Step Away From the Nutella!

I do tend to have this obsession with Nutella from time to time. Or all the time. Handsome knows that my Nutella is by the jar, just for me. I use my finger. I double dip. I'm not too proud to admit it, it's sort of like being an addict except without the support groups to help you stop. Costco does sell them in sets of two jars, so we are good there. If he wants to share a jar with Curly and myself then that's fine, but the first jar is MINE!

Oh...and I am civilized enough to use a spoon from time to time. Just not most of the time.

So, "funny" thing happened the other weekend. Chalupa and my Mom were here building us a fence for our yard and I was outside with Chalupa. I hear my Mom call from inside asking me why I had this in my cupboard:

Yes, that's right. Handsome is a witty fellow. Ha. Ha. Ha. (That is me NOT laughing.)

He put a life size printed bottle of Nutella in the cupboard and left it here for me to find.

I call him to find out where the heck my Nutella is. While he is at work. (And let's be honest, I was laughing a little.)

Me: "Where did you put my Nutella?"

Handsome: "What?" holding back snickering of course. He is bad at lying to me.

Me: "WHERE is MY NUTELLA?!?"

Handsome: "Oh, that Nutella?"

Me: "YES. THAT Nutella.", as if there are thousands of jars of Nutella lying around our house.

Handsome: "I ate it all."

Me: "You couldn't have eaten it all. The jar was 3/4 full. Where is it?!", laughing but still wanting to know where it is, like NOW.

Handsome: "I did eat it. I ate it on toast and then eggs. Then I brushed my teeth with it and BATHED in it.", now totally making fun of me and laughing at my expense.

He then gives me this awful hint that is something to do with cows that is supposed to lead me to the crockpot in the pantry! What?! Where would I get crockpot out of "where the cows used to go"?

He was apparently going for the fact that I cook roast in there. Ummm....yeah. Step AWAY from the Nutella buddy, and nobody gets hurt!

Don't worry. See, I found it and it's now safe with me.

What Happens When Daddy is in Charge...

When Mommy leaves to go to MOPS and Curly is left home with Daddy and Smiles, this is what happens...



Yep. You might want to stay away during those times. When Daddy is in charge things get a little crazy.

Oh, and in case you wondered- those are Kix.

Moments on Facebook

So, quite a few of you were witnesses and participants in last night's Facebook laughter. I didn't anticipate all of the fun participation from friends when I posted a status about my silly husband and a certain incident. I just had to share it with someone, so I thought, "Why not on Facebook?"

I had some good laughs last night, so I thought I would post what went down so that those without Facebook like Mom and Gramps could get a good laugh too. I have some funny friends.

I have changed names or taken out last names, so don't be surprised when you see your name different than your FB account. (I don't call myself ME and my honey isn't Handsome on there either...)

Me is laughing at her husband who just said, "OUCH!" as he ironed his chest...on purpose. 7:53pm

Handsome at 8:01pm March 15

I can't do anything in my home now...sheesh! Just to clarify...I was ironing my SHIRT while it was on. It was warm and then...yes...it dared burn me!

Brie at 8:42pm March 15

Um T, I think you are the only person I have ever heard of that irons their clothing while it is on?? You weren't surprised that you got burned....were you??

JR Miller at 8:44pm March 15

is nothing sacred anymore??? now a man can't even injure himself with a home appliance without everyone knowing about it... what is the world coming to.

On the flip side, that is really funny LOL

JR Miller at 8:45pm March 15

oh, and I am also glad you were not ironing your pants... ouch!

ME at 8:51pm March 15

Joe, I think that made me laugh more than the original incident!

This is what happens when I don't have time to iron his clothes...he takes it into his own hands.

JR Miller at 8:56pm March 15

what does he do when you don't wash his clothes?

Katherine Laine at 8:56pm March 15

This is the kind of report that provokes the iron company to put warnings on the labels that read "Do Not Iron Clothes While Wearing Them"

Alicia at 9:17pm March 15

Just to defend T a bit...I sometimes use my hair straightener to "iron" my clothes...while they're on. T, it's really easy, and you don't burn yourself!

