it just hit me...

The other day I realized that it'll be at least a year until I can hold another baby of my own. I've made it this far, but it'll be another few months before we can even start trying, again... and I know of at least ten people who are pregnant right now. Which reminds me that I would be 24 weeks along, or six months pregnant; almost through my second trimester, almost in my third trimester; more than half-way through my pregnancy and the upcoming arrival of my baby (May 11, 2008). And if we wanted to know, we would know what we were having. The way I see it, is if everything goes according to plan (barring further complications), the soonest I get to kiss my baby's hand will be next February. And William will be 3.5 years old (hopefully potty-trained and cribless). He'll be a great big brother. He needs a little sister/brother. I already have names planned out. I already have room/decoration configurations in my head. I'm just waiting.

I'm ready for my baby. *B

Why... so... serious?

Apparently three hours ago, Heath Ledger was found dead. I don't know about you, but this shocked the heck out of me. Seriously, the room was spinning and my head is still feeling topsy-turvy. Just shocked me sick.

It's not like I was completely infatuated with him (although I've always loved his looks, accent, talent, etc.). Mostly, this came clear out of left-field. And I've been admiring his past roles and looking forward to his upcoming movies. Especially this one:

Whatever was bothering that poor man, I hope he's found some peace.
That is all. *B

the {love} triangle swap

To a world that seems to grow more spiteful by the second, hear my plea: "Can't we all just get along?!" So, I suggest that we spread the love and make new friends! With cards.

As a participant, you will be asked to create three cards (OR valentines) to send to three people. That's right, you will have multiple partners! Hence, "the {love} triangle." You will, in return, receive three cards (OR valentines) to lighten and brighten your day. Smiles and love, all around! That's the idea anyway...

Want to hop on the love-wagon? Please email the following to bethsummers{at}gmail{dot}com:

• your name.
• mailing address.
• email address.
• website / blog / flickr
• a little something about yourself.
• please indicate if you are willing to ship internationally.
• please indicate if you are willing to swap with strangers OR if you would feel more comfortable being paired with people that you do know.
  

Sign-ups will be open until Thursday, January 31st. Swap partners will be emailed to you shortly after the sign-up deadline. The delivery date for this swap is February 11th... please have it postmarked by then.

Once you receive your love notes, be sure to post photos here, for everyone to enjoy! If you don't have a flickr account, email me your photos & I will post them for you.

So spread the love and spread the news!!! The more the merrier! *B

it's all about the love

Indeed my friends, V-day is fast approaching, just like this here love-fest (aka. swap), I'll be posting about soon... Just thought I'd make note of a few up and coming happenings that are somewhat related to THE day. First off, Kelly's hosting another fabulous swap: wish i was there. Okay, okay, while it may not be entirely Valentine related, it is promoting friendship and good feelings. Go Kelly!

Secondly, the lovely Michelle is organizing a RED & WHITE fat-quarter exchange! Fabric is definitely one of those things that cheers everyone up (think about it; it's EVERYWHERE. Clothes, quilts, etc. I know Anthro's clothes make me happy... And who doesn't like quilts?!). Go Michelle!

And last, but certainly not least, my oober talented brother has a comic blog up and ready to entertain! So, it is with great pride that I introduce to you A Hair in the Spaghetti. A story about one man, Frankie "The Hair" Pascetti, living between two worlds. The running comic itself may be about murder, but his latest piece is all about a messy little dish called love. Check it out. Go Adam!

So yeah. Have fun browsing :)
Go bloggers! *B

where dreams come true

Ta-dah! Our pics from our trip to D-land with the Schooley bunch. While viewing the following series of photos, take note of 1.) I don't do well with rides --hence the sick look on my face (never mind me looking pregnant), while on a carousel! A carousel, of all things... but most of Disney's rides are pretty tame. And always magical. Both reasons for why I love it so; 2.) Will's cute face; and, 3.) my son's current infatuation with Buzz Lightyear (whose glove so magnanimously patted his head... the heavens sang).

There were also yummy Monte Cristoes, crazy train rides, and lots of baby holding. Fun times. Fun times. *B

{my favorite picture of that day, of my favorite boy}

{and then we locked-up our little monkeys... they didn't seem too worried}

to infinity and beyond

Sorry, but we've been busy these last few days...

like, fighting the Evil Emperor Zurg, Sworn Enemy of the Galactic Alliance, etc.

I'll be back with more, real photos later. And a swap! Who wants to put an end to all the meanness and spread the love instead?! I do. That's who. *B

what makes me smile...

Don't tell me he hasn't got you smiling too!!
And this is how he goes down for a nap (most of the time)!

