Big Shirl Browning

....and it goes like this

2011-08-06T11:20:00.001-07:00

Vote for my design!

2011-08-03T15:25:00.001-07:00

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March of the Penquins

2011-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we joined the other SF Zoo members for the annual March of the Penguins event. So much fun. Every year the zoo celebrates the new penguin chicks' graduation from "Fish School" to their new home on Penguin Island. You can read more about it here.

Jack and Nora LOVED it!

Vote for Me!!

2011-02-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Vote for my
design on minted.™

see more from Shirley Browning

vote for me!

Check out my competition in holiday photo cards and wedding invitations at Minted.

My most recent works of art

2009-11-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

Melissa's Thanksgiving cards she sent to her clients

Ann's holiday cards she plans to send to her clients

playLIST NOVEMBER.nineteen.twothousandnine

2009-11-19T20:21:00.000-08:00

Like anyone cares :) Like I care if anyone cares?? Anyway, it'll be fun to look back in six months and see what I was listening to on 11/19/09!!!

1. Heat of the Moment (asia)

2. Dreaming (blondie)

3. Sweet Jane (cowboy junkies)

4. Underneath {Radio Mix} (dj antoine)

5. Pjanoo {Club Mix} (eric prydz)

6. Mercedes Benz (janis joplin)

7. Imagination {Tiesto Mix} (jes)

8. Angel On My Shoulder {EDX Radio Edit} (kaskade)

9. Feel Your Love {Extended Mix} (kim sozzi)

10. Sex on Fire (kings of leon)

11. Use Somebody (kings of leon)

12. Paper Planes (m.i.a.)

13. Got Money (lil wayne & t-pain)

14. Top of the World (the pussycat dolls)

15. Cherub Rock (smashing pumpkins)

16. Hold Me Now (thompson twins)

17. The Promise (when in rome)

18. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To (weezer)

Heat of the Moment - Asia or Cartman?

2009-11-19T20:04:00.001-08:00

I can't decide which version I like best!!! Ugh! Which one's your fave???

Asia's Original:

Eric Cartman's Rendition:

RJBs Stache

2009-11-10T10:15:00.001-08:00

Rob explains his 'stache to the professional community at HogeFenton:

"A few of you may or may have not noticed the beginnings of the sweet moustache sprouting on my upper lip. The reason behind the grooming change is not because of a career change to law enforcement or a foray into 1970's porn it is to support a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to cancers that affect men. Apparently this started in Australia and they call a moustache a "mo" down under hence "Movember".

Anyway, a friend of my wife's at Adobe is a testicular cancer survivor and has been cancer free for one year and has a baby on the way. He is raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. My wife has joined his "team" and a link to make donations to the cause is included below. I am showing my support by growing a moustache during the month.

The point of this e-mail is to mostly explain why I am growing a moustache but any support you can provide is much appreciated. The link is http://us.movember.com/mospace/7270/"

Please go to http://us.movember.com/mospace/7270/ and give what you can to Team Manscapers! Click on the "Donate to me" button :)

Part 1: Fun Things for the Kiddos to do in the Bay Area

2009-10-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

When you have toddlers, every weekend is consumed with finding ways to keep their thirst for learning quenched. RJB and I have actually become quite adept at "changing it up" every weekend with something new and fun for them to experience. So I figured I'd blog about it and share our faves here, as well as share places we've heard or read about that we hope to check out soon. This is Part 1 (since there are sooooo many places to share, it needs to be broken up into parts - this is why I LOVE Cali!).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monterey Bay Aquarium

* GET THE MEMBERSHIP!!! It's $150 for the whole family. Go twice and the membership has paid for itself. Plus you get to partake in special events only offered to members, the aquarium opens earlier and stays open later for members only, and members get to experience sneak peaks at new exhibits.

* It's perfect for toddlers - they can run, explore, and touch. There are many fun activities to keep them busy and engaged, plus several different play areas with slides, things to climb on, tunnels to walk through. There's even a little gated toddler area where they can don water-proof aprons and play with toy fish in the water. This area also has a waterbed-like thinga-ma-jig where they can jump and bounce. Fun - I wish I was a toddler :)

* Jack's favorite exhibit: The Outer Bay

* Nora's fave: The Kelp Forest

* Taylor's fave: The Jellies

While in Monterey, check out the following:

Cannery Row

Rip Squeak and Friends Gallery Monterey

Ghirardelli's Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop

Nestle Toll House Cafe

I LOVE this!

2009-10-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Coloring Pages

2009-10-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

A while back when my creative juices were really flowing, I created a few cutesie little whatevers. I realized today that I could turn my artwork into coloring pages for J&N. I share them here. Stay tuned for more! Oh I have more; much, much more.

Download Cat (click here)

Download Dog (click here)

Download Starfish (click here)

Download Sand Dollar (click here)

In case I haven't touted it enough.......

