Here's a better pic of Spring Snapperland, I made a little more progress on it today. And yes, that is a loose thread you see hanging out on the top right hand corner. I did the first few flowers yesterday then when I was doing the outlines for each of the squares I realized I was one row out - argh! So yeah, out the purple flower came and so did a section of the vine down to where I originally made the boo boo - at least it wasn't way down near the bottom or anything, really didn't take that much to rip out.

Its still hotter than...well...you know where. Apparently we're breaking all kinds of midwestern records. Those kinds of records we could do without, thankyouverymuch!

Watched Treasure Hunters tonight and part of the show, the teams were in Paris. I couldn't resist bugging Chris about the trip he made over there in April (WITHOUT ME!). One of these days we're definitely going to have to make a trip over there ourselves. I haven't been since after the whole fiasco with Michael and Dan. Could definitely use some better memories of France. But hey, at least I have to cool Eiffel Tower lamp Chris got me. Beats the 'my husband went to Paris and all I got was this lousy piece of clothing' t-shirt, doesn't it!

We decided to make the pork and the fritters for lunch and just have leftovers for dinner - with the temperature in the 100's AGAIN, it sounds like a great idea. By
dinner time I have the feeling no one is going to have much energy.

Clay would be impressed - the meal was wonderful! Lily was my sous chef and she did a great job grating all the zucchini and she even managed not to grate her knuckles, something I'm not so good at avoiding. I have to learn how to chop parsley a little finer, but no doubt Clay can provide some good tips on that. Actually on second thought, if I mention it to him, he'll probably have me at the restuarant chopping bushels of it just to practice!

Here's links to the two recipes: Pork Chops: http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe4838&layout=edf&subStyleType=recipes and Zucchini Fritters: http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe1971

I did start a new project today - here's the beginning of Spring Snapperland. Can't wait to get all the parts to Summer Snapperland - I love the first one Whale House! But since I have all the parts to Spring, guess that one will get completed first. I cut off a little of the wording along the bottom but I did get it all stitched. I'm a little off center but I think it'll work for framing, or another pillow or something. (just don't want to start it again - lol - the 28 ct dove grey Monaco isn't exactly my fave). But here's Day one's progress.

I spent a little time this morning going through the latest magazine issues and decided to try a few new recipes tomorrow. That meant a trip to the grocery store and Lily was my companion. It makes her feel like a big girl to come along, and she loves the chance to have me all to herself. I have to confess, I love having the one-on-one time with her as well.

We ran into Joe at the store and that was a surprise. Given that him and Pam didn't have any kids at home I would have expected them to still be tucked away in bed, enjoying a chance to sleep in. But then again, Joe has never been one to sleep in very much. He did say Pam was still there and he was going to surprise her with some pumpkin waffles and was stopping by to pick up a few extra ingredients. He kept eyeing the big bag of zucchini in my cart and I know he was itching to ask about it, but he managed to hold it in. He knows how I usually feel about vegetables so no doubt it was quite the surprise to see that many green things in the cart. All in all it was an amiable little encounter and it makes me glad that we've figured out ways to get along. Its so much better for Lily and Connor and Katy that way.

Chris was the sleepyhead in our household, he was still tucked into bed when we got home. Connor spent an hour trying to convince me he should be allowed to go wake him up. Finally I relented. I know, I know, bad me. But it was fun to see Chris stumble in the kitchem, his eyes only half open, his hair standing on end, after I let Conn loose. And hey, it got him out of bed just in time to take the dog for a walk. How convenient!

Today's the last day of swim lessons for Lily and Connor and they are supposed to get certificates. I had every intention to be there to see them, but instead I'm still in New York. Yes, you read that right. Kieran arranged a meeting for tomorrow morning and I couldn't exactly say no. I should have, but I didn't. Sigh.

So instead Pam took them and watched them get their certificates and probably took just as many photos as I would have taken. But its just not the same. But I also know they will both want to call and tell me all about their big day and I can't wait for that moment.

Okay whining done. I promised myself I wasn't going to regret this job and I'm not. The last two days have been interesting and I'm learning tons. There are times when I worry I've bitten off a little more than I can comfortably chew but whenever that happens I try to tell myself to quit worrying.

Chris and Bella are enjoying themselves sightseeing and I'm glad they came with me. It really helps put everything in perspective. After a long day, there's nothing better than coming back home to people who love you.

