:)

even if you don't know my dear friend, anna
(& if you don't you should)
you have to go watch this video
her adorable son's first song release
cmilk & candy

it's a must see
:)

ever just need a table full of sprinkles?
i thought so...

:)

2+1 & 2+1

my three favorite things
about my three three birthday

1
brian & Q went camping friday night
so miss m & i had girls night
which consisted of me getting off work
picking her up at my grandma's house
(hi grandma! thank you!)
taking her home
putting her to bed
eating something i shouldn't
watching a chickie movie
(because i said so
that's the name of the movie
not my birthday attitude:)
&
then sewing up a storm
(when i sew
i tend to loose the weather...)
oh how i loved it!
& i will share soon...

2...
cafe yumm
for lunch on saturday
(thanks dad & tam!)
$7.25 shirt for me at old navy
woohoo!

3...
Q coming home from camping
i am at the top of the stairs
& he comes up yelling
'happy birthday mommy!'
so cute!
so darn cute!
plus he gave me my very own matchbox car
that he picked out
just for me
& then after i opened it
he asked if he could play with it
& i haven't seen it since
but i know in my heart
it is mine.

3+1...
Q & miss m
shipped off to grammy & pop's house for the night
can i just say that it is the greatest feeling to leave your kids
& know that
1. they will have so much fun
2. dad & tam will have so much fun
(except for bath time with miss m, right tam?)
3. we will have so much fun
with no guilt or worry
it all equals great...

3+2...
dinner at a red agave
thanks to the parents of brian's students last year
we had been saving a gift certificate that they gave us
(with tip money included!)
saving it for a special occassion
& hip hip hooray
my birthday qualified!
it was delish
& we just talked & laughed
& had a great time
i loved it...

3+3...
gulka double feature
pay for one movie
see two
& that is all i will say about that...

the movies...
the nanny diaries
it was pretty good
i read the book
it was pretty good
having been a nanny
it was interesting to see
but it was really sad in parts too
just like nannying is sometimes, i suppose
i'm not too jazzed on it
but it was pretty good
(did i mention that?)
oh!
plus they left out one of my favorite parts from the book
when it's christmas time
& the nanny is expecting a big bonus check
& she gets a pair of gloves
(or was it earmuffs?)
anyway...

it did not compare
in any way shape or form
to movie number two
the borne ultimatum
goodness gracious
after i relaxed & was pretty sure that the
movie spy wasn't going to check our tickets
i fell right into the story
& all of the matt damon-ness of it all
or i guess it was the jason borne-ness of it all
anyway
i will fully admit
that i don't really get the back story
& what excatly he is trying to do
& why the govenrment wants to kill him
i mean i kind-of get it
(i have seen all three movies & we own the first
& have watched it multiple times
but i still asked brian
'what is he trying to do?')
but the beauty of these movies is
that it really doesn't matter if you get it or not
it is just crazy
wild
frightening
incredible
unreal
fun
& seriously
it is worth the price of admission
(to a different movie)
to see jason borne defend himself with a terry cloth towel
honestly
& brian & i were both flinching
& squeezing each others hands
it was amazing...
so great
i know a few of you agree whole heartedly
& the rest of you should go see it.
now.

3+4...
sunday
brian threw me a party in the park
(thanks, buddy!)
& invited some of my favorite local friends
it was so fun!
sundaes on sunday
& the kids played like crazy
super fun...


3+5...
gift cards
i'm sorry but i have to admit
i love them
& brian suggested that if people wanted to they could get me one
(but they didn't have to bring a present at all
which i appreciate him saying
because
'all i want for my birthday is you'
isn't that the name of the song?)
but i did get a few
& i am so excited
i will be in mint hot chocolate
bubble bath
& magazines for a good long while
at bed time
i took my little stack of cards up to bed
& read them all
& laughed
& felt like i have the best friends in the world
because
you know
i do.
thanks, friends:)

3+6...
our friends the henderson's
stopped by our house a little later in the evening
having missed the party part
we invited them in...
& Q was a happy little elf
Q & emmett & carson played while
with 'the coaches' as emmett would say
we just call them all trains:)
the adults chatted
it was lovley
PLUS!
they brought me these for my birthday
how beautiful are those?
& i am determined not to have them rot!
i will freeze them within an inch of their life
emily suggested canning them
& i almost hurt myself from laughing...
so freezing it is!
imagine it
peach pancakes in november
mmmmmm

seriously
such a wonderful birthday weekend
& thank you blog friends for birthday wished too
you guys are the best...
thanks everybody!