2009-10-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

I work for Adobe. I love the products. They are not only fun to use, they enable productivity-challenged people like me to be productive. Anyway, Acrobat.com is THE best in the West! I can't get enough. You can create documents (much, much sexier documents than what you create in Word) and share these documents with your friends and colleagues, you can convert documents to PDF, you can share your files with your peeps, you can collaborate and share your computer screen with ConnectNow, and you can store files. Very cool.

So if you haven't heard and you haven't checked it out, what the H are you waiting for??? BTW, did I mention it's free??

Bear Feet Shoes

2009-10-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

I share again another find on the ol' internet - Bear Feet Shoes! I really like it. I really do. It's awesome. All of the shoes are made right here in our very own country - nice. And they're all made of buttery soft leather. Makes me wish I were a toddler so I could have a pair. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they're C-U-T-E CUTE! They also make accessories - I love, love, love accessorizing Miss NoraSephora.

Anyway, below are a couple of cutesie little cutie cutes I'm contemplating getting for Nora:

These are called "SkullyJanes" - way too cool!

"Punk Janes" - with Nora's black Paul Frank Angel Monkey tshirt?

"Flower Power Bracelet" - powerful bayyy-bee!!

enfant terrible

2009-09-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have blogged about this site before, I know, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I only wish I had taken French in school, because I have absolutely no clue how to pronounce the name!!! Anyway, here are a few items that a:) I wish weren't so stinkin' out of my price range, and b:) I am incredibly inspired by that perhaps, since I cannot afford them, I will once and for all drag out my cute sewing machine and try to recreate. By the way, I have been saving clothes I no longer wear so that someday I might re-use the fabric to make cutesie numbers for Miss NoraSephora - we'll see. I'm always full of good ideas, but lack the follow-through to actually see said ideas to completion - ugh!

Oh no - this is wayyyy too cute!

Are you kidding me right now??

Seriously? Seriously!

Twins - handmade stationery

I want to go to Istanbul

2009-08-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the other night Rob and I watched the movie The International with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. If you haven't seen it, don't waste your time!! It sucked. The only redeeming aspect was the scene at the end of the movie which was set in Istanbul, Turkey. I've always wanted to go to Istanbul (a.k.a Constantinople), so I immediately went online and researched where we would stay when we go. I totally want to stay at the Four Seasons right smack dab in the middle of the city. It looks fabulous. The hotel was "created from a century-old neoclassic Turkish prison", and since it's in the center of the city, it's close to all of the best sites to see! Some day perhaps......

Reflecting on the Past 5 Months

2009-08-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

The Reinmillers came to visit from Seattle

Carol and Tracie came to visit from Saint Louis

We celebrated Stacey's birthday at the A's/Redsox game

We went to Santa Barbara for Spring Break

Taylor graduated from 8th grade

Father's Day

We went to Saint Louis to visit the fam

Rob's sister came to visit and we went to Monterey

Elephant in the Room

2009-08-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

How funny would it have been if I had just pretended that nothing ever changed? So here I will address the obvious, which is.......

I HAVE NOT POSTED TO MY BLOG IN ALMOST FIVE MONTHS!!!!

There. I've addressed the proverbial Elephant in the Room. Don't ask why it's been so long. Please. I'm afraid it is quite boring and that goes against my mission for blogging in the first place.

I'm back, that's that!

I finally have a maxi dress!

2009-08-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

I've been drooling over this dress all summer and finally decided to just buy it! I'm going to wear it in Paso Robles next weekend - I can't wait (to go to Paso, to finally own a maxi dress, and to actually wear it!).

Fiddlebugs

2009-03-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, how stinkin' cute are THESE??? Jenni Salter, founder of Fiddlebugs, is the designer of these fabulous and fun barrettes. You can get your own here!

Happy Saint Patty's Day!!!

2009-03-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

Or as Taylor would say "Happy Leprechaun Day"! Here are a few gorgeous, glamorous green goodies that I am absolutely gaga for!!!

Green master suite from the HGTV Dream Home. I love

all the white against the green walls and ceiling - gorgeous!

Marc Jacobs - my favorite designer of hand bags and accessories!!!

I would take any (or all) of the following cutie cutes.

Key Lime Pie - yum! The best is made with Nellie and Joe's

Key Lime Juice.

This Paul Smith blouse is fabulous!

And finally the green book: The Everday Guide to

Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

Daily Candy

2009-03-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

I love Daily Candy! It's an amazing on-line publication/guide to fashion, beauty & fitness, things to do, and places to eat. There's an edition for twelve major cities (including London!) as well as an "Everywhere" edition. They even have a kids edition in each of those cities. Fabulous!

I love the artwork by Sujean Rim, too. Very sweet and incredibly eye-pleasing.

Jason's Band (I'm so proud!)

