stickyfeathers

one more month...

it is hard to believe that in one month, my little man will be two.  where does the time go?  it is funny because as much as i miss that little baby he was, i fall in love more and more every day with the little dude he is.  here are a few things i love about my little gomper...

i love how he giggles so hard you know his belly hurts.

i love his toes.  i think he might have dad's toes with mom's flexibility.

i love how he meow's like a cat.  i'll have to get a video to share with all you guys - he is a crack up!  he has the funniest facial expression when he meow's.

i love how he snuggles with his blankie and has to be able to hold the 'fringies' on it.  you can see a picture of his feet and blankie here.

i love that he has a love of books.  he would let me read to him for hours.

i love how he thinks every time a truck goes, it is uncle corey.  he gets so excited because uncle corey drives the snowplow! 

i love how he runs and jumps into my arms to give me a great big bear hug when i get home from work.  that just makes my day.

i love how he tries to be funny by rolling his eyes; over and over and over again.

i love how he thinks my laptop is his laptop.

i love playing floor hockey with him - even though i think i'm taking my life into my own hands.  one more reason to look forward to spring - more room to play this OUTSIDE.

i love how he is no longer amused with the deer in our yard, because i feel the exact same way.

i love how good he is in the car - no matter where we go or how far the trip is, he's a gem.  knock. on. wood.

i love his skinny little body and his little budda belly.

i love how he hangs off our kitchen countertop.  he looks like a monkey.

i love how he talks about his cousins all the time.  he really wants to go visit rocky!

i love how he dances - he gets so into it!

i love listening to his pretend conversations on the phone.  do i really sound like that?  :)

tucker, there really are too many things i love about you!  happy 23 months buddy!

floatin' like a butterfly.

today, i was on cloud nine.  why?  because my review went AWESOME.

i was so nervous this morning.  however, the review committee was very impressed with my entire presentation.  i passed and had very few comments/suggestions to change in our plan.  when we concluded the meeting, i was so proud of myself.  they even said how they would want other counties to present their review's like i had as it was so easy to follow along with and such.  what a compliment!  i seriously hate talking about work on this blog, but today i was damn proud of the job i did and i have to share that.  99.9% of the time i hate my job so having a day like today put me over the top.

i was floatin' like a butterfly today, my friends.  floatin' like a butterfly.

oh, and thanks for all your well wishes on this review!  it meant a lot!

thoughts for thursday.

my entire week has been spent thinking about all things emergency management related.  i promise i will not bore you to death talking about emergency management.  hmmm.  or should i? 

emergency management.  it's my job.  thrilling stuff, i know.  as you are reading this and commenting on the post, i will be having a review of our county's emergency operations plan.  let's just hope and pray i do not fall down the stairs on my way to the presentation (been there, done that, don't ask), throw up on the laptop during the presentation, or pass out halfway through the review.  so is this where they say you better knock on wood?  :)

anyways, this has got me thinking about all of you.  why?  because i care gosh darnit.  there are many resources out there that can help families prepare for an emergency.  in minnesota, they are on top of their game when it comes to emergency management from the local level up.  however, the most basic planning starts with an individual.  geesh, i'm starting to sound lame.  let's get to the point here.

here are a few questions i have for you:

• does your family have any type of emergency plan?  for example: what to do in the event there was a house fire - do you have a meeting place outside or know the basics about fire safety?  does everyone know who to contact and what numbers to dial in case something has happened? 
• do you have any type of food or supply storage for a disaster/emergency?  i can honestly say that we don't.  i should really do it (i mean, it is part of my job to promote this).
• do you have things like a first aid kit or a fire extinguisher available to members in your household?  if you have a fire extinguisher, does everyone know how to use it?
• is your famiy informed about the types of emergencies that could happen?  i found this checklist about basic safety for cold weather.  hey - i know it is basic, but some people really have to be told, kwim?  just this week, i saw a woman pushing a baby/toddler in a stroller and the kid only had socks on!  it was maybe 20* out!  freakin' crazy!
• parents - if you get a teenaged sitter, do you leave them instructions on what to do if something happens, or do you trust they will do the right thing if something does happen?  in my case, i guess i leave them numbers where to contact me or family that lives nearby, and i make sure they are old enough to have common sense if something were to really go wrong.  i'm comfortable enough with that (all my sitters are family members so i'm super lucky.  gotta love having lots of cousins!).

i know minnesota has a great site to help a family plan for emergencies, but you can also check this out.  it might be something that is important in your household, or it might be something you haven't given much thought too.  i just thought i would throw this out here today to get you all thinking.  on this thursday, i'll be doing a lot of thinking about emergency plans so, i figured you all should too!

