three day blog

It's that time.. . again!   Christmas knitting time.  In fact, I am a little late in starting.  I have one husband, two kids, a mom and dad, two sisters, a niece and two friends to knit for... Ok now I am tired. Yikes.  I really have no idea what to make for all those people.  It would be easier to offend them and make them go away.   Don't worry... I'd say sorry January first.   Probably not a good idea. Oh well. At least I know what to do for my dad...I will just finish the scarf I started knitting for him last Christmas.  Won't he be surprised.... ....that I finished it.  In my defense it is 21,000 monotonous stitches.  It is a pattern from WWI. The kind of pattern you knitted and then sent to your men at the front.  It was part of that whole " knit your bit " campaign started in WWI and made popular in WWII.  The pattern calls for wool but I am doing superwash merino wool which means that there is no shrinky or ...

Just in case you were all in doubt about the level to which we have twisted our children.... I offer you Anthony's homemade thanksgiving day card... So have a happy Thancksgiving and remember to be thanck full because you never know what is lurking right behind you.

I am taking the opportunity to show off the kiddos in their Halloween costumes because they rarely look this cute on a daily basis. *sigh* As you can see Anthony is taking his roll as knight, and protector of princess Irene, very seriously. Well--he started taking it more seriously after I told him to stop slaying his sister with his sword. Irene was protecting herself of course, but it was still disconcerting to see such a sweet princess cold cocking a knight... After that little interlude, we went to our church's harvest party and the kids had too much candy--and it instantly put them to sleep like sugar always does... er wait...? The reality was that after they got home they bounced around like mexican jumping beans---not as high as daddy though, because they are only half mexican but still enough to drive us both crazy. I hope you all had a great Halloween and I hope you are %100 more ready than I am for the upcoming holidays.

Do you have a favorite cheesy movie...? When I say cheesy movie, I mean so dorky you don't like to admit to people that you like it. It probably is one that you watched as a child before you had the ability to discern bad acting, terrible special effects, impossible 1960's hairstyles, etc. I personally have two... The first is Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) . I think the acting is good in this movie but the special effects are laughable by todays standards. A really good part, though is the score by Bernard Herrmann ---this guy lends an ominous tone to any movie. But the embarrassing fact is, that when I used to watch it as a child, I had a huge crush on Pat Boone. Yes I said Pat Boone....but this Pat Boone not that Pat Boone . When I grew up I developed a (still-going) crush on James Mason ....maturity has its advantages. My second movie is Jason and the Argonauts (1963) . The acting is touch and go, but the special effects---done by Ray Harryhausen and t...

I wanted to draw your attention to my navigational tabs below my header. I have added a new tab entitled reading list. If you click on it now, you will be taken to a page that says "this page coming soon" and then goes on to use an immature amount of exclamation points---so really this is just a page of little to no information. Why am I telling you? Because I was asked a very long time ago , by a couple of people to make a recommended reading list. And because I will be adding the information very soon...promise--either the next few hours, or at the latest tonight while all of the normal people sleep.

Apparently there is something about me that is so irresistible that women want to give me flowers. Thank you Michelle . On the other hand, there also seems to be something so re sistible about me, that no men seem to find the urge to bring me any. Hmmm... Must investigate this...

What attracts you to the blogs that you like? John says: Insightful commentary, informed author, a topic I am already interested in, and (if you promise not to tell my wife this) if it is written by a beautiful woman that certainly helps. Hey, it is something that catches my eye and gets my attention. Groovybabe says: …subject matter, writing ability, visual look... that’s initially... Mamacita Chilena says: For me the blog either has to be a subject I'm interested in, or if it's not a subject that interests me, it needs to be very well written, and usually funny. What keeps you coming back? John says: Consistent posts, high quality, some humor. Groovybabe says: interesting content and interaction (someone who comments on my journal as well as me on theirs) Ten Pound Club says: Writing style is important. I also need to feel a connection. I enjoy seeing pictures. And I love your sense of humor--a huge draw! What detracts from one? John says: No consistency in posting! ...

