Oct 10, 2012

2 Cute

I have FINALLY managed to squeeze in a little time to get some sewing projects completed for Graham's Fall/Winter wardrobe.  I will be posting more soon, but thought I would share this one now:

I found this on the sale rack at the Carter's Outlet for 50% off...I think I paid $10.00 for it.  I loved the colors and the stripes, but oh how I hate the patches that they put on their clothes.  

Here is a close up of the "2 Cute" applique that came on the romper.

This is what is looked like after I took my seam ripper to it...

and here is what is looks like with a cute monogram!  I did like the contrast of the orange against the blue and brown so I stuck with that combination, but I love it so much more with a monogram than the generic applique.

 


I think he likes it!


Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like the new YouTube app for PlayStation 3. Apps are the hottest things these days. It seems that if a company offers a service, a bona fide way to up the awesome factor is to accompany said service with a handy app for your customers’ phones. Now that tablets and other devises are growing in popularity, apps are more available than ever. The folks at YouTube worked with the folks at Sony to develop an app for the PlayStation 3 and I’m here to tell you that it is SHARP. Because the PS3’s internet browser is so bland, I was skeptical about this YouTube app. But I gave it a shot and after downloading it, I was really impressed. I don’t know all of the proper technical jargon but the app looks really nice and is easy to use. And, similar to my experience with Google+, I kinda think the PS3 app is like the new iPhone app in that both are better than the YouTube website.
This feature was made available in mid-August. Every review I can find about PS3’s YouTube app is negative…and all dated around the time of the release date. Things have definitely improved since then. Weirdly enough, Sony and YouTube do not have any detailed articles or videos about this app on their company sites. But take it from me, this app is really nice.

This week, I love my daily commute. I totally understand the look of confusion I get when informing people that Julie and I live “out 280”. I’m sure visions of bumper-to-bumper traffic are instantly conjured with the mention Hwy 280. There are times when I have to make that fretful trek – before and after work – and it always serves as a good reminder as to how fortunate I am to only have to cross over Hwy 280 on my normal commute. I always find that the morning traffic is much worse than the evening traffic on Hwy 280. There are many reasons for this but my theory places the blame on those of us that don’t eat breakfast at home. It always baffles me to see the breakfast lines wrapped around Chick-Fil-A, Burger King, McDonalds, Arbys and the other fast-food establishments on Hwy 280. Can you imagine what that route would be like if the traffic lights weren’t constantly changing to let eaters back onto Hwy 280?

 
This week, I don’t like the new 3-day format for the local newspaper. As we all know, The Birmingham News will now only be available on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. This move will help shepherd readers to an all-digital format while allowing those that prefer ink-stained fingers a final opportunity ruffle their paper in an uppity fashion when reading a disagreeable editorial. Newspapers have the hardest fight when it comes to actually delivering news. At best, a newspaper will always feature day-old news. My beef with this new format is that the Wednesday paper now contains three-day old news and the Friday and Sunday editions consist of information that’s been known for two days. Thanks to my phone, I had already read each article in last Sunday's (October 7th) sports section the previous night. The print version of the News is smaller now and the content is identical to that of The Mobile Register and The Huntsville Times. It all begs the question – how long will Advance Publications delay the inevitable?

Sep 24, 2012

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Downton Abbey. Julie and I have always tried to have a TV show that we both enjoy. Our relationship originated around LOST and we’re currently wrapped up with Revenge. But now we’ve got a new show: Downton Abbey. Julie suggested this show during some lazy time on our vacation last week. I knew the show had a lot of fans but I really didn’t think I would like it. The show doesn’t feature a topic that I would normally enjoy but the writers and actors do a really good job of pulling you in. Season 1 was great and we’ll start Season 2 soon.

Sidenote: The Downton Abbey theme is actually a remixed version of the X Files theme.

Downton Abbey Theme:



X Files Theme:


This week, I love going on vacation. Our first family vacation was so much fun! Our little alarm clock didn’t allow us to catch any extra Z’s but the time away was much appreciated. It was just nice to be somewhere different. I think Graham liked the change of scenery too. Julie’s coworker was nice enough to allow us to stay a few days in his family’s home on the lake in Pell City, complete with a swimming pool. I was worried that the pool water might be too chilly but Graham loved it. I think next summer will be a lot of fun with him in the water! We were so glad to spend some fun time together out of town and I think I found my new favorite spot in Alabama!



This week, I don’t like politics mixing with my entertainment. I have been so disappointed to have to unfollow some of my favorite actors and comedians on Twitter because of their liberal views. It’s happened so much lately that it seems in order to be a popular entertainer, one must showcase his or her allegiance to the Democrats with a vile Tweet about Mitt Romney. People like Seth Myers and Patton Oswalt…I don’t didn't follow you on Twitter because of your political views, OK? Why do more of these talented entertainers lean to the left and what makes them feel that they have to be so in-your-face about it anyway?  Apparently, there are NO entertainers out there that will be voting Republican this year either. Mark Cuban tweeted it best:

Sep 9, 2012

Graham - 8 Months



I almost let this one slip by, but if I don't document these things now there is no way I will ever remember them...and I want to be able to look back and remember what these days entailed.  This is no secret, but Graham is an eating machine.. he eats baby food 3 times a day and takes 5 bottles.  So far he has eaten everything we have given him.  He has certain foods that he likes more than others, but for the most part he will eat anything you give him.  This month we started giving him Gerber Puffs (basically cereal), and he loves them.  I can't tell if he really likes the taste or just the fact that he gets to feed himself.  Regardless he gets a few after each meal, and he thinks he is big stuff!

His language continues to develop, but still consists of mainly bababa's and dadada's.  I get an occasional ma but those are few and far between.

No signs of crawling yet, but the boy can pivot and roll most anywhere he wants to go.  It is amazing how fast that little bugger is!  No major injuries yet..a few close calls, but thankfully we have managed to avoid any accidents so far.  We haven't baby proofed the house yet...I think in am in denial.  How can we already be at the point of baby gates, outlet plugs and cabinet locks?

He has a sweet temperament and is generally a happy boy.  He loves to go shopping and ride in the cart.  He talks up a storm and loves all the attention he gets from the strangers who all want to stop and talk to him.

Here is what his typical schedule looks like:

6:00 Wake Up
6:30 Bottle (6 oz)
8:00 Breakfast (cereal/oatmeal and fruit)
8:45 Nap (usually for 1 1/2 - 2 hours)
11:00 Bottle (6 oz)
12:00 Lunch (fruit, vegetable and puffs)
1:00 Nap
3:00 Bottle (6 oz)
5:00 Dinner (meat, vegetable, fruit and puffs)
6:15 Bath
6:30 Bottle and Bed
9:45 Dream Feed

A few outtakes from our photo shoot: