Easter Outfits...SO FLIPPIN CUTE!

Ahh...to be the step-sister of the manager of Gymboree. Life is sweet. This is the dress Kembry got for Easter, AND THEN SOME. We musn't forget the matching shoes! Spoiled. I hope I have more girls just so I can dress them up in these clothes. Kembry's dress is silk. SILK! Don't worry folks, she did not pay full price! Cohen's way cute outfit is off to the right. He loves it, he walks around like he's hot stuff, just like daddy.

You know how sometimes when...

So Brett's aunt Susan makes us all laugh. A few Sunday's ago, during dinner, she asked Marilyn if Brett and I would be there. It being a "daddy" Sunday, we were with my Pa, so she said, "No, why?" Susan replied, "I wanted her to pluck my eyebrows."
Well, when she relayed the story, she asked, "Did you talk to her about her eyebrows or something?" Quizically, I replied, "I don't think so. Why me?"
Turns out, she likes the way I pluck my eyebrows. I can't believe how something so...?little? could feel like such a compliment.
So you know how sometimes when someone compliments you and you don't know why but it feels like the greatest and biggest compliment ever? That was this. For some reason. So, I was thinking, I have held back a lot of "little" compliments because I thought they were just that: little.

So, I'm going to be handing them out more.

Tanya: Quit quacking about your house not being clean. I am ALWAYS comfortable in your home. I love the toys everywhere, because my kids have stuff to play with. I don't have to constantly ask you if Cohen can destroy this or can Kembry druel on that. Your home is so comfortable to me, DON'T CHANGE A THING. Unless, of course, you want to.

Melanie: I love your blog. You never have boring stuff to blog about. I hope you don't get in another blog rut, because I love reading your blog.

Brett: You're hot.

Marilyn: You're doing so good with everything. We don't say it enough, but you are a great grandma and a great mother-in-law and a great mom (speaking for Brett). Keep up the great work.

Well, I have to go home and take care of Brett, he's sick =*(. Chat to you all soon!

OH OH OH OH PS: Funny/interesting little site called PostSecret. I've got it on my links, visit it. It's funny/interesting, as I have previously stated. I'm done.

A Revelation!

I have decided why I am struggling so much with Les Mis. It is not that Hugo writes in an inflated, long-winded manner. It is because I have a hard time dealing with rollar coster plots. For example, "Meet the Parents". Now, I've received this issue genetically. My mom and dad both suffer from this. In "Meet the Parents", the poor fiance suffers through the whole movie, with no near sign of relief or vengence. And the worst part is there is no hero for the poor guy. No one to stand up for him. His fiance is oblivious to the situation. Same problem in Les Mis. A noble fellow, he is up and then down and then up and then down again. But the worst part in all of this is that it is entirely his own stupid fault. And, unfortunately, I know the ending, which gives me no reprieve. I hate to say it, but, I fear the worst. I think for the time being I'm going to be moving on. I might even need a pity read in between new reads. But who to pick? Who will bring me the comfort of a gradually happy built plot with a heart-warming ending? I think for those of you who know me, you know exactly what I will pick.

Last Post for the Day: THANK YOU TANYA

Just wanted to give a SHOUT OUT to my homegirl TANYA. Oh man, I can't even pretend to talk like that. Anyway, thanks to Tanya for being such a great friend. Brett and I really appreciate your kindness in this, our time of need. Dinner was delicious, and now my family expects more out of me. Grrr. But it was wonderful. And thank you for organizing dinner for us for last night as well. It's been great to be able to get rest and not have to worry about Brett burning down the kitchen, or accidentally cooking the kids. Thanks again. You're a wonderful friend, and I really appreciate all you do for our family!

Susan's Surgery

What a transition, from Housekeeping Monthly to Susan's surgery. Everything went well, according to Brett's mom Marilyn. In fact, they're thinking of letting her come home today.

Thanks to everyone who had her in their thoughts and prayers. And thanks for your comments!

Confessions of a Housewife Part III: 1955/2008

'55* Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
'08* If I greet him with a warm smile, he knows something is up!

'55*Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is no the time. Let him talk first-remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
'08*Right. I'll wait until after the gin and tonic to let him know that I attempted to start a warm fire for him, and ended up burning down the garage.

'55*Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
'08*First off, he won't even need to worry about me complaining, because if he decides to stay out late, I'm not speaking to him anyway. Secondly, if he needs to be home and relax, then he should COME HOME and RELAX.

'55*Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
'08* His goal: stink up the bathroom, hallway and bedroom in under 5 minutes. Destroy a perfectly clean kitchen. Trapse mud on the newly cleaned carpets.