PLUS!
since the three favorites thing was so fun
i am going to keep doing it
since i am going to be three-three for an entire year
(i think that's how it works)
so keep an eye out
& those answers coming
;)

ps this morning
Q found my lipstick
(thank you burt's bees)
& asked for 'lips'
& then did it himself
that's the first picture
&
that's my boy:)

sign me up

oh it is just too fun to read your responses!
i love knowing more about y'all
(my southern roots showing up...
oh right
i don't have any southern roots)
especially the y'alls i don't know about at all except for this
crazy blogging world...
love it!
:)

so today i had a meeting at 10:30
& i told brian i needed a couple of hours to myself
& he could choose if it was before or after the meeting
he chose before
& off i went
so today i shall list my three favorite ways to spend a few hours
when i get them
& i get to be ALONE...

ein...(german)
barnes & noble
if i have less than three hours
(& usually that's about the time frame)
i will drive to b&n
(as i affectionately refer to it in my head)
park the car
walk in the door
& take a nice deep breath
then i turn to my right
the blessed magazine section
i take one or two from the current events rack
(is us magazine on that rack?
oh! i never noticed)
then go around the corner to the arts & crafts rack
grab a few that are way to expensive to ever buy
turn around to 'woman's interest'
which includes O & marie claire & instyle
(i have noticed that women's interest & men's interest both have
women on the cover of most of the magazines
interesting...
though the women's interest girls have most of their clothes on...)
sometimes i will travel back to the home decor section
& grab cottage living
or home companion
then on to the cafe
i order something sweet & 'a giant ice water in a to-go cup'
because the free cups they offer on the counter
might as well be shot glasses
& when it comes to ice water i am a lush...
then comes the tricky part
do i sit at a table while i enjoy my treat?
so that i can keep a magazine open on the table
& not have to balance treat & magazine on my lap?
or do i go get a comfy chair before
'the others' get them first?
table is a good choice because of the aforementioned balancing
but i usually choose the chair
because if i have to spend my entire lovely time away
in a wooden chair i tend to get crabby
& want to yell at the people sitting in the lovely chairs
'do you have kids?
do you have only two hours of quiet time?
does your butt really need a soft place to land?
i do!
i do!
it does!
give me your chair!'
anyway
the best times are when
i get a seat
& i have no time constraints
& i can just read until i'm done....
i feel compelled also to thank the people in the world
who actually buy books at barnes & noble
for they are my benefactors
since i don't buy books from barnes & noble
& i doubt that the price of a rice krispy treat &
'a giant cup of ice water in a to-go cup' would cover the cost
of even shipping all of the magazines i read
so thank you!
thank you all!

due...(italian)
going to the movies
ALONE!
i truly love this
i feel like i can laugh at anything i want to
sob if i need to
& just enjoy the time
i get to choose the movie i want to go to
no other opinion needed
i love this
you need to plan a little
since movies start at specific times
(who knew?)
& usually 3 hours is the least amount of time to schedule
but it is great
& i highly recomend it
it is strangly freeing
& we all need to be free
strange is optional...
:)

