thoughts on my daughter.

Remember the mother's curse? You know, when you did something dumb as a kid and your parents said something like "I hope someday you have a child that's exactly like you!" My mom must have said that to me a million times. As a child, I thought the mother's curse was silly; I hoped I had a kid like me, I was awesome! And surely, as a parent, I would see the shenanigans that a mini-me would pull as comical, and NEVER get mad at her.

Now I'm a mom. and I have come to the solemn realization that the mother's curse is real. My daughter is exactly like me. Oh no. She is exactly. Like. Me.

To understand where my terror comes from, you have to understand that I was a stinker as a child. I must have secretly liked getting in trouble or something, because I did everything I could to push the limits. My mom would say "Don't touch that, I don't want you to break it." Naturally, I assumed that she meant "See how much touching you can do before I spank you."

Just 30 seconds ago, Portia smacked me in the head with a drumstick. I said "No, No! That hurts mommy!" She grinned, then started slowly poking me with the drumstick in the cheek. When I didn't respond, she poked a little harder. She then went right back to smacking. I took the drumstick away. She ran and pulled a wooden spoon out of the dishwasher and tried to smack me again. See what I mean? Mother's curse.

some thoughts on my life today

1. My hubby is sure workin hard these days. He has finals this week, and i think his brains might fall out from overuse.

2. I have a serious desire to get out of frigid OK and go to Hawaii or some other emerald-watered, white-sanded beach for the rest of the winter.

3. Its crazy to think that Christmas is only a few days away, CRAZY!

4. Today, Portia went to nursery for the 2nd time. When I picked her up after church, the bubbles that were being blown were sticking in her hair. That was cute.

5. I made some de-lish chicken tortilla soup today. Dang, anything else?

6. Portia peed on the couch earlier.

Salon Zen photoshoot

ew. also, weird.

Apparently, this is a new trend. Surgically modifying your ears to look like elf ears. What? Why would anyone want to do that?http://www.momlogic.com/2010/09/teen_trend_elf_ears.php

favorite

This is Portia's favorite commercial. I don't know if its the song, or what, but she is mesmerized every time it comes on! Maybe someday she'll become a doctor!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ51BsXTMEw

whaaaaaat?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/6328/psych-shawn-isms-and-gus-isms

more pictures

We went to "Haunt the Zoo" here in OKC. Portia was Princess Leia, I was a witch, and Brandon was Donald Trump. It was alot of fun!

LOTS of pictures

Here are some pictures of Portia and daddy at the park!

Here are some pictures of Portia and daddy at the park!

YUM!!!

Curried Pumpkin Apple Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 3 cups chicken broth

• 1 1/2 cups solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 to 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• Sour cream and chives, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a medium-size soup pot. Stir in the onion, celery, and apple. Partially cover the pot and sauté the ingredients over medium-high heat until the onion is clear, about 8 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and sauté the mixture for another minute. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth and cook it for 1 minute more.

2. Pour the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor, add the pumpkin, and puree the soup until it's smooth.

3. Pour it all back into the pot, then stir in the remaining chicken broth, the salt, and the bay leaf. Set the soup over medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

4. After 5 minutes, stir in the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of honey. Taste the soup, adding more salt or honey if necessary to get the desired balance of sweet and savory. Simmer it for 2 minutes more, remove the soup from the heat, and serve it hot. For a pretty -- and tasty -- touch, garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Makes 6 servings.

everything's amazing and nobody's happy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk&feature=player_embedded

the mom song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nem0bkErGVY

stroller lover

Portia uses her stroller as a recliner, she loves that thing!

shakin it up

Today I was in an earthquake.

Really.

I was laying in bed, waking up, listening to Portia play in her room. Suddenly, the bed was shaking. The room was shaking. The whole apartment was shaking. And there was a weird groaning noise. My first thought was that something (or someone) had fallen down the stairs. I popped out of bed like it was on fire. And then it was over.

Portia was reading a book in her room, totally unphased.

It was a 4.3 on the Richter scale, but we had zero damage. Our pictures didn't even fall off the wall. Just a few miles away though, OU campus had some damage. A building on campus had to be evacuated because it cracked up the side!

Who knew we had earthquakes in OK?

again, i'm a copier

I copied Carrie's idea again, and made a new blog, The Happy Book.

http://thehappybook.tumblr.com/

happy book 1

Flash Mobs!