Stay Tuned...

Information on Susan

Well, it's come to a time where there are several people asking about it, so I thought I would just post a quick little blog about our Aunt Susan. About 3 1/2 weeks ago, Susan's Optometrist found a tumor near her right sinus above her eye. A few weeks later, she found out it was cancerous. A week later, she found out it was melanoma. As of date, she will be having surgery Tuesday, March 11th to remove some of the mass. After that, they will be doing chemotherapy. Brett's family have decided that we will each be taking a night of the week to spend with Susan, so she won't be alone, and so that she won't be bombarded with visitors. We're going to try to keep things as smooth and calm as possible.
Cora and Heath, who live in Michigan and can't be here with Susan, are making her a wonderful surprise, which I won't disclose just yet, because it IS a surprise.
We love Susan so much and this has come as such a shock to all of the family. The Neff's are a very close family. The three sisters, Sherri, Susan and Marilyn have all done an amazing job at keeping the family tight. We have Sunday dinners together every Sunday. I have never known a family to be as close as ours. Susan is like a grandma to Cohen and Kembry, and to Logan and Hunter. They even call her "Grandma WuWu". She has always been so willing to tend the kids, which is awesome, because they love being with her.
If you have a moment, please say a prayer for Aunt Susan.

Confessions of a Housewife Part II: 1955/2008

I sent this funny thing to my hubby at work, just for a laugh. Well, he didn't mention anything all day, on the phone or through e-mail, so I just assumed he got a good laugh out of it and went on his merry way happily accepting that I am a wife of 2008. HOWEVER, I did a deep clean yesterday, bought his favorite dinner (salmon with onion baby red potatoes and green beans for me and the kids and an artichoke heart because he loves those) so when the little smart allick walks through the door and sees the house clean and smells the artichoke heart steaming, he says, "Oh, you know your place as a woman. Now quiet down kids, daddy has had a much more stressful day than mommy and needs to rest." The little butt. He didn't let it go ALL NIGHT LONG! But, that's why I love him. So, here we go with Confessions of a Housewife Part II: 1955/2008:

'55*Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc and then run a dustcloth over the tables.
'08*The books, toys, paper etc are on the table to cover up the dust.

'55*Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
'08* Where do I begin? First of all, if I even attempted to light a fire, we wouldn't have a house anymore. Secondly, what would provide me with immense personal satisfaction would be sinking down into a hot bubble bath with a good book while he manages the rugrats.

'55*Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are (please hold all laughter until the end) little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
'08*Prepare the children. Mommy's about to shut down and daddy's about to take over. I couldn't get my kids to act like little treasures on command, EVER. They are occassionally, but really, it's on their time, definitley not mine! Third, what's a vacuum?

Stay tuned...

Confessions of a Housewife from 1955/2012: A Revival

The good wife's guide
'55*Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
'12*Dinner is left over macaroni and cheese from lunch, which has probably been thrown on the floor by the kids by now. If you want something more, you'll have to cook it yourself, I'm going to the gym.

'55*Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
'12*I've just been with two sticky, screaming, hyper children all day. 15 minutes to rest would be like an oasis in the middle of the salt flats. Not to mention the only bows around here go in the baby's hair, and she's probably thrown them in the toilet by now.

'55*Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
'12*Give me a bottle of congac and we'll talk.

'55*Clear away clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
'12*He's lucky to make it through the door at the end of the day. If the kids are on bored, then maybe there wont be a giant train track built right in front of the front door when he comes home.

Stay tuned...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

YAY! Five years! For those of you who had five years as the bet, you lost. Unless they legalize marriage to guitars, or unless he finds out about Roberto the Puerto Rican wonder, I don't think divorce is imminent.

So far in Five Years:
1 new house (built in the 70's, but new to us)
1 little boy
3 cats
1 little girl
1 new guitar
1 new piano
And my favorite of material possessions,of course,despite all of the making fun of:
1 new mini van!

I play a fun little game in my mind (well, several actually, but we'll save that for later.) I like to think to myself, "Where will I be in x-amount of years? What will I be doing? Who will be new in my life?" I love thinking that two and a half years ago we were waiting for our little boy to be born. 2 years ago we were taken back by a positive pregnancy test (thanks Joey for jinxing us!) We really weren't expecting Kembry, but what a wonderful surprise. Best ever. Things were calm and quiet, and now they're crazy, all the time. It's awesome. I couldn't be anywhere happier than where I am now. I love Brett, and, I'm pretty sure he loves me. At least he says he does, who knows?! Haha. Five years ago today we took the plunge, and the water wasn't too bad, so we decided to stay. It's awesome.