If You're Looking For Me This Week...

...I will be working on this. Like, non-stop. Are you in Central Texas? Please come see one of the shows this week! Things are really coming together and it's going to be AMAZING!

Once this wraps, I will be here non-stop, bombarding you with 100s of posts per day, I'm sure.

{Seriously. Come see the show! Get your free tickets here.}

Color My World

I love me some bright + shiny pumps, that is for sure. {Especially at a bargain price!} And I don't mind sporting a high-heel, even though I'm 5'10" to begin with. But 4 inches. Hmm. Think I can pull it off? I want the yellow ones.

Cheap and cheerful here.

Eye Eye Eye

I was at the doctor yet again today - this time for my red eyes. Remember when they were superinfected back in May? I've been having an on again/off again relationship with yucky, red, bloodshot eyes ever since then. This morning they were killing me, so I finally went to get it checked out. The verdict? Undecided, I guess. I was given samples of a prescription allergy eye drop to try out. And if those don't work? A prescription for pink eye. Um. Okay.

In other doctor-news, my 25 week check up tells me I'm up only 3 more pounds - not the 10 I was prepared for after seeing myself in photos last week. Oh, and after a traumatic experience when I took the kids to the doctor this week (to be assured "they have colds - that will be $40"). See, Mason wouldn't get on the scale. The big one. Or the baby one. It was hysterics. So finally I had to get on the scale while holding that kicking and screaming boy. Then they weighed me alone to determine Mason's weight. Which was actually pretty mortifying, and these sorts of things don't usually bother me. Anyway, let's just say I prefer the scale at MY doctor's office. I can live with 3 pounds!

In other news, I ate a salad today. And Monday! I am turning over a new "leaf", you see. {Har har.} And instead of a brownie before bed last night, I had a banana and string cheese. I'm still getting around to all of your wonderful suggestions for healthy snacks (thank you, seriously!). I am hoping to go to the grocery store sometime this month. But that's not realistic. Perhaps next month.

I have also been busy doing my least favorite thing - asking for favors. Asking for babysitters, in this case, for next week when we're in the performance venue all week long, all day, every day. I have such nice friends. If I'd gotten my e-mail plea for help from someone else, I would have gone "Ack, I don't want to watch their kids!". Meanwhile, I get all these nice responses, sure I can watch them all day every day, no problem. I swear. I don't deserve the friends I have. They are amazing. So the kids are set up with "play dates" every morning next week - Chris will work from home in the afternoon.

And right this minute, I really must jump in the shower and attempt to clean this mess (meaning me) up. Red eyes, I'm getting another cold sore (gross!) and I'm blowing up like a balloon. The least I can do is be clean, right? Then I'm off to rehearsal for the afternoon & evening.

Happy Wednesday to you!

Here's An Idea...

...a rather ingenious one, from the queen of semi-homemade, Sandra Lee: grilled bananas.

Sandy says:

Take a banana
Pull back part of the peel
Carve a ravine
Stuff with mini marshmallows, little chocolate chips and graham-cracker sprinkles
Put the peel back
Wrap in foil
Grill toppings-side up

Are you joking? That sounds like a dream come true to me!

I Love Living

"I love living. I have some problems with my life, but living is the best thing they've come up with so far."
~ Neil Simon

Amen to that!

{Quote via Real Simple. Photo from Flickr.}

High On Life, I Assume

Natalie --

[noun]: A person who is constantly high

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I really liked my dictionary definition. Because, for the most part, I am usually "up". So how about you? What's your definition?

{Thanks, Rusti!}

Euro-Kid Look For Less

I'm a huge fan of European children's brands, particularly Oilily. What I'm not fond of? The prices! Wowza! I used to be willing to pay them - occasionally - on sale - but not these days. Luckily, you can pick up a similar look at the Children's Place at super reasonable prices. These are great dresses for Texas weather...Maya could wear this dress

or this dress now with a pair of sandals...

and when the weather finally cools down, she can pair it with some funky tights like these...

...or these. Crazy tights on li'l people is my favorite look, after all.

Simon Says: "Lemon Annie Rocks!"

One of my buddies recently started up the cutest blog - Lemon Annie - and launched an Etsy Shop selling her adorable handmade frames.

She sent me a couple of her goodies as a baby gift - including one that says "Simon Says"! Of course, I almost passed out with glee when I saw it, since personalized items are my favorite and I adore handmade anything (maybe because I'm handmade challenged?!).

She also sent this one, in a bright + funky pattern that will go perfectly in my living room.

And now that she's a full-blown Etsy Shop-owner, you can get your hands on the goods as well. Not only are they cute, they're super affordable. And...she has offered free gifts to the first 2 people who place orders and let her know that they came to her shop via 100 Percent Cottam. Do go browse!

