Sunshine and Lemonade

The month my blog stopped

2011-01-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

I left ya'll hanging in March. And not just any March. But March of 2010. But it was a blog entry. Which in and of it self seemed to render some speechless. Now we just need to see if I can make it a habit again. I must tell you that it greatly depends on blogger. The more I have to fight with blogger to get my pictures where I want them, the less I want to blog. Do ya'll fight with blogger?

So...April follows March. And we started our April with a visit to the girls' pediatrician. Because I could schedule their check-ups on Spring Break and not miss any school. We have been seeing Dr Weiss since Katie was born and I just love him. Love him so much that I drive 45 minutes across town. In horrid traffic. Because he is that fabulous. (Do your kids sing the "fabulous" song from Phineas and Ferb? I am thinking that it's just me that has to endure it. That and "Squirrels in my pants.")

A visit to Dr Weiss was how we started Spring Break. Michael took the week off and we had a staycation. Naturally, Michael's staycation involved work. We went to Lowe's and bought flowers for him to plant in the yard. My job was to supervise.

We couldn't staycation and not play. So, we went out for ice cream. Do ya'll have Bruster's where you live? I like Bruster's. But I just can't eat that much ice cream. And obviously the girls can't either since it drips all over the place. I think I still have sticky spots on my shoes.

Our big day out on our staycation was to finally venture downtown to the Coke Museum. You start by seeing a very extended Coke commercial. Like a 10 minute commercial. Then you move to different "hubs" in the museum. They have memoriabilia. There is a theatre where you can watch commericals from over the years. There is Coke art. And a bottling plant. But really the highlight was the tasting center where you can taste coke products from all over the world. Some are rather vile. Some are strange. Katie had a "Holy Grail" moment when we found Eldeberry Fanta (what? Your kids don't go around quoting the Holy Grail? And the infamous French accented insult of "your mother is a hamster and your father smells of eldeberry!" Why is it just me?!).

The girls found the American Idol couch, too. And wondered whose tuchus had also been planted there.

And no outing downtown would be complete without a visit to "The Varsity." With a side of onion rings.

Our staycation week rounded out with Easter. And somehow this year we managed to not do the world's largest Easter Egg hunt. With our 700something eggs left over from last year. You know we found eggs not that long ago. I wonder how much longer we'll be discovering those nasty candy filled eggs in the yard. I just want to find that last gold dollar.

Katie heard from one of her friends that Erin Hunter, one of her favorite authors was coming to speak. Erin Hunter writes the "Warriors" series for kids - it's about cats. And. Ummm. That's all I know. I think that there are 6 series of 6 books. So, Katie brought her hardback copies and got autographs. After the author did the book signing, she talked about the writing process. And oh, my, was it funny. It turns out that she uses a pen name. And she chose Erin Hunter because it would put her on the shelf by Brian Jacques who writes the "Redwall" series - which is a fantasy about mice. (Yep. That's all I know about that series, too.) She was also drafted into writing this series by her publisher. She actually hates cats (and apparently rather awful things happen to the warrior cats in the stories). Her stories about the contrivances in the publishing world were rather fascinating!

Madalyn's birthday falls in the middle of April. And for her birthday, I thought it would be fun if we surprised her with a room makeover. Here is the before picture:

Michael took the day off of work - we told Madalyn that his work took a holiday that day - and as soon as she was out the door, we took the bunkbeds down and moved them to our basement. And we brought up the double bed from the guest room. We had ordered a new headboard - but it had not arrived - so we stole the one out of Katie's room until the new one arrived. I wish we had time to paint - but we completed the transformation with a new quilt, valance, and lots of framed pictures on the walls (actually, there is even more now - there is another set of collage prints, plus the pictures of Madalyn swimming with the dolphins when we were in Mexico.) And here is the after:

When Madalyn got home from school, I met her at the door and asked her what happened to her room. She really thought I was mad at her. So she went up to her room to see the damage - and was sooo surprised with what she found. It was a great birthday gift!

The next day, Madalyn had a party at the rock climbing place. She loved climbing. And then was totally wiped out!

Katie had a new brace made for her scoliosis. I am thinking that I should do a whole post on scoliosis. And the horrors of the Boston Brace. This picture is of her being casted. We had another brace made last month. It was our third in a year. My poor checking account.

We still have cookies left. After two months. People are very hard to track down for deliveries. Actually, I still have 2 boxes in my dining room right now for someone that we never delievered for. I wonder if they are any good any more?

Speaking of scouts, Madalyn and her troop went horseback riding. This horse farm is actually less than a mile down the road from my neighborhood. I love living in the burbs where there is still the odd juxtaposition of Target shopping centers, neighborhoods, and farms.

And we wrapped up April with Tacky Day. Isn't that how you wrap up your Aprils?

What I did on my summer vacation

2011-01-06T16:17:00.000-05:00

It's been a sad two years of blogging. I kinda got thrown off course. And I am still not quite sure that I am back on the straight and narrow. But I want to be. Especially since I haven't scrapbooked in 4 years. I rather need to be back on that path. Of filling the internet with our stories. Anecdotes. And proof in pictures.

So. This is what we did last year.

I always start my scrapbook off with Katie's birthday. Even though it happens on the last day of the year, we usually celebrate on the first day of the year. And last year was no exception. We started the party on her birthday with lunch (or maybe it was dinner. It's been a whole year. I really can't be expected to remember. So. When I start scrapbooking again, is it okay to make up details??) at Red Robin. And surprised her with a cell phone.

And the following day, she had some friends join her for rock climbing.

She might have made a new friend, too. (Do you think that workers at rock climbing places are required to go shirtless for tween parties?)

Of the few posts that I did last year, I did manage to cover the excitement of Madalyn's straight A's. And my bookclub trip to Asheville.

I also started a second blog last year. It was supposed to be a photo a day thing. Which was fun to work on my photoshop skills. But like this blog, it too fell off my radar. And was way too much pressure to remember to take a photo every day. It lasted about 90 something days.

In February, the girls started back with their tennis lessons.

I took my Latin class to see "Percy Jackson" - and the students who had not read the books loved it. The rest of us were rather disappointed.

We celebrated Valentine's day with cards, candy, and a movie.

Madalyn and Michael went to the Girl Scout Father/Daughter dance.

And we had the arrival and attemped delivery of those dreaded cookies. (Did you know that sales start up on Friday? Do you need any or want to donate any??)

March brought us more tennis.

Mine and Michael's 14th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by going to Ted's. Just the two of us. And I think we went to Barnes and Noble after. Maybe.

Oh. And there was St. Patrick's day. Madalyn's school had a contest to see whose class could wear the most green. She even wore a blanket. And a green pen stuck behind her ear!

And that was our first few months of 2010. And if formatting on blogger doesn't kill me first, I'll hopefully tell you about the rest of our year. Cross your fingers!

Sing...sing a song

2010-04-05T10:25:00.002-04:00

"Dirty babe. You see the shackles. Baby I'm your slave. I'll let you whip me if I misbehave..." ~ Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake

"The whole damn world is just as obsessed. With who's the best dressed and who's having sex, who's got the money, who gets the honeys..." ~ High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup

They just take on new meaning. When the songs are sung by your 8 year old. At the top of her lungs. In the back seat of the mini-van. All while having a raging case of the hiccups.

Folderol

2010-03-04T22:50:00.001-05:00

I hear that Tuesday is the day that I am supposed to be random. But since I am usually a day late and a dollar short. Thursday makes perfect sense to give you the bits and pieces. Flotsam and jetsam. List of sundries.

I had almost thought that I was back in the swing of blogging. And now it's been almost two weeks since I posted. I have 9 posts in draft on my dashboard. But I don't suppose that counts. However. My photoblog is current. Shocking, no?

A post that is currently residing in my head. And not in the draft section. Is one on Judy Blume. But every time I think about it. I get irate. And flummoxed. For what you ask? Barnes and Noble has a new rating system on their website. And a group rated "Are you there God, It's me Margaret" as a book that is IFFY for anyone under 14. IFFY? Are you kidding me? I could go on and on. But what comes out is incoherent babble. And incoherent babble rarely makes a good blog post. Unless it's titled Foderol. So. Instead. I decided to get my 8 year old a copy of the illustrious book. All in the spirit of solidarity.

Speaking of books. I just finished Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome." It was my bookclub reading for the month. And I had thought I read it in high school. But after finishing it. I am not so sure. I don't recall any of it. Of course it is always possible that I was supposed to read it. But didn't. Anyway...I really liked it. The writing is amazing. And picturesque. But the subject matter. There is not another way to describe it other than bleak. Or tragic. Ethan - the title character - is just trapped in a horrible life. Where he is just trying to figure out how to survive. Rather than to live.

Katie is studying weathering in science. Specifically Devil's Tower in Wyoming. And how it's the neck of the volcano. But the outside of the volcano eroded away. Naturally, we watched "Close Encounters" to go along with the lesson. About weathering. *Ahem*.

We end up going to Panera bread every Thursday for lunch. It's an expensive addiction. But yummy.

Madalyn keeps talking about this delicious drink she is getting at school. She wants to know when we can get some ya-hoo milk. And she refuses to believe me when I told her it's called yoo-hoo. Not ya-hoo.

I am just loving LOST this season. I don't think that there has ever been a show that is that enveloping. And I love that Katie is watching it with us. Look at the cool shirt I found for her:

On the other hand. I don't think that American Idol could be any worse than it is this season.

So...what about you? Opinions on Judy Blume? Did you pretend to read required books in school?

In the kitchen with Kat: Chicken Tacos

2010-02-19T07:44:00.001-05:00

Recipes used to be a regular feature here at casa Sunshine and Lemonade. In fact, it was almost a year ago when I last posted a recipe. A yummy chicken and rice casserole. The perfect thing to offer to your family. Or someone in need of a meal. Much better than some of the more interesting offerings that we received while on braincation. Like pot roast pasta. Or carrot jello. Or boiled cabbage. Or lasagna with peas and corn. Not that I am complaining. Dinner made by someone else is always a good thing. Unless it's pot roast pasta. I am now the proud owner of a rather large hole.

One of the kitchen tools that I have never been a huge fan of is the crockpot. I have used mine occasionally. Never with much success. It seems like everything that I have tried ends up tasting the same. Or swimming in its own grease. Appetizing not. However. I do have a few crockpot recipes that I like. And I thought I'd share them with you. Starting with the very easiest one. Easy. And most importantly - yummy.

This recipe is so easy that it only calls for three ingredients. Three. 3. T.H.R.E.E. That's it. Bonelesss chicken breasts. Salsa. And taco seasoning.

Just dump them all in your crockpot.

Maybe swirl it a bit with a spoon. And ignore it the rest of the day.

When it's cooked, that chicken will just fall apart. It might need a smidge of help from you and a fork. But it's rather effortless.

And voila! Chicken tacos.

What is interesting about this is that chicken you started with. Well. It's like it multiplies. After you eat your tacos. You will still have LOTS of chicken left. You can freeze some. You can make chicken nachos. You can make enchiladas. Taco salad. Tortilla soup. Or just keep noshing on it as you do the dishes. And wonder about the mystery of your disappearing leftovers.

Here is my simple recipe:
6 boneless chicken breast (frozen or thawed)
16oz jar of salsa spiced to your taste
1 envelope of taco seasoning

Put all the ingredients in the crockpot and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Enjoy!

So...what about you? Do you like your crockpot? Have a favorite crockpot recipe? Do you use those crockpot liners?

Vegas, Baby part VI

2010-02-17T06:44:00.001-05:00

It is the story that seems to never end. But today. It will. Finally. Really.

And apparently I left ya'll with a cliffhanger. It's always been my goal to write a serialized set of posts. With endings that beg for more information. But. I have realized. My writing skillz are not that good. But I did it with my last Vegas post. Without even realizing. So. To answer your questions. Yes. Michael got his shirts back. Ya'll can all let out the collective breath you were holding.

After I left Elena, I went to get ready for the conference. And then back to the casino. Down one hall. And another. Around a corner. Ask someone. Turn around. Go to another hall. A different corner. And then I found them! I saw Lula. And people I have only seen online. Like Heather. And Tiffany. And Angie. And Jen. And DiPaola Momma. And Tonya. And Swirl Girl. And somehow. I did manage to have a brain and get a picture with Swirl Girl!

I am not sure what happened to my brain. Cause my camera was right there!

The conference had a short opening. And then we broke for dinner. And then re-grouped for the evening cocktail party. Where there was dancing. And an open bar. Shannon, Lula, Elena, and I hung out together.

Celebrated Shannon's birthday.

And we took lots of photos on Lula's camera while she was off dancing. Socializing. And drinking. The best photo of Michael and I was taken on that camera!

We finally crashed late. And then had to get up early again. While we were conferencing. I left Michael with an assignment. To go to the half price ticket booth and find us something to do in the evening. I was hoping to see a Cirque show. He was armed with a priortized list. And a budget.

So...what did we end up with? No tickets to Cirque. Or to that guy with the puppets who won America's got Talent. Damn budget. But we did get tickets to Anthony Cools' naughty hypnotist show at the Paris. (Did any of you see him when he was on the Millionaire Matchmaker show?) The show didn't start until later in the evening, so after the conference was over Shannon and I arranged to meet for dinner and then do a little gambling. Slot machining?

As part of our room package through SITS, each room got $25 in slot vouchers. Can you believe that Shannon had never gambled? Well we set out to eradicate that. Pronto. Unfortunately. Shannon listened to me. She got her voucher. Dumped it into a machine. And then decided that that particular machine didn't like her. And went to switch. Except that her money did not follow her. It stayed on that machine. Which some floozy took over. And won money with Shannon's money. And left. All before we realized what happened. Oh. Wait. Was that supposed to stay in Vegas?

Shannon and I finally decided to make our way to the Paris to meet Michael for the show. Did I mention that Shannon was joining us. What would you call that? A double date? Triple? A menage? No. Wait. Ummm. Staying in Vegas?

When we got to the Paris, Shannon and I decided to lose a few more quarters in the slots before we found Michael in the line.

For the show, we had front row seats. And I must admit that I was quite surprised that Michael did not volunteer to be part of the show. Evidently he decided that if he paid for it, he'd watch it. And after seeing the show. I am quite glad he remained in his seat. Anthony Cools puts on a hilarious show. It is naughty. Raunchy. And not for the faint at heart. Or those without water proof mascara.

After the show, we set out for a different show - that of the Eiffel tower. We rode up the elevator to the observation deck. And what a sight. At night. With the lights. Vegas is just beautiful.

And finally. Our trip was over. With just a few hours of sleep, we had to check out for our 7am flight. And head back to the real world.

So...what about you? Have you ever seen a hypnotist show? Heard of Anthony Cools? Or forgotten to take a picture that you really meant to take??

Southern Snow

2010-02-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

I must admit to being a bit jealous of all the snow everyone was having. Feet and feet of snow. I wasn't quite so jealous of that. I just wanted pretty snow. Pictures of my girls making snowballs. Snowmen. Snowangels. Pictures of the snow in the trees.

I didn't want snowpocalypse. Or snowmageddon. Just snow. No ice. Pretty. Not scary.

And that is what our Southern snow was on Friday. It started lightly. Just dusting the surface.

Starting in the early afternoon. So the kids didn't even lose a day of school.

But it kept snowing.

And snowing. Enough that there were snowballs.

Snowmen.

Snowangels.

Please note. This is a Southern snow. With Southern children. Which means that we don't have the equipment. No snow jackets. We used our rain coats.

No snow pants. Wet jeans and wet leggings make for a cold child. No sleds. We used garbage bags.

Does that make it a redneck snow?

We even had a kitty escape because she needed to check out the snow.

And when we woke up on Saturday. It was like a fairy land. With the gorgeous blue skies.

And the sun reflecting off all the snow.

Magical.

Then. Less than 24 hours after it started. It was practically gone.

So...what about you? How much snow have you had this year? Do you like the snow or are you pining for summer?

Playing with Photoshop

2010-02-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

I started this other blog. It's for Project 365. With the idea that you take a photo a day. More often than not. I get to the end of the day without a photo. And not much of an idea for what might be interesting to post. And then I thought I might use it as a spot to play with the actions that I downloaded for photoshop. Yes. I have photoshop. But I have absolutely no idea as to how to use it. There is not a button to push that says "Make this brighter." Or "get rid of the blur." Or even "make it pretty." How I wish there were buttons like these.

One of the buttons that I really wish I had was "make the ______ part in this black and white picture colorized." I think that with as much as photoshop costs, it should just know where the flower or fountain or bird is in the picture. And if I want the black and white picture to have a pop of color. It should just know how to do it.

Photoshop through osmosis. That is what I really want. Sigh. Unfortunately. It does not exist. But. I did find a fabulous tutorial. And look at what I created today.

Vegas, baby part V

2010-02-02T14:39:00.000-05:00

Do you think that I will ever get to the end of this trip? I mean. We went in October. I first started telling you about it in November. Maybe we'll finish in February. And then I'll have to start telling you about the Disney trip we took last September. Did I see you moving to the edge of your seat? Oh. The anticipation.

So. We left off with our visit to the Mirage. And the tigers. And the volcano. And our trip back to our room on the 13th floor.

I was very excited when we got up Friday morning. Cause today we were movin' on up. Leaving behind the regulation hotel room. The perfume soaked hallway. And the 13th floor. All for the fan-cee digs of the Venetian.

We got packed up. Checked out. And grabbed a cab. Cause I was surely not schlepping my luggage on the deuce. And when we arrived.

Oh my. What a difference. I quickly got through the check-in and we headed up to our new room.

We had a suite. With a very comfy bed. And a step down to a living area. Complete with gold sectional couch. We had a couch just like this in the '70s. Who knew they'd make a come back? And the blinds. We had remote control blinds. Flat screen tvs. Including one in the bathroom.

After we got somewhat situated, I called Elena, and arranged to meet for lunch. Elena and her husband Jarom had flown in for the weekend just to meet me. Sort of. I mean the whole reason we went to Vegas was for the SITS blog conference. Which starts this evening. And Elena came for the party. And mostly to meet me. Maybe.

As we head downstairs, Michael asks me "Did you pack my shirts that were in the closet at the Monte Carlo?" Yep. He really asked me that. Uh. No. I packed my stuff. He packed his stuff. Or most of it anyway. So instead of helping me to find Elena, he heads back to the room to see if the Monte Carlo might still have his shirts.

Elena and I had decided to meet in the lobby. The lobby is gorgeous. There is this amazing domed ceiling.

And this.

Um. Hallway? Between the lobby and the casino. Would you call it a hall? So. I am waiting. And waiting. Then Elena calls. They cannot figure out how to get to the lobby. It truly is a conspiracy. The casinos want you to stay in the casino. Not marking the exits. Or making you go the long way around just keeps you there. May as well have another drink and another quarter in the slots.

Anyway. After a few calls, we finally find each other. And it's like falling back into a regular conversation. In fact, I have felt like that with everyone I have met through blogging. Just picking up where we left off. We had a great afternoon. Eating. Talking. And lots of laughing.

And we finally parted when Jarom had to go satisfy a need for chocolate. And I had to go get ready for the SITS conference...

So...what about you? Have you met people through blogging? Would you go to a blog conference?

