The fantastic aroma

There's something about warm cardboard that makes me smile. Not a lot, but just a little smile. As I've been pulling warm, empty boxes from the garage and filling them with house things, I notice the smell with each box. Luckily, not one so far has been a former container for stinky stuff.

Packing is coming along - slowly. When the babies are awake, there's no use even thinking about trying to fill a box. They're so curious and so "helpful." They often put their toys into the boxes and take out the items I'm putting inside. Fruitless, but they love it. And so I continue on.

We took them to see grandma and grandpa at the cabin last night so that they can all enjoy some vacation time while our daycare grandma is also vacationing. That means that tonight and tomorrow night are going to be packing marathons. Wish me productivity!

Here's a bit of eye candy until I get to take more pictures of the girls. I miss them already!

The Tuesday Night Appeal

I'm not sure what the deal is, but in the past two weeks, I've received four postcard invitations to in-house parties of various kinds - cleaning products, food, decor, etc. All for the same night. All for the same night as the ice cream social I'm hosting for our Mothers of Multiples group. I picked the night about two months out. I wonder if the others did, too, or if it's just fluke.

Regardless, I'm going to enjoy my sundae (or two).

July Memories

Lillian. Part fish. Part sweetie. At the cabin.














Fourth of July fun on the deck! Lil on the left and Breanna on the right.














And Miss Breanna taking after Mom already, digging around in the baking cupboard. I missed the shot of her wearing the flour canister's lid as a hat by about two seconds.

Firsts

What a great weekend - full of firsts for our girls. Breanna really walked - not just a half dozen wobbly steps. But all the way across the room, turned around, and came back. It was great! Not so great, though, was her first blood spill. She tumbled into the rock hearth and cut her lip - two slices inside and one on the outside. Poor darling. And poor Grandma and Grandpa. They felt horrible. On the plus side, though, she got her other bottom tooth in, so now she's evened out with four on top and four on bottom - to match her sister. Now if those molars would just finish coming through, too...

Both girls went on their very first boat ride on Saturday with Grandpa and Grandma, Auntie Jeanne and Uncle Beaner, and a very happy Mom. Lillian wasn't so fond of being confined in a life jacket, but she eventually adjusted. She even went into the lake with her Grandpa and sat on the sandbar for a bit. Both girls tried Grandpa's venison pepper sticks and loved them! What?!?

We had a wedding reception on Saturday night, and those girls were such troopers in their little fairy dresses. It was pretty fun to spend some time with my Mom's family. After the late night out at the dance, the girls had another first on Sunday. A nearly 3-hour nap! My folks and I took advantage of the downtime and lounged in front of the TV set for a while. It had been ages since I'd looked at a TV, and what veg out to? QVC. (Insert eye roll here.) I'm not complaining about the TV time, though - it made for a very relaxing day.

Now back to the grind. Apartment hunting. Writing. Packing. Writing. Cleaning. Writing. Trying to remember to take a break once in a while. Aah the fun.

I put the offer out as a serious one - if you like to pack (or entertain babies while their parents pack), stop on by. We won't turn anyone away. Unless they're stinky. We have more than enough stinkies from our girls after the pepper sticks. Cross your fingers that it's out of their systems soon.

Sold!

Our house is now officially pending the sale on August 15th. One showing. One offer. One counter offer and a nice selling price. Yay! And we get to keep the wine racks!

Boy, is the next month and a half going to be busy! First step, the babies and I are going to drive around tomorrow morning and search out For Rent signs at some nicer-looking places. DH is going to call our concrete guy tomorrow and get started on our new house. I can hardly wait!

Friends with boxes to get rid of, please toss them our way. Or if you have a penchant for packing and want to kill an evening or two, join in the fun. Ha ha.

In the meantime, we're having a barbecue to celebrate Independence Day tomorrow evening. Ir you're in the area and looking for some socialization, stop by any time after 5. DH's brother and fiance and another good pal are coming for sure. Kids are welcome, too.

We'll have top-shelf burgers and dogs (and Bocas for us high-maintenance mamas), as well as a variety of beer and wine. I'm going to make my Gram's homemade potato salad and a fresh strawberry pie for my hubby. I still can't believe I found someone with a bigger sweet tooth than me!

Happy Fourth of July!

A Mushy Gushy Day

Ever have one of those days where you just well up, so thankful for all the good things around you? I don't know what my deal is, but today I've felt almost overwhelmed with goodness. Everywhere I turn, I just can't get over how blessed I am. Terrific family. Sweet friends. Kind colleagues. Decent health. Big taste buds. So much good!

I'm guessing it has a little to do with some reflections on the recent deaths in the family. And some really nice downtime with my own little family.

I took the babies to the lake yesterday to see my aunt, my folks, and my one remaining grandmother. We enjoyed a picnic on the beach, bikinis on babies, not-too-hot sun, delicious Popsicles, and a really pleasant, mellow day. Breanna learned that sneezes prompt "bless you"s and so now the big thing is fake sneezes. Could it be any more fun?

When we returned in the evening, my dear hubby fired up the grill and made me a fabulous dinner of fat garlic pork chops and potato wedges right on the grill. No foil. No pans. Just grillin'.

Today my dear had to work again to make up for a couple days of funeral time last week. So we went to church as a family and then he was off. The girls and I shopped at Target for a bigger bikini for Breanna (and a Frappucino for me, which will probably contribute to the need for a larger swimsuit, as well). Then we went for a long stroller ride outside and ended with a grand finale. I brought the duck tub out onto the deck and gave the girls their baths outside. Good thing I bathed Lillian second, because she nearly emptied the tub from all of her splashing and squealing. She's a fish already. They are just so darned cute!

Tonight, once the babies were in bed, I read the Sunday paper. For real. The whole thing. Even some ads. That's the first time in over a month. And it felt so good...

With a mixed-up week ahead, I'm sure I'll feel out of whack a bit, but will most likely enjoy it. What a huge difference from the holiday week last year. What fun!

If anyone is in town on Wednesday and wants to get together, give me a holler. I have nothing whatsoever on the books. Believe it or not, I'm boycotting the boat parade and fireworks at the lake for a day off from driving. Have a great holiday week, all!

Petite Jackpot

As a side note to a post last month regarding the lack of petite anything that isn't elastic, polyester or gross... I have great news. Thanks to some feedback from some wonderful readers, I have learned of a few new sources. First J.Jill has a full line of petites. While they don't exactly have the kind of suits I'm looking for, they do have some nice-quality, slightly more casual clothes.

Also, drum roll please..........

tadatadatadatadatadatadatadatadatadatadatadatadatadatadatadatada

The defunct Petite Sophisticate brand was recently bought out by another company and is now operating as Petite Sophisticate Outlet stores across the US. I visited the one at the Albertville Outlet Mall a week ago and bought an adorable (fully lined, nicely cut) navy skirt suit. Complete with fabric-covered buttons. For under $50.

Yes. You read that right. Clearanced, and then an additional 50% off the lowest price - less than $50. I nearly screamed. And backflipped. But the skirt prohibited me. While the old Petite Sophisticate designers were canned over a year ago, they skirts and jackets have pretty much the same cuts. The pants are a little off for my taste, but oh well. Even if I have to resort to skirt suits for the rest of my life, I can handle it. My calves have stayed strong and tight as the rest of me has dealt with the reality of a twin pregnancy.

So, all my petite counterparts, please join me in a celebration of the recent find of decent clothes. Yahoo!