Hello, Melissa!

ice cream

2009-06-10T07:38:00.002-04:00

s had her 2nd grade end-of-school ice cream party yesterday, and i went to school to help out. the kids piled on toppings, whipped cream, cherries, candy... really disgusting looking messes. while most of them gobbled it down and wanted seconds, one little girl was clutching her tummy.

"i feel sick!" she cried. "i'm not supposed to eat that stuff!"

"why?" i asked. "are you lactose intolerant?"

"naw, i'm just fat! i weigh ONE HUNDRED AND TEN pounds!"

i didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

i'm over you, diet coke

2009-05-21T11:44:00.003-04:00

some of you know that back in november, i gave up my one-a-day diet coke habit. understanding that one a day was not really such a bad habit, i nonetheless knew that it was nothing but bad for me, and decided to make the switch. what did i switch to? tea.

the reason i switched was health, but the decision was facilitated by my extremely handy father who installed an instant hot water tap in my kitchen. being a busy person, the appeal of mug-bag-tap instant tea was ingenious in its simplicity. no kettles. no waiting. beautiful.

i've bought piles and piles of different teas... black, green, white, red. flavored & unflavored. iced and hot. sweetend and unsweetened. it's such a nice variety, and i've found that i can easily shift flavors with moods and weather. lovely!

right now my fave is trader joe's ruby red chai. it tastes great hot and cold, sweet and plain, with and without milk. other favorites include just about anything by mighty leaf, and the occasional jasmine green tea.

i still enjoy an occasional diet coke at a restaurant, but MAN am i glad i made the switch. i've saved money, added variety, and maybe, just maybe, saved a little bit of myself.

cat nicknames

2009-05-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

we have a cute little gray and white tabby cat named jingle bell. i know that jingle bell is NOT the best name for a cat, but we got her around christmas time when s was about 5. it was the most magical name she could consider at the time, so the unfortunately named jingle bell came to be.

now, jingle has a little issue with corpulence. such an issue that she cannot reach her nether regions in order to clean herself. this has led to hundreds of dollars in veterinary bills for urinary tract infections. yeah, i know, great. TMI.

she's the sweetest little tolerant kitty. the kind of kitty that follows you around and gazes up into your eyes. the kind that licks your fingers and toes until they shine. the children absolutely adore her because she lets them carry her around and tease her about her weight.

which brings me to the topic. jingle bell is not the greatest name, and i am prone to calling her bell or bella or bellina. bellicose would be more apt, but i digress. the kids have come up with the oddest names for this poor cat. mostly h. his names for her include belly eller, bellorgin blub, blubberg meowgen, bellee- bellew-bellub and bellatin gelatin. s calls her dinda bueller.

WHERE ON EARTH do they come up with names like this? and what on the earth do they mean? i've asked them, and they just shrug, content in their own little world of imaginary nicknames. the other animals and people in the house are not nearly so nickname-endowed as poor jingle bell. otherwise, you'd probably be wondering what they call ME.

char chek

2009-05-07T11:06:00.005-04:00

are you looking forward to the new star trek movie? everyone at our house is excited to see it... except s. what does that mean? that means t will take h to see it tonight, and i get to stay home with s. it IS a school night, so i don't mind. i'm sure i'll get to see it another night.

h is watching the first star trek movie so he can do a compare & contrast for homeschool. he used to LOVE the theme song to star trek: voyager when he was a baby, and whenever he would hear it playing on tv he'd drop everything to listen carefully. when it was over, he'd clap and say "WAY, char chek! (yay, star trek)" we thought he was adorable. we still refer to it as "char chek" occasionally. my, how the times have changed.

if you see it, let me know what you think!

7 and 1/2 months

2009-05-06T17:03:00.002-04:00

yes, it's been 7.5 months since i last blogged.

really.

and i was reminded today (ahem, you know who you are) that i haven't blogged in a long time. now, the specific number 7.5 was NOT mentioned, but i've been feeling the pressure in my own mind to put up something, ANYTHING, on my blog so as not to let it die completely.

the beatles are playing on itunes by request of s, who is partial to "everyone's got something to hide except me and my monkey." we both wait with bated breath until the beatles version of rock band is released. won't that be excellent? we'll need to crack out the ol' drum kit and go to town.

there are 24 more days left of public school for s, and then she, too, will be a homeschooler along with h. it's been a tough time being home with him and NOT having her here. i am honestly relieved that she chose to homeschool next year as well. for all of you who ask how long i plan to homeschool, the answer is simply: i don't know. we put one foot in front of the other and take it one day at a time. hopefully i am not crippling them for life.

spring is here, and although i should be outside doing yardwork, i despise yardwork. i had a lengthy battle with the lawnmower recently, and cursed our acreage. the pollen is at record levels, and i'm about to just give up on the landscaping... or rather... lack thereof. with all the interior projects we've done over the winter, it's my kingdom for a break, isn't it? isn't it??!

there. i posted. happy?

a charlotte of our own

2008-09-20T16:15:00.005-04:00

just outside the door from where i sit and type, a beautiful orb weaver spider has laid an egg sac. she is so beautiful that i just had to call for the kids and show them. they decided that she was just like charlotte in "charlotte's web," so we have dubbed her "charlotte" in honor of the character. here she is, watching over her unhatched babies between the rungs of our side porch:

here is a bit closer on her underside...

and a bit closer on the egg sac...

and here she is from the front. how lovely to find such a treasure! we'll keep an eye on her and her babies... maybe we'll have a real learning experience if we see them hatch!

gratuitous pet shots

2008-09-18T09:03:00.003-04:00

the days grow shorter, and the weather grows cooler. it's only supposed to be 81 degrees today! fall is upon us, and the kids have already started dragging out the halloween decorations. a little premature i admit, but we do love halloween at our house. the more time to enjoy the holiday, the better. they've already chosen their costumes... h will be a magi from magiquest... the interactive game he played this spring in myrtle beach and this summer at great wolf lodge. s will be laura ingalls from the little house books. she just loves the stories of pioneer days, mainly because they tell so many animal tales. she has her little sunbonnet all ready to go.

homeschooling is going well enough that h says he never wants to go back to "regular" school. we'll see about that. you can follow our exploits in so far as i am able to post about them on my other blog.

here's jane and tibby for your viewing pleasure. thanks for dropping by!

vacation deal!

2008-09-04T19:19:00.002-04:00

i just discovered an excellent vacation deal! hotels in hilton head 75% off... THIS WEEKEND ONLY!!!!

OMG! it would be SO GREAT to be there amidst tropical storm hanna's wrath! let's all meet there for a joint vaca, ok?

too good to pass up!

c'mon!

homeschool blog

2008-08-23T11:46:00.007-04:00

i started a blog about my brand spanking new homeschool experience.

check it out if you're interested... i'm attempting to chronicle our first year of homeschooling. we'll see how it goes, and if i'll have time to post on EITHER blog.

here it is...

Silk Hope Homeschool Adventure

...and thanks in advance for any and all moral support.

my girl is funny

2008-08-22T20:56:00.003-04:00

just a little twisted humor from my 7 year old.

you'd think it was a commentary on her grandpa, but she calls him "papa."

what a funny girl.

happenings

2008-08-07T19:30:00.003-04:00

well, we've finally been reunited with t after almost a month of separation. he flew here yesterday, and s celebrated by pulling out the front tooth that's been dangling for a few weeks. now she has that toothless grin so cute in kids this age. the tooth fairy came, yada yada.

today on the beach while swimming in the big-but-dangerous waves, what did the girl find floating in the surf? a full can of beer. and it hadn't even expired yet! but alas, it was a busch. almost undrinkable. well, it was a good find anyway. she was proud of herself. here's a strange photo of her 2 big things:

h built an army of sand yesterday then invited the kids next door over to help destroy it. good times.
and LAST but not LEAST... my mom paid s $5 to pit 3 quarts of cherries to make cherry pie for a special treat for t. she diligently put each cherry on the pitter, pushed the plunger, and placed the pitted cherry in the bowl until the whole lot was done. it wasn't until we all started to eat our delectable slices of homemade cherry pie that we realized almost none of the pits had actually been removed! we giggled and giggled, blaming that darn batch of cherries that "grandma" had pitted. s promised to teach grandma how to do a better job with the pitter. s counted the pits on each of our plates to see who had "won." grandma won with a record 9 cherry pits in her piece of pie. we were just glad we hadn't invited company! oh, and the pie was heavenly. wish y'all could've had a slice (with the winning number of pits).

groan.

2008-08-05T16:55:00.001-04:00

asked by 7 year old s while pointing to her ribs:

"wait a minute, wait a minute. what are these piano things right here called?"

fried smelt 'n' figs

2008-07-28T14:54:00.003-04:00

two of my favorite things, both of which i only am able to have once a year.

imagine my joy when today i was able to have both together! what a combination! gourmets of the world are taking note, i'm sure. oh, and i washed it all down with a vernor's ginger ale.

fried smelt i only get when i'm visiting my parents in michigan. for those who are unfamiliar, smelt are little fish with the heads chopped off, rolled in batter, and deep fried. you eat the whole darn body... spine, fins and all. a few years ago i did a post on bortell's fresh fish market south of ludington on lake michigan.

figs i can usually only find at whole foods market in chapel hill. but today at the meijer store in ludington, there they were... 2 packages for $4! i was moronic with delight. the produce shoppers must have thought i was nuts.

so, on the way home from our shopping trip, i savored each bite of my lunch. it was heavenly.

you can go vomit now.

multi-media

2008-07-23T10:03:00.004-04:00

i promised a post on my summer reading, and i'm as good as my word. for those uninterested in kid lit, just stop reading now, for that is where i have been engrossed. the reading list was chosen for me by h, my rising 4th grade reader. he is neck-deep in "harry potter and the goblet of fire," but has a short stack of books he'd like to read before he jumps into h.p. #5. i try to read everything the kids read so we can discuss it afterward (although i admit skimming junie b jones and magic tree house) and this summer list is no exception.

the first book he chose was "the city of ember," a first novel from author jeanne du prau. i suspended my disbelief, and buried myself in the city below the ground along with the main characters lina and doon. i would have LOVED more character development, more descriptions, more logical explanations... but alas, i had to realize that it is a kids book. from that point on, i enjoyed it for exactly what it is; a courageous adventure story with a cliffhanger ending. will they escape ember before the city dies?

which brings me to h's second choice, the follow-up to the previous book, titled "the people of sparks." kinda gives away the ending of the first book, huh? it's a good "lord of the flies"-style what-if book that gives kids an idea of tolerance versus anarchy. it was more depressing and less adventurous than "ember," but still i'm looking forward to reading the 3rd installment in the series, titled "the prophet of yonwood," which supposedly explains how the emberites ended up in the city underground.

but instead h assigned me to read "the tale of despereaux," a newbery award winning book by the author of "because of winn dixie," kate camillo. his teacher read it to the class this past year, and he loved it so much that he begged me to buy it, read it, and then proceed to make s read it. this is a lovely, well-told fairytale with charming characters and enduring themes. it worked it's magic spell on me, and i understood why h was so taken with it. sophisticated yet simple, it told the tale of a little mouse who dared to be different, and where the consequences took him.

although i'm clean out of kid books for the moment, i did pick up "shadow of the wind" by carlos ruiz zafon and am thoroughly enjoying it so far.

now onto our summer listening...

last month weezer came out with their new album, their third self-titled album, but i call it red. i replaced "high school musical 2" in the cd changer of the ol' minivan with this, as hsm2 had run it's course with my brain. the kids were instantly absorbed, and made me play the first 3 songs on the album over and over until i almot got sick of them. we proceeded on to the entire weezer library for variety, and they are choosing their favorites among the repertoire. h likes "say it ain't so," and "the greatest man that ever lived," while s is prone to "pork and beans" and "island in the sun." she likes the "dip-dip's" in that one. my enduring favorite by weezer is "the sweater song."

at sam's club i found a "woody woodpecker" anthology on dvd. woody is one of the few old cartoons they DON'T show on boomerang which is a howling shame. he's hilarious! walter lantz was a genius. the kids are cackling their butts off, something like they do while watching "tom and jerry." nothing like the oldies but goodies, is there?

i would write about the summer movies we've seen thus far, but i'm out of breath.

hope your summers are all pleasant and may they all be filled with good reading, listening and watching as ours has.

summer

2008-07-17T09:27:00.002-04:00

i greet you once again from the lovely western shore of michigan. we will be here, as usual, for an extended amount of time, soaking up the rays and enjoying the cooler temperatures. my parents are always kind enough to host us without either losing their marbles OR kicking us to the curb. so, for THAT, i thank them profusely.

i realized it's been awhile since h made a blog appearance. his hair has gotten really long, and is now, in fact, longer than his sister's. this creates no end of glee for the girl, who has morphed into a camo-garbed tomboy this summer. so here is h in his goggles after having explored the depths of lake michigan. this is the first year, believe it or not, that he has consented to swim underwater. we never pushed him, and after 9 long years, he is finally discovering the joys of swimming.

we were lucky enough to have a visit from my high school pal tracey and her son kailash who are normally found on the small island of koh tao off the coast of thailand in the gulf of thailand. the kids spent a fun day in the sand while tracey and i reminisced. below is the lovely lady who was once my maid of honor about a zillion years ago...

that's all for now. today is a wee bit overcast, so i may take the kids to a movie or sumpin'. although, it's terribly tempting to curl up with a good book while they're giggling at old woody woodpecker cartoons! more on what i'm reading in my next post. promise.

locks of love

2008-07-07T20:07:00.004-04:00

s had been thinking about her hair a LOT lately. it was long, it was heavy, it was hot, and it took a long and painful time to brush the tangles out each day. still she loved it, and when we went for a trim last week, she wasn't quite ready to say goodbye.

she thought some more, and when i went to get MY hair trimmed today, she had finally decided it was time.

our friend christie took the kids to see "kit kittredge" so i could have time to pack for our long trip to michigan tomorrow. i gave her the option of taking the kids to "snip-its," the cool kids' salon by the theater, to do the deed.

i was kinda sad to miss the big event, but was VERY excited to see the finished product. here she is, holding her hair that is destined for locks of love. that is... after she shows grandma & papa.

cute, huh? and much more spunky & practical. and don't you just LOVE how she kept the hair wrap she got in myrtle beach back in april?

oh, and the kit kittredge movie? the 9 year old boy proclaimed it to be better than iron man. figure THAT one out.

stimulating conversation

2008-07-06T18:05:00.002-04:00

i'm just so curious...

what did YOU do with your economic stimulus payment?

wanna know what we did?

we paid our quarterly taxes with it.

the irs stimulated ITSELF. a whole new concept!

taxsturbation.

ding, dong the helms is dead

2008-07-04T11:21:00.001-04:00

oh, gosh darn it, that iconic paragon of my great state of north carolina died this morning.

now what will folks think of our state?

wii wii wii, all the way home.