Catch up on the trip:

our first night with the Bellagio fountains

walking the strip

visiting Hoover Dam

More schlepping the strip and the Mirage

If only I had curly hair

2010-02-01T10:32:00.002-05:00

Did you ever perm your hair?

What about put it in those foam pink rollers overnight?

All in that quest for curly hair.

I had straight hair. There might have been a slight wave to it. It had a bump. One. I didn't count that as a wave. It was a bump. And then all of that changed after children. When all of a sudden I got curly hair.

But now. Right now. Madalyn is lamenting her lack of curls. And my telling her to wait till she has children is really not making it all kopacetic. So. For Christmas. I got her some rollers. Who knew this would be one of her favorite gifts?

So she took a shower. And I sectioned off her hair. And rolled it up.

She somehow managed to sleep in them. Even though she was very uncomfortable. And complained. A lot. But taking them out. That was so not in Madalyn's plan.

By the next morning. Her hair was dry. And her curls were set. Right along with her smile.

So...what about you? Did you want curls (or for it to be straight)? Do you style your childrens' hair?

Book Club road trip: Asheville

2010-01-29T10:46:00.005-05:00

My bookclub began about 6 years ago. We are a group of about 10 women. From all walks of life. All ages. With a mutual love of reading. We have different style preferences. And I have been challenged to read lots of books that I would not have typically picked. Books that I am so glad that I read. Others. Well. I am glad I tried.

The bookclub took its first road trip about three years ago when we went to Tybee Island. I have no pictures from that trip. Even though we took a horse drawn carriage tour of Savannah. Contemplated eating at Lady and Sons. And did some great shopping along the squares. I wonder if I just didn't bring my camera.

Last year, we went to Asheville. We had a great time. But I was sworn to secrecy regarding the events of the weekend. The wine might have flowed a little too freely. But you didn't hear that from me. No siree. I can keep a secret.

And then last weekend we headed back to Asheville. We went to the spa at the Grove Park Inn.
By we I mean not me. I was too cheap for the $200 massage. So I started. And finished my book in the gorgeous lobby. By the ginormous fireplace.

And thanks to Shannon, we got discount tickets to visit Biltmore estate.

I wish I had schooled our picture taker in the above the hips rule so that you could see the house. Rather than those tree trunks I call legs.

We did a little walking around downtown Asheville. Ate at the Early Girl restaurant (if you go to Asheville, you need to go here). Did a little shopping. Not too much because the weather was biting cold.

We played scrabble in teams. Except for one member who we made play without a partner. Because she has all the two letter words from the Scrabble dictionary memorized. Did you know that "Jo" means sweetheart?

And then the highlight of our weekend was to go back to the Grove Park Inn. To the dueling piano bar - Elaine's.

To be honest. I was not so sure about the idea of a piano bar. I was thinking old music. Show tunes. Songs I had never heard of. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It just wasn't my idea of a fun evening. And now. I must say. I was rather pleasantly surprised. More than pleasantly. It was a great evening.

And I was oh so wrong. They played rockin' music. Everything from mo-town classics. To Billy Joel and Elton John. To country. To Snoop Dog's "Gin and Juice." And the only showtune they played was one our group requested - "Summer Lovin'" from Grease. And they made us sing the girls' parts!

And even with all that...we still managed to find time to discuss our book.

So...what about you? Are you in a book club? What book has been your best discussion (or what do you think would make a great discussion book)? Ever been to a piano bar?

A new blog

2010-01-28T00:53:00.000-05:00

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flatterly. So, when I saw that Shannon started a photo blog...I knew that I wanted to start one, too. Our blogs are part of Project 365 which challenges you to take a photo a day. And in typical Kat fashion, I was fashionably late. At least I didn't procrastinate starting until January of 2011.

When I was setting up the new blog...that is when I somehow managed to destroy the layout here. I think I have penciled in my overplucking a bit. But do come visit me at my new digs -- Drops of Sunshine!

Time to celebrate

2010-01-27T09:14:00.006-05:00

We had a big accomplishment at our house a few weeks ago. Madalyn got straight As for the first time. I was so proud. To reward her efforts, I told her we would take her out to dinner to celebrate and she could choose the restaurant.

My notion of a reward and her notion of a reward are not in the same league. Evidently. To an eight year old. Dinner out with the family is on par with punishment. Or chores. Or a visit to the dentist. However. Madalyn agreed to this outing if she got to bring a friend. You know. So she could have someone to talk to. So. Last Sunday we headed out as a family. Plus Madalyn's friend Shannon. For the big, celebratory meal. And where did we go? When the sky was the limit? Her choice was...

Yep. Golden Corral. Where she dined on such delicacies as popcorn shrimp. Rolls. A single bite of baked potato. Mashed potatoes. And dessert. Which was best served on a plate and eaten as soup.So...what about you? Do you like Golden Corral? Where would you want to celebrate getting straight As? Where would your kids choose to go?

Can we talk about Michelle Obama's eyebrows?

2010-01-25T19:22:00.006-05:00

I was watching TV last week and an ad came on. It was Michelle Obama. Talking about something. That something? I had no idea. I couldn't. Because I was rather distracted. By her eyebrows.

What had she done? They are in the middle of her forehead. I had to pause the tv and try to figure it out. Did she have a lift? A little botox? An accident - so she had to draw them on? Were these fore.head.brows on purpose?

I finally figured out that she was appealing for donations to the red cross. And it was rather catty of me to only see the eyebrows rather than the need in Haiti.

But those forehead feathers were rather distracting. Watch for yourself.

I suppose I should be rather sympathetic. It appears that I overplucked as well. When I accidentally deleted my blog design. And I had to pencil in what you see here. I think that Michelle and I both need a do-over.

So...what about you? What do you think of Michelle's brows? Do you shape yours? Have you ever overplucked your blog?

Anatomy of a Georgia Snowfall

2010-01-08T20:58:00.000-05:00

It snowed here Thursday night. I suppose though that "snow" is a relative term. We have a dusting of white stuff on the ground. Which makes one wonder why. Why this slight dusting of white has shut our entire city down. Canceled schools in the upper third of the state. And caused a rush on milk, bread and toilet paper from the corner store.
The thing is...that dusting...it's not dusty feeling. It's hard. Packed. Crystalized. And impossible to drive on. When we get snow here, our temperatures usually hoover around freezing. Which means that we don't get true snow. But more of a mix. Rain. Sleet. Freezing rain. And maybe a smidge of snow. And then since we are in the south. Our DOT is not equipped to deal with the ice. I watched the news this evening as they showed "them" dealing with an icy hill. It was a dump truck full of sand. With one guy standing on the load. With a shovel. Can you imagine how slow that process is?

Our temperatures are not forecasted to be above freezing until Monday. So we are staying here. In the house. Because the ice is on the streets. We are trying to stay warm watching the first 5 seasons of LOST. Admiring Sawyer. Noticing LOTS of details I didn't see the first time around. (I didn't remember Kate's father being in Iraq with Sayid). Watching Ben chew the scenery.
Oh. Would you like to know why we are TRYING to stay warm? That would be because our heater decided to stop working today. Friday. And they will schedule a service call on Monday. If they can get here from there.
So...what about you? What's the temperature at your house? Did you get snow? Enough for your kids to play in? Do you watch LOST?

Science Fiction and Sawyer and Flashforward

2010-01-07T13:12:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time I would have said that popular fiction was pretty much what I read. But after reading John Brendt's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," I was sold on the possibility that a non-fiction book could be just as compelling as fiction. Possibly more so. Depending on how the story was told.

Once upon a time I would have said that under no circumstances would I read romance novels. But after reading Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander," I completely and totally changed my mind. In fact, I have become quite the fan of romances. Most of them. Well. Any of them.

Once upon a time I would have said that I don't like fantasy stories. Once upon a time I would never have ventured into the children's section to browse the books. Books for me to read. For myself. But authors like JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins and Lois Lowry and even Carl Hiaasen have made this my go-to genre. And have you noticed that most of the books being published in this genre are fantasy? Veddy interesting.

And once upon a time I would have said that I don't like science fiction. Because it was. Too scienc-y. Too Y chromosom-y. I might still. Sorta. Say this today. I have not completely gone over to the dark side. But there are some books in this genre that are really good. One of them being "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell. In fact. I would put that book as one of my all time favorites.

And then. Once upon a time. I discovered a science fiction author. One that I think you should try. Maybe even think of him as science fiction lite. And that is Robert J Sawyer.

You could start with "Flashforward." Are you watching the TV show? Well. The book is nothing like it. In the novel, there is an event that causes everyone in the world to black out - and see a vision of their future. In the tv show, that future takes place in 6 months. In the book - 20 years. What makes the book so very good is the philosophical angle. Do we control our own destiny? Is the future fixed? Is it malleable?

Keeping with philosophy, why not try "Calculating God." It is the story of a paleontologist who is visited by an extraterrestrial. Specifically to gather information about mass extinctions that seem to happen not only here on earth - but across the universe - at the same points in time. The alien assert that "the primary goal of modern science is to discover why God has behaved as he has and to determine his methods." The book is mostly cerebral. But it is also touching. Laugh out loud funny. Character driven. Especially as we read the grappling our paleontologist must do as he deals with his athiest beliefs ("If there was a God, there wouldn't be cancer").

Or. What about a triology. Where you don't have to wait months for the next one to be published. Don't you just love finding a completed series after the whole thing has been published? You ought to try the "Neanderthal Parallax" (Hominids, Humans, Hybrids). It tells the story of a parallel earth where the neanderthals are the hominids that are dominant. And somehow a bridge between these worlds opens. There are chasms in the differences. Yet. There is shared "humanity."

So...what about you? Do you have a favorite genre? One you never thought you would read? Do you like science fiction?

My favorite books of 2009

2010-01-05T10:42:00.001-05:00

When I started blogging in 2008, I noticed that I did not read nearly as much as I used to. And 2009? Well. I seem to have half fallen off the bloggy bandwagon. I have a dozen posts that I have started. I have lots of post ideas. But. Making them come to fruition. It has not been my strong point.

So fewer blog posts equals more time to read. I read more than 100 books in '09. Some good. Some stinkers. Some real disappointments. And then there were these. The best books that I read last year:

1. The Road by Cormac McCarthy- On the surface, this story is post-apocalyptic. Some sort of undefined disaster has struck. The landscape has burned. Its colors are bleak. It's cold. The unnamed characters are hungry. And hiding from other survivors. Because those other survivors are not to be trusted. But. That is all surface. At it's heart. It's a story of love. That indefinable love between a parent and a child. When you do whatever it takes to protect them. In the most harrowing of circumstances. It's lyrical. Poetic. And beautiful. Yep. Post apocalyptic. Gut wrenching. And beautiful. (And the movie? I have not seen it. Not really interested. I am not sure who would read this book and say "hey...this would make a great movie...")

2. The Help - A first novel by Kathryn Stockett...and what an effort it is. Set in 1962 in Mississippi, the novel revolves around several Junior league members and their black maids. But the story gets is umph when one of the women begins applying for editing jobs in New York. She gets some great advice in one of her rejection letters...not that traditional "write what you know" but "write about what makes you uncomfortable." She takes this advice to heart and interviews the maids that clean the houses, cook the meals, raise the children...but women that would never be invited to the table.

3. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I have this certain affinity for young adult novels. But sometimes, they can be hugely disappointing. I read so many this year that had this overarching potential...yet they failed miserably. But this one. This one was different. It had a lot of similarities to others of this genre. Romance. Barriers between the two. Magic. But again. This one was different. It is so well voiced. The characters are so well developed. There is nothing two dimensional about it. And it's original. With it being told in first person. From the hero's point of view.

4. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley. I know it may be shocking...but I read A LOT of romances. And if you like romances...this one is incredibly well done. With a tortured hero who truly is "mad." A hero that was in an asylum in his youth. But the noises in his head are stilled - at least momentarily - when he finds the love of his life.

5. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I love this series. It is full of action and adventures. Steeped with Greek mythology. But with thoroughly modern twists. Like...the Olympian gods follow the heart of civilization...so the modern Mount Olympus is at the top of the Empire State building. The entrance to the underworld? Naturally...it's Las Vegas.

6. Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr is a difficult book to describe. It tells the story of a boy who has known since he was in utero when the world would end. If you knew...would you live your life differently? Would anything matter? The book also delves into those little things that matter...and change everything. What I really liked about the book was that...really...for all of us...we are here on this earth for a short time. We don't know exactly when our end will come. But life can be full of unexplicable joy and beauty...where everything does matter.

7. The Space Between Us by Thrity Urmigar. I read this as one of my book club selections. And it is one of the things that I love most about being in that group...they encourage me to read books that I would not normally pick up (like the one I am reading now "On Human Bondage" which is actually quite compelling...so far). And this short novel was one of my favorites of the year. It is about two women. One wealthy. Educated. Priviledged. The other her maid. She is poor. Illiterate. One would think that the divide between these women would be huge. Divided by money. By class. By opportunity. But. They share many of the same experiences. Some they don't even realize that they share. The tale is a haunting and compeling tale of our shared humanity.

8. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. This is not an action book. It is not fast paced. Yet there is adventure. But it is quiet adventure. Observational. And full of changes. Calpurnia is a girl on the cusp. On the verge of womanhood...but not wanting to play the prescribed role. On the verge of a new century with the promise of self-discovery.

9. The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. The series is fueled by the notion that someone in Japan invented a synthetic blood. For medical use. But...because of the invention, it allowed vampires to come out of the closet. So to speak. And. Well. If there are vampires. Why wouldn't there be shapeshifters? Werewolves? Fairies? Witches? Maenads? Why indeed. And all of these fantastical creatures become part of the world of Sookie Stackhouse. Bar maid from Bon Temp, Louisiana. An ordinary girl...who just happens to hear the thoughts of everyone around her. So. Is she part of that fantastical world...or not?

10. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. After reading "The Hunger Games" last year, I really could not fathom where Collins would take her next story. She took the story in a direction I did not expect. And then left me hanging at the end. Ugh! How much longer till book three?

So...what about you? What is the best book you have read this year? What is in your to-be-read pile?

All I want for Christmas

2009-12-24T17:28:00.000-05:00

The girls were rather difficult to shop for this year. Because their lists were composed of impossibilities.

Things like dogs. Winning lottery tickets. Baby sisters. So not gonna happen.

With list like this. One would think that really. And truly. They are lacking for nothing. They have what they need. And they also have what they might want.

When I took them for their annual visit with Santa. Madalyn asked for a dsi. Katie asked for World Peace.

I hope that Santa brings them an instruction manual on manners. Or living a whine free life. Or maybe one on peaceful siblings. Yep. We are all looking for impossibilities.

So...what about you? What is Santa bringing you and yours?

Vegas, Baby part IV

2009-12-23T09:34:00.003-05:00

Where did we leave off? Like a month ago? We went to Hoover dam on the dam bus. Went to a chocolate factory. I think it's a conspiracy. They do not provide lunch...or even an opportunity to lunch. So. When you get to the chocolate factory...you buy. And buy. And buy some more. Becaues you are so hungry. You rationalize that you are getting chocolate for your children. Your mom. Your best friend. And then when you arrive back at the dam bus you eat someone's chocolate. Not that this happened to me or anything. It just might happen. So if you go to Vegas on the dam bus. Bring a snack.

We got back to our hotel around 2. Had a yummy meal in the food court. And I decided that my feet had recuperated enough to go and explore more along the strip. Not to walk along the strip. But to schlep over to the bus stop. And ride the 56 miles to the other end of the strip. We got off at the Venetian with absolutely no idea as to what to do next.We admired the outside and the gondolas. And then walked across the street to the Mirage.

It is an odd thing. When you cross the street. To go from the Venetian side to the Mirage side. Because all of a sudden the temperature drops like 10 degrees. It's cool. And rather refreshing. Considering that we are in Vegas. And it's hot. And we've walked 65 miles just to get across the street. Or maybe it was all a mirage.

As we walked along, the landscaping is really lush. There are all these coves of waterfalls. And it's very tropical. But tropical with airconditioning. How ever do they do that? We finally got into the hotel and decided to go back to Siegfried and Roy's secret garden. I had kinda gotten confused. I was thinking that you could see the tigers for free. But I was thinking of the lions at the MGM grand (which we never actually got to see). Which are free. Siegfried and Roy's exhibit? Yeah. Free? Not so much. So when we got to the ticket window it was truly a decision of whether or not we'd pay the $16 a person to get in or not.

And then we decided. Well. I decided. Made the executive decision. That since we walked 24 miles through the hotel and casino back to the Secret Garden...we may as well go on in. And let me tell you. It was worth it. I wasn't so sure at first. Because we got to the dolphin pool first. And it was practically empty. Because they were in the process of refurbishing it. There were two small pools nearby. And there was a lone dolphin hanging out. But as we progressed further back, there was a large pool. With lots of dolphins. Who seemed to be just as curious about the visitors as we were about them.

They would circle around...eyeballing us. They were close enough to touch. Not that we did. Cause I didn't walk 326 miles to get kicked out.After gawking at dolphins...we walked further back and found llamas. Or are they alpacas? Leopards. Or is it a panther? And white lions. The male lion was just pacing. And roaring. I think he was ready for dinner. (Either that or he was just having a friendly conversation with the lion around the corner as they called to each other the whole time we were there.) And the female. Can you not just see the thought bubble? I think she was ready to put a muzzle on those two lions.

And then there were the infamous white tigers. They were just gorgeous. And again. So close you could touch them. Not that we did. (miles and miles of walking) But they were amazing. They responded to the calls and clicks. And they were so playful. They would take turns playing tag. Chasing each other all around the enclosure. And then falling into a pile of kitties. And then the next tiger would take a turn being "it."And even when we left (only because they were closing - cause I could have watched them for much longer!) they followed us...perhaps wondering why we weren't going to watch them play anymore!We walked out of the secret garden and went back inside the casino in search of a seat of some sort so that I could rest my aching toes. We people watched. Lamented the fact that we could not afford tickets to see "Love." And then realized that there IS a free show at the Mirage. And it was back outside. To the outdoor airconditioning. By the waterfalls. And that is the Mirage volcano.

I wasn't sure where we should stand because there was more than one big rock area that could be transformed into a volcano. So we stood. Watched the sky get dark. And all strip become blazing with light.We walked. Trying to find the perfect spot. I am sure that it was no more than 2. Or 7 miles. And we waited some more.

And then the show began. With jungle type music. Maybe didgeridoo. Maybe they just borrowed the soundtrack from "Survivor." But the volcano was quite cool. With lots of flames. And explosions.

And then it all went dark again. We hobbled over to the bus stop. Made our way back to the Monte Carlo. And our last night on the thirteenth floor before we moved on up the street.

So...what about you? Where is the best place you have been to see animals? Ever been to a volcano - real or otherwise?

Catch up on our Vegas adventures:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3 part 1

Minutiae

2009-12-08T00:06:00.000-05:00

Laws-a-mercy. Where has the time gone? And I left you at such a cliffhanger in my trip. I mean. I am sure that you have just been hanging. And wondering what on earth we are going to do after our trip to the Hoover Dam. Well. You'll just have to hang on to your hats a bit longer. And I'll fill you in on the flotsam and jetsam and minutiae that fill my day.

