...and it stayed on her head!!!

Movin' and Groovin'?

Siena can now crawl-- backwards. This is very ineffective for her because everything she wants is in front of her. She also does the army crawl-- backwards. Hmmm, I still have time to figure out how to baby-proof those stinkin' lamps....

The Story of the Mad Dentist

So, the other day I went to the dentist. My chipped-tooth filling came out a few weeks ago, so I needed to get that repaired. I was a little frustrated. First of all, the first time she repaired it was in November, so it wasn't that long ago; secondly, it was the first time I had seen that particular dentist and I wasn't too impressed by the overall experience (2 hour ordeal just for a 15 minute appointment, etc.)

Well, now I had to go in again to get the same thing repaired and it was dramatic. Besides the fact that they called me in an hour earlier just to see me at my original scheduled time in the end, the actually appointment was shady. All the dentist had to do was re-fill my filling. Period. She decided to do it with mechanical as well as chemical retention (which was fine), but she ended up pulling out a needle.

Shock!

This needle was the kind they give you when you go in for root canals. Not joking.

Now, those who know me know that I am a little weird because my favorite part about going to the dentist is getting dumbed. (Not the poke, but the numbness afterward. Seriously, Juan and his friend gave me topical Lidocaine samples from the Reps for my birthday.) But after I saw the needle, I was NOT looking forward to it. By the way, I should mention that for this particular mechanical retention, this needle was totally unnecessary.

She first sprayed a local anesthetic in my mouth, and then proceeded to insert the 50-foot long, aforementioned needle. With every inch of my mouth that it penetrated, I could hear her laugh with devilish delight, "Mwah, ha ha ha ha!" Okay, not really.

This next part is something that all future and present dentists should pay close attention to:

After my face started tingling (but while she was still jabbing around my mouth,) my lovely dentist starts asking me questions like, "Are you taking any medications", "Are you pregnant or breastfeeding", "Are you allergic to anything", and so forth. Flashing Red light! If I actually answered yes to any of those questions, she could get sued for malpractice, ESPECIALLY if something went wrong. She was supposed to ask them before anything went into my mouth.

In the end, it wasn't a big deal; however, I realized a few things about the medical profession. You cannot make a mistake. Oh yeah, and you shouldn't use big, horrible needles unless necessary.

Oh, and one more thing for the patients... EAT before going in to get numbed. It's a loooong wait afterwards.

Sanctuary

It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood today. When I woke up, my house smelled like rain and the temperature was wonderful. Yes, it is humid; but when it is coupled with 70* weather, there is no need to complain. My favorite part about this morning was hearing the birds in the trees outside. There must have been about 10 different species of birds in our front yard tree alone because all of them had different calls. It reminded me of the little bird sanctuary right off the Provo River Trail near our house. Considering the size of the nature reserve, birds there are plentiful and diverse. I wonder if there are any aviaries around here....

Different

(This blog looked a little too "Price-is-Right-y" so that's the reason for the sudden change.)

All This & More....

(Amber, I was inspired by your blog...)


This is something I will really miss when we move: Produce Junction. Now I know I have ranted and raved about this place, but once again, I have to brag about our experience there today. Here is the breakdown:

Item .........................(price at local supermarket)

• 3 lbs. of carrots ......................................$3.00
  
• 3 yellow squash -------------------------$1.50
  
• 10 limes ...................................................$6.90
  
• 1 crown broccoli-------------------------$2.00
  
• 6 Anjou pears..........................................$6.00
  
• 1 bag sugar snap peas-------------------$8.98
  
• 3 avocados ..............................................$3.00
  
• 1 lb. strawberries -----------------------$2.50
  
• 1 bunch Italian parsley..........................$1.00
  
• 1 bunch cilantro -------------------------$1.30
  
• 3 heads sweet corn ................................$1.20
  
• 2 crates cherry tomatoes --------------$6.00
  
• 1 bag baby spinach................................. $1.69
  
• 1 bag black seedless grapes ------------$4.50
  
• 1 box baby portobello mushrooms......$4.00

TOTAL: $53.57


Can you guess how much it cost me? (scroll down to be shocked.)









$23.50

Yep. We were pretty proud, especially considering that all of the produce we bought was fresh and beautiful (but not in a waxy kind-of-way.) I'm hooked.

Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival 2008

(We pulled out the camera in the less-populated area, so the pictures do not give you an accurate estimate on the amount of people here.)