Chris and Bella played tourist most of the day and I got the full report over dinner. They spend the morning at Central Park, taking a ride in one of the horse drawn carriages and playing on the swings. After that they made their way to the Empire State Building to check out the view from the top. I thought for sure Chris was going to tell me Bella was scared but he said she had a great time and kept peering over the railing to see all the buildings.

Here's one of the pics Chris took - it was a gorgeous day in the Big Apple. This is the building where Kieran's publishing company is - one of those windows is the office where I've spent most of my time over the past couple days - great view that's for sure!

I thought for sure Bella would have been exhausted after such an action packed day but she was cheerful all through dinner. Guess she's a lot like her father that way. She does love adventures and she loves spending time with Chris. I watch the two of them together and I swear I just can't stop smiling. I'm not really sure who's got who wrapped around their finger.

Chris, Isabella and I flew into New York this morning for my two days worth of meetings. Seems kind of funny that we're going for me, talk about a role reversal. Usually I've been the one following Chris to an interview or an appearance. Now he gets to see what it's like. If his easy going mood is any indication, he seems to be enjoying himself. Maybe I'll turn him into a Mr. Morgan Gaines yet (hehehe!).

Lily and Connor are staying with Joe and Pam while we're gone. I would have gladly brought them along but the swimming lessons couldn't be postponed and since they only have a few more lessons until they 'graduate', we decided together that they'd stay with Daddy this time.

Of course me promising a few souvenirs probably helped seal the deal.

I know when the temperature is in the minus range and there's a couple feet of snow on the ground, I'm going to wish for days like today. But when the house is too warm and I'm having a bad day to start with, I just wish it was cool. I wish it was downright cold. I'd like nothing more than to be bundled up in sweaters and jeans with a blanket around me right now.

I think I just woke up in a bad mood - the weekend go by way too fast. Tristan and Heather decided to get an early start back to Abilene so they were gone before we even started thinking about lunch. Of course that meant Chris spent the rest of the day moping around. Indy was restless and wouldn't settle down, even Bella, who's usually guaranteed to be the one with the biggest widest smile in the house, was whiny.

We all need a vacation.

Update: Afternoon naps are a good thing. I decided to follow Bella's lead and disappeared for an hour and a half. Of coruse that got Chris freaking out, wondering what was wrong. But hey, I was asleep, I didn't hear him. Ha Ha Ha!!! But I heard about it when I got up again - he's as bad as the kids when left to his own devices. Suddenly there's 'nothing to do' and its somehow my fault. I wanted to ask him if maybe he understands a little better what its like for me when he's gone, but I kept my mouth shut. Instead I just went and made dinner.

Heather and I spent a few hours at the mall, with Bella while Chris and Tristan stayed home. Of course Chris pulled out all the stops begging to come along. Poor man always figures he's gonna miss something - lol. But we finally told him that it was girls only and left him.

Turns out it was more of a window shopping trip than anything else. Bella wound up with a few more outfits ( I swear this baby has a bigger wardrobe than Chris and I combined!). But its hard to resist when there's such cute clothes in her size! I kept trying to convince Heather that we needed to find a few new things for her too, but she kept shaking her head and directing me toward the baby stores. Just makes me wonder if her and Tristan are thinking babies....hmmmm.....

When we got home Chris and Tristan were practicing their putting....in the living room. Guess the acre or so outside wasn't good enough, they preferred the living room carpet. More mysterious was the prescence of the golf club. I know Chris doesn't have any, but it turns out Tristan has been trying out a new hobby. From the way Chris kept taking his turns, I have a feeling he might be getting interested in it as well.

After dinner Tristan and Heather ventured off on their own and Chris admitted to me, he'd been grilling the boy all afternoon. He wants to know what their plans are for the fall - school or work? Tristan still seems pretty interested in studying to be a doctor and his father still isn't very thrilled about that. Its kind of funny actually. I think he'd really prefer Tristan coming out and announcing he's quitting school to become a singer, rather than heading into several years of medical school so he can follow in his step dad's footsteps.

There's no doubt Tristan still loves music, but it wasn't that long ago he was talking about getting into ranching. It is a bit of a stretch to imagine calling him Dr. Matthews, but if that's his dream, then all we can do is support him 100%.

I spent the day working through a stack of manuscripts. Considering Kieran said he didn't think the summer would be very busy, I sure had a lot of work to plow through this week but I don't mind. I like the challenge and keeping busy is a good thing - keeps me out of trouble, as Chris has mentioned more than once.