And be sure to check out the Lemon Annie blog for lots o' great home decorating tips and all sorts of lovely finds!

Healthy Snacks, Anyone?

You may or may not have noticed that I have a deep appreciation for baked goods. (Hello, microwave brownies!) And, if you've seen me recently, you may or may not have not noticed that I'm really packing on the pounds lately. I know, I know, I'm nearly 6 months pregnant. But seriously. Packing. On. The. Pounds. I acknowledge that I need to eat when I'm hungry, believe me, I do. What I should probably also acknowledge is that I don't need to shove a cookie in my mouth every time I have hunger pangs. Perhaps I could try something a little healthier.

But see, I get stumped. I eat lots o' bananas. And string cheese. But that's about as clever as I get about healthy snacks. So please, please help. What do you like to munch on? It's not so much calories I'm interested in - not 100 calorie pack snacks, or anything. Just better quality snacking that will fill me up. Without being inconvenient, of course.

Thoughts?

Skate or Die: The Weekend Wrap-Up

Another weekend gone by and I'm looking larger than life - oucha magoucha! The camera doesn't lie - I'm officially pregnant and chubbs. On to the recap...

Friday night we met Chris down at our church's Pioneer Day party. Texas BBQ, cupcakes, blistering heat and filthy children pretty much sum it up - good times! Back home the kiddies had tubby time and we did the usual Friday night routine - flipping channels and such.

Saturday morning I was off to play rehearsal by 8:30. Quick stop at Whataburger for a honey butter chicken biscuit and a huge ol' Coke. Then on to a whirlwind day that flew by - I was there for a good 10 hours and pretty much enjoyed every minute of it. Things are really coming together! The costumes are almost done. The set is almost done. The songs are almost perfect. The lines are almost learned. And this experience is almost over! Will you call me crazy if I say that I'm a little sad that 2 weeks from today, I'll be done with Savior of the World? Of course, there's lots still to do - it's going to be a busy couple of weeks and I hope my kids still remember they have a mother when it's all over.

Anyway! Back home again for some Donn's BBQ for dinner (yes, that makes 2 BBQ dinners in a row!) and I got caught up on the day's excitement. Turns out their cool Daddy took Maya and Mason to buy their first skateboards! So I watched them "tear it up" for a while - they have mad skills already, of course (genetics) - and then it was off to bed for the little monkeys. Saturday was eerily similar to Friday night - more lounging about, cleaning out the DVR and snacking. Poor Chris. I'm little fun anymore.

Sunday morning I was oh-so ready for my sleep-in - particularly after Maya woke me up at 4am, after which I couldn't fall back asleep until 6 - aargh! At 10:15 Chris woke me up to tell me the kids were fed and bathed and that he was off to a meeting. I got up and got myself ready and we were off to church. It was a crazy one. First Mason had a meltdown. Then Maya had an epic meltdown. Then Mason had another meltdown. The miracle? That I didn't have a meltdown, although I was on the verge. We made it through and came home for "nap time". But Mason never calmed down, so he and Maya wound each other up all afternoon until at last, we headed over to my parents house for dinner - steaks on the grill, baby!

Home again for a moment and then off to a music rehearsal, which went really well. Back home for some rice krispie treats and watching Psych - which is back on, at last! And I'm off to bed at any moment.

Tomorrow I've got lots o' work to do on the program for the play. And I'm pretty sure I head into the doctor some time this week for the dreaded weigh-in, ACK! After seeing myself in those photos, I don't even want to know what my weight is these days...

Hope you had a great weekend!

What Are The Chances...

...that using one of these spoons would help me get motivated to spend some more time in the kitchen? I mean, it couldn't hurt, right?

They'd also be excellent to use to chase the kids out of the kitchen, no? And for the friendliest spanking my kids will ever get! (Only kidding, of course!)

{From those hilarious Spoon Sisters.}

Potty Poo-Poo Wee-Wee

One of the more irreverent selections in our potty training book collection is Potty Poo-Poo Wee-Wee by Colin McNaughton. It's not for everyone - lots o' potty humor, naturally, but it works well here at the Cottam household. It was a favorite of Maya's. And tonight, Chris read it to them both before bedtime - and they were dying laughing. Mason was practically hysterical with glee. So I'm hoping this will pique his interest in the potty. Potty training is NOT on the agenda at this point. Maya was so, so difficult to potty train, and I've heard boys are worse - so my plan is to wait until he's 3 before I give it a go. But I would like him to be more interested in the potty than he is. He'll talk about it. He'll sit on the potty occasionally. But he's definitely not on the potty "train" (har har) quite yet. So, perhaps Littlesaurus and his potty antics can get him on the right track.