Handsome at 9:18pm March 15

I guess I need to clarify again...the iron wasn't on anymore, it was cooling so I figured it'd be warm and I was cold...and it was...quite warm. I guess the more I clarify the more this sounds stupid. :) Well I got warm at least...and publicly humiliated by my own wife! =p

Suzanne at 10:24pm March 15

this brought so much humor into my evening!! Thank you! (Alicia-a hair straightener????) lol

Stephanie at 10:50pm March 15

Hmm...warm iron, chest...yep that would hurt!!! lol Thanks for the antic! needed a good laugh!

Followed by this picture this morning...

With this caption: I heard this photo is from the week A left T to do the laundry.

Created by Joe over at More Than Cake. I love that he used the picture with the flower in his hair too!

Thanks friends for some great participation in a fun evening. It was great!

Meet the Family: Handsome

I decided that, since we are getting to know one another a bit better, it would be nice to introduce you to my family. That might sound boring, but I assure you that my family is very complicated. I will start simple with the family you already know a bit and then move on to our parents and siblings.

Handsome and I met when we were in High School. He has become a wonderful husband and father and I wouldn't want any other man to lead our family. Every marriage has difficulty in it, so don't think that I am implying that we have it down, but right now I am the most content I have been in my marriage ever. I am probably the most content I have been in my life.

Anyway, we are supposed to be talking about Handsome. Sorry. He is a very laid back guy that loves to spend time with his family. He could come across as shy to some, but really he is just the quiet observer type. It's nice to have an easy going guy for a girl like me. He doesn't care that much about many of the things I have a firm opinion on. Most of the time I get my way by default, and I have learned that if he has an opinion or desire that isn't the same as mine I should let him have his way. Or maybe I should say I am learning that. Sometimes I still have to work on it...

My fella helps around the house a lot. He does laundry (not all of it, give me some credit guys!), helps with the dishes, gives the kids baths, and takes care of lots of other things around the house. Every night, when he is home in time, he helps get Curly into bed while I nurse Smiles to sleep. I can't get over the awesome father that he is. The kids adore him and you can tell when he steps in the door. He isn't above a tea party and will even wear the hat if Curly asks, he might even put on a strand of beads or two. Watching them together just makes me smile.


He has become a faith-filled man that desires God. It's amazing to me to look back and see how far he has come. When we were dating he wasn't a Christian and now I can see it in all the little things. You know how little things just pile together and you know just by watching him that, "Wow. My husband really wants God to be the center of his life!". That's the most awesome thing a wife could ask for. I love when you share your heart with me honey. And I even love the little songs that you make up to crazy tunes that talk about God.

Handsome loves him some gaming. He plays online games and video games. Has since he was pretty young I think, so he is good at them too. Not that I brag to my friends about that one, but he might be proud of it. He understands the tech stuff way more than I do and used to design websites long before the bullseye entered his life (we're talking Target here...) and became his focus of employment. I like to call him my sexy computer nerd. (It seems to me that if I call him a nerd I had better put something nice with it. I don't think being a nerd is anything to complain about, but I don't want him thinking I am not being nice.)

And as you may have already heard, I am not shy about the fact that we are a Target family. He works for the awesome company and I honestly believe that there isn't a better retail corporation to work for. Right now he is HR and likes it, though he just transferred locations. We will see how the new adventure goes. This man was made for the work he does and I pray often that he can be an example of a godly man in the workplace.

Well, I could go on, but I will stop myself for now. I sure do love that man. What a blessing it is to have such a great guy at my side in everything that I encounter in this life. I am grateful to have you my love.

(This one is just for kicks. Let's be honest- kids pick noses. It's just the truth.)

MVP

Daddy Definition

Daddy's MVP: His Most Valuable Pooper

Straight from the horse's mouth...or the Daddy's rather.

Silly Handsome

This is our four cup coffee pot. I like it. It makes it possible for Handsome to have fresh, hot coffee when he is going to work and still allows me to have my two cup serving of fresh, hot coffee later. Who wants coffee that's been sitting out? Not me. I bought it because #1- the glass broke on the last one that was borrowed from his mother, and #2- I wanted one that would make a two cup serving so that I could make just enough for one person.

Disclaimer now: Handsome reads all my posts that poke a little fun at him and is okay with them. He cries a lot of the time (in laughter) because he knows how silly he is. I told him he needs a blog so that he can write about my silly things too. He hasn't done it yet.

Okay, now that I have made sure that you don't think I pick on him too much, guess what he tells me the other morning... He is in the kitchen making coffee in the morning for the two of us on his day off. He gives a grunty sigh in major frustration. I ask what is the matter.

