In the last few days . . .

1. We could’ve made our own commercial. Would’ve gone a little something like this:

Pediatrician Visit: $70.00

Pediatric Orthopedist Vist: $330.00

Knowing that Lovegirl will not have the nickname “Peg Leg” for the rest of her life: Priceless

Long story short: Lovegirl woke up refusing to bear weight on her right leg. When she did finally attempt to walk, she was hobbling around and just looking generally pained. Took her to the pediatrician who looked alarmed and sent us to “the only pediatric orthopedist in town.” Four hours later the diagnosis was a “tiny, tiny toddler fracture in the right femur.” Treatment: Motrin as needed for the pain. It cost me $400 for the doctors to tell me to give her an over the counter pain medicine. Aaargh! But, my girl is happy and healthy and in the end, that’s what counts. Now, how do I explain to her that she “spent” her swimming lesson money at the orthopedist’s?!? Oh, and am I the only parent who has never heard of the “pretty common toddler fracture?” Who knew?

2. The loverly town in which we live has come out to fix our water leak. You know (well, you don’t know,but bear with me), the one I reported constantly. For a year. Three years ago. Anyhoo, they’ve finally deemed the gusher gushy enough to require their attention. Which means our driveway now looks like this:

They promise to have it all fixed by sometime next week. Instead of being pissed that they are finally responding to a problem reported long, long ago, and complaining about how long this has taken, I am going to suck it in, smile and apply the old adage “better late than never.”

Wonder if we could get them to replace the whole driveway? Oh the shame and horror of having to live with a driveway that’s 7/8′s old and 1/8 new!

3. Well, it’s taken me so long to finish this entry, I can’t remember what three was. Maybe later?

Have a grand day!

Style from A to Z

Guess I’m feeling the memes lately . . . more random stuff about Nerd Girl I’m sure you’ve been dying to know!

A: What accessories do you wear everyday? Gold hoop earrings
B: What is your beauty routine? Wash face, moisturize face, grin at face in mirror, put lipgloss on in car – maybe.
C: What was the last item of clothing (for yourself) that you purchased? Pink sweater from Steinmart
D: Do you use a dresser, closet, or both? Both – would love to get rid of the dresser, but without a major closet rehaul . . .
E: What type of earrings are in your ears right now? Gold hoop earrings
F: What type of figure do you have? I’m a brick house. LOL. Tall, slim, hippy
G: Do you wear glasses? Yes. Wanna see them?
H: What type of handbag do you carry? A little bitty purse – large enough for my slim wallet and cell phone only. No particular name brand.
I: What is your ideal style? Classic. I’m not big into trends or fads.
J: What jewelry are you wearing right now? Gold hoop earrings (this is a recurring theme!), wedding/engagement rings, charm bracelet
K: Do you wear knee-hi stockings? Hell to the naw
L: Do you *have* to wear matching lingerie? Definitely. Unfortunately, I’m a lazy shopper, so it’s pretty much all black, all the time!
M: Do you wear makeup? Very little
N: Do you wear nightgowns? Nope
O: What outerwear do you put on when going out on a typical winters day? My fancy-dan coat that I bought at Burlington two Christmases ago. The most money I’ve ever spent on an article of clothing. Ever. Love it!
P: What is your favorite perfume? I don’t wear any – my skin is sensitive. But if I did, it would be Clinique Happy – or some spinoff thereof.
Q: Is your motto “quality over quantity” when it comes to clothing and accessories? Yep.
R: Do you wear rain boots? Nope.
S: Do you wear socks or slippers when your feet get cold? Both
T: Do you have a set of travel luggage? Yes (isn’t all luggage travel luggage? what else do people do with their luggage? do I want to know?)
U: What is your daily uniform? Weekdays: suit with a shell. Weekends: jeans and t shirt.
V: If you are married, did you wear a veil with your wedding dress? Wore a veil. Hair was in a french roll
W: Do you wear a watch? Nope – they drive me batty. Where is everyone going where they have to have a small clock strapped to them at all times? Ooh, I’ve digressed . . .
X: What item of clothing always makes you feel extremely beautiful? my tan tunic
Y: What is your favorite type of yarn? Cashmere. (is that a yarn???)
Z: Do you prefer zippers or buttons? Zippers. We’re not talking shirts are we? If we are, then definitely buttons!