Right before Thanksgiving, my aunt and a bunch of cousins came to visit. We visited. Chatted. Ate lots of PW's brisket. But. I did not take one picture. Not one. I am not sure where I put my brain. Or my camera.

Ugh. And then there is the car. The car that just this summer turned that 100K mark. The car that is otherwise known as the money pit. It died when we went on our cruise last year. It has had flat tires. Battery issues. Electrical issues. Mental issues. So when the check engine light came on, we once again headed to the dealer. While they rubbed their hands together and praised my American lemon. But this time. I just got the minimum amount of work done to make that light go away. And I promptly drove to the Toyota dealership and traded that sucka in. And now. We have a lovely new Sienna gracing my garage.

Lizzy spent Thanksgiving with us. We had a great day. With turkey. More recipes from PW. Family. Friends. And "V." Yes. "V." The original. Oh my goodness. We laughed so hard. And that scene of Diana eating the guinea pig was played over and over again. What? Isn't that how ya'll spent your day?

What about black Friday. Did you shop? Lizzy and I shopped. And I realized how easy Katie is to buy presents for. And how difficult Madalyn is. Especially when her list includes impossibles. Like her own house. A laptop. And a baby sister. But what is the most difficult is my husband. Who is impossible to buy for. Because he doesn't want anything. I had a stroke of genius last year in getting him reusable shopping bags. But this year I got nothin'. Any ideas? What are ya'll getting your significant others??

Did you know that if you create a wishlist on Amazon, you could win a $25,000 gift card? Wait. Forget I told you that.

Speaking of Amazon. Did I tell you that I finally earned money from my blog? Do you see all those book covers there on the left? Well, if you click on those. You will bring up Amazon. You can read more about the book. You can look at other books. Order books. And if you do make a purchase. I get a percentage. A very small percentage. Teeny-tiny. So. After almost 2 years of blogging. I finally earned a $10 gift card.

Oh. Did you want to know what I bought? I did not buy a Christmas gift. I bought a book. For me. It's rather shocking. I am a library girl. But for this book. I didn't want to wait. I got "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner. And wow. What an amazing book. I don't think I have been this riveted to a story since "The Hunger Games." (August 24, 2010 - due date for book three. Not that I am counting.)Have you read either one?

And speaking of books. I just finished a really good one. "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate." It's the story of a girl on the cusp. It's 1899. She is about to enter into a new century. She is about to enter her teen years. Her family is changing. She has an aversion to the female role she is supposed to play. She is trying to figure out who she is. I don't know how to describe except that it was an absolute delight. I wonder if my bookclub would be willing to read it...

Event Chasing at the Georgia/Georgia Tech game

2009-12-06T21:21:00.001-05:00

The day finally arrived. And Michael got to see his alma mater in its ultimate rivalry: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs the Georgia Bulldogs. Tech was favored to win. But. It did not happen. They were plagued by injuries. And the dawgs got bragging rights. For now.

Go read Michael's post over at event chasers. And while you are there...see if you can sign up to be a chaser too!

Vegas, Baby part III

2009-11-11T20:46:00.002-05:00

Vegas, Day 1
Vegas, Day 2

The Dam bus arrives early at the Monte Carlo. Which required me to set an alarm clock. As the alarms of the construction site could not be guaranteed to go off at the correct time. Or again within 9 minutes to constitute a snooze. So we alarmed. Snoozed. Showered. And dressed.

As we went down for breakfast. Alarms actually started going off in the hotel. Fire alarms. With flashing strobe lights. It was very loud. But no one seemed concerned. Not the workers in the food court. Or the bosses in the pits. Well. Those security guards that were running. They might have been concerned. Yet no one said "get out!" Or "run for your life!" So we stayed and had breakfast. In the food court. With the sirens. And the strobes.

We headed out the doors and looked for the sign to the dam bus.

The drive to the dam is really not that long. It's maybe a 20 minute drive. However. There are two things that slow you down. One is that everyone must go through a security check. No commerical vehicles are allowed to cross the dam. When our bus pulled over, an officer from homeland security came aboard so that he could go through all the overhead compartments.

The other delay is simply traffic. There are lots of people that want to visit the dam. And there are even more people who simply need to pass on by. But they get stuck with all the tourists. And then there are the commercial vehicles. Who simply need to pass on through. They are re-routed about an hour and a half out of their way. At least for a bit longer. As a huge bridge is being built over the canyon and will provide a much more convenient bypass.However. That bridge. That bypass. Is about 2 years behind schedule. And part of it blew over this year. More work is a good idea.

So...our bus parked. And sent us on our merry way to yet another line. Another security check point. X-rays. Metal detectors. Body cavity search. And we were in like Flynn. To yet another line. This time to see a dam short film. Short dam film? It was dam fascinating.

Next? You guessed it. Another line. This time to an elevator. Into the bowels of the dam. We rode down to a spot beneath the dam to see the original tunnels that were built to divert the river during construction.

(See the dam in the diagram above? And the "pipes": that look golden, then gray, then blue? The pipes at the top...there is a line that goes vertically through the diagram? We are at the intersection of the gray pipe and the line at the top. Dam clear, huh? If only I knew photoshop and could write on my picture with an X and say "we are here")

Next we headed back up. This time to see how the water is used to turn turbines so that they can harvest electricity. Electricity is the bonus in this project. And makes it so that the dam can operate as a non-profit.

Finally we headed up to the top and the observation platform. It really is a sight to see. Amazing. And so large that I could not capture it all in my lense. And now that I look at it. I realize that we never had the chance to actually walk across the bridge. Or rub the toes of the winged statues. Sigh. Next time.

In the gift shop we found some very exciting souvenirs for the girls. Dam placemats!

And then we were off to the next part of our three hour tour. The Ethel M. chocolate factory. Chocolate samples for lunch sounded like a splendid idea. And going to a chocolate factory at lunch time. When you are starving. Dam brilliant marketing plan.

So...what about you? What US landmark would you like to visit? What is your favorite chocolate?

Weekend Whimsies

2009-11-07T08:33:00.002-05:00

Enough about me....let's talk about you...

rain or snow?

apples or oranges?

Crayons or colored pencils?

Favorite John Hughes' movie?

scented or unscented?

What toppings do you put on your burger?

gift bag or gift wrap?

print or cursive?

corn chips or potato chips?

Favorite soup?

Vegas, Baby...part II

2009-11-05T20:58:00.002-05:00

Vegas: Day 1

My body was still on Eastern time when it woke up this morning to an ungodly Vegas hour. But the construction workers were at it full force. And there were half a dozen alarms. Car alarms? Sirens? Fire alarms? Going off. I opened the curtains to see my view. The Monte Carlo has a pretty impressive pool area. You cannot see it all from this photo. But there is a hot tub. A large lounging pool. The lazy river you can see. And that large pool by the river? That is a wave pool. A wave pool. At my hotel. But as I watched. I noticed the palm trees swaying in the steady breeze. Then those palm trees bent. And bent. As the breeze changed to a gust. Note to self: wear jeans today.

Just beyond the pool was the construction of the city center. All those late nights are paying off and the construction looks about done. The monorail pad looks like something out of a Star Wars movie.

I woke up Michael. I had an errand for him to run. I sent him off to the half price ticket booth to see what we might do today. While sending small prayers to the gods of Vegas that Cirque tickets might be in our future. My chore was to figure out how we could meander the strip without walking too much. One of the guide books suggested using the bus. Specifically the Deuce. A double decker bus that runs up and down the strip. 24 hours a day. I got online to figure out where the stops are located. And it says "stops at virtually all the hotels on the strip." Cool. That says minimal walking to me!

My next chore was to go down and buy an excursion to Hoover Dam. And lament over the fact that the Grand Canyon tour was not in our budget. Or time restraints.

I went back to the room to wait for Michael and our cirque tickets. Only to discover that most cirque shows are dark on Wednesday nights. And that we were now the proud owners of tickets to see "The Price is Right." Well. If we can't win at slots. Maybe we can win the big showcase.

By now, it's getting to be late morning. And I am STARVING. My body says it is early afternoon. And I have not had breakfast. Or lunch. We decided that it was a good time to go to the buffet. Especially since we had buy one get one free coupons. And it was even cheaper because we went in a few minutes before lunch was being served. So we got the breakfast price. My husband now feels like he has won it big. We started out with a little breakfast. And then moved right into lunch. It was pretty good.

Then it was time to finally play some slots. This is all that gambling means to me. Pushing that button. And waiting to see what shows up on the pay line. I found a machine that actually paid if nothing was on the pay line. It was kinda like a do-over. So many times I was so close to the big pay off. Centimeters away. I just knew that the next roll would get me to that jackpot. And actually. When we finally walked out. I hadn't lost any money. I think I was up about ten or twenty dollars. Which was good because Michael had quickly lost all of his allotment.

And when I stood up to head out. There was a travesty. My backpack purse. It broke. The strap was no longer attached to the bottom. And I could not carry it like a backpack. I threw it over one shoulder and we headed across the street to catch the Deuce.

I am thinking that it is quite easy to spot the tourists on Las Vegas Boulevard. We are all standing around. Gaping. Spinning to see it all. And taking pictures of just about everything. Then again. All of us at this locale are probably tourists. I think the locals don't venture here unless they have to. We made a mental note to come back to the four story M&M store.We checked out New York, New York. I bet the girls would love to ride that roller coaster. And you can see the other hotels down the strip: NY,NY, The Excalibur, the Luxor is tucked behind, and finally Mandalay Bay. It looks like they are so close. But Mandalay Bay is really 47 miles down the road. Or something like that. Damn mirage

Oh. And look at what else we saw: It was just like being in Atlanta. And it might the only place in town that you can actually buy a coke. When you are craving a coke. And all they have to offer you is Pepsi.

Our bus arrived. We were armed with our exact change. And we found a seat. We needed to go to Bally's. Which is between the Paris and the Flamingo. And Bill's Gaming Hall is in there too. Somewhere. So we are riding along. And we pull up in front of the Paris. Michael suggests we get off here. But. I thought the bus would stop a smidge futher down the street. Right in front of Bally's. Because the website said they stop at all the hotels. (Yeah, yeah. It said "virtually." I chose to ignore that word. Unfortunately.) So we stay on. And we drive on. Right past Bally's. Past Bill's. And right to the edge of the Flamingo. A good 27 miles away from Bally's. Or something like that.

So we begin our trek. That I was trying to avoid. Down to the end of the street. Up to the overpass. Over the street. And towards Bally's. Except that I could not figure out how to enter. There is a huge sign to enter the resort. But it says "Bally's Monorail." And I didn't want to go to the monorail. I wanted to go to the Price Is Right theatre. So we walked more. And some more. To the main entrance. Where we quickly discovered that the monorail entrance was what we wanted. Ugh.

We went to get in line. And we got one of those cute price tag name tags. And had our picture taken in front of a green screen. Where they inserted the big wheel behind us. You'll just have to use your imagination here. Since I didn't buy it. But. I look sweaty. Windblown. Did I mention sweaty?

The show was hysterical. Who knew? Now. This is not the Drew Carey Price is Right. This is the low key version. Again. Who knew that low key exists in Vegas. But it was low key. And hysterical. The host was Todd Newton. Who I have seen on E! And the announcer was David Ruprecht. Who?? The guy that hosted "Supermarket Sweep." Who?? Nevermind.

What made the show was all the contestants. (There were 4 contestants called up for each round of bidding...so lots of people got to play. Unfortunately, our names were never called.) There was the woman who was visiting Vegas with her friend. Her friend being the man she has lived with for the past 18 years. Who still hasn't asked her to marry her. Then there was the woman who giggled. Constantly. So much giggling she couldn't even give her bid. And there was the woman who brought her purse up with her to bid. Because she didn't trust the people she came with to look after it. Nor could she recall their names. But she knew she had known them for years.

After the show we decided to go and check out Caesar's Palace. And do a little gambling. (The whole time I am thinking about Alan asking "So...did Caesar really live here?") We ambled through the casino. And ambled a little more. And the ambling turned into walking. And we ended up in the forum shops. Which are really cool. The floor is cobblestone. And the ceiling is like the sky. There are fountains. And if you keep going. There is even a fountain of gods. That talk. And while I sat down to listen to the story of Zeus. And Hermes. And Aphrodite. I noticed something.

Do you see it, too? Over in the corner. No, no, no. The other corner. It's a Brighton store! And it was calling my name. I found just the thing. A tiny purse. With a ginormous strap. You should have seen me in the store. Trying on all the teeny tiny purses. To see how much I could still fit inside of one. I am not sure how I made the transition from my ginormous giraffe bag to this tiny thing. But it was done. And we were on our way. Out of the hotel. Because I was sooo not going to amble. Or walk. Or trudge back to the casino.

We finally figured out how to get out of the shops. And I amused myself looking at the spiral escalator. Is that redneck that I was amused? Entranced? Enthralled? One cannot possibly be a redneck. AND own a Brighton purse. Right? Right? Hello?So we headed out of Caesar's to the Deuce stop. And back to the Monte Carlo. Where we played slots again. Had dinner. And went back up to our cologne soaked hall. On the thirteenth floor. So that we could crash at a decent hour. Because we had to be ready for the Dam bus at 8am.

So...what about you? Do you like the Price is Right? Wave Pools? Riding the bus? Brighton purses?

Vegas, baby part I

2009-11-02T19:35:00.001-05:00

When I first heard about the blog conference that SITS was hosting in Las Vegas. I knew that I had to be a part of it. After our year of medical maladies. Topped with a ~~cherry~~ flood. A vacation for the grown ups was just the ticket. I have never been to Vegas. And I could not wait to soak up it's lights. Glamour. Nudie cards. And Kitsch.

Being the strange bird that I am. My first order of business was research. To figure out how early we might be able to fly out. To see what shows could possibly be in our budget. To find an inexpensive hotel on the strip for the first part of our week. To arrange a little off site travel. And to investigate the possibility of renewing my vows with Elvis. Well. Not literally with Elvis. Since I am not married to him in the first place. Nevermind.

My first exciting find was that I had enough credit card points for us to fly for free. Of course. We probably got all those points from certain medical maladies. Which begs the question of if there weren't medical maladies, would we have been able to go to Vegas? Which begs other questions. That I won't torment you with since it's enough that they keep me up at night.

Finally a few weeks before we were to leave. I finally decided where we would stay. And for the rest of our week. I decided not to plan at all. But to just see what each day would bring. And see if we could win big on the slots and supplement our plans accordingly. Because one should always plan vacations on a wing and a prayer. And the thought of hitting it big. Right? That is what everyone is doing these days. You heard it here first. Cause I just made it up.

We flew out of Atlanta on a Tuesday afternoon. Giving many thanks to Lizzy who graciously agreed to drive Michael and I to the airport. She had no idea that her graciousness would extend to a 3+ hour drive home due to an accident on the interstate. I am sure that she is still wondering where her tshirt is. We arrived in Las Vegas with much less pomp and circumstance.

We decided to stay at the Monte Carlo resort at the south end of the strip. I got us all checked in. When I noticed the strangest of things. We were assigned to a room on the 13th floor. The 13th floor! I thought that hotels skipped this floor. Evidently not. We had a no smoking room. Perhaps this was the floor the powers that be decided was best for us. Our room and floor did not smell of smoke. But it smelled like someone had spilled a whole bottle of cologne. Cheap cologne.

Don't get me wrong. The room was fine. The hotel was fine. Especially considering I only paid $59 a night. But do you know what is going on all around the Monte Carlo? They are building what is called "The City Center." It is a huge hotel. Casino. With restaurants. Shopping. Church. Synagogue. And even a school. And this complex is scheduled to be finished soon. But to finish it. The construction goes on 24/7. The city truly never sleeps. And neither does anyone staying at the Monte Carlo.

It was almost bedtime. But really, it was early in Vegas. My body says it is 11pm. My clock says it's only 8pm. And those peanuts on the airplane are a distant memory. So we went off in search of food. There is a food court by the casino and I found this place that made yummy guacamole. Where only the casino bosses behind those cameras might be able to tell you if the plate was licked clean.

With a little nourishment. We got a little energy. And decided to go and check out the strip. If we could figure out how to get there. We walked through the casino. And walked. And walked a little more. We passed the steakhouse. The cafe. The buffet. The magician's theatre. A bar. And more slots. And we walked a little further. Binoculars might have been helpful. And then we were out. I knew that the Bellagio was the next casino up the street. And that the Paris was directly across the street from the Bellagio. And look. The Paris is so close. So we decided to walk over to see those famous fountains.

Did you know that Las Vegas is in the desert? One of the effects of being in the desert is a mirage. Part of a mirage is the feeling that things are much closer than they appear. When they aren't. Kinda the reverse of your side view mirrors. (But the same sort of feeling you might get if you see in your sideview mirror a T-rex chasing you.)

So we walked to the Bellagio.

Have I mentioned that I don't walk? Besides being lazy and having zero stamina. I have horrid heel spurs. Which makes walking rather difficult.

And we walked some more. The Paris never looked any closer. It remained what seemed the same distance away. Even though we kept walking. And walking. And walking.

And finally. We were there. Without a sofa to crash into. Nary a stone bench in sight. So I leaned on the wall. And waited for the next show to begin.

And I must say that we were rewarded. Handsomely. I knew the fountains were a must see. But I don't think I got the extent of how cool they really are. The fountains are choreographed to music. So every show is different. And the water really does move with the music. And the song we heard. It was fabulous. And oh so fitting: "Hey, Big Spender." (It's times like this that I wish I still had my playlist.)

And if the pictures aren't enough, I found a video of it on youtube:

And when it was over. I must have still been enraptured. Because we walked back to the hotel. Walked. And walked. And a little further. I even contemplated the bus stop. But I had no idea where it might let us off. So we kept walking. Back through the casino. Past the bufet. And cafe. And food court. To the cologne soaked hall. And into our thirteenth floor room. And right into bed. With the sounds of saws. Hammers. And construction detris lulling me to a peaceful night's sleep.

So...what about you? Have you ever been to Vegas? Favorite hotel there - or one you would want to stay in? Are you shocked that I have blogged two days in a row?

Halloween

2009-11-01T19:42:00.006-05:00

We forgot. Ran out of time. Or ignored it. One of those. Or all of those. But there was no pumpkin in our house this year. No orange canvas for Michael to practice his mad skills. Last year he did the two-head kitty monster. Which showed the scariest thing to happen to us last year. Carving doctor bills on the pumpkin for this year might have been an interesting challenge.

And what did the girls choose for their costumes this year? Madalyn went through a long list of possibilities. Renaissance princess. Grecian princess. Egyptian princess. My mother took her to Target to pick something out. And she decided to be a skeleton. Princess? I think we should have given her a tiara.

Katie decided to make her own costume. So that she could be her absolute favorite thing. A pie. She had it all planned out. She would wear silver pants. For the pie tin. And a tan-ish shirt. Her words. So she would have the pie crust down. And then she wanted to make slits in the shirt to show the fruit in the pie. And then have a hat that looked like she was ala mode. Uh-huh. Have I mentioned that I am not creative? This was a project that firmly rested in her hands.

She knew. And I knew. That this project was a go when I found the silver leggings. The store clerk gave me an odd look when I told her the leggings were for a Halloween costume. I would like to know what occasion calls for silver leggings. Where would you wear silver leggings? The rest of the costume came rather easily. The brown hoodie was found in her sister's closet. She made the apple slices and slits for her shirt. And glued a hundred cotton balls on a hat. Refused to have a cherry on top. Because she doesn't like cherries. Marischino cherries actually. "Real" cherries are yum.So here they are. In all their independent glory.