2008-06-25T16:08:00.002-04:00

ever since the nintendo wii dropped in price to a piddling $250, we've had our savings stash ready to go and buy one.

the problem?

finding one! we weren't willing to camp outside best buy on the off chance that a delivery MIGHT occur, and we MAY get an OPPORTUNITY to purchase one. no. were we willing to spend sleepless nights with black bags under our eyes bidding for one on ebay? again, no. but whenever we are in or near a big box store, we check the electronics department for the elusive console.

the kids and i needed to run some errands at walmart today-- toothpaste and lactaid pills being the MAIN needs-- and thought we'd check the locked glass display case on the off-chance that they'd gotten a shipment since monday when t was there.

imagine my surprise when i saw a fully stocked shelf! i did a double take, then called t. "is this for REAL?" i asked as i read the exterior of the box for him. "sounds like it!" he said. so to the delighted squeals of my chil'ren (no longer thinking i'm the meanest hag on the planet) i bought the darn thing.

we carefully unplugged the xbox 360, and replaced it with the wii.

they've been bowling ever since.

thank GOODNESS, because it's 95 degrees outside.

not for the faint of heart

2008-06-21T11:52:00.003-04:00

girlfriend turned 7 today!

we celebrated on wednesday since t had to be in charlotte for heroes con this weekend. her request was for LEOPARD PRINT STUFF. good thing she made the request months ago, because i searched every bargain bin, clearance rack, and closeout sale from here to eternity to find all this stuff.

an animal print NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!

look at all the loot!

she's pretty darn pleased with herself.

i will apologize for never posting anymore. life has gotten in the way, and posting has been quirky and difficult. i've found i need to find the photos i want to post, edit their size in photoshop, then upload them. often, i've made posts only to have them refuse to upload. my frustration and my general lack of free time has caused the neglect. and the kicker? i'll have even less time this fall because...

*choke*

*gasp*

i'm homeschooling h next year. if you find my dead body at the bottom of your local neighborhood cliff, you'll know why. i think i may have lost my last remaining marble.

strawberry day

2008-03-27T17:51:00.003-04:00

today we got a box of fresh strawberries and found this giant among the batch...

s was quite tickled about it, and wanted to take a photo of it. i used it as a small opportunity to test out the new camera. i still need to read the manual and experiment some more.

the deck floor with shadows...

the girl getting cleaned by jingle bell.

and from the mouth of this babe came... "fallin'... yes i am fallin'... and she keeps callin'... my bank account."

we're going to see lou reed on april 28th! i am so excited.

mouths of babes 2

2008-02-17T06:05:00.001-05:00

s yet again, listening to the "across the universe" soundtrack:

"all you need is love. you don't even need a toilet."

mouths of babes

2008-02-13T07:51:00.002-05:00

6 year old daughter s, as told to her father:

"wouldn't it be a horrible life if you had a dead old guy hot glued to your head?"

totally tubular

2008-01-31T12:25:00.001-05:00

to find out WHY ON EARTH we would need 250 mailing tubes, please go HERE.

it's pretty exciting!

family resemblance

2008-01-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

more than 50 years and a generation apart. my mom (left) and my daughter (right).

what do you think?

anybody want a dog?

2008-01-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

well, if you do, i found him for you in the durham herald-sun this morning.

sounds appealing, doesn't he?

makes jane look like a wimp.

take a hike

2007-12-31T20:50:00.000-05:00

today we took a hike...

at the triangle land conservancy...

it was a beautiful day. sunny, clear and cool...

we followed the trail...

we were the kings of the world...

we found ginormous leaves...

we even found a star!

we found a stream and had a snack...

we found the rocky river. we peed in the woods and wiped with leaves.

it was a good day for all of us.

happy new year!

fashion plates

2007-12-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

are you a child of the 80's? do you remember fashion plates? did you HAVE fashion plates? or maybe your kids have a newer incarnation of the classic tomy toy? anyhow, fashion plates were an art toy where you mixed and matched fashions, each in raised plastic on it's own plate, and did a crayon rubbing of your creation. once you had your girl done, you could add your own colors-- and even textures! the textures were on the back side of each plate. i stole this image from somebody on ebay.

my incomplete set, partially melted by attic heat, is vintage from bygone days. the featured fashions are gauchos, feathered hair and neck scarves circa turn-of-the-decade 80's. i'm not quite sure how it survived garage sales and purge-fests, but somehow it lived to be used again by my darling daughter. it's been a great way to pass the anxiety filled hours leading up to christmas morning.

of course, my little sweetheart can't just make fashion combos. she has made "owl-girl"-- a completely brown, scallop-textured lady, and these multi-headed monsters shown below. she's cackled her way through science experiment after science experiment in true frankensteinian glee.

i hope that you and your families all have a wonderful christmas (if that is, indeed, what you celebrate) and that santa has you on his NICE list.

a few of my favorite things...

2007-12-14T15:49:00.000-05:00

j at jellyjules.com tagged for a meme about my 12 favorite things about christmas. here goes nothing!

1. the smell of the fresh cut pine tree in the house. i keep threatening to buy a pre-lit fake tree and avoid the hassle, but i would sorely miss that scent.

2. christmas carols. i just love to sing along to the old standards like bing crosby's "white christmas."

3. rudolph, frosty, the grinch, and the peanuts christmas special.

4. buying way too many of the fun things the kids want and having an excuse for it.

5. watching the kids open those way too many gifts.

6. christmas lights strung on houses. i wish we lived in a neighborhood where the houses were more visible. those 'hoods where each house is glittering in the night are wonderful. as a kid we spent many christmases at my grandparents' trailer park in florida. almost every place was decorated and we reveled in it. here is a photo of me at maybe 8 years old in florida...

7. i was feeling scroogey this year, but begrudgingly went to lowe's on december 1st, bought a damn tree, heaved it into the back of the minivan cursing at the dropped needles and heaved it back out into the garage at home. swearing at the pine sap all over my hands, i sawed the end off with an angry vigor and dragged the thing through the house, all the while uttering oaths under my breath. i screwed the damn thing into the damn stand, and that's all the christmas spirit i could take that day. i told the kids we'd get out the decorations tomorrow. not to be deterred, they spent the rest of their afternoon diligently cutting, pasting, stickering and sculpting their own homemade ornaments and hanging them eagerly on the tree. i cried. they brought the spirit back to me, and i got out the lights and tinsel. here is an ornament made by s...

8. the pink tinsel tree in s's room that she chose when she was about 2. it still suits her personality so perfectly, and i love getting it out each year and putting it in her room.

9. those soft peppermint stick candies. not regular candy canes but the kind that melt in your mouth, or that you can poke into an orange and suck the orange juice through. does anybody know what i'm talking about?

10. the angry throngs of pissy christmas shoppers packed like sardines into understaffed department stores. just kidding! at christmas, i LOVE being home with my family, just like the crabby hermit that i am.

11. the madame alexander christmas angel that t and i bought together for our first tree. i have collected and loved madame alexander dolls since before i can remember, and having her on the top of our tree each year reminds me of all the christmases that we've been a family.

12. remembering our first christmas with h. he was a little over a month old, and he was the best christmas present we could ever imagine. there was a freak ice storm that year, and we were without power for 3 days. we mostly stayed at our friends' apartment for whom we were pet sitting, but on christmas morning we bundled up and went home to our frigid little house. we snuggled with our bitty baby while we opened the few gifts we had, and it was really just the warmest christmas i can remember.

santa photo: version 2008

2007-12-11T20:13:00.001-05:00

the kids and i played hooky today.

well, not REALLY. they did have a dental checkup to make our day off legit, but we did have fun with the rest of our day.

first, h spent his birthday $$ on an ipod shuffle. the cool special edition RED one, too. good choice for a 9 year old boy, huh?

then s spent her saved allowance (and some certificates i had) on a polar bear at build-a-bear. she named it knut after "knut the cute" from the berlin zoo.

then we visited santa. s asked for an american girls OUTFIT (the blue one that matches the just like me doll she got last year from santa). h asked for avatar: the burning earth video game for his xbox. santa looked befuddled.

we went to the park to bask in the 80 degree record-breaking heat.

it's nice to take a day off from school, isn't it?

is the world ready?

2007-12-07T19:38:00.000-05:00

t went on an escapade today with his friend sean from pop the cap.

as a token of love, he brought me back a beer.

i know you're thinking... "that looks DISGUSTING!" but let me tell you... it wasn't just disgusting. it was vomitously vile. it was rancidly revolting. it was... it was... many other alliterative descriptions.

why on earth would anyone market this spew? i mean, i always say i'll eat just about anything, and, true to my word, i tried it. but it was just plain gross.

would YOU drink this? and not just ONE sip as i did, but the full 24 fluid ounces? *gag*

my baby!

2007-11-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

those who know me well know how much i love my car. the darn thing is 4 years old and has 76,000 miles on it, and i love it like i just got it yesterday. we are in the car a LOT since we live far from anything, and having my nissan quest makes every trip comfortable and enjoyable. really!

y'all know it's deer season, and the normally insane amount of deer is at a fever pitch right about now. it's not uncommon to spot 13 different GROUPS of deer on any given night on your way home. just 2 days ago, a little deer in the neighborhood walked out in front of my car (now at a full stop since i saw him coming) and almost bonked his head on the bumper!

anyhow, i had just taken the kids to get some takeout indian food (a whole other blog post... this woman does it weekly from her kitchen) and was on my way home, nibbling pakoras along the way when... WHOOSH! from out of the trees bolted a graceful deer from the passenger side. i didn't have much time to brake, and i hit the deer on the driver's side.

bummer.

my baby is all smashed up. luckily, we were only a mile from home and everything was working properly. i drove home, and savored chicken korma, beet raita, and potato bhaji while i filed a claim with the insurance. this morning i ran over to the autobody place to get an estimate. the damage was $3600! good thing the deductible is only $50. yay for auto insurance.

i must brine the turkey now, but i'll leave you with the parting shots of my squished baby.

happy thanksgiving, y'all!
BWAH!!!!

what do we think?

2007-11-19T08:15:00.000-05:00

i just read this article and am so disheartened! as an avid reaer, i am attemting to raise two readers, and find that a life of reading has increased my awareness of language, social and cultural issues, history... the list goes on and on! i think we'd be a better educated society if everyone read just a few more books. and not the "goosip girl" books.

NEW YORK — The latest National Endowment for the Arts report draws on a variety of sources, public and private, and essentially reaches one conclusion: Americans are reading less.

The 99-page study, "To Read or Not to Read," is being released Monday as a follow-up to a 2004 NEA survey, "Reading at Risk," that found an increasing number of adult Americans were not even reading one book a year.

"To Read or Not to Read" gathers an array of government, academic and foundation data on everything from how many 9-year-olds read every day for "fun" (54 percent) to the percentage of high school graduates deemed by employers as "deficient" in writing in English (72 percent).

"I've done a lot of work in statistics in my career, and I've never seen a situation where so much data was pulled from so many places and absolutely everything is so consistent," NEA chairman Dana Gioia said.

Among the findings:

• In 2002, only 52 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24, the college years, read a book voluntarily, down from 59 percent in 1992.

• Money spent on books, adjusted for inflation, dropped 14 percent from 1985 to 2005 and has fallen dramatically since the mid-1990s.

