I've been a really bad blogger lately. I'm so tired but I'm staying up to see if the husband will bring home milk. See, because earlier he got us the cutest little whoopie pies. But I want milk with them.

Today, the reason I am tired, I visited GreenBuild. It was very cool. I spent five hours on the floor getting samples and stuff. So by 3:30, I had a super heavy bag on my shoulder and had eaten a cookie (that said Armstrong Flooring on it), mints (that said Armstrong ceilings on them, apparently Armstrong was the good loot provider), about six glasses of water, and a pepsi. I was in quite a state. Then, because it was 28!!!! degrees on the train platform, I got a coffee. Which I requested in decaf and I'm pretty sure wasn't. But I did sent lots of random text messages, mostly to my sister. Of course.

I sighted the guys from This Old House, Kevin and Steve. I had to tell someone!!

We had success with potty training. Much success over the last week. In fact, yesterday, she told me she had to go, *before* going. I was all encouraged. Then, this afternoon, she came home from the sitter's with a pullup on. Apparently she had a wet nap. But still! This is a step backwards, people. Sigh. My son took about 3 days to get on board, and he was much younger. This little lady is on day 10 or so of partial success.

I send my sister the most random text messages. I recently purged or there would be more better. Here are some examples:

Oldies 103 is already holiday music!
G just said I'm jealous of his penis.
G wants to meet barack.
I am on a cloud today.
Daylight savings has brought back the nap.
38 degrees now.
Saw an obama sign w/ "do not steal this sign" on it.
I just saw a guy with a handlebar mustache chse a g sized boy around a parking lot for five minutes. The kid couldve easily gotten to the road.
At grocery, balloon says "i'm sorry".

See, the things that strike me in my life, that aren't really worth a phone call, get a text to my sister. That way, my odd life is shared with others, without disrupting those others.

It was pretty well summed up this morning, when the boy was in our bed, and we said "you know what? Obama won!" and the boy got a giant grin and did the fist pump "YES!!"

Oh and also, he said "now will the soldiers get to come home?" We explained it will take a while but yes, the soldiers will get to come home.

Please vote tomorrow. And if you know what's good for you (ie, my friendship ;o) ), please vote for Obama. It's up to you. You especially, as compared with Massachusetts Me.

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Originally uploaded by archimom

I'm not sure why I've been so crafty lately (aka today). I just made these delicious cake balls (thanks pioneer woman). They're super sweet so make them small. I purposely made their "costumes" a bit short. I just thought they were so cute.

Earlier I made a set of placemats and napkins, and have started on dollhouse number two.

Okay, so I found this (I don't know why my link doesn't work, so here: http://uklassinus.blogspot.com/2008/08/fabric-dollhouse-tutorial.html) tutorial for a fabric dollhouse, and I was going to make the girl one for her birthday. Then yesterday, I was trying to distract her during an older kid get-her-out-of-here playdate, and we made it. It took all of 90 minutes, even with 3 year old help, so I highly recommend. Next time I'm going to leave less seam allowance and make it less floppy. Also get some cute buttons to hold it together and some premade embroidery thingies for the gardnen.

Anyhoo, here tis:

So then I was bummed that her christmas gift was spoiled. But I saw someone mention making a fairy house, and that seems really, incredibly cute. She's in love with tinkerbell (who is the cutest of the disney characters, and is blond and "spunky/stubborn" like mine). So maybe I'll make her a fairy themed one with woodsy things, and then get her some tiny tink dolls like so, but without all the stuff, maybe get some of her friends:

Then I will still make a handful of them for cousins/friends/brother. The big boy is really into zoo, has all the schleich animals and a Steve Irwin figurine, who happens to be the right size, and I'm thinking safari vet place. Somehow, all of his animals get badly hurt and/or separated from their parents. Tragic.

I am *so* glad that the boy changed from Indiana Jones to Davy Crockett. I'm pretty sure every kindergartener out there is either Indy or Anakin Skywalker. He wanted to be Indy based on the Last Crusade, though, not the Crystal Skull. My rennaissance man.

Sometimes I laugh and laugh, then for good measure laugh some more.

The girl was jabberjaws (possibly related to earlier halloween candy) at bedtime. So she was telling me all about the guys at walmart who are skeletons, which means they have the bones on the outside. Some of them have green bones, and I don't like that, and that's disgusting. But one of them is a pumpkin who sings "Iiiiii want candeee!" just like that momma, and then there's a skeleton head who sings "Iii want candee!" And there's a song in Debbie's car, that is like that, momma, it says "Iiiii want candeee!" And also in Debbie's car, there's a song about Ghostbusters. Sometime momma can we watch a movie about Ghostbusters? There are ghosts in it but they're just pretend, just made up not real. And one of them has a red button, and when you press the red button, the ghost says (remember earlier tune here) "Iiiiii am spooookeeee!"

Laugh.my.tuckus.off.

Seriously cracked me up. I still giggle when I think of it!