Did you know that sometimes skeleton. Princesses? Like to snack on pies?

Do any of you remember what we found in Katie's bag last year? Someone had put in some fun dip. That was personalized. From Valentine's. Yep. Regifted candy.Shockingly. It happened again. This time to Madalyn. She got a peanut butter bunny. Yep. An Easter bunny. For Halloween. Now that is scary.

So...what about you? How did your kids dress up for Halloween? Did you dress up? What is your favorite candy to steal from your kids? What candy did you hand out?

Event Chasing Again

2009-10-30T11:12:00.003-04:00

In the south, football is a big deal. In Georgia, rivalries are a big deal. And one of the biggest is between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. I went to the University of Georgia. And Michael went to Tech. We are a house divided. Well. Not really. Because I really don't care. And Michael always roots for Georgia. Unless they are playing Tech.

We have Tech "stuff" everywhere. It's on our welcome mat. On our grill cover. On Michael's reusable grocery bags. It's on lots of ornaments on our Christmas tree. If we ever put it up again. We all have t-shirts. Sweatshirts. Even button down shirts with Tech emboridery. Katie has even gotten to the point where she refuses to wear the Georgia Bulldog shirt I got her. Or even anything in a red and black combo. It is disloyal to her dad. And she ingnores my cries of "hey...what about me?!"

And Madalyn learned the hard way to never wear her Bulldog colors. One day we were at the tennis courts and she was stung three times by a yellow jacket. And after she was soothed and loved. We pointed out that she had a Bulldog t-shirt on. And that the yellow jacket was just not going to take that from her.

So, when I was contacted by Event Chasers earlier in the week to see if there were any events in November we would like to chase for them. I naturally HAD to ask if we could get tickets to the Georiga/Georgia Tech game. We made a list of several events we'd like to cover with that game as the number one option. I was not surprised by the email that said we could have tickets to any of the events except that one.

But then. I got another email saying that they could give us ONE ticket to the Georgia/Georgia Tech game. I think that Michael actually squealed like a little girl. He hasn't been to this big event since he was at Tech. I am so excited for him to go. And major thank yous to Event Chasers for making it all possible!

So...what about you? Is there a big game you would like to attend? Is football big in your area? If sports are not your thing...is there a show or concert you would like to see? Are you an event chaser??

The further misadventures of Hooligan kitties

2009-10-26T16:01:00.005-04:00

I think I should write a book series. Maybe it will be a children's book. On the misadventures of sister kitties. Perhaps it will be a sweet compelling tale of humor and triumph ala "Marley and Me." More than likely. If I were to write a book. It would be of a self-help type. Explaining why you don't really want a cat. And especially why you don't want a pair of kitties.

I could start with the fact that you could end up with clever cats who turn on the faucets because fresh water is much better than the swill in the bowl.

Or clever might not be the word for kitties who get trapped behind bookcases.

I could also mention the possibility of ending up with chewers. Who could destroy your blinds.

Be attracted to the smell of crocs...which demand to be eaten.

Or really the scent of any foam. Which leads to things like intestinal blockages.

One would not want to end up with clever cats who like to chew. Because they might open your bathroom drawers. And feel the need to eat all the hairtyes in said drawer. Yielding yet another high vet bill.

I could also wax rhapsodic about those chewing kitties. Who insist on chewing. Climbing. And sleeping in your Christmas tree. Forcing you to put it away. And changing the face of your celebration forevah and evah.

And then. I could mention this day. Which started with an email. And a query. "Is there something wrong with your phone? I tried to call you this morning. It rang once and then nothing." After much investigation. Calling my own house. Having other people call. Calling the phone company. But being perplexed because the internet works just fine. We discovered the problem.

Every. Single. Phone cord. Has been chewed on. Every. Single. One. When your phone cords have been used for lunch. The phones no longer work. I am quotable. Just like Confucius. I am quite sure I have the makings of a best seller. If only the kitties would stop prying the keys off of the keyboard.

So. If you are trying to reach me. Don't call.

Where HAVE you been?

2009-10-21T12:32:00.004-04:00

Has it really been a month since I have written? I haven't completely fallen off the face of the earth. Just a slight slide into oblivion. I keep trying to put on the brakes. But more and more seems to fall into my lap.

There was the kindney stone drama. Remember that stone that hit over fourth of July weekend? Well. It wasn't gone. I thought it was gone. Because it didn't hurt anymore. And then at the end of August I had what I thought was a bladder infection. That two rounds of antibiotics did not cure. Apparently it was my kidney stone. Knocking on the door of my bladder.

So my urologist decided to go in and get it. Yeah. Quite the visual. And just to make you squirm a little more. I had to have a stent put in to keep the tube open between my kidney and my bladder. And when did all this happen? The same weekend as our flood. The. Same. Weekend.

On Monday morning when we woke up to the floodwaters. And flooded basement. I had to get to the doctor to remove that stent. But most roads in the area were blocked. Including the ones that would have led me to the doctor's office. After many go rounds on the phone. The powers that be finally agreed to let me see a nurse at a different office. Thank goodness they did. Because within an hour of me coming home...the road was under water. So the stone is gone. And now we just have to wonder about the two other stones that are hanging out in my other kidney. Hopefully they'll agree to just hang out. And not try to move the party to a different location.

What else happened the week of the flood? Well. Four days later, we went to Disney World. Leaving behind a damp basement. With it's cement floors instead of carpet. And Lizzy. To stay and babysit the kitties. And breathe the nasty air. We brought her back a t-shirt.

And then. The week after Disney. What did I do? Michael and I took yet another vacation. This time to Las Vegas.

OH. And I almost forgot. In between the surgery. And vacations. I have been diagnosed with skin cancer. And if you have seen my pasty white skin. And my industrial size jug of 50 spf sunscreen. And my lack of time in the sun. It's almost comical. So. I get the area removed tomorrow. It's just a little spot on my back near my shoulder. But let me tell ya. I am so over doctors. And especially their bills.

So. I am up to my ears in insurance claims. School work. And readjusting to the Eastern time zone. Hopefully. Sooner rather than later. I'll be back to regale you with stories of Disney and Vegas. Rebuilding. Homeschooling. And whatever other nonsense I move from my brain to the computer screen.

So...what about you? Have you ever taken a big break from blogging? Disney or Vegas?

And the rain came down, down, down…

2009-09-24T11:57:00.007-04:00

“Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink…”

I was startled awake about 1am Monday morning. Startled is quite the word. The thunder rolled and rolled and rolled. My windows rattled. The house shook. The floors vibrated.

By 2:30 am it was a house party. With everyone awake. Except my husband who could sleep through anything. And does.

The thunder was deafening. But what was scary was the lightning. It felt like the storm was right on top of our house. The lightning strikes were so close. And they were so frequent. And bright. That our light sensitive street lamps went out in a confusion over daylight and the light from the lightning.

The thunder. The lightning. And then the rain. Wow. The rain. Normally when you think about thunderstorms. They are often gone as quickly as they pop-up. The down pour might be torrential. But it’s over pretty quickly. But this rain. Unreal. There was no wind to drive it on. It – again – seemed to sit on top of our house. And sit. And sit. And sit.

For five hours it sat. Sat so loudly no one could sleep. And just when you thought the storm was dissipating. The thunder and lightning seeming to get further apart. It didn’t. And it seemed like a new wave had arrived. But the wind that was non-existent didn’t blow it in. It just kept coming. Down, down, down.

The ferocity must have died down around 5:30. That is the last time I recall looking at the clock. Until 6:45 when Michael woke me up to say that our county had delayed schools by 90 minutes.

When he told me that. I really could not comprehend WHY schools were closed or delayed. It was just a horrid thunderstorm. That kept me up all night. I was curious to see what our creek looked like in the light of day. But school closing did not make sense.

Until I turned on the news. And saw some of the same images you have probably seen by now. Of neighborhoods underwater. Of neighborhoods cut off because of washed out roads. Of amusement parks underwater. Of major highways under water. Disconnecting people in this HUGE metro area.

It even made hummingbirds think that they were moths.My little city in the ‘burbs got almost 12 inches of water in a six hour period. 12 inches! That number is still astounding to me.

So what does 12 inches of water do? Well. Let’s have a little perspective. We live on a pretty big piece of property. And at the border is a creek.

This is what it typically looks like.

And this is what it looks like after a lot of rain.
And this is what it looks like after 12 inches of rain.
The girls have a red playhouse. It is on stilts. Cemented into the ground. With a slide coming out. This is what it looked like after 12 inches of rain.
But those waters. Well. They kept rising. And by the next morning. Well. That inundated playhouse. I actually thought it was washed away. But it was just completely under water.

We have a shed (it's the green building on the left of the above photo). Fine Monday morning. But by Monday night. Had about 5 feet of water inside. With a slight recession this morning. (you can see the flood line on the side of the building)I haven't brought myself to even go in there yet.

And our neighborhood. Well. The creek crosses the main road twice.(see those three figures in the water? Three boys. Playing in the nasty flood waters. MRSA cases in waiting...)Both areas unpassable. Except by boat.(the above picture was taken Tuesday and you can see that the waters had receeded alot already. Look at the mud line on the hedge on the right side of the photo...)

I lived on an island until late Tuesday night. And now the clean up begins. We were fortunate in that we are all fine. Our yard is a big sludgy mud puddle. Our basement is damp. But hopefully with some blowers and dehumidifiers the smell will disapate. I am ready for the drama of this year to be over.

So...what about you? Have you had to deal with flooding? Other natural disasters? General drama??

The Library

2009-09-15T13:57:00.004-04:00

For anyone who has been reading my blog. For anyone who knows me. For anyone who did more than take a quick glance around this spot. It's quite obvious that I am a reader. An avid reader. Sometimes even a book a day reader.

I am in two book clubs. Most of my choices are not high brow. I am a huge fan of pop fiction. I love smut. I like to escape with pure entertainment.

But my book reading habit. It wouldn't be a habit without the library. I rarely buy books. I prefer to get them from the library. In fact, even with a gift card, I am hard pressed to purchase a book when I know that I could read it for free. Or rather when I realize that through my tax dollars, I have already purchased the book that I want to read.

We use the library a lot. When the girls were little, we would go to storytime. To movies. Puppet shows. I have gone to neighborhood meetings. Girl scout meeting. And to vote at the library.

We are there often for homeschooling. Katie does research. We use the encyclopedias. We ask questions of the reference librarian. We use the computers.

It's an amazing resource. But. Our local libraries have had to make huge cutbacks. The tax base is just not what it was. The hours are shorter. And now they are only open 5 days a week instead of 7. There is talk of branch closings. And their purchasing department is losing funds. All of these events have led to much whining and complaining from me.

But then I heard last night that the city of Philadelphia is closing ALL of their public libraries. ALL of them. In the city of the very first library - there will no longer be free lending libraries. It is a travesty.

So...what about you? Do you use the library? Have the libraries in your area been affected by the economy? Had you heard about Philadelphia's libraries?

Event Chasers

2009-09-05T05:37:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I told you about signing up with Event Chasers. We got tickets to go and see the Atlanta Falcons vs. The San Diego Chargers for a pre-season game.

Well. Then my plans changed. And I spent the weekend with Lizzy, Angie, Shannon, and Kori.

And I sent Michael off to watch the game. Write about his experience. Without me. Event chasers were very understanding about the change of plans. And the change of correspondent. However, I don't want to be left out all together. So I suggested that Michael and I work as a team. They LOVED the idea. And we are now their first couple chasers! (Does that sound dirty?)

And I am thinking I have had a stroke of genius. Because now I can send him off to watch sporting events. And I can bide my time for some "Wicked" tickets.

Be sure to check out the link - and leave Michael some comment luv!

Friday Follies

2009-09-04T17:17:00.002-04:00

In honor of my camping trip. (Ya'll will pray for me, right?) Let's talk about traveling:

plane, train, or automobile?

East coast or west coast?

Hawaii or Caribbean?

Mountains or beach?

Favorite vacation spot?

Dream vacation spot?

RV or tent?

Lake, pool, or ocean?

Where did you go on your last vacation?

Where will you go on your next vacation?

Tuesday Ten

2009-09-01T10:07:00.001-04:00

I got my Entertainment Weekly today. It is supposed to come on Fridays. But I think that my mailman enjoys it first. Do ya'll get your subscriptions when you are supposed to - or is there a delay?

Anyway...EW has inspired today's blog post. And if I remember. It might become a weekly feature. For me. It's already weekly for them. Unless they are having a double issue. And then you have a week on hold. But I digress. The feature is the MustList. Or the Top 10 things that they love for the week.

So...I thought I'd tell you my top ten things for the week. Although top is a loose word. Maybe it should be just the ten things that happened over the week. Without the top part. Maybe I should just call it a random post. Now my memory is getting foggy. I am not sure how EW inspired me. Except for the 10 part.

1. Friends! Not the tv show. But my friends. And. Most likely. Your friends, too. I had a fabulous weekend with friends. Shannon, Angie, Lizzy (and even Mr. B) got together for a road trip to Alabama. To help Kori celebrate and remember her husband Richard. We laughed. Compared outfits. Admired our pedicures. And had many conversations way too inappropriate for a family blog. Or for a discussion in the house of the Lord. We are lucky that lightning bolts were not involved.

2. Hangover! Nope. Not an alcohol induced one. But the movie version. At least this time all the laughing did not contribute to a kidney stone. Do you think it's possible that Angie, Shannon, and I are the only ones who have seen this movie after coming from a funeral? AND still in our black duds? We laughed. Hard. Stomped our feet in addition to our laughter. Exclaimed disbelief. And laughed so hard we cried. Again.

3. Eight year old girl children. I am not sure where the one that lives in my house came from. And the fact that she keeps Justin Timberlake in her panty drawer should have given me a clue. But tonight she wanted to discuss with me the intricate details about kissing boys. And she flat out refused to listen to my sage advice of no dating or kissing for a very long time. Like college. When I won't have to know about it. Or even high school. When I might be able to accept it. Nope. She is aiming for 8. And next Friday. At the elementary school dance. (And the child even has the nerve to lament the lack of slow dances. Like she even knows how to slow dance!)

4. Do you know where I will be next Friday during said elementary school dance? I will be on the beach. In Panama City. Camping. Did your world come to a halt as well? I am not so sure about this. And my foggy memory is not cooperating. But I believe I heard beach. And am blocking out the camping part.

And my friend Michelle is going to have to take the shotgun to the dance. Or maybe we should be warning the parents of third grade boys to come prepared.

5. Do you know what is going on in my town while I am camping? The Decatur Book festival. Where I will miss the chance to mix and mingle with Sara Gruen (who wrote "Water for Elephants"); Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn Dixie); my hero Diana Gabaldon (who writes the Outlander series); and Charlaine Harris (of Sookie Stackhouse fame). I need to clone myself.

6. Speaking of Sookie. Do you watch True Blood? I absolutely love the book series. But the HBO show. Wowzers. There are the men.Which is often reason enough. But this show. It's sexy. Campy. And so much fun. There are MANY deviations from the book series. But it works. The changes they have made are great. And the additions. Perfect. Sigh. Eric.7. Let's take a 180 from True Blood. I have been reading a GREAT children's series. It's kinda fun to have the word "JUVENILE" stamped on my books from the library. It's Suzanne Collins' (yep. That Suzanne Collins who wrote "The Hunger Games") series "Gregor the Overlander." I am only on book three of the five part series. But I cannot wait until the library opens tomorrow so that I can my hands on the last two.

8. Many, many thanks to Tressa who kindly agreed to take Madalyn's Flat Stanley on a tour of her Norwegian town. Should I mention that Madalyn wants to be penpals with Tressa's son Dane? Yeah. I thought I should leave that out.

9. When I was in school, I was not a fan of history. It was dry. Boring. And simply a regurgitation of facts. But. When I was in college. I managed to minor in history. Mostly because I had some great professors. Who made history interesting. The homeschool curriculum that we use is history centered. So I have to make sure that Katie has a positive experience with history. And hopefully my enthusiasm will be contagious.

This year we are studying the Middle Ages. I thought it would be fun to throw some movies into the mix. Like: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Or "A Knight's Tale." Or "The Lord of the Rings trilogy." But I thought we ought to bring in some nonfiction as well. And I began to scour netflix for shows from the History channel. That hopefully would be interesting.

And I found a gem. Terry Jones of Monty Python fame has done a series called "Medieval Lives." Where he discusses: the monk, the damsel, the peasant, the outlaw, and other characters. The episodes are fun. Hilarious. Cheeky. And most of all - educational. If you have netflix you can watch them online. And I encourage you to check it out!

10. I have been caught up in the train wreck that is the Duggars. I even tivo their show. But mysteriously, it stopped being taped. Genius that I am, I figured it out. I had set "17 kids and counting" to record. But after they had a baby, the name of the show changed to "18 kids and counting." I am going to have to be on my game now, though. Cause they are pregnant again. Again. Child number 19 is on the way. How DOES her bladder still function? Inquiring minds...

Take a memo

2009-08-31T10:04:00.005-04:00

There was a time in my life when I remembered EVERYTHING. I did not need a calendar to keep appointments. Or to know when someone was celebrating a birthday. Or to remind myself to meet friends at the movies.

My memory skills even made it possible for me to take the most cryptic of notes in my classes. I heard it and I knew it. I wrote it down. I never seemed to forget it.

And then it all changed.

My brain is like a sieve. I have to make lists. But not only do I have to write things down. I have to make sure that list is front and center. Or I will surely forget what I am supposed to do.

I have all kinds of notations on my calendar. Birthdays. But I never remember to send a card. Appointments. Appointments I might even recall in the morning. But I still might get a call at 4pm from the dentist wanting to know why I am not there with my child.

And there are events and conversations. That my husband swears that we have had. That I have no memory of at all. Of movies that we have seen. Comments I have made. Maybe none of it happened. And he is just messing with me. It seems rather unfair. Since he is the one with the brain injury.

And then. There are the things that do work. I have an internal GPS. I know where to turn. The names of the roads. And how to reverse it all to get home.

I can remember the most useless of information. All kinds of trivial fluff. But. I have no idea why I might know these things. And I can't even give you examples. Because I have forgotten.

I can remember the Latin that I learned in high school. I never took a Latin class in college. I didn't major in it. Yet I still remember it all. Remember it well enough to be entering into my fifth year of teaching high school Latin to homeschoolers.

I can remember stories that my friends wish I would forget.

Scary.

So...what about you? How is your memory? Are you a list maker? Are you forgetful? Or is this just me?

Homeschool Week in Review: Weeks 1 and 2

2009-08-26T09:45:00.002-04:00

When I first started blogging. I thought this blog o'mine would be all about homeschooling. I really had not anticipated the massive diversions. Segues. Bunny trails. But I did attempt to get back on track with a weekly report of what we had accomplished. And then last school year. Well. It started weekly. Then it moved to a once every two week discussion. Then I combined three weeks into one. And that was apparently the end of it. I did not do another week in review after week 9 last year. Ooops.

Hopefully I can get back on track. And hopefully ya'll will bear with me and all my homeschooling posts.