• The number of adults with bachelor's degrees and "proficient in reading prose" dropped from 40 percent in 1992 to 31 percent in 2003.

Some news is good, notably among 9-year-olds, whose reading comprehension scores have soared since the early 1990s.

But at the same time, the number of 17-year-olds who "never or hardly ever" read for pleasure has doubled, to 19 percent, and their comprehension scores have fallen.

"I think there's been an enormous investment in teaching kids to read in elementary school," Gioia said. "Kids are doing better at 9, and at 11. At 13, they're doing no worse, but then you see this catastrophic falloff. ... If kids are put into this electronic culture without any counterbalancing efforts, they will stop reading."

Publishers and booksellers have noted that teen fiction is a rapidly expanding category in an otherwise flat market, but the NEA's director of research, Sunil Iyengar, wondered how much of that growth has been caused by the "Harry Potter" books, the last of which came out in July.

"It's great that millions of kids are reading these long, intricate novels, but reading one such book every 18 months doesn't make up for daily reading," Gioia said.

Doug Whiteman, president of the Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA), said sales of teen books were the strongest part of his business. But he added that a couple of factors could explain why scores were dropping: Adults are also buying the "Potter" books, thus making the teen market seem bigger on paper, and some sales are for non-English language books.

"There are so many nuances," Whiteman said. "Reading scores don't necessarily have any relevance to today's sales."

The head of Simon & Schuster's children's publishing division, Rick Richter, saw another reason why sales could rise even as scores go down: A growing gap between those who read and those who don't. Richter considers it "very possible" that the market is driven by a relatively small number of young people who buy large numbers of books. Test scores, meanwhile, are lowered by the larger population of teens who don't read.

"A divide like that is really a cause for concern," Richter said.

The report emphasizes the social benefits of reading: "Literary readers" are more likely to exercise, visit art museums, keep up with current events, vote in presidential elections and perform volunteer work.

"This should explode the notion that reading is somehow a passive activity," Gioia said. "Reading creates people who are more active by any measure. ... People who don't read, who spend more of their time watching TV or on the Internet, playing video games, seem to be significantly more passive."

Gioia called the decline in reading "perhaps the most important socio-economic issue in the United States," and called for changes "in the way we're educating kids, especially in high school and college. We need to reconnect reading with pleasure and enlightenment."

"'To Read or Not to Read' suggests we are losing the majority of the new generation," Gioia said. "The majority of young Americans will not realize their individual, economic or social potential."

turkey trot

2007-11-15T06:21:00.000-05:00

last night i reminded h that today is the school's annual "turkey trot." it's a race for all the students, and you win a turkey if you're the fastest in your age bracket.

"turkey trot is the worst!" he whined. "you have to run, like, 12 miles, and all you get is a dead turkey."

better motivation needed?

that's mah boy!

2007-11-05T19:27:00.000-05:00

the whole cub-scouts-weekend-camping trip is not my story to tell, but from what i hear it went better than expected. it was 32 degrees that night, so they really braved the cold!

i just love these 2 photos of the trip. they just look so wholesome and all-american. so... norman rockwell.

h and jane gone fishin'...

a boy and his dog on a hayride.

and here's a little something i pulled out of his bookbag after school that made me laugh.

that's mah boy!

will i get a shower today??

2007-11-03T13:18:00.000-04:00

at 7:30 this morning i opened my eyes, looked at the clock and realized something.

i was supposed to take coffee to the girl scouts' yard and bake sale by 7:45.

crap! i jumped up, put the first pot of coffee on, got dressed, and got the borrowed carafes out of my van.

brewed the pot of decaf, piled everything in the car, and thanked my LUCKY STARS that the sale was taking place in my neighborhood. i got there by 8, not TOO late, but the earlybirds were circling and would probably have bought a cup or two by now. the girls were red-nosed and freezing, begging me to bring them a pot of hot cocoa.

when i got home, t and h were in a tizzy preparing for their very first cub scout camping trip. the ceremonies started at 11:30, so they had loads of work to get done in time to leave. i was helping them get organized and packed when the phone rang. in only a half an hour they were out of coffee at the sale!

back to the brew center went i, and since i was feeling solicitous toward the girls, i made them a pot of cocoa. then back to the yard sale. the cocoa sold out while i stood there, so i went home, made ANOTHER pot and went back. the girls drank that pot so i made ANOTHER pot and went back.

of course, in between, i was packing for the camping trip, feeding children, dosing children with appropriate cough & cold meds, etc.

finally, the boys left. they even took the DOG! it was just me & my sick girly who was sad to miss the girl scouts' sale. she has a nasty virus that's left her unable to talk. it's WEIRD. also, her throat hurts, she has a croupy cough, and is wheezing when she breathes. i guess it's going around the 1st grade.

i got one more call to bring coffee & cocoa. no problem. i had taken photos of the kids, but had no way to share them. that's when i got the brilliant idea of starting a private blog for our troop. i got to work on that & got it all set up. i think it'll end up being a valuable resource for the troop.

now i'm stuck cleaning coffee pots, carafes and pitchers! it's 1:33 pm... will i ever get to shower?!

i'm such a schmoozer!

2007-11-02T10:46:00.002-04:00

thanks to lotus for the honor of this schmooze award. this award is for bloggers who...“effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.”

what an honor!

i would like to give this award to 3 bloggers:
green mountain country mama
family adventure
j of thinking about

we went a-haunting...

2007-11-01T11:24:00.000-04:00

ok, a bland post content-wise, but heavy on photos.

a girly leopard...

a boyish doctor who...
a piratical husband...
a daunting duo...

a spooky family...
and a really fun night.

good thing the girly leopard waited until AFTER the best night of the year to burn with fever and start a raspy cough and wheezy breathing. she's home from school today.

happy halloween!

2007-10-31T14:22:00.000-04:00

my jane-- "dogothy"-- and me, ready to set out on our halloween walk.

guess what i am?

i am M.O.M. which stands for..

M ean

O ld

M ama

hee hee! my shirt has a skull and crossbones and says, "don't mess with mommy.

i'll post pics of the kids tomorrow.

until then, have a happy, safe, fun haloween! bwah hah hah!!!!!!!!!!

separation anxiety

2007-10-30T14:28:00.001-04:00

for the first 5 years of our daughter's life, we could have given her away. she was one of those easygoing kids who would let anyone pick her up, hug her, kiss her, anything. after having a son who wouldn't even LOOK at anyone else before he was 5, she was a novelty. babysitters? no problem. grandparents? no problem. preschool? no problem. we were flabbergasted. we could have told her that she was going to live with another family and that she'd never see us again and she would have said, "BYE!" in this scaryish world, it was a little bit freaky.

right around the time she turned 6, the whole situation began to change. toward the end of kindergarten she started worrying about playdates at friends' houses and wanting me to stay with her for the entirety. then, she wept bitterly on the last day of school for the teacher that she'd bonded with. she even slept with her picture that night and cried for her intermittently over the summer.

when t and i went to london last summer, we left the kids with a VERY familiar grandma & grandpa, just as we have done several times over the past 2 years. she was inconsolable. "BUT IF YOU LEAVE ME HERE, THEN I WILL MISS YOU!" she wailed. while we were gone, it was better than before we left, but still was an emotional struggle for both her AND my folks. not to mention t and me!

after a month with my folks, she cried about leaving them. occasionally, i find her in tears, only to discover that she misses them. i can't help at these moments to feel a little despair, like, what's next? the leaves on the trees? the daffodils? the CAR?

since school began, she has had MORE than an average amount of bad days. there are almost no more playdates or sleepovers (although she will attend girl scouts with our neighbor). she cried regularly for her daddy on his recent business trips. on sunday nights she is hysterical. "i only get two days with you and then i have to go back to school!" she hiccups. i tried giving her something to have, of mine, to console her at school. "it didn't work," she said, "it only made me cry SO HARD when i saw it!" and she LOVES school! she wants to go! she just wants me there, too. and one day a week, i am there!

i know many many of you parents out there have lived with this in some shape or form, but this is beginning to tear me up. she's the apple of my eye, and i love her so dearly, but when i find her curled up in a ball, crying, and when i ask why, she says, "it's just 'cause i love you so much!" a part of me melts, but a part is so frustrated. i keep thinking it's just a phase, but the longer it goes on, the more i'm wondering if we may need a little help.

anybody have a suggestion? the end of my rope is coming up fast, and i may still have a long way to go on this one!

school pictures

2007-10-27T09:21:00.000-04:00

to answer lotus' question... i am here! life has been very full lately, in the good kind of way. not much time or interest in sitting in front of the computer these days, but i'm thinking of you all and blogging in my head on a daily basis. just when it comes down to actually blogging, or reading YOUR blogs, i'm tired out! maybe things will calm down and i'll be able to catch up (again) and be here more often.

last week we got the kids' school pictures sent home. remember school picture time? when you, or your mom, would choose the perfect outfit or do your hair in just the right way. when you got to the gym or cafeteria you'd get a little black plastic comb? everyone would practice their best smiles... deciding whether or not to show teeth. one by one, your classmates would be seated on a brightly lit little white box in front of a pull-down background. the assistant would pose them, tilt their heads just so, and FLASH! it was all over. when it came your turn, all the preparation and anticipation was over in that flashy instant, leaving you wondering... was my hair right? was my smile ok?

then came the day when the packets were distributed. is that REALLY how you smiled? REALLY? the best laid plans of hair and smiles came out like THIS?! no one could WAIT until their mom said it was ok to cut them up so they could trade photos with their friends.

here's what my kids came home with. the portrait package is $45.

this is a pretty cute photo of her, but she has jutted her lower jaw out and grinned perfectly so that her "tooth-hole" shows. the shirt UNDERNEATH the coat is the one she chose to wear for pictures, but when it came right down to it, she wanted the fur collar in her photo. very, very in keeping with her personality. don't think i'll spend $45 on it. we have better snapshots of her.

poor h. he hates having his picture taken. he runs and hides. probably because when the photo isn't candid he looks like this. like he's in pain. this is not a smile, it's a grimace! although i do like his choice of shirt and the color they chose for the background. red has always been his favorite color. again, why waste $45?

the frenzy is over until next year.

the winner is...

2007-10-16T12:57:00.000-04:00

okay, i'm literally digging in the hat through the book giveaway entries to find a winner.

and that person is... none other than...

ML at zee's space! YAYYYYYY! congratulations ML!

thanks for entering, and i'll try this again soon, i promise.

inherit the book!

2007-10-07T11:03:00.001-04:00

last night, while "reading silently" alongside my daughter (who was finishing her first "junie b jones" novel) i finished "the boleyn inheritance."

i'm just a sucker for stories of british royalty, and historical fiction in general. give me a fictionalized tudor romance and i am in heaven! philippa gregory did not let me down with this one. although less sweeping and romantic than some of her other novels (the queen's fool, the contant princess), it still described a time in the tudor history that is not often written in novels.

this book follows each of the lives of 3 women in first person: anne of cleves, jane boleyn, and katherine howard.

anne of cleves came was chosen by henry viii to be his fourth wife after jane seymour died giving birth to prince edward. anne was a lonely german woman who was purportedly disgusted by the king (not knowing who he was) upon their first meeting. he marries her regardless, but then divorces her 6 months later. he allows her to live (!) and calls her "sister" from that point on.

jane boleyn was the sister-in-law to anne boleyn. she was married to anne's brother george and gave testimony that sent the both of them to be beheaded on the tower green. she is a lady-in-waiting to both anne of cleves and katherine howard, and her scheming in these courts just may be her downfall.

katherine howard, cousin to anne boleyn, was a maid in waiting to anne of cleves when she caught the eye of the king. at only age 15, she was made the 5th queen of henry viii shortly after his divorce from anne. she is portrayed as young, vain and fickle.

i'm giving this book away to anyone, anywhere that wants it. if you'd like to throw your name into the hat, just leave a comment on this post. i'll pick a winner from the comments next sunday.

kinz craze!

