So, hopefully I've broken the seal, and I'll start showing my face around here a little more.

However, in the meantime I have a few shout-outs to my adoring public.

To AMM: For the love of God, if you want me to blog so badly, just invite me to lunch. I'm almost as amusing in real life as I am in blog world.

To the rest of you, I'm back!

P.S. Obviously Lydia is growing like a weed. She's walking, and trying to talk, and generally just a sweet, sweet handful. More on that later.

The Flobots - Rise Lyrics

Stuck on Repeat

This song is on repeat in my head right now.

I would say that it's driving me crazy--but that would be a lie. For some reason I like this song way more than I probably should.

What I don't like is the terrible funk that seems to be accompanying my everywhere this afternoon.

I keep trying to shake it, but to no avail.

Watermelon Festival

Sunday afternoon after Lydie (& I) napped, we headed to Carytown with Aunt Shan for the Watermelon Festival. It was great fun, and Lydia was really a great sport.

Massey was also proud of me because I managed to only spend $1.00 on our watermelon--much better than my trip to the Farmer's Market the day before!

I'd say the highlights were listening to all of the music (and it's great when you're carrying a baby on your hip--all of a sudden you have free creative license to dance around while you're walking down the street--which I'm not surprisingly a huge fan of doing), eating delicious watermelon, checking out the baby consignment store (definitely going to have to spend more time there as a consignor!) and registering to vote in Richmond (I also may or may not have volunteered my time to a particular presidential candidate...).

We head back to Aunt Shan's (adorable) apartment around 5:00pm and finally got home around 5:30pm--hence my earlier comment about Lydia being a great sport. While it meant that she stayed up later than normal (she PASSED OUT in the car on the way home), we also got to spend good quality family time together before starting the week.

Below are a few more pictures from the day:

Aunt Shan & I enjoying some watermelon. Please note two things: 1. I am wearing the brown dress again (this time with a different necklace), and 2. Shan is wearing my hat. Let's just say I have a freakishly large head...

Lydia enjoying some watermelon. I swear, that girl could (and would) live off of watermelon if we let her!

Lydia being my hairstylist. And let me tell you, she did a fabulous job!

Catching a ride back to Aunt Shan's with Daddy.

IRL

(aka In Real Life)

Saturday night was so fun! MF and P are in town for the week, and so the four of us went to dinner at LuLu's (we even got a babysitter!).

I was initially kind of nervous that maybe we wouldn't be able to make our blogosphere relationship translate into an IRL friendship. Turns out, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Not only did MF and I get along famously, but so did P and Mass. They even have the same birthday. Of course upon discovering that, MF and I immediately state, "well, we chose the same bridesmaids dresses" as though that were the same as a birthday (although, I still think it probably is...).

We had so, so much fun that Mass and I were actually kind of sad when it was over. Sad because they live nowhere near us, so our date night with them unfortunately can't become a regular occurrence. Anyway, I'm having a "blog fart," if you will. Enter pictures from the evening.

Our pre-dinner hors d'oeuvres. Two different kinds of stuffed pepperdews (thanks, Kaye!)--one Brie and one Blue--with olives. So easy, and yet so pretty.

MF and I waiting for our table. Please note the brown dress.

The four of us at dinner. In the future, please remind me to not tuck my hair behind my ears. They are big. That is all.

Veggies, Tarts, and More

Saturday morning we woke up and decided that we should head out to the 17th Street Farmer's Market. After all, we used to LOVE going to the one in Williamsburg, and really miss going.

It was great. Different, but great. I guess we weren't expecting so many....booths that didn't sell produce...or anything edible. Which gets me to the "and more" part of this post's title. Obviously, I was responsible for the "and more." I bought a great dress. No, I can't wear it to work. And no, I can't wear it past the summer. But yes, it does look great on, and I love it. So much that you'll see it featured in not one, but TWO events from this weekend. Not only is it great looking, but I'm also lazy :0)

When we were getting ready to leave, I saw eggplant, and thought to myself, "hmmm...I wonder how you cook eggplant." Ask, and you shall receive. I got two great recipes from the woman who was in charge of the stand. Of course I'll be sure to let y'all know how they go. I'm going to try one tonight, I think. At the last stand we also got a mini-Sweet Potato Tart. It was to. Die. For. I loved it, and so did Lydia.