I love him. *B

simply tea

And cookies. Yes my friends, tea and cookies for breakfast. With a fried egg for good measure. One of the first things I do in the morning (after saying prayers and brushing teeth... so I guess that makes it the third thing I do) is fill up my little tea pot. Some of you may be asking, "do you really drink that much tea Beth?" Yes, I do. I have a cup of my favorite Yogi Tea: Breathe Deep, in the morning (helps with my asthma and the licorice aftertaste is wonderful -- especially with gingersnaps in the morning!); two cups of raspberry leaf tea throughout the day, usually mixed with some Emergen-C (to help me heal); and finally, a cup of Traditional Medicinals (I love that word combination!) EveryDay Detox tea at bedtime. "Wow, that's a lot of tea you drink there Beth," you might say. And my husband would add, "aren't you afraid of it becoming an addiction?"

Uh, no. In all honesty, I don't care for the flavor of most teas (unless it's Celestial Seasoning's Sugar Plum Spice Holiday Herb Tea. Mmm.). Hot and herby water just isn't that tasty. In fact, it's pretty gross. However, it is good for you (and if I need something to warm me up, I figure it's better than hot chocolate, sometimes. Say it with me, sometimes...). And that is the reason why I love tea. And my teapots.

Cookie-love, on the other hand, is a different story. *B

For more beautimous breakfast pictures, check out simply breakfast. I have one word for you: magical. Dude, she even has Anthropologie and Real Simple as clients. Dang gina.

feats of bravery

I'm trying my hand at an old favorite: babysitting. To tell you the truth, I've never been a huge fan of it. Actually, I'm not a huge fan of kids. I know, I'm such a terrible person! Honestly, I was worried when Will was on his way, because I thought I might not like him. But that turned out to not be a problem! And being a mom has helped me warm up a bit more to the rest of the children population. What's really helped me though, has been my calling in Primary. Looking back, what I learned most from my little class of 6 year olds was how to love them. How to be more comfortable with kids. Between that and my own humbling experience as a mother, I've learned to be more patient, more accepting and more loving. And now, I'm watching someone else's kid four days a week.

Needless to say, Will loves having a little playmate around. He was pretty sad yesterday when he woke up from his nap to find out that his friend had gone home. And it's been good because Monk is also learning how to share. How to apologize. How to be a friend. But really, there is so much that we can learn from our little ones. It's no wonder God admires them so much. They're innocent. They're enthusiastic. Their love has no bounds. All this time, I thought I was the one who was setting an example... So, I guess you could say that the lessons I'm learning from watching these two are worth it, in and of itself. And that's why each day I'm taking things in stride. *B

what rhymes with joy

There's nothing sweeter than watching your sweet little man's hands at work, and hearing his sweet little voice making his very own sound effects! I love it.

And I love wooden toys (trains especially)! We decided to be good and not buy the expensive and monstrous train-sets out there. But lucky us, we found one at Target for 20 bucks (love that place)! Thank you Santa ;) More on the steal of a table we snatched, later.

What a wonderful toy for my wonderful boy. *B

PS- you're all a bunch of sweeties! Thanks for all your kind words. And yes, I am lucky to have a man like mine! Hey, I'm not complaining.

lost and found

And guess where it was?! Where I put it: in our new hallway closet, on top of the camcorder and next to the games. There's a Beth moment for ya! Anyway, I've realized that the real challenge will not be taking pictures every day, but taking only ONE picture a day. I'm the worst at taking TONS of photos, in order to get ONE just right. A sickness perhaps? Perhaps...

Behold, my lovely skirt from Anthropologie (I simply adore that place). So, I tried it on a while back, during its expensive days, and instantly lusted after it. My husband did, too. Almost more than I did. So, when we saw it on the sales rack a couple of months later, I hearkened to the pleas of my hub and agreed to buy it. We then spent the rest of the evening driving to yet another Anthro to find it in my size; and the rest of the month trying to find a top to match. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the place and everything it has and is, but I have the darndest time coming up with outfits from there on my own. So weird. Long story short: those fashion gurus of my beloved store really do know how to mix and match styles, colors, fabrics, etc. And expensive stores like my beloved, along with Banana Republic, really do have nice clothes (what a novel concept!). And I like it. I may never go back...

It is, by far, the most expensive outfit I have ever owned (besides my wedding dress). But it's also the prettiest (besides my wedding dress)! The pictures do not do it justice. And that, my friends, is all my fault. *B

PS- the shoes are from Ross. I tell myself that to make myself feel better about myself...

still missing

I can't find it. I've looked high and low and to no avail.
And I can't do this unless I have this:
Has anyone seen it?
Maybe y'all should come visit me and help me look for it...