Both girls started back to school on the 10th. With Madalyn in public school, it's just easier to have Katie follow her schedule. I spent the weekend before school started really going over all her books. And figuring out a plan of attack. I know. Procrastination is my friend. My really good friend. My BFF.

I like to plan out three weeks at a time. And now that we are entering our third week. I think that I can add a little more to her day. Or not give her as long to complete an assignment. So...this is what we have done:

LANGUAGE ARTS: Katie started her first literature program with Lightning Lit. Learning about different elements of plot. And then reading "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling. (Do any of you remember seeing the animated version on tv when you were young? I remember loving that story!)

Much to Katie's chagrin, we went back to grammar this year. She is doing a few lessons a week from her Language Arts today book.

And then the new element we have added for this year is Memory Work. My friend Abbey found this great book called Living Memory. It is divided into subjects. And is just full of things to memorize. (I love that last poem to help you remember the kings/queens of England!) The plan is that Katie will go through the book each week and choose something to memorize. It will keep building because she will keep reviewing selections from previous weeks.

The first week, she chose to memorize the 11 states of the confederacy. The second week, she memorized all the prime numbers under 100.

EARTH SCIENCE: We learned about the different branches of Earth science, the scientific method, models, and measurement.

ART: I am still surprising my craft-despising self with this subject. But we are doing art. And by we. I do mean Katie. She spent the first week learning about different types of art. Then she narrowed her medium. And picked an artist to do a little more research on: Vincent Van Gogh. And her research makes one wonder if craziness goes hand and hand with genius.

In her second week, she read more about "line, shape and value." She studied two art pieces with a lot of lines in their components. And then created her own.

GEOGRAPHY: Our focus right now is on globes, maps, and charts. I am looking forward to going back to what we were doing last year. I really liked the cultural studies. There is just one more section before the book starts covering cultures and countries. I can't decide if I want to follow the order of the book...or pick and choose like we did before. Decisions, decisions...

LOGIC: We decided that rather than work through one type of logic book - we would do all 5 books at the same time. Doing one lesson - and then rotating to the next book. And on Fridays we have game day. We have a lot of cool logic games like: Rush hour, Railroad rush hour, Tipover, and a new game called "Shut the Box" that was popular with pirates!

HISTORY: This year our focus is on the Middle Ages. I am thinking that we can do fun stuff like watch "The Lord of the Rings" triology (great scenes of medieval warfare). Or even "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." We also have dvd lectures from "The Teaching Company" that we have started to watch. Right now we are discussing the end of the Roman empire, the rise of Christinaity, and Jewish persecution during the Middle Ages.

Katie has read about monasticism. Life in a monastery. Drawn a bird's eye view of a monastery. (Which was hilarious. I love the monks in the pictures. You see the tops of their bald heads! Katie didn't like it so much. She says her monks look like tomato plants.) And we read the book "The Door in the Wall." She didn't like it so much because of the medieval language. Lots of thees, thous, and hasts. Just wait till we get to Cantebury Tales!

Along side of our history program, we are reading from "Famous Men of the Middle Ages." Katie really likes this because so far the focus is on Norse/Germanic mythology. She has fun trying to figure out how to pronounce the words. Ginnungagap and Niebelungs are her new favorite words to say.

ALGEBRA I: Her class with Derek Owens does not start until the Monday after Labor Day. So we are working on review. Michael is also covering a few topics with her that she did not have with Singapore math last year - but were covered in preAlgebra. I am staying out of the way!

ACTIVITIES: We are constantly on the go. Katie is in her 5th year of piano lessons. She is on the tennis team - and practices three times a week. She has her first match scheduled for September. And she even has a cooking class tomorrow.

Inspired by "Julie and Julia," I have reserved episodes of "The French Chef" on netflix. Maybe we'll see if we are inspired to emulate Julia!

So...what about you? What was your favorite subject in school? Have you seen "Julie and Julia?" Any suggestions for movies we should watch about the Middle Ages?

Weekend Whimsies

2009-08-22T08:49:00.001-04:00

Oops. I meant to post this yesterday. Well. Either this or about our first two weeks of homeschooling. Warning! Warning! Warning! Homeschooling post coming soon. For now. Let's get to know each other better. Can you tell I forgot to eat breakfast this morning?

Milk or juice?

Sausage or bacon?

Toast, bagel, English muffin, or a biscuit?

Favorite kind of cereal?

Do you eat breakfast daily?

How do you like your eggs?

Watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew?

Do you like breakfast for dinner?

Favorite kind of donut?

Do you HAVE to start your day with caffeine? How do you take it?

A Milestone

2009-08-19T21:02:00.003-04:00

So...what about you? How many miles a year do you put on your car? If the car fairy were to bring you a new car tomorrow - what would you want?

First day of school

2009-08-18T21:16:00.009-04:00

Have I mentioned that I am a procrastinator extraordinaire? (Did you know that extraordinaire is one of the few English adjectives that follows it's subject? Did you just call me Cliffy?)

The girls started over a week ago. And a grand tradition for the first day of school was broken. See. My girls don't really have the girly. Fashion-y. Matching colors gene. It appears to have skipped a generation. Or perhaps there is a rogue influence from Michael's side of the family. But on this one day. I get to pick out their clothes. Because there are pictures involved. (Okay fine. There are other days. Like Christmas morning. Or when we have family pictures taken. But it is not often. At all. Unlike the good ol' days. Where I could even have them match. In Gymboree clothes.)

This year. They revolted. Protested. Stomped their angry feet. And I decided to let them win this battle. (Because they actually did a good job. And I managed to convince Madalyn that it was her idea to wear a plaid skirt instead of a shirt that makes her look like a bumblebee. Nope. Not my idea at all.)

They have changed so much. Katie is now in 6th grade. Middle school! And Madalyn is in 3rd grade. Halfway through elementary school! (Hmmm...I can tell that I got a digital camera when Madalyn was in pre-K and Katie in 2nd grade...)

Look at these girls now:

(I don't know how I get roped into buying so many backpacks. Madalyn manages to finagle a new one every year. Even though the old one is fine. And even though we homeschool Katie, she is all about getting a backpack, too. This year she decided to channel Lizzy. Actually. They both did. With their homage to plaid.

Oy Vey! The changes in Katie. She has grown over 4 inches since APRIL. And she had the nerve to lose 10 pounds from all her exercise being on swim team. (I want to grow four inches and lose 1o pounds. Anyone know where I can sign up to do that?).

Look at the difference - last year:

This year:

AND she is now taller than me.

(Why oh why didn't anyone tell me that my hair looked like that? Please pretend it has been combed. And that the humidity is not at 98%. And while we are at it...pretend I am thinner, too. And taller.)

And then I have this to contend with:I am not sure that I can handle the teen years...

So...what about you? Have your kids started back to school (or "school")? What was your favorite year of school? Do your kids let you pick out their clothes?

Friday Follies

2009-08-14T14:42:00.002-04:00

It's that time once again. Where you are thankful it's not another homeschooling post. And we get to know each other a little better.

Chicken or burger?

beer, wine, or soda?

What kind of calendar do you use?

How old were you when you learned to swim?

What was your first car?

How many miles are on your current car?

What is your favorite kind of pie? (bonus points if you can guess who suggested that question)

What toppings do you like on your pizza?

What is your favorite game?

black or blue ink?

Our Classroom

2009-08-12T21:03:00.001-04:00

Last week I regaled you with tales 0'curriculum. Which elicited a yawn from Kori. A proclamation from my friend Karen that we should wear party hats more often. And a question from my daughter about scary homeschoolers. I never did finish telling you about supplements and games. I know. I know. You are on the edge of your seat waiting for that one.

Well, this week. I am going to dazzle you with pictures of our classroom. The room where school is supposed to happen. But actually, it's not that often that we are there.

Often. School happens in the car. On the way to some errand. Some class. Or even a PTA meeting. I know. I know. We are a study in contradictions.

School sometimes happens at the dining room table. Becuase that is where I park myself. And my laptop. And maybe some snacks.

School might happen on the couch. Because it is rather comfortable to lay down to read. Or to recline while watching a movie. (16 Candles arrived today from netflix. I am thinking that lying down to do "80's cultural studies" would be a good idea.)

And even this morning. School happened in my big. Cushy. New bed. Where I finished "The Guernsey Literay and Potato Peel Pie Society" (Oh...wow...what a fantabulous book). And Katie finished "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi."

The brains of our operation rest here:

Surrounded by my messy desk. Where I have lots of room to spread out all those text books. And figure out the order of our universe. I have lots of maps. Dry Erase boards. And timelines on the wall.I love our timeline. Katie would have her lesson. And add dates to the timeline. Most of it is blank. And then around 500BC. It all exploded. I wonder how the next three years of history are going to fit on the one sheet that is left...

And then there are the shelves of books.Full bookcases make me happy. My Ikea bookshelves make me especially happy.Maybe it's because they hug the corner. I have a dream of one day having a library. With bookshelves ceiling to floor.

These particular shelves were a bit tricky. Because we have a dodgy basement. See. I forgot to measure before we bought them. I often operate on a wing and a prayer. When we got home, we saw that the shelves are 79 1/4 inches. And the wall? 79 3/4 inches. Hallelujah. Amen.

Except that we have a dodgy basement. They have to be attached. To each other. So my engineering husband had to put them together in another part of the basement with a higher ceiling. And when he was done, slide them into place. Have I mentioned that the basement is a bid dodgy? Well. The ceiling isn't exactly smooth. Or even. Or level. Sliding was not an option. But somehow. He engineered them into place. I believe they are going nowhere.

These shelves have most of our homeschooling stuff on them. Most of our textbooks. Latin books for the class I teach. Library books. Science stuff. Like a microscope. Rocks. Owl puke.

Even with all this space. And happy bookshelves. Katie still finds yet another place to school. In the playroom. Where she has her own table.And her computer.And all our homeschool games.

So...what about you? Do your kids have a designated homework spot? Do you have a place to do "officy" things? Lots of bookshelves? What is the most unusual item on your shelves??

Free is the language my husband speaks

2009-08-10T13:17:00.004-04:00

Guess where I am going at the end of the month? I am going to see the Atlanta Falcons play the San Diego Chargers! For Free.

When I called to ask my husband if he wanted to go to the game. He got all coy on me. Wanting to know if it was pre-season or regular season. When. And most importantly how much. When he heard that it was free, I believe I could hear the tap, tap of his shoes as he did a happy dance around his office.

I have never been to a pro football game. I've never really watched one on tv. Well. Except for the superbowl. But that was just for the commericals. And the half time show. However, I am really excited to be going to one. There is something about being caught up in the moment. The hoopla. The excitement. The $6 diet cokes.

So...how did I get this cool hook-up? I heard about it first from Shannon. Who directed me to Event Chasers. They have members go to events. Blog about their experiences. And in exchange, we get free or drastically discounted tickets. Go check it out and see if they need members in your area!

So...what about you? Have you ever been to a pro football game? Do you watch football on tv? Do you have a favorite sport?

Homeschool Plan, Part II

2009-08-05T04:57:00.000-04:00

When I first started blogging, my intent was for this to be a homeschool blog. To be a journal of our homeschooling trials, tribulations. And successes. However. Things didn't turn out quite that way. This blog quickly became a blog about me. About my trials. Tribulations. Successes. And an occasionally about homeschooling.

I do appreciate that most of you do not homeschool. And have absolutely no interest in these posts. But maybe you'll peruse some of them. And see that not all homeschoolers are nut jobs. Or anything like those crazy people on that Wife Swap show. Or anything like the results of a google image search on homeschoolers.

I never set out to be a homeschooler. And I quite enjoyed dropping my girls off at pre-school. So that I could enjoy a precious few hours alone. Reading. Surfing. Meeting friends for lunch. And sometimes. Perhaps rarely. Doing something constructive.

When I realized that we would not be able to move out of our neighborhood. I rather reluctantly resigned myself to homeschooling. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know what books I would use. I didn't have a clue as to how to find other reluctant homeschoolers to commiserate with.

Then a friend gave me a copy of this book. Which I read from cover to cover. And I all of a sudden felt empowered. I KNEW that I could homeschool. Homeschool well. And willingly. (We use what is called the Classical method. Which...if you are wondering about...I explained it in this post.)

Next week we will begin our 6th year of homeschooling. Sometimes I can't believe we have lasted this long. Most days I can't imagine doing anything else. (Oh...and in case you are curious...I explain here why Katie is home. And Madalyn is in public school.)

So...here is the plan for the year:

MATH: Last year we finished Singapore math. It was a rarity to challenge Katie with math. She just has this intuitive sense about it. I on the other hand, had to relearn a lot of math. I handed this subject entirely over to Michael during his 4 month braincation. And that was a life saver. For me. And for Katie. But this year. Well. I have lost way too many brain cells to challenge myself with this level of mathematics. So we are outsourcing. Katie will take Algebra I with Derek Owens (and if you are not in the Atlanta area...he does offer distance learning classes). I am really excited to find a math class for her. And a teacher that can take her all the way through Calculus.

SCIENCE: This will be a change for us. We have used a "central" book for a lot of our homeschooling. But not a text book per se. I am pretty excited about science this year. The Earth Science book looks great (oh...and if you look at the link on Amazon - it has one review that is a one star review. Why? Because whoever they bought it from did not ship quickly. Amazon needs to cull these reviews!) And it's my favorite science subject. I loved learning about plate tectonics; how rocks formed; earthquakes; volcanoes. Maybe it has something to do with my disaster movie fascination.

GEOGRAPHY: Last year we covered 22 countries. Read LOTS of books. Went to the Greek Festival. Japan Fest. Oktoberfest. And the Highland games. We made a Danish apple pancake. Scotch eggs. Irish soda bread. Learned to eat with chopsticks. Visited a Hindu Temple. Watched "Bride and Prejudice." It was by far Katie's favorite subject. And I hope that adding a text bookto the mix will work. We can get a little more in depth. But still have fun. I got this book, too.Because. Eating your way around the world should always be a goal.

HISTORY: History is central to Classical education. It's always been one of my favorite subjects. And it was one of Katie's, too. Until this past year. In first through fourth grade we used "The Story of the World" which is authored by the same women who wrote "The Well Trained Mind." So, for fifth grade we were at loose ends. I decided to use History Odyssey. I was not excited about it. But rather resigned. I think I spent this year looking at any other options that were presented. Neither of us liked it. There was way too much busy work. The history pockets were boring. Pointless. And added nothing. I am not sure what she has retained from this year.

And then for some strange reason, I actually looked at History Odyssey again.And shocker of shockers. I liked what I saw. The busy work was gone. There was more outlining. More reading. More research. Still not enough assessment. But. I thought we'd give it another go.

I have A LOT of things to supplement our history curriculum. But when I found Memoria Press' "Famous Men of the Middle Ages" books. I thought they would be a great addition to History Odyssey. There are stories about Charlemagne, Robert Bruce, Alfred the Great. The illustrations are gorgeous. And even better. There is a student workbook. And a teacher's guide. We can assess to our heart's content. Or to Katie's chagrin.

LOGIC: Katie did Logic for the first time last year. In the beginning it was fun. Challenging. And as she grasped the concepts. It became rather easy for her. We completed the three Orbiting with Logic workbooks. I wasn't quite sure what we were going to do this year. Until Katie decided that she wanted to go to the Homeschool Expo with me. As we were pouring over all the different logic books there. I let her choose. She could see which ones wouldn't be too easy. Which ones would be interesting to do. I think we got enough for two years. Maybe I won't have to think about this next year!

LANGUAGE ARTS: Ahhhh. The spot with the most changes. Last year Katie blogged. Did Daily Grams a few days a week. And had a spectacular experience with the online program "Write at Home." So...again...why are we changing things?

With a classical approach, there is usually not a seperate literature program. It's included with the history. But. What we have been doing is helping Katie to become well read. But. It's quite short in the analysis department. That will be where Lightning Lit comes in.

There will be soooo much reading and writing required of her this year. I just couldn't see continuing with Write at Home. But I did find out that I can use them on a per paper basis. I can have them critique some of the writing that she will already be doing for literature and history. We'll see how that goes. And if things are not working out...we can always sign up for the second semester of Write at Home.

ART: We have always been sorely lacking. Or rather spotty in this department. But at the warehouse, I did manage to find an art text book. AND I signed up for the online version of "Meet the Masters." In this program, you learn about an artist and a technique. And then work to reproduce is. Our first project will be to do our own version of Van Gogh's "Starry Night."

ACTIVITIES: Katie is going to be on our neighborhood ALTA team. Which means practice three days a week. Plus matches on Saturdays. She is still in girl scouts. Will begin her 6th year of piano. And begins a three year confirmation class at church. I don't think that socialization is an issue at all.

So...what about you? Do you remember your favorite subject when you were in 6th grade? If you homeschooled - what subject would you have to outsource?

Homeschool Plan* - Part I

2009-08-03T09:23:00.006-04:00

*Management reserves the right to change plan at any time. Without notice.

For the past several years, my Spring and Summer has had an element of the unknown. But usually right before our school year begins...it all just falls into place. And this year has been no exception.

For the most part...I thought I knew what I wanted. Except for Science. We have been using the Noeo science program for the past three years. I have been rather pleased. But for this year. Because it's 6th grade. And Middle school. I really think we need to step things up. And the demands on her with Noeo were just not enough. Also, I really wanted a seperate program for Earth Science/Astronomy which Noeo does not offer.

After some research...and recommendations. I went on a grand adventure to find the Prentice Hall Science Explorers series. The Prentice hall website is obviously not geared towards homeschoolers. Who want to see example pages. Table of contents. Access to teacher information. So...my friend Karen and I went to the textbook warehouse. (We may or may not have left the party hats at home) A one and a half hour drive. Where we were so close to Alabama that our cell phones couldn't decide what time it was.

The warehouse is a wow. It's old. Early 1900's I believe. With original hardwood floors. It's huge. Dusty. And overwhelming.One cannot browse the warehouse. Because there is no rhyme or reason to the stacks. Well, except for the owner. He knows where everything is. And he knows the content. Including the differences - or lack thereof - between editions.

So, when I asked to see the Prentice Hall book...he brought one to me. And a Holt. And a Glencoe. Because content wise, they are all the same. (and after checking it out...they are all the same!) So, what I really needed to judge was the presentation. And after much flipping. Comparing. Contrasting. I settled on the Holt. It has a great lab section in the back. The teacher's guide has lots of interdisciplinary notes. And I got all the teacher's resource materials (tests, critical thinking exercises, lab notes, games, and lots of other things I'll never use). For a FABULOUS price.

So...while I was sitting there. Flipping. Comparing. Contrasting. I asked Kemper (owner extraordinaire) if he had a CULTURAL Geography curriculum. Trust me. This is an ellusive item. Most geography books are physically or politically bent. But. Wonder of wonders. Kemper had just the solution. A book that actually combines all three elements.

This past year, Geography was new to our plan. And we didn't use a text book at all. We went to the library. Katie picked a country. And she read about that country all week. Some countries we spent a lot of time on. I think we spent over a month on India. We read about the culture. We might have read traditional stories. Researched the religions. We might have cooked. Or gone to festivals. It was Katie's favorite subject last year. So...why was I messing with what works? I have no idea.

