another video

oh quit! I'll get bored of this movie maker soon. Until then...a little countdown to the new year, and a little look back.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

m

Christmas pics after Christmas

Here are some random pictures I've taken over the last couple weeks. I've not been able to post them because, well let's face it, I'm completely lazy. Then I got a raging cold and couldn't do anything. I'm on the mend now, wide awake, and hopped on B12, so I figured I'd blog a little blog.


I did prove something this year, in regards to being sicky. I get a cold every stinking year and I've always thought it's because i go and go and go and the cold is my body's way of saying STOP IT MORON. but this year I did nothing. NOTHING. and I still got that dumb cold. and let me tell ya, decorating the tree (including the lights), wrapping every single present, and SHOPPING for the hubby on CHRISTMAS EVE with a cold, sucks ass. If I'm going to get a cold I might as well do something before hand so at least I'm not trying to finish everything while I'm trying to plan my own funeral.

But I digress. Back to pictures. I saw this cute wreathe at Starbucks at the mall last week. Yes, I did stop in the middle of everything and snap a picture. I didn't even care who took notice. The wreathe is that cute. no?



Oh! wait! If you can't tell, those are balls of yard up in there y'all! CLEVER right?! Maybe I'm going back to my childhood with my mom who was an avid knitter. I can't tell you how many skeins of yard I've balled up in my life. So this gives me warm fuzzies, the same way chocolate milk or smores might. I think my mom actually had a contraption to aide in this task. I could be wrong there.

Kate's daycare has a Christmas program every year. It's always consisted of a half an hour of super cuteness for most kids (mine included of course) but there is always those few who are completely over it. The idea of singing in front of 50 adults and/or wearing any sort of costume is simple out of the question. This results in the typical crying and screaming also known as a TANTRUM.

I've always loved this preschool concert, mostly because of the half hour part (yes I said it) but this year they changed it up and did a dinner with Santa thing. We all brought pizza and a small unisex toy and the school provided drinks and desserts (of which I had too many!) Then Santa came for a photo op and to hand out (the provided) gifts. MY KIDS LOVED THIS!!!



Noah even VOLUNTARILY wore the suit I got him for his presentation a few weeks earlier. I don't have a single picture from that event that's decent enough to post. I still don't have a clue how to take a good picture in low light, we've gone over that, right? Trust me, he was crazy handsome!

I do have a photo of the cute cookies one of the teachers made. You've seen them on Lorie's blog I'm sure, and Martha's but here's a pic of one in real life :) They are delicious!!




Then again, I never met a sugar cookie that I didn't like.



I'm in the middle of organizing 10 years of pictures. Be prepared for some looking back. :)



m

i love everything

today rocked. for many, many reasons. some obvious, some not so much. Here are 3 reasons it totally kicked butt! Well 4 if you count the tree ;)

I hope your day rocked!

m

(edited to hopefully fix the red x problemo. sorry Kdawg)

T10 and counting

10 minutes till midnight and I'm about as ready as I'm going to be. I'm forgetting something (not the necklaces! Thanks for the reminder(s) Beth) but whatever it is it'll have to be okay. I need to be done.

I was going to post a crazy Barenaked Ladies song about Elves, but decided to go a bit more traditional. Or at least as traditional as BNL can be. Sorry Lisa, I had to.

MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!!!! i love you people!





m

move over speilberg

There's a new sheriff in town :)

this is my first video ever. Sarah's first day of school.

I love it!

m

the apple and the tree

My dad, God rest his soul, was the biggest pain in the ass at Christmas. As if he wasn't the single hardest person to buy for, the minute anyone would think of something he might like he'd duck out and buy it for himself. DUDE! come on! Give a girl a break. I can only handle so many trips to Ace hardware before I lose my mind - for the love of all that's holy, STOP BUYING CRAP DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS MAN!!!

Oh how I wish it were that simple. You see, I am my father. Ever since I could remember, my dad and I would marvel at our similarities. How we cross our arms left over right, how our thumbs don't bend back like mom's or my brother's, how our noses are both crooked even though his was broken and mine wasn't, how we both lean back and rest our head in our finger laced hands. It shouldn't be a surprise to find myself at the business end of a sales counter days before Christmas.