Just a thought. *B

copy cat

Who, me? Sure. If I feel like it. And I feel like copying her, and her. I think my mother would LOVE a photo every day (am I right, or am I right?). Besides, who doesn't like picture posts?! Well, we've been busy moving and I'm exhausted. Annnnnnnd, I can't find my camera. I'm sure it's somewhere amidst the rest of these unfinished and yet-to-be-organized boxes of clutter... sigh. I'll probably unearth it sometime later today. BUT, no one said anything about computer screen shots not counting -- HA! And voila.

Just a little glimpse of what we've been up to, and what I'm usually up to while on the comp. We're still trying to sell our contract. I think we're close to closing the deal. Soon. I hope. *B

newness

Lots to report. Lots to share. Lots to do.

Be back soon! *B

oh by golly

have a holly, jolly Christmas this year! *B et al.

merry Christmas to me

Thanks for all the well wishes! And thanks to Mom and Dad Summers for coming down and helping us change locations. We left our place today (just like this) for Arizona. We'll be back soon after all the festivities with a small truckload of furniture and presents!

And then I can decorate to my heart's content. Yahoo! *B

in the process of being merry

Cheers for festive blog headers! And cheers to Cherie Mask for her "Be Merry" kit at 2peas (freebie). Love it. I'm also merry about moving! We signed our souls away and now have the keys to our new apartment! And I took some pictures:

Yes, a washer and dryer! And a kitchen!! With a stove!!! And a fridge! And a freezer!! And two sinks plus garbage disposal! And a dishwasher!!! I am all about the exclamations right now!!!!! In case you couldn't tell, I'm pretty stoked. And yes, that is a welcome basket, complete with card addressed "Dear valued resident." Awesome. I'm valued.

Since we're moving, I've been pretty slack on the decorations. Justifiably so, right? But here is the little proof that we aren't Scrooges (we're the Summers):

Can you believe Christmas is only 11 days away?! So much to do. Such little time. It's ok, I have a kitchen!!! *B

are you thinking what i'm thinking?

So I'm thinking the party is over... and in my opinion, it (and the free Festive Desk below) was a bust. Oh well. I think I'll just blame it on being busy. Me busy. You busy. We all busy. But I still wanted to throw some ideas out there, get some feedback.

First off, this snazzy poll (I've been wanting to do one since, like, the before time):

Secondly: a give-away! Probably my last one, too (lots of reasons). Since this was a birthday party, I thought I would give away my entire party hat kit to one lucky winner! So leave a comment, letting me know you're interested in some digital head gear and I'll draw a name some time next week (after which I'll be taking down the freebie mini version). Or would the beginning of the new year be better for everyone? Perfect timing for a party hat, eh then?

Thirdly: anyone out there want our Summers' family Christmas card this year? I've got one designed and ready to be printed if any family or friends want one. Just email me your addy and I'll get it to you hopefully before the holiday! But I do need to get a count before I send it to the printers...

Fourthly: New theme song for the blog! It's fun, but what I really wanted was Jim Noir's remake of "My Patch". Oh well... I guess I'll keep looking. But for now, "It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad!", by THE Sufjan Stevens.

Fifthly: I think another break is in order. Like I said, we all busy. Brad is in the middle of finals (after which he'll be officially half way through law school!!!) and I'm in the middle of a ton of things, such as, but not limited to: moving (and all that it entails), Christmas shopping/creating, business venturing, schooling, various planning, celebrating, etc. Needless to say, I'm feeling pressed on time and blogging isn't bringing me any closer to freedom. And I honestly don't know if anyone is even reading this thing nowadays... so yeah. I'll be back whenever y'all think I should be (as in, when do you think I should do the drawing?). Okey dokey?

All rightey then. *B

as promised...

I have a treat for anyone who is interested: a holiday desktop! I can't believe it's December. Sheesh. Anyway, here's a decorative wallpaper to display eight festive photos. The specifics: saved at 72 dpi, png format, and scaled at 1280 x 1024 pixels. Hope you like it :)

http://www.4shared.com/file/31198179/4da5534d/FREEBIE_Festive_Desk.html

Happy holidays! *B

movin' on up

Yay, you made it!!! Sorry about pulling the rug out from ya, but some changes are going on... more on those later ;)

But here's something I can share with you: we're moving! Not just blog addies, but apartments! It's like double the trouble, eh? Anyway, we're so excited! The new place will be just PERFECT for what our family needs. For example, a pool and park only 50 yards away!!! Needless to say, I'm thrilled, as is our little monkey:

I think all of this hullabaloo calls for a huzzah! Or maybe even a triple one: huzzah, huzzah, HUZZAH!!! Check that out, three exclamation points too. Not too shabby! Anyway, I hope you stick around regardless all the craziness. Because I'm going to share something with y'all later tonight (hopefully)! The party isn't over yet. And if current events are any indication of the future, then the party's just begun!

Booyah. *B