Big Waste of Six Bucks

So I hear on the radio how the new car wash in town has a dog wash with it. And I decide that that sounds like a pretty fun outing for me and Ella. Maybe not so much for Lilly, but that's how things go when you're a dog who likes to roll in poop. Other creatures' poop. Which happens to smell worse than just everyday poop. (Yes, I know that I can wash her at home for free, but that's not the point. A little mother/daughter QT, a little getting messy, a little Lilly love, that's the point.)

Ella was pretty excited about the whole deal since she really likes to help us do anything, but especially Lilly related activities. So off we go to the car/dog wash having absolutely no idea how this show is going to run.

It's a pretty nice looking place, all set up like a groomer's with the sink, spray hose and blower. But the shampoo, conditioner and whatever all else function is set up like a car wash, which I found pretty damn funny. Also just like a car wash is the fact that you have a time limit, in this case 8 minutes.

I immediately feel the pressure of an 8 minute wash and blow.

After Ella got her stool set up so that she could reach and I clicked the little thingy over to rinse, away we go on our 8 minute march. Lilly's not too keen on getting sprayed but I'm after speed here so we might have skipped some of the niceties. Perhaps.

Sufficiently wet dog; click the thing for shampoo! Shampoo! Shampoo? No shampoo, no lather, no nothing from three different shampoo options. Damnit! Time check? Double damnit! Umm... The only options left were conditioner and blow dry with a clock that seemed to be operating at warp speed. Blow dry a rinsed off dog it is. Flip the thing to blow out!

Who knew the air coming out of that hose was going to be so cold? Certainly not one wet little dog I might know. Poor Lilly. Ella, however, thought it was great!

Ella! Man the blower hose, I've got to go put more money in because we are running out of time. Are you kidding me with this? I don't even get my dog washed in the allotted time but I've got to pay more so she's not soaking wet?


I refuse to pay the machine any more money even though Lilly's still damp and decide we'll just put the windows down on the ride home. She'll get a 50 mph blow dry with much warmer air.

Six bucks, fed to the machine, so that I could wet my dog and then blow her with cold air. No thanks, I'll pass. Next time, we'll just head down the way and let Lil ride on the roof as we go through the automatic car wash.

Car and dog cleaned for the bargain basement price of... six bucks.

I took Friday afternoon off

to spend it with Ashley Kate. That little girl just makes me smile.

She's a regular comedian, she is

From Ella Grace:

What do you call a pair of bananas?

Slippers!

Blow, blow, blow your bubbles

The weather this past weekend was absolutely gorgeous so we found ourselves spending a fair bit of time outside. One such endeavor involved lots of bubble blowing for Ella Grace. She was chugging right along with the blowing of about a bazillion bubbles and then chasing them down for popping when the excitement of the chase was too much. And bubbly liquid went flying.

She's a keeper, for sure! Look at those skills!

Lightening quick photo snapping skills.

All over her feet too.

Sippy Cup Sippage

This took some coaching, but overall I was pretty proud!

Maybe she's putting that big ol' noggin* to use! (If this is not, in fact, exemplary for a six month old, I would like to live in the illusion that it is. You see, my memory from four years ago is a bit hazy due to four years of one Miss E.G. and I don't quite recall when she started using a sippy cup. Pretty convenient, no?)

*Big ol' noggin reference is not made unjustly. At Ashley's six month check up last Monday the doctor informed me that her height and weight (16.5 lbs.) are pretty middle of the road. Her head, however, is at the 90th percentile. So, cranius gigantus, she is!

Exterior Flowerizing

Woo hoo! The landscaping crew showed up this weekend!

The outside of the house was looking a bit drab with all the dandelions taking over the place, so flowers were purchased last weekend in a Mother's Day 'do good' spree (along with other fixing up the house type items). The weather was just about perfect yesterday so the crew felt it was prime time for replenishing the dirt supply and planting flowers.

This seems to be a regular event for David and Ella. I think it might be the third year in a row that they have been in charge of walkway beautification, or as I like to call it, trailer-skirting-cover-up-ification. Ella really gets a kick out of helping David, especially when it requires getting her hands dirty, and she does a fantastic job!

Up next... the garden! *insert imposing music here*

Things going along rather well on the landscaping crew...

until one member decides to slack off. And jump in the bucket of the tractor.

Strawberry Daiquiris Anyone?

