...how does your garden grow?

Slowly, but surely, I guess....
My herbs are doing great. My tomatoes, eh, kinda slow compared to last year!

Who doesn't love something FREE?

Normally I am not one for posting photos of myself in a bathing suit on the internet. But since it involves something free, eh, why not??

Frills, Fluff, and Trucks is giving away a $25 GC to TJ Maxx and a $25 GC to Marshalls just for posting a great find. Now, I've had many great finds at said stores, but I can't seem to think of what they are at this particular moment. Some must have been gifts? The one recent thing that came to mind was my new bathing suit. I picked it up in the spring at Marshalls. Its Jag and retails for $102 (who the heck would pay $102 for a suit?!). And the best thing about it? It actually fits and the material is not flimsy and cheap, unlike the 10 other suits I have.

I have searched high & low for a year for a suit that was a tankini with a skirted bottom. The problems I ran into were that the tops were either too loose in the midsection, or the skirt made my hips look like they were 5 sizes bigger than they actually are, or both. Or, the suit was flat out made for someone 20 years my senior. I just wanted something that stayed put while I played with the kids at the beach or pool...something that didn't require me to adjust every 5 seconds or have me worrying about how I moved or ran.

Here it is. $10. Marshalls, baby. Rock on.

Where'd he go?

Aidan and I are struggling and I am not sure how to handle it. I can certainly say that it has caught me off guard. He's always been my sweet boy, aiming to please. Almost a little Eddie Haskell ("mommy, you look so beautiful in that shirt today.")

Lately, he's been challenging me. Not that I don't want him to think for himself and make a strong arguement. But that's not what he's doing. He's giving me attitude and flat out not listening to me. I don't get it. Is this a phase? Please tell me its a phase and not something that I get to work with for the next 10 years.

Can they be any more beautiful?

You know what's better than peonies? Poppies.

First autograph....

Aidan is enamored with baseball. Completely and utterly, without a doubt. So yesterday, he and daddy went early to the game and got to get a little tour and see batting practice and Aidan got to meet Jeff Suppon and get his autograph on both his shirt and glove. He was seeing stars!
(photo quality courtesy of old sucktastic camera)

They never cease to crack me up

Friday, I was at my regular after-school-pick-up playtime at Meghan's and Elliott was taking forever in the bathroom. He finally came back outside, looked at us, and it was a scene from a commercial: mouth open, teeth exposed, and then he slowly licked his top teeth, making that smacking, clean teeth, satisfied noise, and then he said, "I just brushed my teeth!"
What?! We were cracking up. Come to find out, he apparently does this every Friday when we're at their house. Oops. So we had a conversation about how you don't use someone else's toothbrush. Ew. Ew ew ew.

Saturday, I set out for the neighborhood rummage sales and the kids saw Kelly and I leave. Apparently, the boys got their piggy banks and snuck down the street and Aidan came home with a THIGHMASTER!!!!!!! He said something to the effect of, "daddy, aren't you proud of me? I got something I can exercise with!" Daddy made him promptly return said Thighmaster.

Easy Baking!

Summer blooms

Peony
Originally uploaded by flabonganator

I used to hate peonies. The ants. The fact that they were a big mess after 1 rain. But I now appreciate the hard work that goes into making them bloom and how pretty they really are.

Skeletons aren't scary

Scary
Originally uploaded by flabonganator

how can they be with eyes like this?

snug bugs in a rug

snug bugs
Originally uploaded by flabonganator

or, in bed. our bed. during a thunderstorm. because they are all scared.

More Noteables....

On the way home from N&E's gymnastics class today, Aidan told me that he wants to be a school teacher when he grows up. He went on to ask if there are any boy teachers (his school is female dominated). I told him yes, and went on to tell him which of my elementary teachers were men, and he said, "Oh good. I want to be a teacher because you get treats for everyone's birthdays. Not just your students, but from old students, too."

Aim high my son. Aim high.

And...
Tonight's dinner conversation was focused on baseball and Norah said, "We like the Red Socks, right Aidan and Daddy?" Aidan said, "Yeah. We like the Brewers and Red Socks. They rock." And then Norah says, "The White Socks stink!". Elliott says, "And the Blue Socks stink! We don't like them!"

Who knew.