2009-03-11T19:07:00.001-07:00

I'm so proud. They had a professional take pictures - WOW, I love it! Aren't they cute? You can view their MySpace page here (warning: the content may not be appropriate for really nice people and very young children!!!).

Mush!

2009-03-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

I love my big brother. He's the best - the best in the Midwest ;) ;) Ugh, that is soooo incredibly dorky! Anywaaaayyyys. He sent me this link to the Boston Globe - just a little reminder that even though Spring is rapidly approaching, there are still places in the world where a sled dog race (or two, or three) is taking place. Here are a few more of my faves:

We almost adopted a dog that had eyes like this

Doesn't this one look like Makoto???

Cool pic!

American Idol - Dirty Dianna

2009-03-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

My fave tonight: Alexis Grace's performance of Dirty Dianna. Woohoo - that rocked!

I admit I watch, but I don't vote. Is that bad? I just like to watch. I don't want to dial.

American Idol - "It's all about song choice."

2009-03-03T20:59:00.001-08:00

Why do the majority of the contestants pick such wearisome songs? Perhaps it sounds better live? Seriously. I can't figure it out. Every year, year after year, I ask the same question. I feel like at this stage of the show, the contestants play it really safe and it bores the heckito out of me (heckito, if you're not familiar with the term, is something that Judy Schachner's siamese kitty boy, Skippyjon Jones, has been known to say - check him out, he's muy adorable!).

I know it's going to get better. That's why I keep watching. Once they narrow it down to the final twelve, the stage and the competition will change, and the real show will begin. I can't wait.

BTW, Felicia's performance was my fave (she sang Alicia Key's No One).

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

Can't you just picture Nora in this?? If I don't win, I promise (cross my heart, hope to die), that I will attempt to make it myself for NoraSephora. Seriously. I'm not kidding this time.

My Nora (not to be mistaken for menorah)

2009-02-25T21:38:00.000-08:00

I was actually attempting to focus in on Nora. Clearly I need to figure things out!

That's better, but not quite what I wanted.

Hmmmmm.......

I don't want to forget this

2009-02-18T21:22:00.001-08:00

K, I'm sure that everyone has already seen this at least once or twice. As have I. BUT, I really don't want to forget it because every time I watch it, it makes me smile. It really is brilliant, isn't it?

Felted yumminess

2009-02-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

These little bags designed by Nguyen Le are so stinkin' CUTE!

And you can accessorize with these:

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-02-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

Cutie CUTE!! I love everything about this coat. I hope I win!

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

enzo mari: il posto dei giochi (the place of the games)

2009-02-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

I love this Enzo Mari play structure so much. My sister and I had one very similar to this when we were little.

Here is ours circa 1970-something(that's Carol in case you were wondering):

It was one of our favorite toys (can you call it a toy?). Kids love making forts, hiding, and crawling through things. Anything to inspire the imagination. I totally want to get one for J&N.

I also love Enfant Terrible, the children's web boutique where you can find it. I am especially fond of their mission to "become a firm mainstay of understated and quiet elegance in an environment oversaturated with tastelessness and noise", I just wish I could achieve such a thing. Yikes, I think, no, I know that my house may very well be "oversaturated with tastelessness and noise"!

Goofing off......

2009-02-17T13:09:00.001-08:00

I get soooo incredibly giddy and excited when I'm goofing off. This is what it's like: when I was a kid and my mom and dad first began leaving my sister and I home alone, as soon as we could see the tail lights of their car heading down the street, we'd turn up the stereo as loud as we would dare, then run madly through out the house, jumping on and across furniture along the way. Finally we'd collapse in a heap on the floor, panting and laughing at the shear silliness of it all. Anyway, this type of behavior was certainly not allowed in the Forman household, but that's what made it so much fun. The thrill of doing something harmless which happened to be forbidden. Hmmmm, how could something so harmless be forbidden? I'm pretty sure that it has a little something to do with the fact that my parents long ago made a conscious decision to raise well-mannered children. I'm glad, because it wouldn't have been as much fun if we had been allowed to do it all of the time!

My new camera

2009-02-15T21:07:00.001-08:00

I love my new camera. It's a Canon EOS Rebel XSi. I just wish I knew how to use it :) JK! It's super easy to use out of the box, yet it's incredibly feature rich and versatile. Lots to learn, but I can still take great pictures while doing so.

Here are a few of my first pictures:

I've uploaded more to my SmugMug album. You can view them here.

Good times....

2009-02-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Melissa and I celebrated our birthdays with our friends tasting wine in the Santa Cruz mountains. So much fun. Thanks, Melissa, for all of your planning expertise, and thank you to everyone who came and partied with us!

BeFunky is cool

2009-02-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

I love BeFunky. Upload your photos, select a special effect, and voila! you have a super cool and interesting take on your pictures.