Yesterday was "Santa better get his sweet ass in gear and buy some presents" day. Peter and I hooked up at lunch with plans to hit the mall. Something I don't recommend unless absolutely necessary! Good lord we waited way too long, and the mall was INSANE, but it had to be done. We had nothing for these children. NOTHING! On the way we stopped at Circuit City to check out the going out of business sale cuz we're good parents like that and why not check out some electronics for ourselves on the afternoon we've slated to buy for the kids? RIGHT? There could be a gigantic plasma that needs a home in our bedroom so mommy and daddy can watch "movies" during our "nap" time. These are things that make mommies and daddies happy. Everyone knows that if mommy ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, right? yeah, thanks for that validation Dr. Phil.

Strolling through the store I found, fell in love, and subsequently mated with, a wide screen laptop. After much deliberation, we (read peter) decided we (again, read peter!) should wait till we did the taxes and then get me one that wasn't a floor model. This would be fine for normal people, but I'm not normal like AT ALL and wanted it now!! Have we not covered this??? But he's brilliant and I trust him. He's just the right amount of practical and I left believing I would get my computer before technology advanced so far that chips were implanted in your forehead rendering laptops as antiquated as fax machines.

I thought that way for exactly seventeen and a half hours. Right until the store opened again the next day. I drug my nappy headed, bra less self with two girls in tow to the store at 9:59 am, credit card in hand. I walked in, found the laptop, licked the top of it and requested the nice girl to unlock it so I could consummate our relationship. 12 minutes later I was the proud owner, and wife, to this amazing machine.

I know what you're thinking. I should have waited so Peter could to buy it for me for Christmas. I promise you, there was no way in hell he was going to do that. I never know what he's going to buy me, but I always know what he's not going to buy me. and this, my friends, was one thing he was never going to buy me for Christmas. OH NO NO NO! Promise. Call him if you don't believe me. Wasn't going to happen.

Besides, we'd already gotten each other our present. We were at Costco a couple weeks ago and ran into a road show. After a couple longing glances at this presentation we went for it and spurgled on the most romantic gift of all time!

wait


for


it......






the Little Giant ladder system. As I said before, I shit you not. and no, neither of us have filed papers. We're both delighted with this purchase. I'm sitting in my big chair, laptop in place, blogging about it to prove it. And I can't even imagine how proud of me my daddy must be right now.

m

talk of angels

Can y'all endure one more story of angels and dead people? No? well move along then. I'm telling this one! :)

My mom collected bears. Like me, she loved lots and lots of things. I definitely came by my love of collecting things honestly. Unlike me, she was able to restrict her collection to teddy bears. And not just any ole bear, she had rules. They had to be, FIRST AND FOREMOST, soft. Squishy soft and with soft fur. That was the first test. Then they had to have a tail. she never bought a bear that she didn't flip over and check its buttocks, taking off clothes in necessary. Finally, it had to have a cute little face. It was like they spoke to her, asking to be taken in to her loving home. She obliged hundreds upon hundreds of bears. Us kids did our fair share of 'saving' bears from cold and lonely store shelves. I don't remember a birthday, mother's day, or Christmas where I didn't give her at least one bear. Poor woman was never surprised.

Many times since her passing I've felt urged to purchase the random bear. Usually while Christmas or birthday shopping for the kids. It's a strange feeling, being nudged to pick up, inspect and purchase a stuffed animal for my kids that's always held such a special spot in my heart. I've never ignored this urge, however. I figure, if my mom wants to talk to me through bears, so be it. I'll listen.

A few years ago, while shopping at my church's Christmas boutique I was, once again, urged to buy something. This time an angel. I'd learned not to ignore being pushed toward something so I just went with it and bought the thing. I mean what could it hurt, she was cute after all. She's the one on the left.



The following year I was, again, urged to buy angels. This time it was Christmas ornaments. I bought like a dozen or so adorable angels and gave them to family and friends. A couple of you probably remember those.