Over 50,000 people attend this festival every year and it literally covered half a mile of Walnut Street. Because I do not feel like typing anymore today, I'll just send you to the website if you're curious as to what it is....

I Love Don Knotts

When I was sick in bed a few weeks ago, I watched a couple Don Knotts movies and remembered how much I like his movies. So, here are a few of his movies (and show) that I really enjoyed and if you haven't seen them, I highly suggest watching them if you need a good laugh. (Oh, and for all the Temple Dental students, wives, etc. I suggest watching "The Shakiest Gun in the West" because it starts out at the Philadelphia School of Dentistry (which is now The Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple. Hilarious!)

The Ghost of Mr. Chicken
The Apple Dumpling Gang
The Shakiest Gun in the West
How to Frame a Fig
The Reluctant Astronaut
...and of course, The Andy Griffith Show

Siena Milestone

Siena is starting to wave "hello" to people. It looks like she's trying to "raise the roof" with one hand, but whatever... IT'S STILL SO CUTE! I'll try to capture it on video so you all can see.

Monday

Well, as promised, this is how Monday went:

• Up and at 'em at 9:00 am, (what are vacations for?)
• All of the girls took the train into the city to meet Juan for lunch.
• We didn't get lost! (It's amazing because I was sure we would.)
• We met up with Juan and had a smashing-good Philly cheesesteak.
• Took the train back home.
• Again, didn't get lost. (Hallelujah Chorus!)
• Regained confidence in public transportation and recommitted to a "greener" lifestyle.
• Once home, Tristan took a nap with Siena while I watched re-runs of A.N.T.M. (It's a weakness!)
• Juan came home from school and made us dinner while we made more felt hair clips.
  
• Decided to drive into the city again to get pics with Tristie at LOVE park and enjoy our last night with her over gelato.
• Drove home and rented "Nancy Drew"; yes, I liked it. Why? Because as a youngster, I was an avid Nancy Drew reader and the movie highlights the essence of every Nancy Drew book: cheesy and a little too perfect. Tristan thought I was crazy for watching it.
• Went to sleep until 1:20 am when some loco person decided to call us twice in a row without responding on the other end.
• (the next morning...)Woke up at 4:15 am to take Tristan to the airport.

Okay, this list is already over-dramatized so I'll end this post now.

So Far...

We have had a good week: Tuesday night we went to Juan's softball game; Wednesday we went to Christ Church Cemetery to look for an ancestor and then went over to Reading Terminal Market and Philadelphia Waterworks; Thursday Juan had school so we took a "Girls Day Trip to the Mall"... King of Prussia, that is; Friday we went to Washington DC; Saturday was our trip to NYC; Sunday we went to... you guessed it... church. Check back for Monday's adventure (but I will warn you, it may be boring because we're all tuckered out.)

A Little About Tristan

Many of you have asked me "Who is this Tristan who is coming to visit you?" So here is my answer:

1. She is my younger sister with 20 years of history.
2. She is a clever English Major who is finishing her degree at BYU.
3. She is the aunt of Siena (who now shares her nickname, though for different reasons.)
4. She is a jovial player of the violin.
5. She is a book designer and maker.
6. She is a literary enthusiast.
7. She is a quizzical room trotter (prancer, even.)
8. She is a lover of world cultures.
9. She is a cuisine extraordinaire.
10. She is Buddha-licious, baby!
    

Available at Borders and Barnes & Noble

***** 5-star Review

Meet the Children's Songbook I grew up with:

I have wanted this songbook for a while now, and haven't felt justified in spending $30 + shipping for it, so I have patiently waited. A couple weeks ago, we lucked out and found it Used (it's Out of Print) on Amazon in Good Condition for only $4.95 + $4 shipping. I have had my share of good and bad experiences with online shopping, so I was excited but skeptical. We decided to get it; It arrived in the mail today and I was so relieved to find that it actually came on time and that it actually was in good shape. Actually, for being Used it was in GREAT shape! Score one for me!

Brain Damage?

I hope Siena's brain doesn't suffer from doing this: she loves to throw her head back and hit it hard against the chair. Masochist! The video doesn't do it justice, but I'll put it on anyway. Be sure to look for Siena's "trademarks" which include: her tongue moving fast in every direction, the comb which can be found at all times in her grasp, the crazy hair that I still have to work up a nerve to cut, random bouts of giggling, and the head banging, of course.

Ummm,

by Jerzy Kolacz

I HATE BEING SICK!!!