You can apply similar effects using PhotoShop, but it's definitely not as easy (unless you're a PhotoShop expert), and PhotoShop isn't inexpensive either. BeFunky is free.

Here are a couple I created myself using Photoshop:

Fun, fun, fun!!!

My new favorite

2009-02-05T20:40:00.001-08:00

This is my new favorite thing in the whole wide world. I've always loved yogurt, but somehow have always passed by this brand in the super market and instead went with either Dannon or the Safeway brand. OMG, this Mountain High Fat Free Plain Yoghurt is THE best!!! It's so creamy and flavorful. I especially love it with slivered almonds sprinkled on top. I accidentally bought the vanilla flavor the other day - yuck!!! It was wayyyyy too sweet and seriously lacking that amazing tangy flavor. I hope I don't burn myself out on it.....

I made this

2009-02-05T10:40:00.001-08:00

Ok, I know it's just a bunch of silly little flowers, but they're my flowers. I made them and they give me warm fuzzies inside.

Super Bowl XLIII

2009-02-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

I did not win any money in the Super Bowl pool at work, AND I bet Taylor $5 that Arizona would win (this game cost me $30!). Congratulations to those who won in the pool at work, to Taylor, and most importantly congratulations to the Steelers. Super Bowl Sunday is fun, but it's so much more fun when there are bets involved :) Next up -> 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament (and the brackets)!

Nine and a half days

2009-01-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

RJB is coming home tomorrow. It's been well over a week since he went back to Utah to be with his family (after the death of his grandma). I've really missed my RJB. The whole family has missed him, but I don't think anyone has missed him as much as I. For the doubters out there, let me break it down for you:

1) Dude, how do you keep up with feeding all of these animals??? I had no idea that the cats' food bowl needed to be filled not once, buy TWICE a day! And poor Makoto's water bowl - really? Why doesn't he just tell Sher-khan to go drink out of his own damned bowl?? He's a flippin' cat for the love of sweet JC. Seriously. What's wrong with these two? Cats are NOT supposed to drink from dog bowls, and dogs are NOT supposed to be ok with such behavior from a cat. It's so not cool and is incredibly telling. Our skinny little cat is wack-a-doo, and our sweet, sweet puppy dog is a wuss. Ugh!

2) I'm sorry, but there is a pile of San Jose Mercury newspapers piled up at the end of our driveway about 9 1/2 days deep. Umm, yeahhh, I get my news online and I work at Adobe - sooooo, paperless is the only way really. Let's take this one offline and figure out a way to do away with the paper - k?

3) Is it bad that I forget to remind the boys to take the trash out to the curb on Thursday until they're already in bed? I really don't think that they were asleep (they were probably faking it in hopes that I wouldn't really make them get out of their comfy cozy beds to roll the trash cans to the curb).

4) I totally forgot that: the gardner needs to be paid, Taylor needs to be taken to and picked up from golf camp, you stay with the babies most mornings so I can run off to ridiculously early morning meetings, and that J&N have a bedtime routine that includes YOU and me.

5) Finally, I miss watching our favorite shows together: Jeopardy, Gossip Girl, The City, How I Met Your Mother, American Idol, The Real Housewives of OC, and Ghost Hunters. Ok, maybe not Ghost Hunters together (because your constant commentary and ridicule of Jay and Grant is more than I can take).

I can't wait for you come home, RJB!

Party hearty

2009-01-28T18:57:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you heard or used this term? For me, it was 1980-something as well as just a few moments ago.

Ugh, I cannot believe I just used it in a conversation with my sister! How incredibly dorky is that?? Here are some more '80s terms my sister and I came up with:

Barf me out

Bitchin'

Book, bookin' (As in "We need to book on out of here", or "Like, oh my God, we were totally bookin in my boyfriend's Corvette".

Burn out

Dork

Fer sure

Gag me with a spoon

Grodie

I'm so sure

Killer

No doy

Rippen

Totally tubular

NOVA's Incredible Journey of the Butterflies

2009-01-28T10:39:00.001-08:00

Ok, this has got to be the coolest damned thing I've seen in a very long time. PBS's NOVA aired a program last night on the life and journey of a monarch butterfly. You can watch the episode, which is broken down into six chapters, here. I highly recommend it.

This reminded me of when Taylor was in kindergarten. Every year the kindergarten classes held a monarch butterfly parade at school. It was a very special and exciting event at Bagby Elementary. Each child made their own set of butterfly wings to wear in the parade. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles come to watch and support their little ones. The whole school lines up along the walkways, and watches (and cheers) as the little monarchs parade around the entire school. A few weeks later, the children and their families are encouraged to make a trip down to Pacific Grove to watch the monarch butterfly migration.

We've never made that trip, but after watching this program on NOVA I'm going to make every effort to go this fall.