i'd love to hear what you've done, what you're doing, or what you will do...to plan for an emergency! 

here are a few other thoughts for thursday bloggers: jessica, kristi, stacy, april, emilie, heather, and michelle.

wednesday wonder.

i wonder what is one (or two) of your favorite movies? 

i'm looking at signing up for netflix and i want to have a list full of good movies.  i'd love to start having a family movie night!  i'm so inspired by what heather does - she rocks!  we pretty much like anything here - except i am not into anything weird like 'transformers' or anything freaky like 'jeepers creepers'. 

one of my favorite movies is 'planes, trains, and automobiles'.  a freakin' classic.  if you haven't seen it, you best check it out.  i die laughing every time i watch it!

giddy and nervous: nice combo.

when i got home today and looked at the package sitting on my counter, i got a little giddy.  you see, it was my first print order i had done through mpix.  i had ordered some shots of meg at different sizes and whatnot to see what they would all turn out like.  well, they are awesome!  i am so happy with them.  now, i'm giddy about placing my next order!  i am such a dork.  where do you guys print your photographs?  if you are not happy with what you are doing now, you should check out mpix. 

the workday went by so slow!  i'm getting ready for a presentation i have thursday.  i just want it to be over!  my nerves are going to kill me!  do any of you get super nervous when you have something 'major' going on: a presentation, a deadline, a special event, a big meeting?  i do.  somehow i usually manage to keep my cool without anyone knowing my legs feel like freakin' jello or that my guts are in a knot.  any suggestions to deal with this stress/nervousness/anxiety would be more than welcome! 

meg.

when i met up with meg to shoot some shots on sunday, she brought along her boyfriend, andy.  i didn't tell them this at the time, but i thought they were so cute together.  it was cold outside and he would hold her jacket for her and throw it over her shoulders when we were done shooting.  i didn't hear him complain once!  anyways, i've been busying all night trying to free up some space on my hard drive.  even though i am doing some much needed housekeeping on this thing, i knew i had to share a couple shots.  i figured i would pick one of meg, and one of her and her boy. 

aren't they adorable? :)

i used my 50mm on both these shots. 
recipe for meg: f/2.8. iso 100. exposure 1/500. manual mode.

weekend wrap.

friday was a wash.  i stayed home from work because i felt like crap.  i have no idea what we did that night, but i'm sure it involved going to bed early.

matt bowled in the men's tourney in town on saturday, so he was gone all day.  i was feeling good enough to do chores around the house.  i actually felt like i got things done too!  let's see what i did:

• i rearranged the furniture in tucker's bedroom and tried to go through his toys and clothes.  i got a good start on that, but this week i'm going to keep working on it.  i'm so sick of the toys being EVERYWHERE in the house.  i know that he obviously is going to play with them wherever, but as far as storage, i want them all in his room.  this task could get interesting.  we'll see what i come up with.  it's time to get his room done. 
• i also started working on my forms and such in the event i actually want to go full speed ahead with my photography.  i've been asked to do some events and such without actually having a business up and running, so i figure, why not jump in with both feet?  scary, but a good kind of scary.
• laundry, dishes, vaccumed: the usual.
• downloaded all the pictures off my camera again.  i have to update a girl and her canon.  by the way, if you've been leaving a comment there with a question for me, i've just been responding in the comments back to you.  i have to set this up so my comments are emailed to me.  it is so much easier to respond like that.  just so you don't think i'm ignoring you guys though!
• i caught up with some of my tivo'd shows.  a little days of our lives, a sprinkle of celebrity apprentice, and a dash of oprah.  the tivo was getting pretty full!
• hung out with the coolest kid ever: tucker!  we played with his new kitchen set, made a mess with playdoh, colored in his winnie the pooh coloring book, exercised (which to him means just laying on the floor - he seen me do pilates and that's what exercise is to him now), and snuggled!

winter is getting SO old here.  i can't wait until the snow melts but i know i have more than a month of this crap left.  anyways, my mother-in-law bailed me out of my temporary insanity cabin fever so that matt and i could go down to the muni one last time before they start remodeling.  they are going to be moving the entire bar to the reunion hall during the remodeling so it really was 'the last night' for the muni.  we were home by 11, but it felt so good to have a couple hours out with friends (and family).  it was the first time i seen my brother and tina since they got back from their cruise too!  i only took a few pictures because we were too busy talking - or maybe i was too busy talking?  :)

on sunday, i got to visit with my cousin lindsey for a while.  she stopped at my house before she left town.  i miss her!  in the early afternoon, i met up with meg (and her boyfriend) to take some more pictures.  we had planned to get together last weekend, but it hadn't worked out.  i got some good shots.  i wish it hadn't been as windy and that we had more options for indoor shots.  i think i might be working on setting something up inside my house at some point.  not sure where or how, but i need to do something.  not having a 'space' is frustrating.  the rest of the day was just spent hanging out around the house.  tucker went to bed at 9.  we laid in his bed and i turned on his 'twilight turtle'.  he loves the stars on his ceiling.  he just laid there and looked at them, holding his arm up and pointing at them all.  it was funny.  well, we both fell asleep in his little bed.  matt woke me up at 10 so i could sleep in a real bed.  i didn't even bother going back out in the living room/kitchen to pick anything up, i just went straight to bed.  i was so tired!