Para Nuestra Querida Madre

Sunday

Since Siena is sick, Juan stayed home with her and when I got back from church, this is what I found:
Israeli Spice-rubbed Chicken, Oven-roasted Veggies and flatbread. Juan, dinner was heavenly; you are officially the full-time cook of the house. ;^)

I was pretty proud of myself yesterday. My lesson for the 14 yr. old Sunday School class yesterday was about seeking for the kingdom of God instead of material wealth. So as a handout I "altered" a picture of a $100 bill. I know, I'm a BIG NERD, but I always get carried away with Photoshop.

(If you are curious:)

Our new local favorite: Duetto Vanilla Soft Serve with Mango Venice Ice.

Calories 120 Total Fat 3 g Sodium 50 mg Fat Cal. 30 Choles. 10 mg Total Carb. 20 g

A "Designer Connection"

We went to a baptism today for two little boys in the Stake and while we were at dinner afterward, we sat down at a table full of strangers. We learned that the young couple to our right was recently married. After inquiring about how they met, we learned that they both graduated from Philadelphia Textile Institute. They are currently working in NYC as designers for Tse Cashmere and American Eagle. I always thought that top fashion designers were out of touch with reality until we got to know these people; they were so eager to talk with us and we soon found out that they were normal human beings after all.



So now, our list of fashion designers met in-person has a total tally count of three (the other being my own mother.) Another claim to fame... *sigh*.

p.s. Juan shaved his "finals beard" this afternoon.

Book:

I just finished reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Who out there has read it? What did you think? Although I think her other novels have more plot to them, the writing in this one was filled with more humor and introspect into the heroine. Juan is glad I'm done with the book because the last two nights I have been up too late (1:00 in the morning) reading. (Mind you, it wasn't because I was dying to read the book, it was because I had made the mistake of taking a nap with Siena two days in a row and I wasn't tired.) Okay, that's all.

p.s. Juan just told me he is going to grow a "finals beard". Good luck with that, hon. *we'll see who can hold out the longest*

Consider this your reminder... to she/he who applies:

Buy a webcam!!!!!

Good Mom/Bad Mom

After listening to her cry all night long, I had lost the energy to prevent this:

(Okay, so I took the "before" picture after I cleaned her up, but you get the point.)

My Project

You know how a lot of people work on home-improvement projects while listening to Conference on Saturday? This was mine:



It didn't look like much after I was "done", so I changed it a bit. Everyone who knows me knows that I do not know when to stop! The frame ended up a solid pink and the numbers were hand-written in white on the second go-around. This was not attractive, to say the least. So I started over with the frame and completely spray-painted the base. Again, I do not know when to stop! Finally, after it was all put back together, I hung it on the wall. Something still was not right. Oh yeah, Tole Painting! (catch the hint of sarcasm....)

I finally knew I had to stop.

I'm not sure if I like it or not; on the one hand, my pride is telling me that it fits nicely into Siena's room, but on the other hand, I have looked at it too many times and "something is just not right."

So this is where I am at the end of my home-improvement project... at a crossroads of emotion.

Calling All Mormon Mommies

Go here to download the coolest Conference activity booklet for kids.

General Conference- Saturday

We have enjoyed the morning so far. Juan found out that Siena loves rolling around on the bed. She giggles and squeals when he rolls around with her. The pictures on the top show exactly how she looks after rolling around with him.

The second half of the collage is of Siena yesterday morning. She was patient enough to let me try something new with her hair. I loved it, but it didn't stay in very long. (Oh yeah, did I mention that she loves the comb?)

10 Things

1. I love shopping for produce!
2. I don't love shopping for dairy (milk is $4/gallon!)
3. I love rice and beans for breakfast.
4. I don't love meat (other than pork products,) for breakfast.
5. I love the smell of carnations(I know, weird for a florist!)
   
6. I don't love the smell of babies breath (the flower.)
7. I love reading recipes.
8. I don't love reading sewing patterns.
9. I love listening to birds chirping in the morning.
10. I don't love listening to garbage trucks in the morning.
    

Editorial

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED: Below is a picture for the strong-stomached, non-PETA (only in this case), arachnaphobes who can sympathize with a mother who just wants to protect her young.





















This is the spider that I found a while ago in our apartment. It is still on the wall for a purpose: to warn off any other spiders that dare cross the line into our territory. So far, we haven't seen another.

Some Pics

We had a rough Sunday morning until Mommy found the comb.
(click the pic)

Siena doesn't know what to do when we put Rice Krispies in front of her. Eventually, they all make their way to the floor.