Rugs

2009-01-26T21:55:00.001-08:00

I've been eyeballing these two rugs from Anthropologie for quite some time. I think I like the one on the right more - especially now that I'm looking at them side-by-side. So pretty. Just what my dark, monochromatic living room could use. Texture, color, and just the right amount of interesting. Hmmmmm, think, think, think.......

Adorable. It really helps to see it in a "room". Hey, what about that blue, round rug?? That would be sooo stinkin' perfect positioned just slightly underneath the white chair in that strange space between the dining room/kitchen/living room area. Oh no, RJB is in big trouble!!!

One week later....

2009-01-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

It has been one week since Nora began walking exclusively. She has totally mastered it, too. I bet by next week she'll be running. We'll see.....

It's also been one week since Jack and Nora gave up the bottle. Wow, what a week! I'm so proud of my little bebes. They don't even miss it. Who knew? I mean, I had all these fears about it and I created so many ridiculous scenarios in my head about how it would be. I thought surely they would fight it, scream, cry, beg, maybe even go into withdrawals, experience tremors, cold sweats and all those horrid side affects of giving something up. It was so easy. Yeah, it wasn't fun on the first day, the second day wasn't quite as uncomfortable as the first, and the third day was a piece of cake! I'm glad it's done - there's no looking back now.

Onto the next big milestone. What will it be? Oh, wait, I missed one. Jack is now standing all by himself without holding onto anything! That's quite an achievement for a boy of his stature. Balancing over thirty pounds in that compact little body is, well, a balancing act - literally!

Oh what will the next milestone be? Perhaps JackJack will take his first steps?? I can't wait!

Golden Rules of Jim Jarmusch

2009-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have to be honest and admit that I have absolutely no idea who the heck this Jim Jarmusch is. I did, however, take the time to read about him here. ANYWAY, I saw this posting on Ace Jet 170's blog and I don't want to forget it so I'm posting it here as well:

It's incredibly crazy to me how this rule of his is all about inspiration and the rule itself is inspirational. It's two-fold!! Very cool - LOVE it. Thanks Ace Jet 170 for putting it on your blog :)

For Aunt Carol

2009-01-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

NoraSophia and I were given matching aprons for Christmas from my BFF and twin sister, Carol. Nora loves it so much that she wore it all day yesterday AND all day today. So stinkin' cute! Sorry, CLM, I don't pose for pictures, but I do love mine as well.

"Fish don't fry in the kitchen;

beans don't burn on the grill...."

"You're kidding me, right?

No, seriously, she's not ACTUALLY going to

wear that? Is she?"

"Zzzzzzzz - b-o-r-i-n-g!"

Isn't it funny how Makoto pretends to not care? Yet he's all snuggled up to a mixer attachment. Hmmmm, could it be that a certain someone is trying to frame the poor, tired puppy? Gosh, it's so close - it could go either way. I mean, he is amazingly supportive in whatever new things J&N are learning. But then he's also quite a prolific napper and what better time than this to plant some contraband - especially with the heat (Jack) breathing down your neck. I certainly wouldn't put it past a certain someone (Nora).

bathTIME for J&N

2009-01-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

Jack and Nora have graduated from kitchen sink to full-on bathtub. As Vicki from The Real Housewives of Orange County would say, "Woooo Hooooo!" They had a fabulous time splishing, splashing, slipping, and squealing. Jack even figured out how to work the jets - yikes! Baby steps, Jack, baby steps....

I actually think that Nora was coaching him to do it. Look at her. She's totally kicked back and it's as though she's saying "That's the button, Jack. Now push it, quick, before Mom catches on!"

That RJB! He's so sneaky....

2009-01-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

RJB is gone. He's far away. He is NOT supposed to be thinking of me. He is sooooo bratty yet so incredibly un-bratty. When I got home from work yesterday there was a box sitting on the porch addressed to me. The sender was "TCO". Hmmmmm. Who the H is "TCO"???? I opened it up and here's what it was:

I'm not a cryer, I'm really not. Seriously, I seldom cry. But THIS most definitely induced tears. That RJB!

January 19th

2009-01-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

Today, January 19th, is my birthday.

Today, January 19th, is also the day that marks the beginning of a new routine for J&N - no more bottles! Yes!

Today, January 19th, RJBs grandma passed :(

--------------------

JasonTimothy gave me the sweetest birthday gift today: a very funny card and a pack of gum. I love that kid, he's a good egg if I do say so myself. Taylor was Taylor, which means he was a HUGE help when Safeway delivered the groceries. He kept Nora and Jack occupied and happy, and then helped me put the groceries away. I love that kid, too. I'm really going to need him more than ever in the days to come while RJB is away helping his mother and family out.