"It only made four cups!"

"Uhhh...you know it's a four cup coffee pot, right?"

"But I put six cups of water in it to make more!" Totally confused and ticked at the STUPID coffee pot. Grrrrr! (face and tone in his voice)

"Ummm, honey, it only makes four cups." I smile with love trying not to laugh my bones out at him while I try to figure out where his mind is. "It doesn't fit six cups."

"Yes. I poured six cups of water in there. It should have made six cups!"

"HONEY- look at the back of the coffee maker. Do you see that hole back there? The water will come out if you fill it more full than that four cup line. Is that why there is water all over the counter when you make coffee for us lately?"


He just smiles in slight embarrassment and walks away. He is awesome at his job, but it's a good thing he doesn't do mine.

Genetics

I didn't know that sleep habits were passed down through genetic material, but apparently they are.

Curly: Currently asleep in what can only be called a NEST in her bed. Blankets are nowhere near their original position and are piled up in a ball. Head- nowhere near the pillow.

Smiles: Tonight I have him trapped due to congestion and illness (his bed is quite inclined and the sleep positioner is tight). On a normal night...well, he actually likes to do laps in his bed. You think I am joking! He spins in circles going from the head of the bed to the foot. I never know where I am going to find his head when I go in to feed him. It could be facing this wall, or perhaps that wall...or he could stop spinning when he is sideways. Yep laps, just like I said.

Don't look at me! I, when left alone in bed, can wake with my covers as perfect as the moment I climbed in them. I like to be tucked tightly when given the chance. You will have to turn those eyes to Handsome and ask him what's up with that!

Ten on Handsome

So...I am supposed to tell you Handsome's top 10 favorite things, but since I like to be different I am going to do the opposite. Nobody wants to hear me say how much he loves me and the kids or about what a nerd he is with WOW and UO (that's World of Warcraft and Ultima Online, two online games)...yeah, I love my computer nerd.

Okay, here we go:

10. Poopy diapers. He will change them, but I get to hear about it when he does. For days...

9. Men's deodorant. You would think that my guy WANTS to smell manly, but no. He in fact loves the smell of my Secret Vanilla Chai deodorant so much that I think he secretly tries to run out and not have a spare so that he can "forget" to buy it for a couple of days at work and smell all girly. It could be seen as sweet though, he just likes to think of me each time he sweats . AWWWW.

8. Hampers. I would not call this a dislike though. It is a life threatening phobia. Hey- hampaphobia is real people!

7. Artistic People. Don't worry, he is just jealous. He doesn't appreciate the areas that he is very creative and wants what he doesn't have.

6. Crying kids. He always seems to be thrown aback by my emotional wreckness when he comes home...until he has to deal with them for 5 minutes while I use the restroom. I personally like those doses of reality. They last a day or so in my favor.

5. Emotional Women. This is huge for him. Poor guy is now working Human Resources in a largely female populated company. Target has TONS of women in high level positions and plenty in normal roles as well. Then he comes home to his wife who is a ball of recovering-from-baby hormones...you don't need further illustration.

4. Nagging. I hate to put the blame on you, but if you would just DO the things I so sparingly ask you, I wouldn't have to nag you...yeah, right!

3. Adult Footed Pajamas. If your wife throws those on it's like the great wall of China between you and your goal. "What did I do now?"

2. My Relationship with His Mother. Now you all think that we fight a lot or something by the sound of that. Nope. I love my mother in law- she is awesome. The issue is that we aren't so great at communicating, so often we will think the other is mad at us, but don't want to ask each other for fear of upsetting the other...in comes his issue. We both bother him about it. "Is your mom upset with me about something? Do you think such and such offended her?" He has a right to be bothered there.

And the number one thing my husband hates................

1. Shopping at Ross. Absolutely, positively hates it. I want to go for the deals, they have some really great stuff at great prices. For him, being in retail management and being held to high standards, which in turn he holds his people to, causes him to cringe when I mention the name of the store. Consequently I do not tell him it is in my plans for our day. I casually find something that is near there that we need to do and then say something like, "Honey, can we stop by Ross for a quick second? Alexis needs a pair of shoes and we are right here." He appeases me, but he cannot stand the mess they have littering every corner. He just doesn't understand the joy of frugality.

The Laundry Chronicles: Where are my pants?

