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Nora is quite the squealer when you play peek a boo with her. Yesterday afternoon she was playing with Larry, and I'm so glad I got this video of it. You can hear the dog howling in the background...feel free to ignore her like we do.
It's sure to make anyone smile...no matter what kind of day you've had:
Nora and Daddy playing peek a boo:
Spammers in my comments...oh how I enjoy that. I've had to make it so that comments have to be approved before they're uploaded to this site because of comment spammers. Big pain in the ass, they are. Always trying to sell me drugs, boner pills, mortgages, a dead chicken's house.
I've never felt the need to comment on the comments, because I'm fairly certain that it won't help. Also, I heard a rumor that once they've successfully ruined the contents of my comments they'd move on to the fridge and spoil my milk and cheese...after that the evil spam commenters will throw toys all over in my living room...dirty up all of my laundry and dishes...and impregnate my seven month old daughter. Let's just say that they've already spoiled my dairy, messed up my living room, and dirtied up my laundry. So yeah, talking about them here is probably going to put Nora at risk of becoming pregnant...which will make me very rich when I sell her baby to the tabloids for a half a gazillion dollars. When I move up outta this trailer park, don't nobody wonder why.
This comment I got spammed with was too funny not to mention. It came from yagirl NoRa. How strange...it came from someone that has almost the same name as my daughter...weird. This 'yagirl NoRa' has an email address of NoRaThEeXpLoRa@ghettobabies.com. Again, strange...Larry calls Nora, Nora the Explora but I'm pretty sure the spammers aren't living in my house...unless they are the ones dirtying up my laundry. Also, Nora lives in a mobile home...but it is most certainly NOT in the ghetto. And now, for the text of the comment:
i got bibs in my crib, sweet pees with a lid
hid my eggs, scrambled
in my dads big damn sandels
the nickTOONS channel, all day every day,
flippin threw, makin poo, lovin it anyway
huggin me everyday, gettin crunk off my bottles
full throttle, i dont walk...i pimp waddle
like america's top model but i eat a little more
tellin dora the explorer to go in the middle door
i got eggs on my head, but dont call me an egg head
legs on my head, but dont call me a leg head
so if you are eating some mushed black-eyed peas
then you might know how to pimp like me
Sweet pees with a lid? And how do they know Nora's dad has big damn sandels? I will have to admit that the makin poo all day part is accurate. The pimp waddle? Not exactly...although she does have a rhinestone thong she wears under her diaper on special occasions.
This...this is the bullshit that gets sent to me. This is the reason for comment monitoring. And, today, this comment is the reason I peed my pants. I hope it gave you a laugh, too.
Dear Nora,
You do not like scrambled egg yolk.
Your father and I should be ashamed of ourselves for continuing to feed egg to you just so we could get more funny pictures of you. Of course, your father and I should be more ashamed of the fact that you yell "Fuck You Tony Stewart" while giving the TV the bird. Seriously, Nora, ladies don't flip off the TV.
Well I'm halfway caught up with Nora's book! I've scrapped the first 3 1/2 months of her life and she's 7 months old. Not bad, huh? I have decided to cut down the number of two page layouts I'm doing in hopes of getting more stuff in the book. I'd like to end up with her whole first year in one book...so instead of taking 5 pictures and doing a two page layout, I'm going to think about doing the 5 pictures on one page. More pictures and less cardstock filler, right? Of course there will be instances where a 2 page LO is necessary...
Anyhow, this is the LO for her three month old pictures. I did the journaling around each photo...really like how that turned out! I'm not sure the name of the stamp set (possibly Favorite Teddy Bear)...it's retired, I think. I used the subtles family. The three in the wagon is supposed to be for the 3 months thing...not sure how I feel about it, but Mom and Larry both said it looks fine. I stamped the teddy bear in Amethyst ink through the middle of the pages...it's hard to see in the picture. I used gingham ribbon...Caramel, I think. I also used two mini safety pins that Erica sent me. Nothing like getting a stabbing hazard in the mail! Seriously, I think those mini pins look perfect on baby pages!
and you came true!
I saw that quote somewhere and thought it would be perfect for a scrapbook page title! The pictures on this page are some of my favorites of Nora. I loved this outfit and it sure got plenty of wear while it fit her. I used YoYo Yellow, Pink Passion, and Lovely Lilac. The stamp set is retired (I gotta get some new stamps). I cut out the flowers and used gold brads for the center. The journaling is written along the curve at the bottom of the pages. These two pages took a long time between cutting out flowers and getting the curves "just right"...but I am happy with the results...which as any scrapper knows is not always the way it turns out!
I just loved how these two photos turned out and wanted to make sure they were scrapped. The colors I used are Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac, Only Orange, and Marigold. Stamps: It's a Date, Canvas BG, Print Pattern BG
I've heard from several people that they wished that they had had a picture taken while they were breastfeeding...that it was too late to get one once they decided that they wanted one. I kept that in mind while I was nursing Nora, and made sure to get at least one good shot. Of course it meant asking Larry to take a photo of my exposed breasts...a job he didn't take lightly. We not only ended up with one good shot (this one that I scrapped)...we ended up with several breastfeeding pictures. I chose this one because the angle of the light makes the photo look soft and beautiful...not raunchy and full of nipple.
I used an old hostess set from last year for the stamping along the bottom. The colors are Mellow Moss, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, and Confetti White.