Nora walked A LOT today. She's becoming more and more confident on her feet. It's so exciting. Jack melted my heart. He sat down on the floor with a book and began to "read". Of course he wasn't really reading, he can barely talk, but you know how babies sound when they first begin talking? You can't make out what their saying, but you know that in their head, they know what they're saying. Well, that's what it was like. He sat there flipping through the pages talking his baby talk, or rather "reading".

Rob is leaving on Wednesday to go to Utah to help his family with the necessary tasks that need to be taken care of after a loved one passes. He has decided to take Makoto with him. This means that Makoto must have a Certificate of Health and an Acclimation Certificate. I took him to the vet this evening to obtain said certificates and a clean bill of health. The doctor said that he was absolutely perfect, BUT he could stand to lose a few pounds. Hmmmmmm, you and me both, Makoto!!! At any rate, a few extra pounds will not keep him from going to Utah, although the airline may charge us an extra fee for excess weight :) I'm glad RJB is taking his BFF with him. There's nothing in the world like a nice, warm, soft puppy dog to snuggle up to when you're feeling down and your spouse is a thousand miles away (and also when you're in Utah in the dead of winter - brrrrr)! I'm going to miss my RJB.

My birthday trip to Big Sur

2009-01-15T21:03:00.001-08:00

We stayed at Ventana Inn & Spa. One word - AMAZING! Our room was huge, we had our own private deck with a view of the ocean and a hot tub. Very relaxing. The hammock was perfect. There were even wild turkeys running around in front of our deck.

After a horrible bout with the stomach flu, it was nice to get away, relax and recuperate. Rob's parents stayed with the kids, but unfortunately they got the stomach flu too! Ugh, I feel so bad - I wish we could send them to Ventana to relax and recuperate. Some day.....

Our private deck

The view from our deck

The restaurant where we had lunch

View from our table at lunch. We even saw whales!!

Big Sur Bixby Bridge

J&N Turn One

2009-01-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

January 11th was the big day. Rob and I have spent a lot of time over the last several weeks reflecting. Sigh, thank God that's over! The month of December, my last month of pregnancy, was hell. We had to move, I was so incredibly sick, and then not long after Christmas my doctor admitted me to the hospital where I spent seven days on my back trying to prolong my pregnancy as long as possible.

On the day I was admitted to the hospital, San Jose was hit by a massive winter rain storm. The winds were ridiculously strong. Trees were blown over and the streets were littered with leaves, branches and miscellaneous debris. The power went out and Taylor was left home alone with no lights, no TV, no computer, and no telephone. He was pretty scared. In his mind he was left home alone for days, but it really was only a short time before Jason and Auggie came to his rescue and kept him company.

My absence left Rob all on his own to deal with the daunting task of unpacking a new house and cleaning up an old one while at the same time preparing to bring home two new babies. Luckily there's this wonderful concept of FAMILY! Rob's parents and my mother all came shortly after I went into the hospital. Betty took charge and got our new home in order, my mother kept me company at the hospital and helped wherever she was needed, and Tom and Taylor worked overtime putting together cribs, bouncy seats, installing car seats and whatever else needed assembling. We are incredibly lucky to have such a supportive and caring family!

Looking back on all that transpired helps me appreciate how far we've come in a year. Nora and Jack were born at 7:54 and 7:55 am (respectively), Friday, January 11, 2008. The zenith. The culmination of many highly charged events all leading to and reaching a fabulous and amazing beginning.

J&N January 11, 2008

J&N January 11, 2009

2009 Here We Come

2009-01-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

I keep singing "2009 here we come" to the tune of that Phantom Planet song Californina Here We Come. It puts me in the mood to actually make (dare I say it?) RESOLUTIONS!!

I must say that I am off to a good start, but not before a somewhat ugly beginning to my week. I was prematurely awoken Monday morning to the sound of my cat digging in a paper bag. Needless to say I was livid. I'm embarrassed to admit that I vaulted out of bed and yelled not only at her, but also at her side-kick (our other cat) who was innocently observing her rifle through a bag that she clearly had no business rifling through at 7 o'clock in the morning. I instantly felt that old familiar feeling of Catholic guilt. It's a struggle. Why should I feel bad? I was off for two weeks and not one of those mornings did Gypsy make a peep. Oh no, she saved it for my first day back to work. The one morning I desperately wanted every last millisecond of sleep.

Nevertheless I felt bad for losing my temper with the kitties. I spent my entire shower scolding myself. It was quite productive actually. Here are the results of my scolding:

Resolution #1: This year I will not yell at kitties acting as a morning wake up call.

Resolution #2: This year I will strive to be more positive and not so hard on myself (and not so hard on soft, squishy fat cats).

Resolution #3: This year I will make lists and actually complete the tasks those lists are made up of.

Resolution #4: Beginning as soon as I finish my holiday chocolates, I will get up every morning and work out and I will lose those twenty extra pounds!

I'm doing great so far with resolutions 1 through 3. I still need to finish my holiday treats and once I do, resolution 4 better watch out!