Watch these and not be in a better mood, I dare you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhbK2bMTRbI

happy book

My little sister, Carrie, has some pretty good ideas. She has decided to start what is called a "happy book."

She used this quote to explain. Its from Pres. Monson's talk on Sunday morning in General Conference. He said:

"We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

Carrie decided to take Pres. Monson's words into action, and start her happy book. I'm going to steal her idea (sorry Bear) and start one too! I'm going to write in a journal every day, listing the things that I am grateful for!

I am very excited for this project! I think it will help me to not take the wonderful things in my life for granted! I have so many blessings that I don't always thank my Heavenly Father for, and a Happy Book will help me to be better at that!

dance party

Another long one, but its pretty cute!

Dance party from kathleen rawlinson on Vimeo.

a rant

Today I had an experience that made me think about the nature of women. We tend to be inclined to be horrible to each other. We gossip and backbite and criticize, and I think we sometimes do this without even realizing it. And we sometimes don't realize the effect it may have on others.

When is it ever ok to make snide comments to someone because you don't approve of their outfit or hair or shoes? When is it ok to fabricate a lie about someone and spread it around? When is it ok to nit-pick and find the weaknesses of people and slap them in the face with it?

It's impossible to be perfect. As Ricky Nelson so eloquently wrote, "you can't please everyone, you've got to please yourself." We will never find a way to make everyone happy all the time. We can't worry about it, and we have to stop making others feel inferior just because it makes us feel better for that split-second. We will all be happier in the end.

the Park

It's long, and probably boring to everyone else but me, but here's a video for you! (ps, sorry its sideways!)

the Park from kathleen rawlinson on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/15090814

a day in the life

This morning, Portia let me sleep in. She played in her crib by herself for a while, letting me snooze in bed for a few extra minutes.

She ran errands with me most of the morning with minimal complaints.

She didn't take a nap.

We played "blanket fort" for a while and watched Thomas together.

Right before I had to leave for work, she threw up pepperoni down my arm.

When I got home from work, she insisted upon wearing a pair of shorts on her head for 20 minutes.

She helped me fold laundry (aka she unfolded as I folded.)

She found one of my color brushes and as she pretended to paint my hair with it, she sang a little song.

She fell asleep snugging her mama and snoring.

Pretty much my perfect day!

theres a sidewalk there for a reason...

I have no issue with bicyclists.

I understand wanting to stay fit while enjoying the outdoors.

And here in college-town USA, there are a lot of bicyclists.

More power to ya folks!

Here's my problem.

Norman is a very busy place. Any time of the day, driving down Lindsey or Main St. can be time consuming. And with all the college kids using bikes as their only mean of transportation, there are plenty of sidewalks and bike racks throughout the city, so that everyone can get where they need to go safely.

Except for one little hitch.

The cyclists don't use the sidewalks! They still ride in the street! And not only do they ride in the street, but the middle of it! (Yes, "they" is a generalization. Obviously, there are some cyclists that use the provided sidewalks. But, as Brandon and I have not encountered many of those model bike-riders, I use "they.")

What's the deal? Is there some vendetta against all us "4-wheels," that you insist upon sticking it to us every chance you get? Was there some secret bike-lovers only meeting where the decision was made to do everything in your power to screw us up? Or maybe you are all just too cool for safety. Either way, I'm not a fan of having to drive into the oncoming traffic lane on a busy street during rush hour to get around a dude and his 10-speed.

Listen. If you want to ride your way to health and happiness, pedal to your hearts content. Just do it where my 2 ton machine has less of a chance of hitting you.

why i love not being in school anymore

1. I don't have to listen to Don's weekly speech. (...and that's how he built a clientele while he was still in school. you see the duffernce?)

2. I don't have to work for free anymore.

3. I get to take naps in the middle of the day if I want.

4. I don't have to listen to stupid girl drama.

5. I don't have to put up with lying receptionists. (he's really cute, and he's a good tipper! HA!!)

6. Most of all, I get to play with Portia all day long!

go team! go team go!

Tonight, Brandon watched the Boise State/VA Tech game. We laughed because the VA Tech mascot is a Hokie. What is that?

Bristow, OK's mascot is the purple pirate. I get the pirate part, but a purple one? How is that going to strike fear into the heart of their opponents, they're going up against a sesame street character.