hope you all had a great weekend!

stickyfeathers.

after reading and responding to heather's thoughts for thursday, i had an idea.  why don't i ask my blog readers what they think when it comes to my blog name?  it's pretty simple.  just tell me what it means to you.  do you like the name?  does it 'stick' in your head?  what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of 'stickyfeahters'.  gosh, i think this could be interesting. 

i know this is goofy, but it's friday, i'm home and i'm doped out of my mind on sudafed.  give me something to read people - before blogland goes to sleep for the weekend!

need a new recipe?

it seems like a lot of you are looking for new things to cook for dinner.  this recipe is from my mother-in-law.  it is so good.  actually, i'm hoping that we can make it next week.  what we usually do is buy a ham and have that one night, then take the leftover ham and make this little number the next night. 

creamy ham potato casserole

3 cups frozen potatoes
green peppers
1.5 cups green beans or peas
1.5 cups ham (or chicken)
3/4 cup milk
2 oz (1/2 cup) shredded american cheese
1 - 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup (or cream of celery)

heat oven to 375.  spray 8" square pan.  in a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  pour into dish.  bake for 1 hour or until bubbly and thoroughly heated.  let stand 10 minutes.  you can use ham or chicken and whatever vegetables you want! 

enjoy! 

thoughts for thursday.

i love bounce dryer sheets.  i love tide coldwater laundry detergent.  i like huggies diapers.  but i also love buying some items that are not 'brand name' to save some benjamin's.  i started writing this post before jenn and i went to super walmart on monday.  because of this post, i pushed myself to try to buy a few things i normally would buy the brand name of.  they included: adult cough medicine, ibeprofen, and cheese singles.  i know there was more but i can't remember.  anyways...

here are some products that i buy the store brand of:

• baby wipes.  i buy the target brand.  love them.
• paper towels.  i love the heavy duty bounty ones, but i will buy sparkle or whatever is one sale.  when i made my own baby wipes, i had to get bounty.
• cleaning products.  anything works.  again, i like the target brand here or i make my own - alcohol and water mix for windows/surfaces/mirrors.
• pre-natal vitamins.  again, i buy the target brand.  maybe this should be a post about how much i love target.  geesh.
• plastic baggies.  sandwich, gallon size...i'll buy the store brand to save.
• dryer sheets.  even though i usually get bounce, i will buy the store brand for matt's work clothes.  yeah, weird.  i know.

there are some things that i always buy the brand name for:

• diapers.  i just do.  i don't have a good reason why i don't buy a generic brand.  i tried the target brand once, but just didn't buy them again. 
• most food products.  from looking in my fridge and cupboards i usually go with the brand name instead of the store brand.  i found this article on generic vs. name brand cereal.  they found: no big difference.  imagine that.
• toilet paper.  matt needs charmin.  i don't know if there is a store brand for toilet paper, but we don't even get the cheap stuff, it has to be good ol' charmin.

i think that there is some comfort in buying certain brand name products.  that's the only reason i can find in spending more money for essentially the same product.  i've bought nyquil or dayquil a million times, however there are store name brands such as equate (at walmart) that are half the price.  i see no reason why i should keep buying the higher priced item in this situation. 

as i said above, i seem to buy most brand name food products.  do any of you use store brands?  i am sure the store brands taste the same as the brand name products, but i have to try them.  i'm sure i've ate them at other people's houses and never known the difference.  what gives?  is this a mental thing?  i found this article in which a news team (in minnesota) did a taste test.  the results were very interesting.  maybe it just comes down to a personal choice based on what your taste buds tell you.  what do you think?

what about other types of products - electronics, beauty products, clothing, craft supplies?  any of you have thoughts on these? 

do you think that the products are that much different or is it just a mind thing?  what do you buy?  what are your favorite brand name products or what do you settle buying the store brand for?  i'm interested in what you all think about brand name vs. store brand!

after you leave me a comment, check out the other tft bloggers this week: nicole, cass, heather, michelle, denise, kristi, april and jessica.