And if you dig a bit o' potty humor, you might want to check into this one. It's definitely silly!

Red Stamp

Red Stamp has such a lovely collection of "Stylish Correspondence", as they call it - I could browse there all day. The Love Is Fun and You Make Me So Very Happy cards are particular favorites of mine...

S'mores on a Stick

Thank you, Tip Junkie, for pointing me in the direction of this delightful looking treat. Marshmallows dipped in chocolate and rolled in crumbled graham crackers?! Hello, s'mores on a stick! Although these are made on a hard to find chocolate "Pocky" stick, you could just as easily stick them on a lollipop stick. Or leave them as is.

They're like the summer version of my friend Andi's signature Christmas treat: marshmallows dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed candy cane. Perfect for popping into your hot chocolate - or straight into your mouth!

{PS - Frantic Home Cook is a fabulous blog - and the latest addition to my Google Reader. Check it out!}

ABCs of Onomatopoeia

We have the ABCs of Onomatopoeia poster hanging on our fridge - and I think it's completely ingenious! Not only is it lovely to look at, the kids get a complete kick out of making the letter sounds.

Other art in this collection includes the ABCs of Art, Counting Monsters and Sounds of Piccaso. You can buy any of the fun posters from this collection here.

Fun Weddings

Izzy Girl has some adorable wedding invites in her portfolio - invitations that let you know you're in for a treat...before you even get there.

The Passport Wedding invite, for instance. Perfect for a destination wedding!

And who could turn down an invitation to a "wedding spectacular" "starring" the bride and groom? And they're promising a "fireworks extravaganza"?! I'm so there!

And a wedding with "feast and merriment to follow"? Yes please.

Check out more from Izzy Girl here.

Special Delivery!

I know it's sort of corny, but I really want one of these giant storks in my yard when this baby is born. I don't know why, really. I'm sure my neighbors will be able to hear the baby and/or me bawling 24/7 and won't need a massive cartoon announcement to know that the babe has been born. But I love driving by these. It's always an "Awww. They got a baby!" moment. I doubt I will spring for it, but who knows. This baby doesn't get a bedroom. This baby doesn't need new clothes. This baby won't get 100 percent or even 50 percent of the attention around here. Maybe this baby will get a stork.

So, what do you think of the giant storks? Cute or corny?

{PS, this stork is announcing a 4 pound baby. For me, that would be like only birthing half the baby!}

Custom Coloring Pages

Ooh, I'm loving this fun li'l idea! Turn your photos into custom coloring pages by uploading them here. The kids each picked a photo to color: Mason wanted a shot of he and "Mikey" {not difficult to locate one of those!} and Maya of course, wanted one of she and Vida. They're hard at work coloring them now. And by "coloring" I mean "fighting over the markers". Naturally.

Go make some!

{Via Whatever Dee Dee Wants.}

Craving O' Choice

I've been talking up the microwave brownies lately, and a couple of people have asked what they are. What?! I'm not the only one enjoying this goodness, am I? So, Betty Crocker has an entire line of "Warm Delights" microwave desserts. You get the microwave bowl + a packet of ingredients. You add water, stir and microwave (the brownies literally take 45 seconds). And mmm mmm mmm, warm baked goods, baby. They are really tasty. I have tried most of them and am partial to the fudge brownies and the peanut butter fudge brownies.

Of course, they're not quite a frugal treat. They cost more each than an entire brownie mix does, but it's so convenient to just have one delicious warm brownie at a time. {And at a buck and a half each, they're cheaper than picking up a ready-made treat most anywhere...} Plus, it's portion control. An entire pan of brownies is a dangerous thing at my house! {Not that a microwave-brownie-a-day is diet friendly, but hey...} Anyway, look for these goodies with the other baking mixes and keep one on hand for a night when you really need a treat. And enjoy it with a big ol' glass of milk!

The Bureau of Communications

These fill-in-the-blanks forms from the Bureau of Communications seriously CRACK me UP! I particularly love the "official" instructions: "Complete form to the best of your ability. Then, press E-mail to share your message. Attempts at humor are highly discouraged." There are other forms available on the website. My personal favorite is the "Official Notice of Unsolicited Feedback". I've been receiving a lot of that lately. Perhaps I should make them fill out the official form, what do you think?

I Must Be Feeling Better, At Last {Knock On Wood}

Check it out! I'm starting to get the pregnant NOSE! Oh, so attractive. And I didn't need any help in the nose department in the first place.

