A Christmas Carol for Everyone!

Do you like a cappela? This is pretty funny!

Unofficial High School Reunion!

Yesterday was a day of catching up with old friends from High School some of which I haven't seen since GRADUATION (a LOOOONG time ago). I was glad to see that we mostly look the same - a little wiser, maybe....

My friend Christina was in town from London and we got to see each other in the morning. We met in marching band our freshman year. The last time I saw here was about 10 years ago! She hasn't changed a bit!!



This lovely group of ladies (and one gent!) were all in colorguard with me through High School. Well Matt wasn't in colorguard he was just our mascot!! hahaha, not really, but we were all friends with him and he is so fun that's he's not threatened by hanging out with a bunch of 30-something married women! I had a great time catching up with all of them.


The great thing about friends like these is that it doesn't matter how long it's been, it's like it was a week ago that we last saw each other. Thanks for such a fun night guys!! (Jen and Charlotte, we MISSED you!!)

Marine Corps Ball

We haven't really managed to ever get a good picture of us going to the ball - but here's this year's. I doctored it a bit so it doesn't look AS bad. But, the mere fact that I am pregnant makes the picture all that less attractive to me. Really, can you even buy a decent maternity dress that doesn't make you look as big as a house?

The ball should've been more fun than it was. The commandant of the Marine Corps spoke, there was a MC band there to play the service hymns, etc. However, the acoustics were terrible - we were in a cavernous airplane hangar type space and they had some carpet strategically placed but as far as being able to hear anything - forget it. And don't even talk to me about how drafty it was - I hate being cold! Oh, and did I mention we didn't get served dinner until close to 10 PM (2 1/2 hours late)!? Once I found out there was no cheescake for dessert we left 'early' (11 pm). Oh well, I guess I wouldn't feel so bad if they didn't totally overcharge us for an event of such low quality. So my advice to anyone planning a banquet type event - don't do it at the Fredricksburg Expo Center.

On the plus side, it is always nice to see all those Marines (especially Nick!) dressed in their blues. So handsome! The Marine Corps really does have the best dress uniforms.

Opera?

Brain, Child Magazine

My friend gave me a subscription to this great magazine Brain, Child that I like to call the New Yorker for Mom's. It's full of essays, articles and features relating to the world of motherhood - well, Parenthood, really. It's subtitle is, The Magazine for Thinking Mothers. Half the time I feel like my brain doesn't work and reading each issue makes me feel a teeensy bit smarter. I also love that it is published out of Charlottesville, VA and that it only comes quarterly. So I actually get it read before the next one comes!

One of my favorite sections is where readers write in to answer a question. This month's question was "What lies have you told your children to avoid explaining something you weren't quite ready to address?" The following response I thought was hysterical, and maybe it's because I am pregnant and my body has been taken over by this little guy.

Parting Gift

I've always tried to make it a policy to be straight with my kids. My son's first word was "dog," followed closely by "mama," his sister's name, and "Kotex."

However, not long after he was born, my then two-and-a-half-year-old daughter was watching as I got out of the shower. She looked at me closely and said, "Mommy, you have a really big butt." Without hesitating, I told her that when you leave the hospital after having a baby, they give you the baby to take home along with a big butt. All mommies get one. She looked pretty skeptical until I added that every grown-up's butt looked big compared to hers.

Read more responses to this question here.

If you would like to explore the current issue you can click over to their site here.

Projects in Progress

My fabric was starting to pile up so I decided I needed to get the projects done to get rid of it insteading of finding a place to store it! (And so I can start new projects!) So here are today's accomplishments.

I bought napkins at Target in the spring to make pillows for my couches. Well, I hadn't gotten to them yet and then I saw the placemats on clearance last week. So I opened up one end and stuffed it and sewed it back up! VOILA! a pillow! It looks cute. So this is a project in progess because I have several more pillows to make. I'll take pics when they're done.
This is a bag for my sister-in-law's pink iBook. She loves pink. She has a pink scooter. She loves Paris (click on pic to see interior fabric). This bag has her name all over it. I just need to find something for the strap and it will be finished! I think I need to get more fabric so I can make one for myself.

While we're at it

Meet Amy Simpson...see what you'll look like at Simpsonizeme.com

My Celeb Look-alikes

My friend had this on her blog and I decided to check it out for fun. Then it was so flattering that I thought I would share it! Click here to do it yourself! (Philippa you have to try this)

New Hobby

I had a short stint at a local bead shop helping them with their inventory on the computer. Nothing related to beading - just paperwork. Somehow I managed to get caught up in the fun of making stuff! It's really great. I draw inspiration from working behind the jewelry counter at the Sundance Catalog outlet. Here's a few things that I made.

THis is the first bracelet I sold - Thanks Gia!
Turquoise howlite and red coral with sterling silver accents.