I found some more:

Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers (Avon, Connecticut)

Poca Dots (Poca, West Virginia)

Camas Papermakers (Camas, Washington)

Astoria Fighting Fishermen (Astoria, Oregon)

New Braunfels Unicorns (New Braunfels, Texas)

Frankfort HotDogs (Frankfort, Indiana)

Berlin Pretzels (New Berlin, Illinois)

Really? The winged beavers? And the Pretzels? What are they going to do, throw salt at the opposing team? Hilarious.

rat day aka the best birthday ever

I recently told a story about me getting some stitches and mentioned the rat incident. Its a pretty ridiculous story, so here you go!

It was my 8th birthday, and I was super excited. After all, it was my birthday! You only turn 8 once!

That night, we visited the Owens home. (sidenote: the Owens family is probably the most awesome family ever. Miranda and Teeny, I love you both!!) Our moms were chatting in the front yard, while us girls were playing with the cats. One of the cats got ahold of a rat and was trying to kill it. Yeah, I know, gross.

Of course, being the genius that I am, I decided to "save the little mousey" and scooped the rat up. It promptly bit me. I promptly flapped my arms around to get the rat to let go. It didn't. I flapped harder, and it let go, flying into the air, and I'm sure the cat jumped right back on it. I'm not too sure about all the details now, it all gets a little fuzzy.

We went into the kitchen, and ran my finger under the faucet while Tommy Owens caught the rat in a tupperware to bring to the hospital.

I was tested for so many diseases, everything from rabies to allergies to pet dander. Given the all-clear, they stitched up my finger and sent me home.

Happy Birthday!

thump-thump-drag

Last night, Season 6 of Ghost Hunters premiered. I LOVE this show. Brandon and I have seen almost every episode, and I'm so excited that it's back on! I love Ghost Hunters because not only do they search cool haunted places for paranormal activity, they also search for any logical reason why they just heard that weird sound, or what could have actually caused that shadow (ice makers, and car headlights are very common). And I really love creepy stories.

I love to be deliciously scared. Like when you're 13, and your sister tells some creepy story on Halloween night about a cannibal who has no arms or legs, yet still manages to catch/murder young children, and you're so scared you can't sleep.

I love being freaked out like that.

Final Countdown

GLEE!!!!

Anyone else as excited as I am?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/173341/glee-season-2-photo-shoot

Sept. 21st baby!

Get off, baby hippo!

(ok Carrie, calm down. Yes I stole the title from you. aaand kinda the whole post.)

Over the weekend, we saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It's hilarious. I laughed till I cried more than once.

And the also nice thing is that it's clean humor. Nothing that would be awkward if you were watching this with your 4-year-old nephew or 98-year-old Grandmother.

It's one that I will definitely be purchasing.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/122881/movie-trailers-diary-of-a-wimpy-kid

oh Tom

I heard about these shoes from Carrie.

They are called Toms.

They are some of the most comfortable shoes ever.

Ever.

And yes, they are glittery.

What's up, Doc?

This is the story of my day yesterday.

To start off, let me say that I am a tad bit accident prone (those of you who know me well/lived with me are chuckling right now). I have been known to trip over my own feet, fall up stairs, and run into walls. I have also had stitches 7 times.

Wait, what?!? Seven?!? Seriously?

Yes, seriously. And thats not including wisdom teeth and childbirth. Some pretty interesting stories, those are. Like the rat incident (thats another blog post, my friends).

Yesterday was stitches day #7.

I was doing a haircut at school and happened to cut myself. Usually this doesn't phase me, I do it so often. I just slap a bandaid on it and keep on cuttin. But this time was different. I cut myself on my left hand, right on the middle finger knuckle. Well, I guess I should say cut the knuckle off. Almost completely off.

Ouch.

I wrapped in in a few bandaids and quickly finished the cut. I then debated about going to the ER for stitches. One of the girls at school is a nurse also, and she took a look and tod me to go. She also told me about a little clinic down the road that would be cheaper and faster than the emergency room. So off I went.

I drove to where the clinic was supposed to be, but couldn't find it. So I called Brandon to google where the hospital was. After not being able to find one for a few minutes, he told me where to go. I got to the address and parked, but when I went up to the doors, they wouldn't open. So I figured it was just a back entrance. I drove around in the parking lot for another 5 minutes, trying to find a space (it was one of those parking lots where if you go down the aisle the wrong way you cant park) and almost got hit my a car. By this point, the cut on my finger has opened back up and is bleeding again, I am crying because I am in pain and frustrated, and I'm trying to maneuver my way around this crazy parking lot one-handed in a stick shift car. All the while trying to talk to Brandon on the phone. I thought I was going to lose my mind.