三...(simplified chinese)
the other two are so high on my list
that a third is hard for me
i would say wandering around cute little shops
if only we had more than 5 cute little shops
in the eugene area
& they were all in one place!
i think that we have some great stores
but i wish we had a great place that had lots of fun stores together
like little artsy handmade & super cool decorated stores
paper & cute stuff & color all around
dream i can...
when i decide that i want to spend
a free few hours on my number three
i have to think really hard
because this bit of time is precious
i can't waste it on a store full of ceramic figurines
(the ceramic figurine people may not want to
spend their special time in an art supply store
i realize this
this is the joy of a world full of different people)
one time i had a few hours so i decided to go to coburg
a little town near me
only to find that all of their cute little stores were bought up
& turned into law offices
& hair salons
this did not go over well with me
i want it to go
EXACTLY as it did when i imagined it in my head
no unplanned changes!
(i am a real joy to be married to
you can imagine!)
anyway
this happens very rarely
these days
but i still dream of strolling through the shops...
someday my shops will come
:)

any post about my free time must include
a thank you to my amazing husband who
during the school year
calls or texts
& says
'do you need to escape tonight?'
(hint: i rarely say no)
this fact alone makes him above average
plus the fact that when he does this
i don't feel guilty for leaving
& any time i can push a bit of guilt off my shoulders
is a good time...
so thank you, bri!
you are a rock star in your traveling pants...
i love you:)

okay friends...
how will you spend your free day?
:)

your card please...

(note: this morning blogger was having problems & not loading
so i’m writing this in word:mac
& then pasting it
but our word:mac is set to capitalize all proper names
just wanted to let you know
i am not ill
i haven’t become grammar correct
i am trying to catch each one…
which in itself is a bit ironic
because though the number one reason i don’t capitalize
is because i just like the look of lower case more
(except Q
i mean please! a backward p?
let’s get creative, people!)
it’s also so much faster than having
to deal with the pesky shift key…
yes, i am a hunt & pecker
how did you guess?...
anyway
not ill
just not motivated enough to figure out
how to turn off the capitalization thingy
thus ends the note)

first off i just want to say
it was so great to read everyone’s favorite movies!
oh i loved it!
i think that you’ve got mail was mentioned the most
which made my title for that post all the better:)
thank you for sharing
i loved it more than i can say!
& now on to the next…



my three favorite books…
i love to read
i do
i do
i grew up getting books & books from the library
& staying up for hours reading
our parents had this thing
we got paid a penny a page to read books
& we had to pay a penny a minute to watch tv
i always had lots more pages than minutes
not that i didn’t love tv too
but that’s another list…

number one…
ramona the pest
by beverly cleary
The engaging tale of young Ramona Quimby's first days in kindergarten, Ramona the Pest takes a pint-sized perspective on the trials and delights of beginning school. Ramona can't wait to learn all the important things. But she's disappointed when her teacher can't fill in missing parts of story lines, such as how Mike Mulligan (of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel) went to the bathroom while digging the basement of the town hall. Nonetheless, Ramona loves her teacher, and loves going to school in spite of the torments--having to wear hand-me-down boots, for example, or having to (sometimes) suppress the urge to pull on another girl's "boing-boing" curls. Ramona's energetic take on life appeals to children who have passed through this stage, or who are dealing with a kindergarten-age sibling who is exhibiting Ramona-ish tendencies. (Ages 7 to 12)

oh dear
how do i even convey how much i love this book?
i got my first library card at the eugene public library
& i checked this book out so many times
& when we would get to the library
i would go straight to the beverly cleary section
i have been trying to collect the whole Ramona collection
from garage sales & things

how can you not love this girl?
squeezing a whole tube of toothpaste into the sink?
making a crown of thistles & having to have them cut out of her hair?
being the only angel in the Christmas play with balloons on her dress because it was the only sheet her family had to use?
getting excited to eat at whooperburger?
getting stuck in the middle of a giant mud puddle & having to be rescued by a big construction man?
too cute!
(some of those instances are from other Ramona books
i don’t want to be accused of false advertising)

brian got me the most recent ramona
ramona’s world
for my birthday or christmas when it came out
(gotta love being married to a third grade teacher
he knows when all the good ones are released…)
& i sat in our little farm house & read it cover to cover

when i was in college
my dad took my friend jessica & i
to hear beverly cleary speak in portland
i know this is so silly
but when i typed that i teared up
it was just such a neat thing
to hear her speak
& know that she & her characters had been a part of my life for so long
it was really wonderful
plus
jess & i both got t-shirts that said
‘i’m a friend of ramona’
& let me tell you
i wore that thing until it was gone
such neat memories…

also, also
one year
i went to the library’s annual book sale
& i found a copy of ramona the pest
that i am quite sure is the one i checked out
over
& over
& over
that was so great
& i gladly paid $1 for it

also also also
Beverly wrote the book in Portland
& the Quimby’s live on klikkitat street
which is an actual street in Portland
i have heard that there is a park with staues of her characters in it
how bad do i want to go?
bad!