But. I like the idea of having a spine as a launching point. And now we can cover a few more aspects. My plan is to make this book last for the next three years of Middle school. And hopefully we will conquer the globe.

The main reason that Karen wanted to go was to find a good grammar text. Last year, we did not really do grammar. I had her work out of a workbook called Daily Grams twice a week, just to keep her fresh. But, with her taking Latin. For four years. And the amazing foundation she had in first and second grade with First Language Lessons. She really didn't need a seperate program.

So, I got the student and teacher book. It is an 8th grade text. And I really like the way that it covers a grammar lesson. And then it switches to a writing exercise to focus on that concept. I am not sure how much we will use this. But it will be a great resource. And I imagine that I may use it in the Latin class that I teach. Because I constantly have to reinforce English grammar rules.

So...what about you? Do you have a favorite science subject? Country that fascinates you? Do you know another language?

(Coming soon: the rest of our plan for the school year; supplemental books; very cool games; posts that send all my regular readers into a 20 year sleep...)

Friday Follies

2009-07-31T00:06:00.000-04:00

Another week and no blog posts from me. Do I have anything exciting to tell you? Have I been busy doing very cool things? Have I been on any adventures? Ummm. Negative. On all counts. We are here. Just doing things like swim lessons. Tennis team. Playing with friends. Farmtown on facebook. Reading lots of books. Basking in the cushyness of my new bed.

I have been list making. You should see my two page list of blog ideas. All of which require me to take pictures. Upload pictures. Edit pictures. But I get distracted. Or have to take the girls some where. Crops have to be harvested. Or my computer can't handle all the photos I have loaded and it slows to something resembling a sloth.

At least we have our follies.

Desktop or laptop?

Write blog or read blogs?

Favorite thing you've done this summer.

Favorite book you've read this summer.

Favorite movie you've seen this summer.

swim or tennis?

Time you got up today.

This summer - vacation or staycation?

Ding, ding, ding!! You have just won an all expenses paid, 1 week vacation for your entire family. And you don't have to listen to a time share spiel. Where are you going?

How many photos are on your computer?

Weekend Whimsies?

2009-07-25T10:12:00.002-04:00

I am sitting in a window. Not a window that looks out upon anything. No view. Just a time frame. A window of 9am to 1pm. A waiting window. I am waiting for my brand new bed to arrive. After testing it in the store last weekend. I cannot wait to lay down on it. I have a feeling that my children will feel the need to make themselves at home in my room. And it's quite possible that someone may need to stage an intervention to get me off of it.

But in the mean time...let's have some whimsies. Instead of some follies.

Plush or firm?

What size bed do you have?

How old is your bed?

comforter or quilt?

Print or solid?

Do you make your bed daily?

How many pillows do you sleep on?

Do you eat in bed? Watch TV? Read?

What kind of sheets are on your bed right now?

How many beds are in your house?

Trim the Fat, vol IV

2009-07-23T13:02:00.005-04:00

Though my kidney stones were incredibly painful. I was quite thrilled with the side effect of not being hungry AT ALL. The whole idea of food. Eating. Chewing. Was quite distasteful. For an entire week I barely ate. Unless my mother ~~forced~~ ~~guilted~~ suggested a little soup. The weight loss was quite lovely. And I hoped that my body would just get used to less food. And stop with all its incessant demands for things that should not be part of my diet.

Unfortunately. When I woke up from my vicodin haze. I actually FELT like I hadn't eaten for a week. I was ravenous. Nothing was enough. And all I wanted was crap. Stupid body. Stupid brain. Stupid cravings.

I have managed to sort of get myself back on track. But not without a modicum of inspiration. That I found in these books:

They call themselves the no diet weight loss solution. I wouldn't go that far. Or even that close. But I do find them a great resource. For example, you are going to buy frozen pizza. They tell you which ones are better options and why. Which ones you should stay far, far away from. And why. And often, the answers are quite surprising.

Like...Kellogs Smart start cereal has more sugar than Lucky Charms. Or Frosted Flakes. Or even Cocoa Pebbles! Kraft Mac and Cheese has 19 times more fat than a can of spaghetti Os. Or that most guacamole dips have NO avacado in them at all. That when you are picking out your Halloween candy, while neither are great choices...a snickers is better than skittles. Or skittles are better than plain M&Ms. Who knew?

And what is even more inspiring...is that there is a kids version. Originally, I had gotten each of these books from the library. But the kids version is my favorite. So much so that I went out and got our own copy of this one. My kids have each read it. Been so excited by what they read that they read parts of it aloud to me. Even more importantly...I am seeing results. They are paying attention to labels. Katie ate a frozen pizza for lunch yesterday. But looked at the label to see about fat and sodium. And to see what a serving size really is. And then today, we ran through Sonic. And Madalyn. Without any suggestions from me, asked for apple slices instead of fries.

Awareness and knowledge are the first steps. To me getting back on track. And for all of us being a little healthier.

Goals for the week:

To be better about writing things down. And to come home while the girls have tennis lessons rather than sitting in my car reading. And while I am at home...to do my exercise video. Not hang out online.

If you need some additional inspiration, head over to Angie's to see how everyone else is doing!

So...what about you? Have you read this book series? Is your family on the healthy eating bandwagon?

Flotsam and Jetsam

2009-07-20T11:41:00.005-04:00

I had to take the devil kitties to the vet this week for their first check up. Our reputation preceeded us. The receptionist at the vet knew exactly who I was making an appointment for. Along with their medical history. We might have been responsible for her last raise.

I got to meet another blogger for the first time last week. Kelly from Song for Whoever was in town on her momcation. And we had a fabulous afternoon together. Filled with yummies from Red Robin. Sonic Happy Hour. And a visit to Barnes and Noble. I love when I can suggest books to people. And Kelly bought four books that I suggested. Including "The Time Traveler's Wife." I love that book. And I can't wait to see the movie version next month.

My birthday was Saturday. And even though her life is a little on edge right now, Lizzy came for the weekend. I did leave her at home to bake my cake while Katie and I went to see Harry Potter. I keep hearing people say that they left things out. Or put things in that weren't in the book. But...it's been so long since I read the book...none of that stood out for me. But I will say that there were a lot of funny parts to it.

One of my favorite parts about going to the movies. Besides a bucket of popcorn bigger than me. Is the previews. When we saw "The Hangover" I was rather disappointed in the previews. They were mostly horror type movies. Like "Orphan." (And can you believe that people are protesting this movie? Do you think that people would base their decision to adopt or not on this movie?) But Harry yielded some very cool previews. Like for "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." Oh...February seems a long way away. And then. We saw the preview for "Sherlock Holmes." Oh my. I know how I am going to spend my Christmas day.

Speaking of movies. We got "Transformers" from netflix and watched it last night. It was much better than I thought it would be. And that entire scene with the robots trying to hide on the lawn was hysterical. So. Who has seen the sequel? Is it worth paying theatre prices to see?

So...what about you? Met any bloggers recently? Seen any good previews? Anticipating any movies?

Friday Follies

2009-07-17T00:09:00.000-04:00

It is that time of the week for us to get to know each other a bit better:

Dyed or natural?

Favorite craft.

Brief, bikini, or thong?

red or white?

How long have you been using your digital camera?

What game show would you love to be on?

How many miles a year do you put on your car?

What was the last movie that you saw?

Dancer or wallflower?

plain or with butter?

Life in the Blue Hair Lane

2009-07-15T20:34:00.006-04:00

It seems that lately, when someone in this house gets a hair cut...it warrants photography. I took pictures of the girls getting bobs last year. When Michael got his hair trimmed. When he got it buzzed. My hair never warrants photography as it hasn't changed in a decade. There is something sad about that situation.

Anyway. Katie got her hair done today. Madalyn got hers trimmed. But I suppose that Katie's was a bigger deal. Since she got her hair dyed. Dyed. Really.

Well. Just a small part of it. First we had to pick which part was going to get colored.

And then it had to be bleached. Which required some time under the dryer. And while she was under there, there were very LOUD requests for entertainment. And very LOUD questions about how much longer. Beauty takes time my dear.

Then there was washing of hair. And acclamations about how drastic it is looking already.

And then. The dye.

Do you see that? It's blue. ELECTRIC blue. Multi shaded. It's a wow. And she looks pretty darn cute. I am such a cool mom. For the next 15 minutes anyway. Except that I am now the bane of existence for the moms of Katie's friends. I apologize in advance for any strange hair-do requests that you may now have.

So...what about you? Have you ever done anything wild with your hair? With your kids' hair? Are you the cool mom?

Kiss of death

2009-07-13T12:01:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had a favorite...something? A favorite ice cream? Shade of lipstick? Type of jeans? TV show? And then the company that makes it. Well...they get some harebrained idea that the product needs to be changed. Improved. Or the kiss of death. Eliminated altogether.

My Clinique eye shadow was "improved" a few years ago. But the new shade is not an improvement on my lids. I am still searching for the correct shade.

I am still not over the cancelation of "John Doe" and "Homefront." I know. I was the only one watching. You don't have to rub it in.

When I diet...I tend to latch on to certain products that make it easier for me. Usually these foods are eaten on a daily basis. I can easily get into a rut. Many moons ago when I did Weight Watchers, I found the be-all-end-all in ice cream. Health Choice Peanut Butter cookie dough. Oh. It was like manna from heaven. Evidently no one else thought so. And they stopped making it. Or Entenmann's fat free chocolate pound cake. By itself, not so great. But. If you made it like I did. It was divine. (Cut the cake into 8 layers. And layer Healthy choice Mint chocolate chip ice cream in it. Oh my. I want some. Right. Now.)

And apparently I have that magic touch. Because a few weeks ago when I told you about some of my favorite products. El Monterey was listening. And stopped making my very favorite soft tacos. Now what will I dip into my wholly guacamole? What will I dip into my bean dip? What will I eat for lunch? Every. Single. Day.

So...what about you? Have you been the kiss of death for a product that you loved?

Friday Follies

2009-07-10T12:00:00.002-04:00

About a year ago, I started this Friday tradition. Of me asking you questions. You answering. Us getting to know each other better. I was inspired by a post of Debbie's over at This is the Life. But apparently Debbie has dropped off the face of the planet. Anyone heard from Debbie? And then another Debbie asked me to bring the Follies back. As they had fallen by the wayside with hospital adventures at the beginning of the year. Ask and you shall receive:

Facebook or Twitter?

Favorite berry?

Favorite salad dressing?

Pizza or chinese?

aerobics or water aerobics?

gold or silver?

shoes or barefoot?

Book on the top of your to be read pile

How long have you been texting?

Have you started back to school shopping?

Trim the Fat Thursday - Vol III

2009-07-09T16:45:00.002-04:00

This past week has been a blur. Or maybe a haze would be a better explanation. As I am STILL dealing with kidney stone pain. And the knowledge that the side that is not bothering me - well it has three kidney stones just waiting to make their presence known. At some inoportune moment.

Most of my week has been spent sleeping. I don't know how Dr. House functions on his high doses of Vicodin. And solves all those medical mysteries. Because all I do is sleep. And apparently when one lives a sleepy life, the pounds just melt away. If only I could get rid of the pain. And keep the not ever hungry part. I am somewhat dreading the return to reality. When these 6 pounds that disappeared somehow manage to creep back. For now. I am just enjoying the one bright side of these mean, nasty, need to go away stones.

Hangover causes Kidney stones?

2009-07-07T14:07:00.002-04:00

It is a glorious day indeed. My children are old enough to go to the movies by themselves. While Michael and I go to a grown up movie in the theatre next door. I don't need a babysitter. I don't have to pay evening prices. And I don't have to share my popcorn. Glorious.

Last Thursday, we packed the kids off to see "Imagine That" while we went to see "The Hangover." A decidedly grown up offering. I spent the movie with my hands over my mouth. Slackjawed. In silent laughter. With tears running down my face. And a truly "OMG!" sentiment.

But after we got home. I had this sudden pain in my back. That curled around to my waist. It was a very intense pain. And it came to party with its friend nausea. It was not fun. Not at all. I somehow managed to sleep a little. And when I woke up, the pain was gone...but in its place was just an achy feeling.

Friday morning, the pain had returned. With gusto. And I completely abandoned my family. And Lizzy. And her family. Who had come to visit for the weekend. For the lovely confines of the local emergency room. I somehow managed to arrive at that split second that must happen. That second when NO ONE else was at the emergency room. No one. The parking lot was empty. The waiting room was empty. And I was taken right back.

I saw the doctor rather quickly. A Dr. Ghandi. Who told me that I had all the classic signs of kidney stones. I had a CT scan. And then they started IV drugs to deal with the pain. Oh the drugs. They were most lovely. They erased the pain. The nausea. And made me rather sleepy.

So I slept. And found out exactly how long I could go in between pain meds before I started reenacting scenes from "Terms of Endearment." ("It's past ten. My daughter is in pain. I don't understand why she has to have this pain. All she has to do is hold out until ten, and IT'S PAST TEN! My daughter is in pain, can't you understand that! GIVE MY DAUGHTER THE SHOT!" - Except that I am speaking for myself. And about a pill. Nevermind...)

And poor Lizzy. I was such a good host. It's a good thing that she comes so often. That she knows how to fend for herself. And she even did her own experiement by going with Mr. B to see "The Hangover." They escaped the kidney stone bonus track.

So that was how I spent my 4th of July. In Vicodin induced haze. Kinda like a hangover. Though I haven't seen any tigers or chickens around the house.

So...what about you? Have you seen "The Hangover?" Ever had a kidney stone? Do anything fun on the fourth?

Trim the Fat Thursday

2009-07-02T11:28:00.007-04:00

I can't believe that it's been a week since I've posted! Between reading several books. Running the girls to swim practice. Swim meets. Tennis practice. And my addiction to Farmtown on Facebook. My poor blog has suffered.

But. Today is a day I must post. I so want to succeed on this weight loss journey. And I am hoping that this once a week check in with you will help me.

My goal for this past week was to actually measure what went on my plate. And I must admit that my eyes were opened. I KNEW that what I was putting on my plate was larger than what I counted. But by how much? Oh, wow!

I went to a Pampered Chef party about a year ago and bought these glass prep bowls.They come in a set of six. With lids. And are great when you are cooking - so that you can measure out all your ingredients ahead of time. And not let something boil over or scald because you forgot to get something out already.

But what I noticed is that they have measuring guidelines on the side of the bowl.

So I can fill up my bowl with grapes. Or strawberries. Or half of it with rice. Or whatever side we are having with dinner.

But where it is really eye opening for me was with cereal.

I know that our portion sizes keep growing. And that what is a small coke - used to be considered a large size.

I know that our dinner plates are growing. And one of the things that I have started doing is eating off of the "salad" plate.

But this is my favorite bowl. It's deep. It's great for chili. And soup. And cereal. (Man...that is a horrible picture.)

This is what my bowl looks like with an actual serving of cereal (1 cup).

Kinda empty. And lonely. Because if I filled my bowl with cereal...I'd be eating FOUR servings instead of one.

So, I moved my cereal into the smaller bowl. The ones I usually use for the kids. Perfect fit.

And all my measuring paid off. I lost 2.1 pounds this week. Bringing the grand total to 7.9 pounds!

Goal for the week:

To keep measuring. To be better about writing EVERYTHING down. And to exercise. Somehow. Something. At least once.

Go get yourself motivated by reading the other Trim the Fat posts at Angie's spot. Or join us...and link yourself up!

So...what about you? How do you deal with portion control? Do you trick your brain by using smaller plates? Or even ordering kids meals when you are out?

Trim the Fat Thursday

2009-06-25T09:23:00.010-04:00

I have been reading. All about Shannon and Brandy becoming paralyzed by Jillian Michaels. About Carrie and her losses with Weight Watchers (she has two really low points - and yummy - recipes posted - one for Spanokopita and another for pizza dough). Rachael reached a huge milestone in losing 20+ pounds. Angie has been trimming the fat. Aubrey is on the bandwagon. And I am too. I just haven't told anyone about it. Until now.

I have so much to lose it's overwhelming. But I took that first step about 6 weeks ago and joined Weight Watchers online. I just this week got to the five pound benchmark. I am quite convinced it goes beyond a slow metabolism. I think that mine has deserted me entirely. So, to help with my motivation. And accountability. I thought I'd bring you into that inner circle. And tell you how it's going. What I need to be doing. What I am doing well. And maybe. Just maybe. Inspire us both.

My plan is to tell you about something that is helping or hindering me each week. Followed by some sort of goal. So...this week. I thought we would talk about food. I am all about what I can eat a lot of. For as little points as possible. But. I am not a veggie person. I cannot just grab a handful of mini carrots and enjoy. I wish my tastebuds leaned in that direction.

Here are some things that are yummy. Low in points. And make this journey much easier.

1. Weight Watchers Chocolate chip cookie dough sundae.My kids cannot believe I won't share these with them. But they are all mine. My issue is to try and not eat both sundaes in the same day.

2. Edy's Whole fruit bars

Now these I am willing to share. And they are oh so yummy. And oh so low in points.

3. Pirate Booty and Smart PuffsAnother healthy snack that I am willing to share. I love it when the kids want these instead of chips. They are good. And you get A LOT for little points.

4. El Monterey soft tacos.This is my favorite lunch. These all natural soft tacos are only 2 points each. They are flavorful. And have a great kick. I also like to have them with my bean dip (which is only 1 point a serving!). It helps my wimpy taste buds deal with that kick from the spice.

5. Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie snack packs.Another food that my girlies refuse to try. I think I learned my lesson and will not be encouraging their taste buds on to one of my favorites. These are great to have with those soft tacos. Or just with some baked tostitos. And besides being uber delish...they are already portioned out. I don't have to measure. I just enjoy! And on that measuring note...

Goal for the week:

I have been pretty good about writing down what I eat in my WW log online. Where I am failing. I think. Is that I don't measure. I eyeball it. But my stomach may be influencing my fingers as I type the information. So. This week I am actually going to measure what I am eating. And type out the actual information. And see if that can equal a better number on my scale for next week.

Be sure to go over to Angie's spot to see how everyone else is doing this week. Get on the bandwagon yourself...and link up so that we can support each other.

So...what about you? Have you discovered a food that is making your weight loss journey easier?

A Bowl of Cherries

2009-06-23T15:51:00.004-04:00

It's cherry season. Somewhere. Somewhere far away from the 'burbs of Atlanta. Because I know how much I am paying for cherries. They must trek far and wide to land at my local Publix.

I love my cherries. And I say mine. Because I could eat them all myself. No sharing.

The girls refused to even try them. Because they think that they must taste like cherry flavored medicine.I don't even begin to know what possessed me to encourage them to try my beloved cherries. The heat must have baked my brain. A moment of temporary insanity. A total lapse in judgement.

Because they finally did try them. They discovered the joy that is a bowl full of cherries. The girls now know that cherries taste not a thing like cherry flavored medicine.

And now. I have no cherries.

So....what about you? Do you have a favorite fruit? A food that you love - but that your children refuse to try?

Random bits and pieces

2009-06-16T09:43:00.000-04:00

Well, all that angst last week about the right shade of beige has paid off. It turns out that "parchment" was a pretty good match for our siding. Not Little Linda. This is the before: With the drab green shutters. The horrid brown trim. And the sassy red door.