Update Below The whole blogging phenomenon is quite fascinating and the reasons for having one is varied. I have met so many people and been invited into so many lives and in turn invited others in. I have learned much in the past year and still have immeasurably more to learn. On a side note, I did design the blog header and footer for a friend/blogger so by all means check it out Link update: http://browneyedgirl30.blogspot.com and be sure and leave her a comment telling her how lucky she is to have a friend like me....hee hee...oh man, I crack me up. When I asked why you all blogged---I got the answers that I think are pretty typical reasons for everyone yet each and every blog is as unique as a fingerprint. And by the way.... about my mom reading my blog. She only reads it when I ask "mom, did you read my blog?" Then she scrambles to get caught up. Even worse is my husband...he only reads because he fears retribution. My best friend reads it for entertainment...not the...

UPDATE: (I need to do a huge shout out to Amanda Fazani at Blogger Buster ---because without her tutorials I would not have been able to do this. You can definitely find template tutorials on the web but they are not always clear or updated. With Blogger Buster, everything you need is in one spot and very easy to understand. However, if you are more interested in the social side of blogging rather than the technical---then I think playgroupsarenoplaceforchildren is a great place to start. Jennifer has some great ideas, backed by experience, along with useful links, all in a neat concise little series ) End of update. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ So I have finally unveiled my new blog (re)design. What do you think? If you are having trouble remembering exactly what it looked like before... here is a screenshot, taken shortly before I started fiddling with it. You may have to click on it to get a better look. go ahead click... ...you ...

After going through major blog withdrawal , I have decided that the comeback from my "bloggatical from sogging," as shauna calls it, will be sooner rather than later. Just as soon as I wrap my mind around some of these HTML codes and redesign the blog, I will be back to annoy you all further .... ~thanks to all the comments of support...and keep them coming...it gives me something to read while I muddle the design of my blog~

Two weeks ago I had an open house. It was wildly successful. Well... it was successful if you expect no one to actually buy your home... We did get quite a few people, though....and I am not even counting the neighbors or previous owners . We had a Realtor tell us that ours was the best home he had been in all day. My thought at that moment was "good thing he doesn't know that on any given day this house is typically held together by spilled cheerios and dirty laundry ." I also would bet good money that it was the smallest house that he had been in all day, as well. I thought it would be a swell idea to make my mom bake some cookies and brownies and offer coffee to lure in the suck---er I mean possible buyers. It worked like a charm. By the time that my mom and I had finished the last of the goodies--we were both committed to buying the house. So since it was such a blast I am doing it again...this Saturday. Anyone want any cookies? They are free....

Because I know how much you all must be lamenting the loss of book love weekend , I have decided to bring it back. Please, please...no tears. No amount of begging will talk me out of it...and you will just end up embarrassing us both. You will simply have to put up with it. So without further ado: This is my bedside table. This is where I do the bulk of my reading...well...not on my bedside table. I usually do my reading in bed right next to the table. It's a bit more comfortable that way. If you are a reader, then you know why every time I see a pile of books like this, I grin to myself like an insane bag lady . I wanted to address a request that I had in my comments from Rachel (who is heading up her own book club) over at Like a Star , as well as Ritamae at Ritaville Perspectives . They were wanting me to post a list of recommended books. I will defintely do that... as long as everyone understands that I am the oddest person alive in what I like to read....

I am now aged and decrepit. Today I turn 30. I remember after my dad turned thirty, my mom would say that it was harder for him to get drumming jobs because he was too old. I am...now...too old to get drumming jobs. I don't play, but still...there is something that sucks about knowing you are too old to do something. In actuality I do know how young thirty is. It just will take some getting used to...this knowledge that I sound old to anyone still in their 20's. Young punks! My mom got me one of those booklets that showed me what was going on the year I was born. I don't know about you, but my birth year (1978) was a bit hazy to me. She all but ripped the booklet out of my hands and kept saying "oh yeah, do you remember that?" ...no mom, actually I don't remember that...I was to busy processing milk that year. What they really need for those booklets is to go by decades. I needed a do you remember the 80's ... That I remember all too pla...

