Workin on it ...

Today I have decided to claw my way out of my slump. It's a pretty big hole and it may take all day, but I'm determined! I'll let you know how it goes.
The new festive look is still in progress...

The truth of it is, part II ......

I have entered blogging hell!! This blogging thing totally sucks! Well, ok, I actually love it but it really isn't working for me lately! A friend of mine sent me a link to some free blog templates and I found a really fun one that I was sure would spark a little inspiration for future entries. I followed the instructions and saved my masterpiece. I tried to view my masterpiece but the only things showing were the pictures I had downloaded. No clever titles, no witty text, nothing! After some watery eyes, a few chin quivers and yes, a few inappropriate words, this is where I'm at. I'm too tired and to uninspired to fix it. Did I mention that I'm in a big, fat, hairy slump??? Oh, and while I'm at it, why in the world would anyone pair my bad-ass brown skirt with those ugly black pumps and nude hose (see below)? The more I see that picture the more I realize how lame the mentioned accessories make my skirt look! Did you know I don't even own a pair of nude hose ..... or ugly black pumps? Do nude hose come in different shades of nude or is it one nude fits all? Have I mentioned anything about a slump? Anyway, tune in sometime for the Gatherum blog makeover ...

The truth of it is ....

I'm in a slump. Really. I have Thanksgiving pictures. I'm sure something funny has happened at our house over the last couple of weeks. My life is filled with insanity ... and people who are insane. Still, I can't make myself put the effort into a new post. And if I'm honest, the only reason I'm writing this nonsense is because I'm sick of looking at my brown skirt (that actually looks better in person .. and if you don't wear black shoes)! I'm sure inspiration will hit me sometime ....

My bad-ass brown skirt ....

That actually fits over my big bad-ass! Some friends have been asking so here it is. I found this skirt on Saturday at Harold's in Trolley Square and I love it! I am convinced it was meant to be since there was only one left, it was in my size, and I have been at the mall every night over the last week and have found nothing. Here's the problem - I pretty much spent my entire wedding clothes budget on this skirt .... and only half of my body is covered! Nuts! I guess the idea of my Anthropologie sweater is out!

p.s. I know some are a little hesitant to read my blog because there's always a little uncertainty of when I might throw out a cuss word or two. I apologize to anyone I may have offended but I can't promise there won't be more cuss words in the future ...

Worst Album Covers Ever ...

Or are these really the Best Album Covers Ever?! I guess it depends if I'm a glass half empty or glass half full kind of girl. I'm sure most of you have seen these already but here are some of my favorites ....

This reminds me of a picture of my brother that surfaced a few years back. Picture Tino in American flag swim trunks...





I once went to a Randy Travis concert with a group of deaf people. I know being blind and deaf are not the same thing ... it just got me thinkin'.


My Grandma looks just like this. Honest! And her name is Joyce ...

Thanks Jen!

Me likey!

I usually don't like remakes but me likey this one!

If wishes were trees ....

I want this sweater! My dad is getting married in 2 weeks and I am supposed to find something great to wear. Picture this sweater with a great skirt that I've yet to find and some fabulous shoes. Perfect? I think so .... all except for the $118 price tag attached to it. Is $118 too much to spend for a sweater? Gator says ABSOLUTELY TOO MUCH! I think I have to agree and besides, it's kind of the wrong color. Oh Anthropologie .... such a love-hate relationship we have!

If anyone can find me a cute skirt in, or that coordinates with, brown tones, I will love you forever! Seriously, get looking! My time is running out!

Daylight Savings What???

Daylight Savings is a bust! Whoever came up with this idea is a) an idiot or b) never had kids. I have two kids that don't sleep in the first place so imagine the state of the Gatherum family when certain members feel 4:00 am is a good time to start the day..... none of those members are me! Honestly, no wonder I have so many darn issues in my life! I never get any sleep and crazies keep throwing things like Daylight Savings at me!

This is Ella at about 10:30 am. This is absolutely unheard of for her. Poor girl has no idea what's going on!

Worth the wait!

I love Halloween! It was a little hard for me to gear up this year but in the end, a fun day. Ella and Jack were darling ...

Ella and orange goobie ... eewww!

Ella and her pumpkin ... with obviously no help from mom and dad.

Ella had her preschool program and it was hilarious! She was so excited to sing her songs and say her part. We learned a lot about Ella that day.

Here is a sample of Ella's performance. Jack wouldn't sit still but I promise if you suffer through your motion sickness it will pay off!

We had our traditional Halloween soup dinner before trick or treating. Here are the crazy Short family cousins.

My cute boys...

Jack thinks Halloween is fun too.

Getting ready for the big night!

Happy October!

Throw Down!

Wednesday was rainy, cold and gloomy ... perfect bread making weather. It has been a couple of weeks since I got Bosch and I have finally built up the courage to attempt something other than cookies. I've taken one step closer to my Polly Pioneer persona. Here's my story:

Here is my wheat grinder.... or the one that I hope to have someday. I thought I took a picture of my actual wheat grinder but can't find it on my camera. I'll have to take another - it really is it's own story. Anyway, I ground up a bunch of fresh wheat. If that doesn't pull on your homemaking heartstrings, I don't know what will!

Here are most of the ingredients to my Honey Whole Wheat Bread. Pretty aren't they?

Here's Ella making the dough. I'm training her early.