This new tradition continued into the next year when I picked up, at the insistence of my mother, these three lovies.

Usually I scatter all my little painted angels throughout the house. This year I changed it up and put them all together in the family room. I pointed them out to Peter, who most certainly would not have noticed them sitting together in all their cuteness. He took a quick glance and responded with, "cool, my mom collected angels"

WHAT???!?!? How did I not know that? She loved hummingbirds and butterflies. angels? really?

It's Peter's mom. How freaking cool is that!?!?!

So Jeanne, I'm listening. Thanks for the angels - I love them! And yes, I'll go back and get this year's selection. The tree topper from Kirkland Home that I passed on the other day. I didn't realize I needed a new tree topper. :)

m

when cups get cold

Just one picture today and a quick blurb. Been super busy. Not sure with what, though. It's not like I've been shopping. Crap, I haven't even starting thinking about shopping. Yeah, I'm gonna pay for that one.

This is a real cup in our office, all hooked up with its own polka dotted cozy. seriously? it's not like it even has liquid in it. Just standard ole candy canes. But it's ready for the blistering cold of an Arizona winter. All 50 degrees of it.





It is stinking cute though, and it does make me smile. kinda a lot actually :)

m

Etsy stroll

Took a little Etsy stroll tonight. Something I like to do to find more stuff I don't need but convince myself I can't live without. Like 3D metal M's. Sometimes I just can't help myself.

Today's search was simple. Turtles. My all time favorite animal. I love many animals. Elephants, hippos, penguins, bunnys, pandas, manatees, polar bears pigskittensbabybirdsgiraffesrhinossnowleopardslkajsdlfjasldkfjljasld YOU NAME IT. I've probably wanted to start a collection. But from a very young age, as far back as I can remember (HEY! shut up now..don't go there!) I've loved turtles.

This search was fun for me. Some made me laugh. One even made me blush. So I thought I'd blog about it.

Meet Dilbert the daydreaming turtle
I love him. L.O.V.E. I might have to buy him just so I know he's got a good, loving home to keep his lampwork beaded self warm.

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Next is an entire cast of sea creatures. Hard to say which is my favorite here. History would say it's the turtle for sure. But look at that crab. and the octopus. Are you kidding me??? CUTENESS. But that whale. ah that whale...in all his uber big round head and short, skinny tail. I think I love him best. If my kids wouldn't destroy these creatures in minutes flat they would be living here!

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I'm going to take it easy with This guy And by guy, I mean GUY! Holy crap is this show PG???

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Now bear with me on this one. I don't mean to poke fun at any artist. We all have our place in this glorious world, but this guy kinda makes me panic. He's cute n'all, what turtle isn't? but it's kinda like he's got a killer whale chasing his ass and he's swimming for his life. wow! and that's all I can say about that, I can already feel myself hyperventilating.

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I'm so glad I put myself on mini album probation before I found this adorable little thing. Had I not I'd have a dozen of these guys lying around...not being done.

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And finally, the cross collectible of all time. A turtle on a box. This is the best of both worlds for me. BRILLIANT! This combination marries my two deepest loves - boxes and turtles. Just looking at this makes my mouth water and my hands shake. seriously, I wish I was kidding. Put a slice of pizza, a chocolate bar and a beer in that box and I am in heaven people. HEAVEN! And wust wook at wis wace...so woveable and swuggly. *SLAP* oh sorry about that, momentary loss of self control.

This guy I might really have to buy.

m

well that didn't take long

Today started out great! I love it when everyone, including me, wakes up with a smile on their face. Who am i kidding, If I'm the only one in a good mood it's a good day.

After everyone else was gone, and I knew Sarah was awake enough for company, I snuck in her room and whispered, "good morning." She smiled back, "good morning" she replied with that cute little Sarah smile. Good, I think to myself, she's in a good mood. Not always a given, especially in the morning! So I go back to my routine when I hear her calling, err bellowing, from her room. Great, I think to myself, she's not in a good mood. I peek my head through the closed door - expecting the worst - to find her sitting there, still with that huge smile, anxious for my arrival. "Good morning Master" she says.

