Waters · Piper

Waters-Piper is now KitschyKitten.com

2010-03-10T22:21:00.000-06:00

I'm moving everything over to my Wordpress blog, KitschyKitten, a site where I post fun goodies that I find and pics of the kids and family. I wanted a domain name that leaves the door open to post about anything we want, not just family events.

Don't worry! Same content, just a different url with more powerful functionality. We can do cooler stuff there!

So please update your bookmarks to http://www.kitschykitten.com.

I'll leave this site up for a while until people find their way over.

xoxo,
Alana

Girlie weekend!

2010-03-08T11:53:00.000-06:00

Steph, Nikki, Alicia and I checked into a hotel Saturday night with plans of cocktails, shopping, and a wonderful grown-up dinner. All went well until poor Alicia sliced open the tip of her finger on my picnic knife. So off to the ER she went. Once everyone was back in the room, we sat up until well past 1am visiting, telling stories, and cracking each other up. Injuries aside, it was a perfect little getaway.

The next day we hit Oakbrook Mall and I found these wonderful new goodies:

Anthropologie: The Allamanda Necklace

Sephora: Sugar Lemon perfume by Fresh
I think it's the ideal scent for the warm summer days I hope will get here soon. (Dave says it smells like Sprite.)

Sephora: Sugar Rosè SPF 15 lip tint by Fresh
It adds the most perfect swipe of sheer, natural rose color to your lips.

Eco-friendly watch by Sprout

The strap is made from organic cotton, the bezel from corn-based resin, the face is bamboo and the battery is mercury-free. Somewhere a polar bear just let out a sigh of relief.

Land of Nod (It's not just for kids!) Birds of a Feather Hang Together in orange. She looks so happy hanging in my office window.

Pottery Barn Kids Airplane Mobile
Baby Will can't be the great-grandson of one of our nation's first wave of aviators, the grandson of a pilot and the nephew of an aerospace engineer and NOT have some aviation inspiration over his crib! That just wouldn't be right.

So I picked up those goodies along with a few little things for the kids and wrapped things up after a lovely lunch with the ladies. I can't wait to do it again soon.

Next time we bring a bin of pre-sliced limes.

Poor Alicia.

2010-03-07T16:48:00.001-06:00

Office Space

2010-03-05T21:45:00.003-06:00

Office Space, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

The view outside my window was extra pretty today, especially for it still being quite a stretch 'til springtime. So I took a couple of minutes to appreciate my view and thought it would be fun to share the space I spend more time in than my own home.

Here's the whole set: "Worky Work Busy Bee". Pics of my office.

This one's for Melia & Jennifer Robin

2010-03-05T08:19:00.001-06:00

Dressin' like it's 1987.

Hi Auntie Sandra!

2010-03-05T08:15:00.001-06:00

Will sporting the hat Auntie Sandra sent.

The candy aisle at Mitsua rarely disappoints.

2010-03-04T20:09:00.001-06:00

Crunky!

FLOR in the Kitchen? Yeah I did.

2010-02-27T11:20:00.001-06:00

FLOR in the Kitchen? Yeah I did., originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Our kitchen floor is over an uninsulated crawl space (brr!), has horrible, giant white tiles, and is right inside our primary entry. We don't want to do the whole smashing of tile mess and new tile right now, so my fix until we get our "forever house" is to put down FLOR tiles that were intended for industrial use. They look similar to cork from standing distance, are warm under foot, more like soft tiles than carpet, liquid beads on them, and they can be pulled up and washed off if anything too goopy happens.

Bonus points for being $5.99 a square.

Good morning, darlings

2010-02-27T08:42:00.001-06:00

Good morning, darlings, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Sophia and Will having some cuddle time on a Saturday morning.

I like birds.

2010-02-21T11:32:00.001-06:00

Zzzzzz

2010-02-20T15:24:00.001-06:00

Zzzzzz, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Post-bottle bliss.

Father Daughter Valentine Dance

2010-02-14T19:53:00.001-06:00

Father Daughter Dance, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Sophia went to the Girl Scouts Father Daughter Dance with her dad. I was completely choked up over how pretty she looked and I could tell she was feeling extra special this evening. I let her wear some of my Chanel perfume and as I spritzed it on she told me, "Oh Mommy, I feel just like Cinderella."

Taking care of the winter birds

2010-02-13T12:21:00.002-06:00

Taking care of the winter birds, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Dave and Sophia tending to the feeders in the backyard.

Taxes, laundry, dirt, and ba-ba-ba.

2010-02-07T10:01:00.005-06:00

I sat up last night and did our taxes, alternately grinning and scowling as I watched the Turbo Tax numbers roll up-up-up, then down. Then up, then down, then up. Woohoo! Up is good. So we'll have a little refund this year, which is awesome because we have a handful of things we really should get done around the house. On our list is to finish the 3rd floor bedroom so we can sleep up there and give Will his own room. We need to fence in the backyard. A new refrigerator would be both an energy and money saver over the year (the one we have is probably 20 years old.) and I think I heard about a tax credit for trading up to an Energy Star model. We also really need a new central air unit and a new roof. Re-doing the bathroom would be a luxury project, but it's on our top 10. Oooh so many options!