This page is all about Baby Nora's First Ouchie. I just had to scrap it, of course! I used a white gel pen on Glorious Green to write "I will not cut Nora's nails too short" so that it looks (hopefully) like it's written on a chalkboard. I accessorized with a red paper clip and some Lavender Lace buttons tied on with twine. The colors I used are: Brilliant Blue, Real Red, Lavender Lace, and Glorious Green. The journaling is actually the blog post from that day re-written with SU! markers.
This blog is coming in handy now that I'm going back to catch up on scrapping. While I can't remember every detail, it's been fun and helpful to be able to re-read the entires and it jogs my memory. At the time that things were happening it was quick to type up a post and now that I want to preserve those memories in her book it's easy to make sure I get the details down!
Another layout from my scrap-a-thon yesterday afternoon. The pictures range from 5 weeks to 10 weeks. There weren't enough from each week to devote a page to each picture (not to mention the cardstock that would use)...so I grouped them together and noted her age at the bottom of the journal snippet tag that goes with each photo.
I used Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, and Barely Banana. The abc ribbon was from Pat Catan's. I also used the feet wheel with celery ink.
The title page I finished earlier this week:
I used Perfect Plum and Pale Plum...or the Plums as I like to call them...which strangely sounds like a rock band or something. Anyhow. I printed the lyrics to the Rascal Flatts song "My Wish" and put that at the top with journaling at the bottom. Even before Nora was born I thought of her whenever that song came on the radio. I would rub my belly and say, "Here's your song, Baby." It just seems like that song says perfectly what I want for her.
All five layouts for the week got finished! This meant scrapping for approximately four hours off and on all afternoon yesterday. By the end I was really in a groove and getting things done quick!
The Sleeping Beauty pages use Taken With Teal, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, and Close to Cocoa. I took an up close picture of one of the title circles so you could see the detail that I put around the outside of the circle. It was tedious but definitely one of those finishing touches that makes it look complete! I actually added that when I went back to do the journaling...looked like it just needed a little sumthin sumthin!
EBTKS? What the hell is that? It's an acronym I made up...for the purpose of shortening this entry's title. EBTKS means Everything But The Kitchen Sink. This morning I made pasta salad. I know what you're thinking. Who cares, right? Everyone makes pasta salad, huh? I rarely feel daring enough to experiment with a recipe...let alone try and make my own recipe. This morning, however? I was so adventurous that I not only created my own recipe...I also skipped a shower and have little intention of taking one before 4pm. Oh yeah, and I'm wearing yesterday's socks. You got me...I was joking about the socks...they're fresh.
The recipe for pasta salad is flexible. There are few things that you shouldn't put in pasta salad. Jelly, for example. Other than that you can add pretty much whatever you like...or whatever you need to use up. But not eggs...even if they are close to the expiration date. And I'd probably stay away from Spaghetti Os...I'm fairly certain that wouldn't be good. Seriously, the point I'm trying to make is this: YOU CAN'T SCREW UP PASTA SALAD. That should be comforting to even the beginning cooks. I used some things I had on hand...things that Larry and I like. That's a pretty important detail...use things that you like...and eliminate things you don't like. We don't eat tomatoes, so we don't have them. I don't like black olives, and since I'm the cook, we don't have black olives in our pasta salad. Without further delay...
EBTKS Pasta Salad
1 box wheat pasta, cooked
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 medium red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch asparagus, boiled 2-3 minutes and plunged into cold water to stop cooking
1 cup frozen peas
16 oz. Kraft Free Zesty Italian
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder to taste
A few notes
I boiled the asparagus in a large pan but with a small amount of water. I then filled the same pan with water for the pasta after the asparagus was finished. This helped to keep my cleanup a snap. I actually only dirtied one pan and lid, one knife, and one spoon. Not bad!
While the pasta was cooking I chopped all of the veggies. The asparagus was very coarsely chopped into 1" pieces. The cucumber and red pepper were coarsely chopped. The onion was finely chopped.
I used a cooking onion because it's what I had on hand. To tone down the onion a little, since it wasn't an eating type of onion, I microwaved it in a little olive oil for about a minute. Then I chilled it in the fridge. If you use a shallot or red onion you could leave it raw.
I didn't thaw the peas. They'll thaw in the fridge.
I only used a little over half the bottle of dressing. It looked pretty wet, but pasta can sure absorb the liquid. I'll probably end up adding another quarter of the bottle tomorrow before serving. You can eyeball the dressing...once it sits overnight you may need to add more.
When taste testing I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese over the top. It tasted fine, but I think I'd prefer it without.
Like I said, it's whatever you like. Add and subtract as you wish.
Today, my challenge to you: Be Daring...Be Adventurous...Be In Your Pjs until 4pm...
I think I'm a little behind my goal of five layouts for the week, but I did manage to get another one finished today. I did the title page yesterday...which was only one page and not technically a layout...but I think it should count for something! I now have two layouts and a title page complete. I'm not doing too badly but it looks like I'll have to get crackin' the next few days if I'm going to get three more layouts done before Sunday. I guess that's only one layout a day...which doesn't sound totally impossible!
The pictures on these pages are from my family holding Nora after she was first born, along with a few from her first bath when she was 3 weeks old. I used some SU! designer paper down the sides of the pages and I'm not entirely sure which collection it's from. That's what I based the color scheme on. It was Regal Rose, Tempting Turqoise, Pretty In Pink, and Close to Cocoa. I did the title and the journaling with the Chocolate Chip SU! marker so that it would show up. I used Whimsical Alphabet and Paint Prints for the stamping.
Here's a recent picture of Miss Nora. Can you believe she's 7 months old already?