Remember last Mother's Day? I can't believe it's been a whole year! The time flying past like it has has helped my impatience with the strawberry plants. The little tag said that you had to wait a year to get your first crop. And would you look at that, one hot summer, one big belly, one not so big belly, a six month old baby and here we are!

We hardly messed with the plants once we got them in the ground, maybe just making sure that the weeds didn't totally choke them out. No special tending through the winter, no nothing. Thank goodness strawberries are tough little boogers and can take all sort of abuse because looky looky at what we have tempting me in the garden:

These pretty little flowers...

turn in to immature strawberries! Yay!

Ella is already talking about making strawberry cake with these. I don't think that's going to work out so well, but I'm sure she won't mind when we march out to the garden and eat them straight off the vine!

Sitting up AKA falling over

The quest to sit up properly just isn't on Ashley's mind. She's so laid back that she just content to, well, lay back. I have been putting her in the sitting position to try to get her to strengthen her back. Sometimes these sessions go well, sometimes she ends up eclipsing my expectations and throws herself backward, to my horror.


Yesterday I thought I would try to document her progress... That just lead to her falling over and me trying to catch her without getting in the picture. Priorities, people!

So cute, leaning slightly to my left

Again, falling to the left

To the left, just about to topple

Oh no! She throws me for a loop and throws herself to the right!

I heart those cheeks! (Obviously this has nothing to do with sitting up,

or falling down for that matter, I just thought it was cute!)

Westbound and Down

The weekend before last Ashley and I took a little trip down south. A visit with my Georgia fam was in order and I had a nice slow paced trip. Ashley was an absolute dream on the plane, both ways, and pretty much was just kickin' it the whole weekend. She was happy to see all sorts of strangers and let each and every one of them get doughy hugs from her.

David and Ella had some father/daughter Q.T. while we were gone, but he was rather happy to have us back home, safe and sound. (He even baked a cake and had Jamie over for hot dogs for her birthday! Awww...)

Celeste, Daddy and Ashley, who looks very concerned

Marisa and Ashley, who looks very concerned slash happy?

Rusty and Ashley, who looks very concerned slash surprised?

Marisa's belly. It's as big as it looks. Baby Estes (with the testes)

has got all sorts of room to swim

Marisa and Ashley, who is laughing quite hard (and not concerned)

Marisa encourages Ashley to enjoy the merits of a beer, I am concerned

Sweet baby Ashley after too much O'Douls

Mother's Day flowers, they ain't

We appear to be fighting one nasty battle with dandelions this year. (Actually, I don't know that it's necessarily a fight because that would imply that there are two sides participating. We pretty much just watch the dandelions take over the place and then moan and groan about it.)

David and I have never really treated our 'yard' like a yard because, well, it isn't one. It's two steps away from being a field. Maybe that's why we have never fertilized or treated or whatever it is that you do to a yard. Either that or the fact that we're lazy. That could be it...

Now we are paying the price with one of the most horrid dandelion outbreaks I have ever seen. Going out and mowing the little fuzzy boogers down only perpetuates the cycle and will multiply your numbers. Damn Mother Nature and all of her wicked, wily ways!

I tried to convince Ella to go pick all the yellow flowers she could and I would pay her a penny for each one. That didn't fly. Looking at this picture, I wouldn't take me up on it either.

Yep, that's Lilly in there, almost hidden in the field of fuzz.

Is this happening just here in my area (because it's not just my little piece of neglected ground, these suckers are all over town)? Is there a dandelion epidemic?

Dimples make me smile

Of course I love all the parts and pieces of my baby girl, but my most favorite at the mo' has got to be her elbow dimples. TWO dimples in the midst of all that pudgy goodness are more than I can handle. I find myself wanting to rub Ashley's super soft, super squishy arms because I don't know how long the baby fat stage will last and it's just too cute to resist. Wouldn't you want to get your hands on this?!

(While I was changing Ashley into her pajamas. I asked David to hold her so I could get a picture of her elbow dimples. I ended up with the picture I was after and a couple more that I just love. The last one kills me.)

Caramelicious

Today I published what is surely one of my new favorite recipes over at Smartini. It's for Caramel Bars and they will make you close your eyes and say 'Oooh, that is good!' I have it on several people's authority that they are fantastic, since I was nice (or stupid) enough to share with a whole hall full of people at work.

Check 'em out. They are worth another lap around the track to make up for all of the naughtiness. But wait! They have oatmeal! That makes them health food, right?!