Stolen Format - Cozy Crazy

I loved a post I read earlier today from a friend in frozen Tulsa. We've gotten the south end of that storm but it has only meant a very chilly, windy and cloudy day for us. Anyway, her post was very cozy and warm, about oatmeal cookies and peace and quiet....both of which are in short supply in the Fischer household today, except for right this minute while Paul has both girls at their second favorite place, Barnes and Noble.

Accomplished: very successful trips to the farmer's market, Whole Foods and Maxwell's Market; intense workout during which I injured no one and did not pass out; laundry, dishes, bill paying done; one bathroom clean; both girls fed and reasonably presentable for their outing with Daddy*; menu and calendar set for next week

Sounds: our absurdly loud dishwasher, wind. Before, it was Carly sounding out words and reading to Bree while they played in her room...and every now and then she'd shout out the letters in a word when she got stuck. Her face is exactly like a flower blooming when she sounds out and recognizes a new word. It's one of my favorite parts of this whole parenting thing so far.

Smells: dryer sheets, Mrs. Meyers lavender all purpose cleaner (worth every penny), a little bit of leftover steamed broccoli...nice...soon to be vanilla cupcakes baking and chai tea in my watermelon mug.

On my mind: these gloriously unpractical floral hot-beverage containers at a boutique across from Whole Foods. They are so fabulous - and cheap - I may have to have one even though I don't own a coffee maker and can't think about when I might need to have access to that much heated liquid. Maybe soccer next fall...planning in advance! Perfect.

Yet to do: um, bake cupcakes. =) And find a good recipe for London Broil and a good marinade for steak, maybe make a dress, read a couple of chapters of Tom Sawyer to Carly, find a good movie for tonight

Yet to not do: clean the other bathroom, iron

Looking forward to: mommy playdate Monday night in prep for the adorable shower we will be throwing next week and the all the fun fun shopping that will precede it, a hot shower in about ten minutes, and most importantly PAUL'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!!! I'm way more excited about it than he is (shocking, I know) and I cannot wait to give him his gift and his traditional caterpillar cake and then we're going OUT which is awesome. We have no idea what we're going to do but neither of us care, it is time out of the house with one of our favorite sitters hanging out in the quiet house.


* Okay, does anyone else feel so much less pressure to have the kids look *perfect* when they're going out with your husband? Because I do - when kids have on bizarre clothes and crazy hair and they're out with their daddy, it's always sort of adorable but with the mom it's just so much less cute. Clearly I have some judgmental issues to work out...just somebody tell me I'm not the only person who feels this way. =)