I finally park and go in the main entrance, and tel the lady at the front desk that I think I need stitches. She looks at me like I am nuts and says "This is a mental health facility. "

Well, why don't you check me in while you're at it?

She then tells me where the ER is and away I go again. I get to where she said and there is no hospital. There's a bank. There's an Arby's. There's no hospital.

I've now been trying to find a stinkin ER for an hour. Last resort, I called 911, explained my situation and got correct directions. (I was a mile away)

I sat down next to Meth-Maggie and Homeless-Guy-Harry and began my 2-hour wait. FINALLY, I was admitted and they put my finger back together in only about 20 minutes.

Not my best day.

since when did you become me madda?

I love Newsies.

one time, in harry potter...

Brandon and I have recently started re-watching the Harry Potter movies in order. Its awesome. Maybe we're nerds. But if liking Harry Potter is nerdy, then I don't want to be cool.

I really do love Harry. I have even been borderline obsessive about Harry. Yes, I have read all the books. Yes, I have read them all more than once. Yes, I waited in line at midnight for most of the books. Maybe I dressed up and brought a fake wand. Yes, I cried when Sirius passed through that archway. Yes, I have had many a deep, philosophical discussion about who R.A.B. may be. Yes, I have often thought about which house I would be placed into. Yes, I read the 7th installment in one night.

But do you blame me? What kid didn't dream about magic growing up? Who wouldn't want to have a pet owl? And who doesn't love the quintessential good vs. evil battle, where love, friendship, and loyalty conquer in the end?

Yes, I love Harry.

coyote ugly

Tonight, while driving home, Brandon and I passed what I thought was simply a stray dog on the side of the highway. Brandon informed me that I was wrong. DEAD wrong.

It was a coyote. Really. A real coyote. It ran into the road. We saw it.

I almost peed myself, I was so scared. We were like a mile from our apartment complex, man! Those things are wild and vicious! What if one wandered into our quiet little parking lot one night to have a snack!

Brandon informed me again that I was wrong. Apparently, growing up in the country, he saw alot of coyotes, and they are terrified of humans and are not aggressive.

This is all I have to say on the matter:

GAH!! Not aggressive?!?

Tamale Peppers

You know how Mr. Pibb and Red Vines =crazy delicious?

I've got a new one for you:

Take a handful of these:

and add them to a glass of this:

YUM-O!

extend me!

the before:

the after:

I've been wanting long hair again for a long time, so I finally got extensions! They aren't styled, and will look much MUCH cuter when I spend some time on them, but here they are! I'm so excited!

heatwave, burnin in my heart

Yesterday was hot.

Norman topped out at 104.

Perfect day for our air conditioning to break down.

You see, we have 2 a/c units, one upstairs and one down. The one upstairs is a little glitchy. It has broken once before, and the maintenance guys just did something with the breaker and it was fixed. Well, yesterday it broke again. So Brandon went and did that same thing to the breaker.

It didn't work.

Remember how heat rises?

At midnight last night, our upstairs thermostat read 95.

We had had enough.

So we set up the pack-n-play and an air mattress, and we all slept downstairs. It wasn't near as comfortable as our king-size pillow-top, but at least it wasn't sweaty-land.

Talk about a heatwave!

Oklahoma Chainsaw Massacre

A few nights ago, Brandon and I were driving to Bartlesville, to visit my Jeannine-sister. We took a short-cut through some country back-roads, and as we drove, I realized something about myself.

I am definitely a city girl. Being in the country at night made me so nervous. All I could think about are those retarded horror movies where the car breaks down near the creepy farmhouse out in the middle of nowhere, and the teenagers knock on the door to use the phone, and the inbred residents kidnap, torture, hack them up, and then eat them. Raw.

Brandon is the opposite. He grew up in Claremore, and he drove country roads all the time. They make him feel safe and secure.

I made him lock the doors as we were going 60 mph.

Later that night, we drove through north Tulsa, and I felt perfectly fine. Crazy? Maybe. But when we are driving through Romona, OK and we see some guy standing all by himself in the rain in the middle of the road, and he's missing an eye, I am NOT stopping to see if he can give us directions.

yesterday's stats

number of times Portia peed on the kitchen floor: 2

number of fits thrown at church: 1 (it was an hour long)

the knowledge that I can tease her with this when she's 13: priceless

the light at the end of the tunnel

As of today,

only 27 days of hair school left.