Lily and Connor went over to Joe's and Pam's in time for dinner. They're all excited because the pool is being installed this week. Not sure its going to be ready in time for them to take a dip this weekend but no doubt next weekend's plans are going to change if its ready by then. Ten bucks says its going to get Chris and I talking about putting one in.

Tristan and Heather showed up around 9 - they drove in from Abilene for the weekend. We were all up until the wee hours of the morning catching up. Its still a little strange to think of him as a newlywed (and Chris as a father-in-law!) but he and Heather both look blissfully happy and thats all that really matters.

We slept in this morning – that’s a rarity for this family, except for Chris, of course. But when you’re a night owl, it’s hard to get up at the crack of dawn even when there are three persistent children taking turns standing beside the bed staring at you. Or worse, tugging at the blankets in an effort to get up. See! There are some good reasons for letting them stay up late some nights. But then again, today we just have Lily and Bella here. Connor spent the night at Joe’s house.

Then we let the girls decide how we should spend the afternoon. I expected a trip to the mall, or a plea for some friends to come over but instead Lily suggested hanging out on the porch. She’s really grown to love spending time out there this summer but then we’re blessed to have a wide old fashioned porch complete with a swing and lots of room for comfy chairs. It’s shady and the ceiling fans Joe suggested installing combat the vicious summer temperatures. It really is the most pleasant way to while away an afternoon.

So the girls are armed with Barbies and accessories and I’ve got a pile of magazines I’ve been meaning to read. Lately I seem to buy a lot, I just never seem to do more than flip through and look at a few pictures. This is the perfect time to go through them. At first its just the three of us, that is until I decide to run in and grab something cold for us. A few popsicles and a pitcher of ice cold lemonade and suddenly I have a shadow following me back outside. Chris is barefoot and tousle- haired and still more than a little sleepy but he’s got his guitar with him.After a popsicle break he asks Lily for a request and then spends the next hour singing and strumming along to nursery rhymes and catchy little kiddie songs. Wonder how his fans would react if they could hear him right now? But the answer really doesn’t matter. He’s got an audience of three who thinks he’s number one. And that’s all that really matters, right? And somehow I don’t think I’m still going to get around to looking through those magazines.

It was chore day today. Chris ran Connor over to Joe's, while I started the laundry. Then it was load after load all day. Lily and I braved the heat and took Indy for a much needed walk, he's still not thrilled with me after last week's bath but he seems to be feeling a lot better.

I asked Lily why she decided not to go to her father's house this weekend, and she just shrugged and said she didn't feel like watching any races. I hope that's all it is, I'd hate to think she is trying to avoid him or Pam.

Chris and I talked a little more about trying to get away for a week or two but with his schedule it looks like next February is probably the best time for that. Seems kind of weird to be planning a winter vacation when its almost 100 degrees outside, but it won't be long before winter is here again. But one thing's for sure, the flowers in the front yard love the weather. The cosmos are blooming like crazy!

We wound up not going out for dinner, Bella was cranky most of the day (its probably the heat) and we decided not to torment the other diners. So instead of gourmet we settled for hot dogs and popsicles. I can just picture Clay cringing.

It's been a very long week but it's finally Friday. I officially accepted the promotion yesterday and there's just a few details to be worked out but like I thought, its pretty much just business as usual. A few more manuscripts are winging their way to me and Kieran's confident I can work through them pretty quickly.

Chris was just a little concerned the new job title would put a little too much on my plate but he's being very supportive. He says we'll figure out a way to work around any problems that crop up. More than anything else I was thrilled when he told me how proud he is of me. Guess somewhere inside there's still that little girl seeking approval.

Even better, he's home with us this weekend. Connor, however, is off to spend tomorrow night with Joe and Pam so he can watch all the races, but the girls are home. I think maybe we'll have dinner at Grisoles Saurday to celebrate my new job. And I think it will even be my treat.

I worked for a little while on Quaker Garden and here's a progress pic. Hopefully I can get it done soon and make it into a pillow for the living room.

I think I'll try to keep Chris from asking for an update on the Hello! online poll. Shh, don't tell him he wound up coming in second in the Most Attractive Man voting. All that's important is he's still first in my books!

