Unabashedly Zuzu

Uncle Tay and Zuzu in our Backyard

Zuzu has discovered that if she lays down and throws her feet in the air good times are sure to follow. What can I say? I hope she approaches play time a little differently by the time she hits her teens...

The girl who cried puddle

My daughter hates water. Except for when it is dirty. A bath full of toys and bubbles? She screams like a banshee wandering the Irish hillside. Give her a puddle full of insect corpses and suddenly you have a happy girl. So there it is. My daughter loves cornbread, pork, and dirty water dancing. Margaret's emerging personality seems to have a distinct backwoods hue...

(Full Disclosure: Margaret playing in the water really was a fabulous first. We peeled all those dead ants right off of her and headed out to dinner with Grandpa Conley to mark the occasion. The fine dining took place at Chuck-a-Rama...it was a true redneck celebration.)

"What the hell did I step into? "

She was shocked that the water moved when she stomped on it. This lasted some time.

She may not be a genius but we think she is real pretty.

She VOLUNTARILY got her hands WET!

Best mommy moment this side of her quitting formula.

In the Conley-Bingham family we celebrate feats of bravery with all you can eat cake.

Tonight was no exception.

Fortress of Favorite

The world is full of things I don't care for... overzealous utah cops, Nicholas Sparks movies, and people who use the word "mesh" account for just a small percentage of the unlovely things one can encounter in a day.

This onslaught of ugly has to be fought precisely and definitively on the homefront. The space within our four walls may be small but it is filled to the brim with things that help me forget that I live in a world in which Kate Gosselin has been given yet *another* tv show.

Just a few of my favorite things...

Favorite side of my mantle.

White vases stolen from Kaleidoscope, Orange and green deliciousness from successful trades with Amy Holmes, short stories plundered from the DI.

Margaret's favorite things.

John Deere indoctrination courtesy of Grandpa Conley.

Favorite frivolities include Roseville pottery, costume jewelry and Chanel No.5...throw an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians in there and you have one happy (and unabashed) girl.

Favorite measuring cups.

Very reassuring in their pear shaped honesty. Who wants skinny baking utensils?

Favorite 25th birthday present from my Mom.

Favorite grump

Favorite corner in the kitchen

Favorite travel companion

Favorite puzzle missing the letter X


And there they are, my simple but effective defenses against a world that can sometimes be just a little too lame.

Hope your homes are as delightfully defended on this lovely Sunday!