the animal inside

In true curb trash stalker fashion I snagged this sad derelict bassinet, sawed off the broken rocking legs (with my teeth, in a crazed excitement) and then got distracted and threw it in our playhouse where it lived for about 2 years serving mostly as a sandy catch all, and if you ask me a perfect place for stray neighborhood cats to deliver their babies.

Every once in a while, with the will of a thousand toddlers, I get the urge to paint furniture. Faster than you can say HOA nightmare, ALL the things end up in my driveway where I alternate painting projects in between coats. The process starts as an innocent spur of the moment Saturday decizshe and usually turns into one couch and a chained rottweiler short of a 2 week white trash lawn party.  In short, crap gets done. And then little back burner projects like obsolete/haunted house baby beds get a second chance at life.

As much as I like to spray paint for a quick fix, the blue on this was a saturated beast. I blew through two cans of spray paint before I realized I would need about 40 more cans to cover it all. Instead I used my critter sprayer and a used air compressor I recently scored for $100 bucks. I threw about three coats of a sunny yellow I had in my garage (from another forgotten project obvi). So much faster (and cheaper) why do I fight it?! Then I covered the inner board with some batting and ikea fabric I bought a year or two ago for like 5 bucks aaaand...

Now my kids have a place to keep *all their stuffed animals where I will hate them just slightly less ;) 

(*only about 1/5 of them pictured, waahhh)

team Boo ♥'s you

Merry Christmas! love the Dikes

If you are wondering why you didn't make our Christmas card list this year please take back all the "she's not even that cool anyway" thoughts you had and know that you are in good company. I don't mean the "Carolyn is lame" company (geez louise)...rather the part where you didn't get the $1 stylish cardstock of our jcrew styled family ironically strolling on an abandoned railroad track or in a dying meadow leaning against an old tractor tire to hang on your fridge (and then promptly throw away in a post Christmas cleaning frenzy). 

In other words: We didn't send any. Like, not even to my mom.

When I went on a blog hiatus a year (and a half) ago, I did it with gumption. With drive and purpose. I was determined to learn and grow some talents. My goal for the year was to "be deliberate". Basically to stop merely day dreaming about what inspired me and open the glorious vents of creation. 

I went to school to take some great creative courses, I thought of all the things I would finally do to my house now that I 'd be freed up from my computer. I wrote lists of adventurous things I would do with my kids. My husband got accepted to Pharmacy school in Portland, OR (a longtime dream home destination of mine). Stars were gonna allign and my mind was going to explode prisms of (mossy) awesomeness. I was going to gloriously return as a centaur with the sun glaring through my flowing hair as I came over the crest of the metaphorical blog mountain. "THE HILLS ARE ALIIIIVE WITH TEAM BOO BLOWING YOUR MIND!" I would sing, power tool and paintbrush in hand.

What happened next was a slightly less romantic version...

 

(artwork by David Penela)

Not only can I NOT run as fast as a horse with the grace and power of an Amazonian warrior, but the last year an a half just so happened to be some of the most mentally challenging years of my life so far. (And I've experienced clinical depression in my life...aaand an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. booyah). So fast and SO slow simultaneously. I'm not particularly a dramatic person, and I don't want you to feel like your stuck in a Nickelback song, but I have been...how do you say? Bitch slapped. 

ok, at least derailed. 

I realize life is so very rarely smooth sailing and when it is, it is fleeting. It wasn't smooth before I took a blog break and it sure as matching floral curtain lederhosen isn't now (maybe the worst month of all of them?). I've always been about making things full of life and sass regardless of circumstance. But now I see that you can't wait until everything is "just so" before you jump. Unless you are skydiving...or doing a magic show. I REPEAT: If you are either skydiving or doing magic please make sure EVERTHING is "just so".

Seriously though, I have to be willing to fail before I can succeed, right? RIGHT?? (nervous laughter)

Sure, I might be wearing a Mexican Lucha libre mask and an dowdy apron now, but I am learning more now about my capabilities than I ever would in a community college. And maybe that's just the extra 'sass' I needed to 'wrestle' my trials and personal fears (get it? cause I'm wearing a wrestling mask?). The only difference now is I haven't documented life and what inspires me like I used to. Life is insane and thrilling and fascinating and weird. Like Jack Black on cra....actually, I guess just Jack Black. 