Husbands are very interesting creatures. I have much to say on the issue of laundry, in fact, so much that I have decided to make a series of posts about it that will come in no particular order on no particular day. In other words, whenever I darn well feel like it.

As a wife that gets the privilege of staying home, I often do laundry during the day. This probably comes as no surprise to you. Most mom's in my situation do the same. My husband is kind enough to help in the washing from time to time, but I always do the folding. Currently you are reading and thinking, okay...what is your point here? I'll get there, just be patient.

I stated lines ago that husbands are very curious creatures. There are many reasons that this is so, but for the sake of keeping things readable and not incredulously long, we will focus on the area of laundry. Four people in the house creates a bit of laundry. Some have more, but this is still plenty. I can hardly keep up with the task, much less try and decipher what is ready to be washed and what is not. If it's in the hamper, or in "the pile" which I will post on later, then it gets to be washed. This morning I hear out of the mouth of the one I love, a completely ridiculous complaint.

"Where are my pants?"

"Where do you think your pants are?" This being after a slight pause. I had the look on my face that told him he darn well knew where his pants were because he had asked me this same question mere days before and they had been in the same "missing" location. Have a little common sense and look for them before you ask me honey.

With a look of frustration and almost disdain, "In the wash!?" Almost a statement, but also with a questioning tone to see if he had guessed right.

"No. They aren't in the wash." I said as I stopped him from walking toward the washing machine.

He thought for a second. "Why are my pants in the drawer?!?" He was seriously frustrated by this.

"That's where pants belong."

"But they are dirty!"

"No sweetheart, they are clean."

"No, I wore them. They are dirty." As if I hadn't known that he had worn them- ha!

" Yes." in a clam voice, "I know that you wore them, but I washed them and now they are clean."

"I don't like you to wash my pants all the time!"

"Don't put them on the floor in front of the hamper then!"

"But where else do you want me to put them?"

Oh, my. What kind of argument is that. I don't want you to wash some of my things that are on the floor in a lump in front of the laundry basket. I want you to know my thoughts and realize which things that I want you to wash and which ones I do not. Not all dirty laundry should be washed, but if you refuse to wash the things that are in front of the laundry basket (also to be in a later post) I will protest as well.

I give up. And men say that women are hard to understand...

Same Old Sexy

My husband is a very attractive guy. I have always thought so, and I feel blessed that I found a man that is so perfect for me in every way with the bonus of being “easy on the eyes”. He is great for my weak points in many ways. I’m obsessive, he is patient. I am emotional, he is well grounded. I am organized, he is…well…not so much. I am a follower of rules and controlling, he is laid back. It’s a good match for both of us.

So, I was thinking today about how I haven’t been looking at him the same recently. It’s almost like I’ve been looking past him, not appreciating him as much as I should. Yes, we have a new baby. Yes, my life is crazy. Life will always have something going on and I need to remember that I have a special husband that other women would dream of living life with.

I guess my point is to both remind myself to “Stop and smell the husband” a little more often, and also to share reality with those that are young and in love. No matter how sexy your perfect match is, someday it will still reach the point where it’s the same old sexy and you have forgotten to stop and let him take your breath away.

The Beginning

Everyone has to start somewhere and I guess this is it. I have been bothered enough to start a blog of my own so that people can peer into my life with out making much effort to communicate with me.

I have been a wife for 5 years to my husband "Handsome". We met when we were nearing the end of his senior year of high school and my junior year. We had mutual friends and we fell for each other quickly. As a married couple we have had hard times as well as some wonderful times, life is full of both. You will find that I shamelessly promote Target, that is because they are blessed enough to employ my awesome guy and I believe it's a wonderful company to work for.



I am so thankful that I get to be at home with our children during the day to raise them as we think they should be raised. "Curly" is two and a half, and "Smiles" is two months old. They make my days interesting. Sometimes full of fun and cuteness and often slow and painful. What are kids for though? You love them on the rough days and you love them even more on the great ones. Don't ask me about the days that are somewhere in the middle, we are usually on one end of the extreme.


Trying to live genuinely is something that I desire to come closer to. It is common to be who we think others will desire, but my Lord made me specifically as I am with purpose. I know that all of my strengths and each of my weak areas are important and specific to me. If I am honest about all of them then I can more quickly improve myself. Lying wastes time and hurts people, so does fabricating, omitting, masking...etc. Well, if you ask me, a first post is bound to be boring. I am going to quit while I am awake and hope for something more fun next time.