I just loved this center stone - labrodorite or something. The rest is sterling, peridot and smokey topaz. I think the green and brown are so nice together.

Red and Turquoise are big this season - this necklace is the sibling to that first bracelet.

I love these earrings, I wear them all the time. I even learned how to make earwires. Turquoise and smokey topaz.

And this, is my favorite! Not only is it my signature color but it's been dubbed the "betty rubble".

Where's Waldo....

This was supposed to be a picture of this cool red salamander, but I find the grass much more interesting.

Organic vs. Cement and Glass

This is a loft building in DC across the street from my bro and sisinlaw. It reminded me of the old stone house fronts in Belgium that were ordinarily very stark, but them someone put a smile on them with fresh window box flowers.



really, it was just an attempt at being artistic with my new camera.

Daddy Daughter Date

Just chillin' on the deck. This wasn't even posed.



oh, and by the way, this was taken through our NEW sliding door - that we can actually see through. Very exciting things in the land of rentals.

3rd Anniversary

Nick and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary this May. We went to the Piney Hill B&B in Luray for an overnight stay. It is a restored farmhouse surrounded by pastures and cows in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley. It was a nice quiet retreat and I didn't have to wake up early to take care of Alison! (Thanks Grandma Webb and
Aunt Christine!)


































This is momma cat and smokey girl - they like to play tricks on the guests...






This sign we saw in downtown Luray and just found the use of quotation marks hysterically funny. What are they implying actually? Is it a cover up for some mafia organization (think air quotes)..... Maybe we were just tired.

A couple good quotes

A man's wealth is measured by what he doesn't need.
H. D. Thoreau

So true - stuff just accumulates and makes our homes and lives messy.

and another ...

The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man
who cannot read them.
Mark Twain.

I read a thing about Paulo Coehlo and how he takes books from his home and leaves them in public places for people to find. I would love to come across one of his books - especially if it were in Paris! He's keeping his clutter to a minimum too! Here's an excerpt:

PARIS (AP) -- Paulo Coelho hates seeing books neglected, gathering dust on his shelves. And so he leaves most of what he reads in parks, bus stations, his local Japanese restaurant, for random readers to find.

"One day the shelves in my apartment collapsed, and I saw all my books on the floor, and I thought to myself, why do I have these books, to impress my friends?" the author of "The Alchemist" said, explaining how he lugs bags of books around to give them away. "I feel a book must travel."

And so the walls of Coelho's otherwise luxurious Paris apartment are lined with near-empty wooden bookcases, giving the place a strangely spare atmosphere despite the moldings, high ceilings and carefully arranged sofa cushions. Read the rest.

Secret Crush

Yes, Will Ferrell is funny - but Jack Black is hysterical.

More Funny Videos

Another Project

This is the bag I made for Jan for Mother's Day - I love the fabric and wish I had more so that I could make something with it for myself! Thanks to my mom for the loan of a much better sewing machine! and thanks to Allyn for inspiring me to start sewing again!

4 Things About Me

My friend Kim posted this on her blog - I was one of the people she tagged, but it's taken me forever to post. Anyway, here it is!

4 jobs I have had in my life:
1. Fabric Store employee
2. Elementary School teacher
3. Computer Lab TA
4. Yoga Teacher

4 movies I could watch over and over:
1. Legally Blonde
2. Bridget Jones Diary
3. Glory
4. Pride and Predjudice (BBC/A&E version)

4 places I have lived:
1. San Diego, CA
2. Provo, UT
3. Draper, UT
4.Annandale, Mclean and Stafford, VA

4 television shows I watch:
1.Gilmore Girls
2.Ellen
3. LOST
4.The Office

4 places I have gone on vacation:
1. Hawaii
2.France
3.CA, OR, and WA coasts (same trip - long road trip)
4.Italy

4 websites I visit almost daily:
1. Blogs
2.Yahoo
3.eBay (my new addiction)
4.America's Test Kitchen

4 of my favorite foods:
1. Cheese
2.Strawberry Spinach salad
3.Pasta with creamy sauces
4.good crusty bread (to eat with the cheese!)

4 places I would rather be right now:
1.The beach
2. Visiting family
3. Sleeping
4. On a date with my husband

4 people who I tag:
1.Kendi
2.Julie J.
3.Heather R.
4. Jen A.

Book Club - The Glass Castle

I just finished reading this book for my book club meeting next week. I can't pick out the words to describe it. It's funny in a "are-you-kidding-me!?" kind of way. Jeannette Walls has a way of describing a neglectful and abusive childhood as an exciting adventure. The interesting thing to me was that she wrote so vividly through the innocent eyes of a child. As she grew up you could see the loss of that innocence as she got wiser to what was really going on. I can't wait to discuss this book with my group - there are so many things to say! I'm so conflicted. Her parents were completely irresponsible and didn't deserve these kids and yet I found myself feeling compassion for them as she described the things that happened to them which were a direct result of their own choices. It's hard to describe what I'm trying to say without giving it away - and I think this is a book that everyone should read. Let me just say this - she gets you hooked in the first few pages when she describes seeing a homeless woman on the streets of New York and then realizes it's her mother.