That's from Kung Foo Panda. Now, ask yourself, Is that too much TV? or just the right amount???!!!

Speaking of Sarah, that cuteness balances out her naughtiness. Remember
this post by Beth about her sneaky, candy stealing boy? I called it in my comment to her. I said (in part), "Mine aren't that clever, yet, though." How well do I know my girls?

Last Saturday, only one day after Beth's post, my adorable girls and their little friend Ethan got into the Advent calenders. when I say got into them, I mean they opened every window on every calender, not leaving a trace of chocolate. I gotta give it to them. They might have done it in plain sight, but they were stealthy as all get out while doing it because no one heard a thing. They actually made the exact right amount of noise the entire time. None of those something-must-be-going-on-it's-too-quiet-in-here moments for the entire day. Just perfect children, or so we thought.



We hadn't even done the 4th day yet, so between the 3 of them they ate 66 candies!!! little shits.

I wish I'd gotten a picture of the calenders on the walls, with every single door open, barren of chocolate, but I was so ticked off I pulled them down all in a huff. What really got me is one of them wasn't even theirs! Noah was with his dad and they ate his too. little shits - have I said that yet? Noah's often complained that they raid everything of his while he's gone, maybe the boy has a point.

So we are getting noah a replacement. The girls aren't getting another one. We are still going to all get together and watch noah open his window, see what's behind the treat, and enjoy his sweet goodness. All while the girls stand there watching. I'm a meanie.


m

what not to eat

I read somewhere that one should never blog about her lunch. Or any meal for that matter. No one cares about what anyone else had to eat, no matter fascinating or funny they are. I'm neither of those things so blogging about food would be like a triple whammy no-no for me.

so, nah. This post isn't going to be what I did eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but of what I didn't eat. You see, this not eating everything in sight is semi-big for me because I'm not as much semi-big as I am gigantic-big, And. Well. Something. Must. Be. Done! Pronto!

I'm on day 7 of my new found don't-have-dessert-after-every-meal way of life. yes, I said, "way of life" because I'm like freaking old now and am thinking I've got so much to lose that it'll take the rest of my life so might as well just go with the flow. Calling this a diet just wouldn't be doing it justice, ya know?

anyway, day 7. It's been pretty good. I've twittered about some of the harder moments. I could have burned that place down today with complaints though. Christmas is officially here. I can tell because only at Christmas do the treats overflow from the break room to their own full sized TABLE. A TABLE PEOPLE!! not a measly counter. A full size fold up table - full of crap. Right now there's an abundance of choices, here on this forth day of December:
A dozen donuts,
a Costco sized fruit pie, apple I think,
a rather large tin of assorted cookies from home cookies.com,
half a plate of double chocolate brownies
a cup of starbursts (okay that's random!)
and a coffee cup full of candy canes.

THIS IS ONLY DAY 4 PEOPLE!!!!
OH! And what's already kicked the bucket?
a Costco lemon bundt cake - the stuff heaven is made of.
half a dozen specialty muffins
the first half of the plate of double chocolate brownies.

But what have I had, you ask? 1/2 a brownie!!!! that's it!

Oh shit, I did eat some circus animal cookies they other day. But they are like irresistible and I had to get them out of the house. I was cleaning. What? I couldn't just throw them away, they are starving people in Africa.

aw damn, I started this off by saying that no one should talk about what they ate for lunch and here I did exactly that. Shame on me. Let's change gears to what I might have eaten this week had I lived with my old too-much-is-never-enough-you-know-you-won't-puke-so-go-ahead manta.

A quarter of everything in the lists above, minus the pie. oh and the brownies and lemon cake. I would have finished off at least a half of those bad boys! for reals!

m

just cuz

I've done this one but thought I would do it again and then maybe compare.

