What does "sanitary" mean anyway?

Genna LOVES the dishwasher. The moment that she hears us open it, she is there, ready to "help." She will dutifully stand there and hand us everything within her reach, so we can put it away. If we don't take whatever she's holding withing 1.7 seconds, she reminds us that she is helping by letting out our favorite new sound: whine. If only I had recorded it...but I'm sure you can imagine.

Today, she handed me each piece of silverware (well, actually stainless steel, but whatever). I cannot guarantee that her hands were "clean." Does this mean my dishes are "dirty?" Should I "sanitize" them again?

(Emily, I thought of you as this was happening...do you let Frank "help" with "clean" dishes?)

I'm NOT Pregnant

Thanks for indulging me in a little April Fool's joke, everyone. No, I'm NOT pregnant, and when I do become so, probably won't announce it like that on my blog. But who knows? Maybe as soon as I get two lines on a stick I'll get one of those freaky-looking floating fetus counters: "280 days to go."

(No offense to those that have them. Only don't you wish the fetus would actually represent what it looked like at that moment? I keep waiting for the little floating guy to get bigger until he doesn't float around anymore...just squirm. TMI? I thought so.)

P.S. Cathie, I loved your train of thought.

So, how was YOUR April 1st?

I have an announcement...

Please leave a comment to let us know how happy you are. :)

St. Patrick's Day

I hope it is socially acceptable to blog about an event 10 days after it occurred. Let's see, I'm social. Do I accept this? Yes, I do!

St. Patrick's Day has long been one of my favorite holidays. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my favorite color is green. My family always seemed to focus more on the green aspect rather than the Irish aspect. In fact, I don't think I had ever heard of corned beef or tried cabbage until I went to college. Even when I try to be cultural, it's off. Case in point: my dearest cousin Melinda also has a fondness for this holiday, and we like to celebrate by watching "Brigadoon." Which takes place in Scotland.

Anyhow, we (my sister and I) started off the day with some good old-fashioned green eggs. I did take a picture, but it doesn't exactly look appetizing, so I'm going to leave it out. My cousins and a few of Reid's co-workers came over for dinner, which turned out to be a feast! This is what made it to the table:

• Avocado, pear, orange & craisen salad (thanks, Deanna!)
• Green mashed potatoes
• Pesto gnocchi
• Chili queso (so, this was not green or Irish in any way. Sorry, I love queso!)

Our guests also contributed to the meal:

• Steak (yum!)
• Rolls with green butter (looked like frosting)
• Mint chocolate chip and brownie ice cream
• Mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches
• Shortbread cookies (pretending to be Irish...really Scottish)
• Dark chocolate biscuit cookies (French...which is an even further cry from Irish)

Overall, a delicious meal. And when followed up with "American Idol," what could be better?

The Golden Rule: Comments

Hi. My name is Rebecca, and I have a problem.

It's a problem that many of you may share with me. Some may consider it normal while others consider it rude or even verging on illegal. What am I talking about?

The act of reading others blogs while never commenting, also known as: lurking.

With Facebook and blogs, it is so easy to follow someone's life, and keep up on their activities without actually connecting with them. Then, I sit at home, refreshing my blog to see if anyone has commented. Ironic? Yes.

I am changing my ways. Right now. From here on out, I am committing to being more communicative and less stalkerish. I will actually take the time to type up the thoughts that I have and share them (at least the nice ones), instead of just moving on to the next thing.

I won't beg (oh please!), but just know how much I LOVE reading comments. Maybe this will start a mini-revolution in my little blogging world.

In summary: follow the Golden Rule and share the love. And don't be surprised if I know more about you than you may think (hmm...is that verging on creepy?)

The Cluff's Happenings

Hi! I'm Rebecca's sister, Holly. I have been visiting with the Cluffs this week and have been blogging about all of our adventures. Rebecca has been scrapbooking a lot this week, but will return to blogging soon. To see what we have been up to please visit my blog-Holly's Happenings. Enjoy!

Butterfly Dress

Reid's mom mailed us this adorable dress with butterfly pockets, and I love it. So cute!

Now, all she needs is hair...