There is something i need to do.....

Um yeah that "something" is ---- post my halloween pictures of ash and friends before Thanksgiving takes place :)

enjoy my little peacock and her best buddies!

Cutest pumpkins in the patch...

It is a dreary Monday morning in Akron - which means one thing - It is definitely time to start thinking about next weekend! ....And with next weekend being Halloween, it makes sense that you would take a few extra days to prepare.

I bought my pumpkins a while ago, but i waited until this week to do the carving so they would look their best for the actual holiday. Anyways, I started searching online for ideas this morning and I found some awesome pumpkin carving templates from HGTV.com. They have easy ones and more advanced for the artistes out there, but they are really cute so definitely check them out.

I will post some pics when my pumpkins are done. If all goes well, my doorstep will have a mummy, an owl, a frankenstein, and maybe some bats!! Inside my door, you will probably find me mowing down the baked pumpkin seeds i plan on making after all of the carving is complete :)

its nice to "get ready"

last night i took a picture of myself.

Because i did my hair

and because i did my makeup

and because i went out on the town

(with my little doll baby and husband).

And it felt good not to be a shlep staying home.

Never mind that we got home at 8:15 from a fancy dinner with friends

We had so much fun

...and it had to be documented :)

and for the record....we had 2 kids under 2

(and one little baby that is 3 weeks away from being born)

behaving like little angels for over 2 hours.

what a lovely friday night :)

and for my monthly post....

Ashlyn is sleeping, Pat is at class, i am somewhat caught up on work and i figured it is a good time for an update.

As per usual, I am exhausted and busy...but i kind of see some light at the end of the tunnel. Ashlyn has finally emerged from the "month from hell" where she literally never slept longer than 90 minute stretches for an entire month. I think vacation, teething, a slight cold, and God knows what else were to blame - but thankfully we are kind of back on track now. She wakes up twice a night and only naps for 15 minutes but - whatever, progress is progress. I was a freaking zombie!!

So anyways after that sh*tstorm, September has kind of been a "rebuilding month."

I am working on all kinds of stuff that kind of fell apart - For example, I finally hit the end of my rope with some crazy ass back pain i have been dealing with (since I was about 5 months pregnant) and i started physical therapy. (ummmm like a year later than i should have). In my mind i was kind of hoping for luxurious massages that happened to be covered by insurance, but in reality I go in a couple times a week for some very painful deep (DEEP) tissue massages followed by butt kicking workouts. Apparently my pelvis was all out of whack twisted and my back is basically a bunch of golfball sized knots because of the twisted pelvis, scoliosis, ohhh yeah and that effing 49 pounds of extra weight i was carrying around :).....I do think the PT is helping though - and between you and me, even if my back hurts forever, these twenty minute naps i get to take with heating pads and stim thingies make it all worth while.

Also a big part of my "rebuilding" was starting a new blog...........hold your laughs. I realize i don't even get a chance to write on this blog but my friends and i needed a good place to exchange ideas for fun stuff to do locally so i started a blog where i highly encourage friend participation with the posting. If you are curious - come visit at www.fabulousakron.blogspot.com It is a work in progress but i am having fun with this new little endeavor.

What else is going on?.... I had my fabulous friend Annemarie in town visiting from San Francisco this past weekend . She was in Boston and Pittsburgh for work so she decided to stop through on her way back to California. We had a really great time together- Its always so fun to reminisce and fill each other in on random gossip (most of which we pulled from random facebook posts but pretended like the people we were talking about were still close friends....ummm don't act like you haven't done that).But anyways she is totally one of those friends where you can literally go years without seeing her then you pick up like you haven't missed a beat the second you finally meet up again. I am lucky to have quite a few friends like that :)

My hair is shorter and darker. To be honest, it is shorter and darker than i would have liked but whatever. It doesn't look awful, but it doesn't look great either. I am so not a medium toned hair kind of girl. I like my hair super super light....and i like other peoples hair super super dark and rich. This is just kind of dark blonde with some red in it. I feel frumpy...and frumpyness inevitably will lead to me going to the hairdresser next month and telling her that i want to look like gwen stefani....even if it means all of my hair will break off. whatever. im really annoyed. You wont see a picture of this "do."

I have been working A LOT lately....and it has gotten infinitely harder to get everything done now that Ashlyn crawls....and stands...and falls.....and licks floor vents like they are delicious candy (don't ask). I swear this little girl is nuts! We still get a ton of play time in during the day and i am still discovering what an awesome little multi tasker i can be, but i love when i get eveything wrapped up and have a little down time the most.

Ohh and speaking of multitasking, my sister Kristen is totally pregnant with #2 and due in March! She looks super cute preggers again and we are all dying to see if she is going to have a boy or a girl....hmmmm kind of makes me think about a baby#2 :)...kinda.

so anyways... September was a good month. Lets hope October is Awesome and I hope all is well with all of you out there too!

tootles!

KOB

hello?.....anybody there?

Where did all of my blogging time go? No seriously? How is it possible that i have been so absent?

I seriously miss this blogging business, and honestly, blogging aside - i miss having free time.

i'm not complaining.... i am just stating the facts. I honestly have something every minute of the day (and night) to keep me busy.

Ashlyn for real (seriously) does not sleep. She isn't cranky, she rarely even seems tired. She wakes up 42 times a night. We love her...she wakes up again....we let her cry....she never gives up... and i just cant figure it out.

I have a set schedule. She eats tons of food. She has a super cute princess castle projectable nightlight, a snuggly blanket, cool jammies, warm jammies, multiple pacis to pick from if hers falls out - anything a baby could want or need - and yet still - she doesn't sleep.

I am starting to get tired. I lasted a really really long time but i am at the point where she needs to give in or im going to be a full blown crazy person.