Here's Jack waiting while we make bread. He doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.

Here is my beautiful dough after it has risen. Poor Righty ... there's always got to be a runt.

Ok, seriously? Check these out! Don't they look like real loaves of bread? They are!! Real bread that I made all by me lonesome!

This is Jack after he tried my bread. Delicious!

This is my lunch on my real bread. Tuna doesn't do it justice ... I was out of turkey, lettuce, tomatoes etc.

Note to self: Vegetable oil does not take the place of vegetable spray when it comes to spraying your bread pans.

I've heard that bread is hard to master, that's it's a big process that takes skill and practice. Well you know what? Meet the bread making genius! It was easy, fun and absolutely delicious. I am challenging Great Harvest to a Throw Down .....

Autumn in New York ...

Is something I've never seen before, but Ella Fitzgerald can sure paint a pretty picture, can't she? This really is my favorite time of year. The weather, leaves, pumpkins, Halloween .... If it could only last longer than 5 days! This is one of my favorite pictures of Ella Bug. It was taken last year at her papa's house - she pretty much looks the same so I may have to pass it off another year.

Speaking of pumpkins, this is my front porch. Looks a little pathetic, doesn't it? That's because behind those sad little orphans used to be two big ol' mommy and daddy pumpkins that took me about a half an hour to pick out and cost about $5 each (to me, that seems a lot for a pumpkin). They were perfect! On Saturday night, around 9:00 pm, Gator and I heard some noise. We thought it was coming from upstairs since Ella had been having a hard time going to sleep and Gator went to investigate. When he turned the corner to go upstairs, he realized that a bunch of loser kids were stealing our pumpkins! He tried to get outside but couldn't get the door open in time (he gets a little fumbly when his adrenaline kicks in!) and the lame-o's hopped in their car and took off. I was so sad the rest of the night. Forget that I was giving a big lesson in relief society the next day, all I could think about were my pumpkins!

We live in a neighborhood where the crime rate is practically zero, people don't shut their garage doors at night, and don't ever lock their doors ... well, except for us. Gator's extremely cautious.
Probably 99% of our town is LDS and I've never felt that I had to worry about my pumpkins. I hope those kids felt really good while sitting in church the next day ....

Mothers, be warned!

Ella is sick. Yes, it's basically a teensy case of the sniffles but it's kind of all the same to me. I think this makes something like the 329th time this year. Ella doesn't go to nursery. She takes her vitamins. We stay away from Playlands and things of that sort. Ella is very familiar with soap and sanitizer. So what's the problem?

I'm the kind of mom that keeps Ella home from dance, school, and other social settings when she's not really 100% ... mostly to keep others from getting sick. I'm realizing that mother's like me, we are a lost tribe. While the thought of this makes me want to scream to the hills, I understand that there's not much I can do about it. I've decided to change my approach. My new mantra - SCREW IT!! If mothers feel good about sending their kids out with gobs of yellow snot hanging from their nose, I'm going to be ok with it too. When kids come over and say, "I'm sick (hack, hack, sneeze), but I can still play," great. Come on in.

Believe me, there is nothing I dislike more than being stuck in the house with an extra whiney girl who wants nothing more than to go out and play. So, I'm settin her loose! Yes, I will knowingly send my sickly child out to infest the world .... and feel pretty good about it (picture me rubbing my hands together while cackling gleefully!) If you see her with half her eye-lids crusted over, just know she has "allergies." Oh, and she tends to get a little flushed when she's "excited."

New member of our family ....

Meet Bosch. I have wanted one of these since I used to make cookies after school in Emily Whitney's kitchen when we were something like 12 years old. 15+ years later, I have one to call my own .... even in cute red!

This is my trusty KitchenAid that I've had since I got married. It used to belong to Gator's Grandma who was a pastry chef .... I am convinced it gives me good karma in the kitchen! It's fabulous, has never failed me (except for Gator's Applesauce Cookies ... still can't figure that one out), and will still be a staple in my kitchen. I am hoping that some of its luck will rub off onto Bosch and that they will become buddies in my pantry.

Over the last year or so I've had this insane urge to become Polly Pioneer and learn how to tap into my domestic skills ... nature style. Bosch is going to help me accomplish this. This baby can whip up enough dough for 6 loaves of bread! Amazing! I will be grinding my own wheat, making my own bread, and basically making my family absolutely sick with new pure, down to earth, 100% natural recipes. Sound fun? Actually, there's a lot more background to this crazy quest of mine that only a few have been unfortunate enough to hear about. If you haven't heard it already, you won't hear about it now. I'll spare you the details. However, this quest of mine is bound to be entertaining -- stay tuned for The Adventures of Polly.

Next on my list of big purchases -- a Nutrimill electric wheat grinder. If anyone can hook me up with one of these bad boys, let me know!

The joys of parenthood!

We were lucky enough to have the sick bug visit our home this week. Ella started throwing-up at 2 am on Monday and Jack started on Tuesday night. I have been covered in more vomit and poop than I care to think about! The sad thing about it is that as I sanitize my hands for the 300th time, as I'm doing the 20th load of laundry that day or as I curse Gator for getting to go to work, I know that it is inevitable that I will soon being making frequent trips to the bathroom as well. Sure enough, mine hit last night and I had one heck of a melt-down this morning. Gator just may not come home from work today ... can't say I blame him!