Or we could just invest it all in Toyota.

We're antsy today. It's too soon for this much cabin fever. It's laundry time and instead of spending the whole day running load after load, we're indulging in the luxury of drop off service. With 2 kids at home and full-time jobs, our weekends are more often than not spent playing catch up with chores. To drop off a few bags of clothes and let someone do it is just magical to me. It's like buying back a big chunk of time.

I'm getting my late winter/early spring gardening bug. It always happens around this time of year. My brain starts pacing around, thinking "Plant something! Put stuff in the ground. When? Now? Is it time yet? Now? Now??" I guess after so many years in southeast Texas it never got used to the northern timing. So I'm planning out our backyard gardens, one for flowers and one for edibles. I found this neat planner on the Gardener's Supply Company website that will help plan your layout and then give you a shopping list, timing, and planting guide. I think we're going to do 2 large cedar raised beds between the yard and the pool. I had such big plans to landscape last year but then was so frikkin' pregnant I couldn't manage.

Baby Will is laying next to us on the couch just chatting away. He whispered "Ma Ma" to me again this morning, but hasn't said it out loud yet. It's so funny. He will go on and on with the "Ba ba ba ba baaa" but it's as though he's not sure he's saying "Mama" right yet, so for now he just whispers. So cute.

First food, Will at 5 months, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

He had his checkup this past Wednesday. The doctor cleared him for baby food, so we've started him on sweet potatoes and bananas. He chows down on an entire container in one sitting, obviously his father's son. The doctor said he's in the 20th and 25th percentile in weight and length, but his head is in the 50th, which means we caught him at the beginning of a growth spurt. His head gets bigger and then the rest of him catches up, which is amusing to me. The doctor said he's perfect and that he's very flirty. He likes to make the eyes and grin at people. Everyone from the lady who watches him during the day to his doctor says he is especially mellow and happy, the most easygoing baby they've ever known.

So all is good here. Lots to do, lots of fun. Just waiting out the winter. Hopefully everyone is doing well.

Go Saints!

A baa baa baa and piggies

2010-02-06T17:28:00.001-06:00

A baa baa baa and piggies, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Will has started trying out new sounds like "baa baa baa". Yesterday morning he looked up at me and whispered "ma ma" and I just melted. He's also obsessed with those piggies.

What's cookin, good lookin'?

2010-02-02T20:08:00.001-06:00

What's cookin, good lookin'?, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Mommy and Baby Will hang out in the kitchen while Daddy cooks up some burgers for dinner.

MSI Blog Post: Living Blade Runner

2010-02-02T18:45:00.004-06:00

If you're up late and are out of things to do, why not head over to my day-gig blog post:
Living Blade Runner: Technology made the leap

It's all about how so much of the technology that seemed beyond possibility way back then has bridged into everyday reality now.

Air plant

2010-01-31T22:31:00.002-06:00

Air plant, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Sophia and I picked up an air plant while on our mom/daughter shopping trip yesterday. After we brought it home, we found out all sorts of cool and interesting things about them. For example, about a month or so after their only lifetime bloom, they sprout babies called "pups". Fun, educational, and pretty cool-looking to boot, we think.

Painting the Zbrick

2010-01-31T22:22:00.003-06:00

Before:

Painting the Zbrick: Before, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

After:

Painting the Zbrick, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

FINALLY painting out that horrid old Zbrick. It was a better option than ripping the stuff out for the time being.

More project pics here.

Moo.

2010-01-30T22:57:00.006-06:00

veal, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Earlier while I'm standing in line at Jayson Home & Garden, Sophia sits on a cowhide covered chair and asks, "Was this cow dead already when they decided to take it's skin?" I think and answer, "Yes. That cow was very, very old and had wandered up on a grassy hill at sunset to lay down under a beautiful tree where she fell asleep and passed away while dreaming about rainbows."

Sophia's response: "No she didn't. They shot her and used the meat."

Concerned

2010-01-30T19:31:00.001-06:00

Baby Will is concerned about the country's unemployment rate. He plans to make it his focus this year.

Girls night out

2010-01-30T19:08:00.002-06:00

Kamahachi dinner with Fifi

She's such a cool kid. Sophia's been eating sushi since she was old enough to chew. Tonight she tried octopus, mackerel, unagi (eel), and spider rolls (soft shell crab).

View

2010-01-27T19:25:00.001-06:00

Out of my new office. :)

Nothing phases Will

2010-01-25T23:18:00.001-06:00

Nothing phases Wilbur, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

Dave blows raspberries on Will's marshmallow cheeks and he doesn't flinch a bit.

Will at 5 months

2010-01-23T10:55:00.003-06:00

Will at 5 months, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.

5 months of pure awesome. We love him so much.

He's wearing an outfit that Dave picked out for him. -Such the proud Daddy!

Many more pics from this sitting here.

Will at 5 months, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.