I went for a walk yesterday with my friend Amanda. On my way over to her house i had to take a detour to get to a gas station because my gas light had been on way too long and i got lost. So i gave up and drove to her house on fumes. Not smart but i did end up getting to a gas station later. THEN -Somehow i lost my cell phone while we were walking. So i watched her 2 kids and ash at her house while she retraced our walk in her car ( i didn't know my way around) and she magically found my phone.thank god. so i went home...THEN she called me to tell me that i left ashlyns paci on their couch and that she would hold onto it until we met up next time. THEN she called e today to tell me that i ALSO left my sunglasses at her house.

ummmm...... i am worried about me.

i need to get it together.

BUt enought about my shortcomings lets talk about the ohter random stuff i have been wanting to blog about.

1. Pintrest: i love it. Can't get enough

2. I am tired. I am busy, but i still cook some fab dinners. I will post recipes for some new stuff soon.

3. Ashlyn's birthday is december 17th. Of course that means that have started planning details for her "winter wonderland" bash (in august). It is going to be amazing!!! I am determined to make this little chica love her christmas time birthday. It really is the best time of the year.

4. I am turning 28 on Sunday. Pat got tickets to go see the Cleveland Orchestra at this outdoor amphitheater by our house. We are going to pack up the baby, a picnic, a blanket, listen to the gorgeous music and watch the fireworks. I am SOOO excited....about the orchestra....not about being 28. How the efffffff am i 28 already?

5. My bestie Annemarie is coming out from California to visit me at the end of September. I am so excited. She is one of my oldest friends. We used to do all kinds of weird shit together and we shared an undying love for N'Sync. She had the Lance Bass cover of rolling stone framed for me to put in my dorm room. And yes that does mean that i loved lance (she liked joey Fatone) my gaydar was waaaay off apparently - however i did kind of like him because he was sort of chubby and the only one that couldn't dance.

6. I sent my little brother a care package for his apartment. He graduated form college last May and he is living in Salt Lake City Utah. Among the many treasures i sent him was a spice rack. You know you are old when you are sending your little brother a spice rack in the mail. ( weird = yes. He likes to cook though so i thought it was nice).

7. Pat and i booked a family vacay to Florida for 11 days at Christmas. I CANT wait.

8. We are heading to South Bend Indiana for the ND home opener. I have been reallly freaking excited for football season to start. My sister got Ash an ND cheerleader uniform that i am dying to get her in.

9. Pat is working way way too hard. We both are, but he is out of the house more so it seams harder. He is getting his MBA right now and has class three nights a week. On top of a very demanding fancy pants job he is basically working like a crazy person. I miss him.

10. I didn't even post about the awesome vacation we took a few weeks back to Charleston South Carolina and HIlton Head. Ummm if you haven't been to either, i highly suggest both. Charleston is a GREAT place to take an anniversary trip with your hubby or BF. There is so much to see and such amazing restaurants. I am going to post about this next time i get a chance.

so i think thats it for now. iam back. Ashlyn managed to stay asleep while i typed this and i think i might try to actually go to sleep now too.

Hope you all are having fabulous weeks.

Happy end of summer!

KOB

oh my god i'm getting old

so i am being "cool" chillin at home on a saturday night and i'm looking at facebook (don't be jeal). I came across this picture above - it is from the night Pat and I got engaged....I had just turned 22!!! I look so young....i was so young and i can't help but think how fun and easy this time in my life was

and then i saw this picture...which i will admit i thought was a flattering picture (in all of my spray tanned glory)...but Jesus H i look so old. I mean i have wrinkles...and that baby in the purple? oh yeah she is mine!?!?

i can't get over it. How are we 22, drinking beer, having New Years parties one day.... then, what seems like the next day -you are sitting at home on a saturday night looking at m-effing one piece bathing suits online while simultaneously checking the baby monitor and facebook???

i am kind of freaked out by how fast time goes by. This february will be our five year anniversary - the top picture was a little over six years ago. We have been dating for 10 years in October....Our baby is 7 months old already. I mean seriously! Stop! This is all going by way too fast.

groundhog day

Apparently i am a total creature of habit....I have been coming up with all of these "new ideas" for blogs that i should write about things i am currently loving and every time i start, i realize i already wrote about that thing i loved last year.

For instance - whatever those golden cherries are called - I'm seriously obsessed with them. They are like tiny little peaches and the color is just to die for. i wanted to write about those but i have already been there and done that. Ummm i am also in love with my pink hydrangea bushes in my backyard. A friend of mine is having a baby girl any time now (she was due on tuesday) and i am dying to make a big pink bouquet for the new addition - BUT i already wrote about those last year when they bloomed and included pictures.

So what else? oh recipes. I'm pretty sure i make all of the same things from season to season, but just in case i haven't already posted on this...try it and you wont be sorry. I can't risk this amazingly blurry cell phone picture going to waste!

I went to our little local farm and bought: avocados, grape tomatoes, english cucumber and a red onion. I had fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, and parmesan at home. I just chopped everything up and mixed it together in a bowl. I let it sit in the refrigerator for about an hour.....then i grilled chicken (with Lawry's, montreal chicken seasoning, a touch of cayenne, and a drizzle of olive oil.

i chunked up the chicken and mixed everything on my plate. Because i like sauciness and giant heaps of delicious food.... you could easily serve this as chicken with a side though.

it might be a repeat but whatever - pretty sure most people arent checking the archives.....actually i am pretty sure no one is really reading anymore since i hae been so lax with posts - but thats another issue.

and just to make sure that this post is sufficiently random enough.....here is a picture of me making a REALLY stupid face trying to get Ashlyn to smile.

and you are welcome.