i am really excited to read this book to my kids
:)

numero dos…
good in bed
by jennifer weiner
For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She's even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.
But the day she opens up a national women's magazine and sees the words "Loving a Larger Woman" above her ex-boyfriend's byline, Cannie is plunged into misery...and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.

this is a great book
i can’t say more
(but i will)
i just read it again
to make sure you know?
& it is
it’s funny
& sad
& sweet
& hilarious
& realistic
& unrealistic
& heart breaking
& uplifting
& just so good

jennifer wiener is a great writer
it’s an easy read
but not typical chic lit
as far as
there are actual issues beyond cute boys
& ‘i need to figure out a way to get those new manolos’
(not that i don’t love those too!)
it’s just good
especially if you have been reading some deep
& heavy stuff
it’s the perfect one to squeeze inbetween
war & peace
&
the screwtape letters

i highly recommend this book
highly

also
(couldn’t get away without the also)
kate, angie & i went to a reading that Jennifer did in salem
(i see a trend)
& she was too funny
plus
PLUS!
we got to meet her
& she signed our books
(i have a picture someplace….
hmmm
need to look for that)
& she has a funny blog, too
anyway…

good good good!
all of her books are by the way…
try ‘em
you’ll like ‘em

c...
encyclopedia of an ordinary life
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
In Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Amy Krouse Rosenthal has ingeniously adapted the centuries-old format of the encyclopedia to convey the accumulated knowledge of her lifetime in a poignant, wise, often funny, fully realized memoir. Using mostly short entries organized from A to Z, many of which are cross-referenced, Rosenthal captures in wonderful and episodic detail the moments, observations, and emotions that comprise a contemporary life. Start anywhere—preferably at the beginning—and see how one young woman’s alphabetized existence can open up and define the world in new and unexpected ways.

An ordinary life, perhaps, but an extraordinary book.


"I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story."

i find myself at a loss for words when i am describing these books i love so much
or maybe i just know i can’t do them justice
& you just need to read them for yourself

but i will just say that this bok
is such a great idea
& done so well…
the author does an atoz of her life
so in the ‘d’ section could be
a short story about death
& right after it a drawing of her favorite dessert
it is brilliant
i must say

there have been classes i have heard of
scrapbook & otherwise
to do this same thing for yourself & your life
i think it’s really cool
there is also a little group
(actually quite big)
who is blogging this way right now
so each day the do a letter of the alphabet
& something in their life that starts with the letter
this blogger has the list of everyone participating
& hers are really great & visually happy, too
i have been thinking about doing it
because then i can ask you yours
& i love to read what all of you have to say on various subjects…
i’m still thinking on it…

anyway
this book is great
& is an easy read too
(another trend…)

also!
i have never met this author…
but if she is ever nearby i would like to…


honorable mention…
jane eyre (read on the euorail, no less)
eat pray love (beautiful)
where the sidewalk ends (classic)

i have loved many books
but right now these are my favorites
what are yours?
can’t wait to see…
:)

you need quiet while a hot dog is singing?

my three favorite movies
of
all
TIME!!!!!
(i'm all about caps locked this week)

uno...
the parent trap1961
hayley mills
&
hayley mills

Hayley Mills plays twins who, unknown to their divorced parents, meet at a summer camp. Products of single parent households, they switch places (surprise!) so as to meet the parent they never knew, and then contrive to reunite them.