I will be back...hopefully sooner than later. Perhaps I will emerge over the hilltop like a magnificent mythical creature, or maybe I will be a slightly chubbier amateur wrestler version of myself, but either option will be ready to party. But until then "Get that corn outta my FACE!"

team Boo ♥'s you

hello again, friend of a friend

I think this photo does a pretty good job of filling you in on the last year of my life. Seriously thick Miss Lippy-esque bangs, chipped fingernails, dead eyes...our pets HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!

I went back to school for a while but the only thing I can tell I do better now is type without looking at my fingers. And before you get all typing snob on me, please understand that my keyboard stage fright began in 3rd grade with the pressure of all my classmates already playing Oregon Trail when I was still only half way through my home row exercises. Also I was one of the last years in high school that still strictly used tangible BOOKS for research paper bibliography. It was a different time. A more innocent time. A time before 5th graders sexted their boyfriends.

But I made you a video! Cause everyone likes a good drug flick. An added bonus is that you get to hear my voice voice instead of just my brain voice. I can't tell if it's sounds normal here or if its just my judgmental landlord voice (that wont make sense until you watch it) So many layers to my many (adorable) voices! 

team Boo ♥'s you

GUYY-IEEES!

TeamBoo (the humans) have been really working hard and having fun-ish. And by 'fun-ish' I mean it has been like a slow laser hair removal having my house torn up during the holidays. Basically the soul-sucking worst. Instagram has been my surrogate connection to my blog friends (many of whom don't blog much anymore either) But I do miss this outlet. It is an inspiring platform that I truly hope to reengage.

Until I am back in the blog saddle (I don't pretend I am going to change all of my unhealthy natural instincts/make ANY official resolutions until February) you can see what we've been up to on instagram if you so desire. You can find us at, wait for it.....

"teamboo"

Just incase you want visuals on sonny's awesome hair or an occasional picture of me making a stupid face. It's not private so don't be weirdos and make me regret it (aka: please don't go there if you can't stand me :) I promise I don't take pictures of my healthy meals or my feet.

team Boo ♥'s you

little heart desires.

Tonight my kids yearned.
...SO specifically.

Individual night-time prayers included the following:

Sheamus- "Heavenly Father, We the people of the United States wish to be happy!"

Elyott- "Please please help our family to not get any bruises. And help us to teach Sonny good things 'such as': that to do a good 'butt bomb' you have to lean far forward (when you jump on the trampoline).

Sonny: yearned to feed the Hippos.

For about 2 hours.

He fed and fed those hungry little hippos.

His therapist would say that this was an awfully "autistic" thing to do. 

But how could any mother pry her boy away from those hipps? 

They are SO hungry after all. 

team Boo ♥'s you

learn something new everyday

what ISN'T fascinating when you're two?

 Go sonny go!

team Boo ♥'s you

boy crazy.

What is a six year old boy to do when his mom makes him and his best bud/cousin slow down and take some pictures in front of a floral backdrop?

In one (not so subtle) act of defiance...you end it in a sword fight.
doi.

team Boo ♥'s you

squeak

This summer Elyott was in a production of Cinderella in which she played a mouse (with a small song solo :) All was very exciting and great until the day of the show when it came time for the heavy stage makeup. Rather, all was exciting and great until I had to put eyebrows on her. She hated it. So much. 

I distinctly remember in junior high when my sisters would put makeup on me and they tried to convince me that blush and lipstick looked more natural, but instead I insisted that the pale monochromatic face was best (why!) I looked like a powdered donut. Similarly Elyott did not like the look of eyebrows, and was totally deflated and grouchy when I sent her to curtain call with them freshly filled, patronized at my reassurance of her adorableness (and likeness to Adam, geesh).

