Friday, July 26, 2013

Random What-Nots

So stuff has been happening, just random stuff about this and that, seems exciting to read about huh? My favorite picture is last, so if nothing else scroll to the end to see.

We picked a car seat, it was option......none of the above. I found some in stores to 'touch' and debated and hum-hawed and finally picked a different one. It will arrive Tuesday so we can take it to California on Friday. I hope I love it, I've only doubted my decision 25 times.


We're getting a new sprinkler system and sod. Currently we have dirt. But I'll take dirt over the dead sod that filled a 30 foot trailer, thanks to the young men it was gone in an hour! (That is about the most ridiculous sentence I've ever written, and I'd fix it, but I can't figure out how, and I don't want to try that hard!)



Last night we had Butch & Sharon, and their good friend Ted & Sharyl over for dinner. We had them last year and I made tapa's which everyone liked. So this year I decided to switch cultures and make antipasti (my version, which isn't very accurate). It's really fun to have them because they're all foodies and such great company.
Here was the menu:

  • Chicken Alfredo Puffs with white sauce
  • Mini-Calzones with meaty red sauce
  • Open-face Spinach and cheese ravioli with zucchini
  • Caprese Bruschetta
For Dessert:
  • Creamy Lemon Butter Cake
  • Chocolate Caramel Tartlettes with Marscapone cream
You'll have to imagine the rest of the food as I was busy preparing and didnt' take pictures!
More than anything I like to plan a menu (It was MUCH larger, but i'm glad I simplified since I have a ton of leftovers!) I also like to gather all my pretty white dishes and set a fancy table. 



This morning I had to figure out how to get them all back on the shelf and looking nice, I climbed on and off the chair about 25 times.


As for Miles, he got his first tooth, it made him grumpy(two nights of waking up every 1 1/2-2 hours - hooray!)- looking forward to 19 more! 

We celebrated the 4th of July, he's dang cute in red, white and blue.

He is the master of clapping and will randomly just stop and clap. I think he's proud of himself. 

He is almost standing on his own, and will be walking soon. In the meantime he is incredibly proficient at crawling and getting into everything. 
"Miles that's not for you!"

"What?"
"What's that ya' got?"
"I wanna see!"
"Hey, let me SEE!"
"By 'see' I mean 'touch'"

One day I let him help me open the mail and read the ads, he's very thorough. (And may have eaten a bit of paper)


We've done some other stuff, but I can't remember. Summer is almost over, I better get my brain functioning again. Until then I'll just enjoy the sunny days, blue skies, and fresh watermelon.



Sunday, July 21, 2013

Seeking Opinions

Goo (did you know we call him Goo, or Gooey, we do - obviously I'm referring to Miles) is quickly outgrowing his infant carseat so we are getting ready to upgrade. I've spent a week researching and reading and I've narrowed down the field, but I can't decide. I've read reviews, but seriously, who are these people?
So I'm asking for help.

If I had all the money in the world this is probably what I would buy:
Safety 1st Complete Air 65 Protect Convertible Car Seat - Galileo
It is the brand of his infant seat, has lots of reclining options for car sleeping (thinking upcoming road trip) and it looks like it's from a space ship.
But, I don't have all the money in the world. If I had a little bit more than I do, I'd probably buy this one:
britax-convertible-car-seat-marathon-classic
It's not fancy, but it's the brand everyone trusts. But it's pretty pricey. So I've found it's cheaper little brother, this is a real option. 

Option 1:



Reviews are not as stellar, things like the cover doesn't stay on, and the foam isn't as cushy, but it's a good brand. Sigh.

Option 2:

It has great safety ratings and a video that made me cry, really.

Option 3:

This looks like a giant infant seat, but has great safety and comfort reviews. The negative is that you can only recline it by installing it differently, I don't think I like that.

Option 4:

This has great reviews, and some bad ones. So I don't know.

So that's the dilemma, if you'd all resolve it that would be great.