i grew up watching this movie
it was one of my moms favorites
& at every birthday party for years
we would rent it
(& karate kid)...
at some point it was
on tv
so we taped it
taking great care to cut out the commercials
(i was a pro at this by the way)
& then we watched it
over
& over
& over
(ps i still do)
if you do one thing for yourself
moviewise
in your lifetime
rent this movie
it is just so funny
& campy
& it's fun to see if you can figure out how they
made the scenes with hayley & hayley in a single frame
before digital, even!
(& checking imbd
it says that they won an oscar for film editing so there you go...)
we loved this movie so much that we even taped
parent trap 2
with a grown up hayley & hayley
&
parent trap 3 hawaiian honeymoon
it had real life triplets in it
& maybe 2 hayleys again
i can't remember
(kate do you?)
but by this point i can imagine hayley being a little tired of
only getting to be on one half of a shot every take
& saying 'enough already!'

a few favorite lines:

'I know all there is to know about hiking & camping & woodlore'

'Congratulations. In the history of this camp, that was the most infamous, the most disgusting, the most revolting display of hooliganism we have ever had.'

'Oh yes! Don't say anything about that dear, sweet, precious Vicky! That plus-faced child bride and her electric hips! '

& the song they sing for their parents
'oh!
i really think you're swell
uh huh
you really ring the bell
oo ee
& if you stick with me
nothing would be greater
say
hey alligator!'
honestly
rhyme greater & alligator
& i am a fan for life!

there is a remake too
with none other than lindsay lohan
it was released in 1998
after her first stint in rehab
maybe not
but she had big things in her future!
actually & i don't know this for sure
(& that has never stopped me before)
i think she had a deal with disney because she also did remakes of
freaky friday
(also excellent)
& herbie
(since seeing 'christine'
when i was 18
i only watch cars with personalities when they are animated
thank you lightening mcqueen)
anyway
this movie is super cute too
& fun to see miss lindsay without
a mug shot or a stripper pole in sight...
honestly it is sweet & cute
& really fun
dennis quaid & natasha richardson
really great...

number 2
seven
1995
brad pitt
morgan freeman
gwyneth paltrow
kevin spacey
This thriller portrays the exploits of a deranged serial-killer. His twisted agenda involves choosing seven victims who represent egregious examples of transgressions of each of the Seven Deadly Sins. Two cops, an experienced veteran of the streets who is about to retire and the ambitious young homicide detective hired to replace him, team up to capture the perpetrator of these gruesome killings. Unfortunately, they too become ensnared in his diabolical plan....

(any summery that has the words
deranged
egregious
gruesome
& diabolical
well, that's the movie for me...)

okay so i usually put this
on any list of movies that i love
it has a bit of shock value
which i don't mind saying i like
especially after the parent trap
& while i was thinking about my favorites
i went over this one in my head
because i have been kind-of returning to
the favorites things i have loved over the years
& wondering if they are still favorites
or just favorites at that time in my life
& not really the life long sort...
i think this movie remains a life long sort
so far...
so i hope you will still like me
even if i do like this movie
& am going to state the merits of it right now...
i saw this movie in the theater with brian
it came out in 1995
(fun fact: that was our first year dating)
the thing i remember from the start
is the beginning credits
for someone who loves graphic design
it was amazing
i can see it in my head right now
cool distressed flashes of text
that hooked me right away
& then the plot
i love lists
lists of favorite things
lists of what i want to do before i die
lists of stuff
to do lists
& i know that the seven deadly sins is not the list
you want to keep in your diary
but just that aspect alone
got me too...
& as the detectives figure out the pattern
& realize that there are 3 to go
or something
really smart & amazing
also deranged
egregious
gruesome
& diabolical
plus brad & gwyneth
(i think they met on this movie
or something
& i'm not saying that they should have ended up together
but there was something about them
together
all blond hair & perfect cheeks)
gwyneth is in it for like
8 minutes total
(unless you count her head only
& then she's in it for 9 minutes)
i have only seen this movie one time
just that time in the theater
but it stayed with me
in a scary way
& in a good way

after Q was born i stopped watching all of those
CSI
law & order
america's most wanted
witout a trace
(look a list!)
shows
i would get way too scared at night
so i still don't really watch that sort of thing anymore
but i might try seven again...
we'll see

also by the way
the official way to spell the title is
se7en
but i just couldn't do it
maybe if my blog was in a cooler font...

oh & i can't leave out
that kevin spacey is in this movie
at his deranged
egregious
gruesome
& diabolical
best
:)

c...
brian & i have this joke
when he gets to choose a movie i say
'gee i wonder what's going to happen
maybe
someone is in trouble
& then a normal everyday guy comes from nowhere
& helps them
but there's a hitch
& then the fate of the world is in his hands
& then someone dies
& then someone shoots someone
& then a car crashes into another car
& then the guy almost dies
& then he says something cool & sarcastic
& then he finds his strength
& saves the world
& then kisses some girl?'