Things I Did Today:

• Cooked a meal! (That would be two nights in a row, people!) It was well-balanced. It was healthy. Everyone ate it. (!)
  
• Washed, folded AND put away a load of laundry.
  
• In fact, I am "caught up" on laundry. I'm trying out the load-a-day method I've heard so much about, instead of skipping laundry until everything we own is dirty, then marathon washing, followed by complete overwhelm and a mountain of laundry that sits for weeks.
• Got tough and enforced the "if it's on the floor, it's going in the trash rule" with Maya. After many, many, many warnings and pleadings. And I'm sticking to my guns. Except for the lone pink Croc. I am not throwing away $30 plastic shoes. And I did let her "earn" her wallet back by doing extra jobs. This time.
• Vacuumed out Maya's bottom drawers, which were filled with dirt after have been packed with shoes (which I moved to an over the closet door shoe organizer), and un-stuffed her other drawers so that hopefully (HOPEFULLY!) she can get dressed without throwing clothes all over the room.
  
• Vacuumed the entire house, in fact. I even un-gunked the roller-thingey on the bottom. Surely it has a name. I had enough fuzz for a small pet after I was done. Nice.
• Scrubbed. The. Toilet. And mercy me, if it didn't need it in a serious, serious way. Truly revolting and shameful. Tomorrow it is my goal to clean some other part of the bathroom, perhaps.
• Emptied the dishwasher. Reloaded the dishwasher. Oh yeah. No more 5-days-of-dishes on the counter around here. For, you know, like a day.
• Went to Target without buying anything we didn't really need. Chris has been gently on my case about the budget lately. Lots o' maternity shopping, you see. So I'm trying to cut back in subtle ways. No $3 chocolate milks from Starbucks even though it really is the most delicious treat out there. So I went in for contact solution and shaving cream and came out with contact solution, shaving cream and a $2.50 laundry basket for each of the kids. I'm really ready to nip this whole laundry problem in the bud, you see.
• Worked on play stuff for a couple o' hours. Maya is at Princess Camp at Little Gym this week (yes, really, and it's saving my life!), so that 3 hours of camp/Mason's nap turns out to be some very productive, guilt-free time!
• Managed to issue reasonable punishments to my children without losing my temper. I know, right? Who is this girl? This is like Natalie at her very best. I feel I hardly know her.

I love feeling like I've actually accomplished something for a change. Now, I'm off to reward myself with a microwave brownie.

Have a lovely evening!

Temple Doors

I've been looking for a unique photo of the temple that Chris and I were married in. We have several nice photos and paintings of the entire building - but I love this shot of the ornate temple doors. This might be a great addition to the collection. Or a fun project idea for Chris next time we visit Salt Lake City - take some detail shots of the temple.

Get it here.

On The Schedule: Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

I've been craving some chocolatey + peanut buttery goodness lately. So I'm going to try out a batch of Plum Pudding's Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Cookies today. Get the recipe here. Or stop by my house later if you'd like a sample...

Stop Me...

Oh, I'm so going to order a batch o' these Anne Taintor button pins. Because I can think of at least a dozen people I could give them to...

$24 for 12 here.

Little Monster

This boy's naughty streak has been in full effect these past few days - mercy me! He's darn lucky to be so cute, othewise we might consider sending him back. (Never!)

"Emo cossum" has been his outfit of choice lately. His favorite words? "No!" and "Mine-uh". And hobbies? Stealing toys from his sister, wrestling with his sister, harassing his sister (hey, she's earned it!) and "blaying" instead of cleaning up, getting his poopy diaper changed, coming to dinner, cooperating in any way, etc. etc.

Still, though. Look at that face. Cutie cutie cutie pie!

Bubblegum Machine Cupcake (!)

The Rach has some great stuff in her mag this month. Unfortunately, none of it is available online, so you're stuck with my cruddy scans. But I just had to show you this bubblegum machine cupcake...how clever, right? It's one cupcake turned upside down (in a red wrapper, I presume) and one turned on its side, decked out in m&m's. So cute, so cute!

These are cute enough (and simple enough) to share, too, right? I'm rather fond of that pig!

Lovely + Simple Centerpiece

The Rach has a super-easy, super-cute idea for a centerpiece in this month's Every Day With Rachael Ray. Plop a blossom on the table, cover with a goblet and top with a colorful candle. Even I can handle that! Plus, it's not only fool-proof, but also affordable. Most everyone has goblets on hand, and a li'l batch o' flowers + some small candles won't cost you much at all. Perfect!

