currently

Today's smooth move: opening the front door for K.Lo and I, overseeing her step down onto the porch with a pitcher of water in my hand, watching her tumble forward in a sort of somersault, and then in an effort to save her, dumping water all over her head. Sorry, Bug.

Tomorrow: Road Trip 3, hopefully the last for a little while. It's not that I mind traveling, I don't. When I actually reach my destination and can settle in for a day or two or three, I tend to have a great time. It's just the prep that goes into it, like for days before and after, I feel like I'm sort of on pause until the trip is over and everything's cleaned up from it. I stop reading, blogging, emailing, etc. It's like Travel Purgatory.

So, next week: I'm just going to Stay Home and Be. I'd like to clean several rooms, and sort through the mountains of pictures I just ordered. I hadn't ordered any pics since September, the sheer volume of this shipment is frightening. And I'm planning new nursery colors, and trying to decide whether my current consensus is too busy. But it's a kid's room--lots of color and action, within reason, is a good thing, no? I think it will work. Also, Bug should be getting a new bed soon. It's the greatest bed on earth, I feel. A reversible bunk bed where the bottom mattress actually rests on the floor, so it's like a little cave to play in during the day. And then if you don't want to use it as a bunk bed anymore, you can flip it over and it's a single twin bed. Fantastico!

Secret I'll take to the grave: shipping & handling charges from IKEA. I won't even tell J.Lo. It's... shocking. Literally, when the rep read me the amount over the phone, I stopped breathing for a moment.

But, moving on: didn't Dionne totally deserve to go home on ANTM? She's been lagging for weeks, but flying under the radar. Natasha had a bad, bad day, and I wish she could have stepped it up through her sickness. But it was her first "second chance." Jaslene only has one look that's fierce, and so I want her to go home, leaving Natasha and NeNe (omg, stop it with the "personas" already), to battle it out on the catwalk. In spite of what the other girls say regarding Natasha's elusiveness, I'm intrigued and amused that she keeps her cards close to her chest, and I kind of hope she takes it all. Who cares if her husband's 40+ and she practically makes out with the phone while they're talking. I like her.

And then what will happen?: We're coming up on my most dreaded time of year, summer. Most particularly because all the good TV goes away and we're left with crappy knockoffs, i.e. Pirate Master. What is that all about? Survivor, it won't be. And Johann, I just don't know about Earl, or about any of these Survivors left. I was so Team Alex, now I don't know who to root for. Possibly I'll be cheering on Yau-Man, and yeah, if Earl wins I won't be too disappointed. But Stacy? Or Cassandra? Or even Boo? BLEGH. Maybe I'll root for Dreamz. He is an ILM-er, even if he is, at least in the world of Survivor Strategy, a few fries short of a Happy Meal. (ANTM: Best line ever!)

Anyway, as I was saying: Summer. It's so goddamn hot, is the thing. Must think about fresh, in-season vegetables, flip-flops, and sitting on the porch. Cookouts and camping trips. And in the absence of good TV, more reading, and more movies! Or, for the moment, maybe I won't think about it at all.

oh noooooooo!

After tearing down the hallway wallpaper on Wednesday, we (my mom and I) were prepared on Thursday morning to begin painting. The shade was a lovely light mauve, not too dark for a windowless space, but also not too light, or too pink, or too purple, or too weird. From my imagination to my selection to our execution, it was spot-on. I was quite pleased with the project. Except for one teensy error in judgment, one minor little slip that I blame entirely on Prego Brain.

Don't ever do this: don't think that just because there's hooks under the paint tray made for ladder rungs that you can hook the tray to the ladder and then pour. Especially if you are indoors, and especially if your baby is standing about a foot away.

The tray tipped and fell in slow-motion, seemingly, and yet there was just no way to pause, rewind, reconsider one's idiocy (and lack of a dropcloth), and redo.

I'm quite surprised I didn't cry. Spilled milk, nah, don't worry about it, but spilled paint? It's another matter entirely.

K.Lo is fine, actually. Somehow she made it through the day, including the cleanup, the tracking all over the house (mine), and finally the subsequent painting, without a single splotch on her clothes. She wasn't too happy when sequestered to her crib during cleanup (no other choice), but toward the end she was able to rejoin us and even pitched in.

P.S. Should a similar incident ever occur in your travels, I do recommend a spray-bottle solution of water combined with Murphy Oil Soap. Or even the spray-cleaner version of the product, should you have had the foresight to purchase it.