& when i chose the movie he says
'gee i wonder what will happen
a cute everyday girl
has a crush on a cad
(that's all for you brian)
or a dork or someone who is too nice
& she goes home to an empty apartment to listen to
sad FM easy listening for the over thirties
(oops sorry started channeling bridget jones instead of brian)
& then a nice guy comes along
& she doesn't like him
& he aggravates her
& there is a mix up of some sort
& she says something cute
& they fight
& she cries
& then they realize they were made for each other
& then the girl runs to the guys apartment
& sees him with another girl
& runs off before that guy can tell her
'it's my cousin trixie visiting from akron'
& then everything gets figured out
& they kiss
& a cute song plays over the credits?'

so i have a hard time narrowing this one down
it is most definitely
a movie with that sort of plot line
but which one?
you've got mail?
fever pitch?
emma?
bridget jones' diary?
pretty in pink?
somethings gotta give?
never been kissed?
high school musical?
13 going on 30?
french kiss?
yes
yes
yes
yes!
yes!
YES!
& YES!!!!

i just can't decide
sorry
i love them all...

so how about you?
what are your favorites?
cute
shocking
or predictable
i want to know...

now i'm off to have a
deranged
egregious
gruesome
& diabolical
day...

:)

not a crowd...

i've never been one to keep my birthday a secret
i never just let it go by
& then a week later say
'oh yes, my birthday was last week...it was no big deal'
because hello
birthdays are & should be a big deal
on that note...
MY BIRTHDAY IS NEXT SATURDAY!
my 33rd birthday to be exact
so in honor of that i am going to post a few times this week
about my three favorites in different catagories
songs, movies, books, toothpastes
(who am i kidding? crest rules!)
& i invite you
(see? a birthday invitation)
to post your three favorites too
or just one favorite
or thirty three favorites for that matter
& we can get to know each other better
from the far reaches of the universe...
because i need to know more about each of you
than who your teen heart throb was
not that those posts didn't touch me to my
asymetrical hairdo
stirrup pants wearing
pink reebok sporting
80's heart...
oh you know they did
(especially those christian bale fans
wowie!
they are enthusiastic, no?:)
okay so later tonight
first subject in threes
(yes
that sentence makes no sense
yes i am keeping it
because
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY NEXT SATURDAY!)

see you soon...
:)

greetings & salutations...

so it's no secret that i love the office
& i know
i know
some of you don't love the office
some of you don't even like the office
& some of you say that you don't 'get' the office
fine
fine
this post is not about the office
it is about what happens when you're waiting for the office

for a while when the office first started
& my dear husband & i fell in love...
with it
(fooled you huh?
you thought i was going to admit that we hadn't fallen in love until
the office came on the air...
wedding
house
kids
but no love until suddenly...
dwight shrewt
made it all come alive...
um
no.)
anyway
we used to try to watch the first half of survivor
& then switch to the office
at 8:30
& then switch back & forth during commercials
to see what those crazy survivors were doing now
so the problem with this is that
final counsel is never on during an the office commercial
never
so we would end the office
switch back right after the obigitary
jim eyebrow raise
& darn it!
'who got voted off?'
we never knew!
i would have to wait to ask angie
(yes i know the internet, the internet)
so we started watching my name is earl