2009 here we come!

The "Amazing White Banana Republic Shirt"

2008-11-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

The following was written in an email on May 25, 2005 to Jeff Reinmiller, Moriah Cagle, and Robert Browning after a dinner party at Sally's. This is a tale of a drunken "Robbie B" (a.k.a. "RJB") falling into a garden of rose bushes after an attempt to reclaim a dropped cigarette. That attempt to save his cigarette almost caused the death of an amazing white Banana Republic shirt:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, so last week we went to this dinner party where Robbie B had a fantastic time drinking wine and informing all how he is going to be the next GM of the Golden State Warriors! Skip ahead to the drive home where Robbie B announced to me that he was going to "chain smoke when we get home". Skip ahead to Robbie B grabbing the cigarettes and once again announcing his plan to "chain smoke" at which point he proceeds to do so. I, on the other hand, unfortunately have not had enough to drink to feel the urge to chain smoke, so I pass on Rob's offer to join him. Skip ahead to I don't know how much elapsed time (maybe 25 or 30 minutes - perhaps even an hour!!), to me standing in the kitchen reading mail, Rob walks in, I don't bother to look up, I'd say a good 5 minutes pass, Rob is still just standing there not saying a word. I finally look up at him and there he is, blood dripping from his nose, cuts all over his face, hands and arms. Blood all over his amazing white Banana Republic shirt, tears and rips and wine stains!! I was like "OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?!?!?!?". His response? A sideways grin and a little shrug! That, my friends, is what I love about Robbie B!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, I found rose bush leaves and blood stains all over our bed linens! Unbelievable!!! I felt horrible that I had not attempted to clean his damned wounds, but then if I recall correctly, I was pretty mad at him for having caused so much ridiculosity (I know that's not a real word, but it's so awesome, I must use it!).

I loved that shirt so much that we took it to the little Russian tailors who have worked wonders on so many of our clothes (they re-wove a pair of RJB's suit pants and they always do an amazing job at hemming all of my pants and jeans). The little Russian lady took one very serious look at the shirt, like it was an ugly scar that a beautiful model's career depended on its disappearance, and said very seriously, with a slight shake of her head, "I will fix it, you come back on Tuesday." Hallelujah, the clouds parted and the sun shone through! And when Tuesday rolled around, OMG, the shirt was UNBELIEVABLE! The little Russian tailor had saved our favorite shirt!

Two weeks ago, while in Vegas, Robbie B wore that amazing white shirt. That shirt will stand the test of time, it HAS stood the test of time!!!! Thank God for Russian tailors and Banana Republic!

My pumpkin - decorated

2008-10-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

tHE pUMPKINS

2008-10-20T20:34:00.001-07:00

Here they are.......

From bottom to top:

1) nORA'S

2) jACK's (left)

3) tAYLOR's (right)

4) BSB's (white)

5) RJB's

6) jACK'S

7) nORA'S

8) BSB's

9) tAYLOR'S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And Sher-Khan thinks they're ALL his!

J&N's first trip to the pumpkin patch!!!

2008-10-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

We (RJB, Taylor, Jack, Nora, and I) picked 9 pumpkins! Good times. Can't wait to carve/decorate. More pictures to come...

Jason has a New Job!!!!

2008-10-17T19:50:00.001-07:00

I'm such a proud mama. My baby (my first baby) FINALLY has a real job. He works at Long's with his friend Bax - how cute! I especially love how Jay buttoned his shirt all the way up to his neck - hilarious!

It's crazy to think that 18 years ago he was around Jack and Nora's age. Jason was THE sweetest baby. So happy and easy going. He would laugh at anything. Nothing ever upset him or got him down. He's pretty much the same today.

When you have a BIG baby........

2008-10-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

JackJack is HUGE! I took him to the doctor about a month ago (he was 8 months old then) and he weighed over 27 pounds at that time which was around the time when the picture above was taken (from our trip to SF). I'm sure by now he must weigh at least 28 or 29 pounds. We'll see - he has his 9 month check up next week.

Anyway, RJB and I have always wondered why no one makes clothes, accessories, gear, etc. for BIG babies??? Take his swing for example. He outgrew it according to the weight limitations before he was developmentally ready to. Poor little guy LOVED his swing, but he was too big for it. Also, we got a booster chair for him and Nora, but the safety belt wouldn't fit around his waist and the tray sat so low that it wouldn't fit over his chunky legs :) I have so many examples: Clothes (he's wearing 3Ts which fit fine around his waist, but are too long in the legs and arms), the FisherPrice Jumperoo (we have to take his pants off for him to fit into it and even then he gets stuck when we try to pull him out of it), diapers (even the size 6 doesn't completely cover his butt crack, and the toddler sizes are actually pull ups which aren't very absorbent), the BabyBjorn (really? who's going to lug around a 30 pound kid in one of those things?).