Where is your mobile phone? desk
Where is your significant other? work
Your hair colour? dyed
Your mother? shelf
Your father? shelf
Your favourite thing? laughing
Your dream last night? wacked
Your dream goal? fit
The room you're in? cubicle
Your hobby? scrapbooking
Your fear? heights
Where do you want to be in 6 years? living
Where were you last night? driving
What you're not? thin
One of your wish-list items? laptop
Where you grew up? Northern California
The last thing you did? ate
What are you wearing? clothes
Your TV? big
Your pets? gone
Your computer? slow
Your mood? clear
Missing someone? yup!
Your car? parked
Something you're not wearing? socks
Favourite shop? target
Your summer? standard
Love someone? many!
Your favourite colour? pink
When is the last time you laughed? lunch
When is the last time you cried? yesterday





And this, just for fun, cuz noah hasn't had much time here cracking us up. but that doesn't mean he's not funny as hell.



Noah with his fauxhawk and rockstar hands (his hair has been cut since this pic) and Sarah being a cheese ball. Heaven forbid I snap a picture that doesn't have her in it :)

m

Anniversaries and Angels

I've been sitting here staring at a flashing cursor and mocking keyboard for nearly an hour. I don't know what to say about today, December 1st. I have these thoughts bouncing around my brain - wanting to come out, but, at best, colliding with each other and multiplying. Is that fusion? fission? either way, it's compli-freaking-cated up in there.

anyway. a year ago today my brother and I became orphans after our father passed away. It's been a year of firsts, that essentially ended last week with Thanksgiving dinner. Even though he died many days after last Thanksgiving, that day was pretty much the last day I remember thinking he was going to be okay. The next day everything changed and I knew he was going to die. It marked the beginning of the end.

It's been a crazy year. Mostly good. Some bad. A little bit very bad. But really, mostly good. And we've stuck it out. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? I've found, though, that in my dad's passing, I've missed my mom more. He was my conduit to her. He was the only person who I talked to every day who really knew her. I took for grated that I could always ask him when I wondered what Mom might think.

I leaned on her a lot, more and more as I got older. She was an amazingly diverse person and I learned as a young adult to never assume what she was going to say or believe on any subject. She was full of surprises and always made me really think about things. We agreed on many things, which was always cool, but there were so many times she surprised me with a different point of view. Once she was gone I realized quickly how much I missed discovering her thoughts on any myriad of subjects. She was always educated, passionate, well spoken and sincere about everything, big or small.

You see now why I've been sitting here so long? These thoughts flood my mind. I start with my dad, and everything quickly swings to my mom. That's not because I wasn't close to him. Shit, I am him. We were super close. Everything I love, and hate, about myself I got from him. As soon as I was allowed to stay up late, you could find us in the living room well into the night, talking about life, and God, and nothing and everything. I knew him because I am him. So when I miss him a mirror isn't too far away, and there he is.

One of the cooler things that's happened this year is my mom started visiting me again. I thank my daddy for that. I'd told him the story of her (and my mother in law) visiting me right after Sarah was born. Neither of them were able to meet her, but I could feel them there, watching over her. Racing past my bedroom door. At first it scared me and I finally asked them to stop. And they did. He knew how much I regretted asking that. I believe he convinced them it was okay, that I wouldn't be afraid this time, and that they should come back to see the kids, because once again I can feel them here. And this time, I say HI.

He doesn't hang around much. Not the manly thing to do I suppose, be the lurking angel! HA! I like to think he still up there asking all these questions, getting all the answers, that we'd talked about all those late nights. And besides, he doesn't have to stop by. My house is covered in mirrors, so it's not hard to see him any time I want.

m

how YOU doin?

this isn't nearly as good ad the "who's bill" conversation, but I still want to get it written down while I remember it. This convo happened in the car this weekend.


Me: Sarah, what cha'doin?
Sarah: good.
Me: No, WHAT are you doing?
Sarah: GOOD.
Me: Sarah, that's the answer to how are you doing. I am asking you what you are doing. Like, are you playing basketball? Or sleeping? Or driving in the car? get it?
Sarah: Yes.
Me: So sarah, what are you doing?
Sarah: Sitting.
Me: cool. and HOW are you doing?
Sarah: Sitting.

The girl totally cracks me up!

m