Just so you know.

lice+barf=a normal day at hair school

Hair school was fun today.

A huge family came in to get their hair cut. Soon after they arrived, the mom started nursing her baby right out in the open. No blanket, nothing. There are kids in here, lady!

We then realized that 2 of the little girls had lice, so we started to send them away, when one of those girls yakked all over the floor. Joy.

They left, we sanitized, the end.

poetry

x 0d n v vycl; vnlj pk ml,90=,,,nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn .

g , ,j jhn'

written and typed by Portia.

juuuuuust kiddddddding...

So I thought Lortab doesn't affect me.

Apparently, I just didn't give it enough time.

It definitely affects me.

I was a little louder and sillier than I meant to be today.

to Lortab, or not to Lortab?

Yesterday morning, I awoke with extreme pain in my back. I went to the doctor, and was told that I have a small sprain/strain in some muscle somewhere in my back (woohoo). Nothing too serious, easily cured with some ice packs, rest, and muscles relaxers and Lortab.

Wait, what? Muscle relaxers AND Lortab?!? Holy crap!

So I took the meds. And I waited. I waited for the buzz, waited for the loopiness, waited to start acting like the sister in Sixteen Candles.

Nothing. I feel nothing different. Not even a little drowsy. And the best part? The pain is still there too.

What's the point?

for a duck may be somebody's mother

I love fireworks. And I love it when the fireworks are synced with music. For as long as I can remember, my sister Carrie and I have sung along with the song "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillips Sousa on the 4th of July. Except we have always sung it a little different.

Until this year, we have always thought that this version of the song was well-known. But apparently, we were wrong.

Carrie asked her friends at BYU, and I asked Brandon, and no one had ever heard of it. But I knew we didn't make it up. We aren't THAT weird...

Sooooooo I googled it!

This song was originally recorded in the 1950s by a group called Homer and Jethro. Since then, it has appeared on many shows/movies, including Sesame Street and Tiny Toons, both of which are shows that Carrie and I watched.

See? We aren't nuts.

slap some glitter on me and call me a vampire!

Maybe it's my appreciation for young-adult fiction, or my love for the macabre, or maybe I can just relate because of my pasty whiteness, but I love the Twilight series.

Well, I love the books. The movies are fun because I love the books.

Here's my problem with the movies: Kristin Stewart and Rob Pattinson. Kristin looks like she's constipated and Rob looks like he's about to cry. All the time.

Plus, as much as I love the ever-so-cheesy, tortured-lovers-destined-to-be-together storyline, it's kinda laughable on film. Like the awkward moaning/kissing scene in New Moon. Oh jeez.

But, even though I have my qualms, this Saturday night you will find me in line at midnight to see Eclipse. And I will probably giggle, and maybe even sigh, more than once.

"mom, there's bugs in my hair"

The other day, I was doing this lady's hair who had brought her 3 daughters in also. About halfway through her blow-dry, some one came over and said, "Ma'am, is that your daughter over there in the green shirt?" It was. "Well, we can't do her hair; she has lice."

SICK.

Here's the thing, I know this happens. You don't have to be a dirty person to get lice. I remember my elementary school had several lice epidemics. But if you or your child happen to get lice (heaven forbid) don't even bother bringing them into a salon. There isn't a stylist in the world who would run the risk of getting those pesky critters all over their equipment, station, clothes, and themselves, just to give you a trim. We're just a school, and we make people leave, even halfway through a service, if we find lice.

Its suicide.

You better believe I sprayed down everything I own with heavy-duty disinfectant spray that day. Hospital strength, man.

this is serious.

Go here.

Follow the directions.

Now.

You will not be sorry.

Ok, ok, I know I've talked about this before. But it's really important. I really care alot about this. Please, for your own sake, do it!

Yesterday I bought the movie Thumbelina. This one:

You know, where the chickens sing "thumbelinaaaaaaaa" and Charro is a frog:

Yeah, that one.

Im totally excited.

i'm gonna wash that tile right outa my hair...

last night, as I relaxed in the shower, the unthinkable happened. The shower fell apart. The soapdish and some tile just crumbled and fell off the wall to reveal a stinky, moldy piece of what seems to be cardboard behind it.

gross.

(PS who wants to watch South Pacific now?)