We have gotten some major things done on our list. For one thing, Edgard is nearly done with the fence. I am definitely a firm believer in the good fences make good neighbors. Especially when your neighbor has decided to completely redo his yard the year before but only got as far as cutting the sod off. The weeds, I kid you not, are as tall as my son. Not the nicest thing to look at. And then, when you add in that we have let our backyard go while concentrating on the front yard and the inside of the house...well it wasn't pretty to look at. So now putting a fence up, we will only see half a horrible yard...ours. Even that is starting to shape up. We bought 3 mature trees to plant in front of the fence so that when the leaves come out we cannot even see over. Are you starting to guess I am a hermit? I am. I like my privacy. The other big development is the muscles in my arms. I have personally rototilled a section of our yard where I plan to plant some mock...

Yaya over at chunk like tuna ---love that name----was inspired by my daughter's touch of insanity to photoshop a little. I love that even though I have little or no actual talent of my own...I can inspire those who do.

While everyone else is more likely to be writing warm and fuzzy posts about Valentine's day, I decided to write something on a more practical side of love,from a woman's perspective. I will leave the warm and fuzzies to the people more suited to it. This is my advice, to men, when you are...gasp...arguing with your woman. She doesn't necessarily want to be agreed with, but rather, simply, to be understood. Especially refrain from acquiescing if you are doing it to bring about an end to the argument. If there is any way possible, though you may not agree with what she is saying, to put yourself in her place, and try to understand what she is feeling in that moment. It could be better for both of you. And then, do your level best to show her that it has made an impact in your brain. If you find that she is repeating something over and over again---then she does not feel either heard or understood. And please, especially, don't say: whatever you are craz...

My little snowboarder... Much like Bradley , at the age of (nearly) 33, he is in an advanced state of decay...so though he was able to make it through the day snowboarding, he was barely able to move the next morning.

Tomorrow Edgard is going skiing with a work buddy and his son. And yes, Mexicans ski. They also play tennis, own dogs other than chihuahuas, and take off their sombreros to shower. At least, all that goes for Edgard. I am, of course, worried about him but he promised me he "wouldn't run into a tree like that Sonny and Cher guy." Oh that is good, because I wasn't at all referring to the icy drive up there. I am glad that he is going, since he usually has to work every Saturday. This will be a nice break for him. On the weight loss front, I had a terrible relapse at Christmas and ended up gaining weight. What can I say? I love food and hate exercise. Not exactly a recipe for slimness. But I am back at it and I will start regularly updating you again, very soon. I am not exactly ready at this moment. But rest assured, I am doing well regaining (bad choice of words) ground in the fight against my lardishness. I gave up drinking Pepsi One---I think the as...

Here are a smattering of pictures from the first of December when we cut our Christmas tree. We had a fun time and hope to do it next year. Here are the things I know for next year: Prepare to get stuck in the snow early and hike the rest of the way. And, oddly enough, if we hike a mile and a half, cut a gorgeous Christmas tree, play in the snow and take wonderful pictures....the fun ain't over...we will still have the mile and a half hike back to our car. I also need to realize that a 3 mile hike will not kick my metabolism into hyper drive. Translation: I cannot eat like a pig for the entire holiday season and cover it by saying "I can eat this _____ (insert food of choice: piece of cake, candy cane, cheese log, entire gingerbread village) because I hiked three miles last week--month--year". I also have learned that my children are immune to my insanity but after around 6 hours they might start to whimper a little...but only after the cold has mentally broken ...

Do my friends know me? Here is a picture of my spare house key. I entrusted it to my best friend and her husband for---well---just in case. The back is hard to read, so I quote: "Because there will be a day when she locks herself out" I would be mad at them if I hadn't read it while I was locked out.