Living with Addiction

You may have noticed it has been a full nine days since I last blogged and it has not been due to a lack of anything interesting to blog. I think it's time I need to just come out and say that my name is Elizabeth, and... I am a Garagebandaholic. I have been clean now for about five hours and fifteen minutes but it took me a full week just to get past the denial. (Well, and I've only had it for a week.) There had been other warning signs but the big tip off came the other day when I was at the stoplight waiting to take a left turn and mistook the sound of my own blinker for the Garageband metronome and just began belting out a random song after the first four counts while my fingers were grabbing frantically at the steering wheel searching for the sharps and flats to no avail. It really frightened the children and I knew then that I had a problem.

(A glimpse into the mind of the addict)

Then there were those classic changes in sleeping/eating habits, the loss of interest in other favorite activities (the noticable blogosphere withdrawal)...the chronic red eyes, sore throat, dry cough not due to allergies, fatigue, sore and squished earlobes (you know, from the headphones...), the stiff neck and shoulders, the late night singing binges...and the subsequent passing out with my head on the keys...

I just eventually buckled under the pressure of trying to pleasing my fans... This one's an enabler...
Oh no... I did read that addictions can be inherited...I looked on the internet and though they have plenty of help for the alchoholics, compulsive gamblers, shopoholics, and the like... they don't have any help yet for Garagebandaholism. But I think the key word there is yet. I did happen to read that shock therapy is getting very popular in Japan for treating all the internet and video game addictions. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. What next? And just when you're sure you've seen it all...

YOUR TWO YEAR OLD BRINGS YOU THIS:

And yes.
It is dead.
It is a dead gopher that my little boy is holding.

While I was a little preoccupied with um...something on the computer the other day, my two year old walks up beside me and softly says "Bunny Momma. Bunny." I turned to see the fuzzy horror and screamed "Drop it, drop it!!!" I initially thought it was a rat but our more rodent savvy friend has seen the picture and now informed us that it was indeed a gopher.

So... I guess the question begs to be asked. How did I then get this gripping photo for my blog? Well...since today is a day of admissions and confessions, I will tell you. After I screamed in expected mother fashion at my poor child to drop his deceased "bunny", I (then...like the lowest, and most shameless Brittney-stalking paparazzi out there, hurried to grab my camera and shouted

"Okay Owen...now can you just quickly pick it back up long enough for mommy to get a picture and then drop it again, honey?"

Unfortunately, I had forgotten how two years olds often struggle with two-step directions and Owen easily obeyed the first command and proceeded to then turned on his brother and sister with it. Don't worry though, after that one last photo I disinfected him. And remember people, it is a dead gopher, not a rat. I would never ask my child to pick up a dead rat. How disgusting.

And now...I don't mean to BRAG, but...

In keeping with the adorable theme of my niece Dahlia's nursery... the colors of gold, black & white with that splash of hot pink...

and the whimsical little mobile so lovingly painted by her adoring parents while they anxiously awaited her arrival...
~SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS~

...I was inspired to create this... For her very wonderful baby shower that I was unable to upload earlier due to my disease...
First Babies require special preparations as well as precautions:

Hot pink Dahlias on the top...
And delicious... Rosie's favorite... Chocolate Lovers Chocolate with French Butter Cream icing...

The guests of honor~
Rosie & Baby DahliaSo who the heck had the baby five days ago?!?! Kuh!

~Auntie Liz snags the Dolly Baby~
The lovely Rachel~ The brains behind the outfit... and the bringer of all things delicious... including the ever important vertical elements on the lovely table... :)
and sheer mischief. Always.

The lovely Grammas hamming it up for the camera
I'm guessing the below conversation went something like this:

Rachel: "Okay Mom, what do we do about Liz? I need some help in the kitchen and all she's doing is running around taking pictures of that CAKE and sneaking off with the baby!"Mom: "Weeeeell honey, I don't know what ta tell ya! I've had to deal with that sister of yours for years...it's like a tornado touching down! Now where is that champagne?"
DOH!

Oh good she's still busy with the gifts...

(sigh)

Gracious Grace...

Such loving and generous friends...The Littlest Guests...
And now I must be off to Baskin & Robin's 31 cents a scoop night! Yee haw!