okay
i am in no way wanting to insult anyone
really
i will be insulting myself possibly
but i have no intetion of insulting you, okay?
please believe me.
so my my name is earl is about hicks
it just is
people who live in trailers
(i lived in a trailer my first few years of life
not insulting you)
people who eat cheez whiz for breakfast
(been there)
people who think that recycling is an alernative mode of transport
(okay i never thought that)
(& for the record
i would never use the term trailer trash
i just wouldn't
not on purpose
no one's name should be associated with garbage
unless their name is judy rubbish or something...)
back to earl...
it
is
hilarious.
100%.
maybe because i grew up in a small town or something
but it is funny every week...
every week i laugh out loud.
so imagine my joy last week
when i was watching the rerun
that i hadn't seen the first time around
(still trying to juggle survivor)
& who should grace my screen but christian slater?
let's all just sit & sigh for a moment shall we?
-
-
-
-
okay so he was playing an old hippy guy
(did i say old?
i meant middle aged)
& just looking cute as ever...
if you haven't known me since i was in middle school
then you may not know
that before george there was christian
(in fact i'm pretty sure that during this time
george was playing the handy man
on facts of life
& sporting quite the mullett
see? the hicks have got it right...)
so there he was
& funny
& great
& the voice & everything
so off i went
back to middle school years...
this whole past week
the magazines i cut his picture out of
(thank you bop & seventeen
christian's head looked much better taped over
my actual date to the 1990 winter dance's head...)
& the movies he was in
heathers, of course
young guns 2, a sequel was never better
gleaming the cube, ah those days skateboarding on butler road...
that one where he had a monkey heart implanted into his body
really it was a movie
& a romance at that!
& i even sat through mobsters
i was committed!
the creme de la creme
(is that spelled right?
i'm a hick remember?)
pump up the volume
this movie
i can not tell you
so great
from my memories
it is so great.
i want to netflix it
very badly i want to
but last year after listing my favorite books on my blogger profile
i decided to go back & read one of those books that i had been listing
& you know what?
not a fave any more
it went to my weird & disturbing book list
& so i'm not sure if should do it...
will i hate it?
will it taint all of those great memories?
or can i have both?
love it at age 16
hate it at age 32...
(or maybe
miss pessimist, i will love it at age 32
(i only have a week left of age 32, anyway)
& i will change the tage line of my blog to
'eat your cereal with a fork and do your homework in the dark.'
& i will only blog about 'christian this & christian that'
& you will all have to stage a blog intervention...
maybe
you just never know with these things)
so anyway
two more slater related points of interest
i looked him up on imbd
(let's give that site a hand shall we?)
& realized that i haven't seen a single one of his movies on purpose
since bed of roses in 1996
the year after i started dating brian interestingly enough
& i accidently saw 'the good shepard'
well, the first half...
anyway
even though he hasn't been in anything great for a while
(in my opinion, you see)
i still retain those happy feelings for him
even a little bit of stomach flutters
(no i am not pregnant)
& i proabaly always will
& even though ha has made some questionable choices in the last few years
(not going to link to any of those, thank you very much)
i still have fond memories
& i don't even hold it against him that
he didn't come to my 16th birthday party
i did invite him
& he didnt even rsvp...
i had forgotten that i had sent the invite off to him
(thanks again for the address bop magazine
i'm sure that invitaion is sitting in a warehouse someplace still unopened)
until the middle of the party
& then every once in a while i would peak out the window
to see if there was a limo
driving down the gravel road...
i wasn't heartbroken
just confused
why wouldn't he come?
we were having homemade pizza
(thanks, dad!)
& watching karate kid
(thanks, ralph!
that link's for you rachael:)
his loss i say...
so now, thanks to imdb
i know that he has a movie coming out
called 'he was a quite man'
& also that he is in the remake of 'the ten commadments'
as...
wait for it...
the voice of moses
seriously
maybe he's making a comeback...

:)

ps contest!
if you can answer these two questions first
you will win a little box of valuable prizes
(to be delivered in the next 6 months or so right, kel?)
#1 what was the name of the boy whose face i covered with christians
(my winter dance 1990 date)?
#2 what was the name of that monkey heart movie?
(if you can get it without imdb-ing it extra points...i trust you)
let the games begin...

pps if you didn't get the ear referrence from the last painting post
(& i do not judge you if you didn't)
read this
(scroll down
down
down to medical records)
it should clear things up
or give you new things to puzzle over
either way it's good reading
if not a little sad...

hopefully we'll keep the ear...