2007-10-04T08:01:00.000-04:00

i can only imagine that a few of you parents out there are shaking your heads sadly at the title of this post. you know, all too well, the fury that is webkinz. it's the phenomenon sweeping the nation, selling out stores, and causing a frenzy in the elementary-school set, much the way that beanie babies did in the last decade.

here's the deal: you buy the small plush animal for an exorbitant price. regular sized webkinz are not much larger than a beanie baby and cost between $12 and $15. their smaller cousins, the little kinz, cost $11- $13. OH! that is unless it's a hard-to-find kinz, then you'll pay out the nose for it on ebay.

next, you find the code on the tag secured to the webkinz' leg. you enter the code at the webkinz website and "adopt" your pet into the webkinz world. then, and only then, can you be a part of the webkinz mystique.

once into the online webkinz world, your adopted and named pet gets his or her own room to decorate. for this you need kinzcash, and there are several different ways to earn kinzcash on the site. the easiest way is to play arcade games or answer trivia questions. other ways include gem hunting or "caring" for your pet by clicking a button that proclaims you care.

you can also dress your pet, make it do specific movements, garden, bathe, and take your pet to the doctor. there are chat rooms decked out to look like pool halls and playgrounds where you can "chat" using a set number of pre-approved phrases. you can find your friends' pets, and invite them to your house, or challenge them to a tournament.

my kids, as well as all the other kids on the bus, are simply gaga over webkinz. it takes my kids almost a month to save up the allowance to buy a new one, and they patiently bide their time until they have the cold, hard cash in hand. then we go on a hunt to find the little critters. the dilemma then is WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE? and WHAT TO NAME IT? it's so engrossing and important to these kids. and they must go on the website every day to care for their virtual pets. they've even worked out petsitting deals with kids who will be out-of-town.

it's craziness, the likes of which i remember from the cabbage patch frenzy i experienced as a kid. i keep thinking, "this too shall pass," but i'm afraid it will be around a whole lot longer before it passes. i'll keep you updated!

message in a bottle

2007-10-03T06:23:00.000-04:00

just a quick post...

my parents' neighbors were walking along the beach, picking up garbage one day recently when they found a sealed bottle with a note inside. they opened the bottle and found wedding vows and a wedding date from a couple in wisconsin.

the eerie thing was that they had been married on the same date 28 years earlier! they got in contact, and are going to be on the cbs early show this morning. for the full version read here

isn't that cool? haven't you always wanted to find a message in a bottle?

the tooth fairy strikes again!

2007-10-02T06:13:00.000-04:00

yesterday afternoon, s an i were sitting in the dance studio, waiting for h to be done with his class. she was talking, and i could see that her lower tooth was sticking out just a little bit.

"hey, do you have a loose tooth?" i asked her. she wiggled at a couple, asking, "this one?" "this one?" and i said "no, THIS one," and wiggled at the tooth. sure enough, it was just a little loose.

what a novelty to her! her first loose tooth! she got this deep belly chuckle, and she wiggled and giggled. the laughter was contagious, and a few people started laughing too, and encouraging her. the laugh got deeper and deeper as the attention and excitement mounted and then, *POP*! the tooth snapped forward and almost fell out. although it was bleeding a little bit, she just couldn't stop laughing.

we went to get pizza before we went home, and she got a little whiny because that tooth made it hard to eat. she managed well enough with little nibbles. when we got home, she raced out to the studio to show her daddy the loose tooth.

we all sat down to do homework, and as she was working, she was also wiggling, wiggling. i was helping h with a math problem when she started shrieking. "I LOST IT! I LOST IT!" we raced back to the studio to show daddy, and made plans for the tooth fairy. so much excitement we almost forgot about homework!

she called grandma and told her the story. she added that she was a bit "cantankerous" (her word, not mine) that she wouldn't have a tooth to wiggle anymore. heck, i think the cantankerousness will vanish as soon as she sees that green under her pillow. all the more money to buy webkinz!

the war

2007-10-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

has anyone been watching the war? it's a pbs documentary series about wwII made by ken burns.

it's been on for about a week now, but since we had planned on buying the dvd set, we hadn't been watching. while flipping channels last night, we got hooked and drawn in by the most recent episode. it is so personal and sensitive, gripping and terrifying. t and i were unable to tear ourselves away, and wept openly at the images, footage, and reminiscences.

after recently listening to an acquaintance bitch, whine, moan and complain about her terrible life (that is really quite blessed) and how no anti-depressants will work for her, i thought to myself... perhaps therapists should start prescribing "the war." this documentary really takes you out of yourself and your own problems and into the difficulties faced by these people in that time of world war. nothing in my life, or the lives of anyone i know at the moment, could even compare.

it made me grateful to the soldiers for securing the world in which we now live. it made me thankful for every single last person, thing and minute i have in this life. and that was only part of one episode.

kids, it's that good.

busy weekend!

2007-09-17T08:30:00.001-04:00

i'll apologize in advance for the image-heavy post. sometimes pictures tell the story better than words can, especially when it's morning and the coffee is only half-drank. half-drunk? which is it? see, i can't quite form a complete thought yet.

first thing this weekend, the kids got proactive and made their own halloween decorations. this lovely bat made by h is hanging over our heads in the kitchen.
and this one-eyed giant greets us when we walk into the garage.
then, t decided to take the kids to the chatham county fair in pittsboro. it's a complete rip-off, almost $4 per crappy little ride. but hey, it was fun, and it was something to do. all the fair photos were taken with his iphone, btw.

they both got to try their hand at milking a "doot," more commonly known as a goat. "doot" is what h called 'em when he was a tiny little guy.
they got home and got ready for bed. s fell fast asleep while h buried his nose in harry potter until he got sleepy. the phone rang, and it was the people that run the fair. guess what? they had some door prizes and h won a brand-new bike and matching helmet. t jumped back in the car to retrieve it, and before h went to sleep he got to see the shiny new bike. i'll bet he had sweet dreams, 'cause at 7 am sunday morning he was ready for a ride. he and i, along with jane (the dog who loves to herd bikes), took a spin around the block to test it out. luckiest kid on the planet, huh?

not MY daughter

2007-09-14T17:42:00.000-04:00

at the beginning of first grade, the teachers do reading, writing and math assessments to discern a student's level as well as their strengths and weaknesses. the writing assessment came home today in my daughter's backpack. among the written pages was this one:
now personally, i think SHE has lost her minb if she likes spongebob better than any other tv show. why?? what is it about spongebob? does anybody get it? i can't believe that a child that sprang forth from my loins could like this show. i have seen every episode 42, 987 times (only a quarter as many as my friend kim has seen it) and i still don't understand. i am so baffled by her choice of animated shows. i mean, what's not to like about the fairly oddparents?? timmy turner ROCKS! floaty crowny things make me laugh! oh, and don't even get me started on foster's home for imaginary friends. the antics of that crazy bloo! pure entertainment.

so why does she watch hour upon hour of spongebob? *sob* why?

can anyone help me?

t's new coif

2007-09-06T19:24:00.000-04:00

my sweet and darling husband is infamous for his hair. he has massive hair, hair that almost has a life of its own. on top of his enigmatic personality, it takes on even more life. it's BIG. really big. here's a recent photo of his hair, looking rather tame, on the first day of school:

he finally decided it was time for a change. it hasn't been short-short in years! but when t goes short, he has to do it in true t style. nothing conservative, boring or bland. we both are hair adventurers and we have the irrepressible andrea (pronounced "ON-drea") to continually, over the course of many years, to make our dream tresses become reality.

here's the result:

and here's the leftover pile:

knight in shining armor

2007-08-31T17:06:00.001-04:00

i needed to run some errands at target today, and on my way there i drive perilously close to the tj maxx homegoods store. there's never any harm in taking a quick spin through that place... you never know what interesting item or good bargain they may have. unbelievable! they already had their halloween decor in stock. halloween is 2 months away! ah, no bother. and there, shining among the witch-painted nutcrackers and pumpkin-shaped cast iron tureens was a knight. a knight in shining armor. a handsome fellow at about 6.5 feet tall, he beckoned to me. thinking that he may be a fixture belonging to the store, i scanned for a price tag. "$99," it proclained on the sticky tag between his shoulder blades. now, that's a load of cash, but not for something that i so clearly needed for the rest of my life as this knight. he was the kind of item i'd be kicking myself over forever if i didn't buy him.

i went to pay for him, and assistance was needed to spirit him to the front of the store. the kink in the plan? i had not brought the minivan, but had instead tried to conserve both gas and mileage by taking the little sedan. no way was my new friend going to fit in the car. not to be discouraged, i had them place a hold tag on him, with the promise that i would return in the minivan later.

i raced through target, raced home only a mere half-hour away, then jumped in the van in the hopes i could get there and back again in time to get the kids off the bus. in record time i got there, paid, and hoisted my man into the minivan. several people stopped & rolled down their windows in the parking lot. "is the knight INCLUDED with the shining armor?" one woman asked.

who could resist dragging him to the end of the driveway to meet the kids at the bus? it was fun to see their faces as they got off the bus to see our new family mascot waiting for them. we decided that he could live on the front porch for now to herald all visitors. our dilemma now is what to name him? any suggestions are welcome, as long as the name begins with "sir."

here he is, in all his splendor, on our front porch.

postscript: what do you think of the name sir ferrous oxidable?

FREE AT LAST!!

2007-08-27T08:02:00.000-04:00

no, that's not REALLY how i feel. the kids going back to school is bittersweet. at the same moment i miss them, i'm happy for them! they're excited to get on the bus, see their friends, and experience another year of learning. luckily, they still love school.
this morning was not the best for h. t and the kids camped out in the backyard on friday night, and as a result, he is riddled with bug bites. the worst bites being... where else?... on his scrotum. honestly. so the poor kid, despite globs of hydrocortisone cream, was clutching at his crotch whilst awaiting the bus. it's bad enough that i'm telling the story online; i won't mortify him by adding the photographic evidence. so if he looks less-than-thrilled in the photo, that's why.

he's going into 3rd grade, and has a veteran teacher that everyone says is big on projects. i say... BRING IT ON! hopefully she'll be cool about me volunteering in the class once a week. s's teacher... SURPRISE!... is the same one as last year! i am pleased as punch that this teacher got moved to first grade because I LOVE HER and the assistant teacher to bits. they create a classroom of fun, love and laughter that i am thrilled to be a part of (inexcusable dangling participle). also, we've had some separation anxiety issues with our daughter over the summer, and having teachers to whom she's already attached will ease the transition. heck, she bawled a few times over the summer because she missed her TEACHERS so much!

hope everyone's transition back to school is going as well as ours! well, except the itchy balls part.

you alright?

2007-07-29T16:27:00.000-04:00

while in london a few weeks ago, i noticed that friendly folks here and there were asking me if i was alright. "you alright?" they'd ask. or maybe, "are you okay?" i don't know about you, but i was really starting to think that maybe i had a large pustule on my face. or perhaps i looked quite lost. or maybe, just maybe, i looked so stupid that they couldn't help but ask me if i was okay since i could be a damsel in distress in need of rescuing.

this question got asked of me one too many times, and i began to get suspicious. either there really WAS something visibly wrong with me, or it was an idiosyncrasy of british english rather than american english. i asked a very nice british guy named jake (a talented and hilarious artist) if i was going crazy or what.

he kindly informed me that "you alright?" is a kind of british way of saying "how you doin'?" AH! problem solved. we had a long talk about all the ways that british and american english are entirely different. like "lift" and "loo" instead of elevator and bathroom. it's funny that although we're technically speaking the same language, "to get pissed" there is to get drunk, while here it is to get angry. hm.

well, here's an obligatory photo of t 'n' me in front of the tower bridge.

walking the dog

2007-07-10T08:46:00.000-04:00

this accidental photo of jane and s was taken at sunset the other day... gives new meaning to the phrase "walking the dog," doesn't it?

it's my 34th birthday and we're still chilling at the lake. we celebrated at dinnertime saturday night with my favorite cake- triple chocolate, what else? i am so predictable. my gram, my little brother and kate, and my folks were here. they gave me lovely jewelry, a cookbook, and what else? chocolate. hey, a gift of chocolate to me is a guaranteed success.

t and i are separately, and in 2 states, preparing for our thursday trip to london. no, no, it's not a fun sightseeing trip this time, but a working trip. he and i are flying separately, then meeting up at the airport. we'll only be there 4 days, and most of that time will be at the STAR WARS CELEBRATION EUROPE where he will be displaying his limited edition star wars print. it will be so nice to see my love again after a couple of weeks apart!

what a trip

2007-07-04T20:17:00.000-04:00

a week ago tomorrow, we started out on our annual trip to michigan to stay with my folks at their place on lake michigan. when i say "we" i mean the kids, the dog, and me. t stays home and slams down as much work as possible in the month that we're gone. he keeps meaning to come with us, but work keeps getting in the way.

my dad, who is retired, is kind enough to fly to nc then drive a minivan full of madness through 5 states back to his own home, delivering us safely to grandma. what a guy, huh? let's hear it for my dad.

we started out on my almost-bald tires, but when we discovered that there would be rain in the mountains of west virginia, a detour to discount tire was in order. this, of course, set us back a couple of hours and several hundred dollars (not to mention a pleasant 2 hour walk around a shady parking lot with 2 kids and a dog), but we kept on trucking. 8 hours of driving, and we were through akron, ohio, and decided to stop at a motel. finding one that took dogs proved to be a little tricky, but the shady-looking motel6 said okay, so there we camped. turns out it was a "ho"-tel with lovely ladies turning LOUD tricks in the next room. good thing dad didn't have his hearing aids in.

on the road again on friday morning, we realized that after many stops and many walks, the dog still hadn't done her business. not any kind of business. well, you can't force a dog to go, so we just stopped every couple of hours and let her walk, but to no avail. 15 minutes before reaching our destination, the dog finally couldn't hold her bladder any longer, and the splashing noise coming from the back of the van could only mean one thing.

for the past week, we have had a great time playing with my older brother, nephew and niece who are close in age to my kids. here's a pic of the cousins:

and here's a pic of me with my BIG little brother and my little big brother.

everybody (but us) left today, so it's a little quieter around here.

whatever happened to kabbalah?