Anyway, below are some pictures Massey took while we were there. Lydia decided mid-tart that it was time for her to take off across the Market...hence the bib.


All I can say is that I hope she starts walking solo soon (but not really)--running around like that can really get to be a pain in the back (literally)!

Lydie's First Day of School

Today was Lydia's first day of school in Richmond. I know, I know...she's done the whole "first day of school" thing before. But that was in Williamsburg. So clearly this is a new and different first.

It was all fine and dandy. Until I left. And she cried. So obviously I almost cried. And promptly picked her up as soon as possible.

I also obviously had to take a picture of her all ready for school and in her big girl seat, at that. It's ginormous (but more on that later).

Beach Bears

Because I am slightly...over the top, when we were told to be creative about our final presentation in class, I of course jumped on it as an opportunity to make the cutest cupcakes I have seen in a loooooong time. I found the picture while randomly browsing blogs one day, and decided to file the idea away in case I ever got the chance to make them.

I simply made basic vanilla cupcakes (and when I say "I" made them, I mean Betty Crocker and Massey did...such a great guy), let them cool, and then went to work decorating them.

For the sandy beach I lightly frosted with vanilla frosting (again, from a can) and rolled the tops in graham cracker crumbs. For the half and half cupcakes, I frosted with blue, and then just rolled half the cupcake in crumbs. Keep in mind that the blue still shows through so I just sprinkled more on top for more coverage.

I also decorated my mini teddy grahams the night before so that their frosting/gel bathing suits would be hard and easier to work with when I was decorating with them. From there, I let my imagination go wild.

Hangin' out in the water(inner tube=life saver gummy). Please note the "surfer girl" in the background riding a wave. Yes, I did frost her back with a bikini.

Post-wipe out. I guess they're going to have to fight over who gets to use the surf board (aka cut up Fruit by the Foot)!

Beach bum laying out while a bikini bear relaxes in an inner tube. I also had some on their tummies with the inner tube around their middle (I cut life saves in half and stuck them on either side).

Love birds on the beach enjoying the shade. I just went to a party store and got drink umbrellas. All I had to do was snip down the middles so they weren't so gargantuan.

I made five plates like this--one for each table. That means I made 35 cupcakes--10 all sand, 15 half and half, and 10 all water. You can also see the "surfer girl" (and her back) a lot better in this picture. On one side of the plate we had tropical/beachy napkins, and on the other side we had our handouts which I made to be like invitations to the beach party. Adorable.

This was such a fun project--and so (relatively) easy! Then again, I pretty much live for being able to use my creativity!

Enjoy!

"Together We Rise"

Saturday night Massey and I headed out to the National (FAB theater, btw) to see the Flobots concert. While I was a little hesitant and more than a little skeptical, I am so glad that I went. It was by far one of the greatest concerts I've ever been to.

Who(and what) are the Flobots? Glad you asked.

No, they are not robots on their period (haha, very funny...).

The best way to describe them (totally ripped off from some guy Mass overheard at the concert) is as a subversive (but not in a negative way) white rap group. And the word "rap" doesn't really do them justice. I mean, Massey's favorite band member was the VIOLIST. As is she played the VIOLA.

I'm not sure really how to explain the atmosphere and the concert itself. I guess the best way to describe it is by telling y'all a little bit about myself. I am not a clapper. I loathe clappers. Not in church. Not at concerts, never. I am also not a fist-pumper, hand waver, or otherwise get-involved-in-the-music-er. Occasionally we'll sing one of my favorite hymns at church and I'll do a little bounce/sway jig. But that is it.

I was clapping. I was hootin' and hollerin'. I fist-pumped with the music. I sang along. We did the hand/arm waving thing (although I'd be lying if I wasn't also simultaneously thinking about "Hey, Ho" and Kool-Aid...).

And then sometimes I just stood there. Arms folded, soaking in the lyrics. Basking in their charisma. It was intense.

After the show when the sound tech people were cleaning up, I recognized one of them as a family friend. Massey obviously yells above everyone else in the place, "HIS NAME HERE!" Being a good sport, he came over for hugs and to chat. When he asked what we thought, all I could think to say was, "It was awesome. I mean, like almost holy, awesome." I stand by that comment and only add that when I left I wanted to find the cure for HIV/AIDs, join the Peace Corps, make peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, rebuild the levys, and generally effect change and save the world.