It all just seemed to meld into the house. So...on the spur of the moment (meaning, I found out Monday that he was coming on Tuesday - and had to make a quick paint color decision!)...we had a painter out to fix it all. And make the whole thing sassy. Our painter had fun with the kitties as they tried to help him paint.And now...the big reveal! What a difference. The black and cream just makes everything come alive. And that red door is still in place. The transition of the landscaping is pretty impressive, too! Of course the first one was taken in winter. I wish I had pictures of the house right after we moved in. With the...uhhhh...interesting landscape choices the previous home owners had made.Last week both girls were at sleep away camp. And what did I do with my time? I got a pedicure. Did you notice that I blogged four days in a row? I read several book. And Michael won yet another prize. This time a cell phone. Isn't it pretty? And do you know what this means? It means that for the very first time. In my entire life. I sent a text message. I sent several. For no reason. And now that I have this phone. Katie thinks that she needs one.

Anyway...this is how I sent my children off to camp:

And this is how they were returned to me. Stanky. Unshowered. Sinus infected. And with crispy hair. (Ummm...when did my daughter get so tall?)

Last Friday, my friend Kim came over to watch "Twilight." She has read the books, but not seen the movie. Yeah...it wasn't good the second time around either. But. Still. Even after we dissed the movie. We were still on you-tube looking at the "New Moon" trailer. And feeling like dirty old women as we checked out Jacob and company.

The whole reason I set up this blog...was to write about our homeschooling experience. I was pretty good about doing that the first year. And then this year. Well. It was my intention to at least do a weekly review post. So. Be warned. A homeschool post is forthcoming. Sometime. Eventually.

I have read a ~~million and one~~ several blog posts about the time suck that is facebook. I have been there for a while. But only recently has it become a time suck. And it's all Lizzy's fault. Because now. I am addicted to the game "Farm Town."

Now that Michael can drive. We got him a new car. After going over 250K with the old one...it was time. And now for the first time. His car has less miles than mine. And I have new car envy.

So...what about you? What random things are going on in your life?

Shades of Beige

2009-06-11T05:39:00.000-04:00

A few months our next door neighbors had the trim and siding to their house painted white. What an amazing difference it made. Naturally, I began to plot and plan my way to new trim. I wanted white, too. But really...did we want to paint our cream siding white? And make upkeep when we didn't have any?

The answer is no. But...I wanted to get rid of the horrid brown trim. And lighten things up with a cream color to match the siding. And maybe paint the shutters. But my first step was to match the color of the siding to the new trim color.

And this matching. Well...do you know how many shades of beige there are?

I think it just might be an infinite number. There are beiges in the green family. In the blue family. In the pink family. In the orange family. In the yellow family. Not too many just in the beige family.

And they all have great names. Like Parachute silk. Riviera Beach. Venetian Mask. Cafe Cream. Heavy Cream. Deep Cream. Plateau. Little Linda. Tuolumme. Which I can't even begin to pronounce. Coastal Beige. Eternal beige. Architectural beige.

So many choices. I wonder who has the cool job of coming up with color names. And why they felt that Little Linda was a shade of beige.

So...what about you? What color is the trim of your house? What about your shutters and front door?

Can you get any closer?

2009-06-10T00:04:00.000-04:00

The day lilies are in bloom in the yard. And they are just gorgeous. Begging me to take their pictures. But for some reason, I cannot just take a picture of them. I must get as close as possible. And then...closer still.So...what about you? Do you take close up pictures of the flowers in your yard? What is the strangest thing you have taken a picture of for a blog post?

Quite quotable

2009-06-09T00:11:00.001-04:00

"Reading is one form of escape. Running away and screaming is another." -- Lemony Snicket

I have always loved a good quote. And just the other day I had such a moment of nostalgia as I ran across my journal from college. Where I listed all of my favorite quotes of the moment. It is full of poetry. Everything from Ogden Nash to Shelley. Blake to Poe. It has lines from books. Lines from movies. Including this gem from Woody Allen's "Love and Death:

"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then one must suffer from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore to be unhappy, one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness."

I could easily quote Woody Allen way back then. Now I think that all my movie quotes are from Pixar. Or "Steel Magnolias."

I had editorials. Far Side cartoons. This is my all time favorite:And other cartoons. That were just as appropriate then as they are now.

And I even wrote down things that my roommate said. Like: "I have to take my own panties off sometimes. Especially after he's tried ten times with his teeth." I have lots of things I wanted to remember. Forevah.

Here are my top five favorite quotes of the moment:

1.“You can lead a horticulture but you can’t make her think.”–Dorothy Parker

2. “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”–Albert Einstein

3. "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." --Galileo Galilei (This one is the signature line of my emails.)

4. "Non scholae, sed vitae discimus" - Seneca (We learn not for school, but for life. I am a Latin teacher. I have to have a Latin quote.)

5. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt.

So...what about you? Did you keep a journal? Do you have a favorite quote (s)?

From my hometown...

2009-06-08T09:33:00.000-04:00

I signed up to participate in Shannon's My hometown Swap. The idea being that you would be matched with someone from an area of the country that you had never been to - or that you would want to visit. And then you would send things that represent your hometown.

Who knew that this would be such a challenge?! I live in the suburbs. And the only thing that distinguishes us is our traffic, mcmansions, and good schools. And those are rather difficult to package. So, I broadened my hometown. For about five seconds I thought that Emory University hospital might qualify. Then I moved on to Atlanta as a whole. Dismissing the idea of sending a bottle of Coke and a peach. So...what did I send? It's a surprise! But if you know anything about me...you know that books were included.

And then what should I receive in the mail on Saturday? But my very own package! The part of the country where I have never been is the Pacific Northwest. And I was matched with Rachael - from Bellingham, Washington. Let me tell you...I am one very lucky receipent. First, she sent this whole guide that explains what she included and why.

Why didn't I think to do that? And look at that handwriting. I am getting envious.

She even sent chocolate. And you can't really see it in the picture, but they are shaped like salmon. If chocolate is fish shaped...it has less WW points, right?

I got a very cute re-usable bag. That can go into this tiny bag. So I can throw it in my purse for all the times I forget to get out one of the other 25 reusable bags that we have. Do you all do this? Have a collection of them...and then never remember to grab them?

A very cute Washington Apple box. I wonder if I can hide my earrings in here so that the kitties might stop stealing them.

A pottery flower. Isn't it gorgeous? I have my iced tea spoon resting in it right now. I think I have turned it Southern.

A water color of the old court house.

And this very cool Ski to Sea t-shirt. I am still mesmerized by the possibility of snow skiing. On Memorial Day weekend.

And let me tell you. By the time I had pulled all of this out of my box. And thought about just how wonderful Rachael is...I was slapping myself on the head as I thought about all the things that I could have included from here. But never even thought about. So...many, many thanks to Rachael. You sent some amazing things. And have just made me wish even more to get to see your side of the world for myself!

So...what about you? Is there a part of the country that you would like to visit or live? What things would you send from your hometown?

Hair Today...

2009-06-04T10:59:00.005-04:00

Michael's hair has always been a point of contention. From what appeared to be heading to mullet land when we first met. To the horrid Super Cuts hair dos. Cut really short. Because it was cheap. And he could wait a long time between ~~appointments~~ walk in visits.

He has always answered my complaints. Mouth agape stares. Sighs of exasperation. With "I'll just get it all shaved off." Which has left me stammering and snorting.

So, when he had surgery in April, and the neurosurgeon did this to him.

Well...shaving it off was the only option. And notice. We did not go to Super Cuts. Because I was driving. And could put my foot down. And say no!

And I must admit. I was surprise. And shocked. He looks really good with a shaved head. And ya'll seemed to really think so based on the comments to this post.

And to continue the sexy appeal...I got him to stop shaving. I love the stubble. He usually does not shave over Christmas. But this time he had longer than a week to work on that facial hair. He had a month. And he got itchy. And cranky.The day before he went back to work. He shaved it off. But. Just for fun. We thought we'd see what he looks like with a goatee. Kinda sinister methinks.

Because he really didn't have enough hair to see what mutton chops might look like.

So...what about you? Do like facial hair? Does your husband fall inline with this preference? Do you have haircut challenges?

Pieces of Eight

2009-06-02T10:49:00.001-04:00

Are you wondering when I am going to announce the winner of the Paula Deen cookbook? With the autograph? Would now be a good time? I can always do it later if you are too busy today. Okay, okay...if you insist. Drum roll please...

After counting the entries. And submitting them to the random number site place thing...our winner is...

Michelle at Honest and Truly!

And now, can I get another drum roll?! Because I have not one...but TWO autographed books.

And the second winner is: Jane from Jumpin' in the Jungle!

Congrats ladies. Just email me with your addresses and I'll get your books right out to you.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming:

I have seen this meme in several places. Most recently at Brandy's - and so I decided to crash the meme party and do it myself. But. I changed one of the categories. Because that is how I roll. So here are all my lists of eights. Minus the fruits.

8 things I'm looking forward to:

1. Both girls going to sleep away camp next week.

2. Sleeping in while the girls are gone and a weeks vacation from those 8am swim team practices.

3. August 10th

4. Going to Disney in September

5. Going to Vegas in October

6. Estrogen weekend in November

7. The next Harry Potter movie.

8. January. 2010. And the final season of LOST.

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Took the girls to swim team practice. At 8am.

2. Went back to the pool for the afternoon.

3. Read a guide book about Las Vegas. Tried to decide what all we would have time to do.

4. Tried to come up with new and inventive ways for Shannon and Brandy to convince their husbands to go to Vegas.

5. Shopped for new car insurance. Because for the first time, Michael has a newer car than me.

6. Cooked dinner

7. Read blogs.

8. Watched the movie "Seven Pounds."

8 things I wish I could do:

1. Lose weight. Easily.

2. Have all Michael's medical bills disappear.

3. Make the girls' scoliosis disappear.

4. Travel more.

5. Speak another language. That is not dead.

6. Sew.

7. Learn photoshop. By osmosis.

8. Exercise. Happily.

8 shows I watch:

1. LOST.

2. The Tudors

3. Weeds

4. Big Love

5. True Blood

6. Survivor

7. Millionaire Matchmaker

8. Fringe

8 books in my to be read pile:

1. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

2. Wings by Aprilynne Pike

3. Lover Avenged by JR Ward

4. One second after by William Forstchen

5. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

6. The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas by Bob Sehlinger

7. Book of a thousand Days by Shannon Hale

8. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

8 places I'd like to travel to:

1. India

2. Tahiti

3. New York

4. Ireland

5. Scotland

6. Moscow

7. Cairo

8. Las Vegas

8 places I've lived:

1. Winter Park, Florida

2. Charlotte, North Carolina

3. Coral Springs, Florida

4. Atlanta, Georgia

5. Stone Mountain, Georgia

6. Athens, Georgia

7. Roswell, Georgia

8. Fayetteville, Georgia

So...if you haven't played yet...play along...and change one of the categories.

Kitties, dinosaurs, and tornados. Oh my.

2009-05-28T08:06:00.001-04:00

It is really the kittie's fault. The trouble that those two get into. They work as a team. One follows the other. One is the lookout while the other opens the drawers to my jewelry box. One works on popping the closet door open. While the other rushes in to steal crocs. They are double trouble. And they have always reminded me of that pair of velicoraptors that chase the kids through the kitchen at the end of Jurassic Park.

So when I made this comparison, my girls had no frame of reference. I mean. Jurassic Park was released before they were born. After a few adjustments to my netflix queue, we were ready to sit down and watch the movie.

Katie LOVED it. And it was just the beginning of our so called disaster flick marathon.

There was "Day after Tomorrow." Which led to many discussions on the "science" used by Hollywood. To does global warming = an ice age? To how cute Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal are. Serious. And educational discussions.

"Deep Impact" was fun to watch.Especially after reading "Life as we Knew it" which tackled what would happen if a comet hit the moon.

With all of our volatile weather this spring...and Madalyn's new found terror over tornados...watching "Twister" was actually quite helpful. I could show Madalyn that there was no way we would have a tornado unless she saw a cow flying through the air.Fears totally abated. (Total trivia side note. Twister was the first movie released on dvd. You're welcome.)

And then there was "Independence Day." And now Katie can write a dissertation on the various ways that the Statue of Liberty can be destroyed at the movies.

So...what about you? Do you have a favorite disaster movie? Summer blockbuster? Popcorn movie?

A closer look

2009-05-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday I showed you the big picture of all the planting that Michael did on his "braincation." And today, I thought I would show you all the flowers that I picked out. While Michael did all that hard work in the front yard, I put a few geraniums in a planter on our deck.Should I mention that I started with impatients? But they did not last too long with all of our rain. And then that freak snow over our Spring Break in April. Between the weather and my inability to nurture plants, they are all doomed.

I also got my first tomato plant.I've never had a garden. I want one. But, maybe, I just like the idea of a garden. After all the angst that this tomato plant has caused me. I am not sure how well it would do. Then you do have to take into consideration that we live on a really wooded lot...and I have no area that gets full sun. But my tomato plant. Well. The tomatoes keep dropping off. And I have a trail of ants. Who have climbed up to the second story to make their home in the dirt of that plant. I am thwarted at every turn.

My favorite plant on the deck is my minature petunias in a cup. It's a really big cup. We got these for the end of year teacher gifts. I figured that I am a teacher. And I would celebrate myself.

So...what about you? Do you like to garden? Do you prefer vegetables or flowers? Do you speak plant? (Don't forget to enter to win the autographed Paula Deen cookbook!)

Blog siesta

2009-05-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

I think I have had a really long blog siesta. And it's time to wake up. So much has happened over these four months. Some things are blog worthy. Sponge worthy? Some things not. So. In a nutshell. This is what we have been up to:

After Michael got out of the hospital, he hung around the house for a few weeks. Killing time before they could start him in the cognitive and occupational therapy program. He was rather underfoot. Then when he started the program, we were at the rehab center two or three times a week for a few hours. I have read an unbelievable amount of books this year while sitting in waiting rooms.

Instead of hiring a landscaper to put in our spring flowers...I thought Michael might be up to the task. He pulled out the winter pansies. Planted lots of annuals. Planted bulbs. Mulched. And the yard looks fabulous.I am not sure that he is going to get out of being our new gardener. I think he was grateful to go back to work so that he could escape my next trip to buy flowers.

Is it too far gone to talk about the snow we had in March?Yeah. I thought so.

What about Lizzy and her girls coming for Easter?What if I added that she makes dyed plaid eggs? I've told her that I am expecting a plaid tutorial next year.

Well...on Easter Sunday, we went to church. And then we had the biggest Easter Egg hunt in the world. I thought we did it last year. But this year, we out did ourselves. It was really all my mom's fault. She was thinking 500 eggs. So...we bought a bunch of eggs and candy. And when we started filling those eggs, we ran out of eggs. So we bought more eggs. And then ran out of candy.It was a never ending cycle. I think in the end we had 778 eggs "hidden" in the yard. Hidden really does become a relative term with that many eggs. And do you know how heavy the bags are when there are only 9 girls searching for them? I found another one in the yard today. We are still missing one with a dollar coin. I wonder if that one will evah turn up.

And then there was the worst Spring Break in the history of the world. According to my children. Because I made them empty out their closets.And their drawers. And. Try everything on. Katie has made that pivotal turn. She is officially out of the children's department. And into shoes larger than mine.

Oh. Another thing I did on my blog siesta was to go and meet Paula Deen. I think that might have gotten your attention. And as a reward for wading through all this drivel. I have an extra autographed copy of "The Deen Family Cookbook" waiting here just for you. To enter just follow the fine print: comment for your first entry. You can get extra entries for following, tweeting, and/or blogging about it. Just come back and leave extra comments saying so. Contest ends Friday, May 29th at midnight. Winner selected randomly.

So...what about you? What is the longest you have gone between blog posts? Have you cleaned out any closets lately? Are you a Paula Deen fan? Do you have a favorite cookbook?

Well laid plans

2009-05-06T13:54:00.004-04:00

I thought that I would get back to writing. That I would get back to reading and commenting. But getting back into the swing of things. Finding my routine. Well, it hasn't been an easy process. Especially since things here are not exactly normal.

Michael is doing great. He gets his staples removed tomorrow. I think he'll be back at work next week. But. He can't drive until the end of July. So, I have begun a six degrees of seperation quest. There has to be someone who lives somewhat near us. And that works near Michael. He cannot be the only one making that daily commute. I have yet to find that person. So. It looks like I am going to be his chauffeur.

Chauffeurs spend an awful lot of time in the car. Time they could be spending at home. Or shuttling children to activities. Or cooking dinner. I have no idea how I am going to get everyone where they need to go. I am going to be an incredible juggler come August.

So yesterday. After my end of year PTA meeting. While I sat here in front of a blank screen and contemplated my next blog entry. Thinking I might tell you about the snow that we had on the first of March. Or maybe about our Spring break. Or meeting Paula Deen. Or my strange desire to have chickens. Or about my newest TV addiction. I was brought out of my day dream by strange hacking noises.

And as I went to investigate, I found one of the hooligan kitties coughing. And foaming at the mouth. She naturally ran from me. And hid behind our washing machine. Still making these horrid gagging noises. Finally with a broom and the long arm of Michael, we extricated her. Stuck her in the kitty carrier. And set off in search of a vet that was really close to our house.

It was challenging paying attention to the road as I listened to Jessie try to breathe. That high pitched wheeze. The struggle to push air into her lungs. The wet congestion as she tries to release whatever she is gagging on.

The first one I pulled into...the doctor was gone. And they directed me to another vet another mile up the road. As I pulled into the next office...they were expecting us, and took Jessie right away. It wasn't too much longer before they came to let me know that they had to put her under anestheia. And it looked like she had a shoe lace stuck in her esophagus. They were working on pulling it out. And they would keep me updated.

Have I told you how bad these kitties are? I thought so. Well. Apparently, these vets now have a great story to tell. About the cat that ate 40 hair tyes. And got them stuck in her throat. At least the bill this time was only $400. And not the $1200 that her sister cost us for eating foam.

Happy first birthday hooligan kitties.

So...what about you? How many emergency room visits have you had this year? Ever? Do you keep a running log of blog topics? Know anyone Michael could carpool to work with?

In the homestretch

2009-04-30T14:34:00.004-04:00

What a journey. And I am so very glad that it looks like it is almost over.

We started back at the end of January with what looked like an aneurysm. With a stay in the ICU for 2 weeks. Plus a few extra days in the hospital. And when they sent us home, we still really didn't know what caused the bleed in Michael's head.

Our first day home from the hospital sent us back to the emergency room with what might have been a seizure. Because in their hurry to send us home, no one gave us an anti-seizure medication.

The next few weeks Michael spent hanging out around the house. And then we finally got into the rehab program. And he started a month's worth of cognitive therapy. The bleed was in the part of the brain that is in charge of organization and categorization. So remembering a simple three or four item list is difficult if not impossible. But during therapy they worked on it...and worked on skills that he can use to get around some of his short term memory issues. And now he has graduated from that program.

And then finally. Where I left you two weeks ago.

We finally got a diagnosis. A fistula. And they scheduled surgery for last Wednesday. (And yes. elective surgery. Doesn't mean that insurance won't cover it. It just means it's scheduled. And not an emergency. However my insurance company is balking over the cognitive therapy. Idiots.)