2007-06-26T21:09:00.004-04:00

the ancient religion, passed down through thousands of years of religious scholarship?

adopted by madonna, and her family by proxy, it was trendily passed along to the likes of britney spears, lindsay lohan and paris hilton who were all, at one time or other, seen sporting the red string around their wrist as a sign of their true learning of the mysticism.

ashton kutcher and rocco ritchie followed the rites, possibly only as followers to their wife and mother, respectively. we all remember the photos of ashton in white, rocco with long hair.

what the heck happened? have celebrities turned even an ancient religion trendy? has kabbalah HAD it's 15 minutes of fame? after being in existence for thousands of years? the shallow celebrities have turned it into a mockery, amongst outdated fashions like bubble skirts and zip-ankle jeans.

for shame, for shame.

whatever happened to kabbalah?

curl experiment

2007-06-23T17:05:00.001-04:00

do any of you remember those little pink sponge hair rollers from when you were a kid?

you'd wash your hair at night, then your mom would wind sections of your hair onto a zillion rollers which snapped securely at the top. then, you'd feebly attempt to sleep on a pillow of pink plastic and crackly-sounding sponge, tossing and turning, and pulling your hairs out by the scalp in the process.

in the morning, mom would carefully unroll the curls, one at a time, and you'd have a headful of curls that would make shirley temple blush.

well, my girl wanted to test this theory. so we went to target, bought a pack of old-fashioned rollers and a pack of newfangled "spiral" rollers. we washed, conditioned, gelled, and rolled. she slept, but when i asked her in the morning HOW she slept, she said, "OK." when i asked if she'd do it again for curls, she said, "sure." we unwrapped the curls, and here is the result.

hey, susan, if you're reading this you can see the tomato plants peeking into the corner of the top photo. they are hugely insane and out-of-control. more later on them...

7 things...

2007-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

ML at zee's space tagged me to write about 7 things that happened to me as a teen. reliving even a moment of those years makes me want to choke, but i'll give it a shot.

1. my friend jill was housesitting our senior year and asked me to stay with her so she wouldn't be alone in a strange place. she and her boyfriend were having a fight, so i went to bed. when she finally came up to bed (we were sharing the same one) i was half-asleep, but heard her clearly and distictly say, "keep your tongue and your lips AWAY from my body." "were you worried?" i replied. turns out she was talking to the dog. it's been a running joke ever since.

2. i took a trip across the country with my friend leslie (shout out to les-o-lee!) and her mom and dad when i was 13. we traveled in their naugahyde-upholstered station wagon hauling a camper. it was the first time i had traveled ANYWHERE, and these folks have no idea how badly i was bitten by the travel bug after that. we saw mt rushmore and yellowstone, as well as countless gorgeous campgrounds. check out the extreme hair on my head. leslie and i reconnected a few years ago after i google-stalked her, and have had fun getting to know eachother again.

3. i met my husband. i moved from suburban indianapolis to suburban detroit between my sophomore and junior years. we were 16. here's photographic evidence from the yearbook... we were in a play together. he was my father in the play (the guy holding the plant on the left) and i was a bride (in the middle). so i've known him more than half my life. jill, from #1 was also in the play, and it's where i met her, too.

4. tommy and i were voted class artists our senior year. hoo boy! more extreme hair.

5. i spent the summer after i graduated from high school out west with a geology program through the university of michigan's camp davis. it was based near jackson, wyoming, but during the program we travelled to montana, utah, nevada and idaho. i'll never forget the incredible time i had or the stunning sights i saw. oh, and it was a great way to kill 8 credit hours of science... not my best subject. i have many, many photos, but don't feel like scanning at the moment.

6. after i got back from that trip i had both of my jaws cracked open, replaced, and screwed back together. it was supposed to correct my bite. it was interesting.

7. when i got my driver's license, my folks gave me my dad's old company car to drive. it was a late 80's model 4-door black cutlass. i named him slick elliot. i loved that car. senior year, my friends and i painted poster-paint on our cars before graduation, and the paint baked into the finish, permanently etching the inane crap we had written into the paint of the car. my parents sold him after i graduated and went to college, and he was shortly thereafter wrecked. boo-hoo!

don't get used to it!

2007-06-08T07:50:00.000-04:00

two posts in two days... i'm not sure i can live up to it for long! let's take things s-l-o-w-l-y, ok kids? mama can only do so much in a day (if i had a penny for every time my kids had to hear that!).

last day of school for my babies! and, with CAMERA IN HAND (wahoo!) i walked them to the end of the driveway to meet their fate. the bus, that is.

they haven't seen a camera in weeks... probably the longest they've gone in their lives without me in their faces, snapping shots of them. i'm shameless with a camera in hand! we have archives in the thousands. well backed-up, of course.

they were adequately corny on this muggy, doomed-to-be-hot morning.

where have i seen this face before?! i don't know where she gets it.

the dog got in on the action... poor jane is inexplicably scared of the camera, so i have very few shots of her looking anything other than terrified. she gets this sheepish, pathetic "don't kill me" look. what a funny girl.

i'm a mess

2007-06-07T16:01:00.000-04:00

well, now that i actually visited my own blog, there's hope that i may be able to read all of YOUR blogs soon, too.

sorry it's been a while, folks.

the last remaining camera broke, so i couldn't post photos. of anything. seeing as how i'm visually oriented, that was a big blow.

the dog rolled in poop the other day and when i told her to stay outside while i got a bath ready, she disappeared, only to come back "bathed." i think she went to a pond or ditch and washed herself. is that weird?

if we have to go to another rehearsal, recital, holiday party, birthday party, end-of-year party or party to celebrate all the parties i'm going to fall apart. at the school today i started crying. what a dork! it was just so sweet and emotional.

there's so much more, but at least i put up something.

tomorrow, summer officially starts at 12;30 pm.

ilex vomitoria

2007-05-17T19:37:00.000-04:00

i just love the name of the holly i got the other day. the english name is lovely as well... weeping yaupon. isn't that poetic? i now invite you to write a poem on the name of your choice... ilex vomitoria or weeping yaupon. you choose.

my friend jen, our neighbor angie, and 2 of jen's kids piled up in her big red truck (i kinda felt like the wiggles... "toot toot chugga chugga big red car") and drove the distance to broadwell's. what is broadwells, you ask? why nothing less than landscape mecca. it is a huge landscape supply company, which means that it sells plants to garden centers and nurseries wholesale. and to 3 women and 2 kids in a big red truck. wholesale.

now, broadwell's is not for the wimpy woman, the squeamish or the faint of heart. what you do is drive your truck down the rutted and dusty trails between the acres of potted plants, carefully avoiding the sprinkler poles, and load up the truck with whatever you want. it's a little tricky as there are NO PRICES and NO LABELS. it's your guess as to what a plant is and how much it might cost when you get to the guy at the front.

huge, heavy, dripping buckets of cherry treees, messily heaved in to the bed of the truck. dwarf junipers by the dozen. big manly woman arms hoisting hollies upon hollies. we easily packed that truck chock-full of more plants than we could possibly have time to dig holes for. no matter. this was broadwell's! and it inspired all of us to bite off more than we could chew.

strutting through a barn were two peacocks and a peahen. we breathed the dusty, hot air. we bumped down the road. we carefully navigated the turns until at last, we were sated. tired, thirsty, hungry and dirty, we approached the man in the cowboy hat for our grand total. he contemplated with his calculator our bed full of greenery. "$221.50," he said. it's criminal how much we got for just a bit over $200. he helped us wrap the branches in a tarp for wind protection, and we were off to chick-fil-a and dunkin donuts for some much-needed reparations.

i got home and the golden glow abated. i was stuck with a bunch of plants, rock-hard clay soil, and no one to dig me a hole. my back ached just THINKING about planting all this stuff. when i awoke this morning, i found that jane (2 year old border collie) had taken care of at least 2 of my little problems by decimating some dwarf barberry shrubs. no bother! they were only $3 each! and 2 less holes to dig!

at about 5:45, tommy was leaving to go on a motorcycle ride with his pals, and hollered in to me, "lance and his friend are here to dig holes!"

WHAT?!

jen had sent her 13 year old son and his friend robbie to dig my holes for me. they spent 2 dutiful hours digging and planting ALL of my shrubs and plants. i'm so relieved i could cry! and of course i spent my last scraped-together dime to get my wolfman son a $12 (cash only) haircut earlier today. so i couldn't even slip the kids a twenty. no matter, i'll get to the atm asap in the morning and show my gratitude in monetary form. that IS what 13 year old boys want, right?

i called jen, and we have plans to return to broadwell's next wednesday for more. gluttons for punishment, aren't we?

there's a stormtrooper on my driveway!

2007-05-12T17:05:00.000-04:00

you always have to stay tuned at our house, 'cause you NEVER know what might happen next.

when we got home from dance class, there was a stormtrooper and some imperial officers in our driveway!
they came into our home and invaded our kitchen...

they proceeded to seize control of our children!

they blasted their way out to the studio...

where they presented tommy with the almost-unheard-of honorary membership into the 501st legion. he is now an official plaque-toting, card-carrying member, and will soon even have his own collector's trading card. why? for his contributions to star wars through his art.

ain't it cool? what a fun day for us all.

once were babies

2007-05-10T13:30:00.000-04:00

each school day, i walk down to the end of the driveway and wait for the big yellow school bus to pull up and spit my babies out and back into my arms.

you'd think it would stop being shocking to me when the babies that get off the bus are tall, with long, thin legs. they are laughing at friends' jokes, they are toothy and a little gawky. they ARE NOT BABIES. they are KIDS. they hug and kiss me as they always have, even though their friends are watching, and i'm wondering when this, too, will stop. hopefully never!

i still see them as my babies, and there's a good possibility that i always will see them as my babies, even though they are no longer babies.

the above photo sits on our mantel and reminds me of those funny and difficult days when they were very small. h was a total nutcase... into everything, never sleeping, and very dynamically creative. a shy in public mama's boy. s was bright, sunny, easygoing, and sweet. the photo has their personalities... from both then AND now... intact.

ride for kids

2007-05-07T09:37:00.000-04:00

please check out tommy's post on his weekend charity motorcycle ride for kids with brain tumors. i can't say it any better than he can... other than to say how proud i am of him and how grateful to all the bikers for raising funds that help these kids' families afford to care for their sick children, and for the surviving kids to be able to attend college. how cool is that?

all these QUESTIONS!

2007-05-03T17:27:00.000-04:00

recently j from thinking about... had a different kind of question meme on her blog. she answered the personal interview questions another blogger had asked her, and she in turn offered to interview anyone else that asked.

here are the questions that she asked me....

Is there any food you could eat every day without getting sick of it?

absolutely! i could eat chocolate in it's many and varied forms day in and day out without fail. and i do.

Are there brands you are loyal to? Anything, car, computer, food products, whatever.

hmmm... i suppose we are (now) loyal mac users. as far as clothing & food go, i go for the cheapest brand.

Salty or sweet? What’s your favorite craving?

salty then sweet then salty then sweet. i alternate. right now i love "take 5" candy bars which combine salty and sweet and it's deadly.

TP….over or under?

over! of course! is there any other way??

Could you give up your cell phone for a month?

without even batting an eye. i hardly ever even use the thing. i hate being bothered/interrupted by it. i have no idea how to text message.

Here are the rules, if you would like to be interviewed:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

a big thank you to j for the questions, and if you'd like to be interviewed, let me know.

i got nothin'.

2007-05-01T20:33:00.000-04:00

well, i got somethin'. but it ain't much today.

seems there's a million and one posts stuck in my head, and i think... "after i feed the cat. after i walk the dog. after i work for an hour. after i make dinner." then it somehow never happens.

blake is singing "you give love a bad name" on bon jovi night on american idol in the background, and somehow beatboxing just doesn't mix with 80's big hair rock.

anyhow, i'll offer you a piece of s art. she's budding into quite the little designer these days! here's the process on this one:

she's OBSESSED with pets. dogs and cats particularly, and ads or catalog photos of these pets make her screech at a decibel only HEARD by most pets. she cuts out these photos and usually adds them to her animal collage, which i will need to feature in another post as i don't have a photo of it and the camera's dead.

this particular kitty pic must have struck her fancy for she chose to make a puppet of it instead. first we tried a paper bag puppet, but it just wasn't happenin'. then we decided a stick puppet would be better, so we stuck the kitty head on a popsicle stick. it wasn't quite enough detail for my kindergartener, so she broke apart other sticks to make arms and legs. the stick-tail inexplicably got stuck to the FRONT of the cat, making it look a bit more like another kind of appendage, but i'll let that go. she added the cute little a-line dress and a picture drawn by the kitty herself in the hand and VOILA! instant stick puppet.

cute, huh?

going on safari with a firefox

2007-04-26T12:04:00.000-04:00

doesn't that sound EXOTIC? it's really just the silly names of web browsers. what was wrong with something self-explanatory like, say... internet explorer? told us EXACTLY what we were to do with it.

when we got the imac, it came with the browser safari, and i noticed that blogger lost many of it's posting abilities, such as spell check (horror) and links. i could probably do this in html, but you remember how inept i am, right? someone told t that firefox is a better mac-based web browser, and will show many things on the internet that safari will not. lo and behold, they were right! so here i am on firefox, and i'm able to check spelling, link, italicize, and change colors again.. ain't life grand?

poo day

2007-04-25T08:13:00.000-04:00

it's just one of those days.

i read this in the paper this morning. i'm SURE it's really a great learning tool for a very treatable and curable cancer, but all i could think was... LET'S GO FIND OUT WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A POO! call me crazy, but after waking up at 4 am from insomnia, i was a little slap-happy by 8 am.

especially after last night. t had just gotten done saying goodnight to the kids when he came down to the living room where i was raptly focused on american idol. thank goodness for tivo and being able to pause live tv, because it took me awhile to recover from what he said.