And then I started thinking. How lucky am I that I have a daughter. I can effect change every day simply through what I teach her and demonstrate by example. There is no greater way for me to make this better than to strive to impact the next generation such that they are better. Isn't that what every parent wants? I mean, reading Quirky today, I certainly realized that my mistakes--sure, they were mistakes--but good gravy did I learn a lot from them. So while I won't pass on either a. the nitty gritty details of them to my children or b. the hope that they experience them themselves, I do hope that I can pass on what I learned from my mistakes, and the ability to learn and grow from their own.

Since I can't get YouTube to post to my blog for some bizarre reason, I'm going to instead hope that you go to YouTube to check it out yourself.

Saturday, a.k.a Migraine Day

Ugh. Just typing the title of this post absolutely made me feel terrible. Like, instantly.

I woke up Saturday morning, and before I even OPENED MY EYES, I knew I was in for a doozie. I of course, being the good blogger that I am, was reminded of Mamalicious's recent headache debacle and prayed mine wouldn't be as bad.

And before any of y'all get your fingers wagging about how I probably was just feeling the night before, let me tell y'all it was so not that. Two cocktails over four hours does not a hurtin' Abby make.

Anyway, so thank goodness Massey was around to step up and win the father-of-the-year award because I was completely out of commission ALL DAY. Like, nauseated, light sensitive, had to sleep with a weighted pillow over my eyes, out of commission. It was terrible. Miserable. Rip my eyes out uncomfortable.

My only goal of the day was to hit the downward side of the terribleness of this migraine in time to a. take Lydie for her first sleepover at D&D's house and b. go to the concert later that night. All I have to say is THANK GOODNESS for Motrin. I began my love affair with it in the hospital after having Lydie, and have been a major fan ever sense. Although, I guess I shouldn't really be that surprised it worked--I would have been more surprised if taking them like candy (like 3 every 2ish hours) hadn't done something.

Anyway, so around 5pm we arrived at D&D's to drop of Lydia for her VERY FIRST sleepover. I was such a worried little mommy. I wrote out a schedule, packed a TON of stuff, and had a hard time leaving. I called in the morning to check in on her--fine. Perfect. Slept through the night, and was happy as a clam. While I should have been uber excited (Yes! We can do it in the future, too!), I was also kind of sad--you mean she didn't miss me at all?? Not even an itty bitty bit? All in all though I think it was a great experience that will most definitely be repeated (probably on a very regular basis).

The concert was also A-FREAKING-MAZING! But that'll get it's own post--it was too incredible to include here :0)

Too Old, Too Many Clothes, and Too Sober

That's the best way to describe this past Friday night out with Shan. Now, don't get me wrong--we definitely had good fun (and even better, I was in bed by 11:30pm), but we definitely had fun because of the situation--not because of the places.

We started out the night at Sine(there's an accent mark over the "e"--accent ague, I think--just don't know how to do it) and quickly decided we were too young, and too...cool isn't the right word...but close enough. So after one drink each we were off to Richbrau. We figured that if we again were "too" something, we could at least (try to) play pool.

Y'all remember my bowling? Well, let's just say I'm not even half as good at pool as I am at bowling...so I'm pretty terrible. But at least I have fun, right?

Well, we ended up partnering up with the table next to us. It was all fine and dandy until one of the (married) guys says to me, "I mean, you're not even worth the investment of buying a drink." Awesome. I know I'm married, but at least I'm entertaining (in an awkward sort of way)--right??

Anyway, from there we went downstairs at the Tobacco Company because as I so eloquently put it, "I want[ed] to shake my booty." Let's just say Shan and I were those girls who were (can you guess??):

a. Wearing too many clothes (aka not "slutatious" enough)
b. Not drinking enough
c. Only attracting really huge creepos
d. Terribly awkward dancers
e. All of the above

If you guessed "e" you are so definitely right. Needless to say we had a good laugh at ourselves, and quickly left. I have to say that it wasn't even close to the previous two times Shan and I went out together--like not even on the same level. The last time we went out the awkward level was like a 15 on a scale of 1 to 10 whereas this past Friday was only maybe a 1.5. Although, I'm pretty sure that's a good thing. I'm not sure I can handle too many more 15's in my life...

All in all it was a fun night--next time we'll just plan a little better than just aimlessly wandering. Thank goodness Shan's great company, though! At least that means every night's a fun night:0).