In other news I got a call from Kieran today. I had a feeling it was coming but it was still a pat on the back to get it. He wanted to offer me a promotion of sorts to Senior Editor. Part of me thinks its all pretty sudden, considering I've only been working for him since last Fall. But apparently he doesn't think that's a problem.

He's given me a little time to to weigh the pros and cons. I guess I really should discuss it with Chris, there are going to be a few more duties coming my way and I want him to be comfortable with the decision as well. But its not like it will be anything all that new - from what Kieran discussed it sounds like I'd be doing a lot of what I'm doing already.

In other news: Chris is out of town tomorrow at the Common Ground Festival in Michigan. He originally wanted me and the kids to come along but I finally argued that it was crazy to load the kids and all the necessary supplies for less than 24 hours. He wasn't that impressed but in the end I think he understood. At least I hope he does....

I went to the mall today with a purpose. I had a list of things to buy, mainly some new clothes for the kids, seems like one of them is always outgrowing something. Today I needed new jeans for Connor, some tights for Lily and a couple new sleepers for Bella. Dillards isn't normally a store I check out, but the big sale signs caught my eye and I decided to go there first.

I didn't get much any further than that first store and its not because the sale was so great that I was able to cross everything off the list. Nope, instead of a good sale, I got a good surprise. I walked into the store from the mall entrance and like a lot of stores at malls, you have to walk through the perfume/cosmetics section first. Since I don't wear much perfume, its pretty easy to get through without any distractions. Except for today.

Today I turned a corner and saw my husband. In living color. On life sized posters.

He said something about a photo shoot a few weeks ago but I don't remember him saying it was for cologne ads. But there he is, staring out from those enormous photos and I swear every bit of air in my lungs comes whooshing right out.

Oh. My. God.

He's wearing a suit and he's lounging back in a chair. But its the look on his face that makes my knees weak. I know that look very well and its one I usually see in the privacy of our bedroom. Not on about a hundred posters in a department store for the world to see.

Here's the conversation that happened when I got home:

Me: Who took the photo?
Him: (mentions a female photographer and gets a smack from me) What?
Me: You know darn well what look I'm talking about
Him: Seriously i don't have a clue. Its just a photo - one of about a hundred she took that day.
Me: And I suppose your going to tell me you were just following instructions?starwoodcg: He Him: (nods and gives me a grin) That's how photogs do it
Me: Thats what I'm afraid of
Him: Afraid of what?
Me: How photographers do it!
Him: (narrows his eyes) What's that supposed to mean?
Me: That look! Are you going to play dumb and pretend you don't know about that look?
Him: (holds up his hands) Why don't you just tell me about that look?
Me: (smacks him again) Think about when you usually get that look on your face
Him: Baby I don't usually have a mirror around to peer into
Me: No but I see it, usually right after we've made love!

I stomped off after that, muttering something about infuriating men and of course Chris just stood there, laughing at me. I was just about to go into the hall when I heard Connor come into the room through the other doorway, asking what Chris was laughing about. Chris answered with, "Women, Conn, women."

Later that night I was wondering if it was time to pull out the Dolce and Gabbana spread I did a few years ago but it seemed my husband had other ideas. Just after we got the kids in bed, and on their way to dreamland, he waits for me out in the hall and blocked my way. There are times when the man just knows what to say and this was definitely one of them . He told me that I was the only woman could could bring out that look and the photographer just told him to think of the woman he loved.

I was going to give in that easily. He's good at saying what he knows I want to hear, the lines come easily to him unfortuntely but then he told me that we were way past the days when he would tell me what I wanted to hear. With that devilish grin, he said he could prove it. When I asked exactly how he planned to do that, he leaned in like he was going to kiss me then simply whispered, "You're going to have to wait until bed time to find out' then he walked straight downstairs.

Damn infuriating man.

But its totally what I love about him.

The following is a true conversation that took place between me and the husband early this evening.

Him: 'What are you doing? You''ve been on that computer all day
Me: Voting
Him: Voting for what?
Me: Voting for you
Him: Voting for me? For what?
Me: Ummm...most attrctive man on Hello!'s website
Him: What?
Me: Ummmm you're losing right now
Him: WHAT?
Me: Yup, damn teeny boppers have Orlando Bloom in the lead
Him: (pouting) What the hell he's got that I don't?
Me: Ummmm, a pirate movie? British accent? Take your pick.

He didn't seem to think my response was all that humorous. No doubt the fan club has now been mobilized.