"you'll never believe what s said to me."

apparently, she had told t that something stank in her bedroom. she put her fingers up to either side of her nose (smell meter) and took a big whiff. "it smells like old coins," she said. "i think it's your breath, daddy. it smells like old coins and poop."

when he told me this, i was laughing so hard that i literally could NOT catch my breath, and tears were streaming down my face. old coins? poop?! where does she come up with this stuff? it just hit me in a really strange way, and i've been laughing ever since.

by the way, he told her that he'd go brush his teeth immediately, and would never again eat old coins and poop for dinner. i have a funny feeling that this one will live on as a family legend. any of you have similar family legends?

hairy

2007-04-24T09:51:00.000-04:00

here's a photo of my hair for all those who requested. i know it's hard to see the color, but i used the camera on the imac and the "photo booth" program that the kids have gone gaga over!

it's my first professional color job in awhile, usually i go with drugstore color as i'm a) not wealthy enough to change my color as frequently as i like and b) i'm extremely fickle with haircolor. actually, i'm extremely fickle with hair styles as well.

off to school to be with my kids! i've got some great art done by s that i need to share soon.

random

2007-04-23T07:46:00.000-04:00

i'm feeling a bit crabby this morning (imagine that) but i have no coffee coursing through my veins as of yet, so i should just wait and see if that is the cure. been taking flonase for my Seasonal Nasal Allergies and it's really helping the sinus pressure, drainage, and general misery. maybe i just need to get some more exercise (t and i are taking the bike to the gym today and endorphins always perk anyone up. jane wants a walk this morning too but mama hates cold so mama's waiting until it's warmer outside. seeing as how it's supposed to be 84 degrees today, we won't have to wait long.

i got my hair done last week and it looks really cool. she cut it higher in the back, then chin-length in the front. luckily she had a cancellation and was able to do some fun colors in it as well, highlights and lowlights and it's kinda blonde for the first time in a long time. andrea (pronounced ON-dreea), my genius hairdresser of oh, seven years or so, agreed to sell some of my bags at her salon. since i enjoy making the bags for the time being (i'm sure i'll get sick of it soon enough) it may keep our family in "free" haircuts for awhile. the barter system... it works!

a fan of t's artwork in japan sent us a big, wonderful package chock-full of harry potter products featuring t's art from the first movie. coooool! exclusive stuff that it not available here. waaaaay cool! she also sent japanese hair accessories for s and me. she's restored even more of my faith in the kindness of humanity throughout the globe. i asked what i could send in return for her kindness, and she chose an american nasal allergy spray since they are supposedly not as strong in japan. wish i could pack her up some flonase since the stuff works so well, but i don't think i can transfer a presciption, especially across the pacific.

speaking of t, he (YAY!) started a blog. and because he's so ultra cool and stuff, he's already getting more comments than i am! what a bum. but he has an official fan club and all, so they're checking it out. he has raised over $1700 (i think) for his ride for kids. isn't that phenomenal?

the coffee pot beeped a few minutes ago, so must drink. happy week, everybody!

history meme

2007-04-19T18:49:00.000-04:00

i was tagged by booklogged over at in season for this meme...

1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birth date only -without the year.

july 10

2. List 3 events that occurred that day:

988 - The City of Dublin is founded on the banks of the river Liffey.
1821 - The United States takes possession of its newly-bought territory of Florida from Spain.
1938 - Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world.

3. List 2 important birthdays:

1830 - Camille Pissarro, French painter (d. 1903)
1871 - Marcel Proust, French writer (d. 1922)

4. List 1 death: (that's all, folks!)

1989 - Mel Blanc, American voice actor (voiced Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Barney Rubble, etc.) (b. 1908)

5. List a holiday or observance:

Bahamas - Independence Day.

hey, this was a fun one, and i even learned a few things. i'll tag anyone that wants to play. thanks, booklogged!

making the switch

2007-04-17T18:43:00.000-04:00

we're making the switch from pc to dell for our home computer. we already use mac for work and travel, but our house had a dell because we needed satellite internet when we first moved to the boonies and satellite internet needed a pc. now that the pc is 5 years old and so slow and outdated as to be nearly unusable, we have dsl internet. problem solved, we can switch back to mac.

it's an interesting transition, and is taking loads of time to get all our "stuff" from one to the other. i think in the end of it all we'll be far happier. already i'm far happier with the SPEED!

and guess who's the lucky recipient of the dell?? mom n dad when they come to visit. lucky them!

because susan was wondering...

2007-04-16T08:25:00.000-04:00

...about my favorite song sung by ernie on "sesame street." this is it, and if you watch it, maybe you'll understand the sentiment i feel when i hear it. i've been a lifelong sesame street fan and am SO GLAD that s is showing interest in it again after a few years off. i sit and watch it with her!

there's another version of this song with aaron neville that is simply amazing, and a version sung with shawn colvin that is very nice as well.

cheater cheater pumpkin eater

2007-04-12T19:41:00.000-04:00

a few posts ago, susan at porcini chronicles asked if i would post on this topic...

The Seven Songs I Would Pick If I Could Only Listen To Seven Songs For The Rest Of My Life, Which, Yeah, Like Someone Is Going To Impose That...

and her challenge tormented me. seven? only seven? i listened to all the 5-star-rated tunes on my ipod for a few days. i jotted, i thought. i scribbled out and re-added songs. why would this be so impotant to me? i'm not sure why, but i just couldn't narrow the list.

then, the lovely lainey-paney over at life is just so daily tagged me to post my 3 favorite songs. i suddenly saw a way out of my dilemma. 7 + 3=10, right? ten songs! i didn't have to narrow it down to seven anymore! the challenge seemed surmountable now!

here they are, the 10 songs i consider my favorite, in no particular order. difficult, because they are changeable due to mood, year, insanity... whatever. i'm so noncommittal, aren't i?

i don't want to live on the moon by ernie from sesame street
the rainbow connection by kermit from the muppets
walkin' after midnight by patsy cline
mr blue sky by elo
you put your arms around me by sinead o'connor
long may you run by neil young
ob-la-di, ob-la-da by the beatles (sorry j)
one by u2
the obvious child by paul simon

anyone else that wants to play by my cheater's rules, be my guest. i'd love to see what y'all have to say.

kudos

2007-04-11T14:29:00.000-04:00

i

made

an

image

link.

IT IS A MIRACLE! I AM SO HTML CHALLENGED!

look in the left toolbar at the "ride for kids" photo. it actually links to the donation site.

for real!

i am so proud of myself, so here's a pat on the back to me.

vibrating shiatsu bed with built-in footwarmer!

2007-04-10T13:29:00.000-04:00

while lying in bed this morning, somewhere between consciousness and sleep, i thought, "how lucky am i?"

one cat on the bed purring loudly, the other cat on my back purring almost as loudly, and the two of them together making the whole bed seem to rumble. the cat on my back is massaging with his front paws, nice and relaxing.

upon my feet lies the nice, warm, furry dog.

do we live in the lap of luxury or what?

ride for kids

2007-04-07T10:44:00.000-04:00

warning: a shameless request for a fundraiser follows!

on may 6th, my darling husband is participating in the triangle ride for kids , a motorcycle trip through our beautiful area to raise funds for the pediatric brain tumor foundation.

i'm trying to make a button to go in my left toolbar, but please be patient with me! if you'd like to make a secure, tax-deductible donation by credit card, or would like any more information about this ride, you can go to his personal fundraising page here.

thanks in advance to anyone generous enough to donate to this wonderful cause!

gripes

2007-04-05T21:50:00.000-04:00

yesterday i started-- and almost finished and posted-- a rant about the crappy day i had overreacting to relatively small annoyances. i got distracted, i didn't finish it (you have no idea how many times that happens to me) and i'm really glad i didn't. it was a self-indulgent bitch-fest, and i'm glad to now post a happy happy joy joy entry.

first of all, last night my friend jen and i (hi jen! she is a silent reader or "lurker" here) went out for sushi for her birthday. that is, i got big ol' slabs o' raw fishies while she got the cooked stuff. needless to say, i left sated and happy. the shopping beforehand didn't hurt the situation.

today i packed it in quickly and headed to school. can i tell you, I LOVE OUR SCHOOL. i'm waiting for something annoying and terrible to happen because we have had 3 years of luck, love, happiness and community at our little country school and i can't imagine a better environment for our kids. today i was in the kindergarten (tuesday i did the 2nd grade thang) because it was the last day before spring break.

first of all, they had a "carnival" for all the kids, k-8. it was just a few inflatable bouncing thingies and some little carnival games and some cotton candy thrown in to stick everything together, but it was so sweet! and the kids loved it. i thought for SURE it was all fun & games until someone got hurt but NO! not a tear in the house.

then, s's class had won the supply drive contest... that is... they had brought in the most supplies for the pta thrift shop. that meant PIZZA PARTY! so, after finger painting, we all washed our hands and dug into free pizza instead of cafeteria food. yahoo!

after the first 2 parties, it was clearly time for a third party in the kindergarten. an easter party! they all donned their bunny ears and grabbed their easter baskets made from milk jugs and hopped out to the palyground to hunt for eggs. so cute! after that, back to the classroom for treats (dessert i guess) and goody bags. what a day!

i know i talk to people whose teachers aren't allowed to even touch the kids to give them a hug when they are crying for politically correct reasons. i am proud to say that at our school the hugs and love are spread liberally over our children and I'M GLAD. there are so many parent volunteers, assistant teachers, support staff, and lead teachers to love on our kids it's not even funny. and it's a small enough school that my kids and i know many of the teachers, parents, and students personally. i feel like each one is watching out for my kids as if they were their own... i know that's what i do!

a few more good things came of the day, mostly that the lovely music teacher agreed to give s singing lessons after school, and h won the "caricature of the art teacher" contest. it's a truly hilarious piece, and i hope i can get a scan to show you. she said, "the drawing doesn't necessarily show what i look like on the OUTSIDE but rather what i feel like on the INSIDE."

t is gone to a concert tonight... seeing "peeping tom," a group fronted by mike patton of "faith no more" of whom he is a huge fan. i'm sipping wine, listening to tunes, and belting them out at the top of my lungs. whenever i get a touch of laryngitis, i find that this helps me get my singing voice back more quickly, and it's also therapy for the soul.

aren't you glad i didn't gripe?

backfire

2007-04-01T18:42:00.000-04:00

i've decided that i'm not only quitting this blog, but i'm going to delete the whole thing from the blogosphere forever.

april fools!

yesterday, s was all about tomorrow being april fools day. she went on and oN AND ON! about the tricks she was going to play on us... spiders crawling in the hair and the whole kindergarten nine yards. she plotted and schemed, and kept asking how much longer until she could fool us.

normally we forget the holiday entirely at our house, but since she had made such a big deal out of it, i suppose it was on our minds. while the kids were sitting on the sofa watching cartoons and eating pillsbury cinnamon rolls this morning, t walked up to s and said, "OH MY GOSH! I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A HUGE TICK IN MY LIFE AND IT'S CRAWLING ON YOUR FOREHEAD" to s. her face flushed, she looked entirely panicked, and you could almost see as the sweat beads began to form on her pretty little brow. "HOLD ON! LET ME GET IT OFF!" he hollered at her as she flinched.

"APRIL FOOL!" he blared, right at the same moment that she burst, wailing, into uncontrollable tears. i was laughing through my own tears as i held and rocked her, soothing that it was okay, it was just a joke. bad parents! bad, BAD parents!

she and i plotted how to get daddy back, and h in the process. when they came in from outside, she bounced up to them with a big grin and blurted, "I BROKE YOUR NEW REMOTE CONTROL DALEK! (a dalek is a robot totalitarian from bbc's hit show "dr who" that both our boys are nuts for)" daddy obviously knew it was a joke, so he made a big deal out of it, but poor h was in the background, his face crumpling.