De-Funkifying...

...with an award!

So I woke up this morning ready to face this crazy, crazy week, and popped over to check out the Beehive. I'm casually perusing, when I discover I've won an award! How fun!

Now I'm supposed to pass the love on to five bloggy friends who make my day. So, without further ado, and in no particular order (except that I'm trying to spread the love):

Jenna because she made my day when I hopped on over and saw that I was on her blogroll! What a fun treat! Now I LOVE checking in to see how she and her hub are doing getting ready for Aidan (can you tell how I voted:0) ). It's like deja-vu--without having to actually be pregnant again! I could write an entire post about Jenna, but I'll save that for another day.

Quirky because even though I gave her old blog an award, her new one deserves one too. She and Mr. Talented are quite the pair! That, and she's too darn witty!

And I know I said I'd try and diversify, but I just LOVE MF. Can't get enough of her. Can't WAIT to see her soon!

Leanne because she just made one of the most difficult, and yet most brave decisions ever. I am always so impressed by her that even if she doesn't make me smile because I'm laughing, she definitely makes me smile because I am thinking.

And last, but certainly not least, Kat. Because clearly she needs some lovin' right now. Silly drama.

A Letter to Lois

Krispie, Me (& Lydia), and Lois on our porch.

Dear Lois,

I still remember the first time I met you at one of the many events for the program's orientation two short years ago. I even remember what we were wearing (but really that shouldn't come as a surprise to you :0)). We weren't close to start (and yet you still saved our house from burning down...), but this past summer when I was pregnant with Lydia, you were A-MAZING.

Including me in supper club with all of the other people still in Williamsburg. Letting me "borrow" your husband when my trashcan would get too full and need taking out (pregnancy, or laziness--your pick!). You laughed at my attempts to mask my awkwardness and inability to control my bodily functions (*blush*) with humor. You listened when I complained about heartburn, feet in my ribs, and generally just wanting her out! You even oohed and aaahhed over each little step I took towards completing Lydia's nursery. And let's not forget, "Did I do a good job???"

You know when to give me space--you know when I need a call. I will never forget feeling like I'd indeed fallen off the planet into an abyss of babydom, and you called just to see how I was doing.

You've given me advice, you've laughed with (and at) me. Sometimes I think you're my older sister I never had, and sometimes I think you're just one of the greatest friends I've ever had. Either way (and probably a little bit of both), I love you, and I will miss having you close to me so much. Thank you, Lois. Thank you for hearing me as you pulled away when I couldn't even get the words, "I love you" out of my choked up throat. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with me and letting me be so a part of your life.

Whenever I see an infomercial, use my Bare Minerals (which I love, btw), make a casserole, drink sweet tea, or say, "my B"--I'll think of you.

Never forget that come hell or high water, I will be there no matter what. All you have to do is call, and I'll be there (I'll even grab Krispie on my way:0)).

I love you, Lois.

Krispie, Me and Lois before dinner.

Dance, Blog Monkey, Dance!

Sorry for the lack of posting/commenting, etc as of late. I'm kind of in a funk, and I was waiting to be de-funkified.

While this doesn't mean I'm de-funkified, it does mean I'm making a go at it.

What easier way then with a re-cap of last weekend! Last weekend was officially our last weekend with the RiceKrispies and Lois&Clark. Saturday mid-morning/afternoon, the RiceKrispies and Lois&Clark arrived in Richmond so that the ladies could do a little shopping. And let me just tell you, shop we did! It was great fun--if not incredibly exhausting!

After we shopped, we met up with the hubsters (who went to see Dark Knight while we were shopping) and got all gussied up to go to Maggiano's for dinner (since they're WONDERFUL about being allergy conscious).

While it was great to see them (fourth weekend in a row, thankyouverymuch), it also incredibly bittersweet. All night as the evening was starting to wind down, I kept telling myself to keep it together, not to cry, etc. Let's just say I failed miserably. We walked them all to their cars, and I just lost it (much like I am about to right now). Krispie and Lois are two of my very dearest friends. We've been through so much together, and I don't know what I'll do without having them both nearby--or at least the weekends to look forward to. My mom used to always tell me that, "two's company, three's a crowd" and so I used to be hesitant that being part of trio just wouldn't work. Thank goodness I am so, so wrong.