We went to the diner for dinner. Much pancake, french toast, grilled cheese. They also have fab pie, but after the sweetish dinner, we weren't in the mood. Big boy wanted pie, though, so she was listing the 230923 varieties they have. He politely asks for cherry pie. I said just bring that, and four forks. Then the baby girl pipes in. "Um, I'll have chocolate cream". It was so hysterical, we got her chocolate cream pie. And of course, we all enjoyed it. She fancies herself "shy", except when there is chocolate pie involved, apparently.

I cut the girls hair. To match Ann Estelle, if you know that character. If you do not, it's a short bob with bangs. Ann Estelle has glasses, but she also has yellow hair, which is close enough for a 3 year old.

I decided that now that she's three, I need to make her look like she has real hair, even if it's by cutting it and forcing the issue. It's super cute. It is also nearly impossible to get a good photo of.

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Originally uploaded by archimom

Celebrating the girl turning 3 last night. Wednesday is the actual birthday. So fun and not too many obnoxious noisy toys!

In one week my daughter will be 3. She has requested pizza and a chocolate cake. Seeing as she and I are about half of the attendants who will enjoy an all chocolate cake, we're doing yellow with chocolate frosting. And pizza!

I bought her a $5 little pet shop set which her brother found and gave to her the other day. I'm not buying her more. She'll like the dress (and tights!! always tights!!) that I also got.

We haven't shown the house in 10 days. Which I love, not having to clean the house, but it doesn't feel great. We really can't drop the price any lower, especially since we expect someone to offer less than anything we're asking. Now I don't know what to do. I still want to apply for that state house, which I have to do by the end of the month, but without the sale of this one, there's a very limited budget (aka, free labor from us). That probably won't look great on paper. I need to figure out how to phrase that. I have mad architect skillz, yo.

I've also been so busy with paying work that I'm not sure where I'll find the 10 or so hours to put together the proposal for that house. I probably have to schedule it for myself. As well as exercise. I'm turning back into a slug and not really enjoying it.

Heard upstairs just now, the girl is singing herself to sleep: Come and sit by my side if you love me, do not hasten to bid me adieu!

The Death Match question was definitely my favorite. I think that actually ties into the Natural Selection question.

You are a Social Liberal (70% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (28% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness. loc: (74, -82) modscore: (17, 42) raw: (2139) Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Momma! I was at Debbie's house! I was eating ice cream, and I shared some with Moon, and Moon has a pink tongue. We went to the farm with a llama with OUT pajamas.

So today as I do on Mondays, I picked up the boy at school. His teacher was all "oh good I have to talk to you". I was so worried he had done something. But no, someone else had done something to him. He's fine. And I'm so glad that she told me, even though he wasn't traumatized and had nary a mark on his body.

Suddenly I have plenty of work and am feeling like a genuine Architect again. Well, plenty is maybe stretching and genuine, I'm not sure I've ever felt. But it feels good to be using up some of those business cards and doing something that requires my washing my hair. Which I need to do somewhat soon, actually.

The real reason I came here was to add this wonderful sketchbook to my link sidebar. But in case you don't know every detail of my blog and wouldn't notice that this is new, here she is: http://www.suzannebuchanan.blogspot.com/

Makes me want to carry my sketchbook and use it myself, instead of ripping out pages for kiddos while we're waiting for chicken strips.

Have I mentioned that I got a breadmaker? I haven't bought a loaf of bread in at least a month. Twice or so a week, I make a loaf of something, and have only had two miserable failures. Not bad. So I'm starting to get bold. I'm trying to figure out the texture thing now, getting that soft perfect for sandwiches storebought inside. I got close a few times and thought that was it. I'm also getting adventurous, by looking in the little window and adding oatmeal or water or honey or whatever, and keeping the texture the same as it usually is. It's very precise. So yesterday, I threw a bunch of things in there, and the texture was funny, so I threw some other things in there, and I was worried, frankly.

3 hours later, the best loaf of bread yet. All store bought texturey inside, the likes of which I hadn't had even *with* the online recipes claiming such. Which is good and bad, because it was obviously good, but unreproducable. I think I sort of know how I did it. Maybe.

Of course, now that I don't have childcare, work is picking up. I'm going to go with it and see how things proceed. I can get coverage for the meetings I have scheduled, and then . . . we'll see. Babygirl will go to school 2 mornings a week in just about a month, and those will be mine.

Two viewings of the house, not much interest. But the most recent interest has been from a friend/acquaintance who dropped the husband off last night, after a showing when the house was looking tiptop. Hooray! But, he has four kids, and to be honest, I'm not sure where he'll put them all.

If he figures it out and writes the check, I will not question. I think you could fit a bed in the wine cellar. ;o)

This weekend, we ate breakfast at Nancy's Airfield Cafe. Where Nancy, herself, was seating folks. And discussing the frogs and fish in the tanks with my boy.

The boy is really into the election and is always talking about Bush and McCain being on the same team, and how that's not the team we want to win, and how Obama is going to live in the White House.

He decided that Nancy, of the cafe, is John McCain's wife. I have no idea how. Isn't her name Cindy? I don't know who Nancy supports, but this is Massachusetts after all, it's probably not him.