One thing that I realized is that as a child you really don't know what you have or don't have, everyone's perspective on life is dependant on their own experience. I think anyone who experienced just one of the things she did as a child would think they'd had it hard and choose to be a victim for the rest of their life. And yet she speaks of it matter-of-factly and chose to make a different life for herself. As we compare our experiences with those around us, inevitably there will be some who we think had it better and some who had it worse. Her story helps me put my life in perspective and even though I've had to deal with my own things - it's not so bad, comparatively speaking. I like what she said near the end "I wanted to let the world know that no one had a perfect life, that even the people who seemed to have it all had their secrets." I guess if more people understood this, we might see more compassion towards each other.

Seriously, if you haven't read this you should - there's a reason it's on the NYTimes best seller list.

Here is a brief summary I picked up off of google.

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.

Project-Mania

Ever since I started working at the bead shop, I've been learning to do some fun things. It has also seemed to spark my creative juices a little bit. I have made about 15 pairs of earrings, sewed up 4 sets of burp cloths (who said the baby boom is over??), started a garden and am working on some bumper pads for Alison's crib. So here's a couple of pics of some projects.

I made this bag for a friend's birthday - it actually turned out pretty cute. Unfortunately for her, I made all of my mistakes on this first bag. I made one for myself that was admittedly much better in many ways. I ended up trading her and giving her the nicer one (which I forgot to take pics of).







A friend of mine gave me this old window and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it for a while. I made a little red-berry wreath that worked through Christmas and Valentine's day, but then it just really needed a makeover. I wish I could say I made this wreath, but I just picked it out. I like that even though it's not real it doesn't look completely fake. My front door is a hideous red brickish sort of color and nothing looks good hanging on it, so this is what you see when you walk in the entry. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Here are some pictures from my first foray into photography with a real camera! It was borrowed - but so much fun!

Bart Simpson is Hamlet

We all love a good Shakespeare tragedy, right? Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is great, Mel Gibson is even pretty good. But I think Bart Simpson as Hamlet is a classic too. If you haven't see it you can click here: The Simpson's Hamlet.







The Cast:
Homer - The Ghost
Bart - Hamlet
Lisa - Ophelia
Moe - Claudius, the King
Marge - Gertrude, the Queen
Polonius - Chief Wiggam
Laertes - Ralph Wiggam
Krusty the Clown - head of the players
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern - Carl and Lenny

Tear Inducing Laughter

Nick just told me about this guy - he heard about him at work. We watched a couple of clips and started crying we were laughing so hard! He reminded me a little of Steven Wright (dead pan one-liners). I never knew ducks, watering plants, advil and toast could be so gut-wrenchingly funny!
Click here to go to the video: Mitch Hedberg On Letterman

Serendipity

The Endangered Joy of Serendipity

A friend sent me this link to an article from the St. Petersburg Times by William McKeen, chairman of the journalism department at the University of Florida.

It's not about the John Cusack movie, well maybe a little bit. But it doesn't mention it at all. I'm not going to expound too much on the points he makes, because you can just go click and read it yourself! I just really like the idea that we miss out on a lot because we are too directed, too focused and too "plugged-in" to enjoy some of lifes surprises. We don't much happen upon things by chance anymore. I'll share a couple of my favorite lines and hope you enjoy reading the article.

The modern world makes it harder to discover what you didn't know you were looking for.

In another context, Thomas Paine once wrote: "The harder the conquest, the more glorious the triumph. 'Tis dearness only that gives everything its value." . . . Looking for something and being surprised by what you find - even if it's not what you set out looking for - is one of life's great pleasures, and so far no software exists that can duplicate that experience.

Technology undercuts serendipity. It makes it possible to direct our energies all in the name of saving time. Ironically, though, it seems that we are losing time - the meaningful time we once used to indulge ourselves in the related pleasures of search and discovery. We're efficient, but empty.

Except for matters of life and death - and shopping at Wal-Mart - there's an emptiness in finding something quickly. (We all want to minimize time in Wal-Mart, don't we? Life is too short to spend too many of its precious moments in that particular hell.)

The modern world is conspiring against serendipity. But we cannot blame technology. I've met this enemy, and it is us. We forget: We invented this stuff. We must lead technology, not allow technology to lead us. The world is a better and more cost-effective place because of technology, but we've lost the imperfections inherent in humanity - the things that make life a messy and majestic catastrophe.

We must allow ourselves to be surprised. We must relearn how to be human, to start again as we did as children - learning through awkward and bungling discovery. Otherwise, when it's all over and we face the Distinguished Thing, we will have led extremely efficient but monstrously dull lives.