So I'm on a quest to find out if we're not alone. Do other people have fat babies and if so, have they found a solution to the problems I've listed? I did find a website called Happy Panda Baby, "The Brand for the Bigger Baby" (http://www.happypandababy.com/home.php). It totally addresses the whole clothing size and fit issue. That's exciting. I can't wait to continue my research. Perhaps I can start a website that brings all the top products and manufacturers under one vendor - a one-stop-shop if you will.

My Desktop Images

2008-10-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

I ab-so-lute-ly LOVE LOVE LOVE my desktops on my new Mac Book Pro. I've installed an app called Desktoptopia (http://www.desktoptopia.com/) which updates your desktop images as often as you wish it to. You can even pause the app if you see an image or piece of artwork you really LOVE. That's what I do :) Below is a picture of the one I currently have paused. You can view more by this artist at http://www.desktoptopia.com/browse?artist=444

The joy of BAKING

2008-10-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's a new season, summer is quickly fading away, the days are getting shorter and it's getting dark earlier, holiday plans are being discussed, Christmas lists are being created/distributed, and this all puts me in the mood to BAKE!!!

Ok, so, well last year I was a little, no actually I was A LOT pregnant and cooking was not something I did (at all). Ugh! Ok, I did help Dave with Thanksgiving dinner (barely), but I sat on a stool and had to take lots of breaks (naps) throughout the day. Seriously, Dave pretty much cooked the whole dinner - I love that guy! This year, I'm going to make up for all the baking I didn't do last year. In fact, I'm going to actually try to be good at it :) Everyone who knows me knows this about me:

1. I HATE to cook

2. I'm no good at it (which is probably why I hate it)

But "cooking" and "baking", in my book, are two completely different things, AND what they don't know (I think) is that I actually DO like to bake. I just don't do it well (usually), which pisses me off and then I don't enjoy it. But I know I can bake well if I plan ahead, take my time, and keep a positive attitude!

I found this website - http://www.joyofbaking.com/ It has a lot of great fall recipes, and I especially like it because along with the recipe are baking tips (I can use all the help I can get!). Here's a picture of a pumpkin cheesecake that looks really yummy:

J&Ns first trip to the beach!!!

2008-10-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

They LOVED the beach! Jack, the sedentary soul that he is, was happy simply sitting on his blanket letting the sand fall through his pudgy little fingers. Nora, however, dove right in and even decided to explore the hole Taylor created for his bridge project. So much FUN!

RJB sent me some PRETTY fleurs

2008-10-04T11:29:00.001-07:00

I really want this sewing machine:

2008-10-04T11:03:00.001-07:00

It's a Hello Kitty machine and it's supposed to be pretty easy to use. I could make fun things like pillows and curtains and cutesie little things for Nora & Jack. Especially now that the seasons are changing, I could totally spend the rainy weekends making STUFF! I actually found one for sale on Craig's List. Although, brand new at Target it's $109, the person on Craig's List is asking $70 for hers used. Hmmmm, I don't think it's worth $109 new let alone $70 used! I sent her an email to see if she has sold it yet. If she hasn't, I'm going to offer $50 for it. Let's see.... In her ad, she said that the price is firm, BUT her ad has been posted for a couple of weeks so maybe she'll be willing to take my offer. PLUS, I would have to drive to either Milpitas or Evergreen to pick it up. Dude, has she not seen the price of gas lately? Fingers crossed, I hope she takes my offer. The first thing on my list to make? I have absolutely no idea, but I'll think of something :)

California Academy of Sciences

2008-10-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Rob's sister, Dianne, is coming to visit this weekend. We're going to go to the new California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park on Sunday. I can't wait. It just re-opened on Sept 27th. Here's the website: http://www.calacademy.org/

Hello Kitty

2008-10-02T22:18:00.001-07:00

When I was in elementary school - like 3rd, 4th, 5th grade - all of the girls were TOTALLY into Hello Kitty and into collecting and trading stickers. I came upon the Sanrio website the other day (http://www.sanrio.com), and the nostalgia I experienced was incredible! I miss being a little kid.

Nora's new book came today, too........

2008-10-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit it, this book is really for me. BUT, I know that in time it will become a favorite of Nora's as well. Here's one of the rhymes:

Twinkle, twinkle, diamond ring,

in a blue box tied with string.

Tiffany's new princess cut,

Twice the size of baby's butt.

Twinkle, twinkle, show your spark,

Can't change nappies in the dark.

My new book came today.......

2008-10-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Totally pumped!!! Can't wait to get into my jammies and get all comfy cozy and settle in and begin reading this book. I'm so inspired.

BSB's New Blog

2008-10-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is my new blog. I'm so excited to have a place to keep track of the random and fun ideas that pop into my head.