Throw them ‘bows

I came home on Monday, and ran upstairs to put my things down. I noticed a framed mask hanging in a pretty awkward spot in the stairwell, but thought maybe Smoochy decided to do a little decorating. So I didn’t really think anything else about it.

Smoochy: So um, did you notice the picture hanging in the stairwell?
Nerd Girl: As a matter of fact, I did. I thought it was a strange place to hang a picture, but figured, hey, you hung it, I’d let it ride.
Smoochy: Yeah, well, I kind of fell down the stairs today. I’d lotioned up my feet really well, and somehow I slipped.
Nerd Girl: You okay? What does falling down the stairs have to do with hanging a picture?
Smoochy: Well, when I felt myself falling, I threw my elbows out to the side.
Nerd Girl: What? Who does that? Don’t most people throw out their arms out to steady themselves?
Smoochy: Well, I threw my elbows. And knocked a helluva hole in the wall. So I hung a picture to cover it up.

Aaaah, that explains it.

Bookworm

Ooooh. I found this meme over at Raising the Bean and I just had to do it! I love to read and while I let my books go for quite a while after having Lovegirl, I’m slowly finding my way back to them.

If you’re a reader, feel free to drop me a comment and let me know what you’ve read that you particulary enjoyed/disliked. And if you’re not a reader – hey, I don’t sign these posts Nerd Girl for naught! : )

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Ummm, I don’t even know the difference (between the two paperbacks, duh) but I prefer paperbacks.
Amazon or brick and mortar? Brick and mortar, no doubt. I love small, independent bookstores. Sadly, they are few and far between.
Barnes & Noble or Borders? Barnes and Noble. I go to Borders more often though – it is closer.
Bookmark or dogear? Neither. I just close the book and hope my mental faculties are strong enough for me to remember where I was. Usually they’re not.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Ordered randomness. Generally I group by author. If I only have one book by a particular author, then they’re by size.
Keep, throw away, or sell? I keep my favorites and those to be read. I bought three bookcases when we moved in our home and have vowed that my “library” is not allowed to exceed the 18 shelves I’ve allotted it.
Keep dustjacket or toss it? Most definitely keep. Hardback books cost too much to throw any part of them away!
Read with dustjacket or remove it? Remove.
Short story or novel? Novel
Favorite Collection (short stories by same author)? I don’t read many collections. I guess J California Cooper.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? When I fall asleep.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Dark and stormy.
Cliff hanger or tidy ending? Tidy ending. What is the point of my reading 2, 3, 500 pages only to be thorougly confused at the end?? And there are a few authors that I believe owe me a refund due to their silly cliff hanger endings!
Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Night.
Stand-alone or series? Stand alone
Favorite series? James Patterson novel’s featuring Detective Alex Cross.
Favorite children’s book? Ootah’s lucky day. It’s about an Eskimo boy who harpoons a whale. Hmmm . . . guess the late 70′s/early 80′s wasn’t a time of political correctness.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? ‘Sippi by John Oliver Killens.
Favorite books read last year? I don’t remember anything as a standout last year.
Favorite books? ‘Sippi – John Killens, Color Purple – Alice Walker, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou, The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd, The Bible – God
Least favorite book read last year? Size 12 is not Fat (loved the title though)
What are you reading now? Some people, some other place – J California Cooper
What are you reading next? Absence of Justice. It’s by Millicent Hodge. We’re way-down-the-line cousins. I think it is a murder mystery. I hope it’s good.

Look Ma, I’m a ballerella!

So, apparently Lovegirl has been watching some cartoon/TV program at the sitter’s where a ballerina is the prominent character. All she ever talks about is being a “ballerella”, wearing pink, and wearing dresses.