{Scanned from Every Day with Rachael Ray, August 2008.}

Mission Addition

I've got to just go ahead and buy this book. Maya checks it out every other time we go to the library. It's a really cute book and a fun way to introduce math concepts. Maya has been popping off with "Hey Mom, 4 + 3 = 7" and things like that. And usually, she doesn't want me to read her the story (although there is one), she just likes to look at the numbers. It's a fun one - highly recommended!

Keep On Using Me - Until You Use Me Up: The Weekend Wrap Up

I heard a quote this weekend that really lightened my load:

"I figure when we leave here, we ought to be totally used up."

Yes indeed! What are we here for, if not to work hard on good stuff? And I have definitely been up to my eyeballs this past week - we're down to 3 weeks until showtime. I told Chris that we're living in a state of neglect. The chores are being neglected. Cooking meals is being neglected. The kids are being neglected (okay, neglected is a strong word for that one, but still...). And now, even my blog is being neglected. So I bring you the cliffnotes version of my normally detail-oriented weekend wrap-up:

Friday:

• Chris fed the kids dinner while I ran out and got Panera Bread take-out - YUM!
• I finally conquered Mt. Laundry while we caught up on some TV.

Saturday:

• Rehearsal was a nine to fiver - yowza! But it was a good rehearsal - things are really coming together.
• More take-out - this time fajitas from Nuevo Leon - and they were deeeelish!
• Snoozing on the bed while Chris played soccer playoffs. Did I mention I'm married to a member of the South Austin Soccer Zone Over 30 League Championship Team?! Oh yeah, baby, it's true.

Sunday:

• Crazy chaos in nursery, with my angel son as the ringleader. Holy crap! Who put red bull in that boy's milk cup? He was out of control. And I was supposed to be in charge. And I HATE being in charge. Luckily, the leader is back next week and I can go back to playing and/or controlling my kid.
• Dinner with the folks.
• Cast + Choir + Orchestra rehearsal - for the first time...and it was better than I imagined. Another quick meeting afterwards and I'm home at a somewhat decent hour.

My plans for what's left of my weekend? Eat a microwave brownie and go to bed. I sincerely, sincerely hope to be bloggin' tomorrow...

And PS - I've been keeping up on my blog reading lately, but not on my commenting. I suck, I'm sorry. I love hearing what you're up to even if I can't chime in with my two cents. Which is killing me, you know that, right? Because I always have something to say! :)

Happy new week! Go out there and get totally used up, won't you?

In Search Of...

A groovy new pair o' shoes!

I'm thinking these yellow ruffle almost-flats fit both the bill and the budget...

CB2

I'm always happy to get the new CB2 catalog in my mailbox! I love their fun + funky offerings. Here are a few of my favorites...

Henna Pillow

Aries Side Table

Comic Appetizer Plates

Goo Idea!

Have I mentioned before that this little boy is the light of my life?! Mercy me. He hasn't been much of a talker until recently - and his li'l vocabulary has just exploded in the past little while. He picks up little phrases here and there. My current favorite (that I have to enjoy while it lasts!) is "Goo idea!".

"Mason, do you want to play cars?"
"Ooh! Goo idea, Mommy!"

I find myself trying all the time to get him to say it...it's just so cute. He's graduated recently from saying "Deh Doo" to "Thanks you" - which is also adorable. And this morning, as he was playing with his cars, he kept saying "Beep beep, backin' up!". I know, I know, this is stuff only a mother can love. And I sure do!

Actually, Daddys love this stuff, too. This morning when Mason saw his Daddy for the first time in 3 days, he said over and over "I miss you, Daddy! I miss you! I miss you". Pretty well melted his Daddy's heart, as you can imagine. And Chris even remarked that he couldn't believe how much more Mason was talking after 3 days away.

This is such an amazing age - how much they're growing and learning. It's so fun to get to watch...

Note To Self: Stay Positive!

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
~ Thomas Jefferson

{Photo here.}

Recommended

Howdy, y'all! I never get around to updating my side links anymore...(does anyone look at them anyway?). So I wanted to take a moment to share some of my latest and greatest favorite blogs, in case you need MORE to read!

• If you're looking for some seriously clever ideas of things to do with your kids, check out Chasing Cheerios and Make And Takes.
• If you find food storage as overwhelming as I do (or even if you're an expert!), head on over to Everyday Food Storage.
• If you like beautiful things (homes, jewelry, clothing, etc.), you'll want to stop by the absolutely lovely Simply Elegant
• If you're into design (paperie, interesting objects, clever things), don't miss checking out the eclectic finds over at Design Crush
• And if mouthwatering baked goods are your thing (and if they're not, how are we friends?!), make your way over to Bakingblonde
  

And please, do tell! What are some of your current favorites? I'd love to stop by and check 'em out!