So, Michael did the pre-op appointment. And we arrived at 8:30 am last Wednesday for surgery. Where we were promptly asked these questions: "What are you doing here? Didn't you get the message that the surgery has been rescheduled?" Um. No. No one left us a message. Called. Faxed. Smoke signals. Nothing.

We found out that our appointment had been moved to Friday at 5:30 am. AM?! Yep. In the morning. And we also found out that the scheduler at the neurosurgeon's office is in a bit of hot water for not getting a chance to call us.

Friday morning. That alarm going off at 3:50 am was quite unpleasant. But we were at the hospital - and at the waiting room - at 5:30. But apparently none of the staff were there yet. They did not show up until 6 am. And we were not called back to prep until almost 7. Oh, that hour more of sleep would have a really good option.

At 10am, Michael's surgeon came out to tell me that his part was done...it had all gone well...and that I should be able to see him around noon.

By 2pm, he was in his room in the ICU...catching up with the nurses from our last stay. He was awake. Alert. Joking around. Here he is with his bandages and the drain in his head. He wanted me to be sure to get pictures this time.

When the doctor finally pulled off the bandages, and I was able to get a good look at his staples. I realized that no one bothered to clean him up. All the blood that ran during surgery - still there. All on his scalp. Making his hair crispy in parts. There were huge dried pieces of blood stuck to his hair and to his scalp. It was gross. And we couldn't wash it because the staples can't get wet. I tried to clean some of it with a washcloth...but it really was not doing the job.

Michael was in the ICU for less than 24 hours. And he was discharged from the hospital on Monday. Not quite four days of time.

After we got home, Michael took great pleasure in grossing out the girls with his head.The girls were grossed out by the blood and staples. Me. Well...the hair cut leaves little to be desired.

So...we thought we should really even things up. Shave it all off. And get some one to wash his scalp.

Before:

After:

Much better.

And now. The staples. All 44 of them come out next Thursday. No more therapies needed. And he can go back to work the following week. The problem solved. And it is not a problem that will come back. Hallelujah. Amen.

So...what about you? Have you ever had a disaster of a haircut? If this had happened to you...would you have shaved your head? Have you ever had staples or stitches?

Circulatory System for a Thousand, please, Alex

2009-04-13T20:40:00.004-04:00

I am not a doctor. Nor do I play one on my blog.

I am not a teacher. But I sometimes play one in my life.

So...that being said. Take the circulatory explanation for what it is. Simplistic. Rudimentary. And potentially riddled with errors.

Arteries carry blood away from your heart. Arteries have to be very strong so that they can withstand the pressure of the blood as it is carried through the body.

Veins carry de-oxygenated blood back to the heart. The walls of a vein are tissue paper thin. And they can be because they don't deal with the constant pressure.

The two are connected by capillaries. Capillaries connect the arteries to your muscles and organs. And then another set of capillaries join up with the veins. And it all starts over again.

Or at least that is the way it is supposed to work.

Today Michael had a follow-up angiogram. And we found out that Michael did not have an aneurysm after all. What he has is an arteriovenous fistula. Which basically means that in his brain, he has an artery that directly connects to a vein. And well. That vein had just had enough pressure. It bled. A lot. And all that bleeding mimiced an aneurysm. And all that blood. Well, it shielded the fistula.

Now that we have an actual diagnosis. We fix it. And by we. I mean the neurosurgeon. And what we are going to do is a little brain surgery. Next week. Because there is a 20% chance that it will bleed again. This year. But. As far as brain surgery goes, it's not supposed to be a big deal. And when it's fixed. It's fixed. But guess what? It's "elective" brain surgery. Maybe Michael will ask if they can do a little eyebrow lift while they are there.

So...what about you? What kind of elective surgery would you want? Did you ever want to be a doctor? Oh...and I sorta forgot about my own contest. Click here to see the winner of the "Bride and Prejudice" movie.

The Real Thang

2009-04-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

See why I am not a fan of wordless? It leaves too many questions. All unanswered. Words would have explained it all. Eased all of your concerns. And doubts. All because of a simple little picture.And I'll tell you. It is real. It is a real ultrasound. Of me. With a baby in my belly. Approximately 8 weeks along.

However. That baby. Well. She's come a long way...baby. Because now...she looks like this:

And those mad photoshop skills. Well...those belong to my husband. Who simply changed the date. Somehow. I don't know how. Because I don't have the mad skills. The tech skills. The savvy. Just the brilliant idea. And I have spent the day basking in my own cleverness. Ignoring emails. Screening my calls.

And many many thanks to those of you who believed. Even just a smidge. Because you made my day! I especially loved the email from Lizzy accusing me of taking advantage of a brain-addled, half-bald man. I don't think I have ever done an April Fool's prank before. Though I am a big fan.

Google does some of the best. Especially for people with gmail accounts. Last year they offered up a new program that let you have 5 email date changes a year. So that you could pre date work that had to be emailed. Or suit some other correspondence to your date needs. All based on the science of the "e-flux capicator."

And then this year they offered up a new program called "autopilot." Gmail will save you time by reading and responding to your email messages. Simply by mimicing your style. How often you have typos. Even to your own level of emoticon use. "It's like you, but automated."

Or who remembers when Taco Bell said that they bought the Liberty Bell? And that they were now going to call it the Taco Liberty Bell?

Or last year on you tube, when all videos linked to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give you up?"

But. I think my favorite pranks come from the BBC. I think that they pioneered the corporate prank with their Swiss spaghetti harvest of 1957.

And I loved their entry last year. With the discovery that penguins really can fly.

So...what about you? Did you fall for any pranks this year? Do you have a favorite? Are you much of a jokester? Oh...and I have extended the contest for the copy of "Bride and Prejudice." Just click here to enter. Winner will be announced on Friday.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T07:10:00.001-04:00

Jane Austen, zombies, Bollywood, and a prize

2009-03-30T14:00:00.005-04:00

The contest is over. Much later than I anticipated. Spring Break. Kids. Angiograms. Oh my! Anyway...the winner of the movie is Linda from Another Piece of the pie! Congrats! Email me your address and I'll get it right out to you!

I've admitted many times that I have not been able to get through a Jane Austen novel. I have tried. I love romance novels. And so many of them strive to emmulate the penultimate. Especially "Pride and Prejudice." But I just cannot force myself to slog through it. Everyone keeps saying to give it a chance. And I do. But my eyes glaze over. And I end up reading the same paragraph over and over. And I still have no idea as to what I have actually read.

However, I have read all of the incarnations. Watched the movies. Swooned over Colin Firth. Just like the lot of you.

And as a total side note...so many have read "Bridget Jones Diary" with it's own incarnation of Mr. Darcy. But not as many have read the sequel "The edge of Reason." Which in my opinion. Is even funnier. Including a pee in your pants funny interview between Bridget and Colin Firth.Mmmmm. Where were we?

It really is amazing. All of the inspirations that Jane Austen has given to pop culture. Including the most recent "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." Which apparently, seemlessly introduces zombies. And ninjas. Into Austen's tale of manners. Who knew that "unmentionables" was code for Zombies?

Because I haven't read the zombie version yet...my favorite variation on Jane's classic is the musical "Bride and Prejudice." I believe it is quite the antithesis to zombies.

"Bride and Prejudice" transplants Austen's story from regency England to modern India. And uses the full tradition of the Bollywood musical. Including lush and colorful costumes. A scene in the rain and running through fountains. And of course...breaking into song in the middle of the market place.

The movie even has our very own Sayid from Lost. Naveen Andrews plays Mr. Balraj - or rather the Mr. Bingley role. But my very favorite character in the movie is that of Mr. Kholi - in the Mr. Collins role. In the Bollywood version, Mr. Kholi has come from "A-meer-ka" to find a bride. And after he is refused by Lalita (err...Elizabeth), he marries her best friend. After ~~forcing~~ allowing my kids to watch this movie over the weekend. They have taken to imitating Mr. Kholi. From going around saying "whazzz up?" to asking me how I like "their crib" or just random quotes like: "there is no life. Without wife." Complete with hand gestures. I challenge you to watch this movie and not start immitating Mr. Kholi's laugh.

And to complete this challenge. I'll even give you your very own copy of "Bride and Prejudice." (Random number generator will be employed. Contest ends Wednesday night. Just comment to enter)

So...what about you? Have you seen "Bride and Prejudice?" Do you have a favorite Jane Austen book or movie or variation? Will you read the zombie version?

The further adventures of JT

2009-03-24T09:30:00.007-04:00

Madalyn likes Justin Timberlake. Likes likes Justin Timberlake. I am not sure how it all started. But she has had a thing for him for years. And years is a long time when one is only not quite eight years old to begin with.Two years ago, she asked for him for Christmas. Well. Actually. She asks for him for Christmas every year. And she's already asked for him for her birthday this year. But...two years ago I remembered that I could probably find a Justin Timberlake doll. Action figure? On ebay. One from his N'Sync days. Back when he kinda had a fro.

Madalyn loves her JT. I did a blog post about him last summer. When I discovered where she had been keeping him.

In her panty drawer. Because if you had JT. Wouldn't that be where you would keep him?

And then this past Christmas, I got her a Justin pillowcase. So, now the doll. Action figure? Stays with the panties. And she sleeps with the image. Remember. She's not quite eight.

And then last week. It seems that Justin found a new spot to hang out. He came out from under the panties. And into a basket. On Madalyn's night stand. And with him is some lip gloss. JT has the perfect place to store it.Hey. JT. Is that a lipstick in your pocket? Or are you just happy to see me?

Somehow. I am beginning to think that the Warioland Shake-it game may be the least of our worries.

So...what about you? Do your kids have celebrity crushes? Do you have an inappropriate celebrity crush? Do you remember your first celebrity crush?

How do I even begin to explain

2009-03-19T10:02:00.003-04:00

Santa brought a wii at Christmas. It has resulted in obsessions. Shoulder strain. And a slight case of vertigo.

The favorite game in the house is Mario Kart. And this particular game has led the girls down the path of being interested in any type of Mario game. They got Mario Party for their DS. They have even begun scouring Japanese toy stores for plush versions of their favorite Mario characters.

And now. They are asking for a new game. A game called Wario Land shake it. Can someone please help me arrive at a practical explanation as to why. Why there is no way I can let this game enter my house. Because after you watch this video. You will understand that this will be all I can think about. And I really don't want my girls to be naturals. Not at that.

Heaven in a carton

2009-03-16T08:44:00.005-04:00

I don't grocery shop. Mostly because my motivation to go is hunger. And I am an impulse shopper. And I forget things. Like coupons. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I am not allowed to grocery shop. Michael has been doing that chore for years. Because he gets some sort of adrenaline rush from cutting coupons and saving money. And my rush is more about Little Debbie nutty bars catching my eye.

But ever since January when Michael had his aneurysm. I have been doing the grocery shopping. I have been going through his coupon book. And actually using them. I have been trying to stick to the list. And making sure that I have eaten lunch before I go.

But this week. I had finished my list. And was making one last stop. Down the frozen foods aisle. Bryers ice cream was buy one get one free. And I was going to pick up a new flavor for Madalyn. And as I walked down the aisle. I saw it.

It was like a light shined down from heaven. I heard a chorus of angels. And right there in the freezer case. Manna from heaven. Do you think that I'll be struck by a bolt of lightning if I use another religious metaphor?

It is my very favorite ice cream. One that I have never seen for sale here in Georgia. I have only found it when we vacation at St. George island. And now it's here. Prayers have been answered. It's truly a miracle. Okay. I am hearing cracks of thunder.

I'll be back after I have recovered from my ice cream headache. And diabetic coma.

So...what about you? Do you like a hard to find food? What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Do you do the grocery shopping?

Picture Puzzles

2009-03-12T00:01:00.000-04:00

My favorite thing about going to the doctor's office when I was a kid was getting to read Highlights magazine. I just loved the hidden pictures.Then when I got older...there was the advent of "Where's Waldo." I have loved introducing my girls to these books.

And now. I have discovered that I have my very own version of Waldo here at my house. And my very own hidden picture. It's called: What does not belong in the pantry?

Please ignore the state of my pantry. I think I might have discovered something else for Michael to do during his all-nighter. I am sure he'll have lots of helpers.

So...what about you? Do you keep your pantry neat and tidy? Or does it look like a bomb went off? Do you check the dates on your food labels? What is the strangest thing in your pantry?

Click here to find the winner of the 10 Book give-away.

888 Challenge: Prize and Prejudice

2009-03-10T00:01:00.002-04:00

**The contest has ended. Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments. The winner of the 10 books is Angie from SevEn cLoWn CirCuS. Congrats!!**

I am a voracious reader. Voracious. Book a day voracious. Until last year. February to be exact. Because that is when I started blogging. And went from a book a day. To a book or so a week.

Which is actually rather ironic because right after I started blogging I took up the 888 challenge. The challenge was rather simple in concept. To read 8 books in 8 categories in '08. 64 books. Easy peasy for a voracious reader like me. Except I had not counted on the distraction. (My complete list with categories is over on my left side bar)

If you look over my original list for the books I planned to read you'll see that I dreamed big. One of the big things I wanted to do was to read Jane Austen. I wanted to read Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Northanger Abbey. And those two others that I cannot think of. I tried to read them. Really. I did. My eyes glazed over. I yawned. And then I couldn't remember what I actually read. I read more of Sense and Sensibility. Because it was one of my book club books. But not all of it. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

I wanted to read award winning books. To see what sets them apart from others. What makes something a Pulitzer? A Newberry? A National Book award winner? And what I discovered is that these particular award winners are really good. Eye opening. And even entertaining. I sort of felt like I cheated though. As the year began to wane...I found my list a little too ambitious. So I replaced some titles with Newberry winners so that I could finish my list. And actually here is where you will find one of my worst books of the year. The one where I am not sure why it won an award: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. Yuck.

I wanted to read books that I actually had bought that were sitting on my shelf. Books that I had not started because I set them aside for library books. Because those have a due date. Rationalizing that the books I had on my shelf I could read anytime. But don't. This is the category where I really cheated. Of the books that I read here...I think that only one was there at the beginning of the challenge. The rest were on my shelf. But just because I brought them home from the library and stuck them there. Or because Rhea mailed them to me. (And just an aside. Ummm. Rhea. I giggled at you. Because you forgot that you mailed books to me. Like "The Hunger Games." And then lamented about your missing copy in the comments of Lula's blog. I am still giggling. Sorry. *snort*)

Another category was non-fiction. Which I like. Sometimes. Like "Devil in the White City." Fabulous. But his other book - "Isaac's Storm." Not so much. Or I was caught up in the title. Like "Sin in the Second City." A book about madams. Sex. Politics. Intriguing, no? Sort of. It had its moments. And I had my own copy that I read in the pool while at the beach over the summer. It is rather water logged. Still. And then there is Tucker Max. I think that I still need some brain bleach to get some of those stories out of my head.

And then. My high brow category. To read the classics. Note. No Jane Austen's on this completed list. But I was quite pleasantly surprised with my list. Dracula. Fabulous. Orwell? Genius. Brave New World? Amazingly ahead of it's time. Lost Horizon? If you are a LOST fan...this is a MUST read. The only book I had issues with is "Little Women." So freakin' saccharine sweet, I think I fell into a diabetic coma.

And for the rest. Well...the rest is all part of my usual repertoire. Because I love to read. For me, reading is about pleasure. Escape. Entertainment. I don't want to struggle with a book just because I should read it. I want to read it. Enjoy it. For it's own sake. I want to be lost in a story. I want to be so engrossed that I stay up all night. And neglect everything that I am supposed to be doing. Those are the signs of a good book.

In honor of SITS and their Spring Fling...I am giving away 10 of the books I read for the challenge. It's a mixed bag because I get most of my books from the library. So what you are getting are well read...slightly water logged...books.

Included are: Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris (the first of the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries - and the inspiration behind HBO's "True Blood"); Lost Horizon by James Hilton; The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn (fabulous, sexy, funny Regency romance); How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean (a very intelligent and witty chick lit book); Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott (quite water logged. Didn't quite fulfill it's potential. Still. Rather interesting.); Interpreter of the Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (FABULOUS Pulitzer Prize winner - and if you haven't read her other novel - The Namesake - you need to add it to your to be read pile!); Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (wonderful, lyrical. Read it and email me. I want to know your impressions of the ending.) Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips (fun romp with the Greek Gods in modern London. Could have been better); Austenland by Shannon Hale; and The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs (a hysterical look at a man trying to live EXACTLY as the Bible dictates).

So...what do you need to do to win? Simply leave me a comment. Have you ever done a reading challenge? What kinds of books do you like to read? What are you reading right now?

I'll do a random drawing and announce the winner on Thursday.

Progress Report

2009-03-09T08:01:00.002-04:00

Did you notice that I only posted 7 times in February? And not even all of those were my words. Not only am I going to need to re-learn how to cook...but I am going to have to get blogging back into my schedule. I have however returned to my wild book reading days. Reading a book a day rather than blogging. Hmmm...more about that tomorrow.

The better portion of last week was spent visiting with various doctors and therapists. None of whom came to the same conclusions. We had one who said to go back to work. Carry on with life. Do all the things that you used to do. That directive was quickly followed by a different doctor with a "are you kidding me?" And a "what did they do to assess you?" And "That doctor was not qualified to do that."

Back to square one. Well. Not really. It was pretty much decided by someone with big girl panties. That Michael would have a month of intensive cognitive therapy. And then he would probably go back to work the middle of April.

And let me tell you about the cognitive therapy. It seemed so silly. But it was really telling. The therapist showed Michael a picture of an alien. The aliens name is Joff. Then she flipped the page and there are about 10 aliens on this page. And Michael had to find Joff. Simple, no? Well. Then she showed him another picture of an alien. This one was Delton. Then she flipped the page and he had to find both Joff and Delton. Next we met Megoy. And then Kriptick. Michael was doing okay identifying his new alien friends. And then he met Plick. Apparently his brain really didn't want to think about any more aliens.

Aliens. Schmaliens. And the brain promptly forgot Kriptick. Megoy. Delton. Even though he went on to meet 7 more aliens. He couldn't keep any of them straight. He was on overload. On the fritz. And the circuit blew.

And I think that the therapist thought smugly to herself that doctors really don't know what they are talking about.

On the next day we met with a neurologist. We were referred there after our little visit to the ER on the day Michael was discharged from the hospital. Because he might have had a seizure that caused all of his confusion. Evidently they really have no idea if he might have had a seizure or not. But if he did, the law states that he cannot drive for 6 months. When the neurologist told him that he could not clear him for driving yet, I think that for the first time, Michael was actually depressed.

However, they are going to do a test next week. They are going to do an EEG...and if they get an excellent reading, they will clear him for driving. A slow. Baby step. New driver type okay. No free ways. Not at night. And a gradual increase to what he was used to.

This EEG test. It's at 7:30 in the morning. Next Wednesday. He has to get up the day before. On Tuesday. Have no caffeine. And not take a nap. Stay awake all night. So that he can fall asleep while they administer the test.

So...here is my question to you all. Help me think of things to put on his honey do list. Things he can do in the middle of the night to stay awake. While the rest of us sleep. What would you have your husband do if your house was already clean. And all the laundry was caught up. Ideas? Anyone? Anyone?