I don’t know how much of my character/personality comes through in my writing, but just in case it’s not quite enough . . . I’m not a girly-girl. I only recently incorporated the color pink into my wardrobe – one blouse. I don’t wear skirts/dresses if I can help it. Once we move outside of lipgloss, makeup is a true mystery. So to have this little creature in my life, who is currently obsessed with all things girly, and pink, and floaty is quite a trip! She’s already quite concerned with her hair. She actually wants me to comb her hair every night. What two year old requests hair combing sessions? She prefers her pink Pumas (I just could not resist – they are sooo cute) to her brown t-straps, and has recently asked me for a purse in which to tote around her Minnie and Mickey Mice and her notebook (I really, really, wish I could read “two year old.” I’m dying to know what she’s written in that thing!) Where did this kid come from?

Here are the two ballerella dresses (she thinks any dress is a ballerella dress) I picked up for her from Old Navy. She is so stinkin’ cute in them – I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so she can acutally wear them.

Oh, on a completely unrelated, related note: Do you all dress your children in Old Navy? I read a lot of blogs, and quite a few of the moms completely diss Old Navy. I don’t get it. The clothes are reasonably priced, trendy (if you’re into that kind of thing) and they wear well. A lot of the moms think the exact opposite. I’d say 95% of Lovegirl’s wardrobe is from either Old Navy or Target. Is it just me? I just can’t see spending too much of my hard earned $$$ on clothes for her to play in/rapidly outgrow.

And now, in a complete contradiction of myself. Look what I bought yesterday:

Cute no? I really don’t usually wear dresses. I don’t like the way most look and/or fit. Too short, too tight, too something. But this dress is perfect – nice colors, nice fit, nice price, nice length. It will probably be worn to shreds this summer.

Have a great – and fashionable – day!

Happy Birthday Smoochy!

Happy Birthday Beloved! I don’t talk about Smoochy that much here, but since today is his birthday (the big 3-5, no less) I thought I’d reflect for a moment on the man that I am blessed to have as my husband and the history of us.

• We have been together for 13 1/2 years; married for almost 8 (May 22). Wow. We’re old-timers!
• We met in Pharmacology class. He asked for my notes since he’d been late to a few classes because of two-a-days. Silly me — I thought he actually wanted my notes.
• He was a football player. Offensive lineman. I did NOT date jocks. Until I met him.
• For the first few months we “dated, ” we never went anywhere. He’d come over to my house after football practice, we’d watch TV, he’d fall asleep, I’d wake him up, he’d walk back to the dorms. Romantic huh? I finally told him that if he couldn’t stay awake long enough to take me somewhere I was moving on. Our first hey-we’re-leaving-the-house date was to the movies. We saw “Carlito’s Way.” Ahh, young romance.
• The first car I remember him having was a big, old, blue Cadillac. I think that thing must’ve been 40 feet long. The second car I remember him having was a big, old, green Cadillac. The last Cadillac he had was back in . . . 2001, 2002. It was big, old, and gold. I refused to ride in it.
• I love carnivals/fairs and the tamer rides that are to be had. The Ferris Wheel, the Swings, etc. Smoochy rode them the entire time we were dating. He was scared out of his mind. I only found that out after we were married. He hasn’t ridden since we said “I do.”
• We got engaged in 1997, married in my parent’s backyard in 1999, honeymooned in Las Vegas.
• My husband is a very loving, even-tempered kind of guy. His patience never ceases to amaze me.
• He’s got common sense. He’s very good with people. Most people automatically like him.
• I love him. I think he loves me more.
• He didn’t travel that much growing up, wasn’t exposed to a lot of “cultural” type stuff — but likes “going” now, and wants to make sure that Lovegirl has all types of opportunities that he didn’t have.
• His steadiness provides much needed balance in our lives. He’s calming. Steadying. He doesn’t worry about much of anything. That mostly good – sometimes, not so much.
• I never, ever, thought I was the marrying kind. Until he proposed.

“Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one.

Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense.

There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and endurance.

In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love.”

I Corinthians

Happy Birthday Smoochy. I love you, and I know that in return, I am loved.