Momma's got a new pair of shoes.

Hubby and I were taking a walk today and all of a sudden my sandals just completely fell apart on my feet. I guess I had it coming - hubby bought me these adidas sandals on my 23rd birthday (yes, it was a long time ago and yes, he bought me a pair of sport sandals as a birthday gift - he loved his so much that he knew I would love them as well).

And I did love them for six years. So did Daisy - who loved to chew on them (probably why they fell apart).

Anyway, I really only wear them when bumming around the house, but with summer coming, I couldn't imagine hanging out by the pool without those sandals. So off to Kohls I went.

Bad news? They didn't have my original style anymore.

Good news? I got a pair - in pink. Check them out. (I would've taken a picture of them on my feet, but I desperately need a pedicure.

Happiness is new sandals - can't wait to break them in.

Dear Mother Nature...

Do you think that maybe... just maybe... we could get some nice weather? Pretty please?

It has been miserable around here, weather-wise (pups and hubby are wonderful, as always). Rain every day for the past week, chilly weather (we actually have the fireplace on tonight)... blah. No cute spring clothes, no sandals... in fact, I wore a turtleneck sweater to work yesterday, and someone actually told me that she was jealous of my outfit, because I was appropriately dressed for the arctic tundra that is my office.

Of course, it wouldn't be so bad if we spent the day watching movies, snuggled under a blanket. But nooo... we started the morning by taking off the pool cover in 47-degree weather, as hubby was adamant that we open the pool... today. So, I left him to add chemicals and vacuum it, while I trudged through a cold, muddy craft fair in open-backed shoes with my mother.

Got home and got to work fixing one problem immediately - the little red dog can fit through the slats in the fence surrounding the pool and loves nothing more than to do so, usually at 6am when I am outside in my pajamas and can't yell at her to get.inside.now. It was okay when the pool cover was in place, but we have no idea how she would react with the actual pool - and we have a firm "No Dogs" policy. 2 hours later - we were about 1/3 of the way done. It was windy, it was cold, and I think that it started raining. We ran out of supplies so hubby had to make a trip to the Home Depot Finally, my dad came over to help and we got it done. Ugh.

However, despite all of my whining, I know that it will be worth it in the end.

So, Mother Nature, do you think you could send some nice weather our way? Memorial Day is coming up and I would actually like to go swimming sometime before August. Besides, my new Pomegranate Martini body lotion (which honestly smells nothing like either pomegranates or martinis, by the way) is begging to be used, and it just wouldn't seem right until we break the 70 degree mark.

Sincerely, Amber

Happy Mother's Day

Just wanted to wish all of you mommies and mommies-to-be a very Happy Mother's Day.

This weekend has just been one Mother's Day celebration after another. This morning, we drove down to NJ to take hubby's mom out to breakfast and give her a gift. Tomorrow, we will have a full house over for brunch - my family, Nana and Papa, and aunt and uncle. It should be nice - we picked up bagels from NJ this morning, and we will be having breakfast casserole, french toast, hash browns, and all that good stuff. We really wanted to do a brunch for everyone last year, but we couldn't get everyone on board, so I am really looking forward to this year and hope that it can eventually be a family tradition.

I am also looking forward to finally giving my mom her gift - a scrapbook of our recent family vacation. I have been working on it at night and during the weekends (ask hubby!) and I finally put the finishing touches on it this afternoon.

Someday, I hope to be a mother myself (although you could argue that the pups - especially our little red one - already consider me to be thei mommy) and I can only wish that I end up being half as good of a mother as mine to me, my brother and my husband. She is not only my mom, but my best friend. Always supportive, never judgemental, thoughtful, kind, and damn funny too.

Hope that every mom out there has a wonderful day.

Ridin' along in my automobile...

Random thoughts while out and about today...

* Had to get my oil changed, and instead of thinking about it for the next two weeks, I actually went and did it.

* I also took advantage of the free car wash - and tipped the nice kids who wiped my car down. Now if only the inside of my car was as clean as the outside.

* Gas is finally down to $2.99/gallon here. Bastards.

* I got the hem of my skirt caught in my heel while getting in the car twice today.

* New music alert - I need to get the Panic! At The Disco CD and have hubby put it on my iPod.

* Old(er) music alert - I need to find my Midnight Oil CD and have hubby put it on my iPod.

* Old music alert - Am I the only one who thinks that Chicago was better in the 80s than it was in the 60s-70s? "Stay the Night" was the first video I ever remember seeing on MTV.

* The baptist church down the road always has the best sayings on their sign. My recent favorite? If you can't sleep, don't count sheep - talk to the shepard. Of course, it is not as good as the one at the church by my work, which currently says, "Give Satan an inch and he'll be your ruler." Good times.

* If you decide to walk your dog at 9:00 at night, a good idea may be to walk on either side of the road, instead of in the middle of the street. And you may want to leave your Rollerblades at home, especially if you obviously are not a strong skater.

Not terribly exciting, but probably better than my usual road rage, huh?

Whaddup, Face?

Growing up together and having the same warped sense of humor - two of the many reasons why my brother and I never fail to crack each other up.

We have tons of inside jokes - about our family, our friends, even classmates who we haven't seen in years (we still make this expression that is forever referred to by the name of the girl my brother went to kindergarten with who had a strange-shaped mouth).

Perfect example: when we were in high school, there was this girl who had the unfortunate last name of "Face" (first names omitted to protect the innocent) - and not only that, when her senior picture was taken for the yearbook, the photographer cruelly zoomed in on her head, so her Face filled the entire frame (hee hee).

Anyway, for that reason alone, my brother and I have been calling each other "Face" for over a decade, usually when we are pissed off at each other. "Shut up Face." "Don't call me Face, Face!" "Face." "Face." - you get the picture.

We are usually able to keep this one under wraps, but when we went on vacation to CA, spending so much time together brought the Face out in full effect. From the minute the plane landed, we were going back and forth, calling each other Face. During our vacation, we found something even funnier than calling each other Face - calling hubby Face. Ah, the memories.

Calling the hubby Face has continued well past the family vacation. And hubby has embraced the Face (again, hee hee). When he and my brother went to play golf a couple of weeks ago, they even called us from the car - apparently, "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" by the Spin Doctors was playing on the radio, and hearing the following verse made them crack up:

Been a whole lot easier since b*tch left town...
Been a whole lot happier without her face around...

They even changed the words to "Little Face Can't be Wrong." I was so proud.