a sunny day
& finally
it's out!
the paint box
& pieces of wood in all sizes
one boy
one girl
one mom
& the recipe is complete...

these are the kind of things i picutred doing
when i became a mom
& now that miss m
is old enough to not eat the paint
(so i thought...)
it seemed right
Q was so into it
& i loved that!
miss m ...
well, she decided that she was interested in
different artistic pursutes
lounging & playing cards
(think i need to worry about that one?)

meanwhile Q came up with this

& if you're not seeing a resemblance to
starry night
you just aren't looking hard enough...
& it's a good thing i took this picture
because shortly thereafter
the entire piece of wood
was covered with a paint color we
affectionately call sludge...
oh well
i'll take my little glimpses of genius
when i can...

:)

more apples a day...

alrighty
so you must know by now
that i love my computer
why would i spend many wee hours a night with something i didn't like?
& all of the divorced people said
'yes, why would you?'
anyway...
i don't just love my computer
i love my mac
& all the pc owners said
'oh geez, not this again'
but i'm sorry
i do
& here are some reasons
*mac commercials...genius pure & simple
(plus warren cheswick)
*ipod commercials...so cool
*the white box...clean & simple
*the cute little apple...i mean who doesn't like apples?
* mac stores...they look like a museum or jewelry store...just cool
*i tunes...something i didn't know was missing in my life until i found it
*i pod (thanks, dad!)...it brings me joy...call me crazy & call me shallow but don't call me a girl without an ipod
*& now this...apple movie trailers
if you can (because you have quick time) check out this one
& this one
(have i ever mentioned how much i love owen wilson?)
& even though the only hope i ever have of getting an iphone
is if my dad gets one & then something even cooler comes along
& he passes his iphone down to the next generation
a cooler phone
right
like say a phone that
plays music & movies
holds your pictues
has internet
will find the closest shoe store
& gives you a pedicure while you wait in line at said shoe store
yes
just like that
anyway
one time i was writing about how our computer was not my favorite piece of elecronic equippment of the day
& i got a comment about how macs aren't perfect
& it was good that someone was admitting it
& all i have to say about that is
'whoa there nelly!'
i would never say such a thing
did i throw Q out the window just because he broke his arm?
do i set miss m in the trash can because she throws pieces of banana on the floor?
(well, just that one time)
no i say
no!
round here we do not withhold our love
just because there are a few bugs
a few bugs are good
makes us imperfect & real...
plus apple sent us an entire new computer no charge
better than the first one
how's that for customer service?
anyway
this is getting long
& silly...
but what can i say?
the 5th member of our family is here to stay:)
little mac gulka
we are so proud...

:)

miss m on the mic...

just hanging out
in the apron my mom made me
it should fit just right by the time i turn 8
only six & a half more years to go!
well, i better go finish picking up all of the stuff on the floor
& then it's laundry
& trimming the hedges
that's how it is around here
work
work
work

oh & here's my brother in his apron too
his is for tools
& matchbox cars
he wanted me to tell you that...
also
he's not that into wearing pants these days
so yes
it does look like a mini skirt...
but a cool brave boy mini
right?


eta: not a new broken arm
(please let us have already had our quota of broken arms for this child)
old picture
but wanted to share the aprons
i'm making a few more
hopefully for a bazaar later in the year
i want to fill them with mini tools
& mini kitchen accessories
& art supplies
that's the plan at least...
:)

9

after the i do's
after the ride in the jeep
after the dinner we didn't eat
after the dancing
after the drinks
after the running through the sparklers
after the drive through at carl's jr.
after the stay at the the valley river inn
after the drive to portland
after watching bulworth at the the bagdad
after the shuttle to the airport
after the flight to maui
after the reading on the beach
after the 4am drive up haleakala
after the bike trip down
after the snorkling
after the jet skis on the ocean
after driving halfway on the road to hana
after watching saving private ryan one & a half times
after flying home
after living on the farm
after building fires every freezing winter morning
after having a baby boy
after moving into town
after having a baby girl....
after the everything
it just keeps getting better
even when it's hard
it's so much better than it was before the i do's

i love you, brian
:)