To her shock, all her friends in the production raved about how beautiful and grown up she looked. Then all of the sudden she loved them and wanted brown eyebrows everyday (shocker.) I realize as a general rule it's probably safest to NOT believe your mother when it comes to makeup tips, but Im still in my 20's girl. Hanging by a thread, but at least give me that! Too bad though sucka. Try me again in 5 years. Look how happy she is!!!

"my eyebrows stole the show, hooray!"

team Boo ♥'s you

ranch ABC's

On our annual trip to my in-law's family ranch in Prescott, AZ over the fourth of July Sheamus and I did an ABC photo search. Sheamus does lame things with me sometimes cause he doesn't want me to be "lonely" (what a flipping sweetheart). With the slow pace at the ranch it turned out to be the perfect opportunity. It started out fun and Sheamus stuck with me for a while. But eventually he got lured into the cowboys and indians game with the cousins when I characteristically got too hard-core about the task at hand. Elyott, in her usual vacation fashion, was only spotted as an occasional blur across my field of vision. It was tricky but we found the whole alphabet...

a few more pics for full ranch flavor...

 

 

team Boo ♥'s you

hap-pea-ly ever after.

I thought you might like to hear this sweet little song. I am dedicating it here to my love with whom I desperately wish would I could sing songs we both knew the words to without me immediately begging him to stop ruining the music in my soul (seriously terrible singer. maybe the worst?). We may not sing duets, and he may always comment on how gross the food I'm eating looks/smells but we were always meant to be...

for some reason I can't get the video to embed...so click here to watch!

team Boo ♥'s you

unclenching in the redwoods.

If there is one question I get asked time and time again when I am recognized on the streets it's: "Hey Boo, what's your general motto for a vacation?"

Everyone wants to know! ;) And now I will tell you...

-When a 12 hour drive becomes a 16 hour drive, but not because you got to stop at all the cute picturesque spots and antique stores that you wanted to, but rather due to ridiculous Los Angeles traffic and a general unprepared slowness that is the Dike family (we are an "A" type personality's nightmare)...I say "unclench A type".

(Ferndale, CA)

yes we are playing in a cemetery   

When you do a multi family float down a river with many small children but no food or water cause it's only supposed to take one hour, but then it ends up taking 5 hours due to late afternoon winds, a weak current and janky alligator floatation devices. Then half way through, your (pants and diaper-less) baby falls asleep sitting straight up on your lap after hours of crying and you are so cold and have to pee so bad but can't in fear of reversing this small quiet miracle, even though he's probably peed on your lap at least 8 times. Then you start scanning the sides of the river bank for berries and shelter sources just in case your are stuck on this river wild forever, with Kevin Bacon undoubtedly on his way to relentlessly terrorize your family!...stop to slap yourself for being unrealistic (Kev sticks to much larger rapids) and just...

...UN-clench 

but not too much or you WILL pee on yourself

*Fun facts: After we "survived"...I peed for at least 2 minutes straight. Not even joking. Also my nephew's ears were so cold he panicked-ly asked me if they were bleeding (it was hilarious sad).

-When your kid (non baby) poops their pants on the beach and your other leaves behind their brand new pair of $30 moccasins, remember that the underwear you had to tear off their body and adorable shoes are only "things"...and then unclench your B. Beach trip memories all start to blend together without a good pants pooping.

(Lost coast)

-After you ride the 60 year old Graviton at the small town fair directly after eating rodeo nachos in the hot sun you and your Sheamus are so sick that one of you is literally crawling on the ground and the other still has to walk a mile back to Grandma's house...well...in this case you vomit (like Sheamus did in my sister's car).

(Fortuna, CA)

People are always so wound up on vacaysh (who shall remain nameless). But whenever the inevitable vacation foul comes along and you feel yourself getting a wee bit tense below the waist...you just have to UNCLENCH. I do my best to embrace the unplanned. That way my vacations aren't pure crap even if they kinda were. After all, it's the 1990's comedian-cast-as-the-dad-driving-cross-country-chalk-full-of-zany-mishaps that make the memories built to last! come what may...

team Boo ♥'s you