"APRIL FOOL!" shouted s as h finally caught on and daddy declared how well she had "gotten" him. a minute later, she climbed up in my lap and said," mommy? do you promise you won't tell daddy something?" "of course i won't tell him, honey," i cajoled (i'll just post it on the internet for the entire world to see). "what is it?" she started to cry as she said, "when i told daddy about the dalek, i thought i was going to get in TROUBLE!" boo-hoo-hoo.

what a mess! i'm not sure we're quite ready for celebrating april fools day at our house. we'll try it again in 5 years and i'll let you know how it goes.

p.s. she got her hair put in french braids as a special treat for tolerating our bad parenting, so now she's bubbly again.

deterioration

2007-03-28T08:02:00.000-04:00

monday was a teacher workday, so the kids had a vacation day from school. yahooo! it was SO enthralling that they each came up with their dream for the day.

s's dream was to have her face painted like the one in our face painting book entitled "japanese doll." we did her hair in flowers and bows, and altogether i think it turned out pretty cute.

h's desire was to go to the "wooden park"... a big park with a wooden playstructure that we hadn't been to in a long time. the upshot was that we had to pack a picnic lunch also. done! what a fantastic idea for such a lovely 70 degree and sunny day. they bounced...
they pretended...
then they swang...

...ran, rolled, climbed and got red-faced and exhausted. we ate our picnic lunch of peanut butter sandwiches...

and by this time, with all the activity and fun, s's look had deteriorated to this...

she looked like she had mascara running down her face and was completely bedraggled and happy.

it was a good day.

electronics issues

2007-03-27T08:16:00.000-04:00

while on vacation, the first few days t and i took some nice photos to remember our tropical island trip. like these, for example...

and on the third evening, while taking a twilight stroll along the water's edge, the camera died with no warning. now, the camera was a cheapie to begin with, and had seen us through many a party, holiday, trip, and embarrassing moment, so we were only sad that we couldn't record any more memories. and those throwaway cameras they sell at the gift shops?? overpriced and they take lousy pictures.

we returned home and as we showed my folks the photos, we told them that there might be more but the camera had died. my mom got a funny look on her face, and proceeded to tell me that h had left our OTHER digital camera out in the rain one night while we were gone. "i didn't have the heart to scold him," she said. well, it WAS an accident, and i left a camera out in the rain a couple of years ago, so i agreed with her decision. i just asked him not to do it again. and the camera is kinda actually mostly fine, sort-of. it takes pictures, but is acting weird. i'll give it a matter of time before it, too, is dead.

the next day, my mom was grabbing something off the counter in our kitchen in preparation for their long trip back to michigan. after the grab, her watch band caught on our 3 year old cuisinart (my friend lisa says squeeze 'n' fart) grind 'n' brew thermal coffee maker and took it down to the floor, smashing some of the little plastic parts in the process. it may be fixable, and in the meantime she let me borrow the brand-new coffee maker that i had just bought for THEM until mine is fixed. i feel like an indian giver! or is that native american giver? or is that whole phrase in the pc wastebasket by now?

if all this wasn't enough, the FOLLOWING day, h was calling his sister from the computer room, "come check this out, s! it's REALLY cool!" my curiosity got the best of me, so i went in to see what was so cool. h was running a MAGNET along the surface of the COMPUTER MONITOR making pretty patterns and colors. "isn't it pretty?" he asked me. i was too busy scraping myself off the floor to answer. needless to say, i explained to him calmly and quietly that he most likely ruined the monitor for good, but that since he didn't know any better it was no big deal. just don't do it again. after degaussing the monitor a few times, it looks pretty good, but will never be quite the same.

of course i'm wondering what will go next, and i'm just hoping it's not one of the computers or a major appliance. or a car.

knock on wood.

hair scare

2007-03-23T08:57:00.000-04:00

last night s had a dream about a unicorn with a lovely rainbow-striped horn.

she woke up looking like this:

check out the sassy little pose on that girl!

i'm not sure what the night-time hair fairies are up to at our house, but i'm kinda scared to see what happens to t. after all, this is what the wind & humidity in the caribbean did to his hair:

we were eerily twin-like with our curl explosions... that is until i got the braids. maybe we should've gotten him braided too! THAT woulda been COOOOOOL.

last night i had the strangest dream...

2007-03-22T12:18:00.000-04:00

last night i dreamed that buckwheat from "our gang" was battling with medusa the snake haired woman who turned men to stone with her evil gaze ON MY HEAD.

this is what i found when i awoke:

hee hee! no, really, a gorgeous dominican woman tamed my wild curl-bomb head by the poolside last sunday with gobs of vaseline and deft fingers.

check out that fivehead on me! whew.

hola!

2007-03-21T12:57:00.000-04:00

it would make a much more interesting vacation story if i could tell you what miseries were had on our vacation to the grand palladium resort in punta cana, dominican republic. the terrible flight delays, the hotel switching rooms, the bars serving watered drinks, the restaurant food not only disgusting but sickening as well...

but the truth of it is, would you mind seeing this view off the end of your toes during the middle of the week? tropical turquoise caribbean waters and sugar-sand beaches?

and don't i look really stressed out with that pina colada melting away in the warm sun?

no snarky comments about my luminous whiteness, please.

and the cafe con leche, served up hot and fresh each morning? ugh! simply awful.

the view from the room was miserable and disappointing...as was the dark and cramped room...
if i told you the truth about our relaxing vacation, you'd be bored to tears and back again. everything was so nice, pleasant, wonderful and happy! that is, except for the lingering blistering sunburn on t's chest and shins. ugh.

glad to be home (to daughter with the flu) and excited to catch up on y'all's blogs! i'll post more photos soon.

p.s. t is opposed to me posting the "half-nude" photo of myself. any other objections? now, tell the truth!

and... THEY'RE OFF!

2007-03-14T19:57:00.000-04:00

please excuse me for a week...

i must go soak up sun, food and drinks in the dominican republic with my darling husband.

don't worry, i'll be back before you can miss me with some nice photos and a nice relaxed attitude... until april 16th, that is. although april 15th IS our anniversary, so maybe i'll have some celebratory cheer left over for tax day.

for now, i must scurry to see who gets booted from 'american idol' AND 'america's next top model.' i suck, i know.

deep in the heart of taxes

2007-03-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

sorry i've been unpresent lately. i've also been unpleasant as i am every year at this time due to being buried neck-deep in tax receipts.

self-employment means keeping track of all your expenses so that you can deduct them. smart people log each receipt into the correct category in quicken each time it comes in. melissa is stupid... she waits until the last possible second to file, add and report deductions to the accountant. melissa was an ART MAJOR. melissa needs a business manager.

in other news, i've been scanning my gram's old photo albums so that she can have them back. she's been busy lately taking a trip down her 97 years of memory lane and i'm hogging 3 of her books. they're absolutely fascinating! i don't know about you, but family histories and geneaology fascinate the heck out of me. here's an example of what i've found...

this is a photo of my great-great grandparents with their 4 sons and one daughter who is my great-grandmother carrie (my mom's dad's mom). my great-great grandfather, david, was a union soldier in the civil war. it's crazy to me that this photo documentation even exists, and that my kids will be able to have a photo of their great-great-great grandparents.

here's another photo of carrie as a baby.

i just love looking at the details and the styles of the clothing and furniture. and check out that smirk on her little face! you don't imagine she was horribly spoiled being the youngest and only daughter of 5 children, do you?

other than those two things i've been up to, i'm packing for our trip to the d.r. since we're leaving on thursday. i can't wait to get the heck outta dodge! i think i need a break.

holes in her head

2007-03-05T14:09:00.000-05:00

on friday afternoon i was at the mall with my mom & dad, browsing about for nothing in particular. at a sassy little jewelry boutique (i have no idea what such a cool place is doing in the middle of a major metropolitan mall) i spotted a pair of shiny day-glo pink kitty earrings for pierced ears. awww, what the heck? i thought to myself. i'll get them for s in case she ever wants to get her ears pierced.

surprise, surprise. when she got home from school and saw those shiny cool earrings, she was all ready to hop in the car and head off to the mall to get her ears pierced! i was honestly floored... we hadn't much talked about the issue of holes in ears yet. although... my ears were pierced for my 6th birthday, and she is almost already there. i figured she must be about ready and we discussed the issue a little further. she seemed completely unfazed by the grim details... just "yep, uh-huh, and whatever, mom."

although i wasn't about to go back to the mall that day, i made a bargain for us to go after dance class on saturday. luckily there's a jewelry store just around the corner from dance class (and from all the deliciousness at whole foods) so we popped in there while h was dancing and asked if they did piercing. yippee, they did! the saleslady pulled out the array of earring choices and i held my tongue. some of them were really expensive! i'm glad i kept my mouth shut because my darling little daughter chose the cheapest of stainless steel balls. whew!

we sat her down in a little chair while mommy pulled out ice packs to numb her ears. she practically rolled her eyes at my neurotic behavior, so i gave up and gave in to the screaming that was sure to follow (don't worry... there was motrin ready in my bag).

one ear... CLICK!-- and she said, "that didn't even hurt."

next ear-- CLICK!-- "that didn't hurt either."

i was all excited... bouncing up and down, telling her how cute she looked, having her look in a mirror but she --at all of 5 years old-- was cool as a cucumber. "when can i wear the little pink kitties?" she asked.

"in 6 weeks you can change your earrings," replied the kindly piercer.

so every morning since then, all 2 days worth, s has asked me... "how many more days?" but she HAS shown more excitement about them, especially when showing her brother, daddy, and grandma & papa. today is her show & tell day at school, and she chose to show her newly pierced ears.

do any of you remember the day you got your ears pierced for the first time? i'm sure it's a day that will live in legend in her (and mine, too!) brain forever.

mr. L

2007-03-01T07:35:00.000-05:00

when my kindergarten daughter brought this home from school yesterday, i decided to post it as a shout-out to one of my "oldest" blogfriends mr. l since it obviously reminded me of him. can you imagine why?

well, maybe you can't see the picture clearly enough, but it's of the letter person mr. l... the current letter of interest in her kindy class. the best thing about mr.l (the letter person that is, not the real person)? let me have my daughter explain it:

i asked her if she meant to write "mr. l LICKS lemon lollipops," or "mr. l LIKES lemon lollipops." she said, "both." imagine a world where one written word encompasses two unique and valid thoughts on the subject. that is the world of a kindergartner!

the real mr.l just has a ferociously dry wit, and has had a wee case of blog clog as of late, a case which i've been lamenting. here's wishing him over his ailment, and if you're out there in the blogosphere reading this mr. l--- HEY! keep on writing!

moe, larry and me

2007-02-23T11:47:00.000-05:00

i give up.

you can't really tell from this corny photo, but i've surrendered to my hair. i've let it go curly. and i know, i know, curly wasn't the stooge with curly hair, larry was. and curly didn't have curls, he was bald just like britney. but for the sake of argument, i'm playing curly in this photo 'cause that's what i am. CURLY.

i've had a love/ hate relationship with my naturally curly hair (oh, man, now i sound like that redheaded girl from the 'peanuts.' what was her name? frida?) for most of my life. you know, when you're a kid you just kinda accept the way you look because that's all you've ever known. then, when you start to get self-conscious-- like in junior high-- you begin to fight nature to "fit in" with the trends. luckily, when i started getting self-conscious, BIG HAIR was, like, TOTALLY in. the curls reigned. topped with feathered bangs coated in hairspray, styled in a triangle shape.

between then and now, i've had my hair in every size, shape, length and color known to beauticians. but let's face it... the past decade especially has been rife with straight, straight and more straight hairstyles. you had a choice between stick-straight, pin-straight, and straight as a line. i chemically straightened, dried with a fire-hot blowdryer, scalded with a flat iron, and mourned when it rained. don't get me wrong, i could never quite get rid of the curlies at my temples, and the ends always kinda flipped up, but at least i was "with it."

well, not anymore. growing it out again has been painful this time around, and one day i accidentally let it go, and the curls actually looked better than the straight. i surrendered.

most people say it looks good! kinda flapperesque. kinda modern. i think they're just being nice. they tell me that curls are back IN, baby! i don't know whether or not to believe them. i don't really care. it's easier not to fight. it's easier to give up.

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

2007-02-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

my folks are here for the next month, and as always graciously offered to watch the kids while t and i went somewhere. anywhere.

now before surgery i had these grand ideas of trekking through the hill towns of tuscany. this kind of travel really suits the two of us... we love to tour, learn, absorb, eat, drink, and wallow in a new culture from early morning until late night. for some reason, this is entirely relaxing to us, and we'd probably travel nonstop given the chance.

after surgery-- although i am almost completely recovered in less than 2 weeks-- a physically challenging trip didn't seem like such a grand idea. i'm still not allowed heavy lifting, and i still tire out a little faster than i'm used to. normally the idea of an all-inclusive tropical vacation sounds ho-hum to us, but right now it actually sounds good to us. a little r & r might be just what the doctor ordered, literally.

i started researching bargains, deals, locations, flights, and most of all, user reviews (tripadvisor.com rocks). after a week of going through travel websites (BookIt.com rocks) with a fine-toothed comb, we finally decided on the dominican republic. feeling good about the price, i went on the next day to book a 6 day/ 5 night vacation, and found that it was $150 less than the day before! cha-ching! we felt even better, and now we've got our plans in hand for a tropical paradise in mid-march. i'll let y'all know how it goes.

other than that, busy busy busy. filing tax receipts, doing household projects, getting back to volunteering at school, and helping t prepare for his trip to nyc. if anybody's there, go visit him at the comic convention at the javits center this weekend!

a bizarre thing happened...

2007-02-14T07:50:00.000-05:00

only in the blog world would something so bizarre occur.

yesterday i posted the funny clip from the local paper, and i'm not even going to write the name of the celebrity it was concerning. scroll down if you didn't see it already. later in the day, i noticed my stat counter was already at an all-time daily high for page loads. huh?

i did a little cyber-sleuthing, and uncovered a sordid world of meanness. apparently, haters of this particular crooner (below mentioned) regularly troll the internet for nasty little tidbits about him to post to their hater websites. mine was discovered, and copied in the comments section of this post with a link. by the end of the day, all things told, my site was loaded approximately 4 times more than usual. i wrote a thank-you to the guy who wrote the mean post-- my humble little blog turned superstar for a whole day!

i had another stroke of luck yesterday, you'll never believe this one. my friend zuzu's husband runs an ad agency in durham. they had a british designer shoe company client who gave them shoe samples... and guess who benefitted? ME! check 'em out kids--

i'll have to learn how to walk in 4" heels 'cause they are too cute for words. free shoes and free handbags must be the best thing for a girl.

only in a small town

2007-02-13T10:40:00.000-05:00

kids, it still hurts me a little to laugh hard, so imagine the agony i was in when i read the local paper this morning (thanks, beth!) and saw this:

oh, man! there is really NOTHING happening around here if they're willing to ADVERTISE this! and i love the way they trickily put it... "CLAY AIKEN's car." i was falling off the chair at this one. why on EARTH would you round up the kids for a fun afternoon of looking at clay aiken's CAR? anybody wanna come visit me so we can go look at clay aiken's car together?! what a rich cultural experience that would be!

especially if you read and/or believe the tabloid headlines or what perez hilton says about clay's escapades. who knows what might be lurking in the back seat? sigh.

retired at 8

2007-02-12T08:37:00.000-05:00

no, the post title does not refer to my bedtime last night. i stayed up until 10, but couldn't make it through "battlestar galactica." we tivo-ed it, so i'll try and watch it tonight.

the title refers to our son, who at 8 yesterday announced to us that he is retiring. we gave the matter a serious face and grave response to his face, but after he had turned his back we hid our smiles behind our hands and chortled, "retired!"

let me 'splain. no, it would take to long. let me sum up (that was an obscure reference to 'the princess bride' in case any of you caught it). around thanksgiving, h thought up a heroic new character that he called "x". he briefly considered making a film about x, or writing a screenplay or novel about x, but since he already has other characters in development in those genres, this time he chose to tell the story through a comic book. he proceeded to get a piece of construction paper and several pieces of white paper, folded them in half and stapled them down the spine, and the series of "x and crabby" was born. kindly, he gave his sister credit on every single book as a co-creator, although she had nothing to do with any of them. if she did, the comic would surely have contained more dogs and wolves than it currently does.

i need to tell you that h is really an idea man. his ideas are grandiose, and he needs to execute them quickly lest he forget them before they make it onto the paper. thus, detail and execution are often lost in the process of his creativity. maybe someday i'll convince him to treat his ideas as "sketches" so he could more fully flesh them out later, with more attention to coherence and detail. for now, i wish he would include a brief synopsis at the beginning of each issue so i might have the slightest idea where the story is headed!

anyway, he's been hard at work on these comics-- sporadically-- ever since. above is an example of a page from issue #2: "say cheese and be happy, pappy!" just so you'll have an idea of what's going on around here. yesterday, he sat at the kitchen table... diligently scribbling away on "x and crabby #11: the master." upon completion, he placed it on the shelf among the other issues, and announced his retirement. oh, not to worry. he's just moving on to other projects now... and maybe someday he'll return once again in "x and crabby series 2." come out of retirement, if you will.

after all, he's only 8.

in-VAL-id IN-va-lid

2007-02-08T11:06:00.000-05:00

in a cruel twist of the english language, the word invalid, a noun meaning one who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or disability is the exact same word as invalid, an adjective meaning not legally or factually valid; null. how fair is that?

i don't make a very good invalid, i guess that makes me an invalid invalid. i've recovered so quickly that my only real complaint at this point is fatigue. i haven't taken pain meds in DAYS, i i've gotten up and gotten the kids ready for school every day this week, and have provided a rudimentary and simple dinner for my family each night. i've done laundry and done light cleaning, and even managed a short trip to walmart. needed a nap after that one!

but also as an invalid i feel somewhat invalid. lame, useless. i don't like to be told what i can't do, and i don't like NOT being able to perform tasks. part of it is doctor ordered things such as "no heavy lifting." part of it is things i don't have the stamina for, like walking the dog her usual mile a day. other things are stressful things like adding up tax deductions that i simply can't afford to wear me down at the moment. i'm not used to this feeling of uselessness, and always have this bull-headed charge ahead attitude, so this is KILLING me!

every day gets a bit easier, a bit better, but don't expect any triathlons soon. for that matter, don't expect any triathlons at all! now THAT just doesn't sound like fun to me. thinking about a triathlon makes me almost glad to be an invalid invalid.

home again!

2007-02-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

hey- yo!

i want to tell everyone i'm home from the hospital, and honestly doing really well. for major abdominal surgery, that was a piece of cake. i remember waking up in the recovery room and grinning... it's all over!

even the hospital stay was fine. the bed was unbelievably comfortable, so i snoozed fitfully as i needed. my pain is well under control, and i am moving around as much as i feel able.

thanks to everyone who came by here and wished me well, it honestly meant so much. sounds like most of you would gladly go through this for the chance to be "free" too! i am positively liberated... not only from those x-es (tampax and kotex) but from my uterus and it's problems, too. and susan, just a couple of weeks ago i read that they were doing the very first womb transplant surgery! however, i'm not sure anybody would have wanted mine. not that it wasn't good for the baby process, just not the rest of it. what i was offering up in my post (anybody interested??) are all those feminine hygiene products!! anybody want them? anybody?! they're freeeeeeee!

bidding farewell to a couple of x-es.

2007-01-31T07:02:00.000-05:00

**although delicate language is used, this post contains "girl issues." sensitive ones beware!**

goodbye, tampax. goodbye kotex!

it's been an-- interesting-- 20 year relationship, but i'm afraid i must bid you farewell. oh, i know, we've spent SO much time together, but it's simply time for me to move on.

it was a dysfunctional relationship from the start-- let's face it-- with me relying on you far more often than i should have had to. you must have felt so USED! regardless, that type of behavior went on for almost 11 years until i became pregnant with my son. our break-up that time was about 2 years, some of the best years of my life. i should have suspected something, huh? we tried again for a year, but alas, i was pregnant and nursing again. this second break-up lasted again for almost 2 years, and by this point i should have learned my lesson. i honestly never wanted to see you again.

the allure was strong, and we gave it a third shot in 2002. it's been 5 years now, guys, and my over-reliance on you has not changed, not matter how many methods i try to stop it. my patience hasn't worn thin, it has simply worn OUT. it's time for me to break up with you.

tomorrow morning i am going to the hospital to have removed the one thing that keeps us in a permanent state of togetherness-- my womb. yes, that's right. my dysfunction is at an end, and i will no longer need you as a crutch to get through the tough part of my month. don't worry, they're leaving my hormone factory intact, and they won't even make any exterior incisions! but i hope you understand that this will mean the end of the road for you and me.

and i'm honestly thrilled.

i'll find you a new home, guys-- there are millions of needy women out there just waiting to have a relationship with you! you'll be a really great partner for some lucky girl out there! just not me any more.

so thank you, and good bye forever.

melissa

finders keepers

2007-01-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

way back in 1993, t and i were two fools in love and had decided that we would like to get married.

"do you want a ring?" he asked me.

ever the practical girl, i said, "no thanks," and the discussion was dropped. we'd get married sooner or later, and a pricey, formal engagement ring wasn't the important part. being together forever WAS. mind you, i wasn't quite 20 years old yet. waaaay too young, but i'm glad nobody tried to talk me out of it.

not too much later, we went to a renaissance faire near san bernadino, california. there were many wonderful vendors of renaissance-themed wares and delicious food, but it was when i saw the benitez jewelry booth that i stopped in my tracks. this was simply the most unique "formal" jewelry i had ever seen. usually i go in for the clunky or modern sterling jewelry with brightly colored stones. this work was an eclectic mix of my style and a more traditional style. i was smitten.

i called t over and said, "remember how i said i didn't want an engagement ring? well, can i change my mind?" he laughed and was agreeable to the idea and secretly i think he may have wanted a ring on my finger, whether or not it looked traditional. we browsed and talked, tried on rings and wavered. i just couldn't decide which ring would be THE one. the one i would wear for the rest of my life. the symbol of promise. hmmmm...

"do you make wedding sets?" t asked steve, one of the crafters. heanswered yes, and proceeded to show us many lovely sets, almost all with yellow gold and diamonds. not really my thing. we asked if he ever custom made wedding sets, and he said, "sure!"

the three of us looked at existing designs, and came up with one that would suit me. one that was white gold with an emerald (much like the photo-- that one is not mine) with two garnets-- t's birthstone-- as embellishment. a week or so later, we picked up the finished product, we drove to griffith observatory overlooking los angeles, and on the roof he officially proposed to me. guess what? i said yes.

fast forward to yesterday.

i couldn't find my watch and rings. i string them all together, and often unconsciously take them off and put them in odd places around the house. it never takes me long to find them, but yesterday i couldn't. not on the computer desk, not by the tv. not in my purse or makeup bag. not on the entertainment center. not ANYWHERE that they usually fall. i kept my cool, went without them all day (a weird feeling) but vowed to look harder today. i hadn't seen them since tuesday.

panic set in when we returned from dance, and my search of the familiar haunts turned up nothing. not even a clue. i asked the kids if they'd seen them but hey! they're kids! they can't even keep track of their own stuff. getting crabbier and crabbier, i went through scenarios of accidentally throwing them away, the kittens getting them and knocking them to the floor, i mean, the possibilities are endless in this house!

as i got more and more frantic, the anxiety of actually having possibly LOST my precious, one-of-a-kind wedding ring was getting unbearable. i had looked in sofas, under tables, on beds, in drawers. no luck. then the thought hit me... what's the most UNLIKELY place i may have put them? and luckily, i had my answer.

they were in my jewelry drawer.

go figure.

now you have yet another glimpse into the insanity that is my life and my mind. but i have MY RING! and i am so happy to have it back on my finger.

letter meme

2007-01-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

the llllovely lllllotus assigned me this meme...

it's 10 things i love that start with the llllletter "T"

i had a cute little image to upload, but blogger photo upload was being sassy with me, so bland is the post. sorr-y! i'll make it short and sweet.

here goes...

1. tommy. well, duh. he is the love of my life and all.

2. talking. i can talk a blue streak to almost anyone, anywhere, anytime. after all, i am female.

3. travel. just got bitten by that bug a few years ago, and the itch keeps getting worse.

4. tannins. that's a sneaky way of saying wine. i love wine.

5. teaching. teaching the kids at school and home is so rewarding. and i love their teachers as well.

6. trees. one of the main reasons we live in the middle of nowhere is that from every window all i see is trees. perhaps that's why my favorite color has always been green.

7. toilet paper. i mean, what's not to love? all you have to do is imagine life without it, and suddenly you'll get stars in your eyes whenever you wipe.

8. tunes. my ipod is my best friend 'cause i can listen to all my favorite songs all the time. love music. love to sing.

9. thai food. curry! mmmmmm... 'nuff said.

10. turkey on thanksgiving. that's 2 t's for the price of one.

anybody that hasn't yet played, ask me and i'll assign you a letter.

a quick book meme

2007-01-25T07:45:00.000-05:00

yes, lotus, i know i still need to meme on the letter "t." the list of things i love that start with a t is written on a day-glo orange post-it note crumpled in the right-hand pocket of my loud fuschia winter jacket. give me some more time!!

here's the meme, from crazy dust in my coffee: the page 123 meme:

This is how it works:
1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book & the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Tag three more folks.

here goes!

the nearest book is "the queen of the south" by arturo perez-reverte (thanks to kate and mom).

the sentences on page 123 are as follows:

"to make herself heard above the roar of the engine and the wind, she held her mouth against his ear. santiago gave a futile look in that direction, lowering his eyes against the brightness of the spotlight from the helicopter, which was still right on their tail, and then he turned the radar screen toward him, to see for himself. the sinuous green line of the coast was drawn uncomfortably close with each sweep of the antenna- about three hundred yards to port."

now i suppose i'll have to read this book next to find out what the heck santiago was doing on that boat. sigh. first i'll have to finish "the historian" by elizabeth kostova... a nicely written academic mystery thriller about DRACULA! bwah hah hah!

and, as always, i'll tag anyone that feels like playing along.

the more things change...

2007-01-18T18:48:00.000-05:00

the more they stay the same!! me, circa 1980, with my nose buried in a book. some of my relatives thought that something was "wrong" with me because i was constantly reading. it's just NOT NORMAL!

i've been perusing and scanning old photos while it snows outside and the kids enjoy their little break from the ordinary. it's loads of fun, and is taking me on several trips down memory lane.

we'll be back monday night!