Amy Said What?

beautiful

2011-06-28T11:04:00.000-04:00

This is one of the best things that I have read in a long time, it's totally not like me but I had to put it somewhere.

I feel really bad about this but. . .

2011-03-11T14:48:00.000-05:00

watching the tsunami/earthquake news all morning has renewed my interest in bento boxes. I don't know how my brain works but I'm planning to visit the Asian woman that sells all the cute cookie cutters at the flea market tomorrow. I've got to figure out how those hard boiled egg molds work. That is all.

delete?

2011-02-18T15:57:00.000-05:00

I keep coming here to delete this but I stop myself every time. I don't like writing, it's not fun for me. I do, however, love record keeping. So once again, I'm not deleting.

I want to make some of these.

2010-11-19T14:54:00.001-05:00

100_3361
Originally uploaded by AmySaid

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T12:13:00.000-04:00

One!

2010-10-22T21:49:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that I didn't get a photo of the cake before I started cutting it. I was so busy. It was the best cake I've ever made. The colors were perfect. This crumby photo doesn't do it justice.

tonight

2010-10-14T09:33:00.002-04:00

I am going to miss my martial arts fitness class, that I am loving by the way, because I will be doing this. The baking and assembling part, the eating will happen later. Go Butter!

apples

2010-10-14T09:13:00.000-04:00

My family and I traveled to Hendersonville last Sunday to pick apples. Alex has decided that cameo apples are far superior to the galas he's been munching on for years and I decided that an apple cider slushy is probably one of the best things in the world and that my cute new shoes are not corn maze friendly. I'm not sure if Lucas learned any life lessons during our trip but he did seem to enjoy himself. Pics are on Flickr.

Alex is riding Moolinda. Julie and Lucas' cow is Gertie. I feel bad for that poor kid in the middle, he really wanted Moolinda.

October aka Amy's month

2010-10-01T00:32:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited! Tomorrow is October 1st, the first day of the best month of the year! There is so much to look forward too. Lucas' birthday, MY birthday, our anniversary, Halloween, the fair, the renaissance festival, fall for greenville, apple picking, corn mazing, long sleeves, I could go on and on. The Marriott rooms for Dragon*Con 2011 will be available at 8 am tomorrow morning. I have my alarm set, not that I won't be awake because I'm sure I will be, I just don't want any distractions. I heard that the rooms were gone in 15 minutes last year. Wish me luck! Weeeeee!

this post is LOADED with sugar

2010-09-26T18:19:00.000-04:00

My sister and I made jelly this week. We used scuppernongs but I really just like calling it muscadine jelly. Our Nana makes jelly and she can't wait to critique ours. We are really trying to make sure that we learn from our Nana before she can't remember how to do these things anymore. I think we may be too late on the biscuits and they may be gone for good. Very sad.

The whole kitchen got sticky and I think we used all the dishes, but it was fun. I enjoyed the popping sounds that the jars made during the night, all but one sealed and that went straight to the fridge for Lou's morning toast. It tastes great but it came out a little cloudier than we would have liked. I blame that on not having the right tools for the job. I'll definitely pick up some cheesecloth or a jelly bag and a pair of jar lifters before we start on the apple jelly and pie filling.

Here's a pic!

no wagon

2010-09-19T12:24:00.000-04:00

I have been planning a birthday party for my baby. I am trying not to go overboard and keep things simple, like I always said that I would, but I am so excited. I think that his first birthday means more to me than Lucas being a one year old. It means that we made it through a year of something that I wasn't sure that I would be able to do.

I wanted to buy Lucas a wagon for his birthday. I had visions of pulling him around the neighborhood, the park, festivals, and other quaint little family friendly places. I kept asking Alex if he had any gifts in mind and what he thought about the wagon and he said that he didn't care and the wagon sounded okay. That was until we went to Toys R Us yesterday to pick one out and he and Lucas saw this.

I could tell from the giggles and squeals that the wagon wasn't going to happen, oh Lucas liked it too.

my day

2010-09-12T11:36:00.000-04:00

Saturday was a great day! I got up early and made a big breakfast for Alex, Lucas, Michael and Jovanni. After breakfast, I watched Alex drive and push a go-kart around the neighborhood. Then my sister came over and we went downtown for the Indie Craft Parade while Alex tended to the babe. It started raining and the line was way longer than we expected so we decided to walk over to Chicora Alley for fish tacos and sweet potato fries. We made it back to the craft show just in time to stand in the line and get drenched but it was well worth it. There were so many great vendors and we both felt so inspired when we left. I bought Lucas a bow-tie from The Cordial Churchman. I am in love with their products and I hope I can get him to keep it on for a photo on his birthday. I was tempted to get Alex a matching tie but Julie talked me out of it. I bought some cute earrings and a hairpin too, Julie got some pretty smelling soap. I really wanted one of these bags but I didn't have the funds. After the crafts, we had a bubble tea while watching a fancy wedding reception being set up at Larkin's and brainstorming about our future projects. I also found a jedi robe for Lucas for $2.50! Now he just needs a lightsaber. My day ended on the couch watching Kids in the Hall and Upright Citizens Brigade. Yay, so fun!

DC loot

2010-09-09T13:49:00.016-04:00

I made some nice purchases at dragoncon this year. I had my heart set on a "my other vehicle is a TARDIS" bumper sticker for the new Jeep but I didn't find one in any of the three dealer rooms. I think I will order that today.

I got a couple of prints and a coloring book from the print shop at the art show.

The Fantastical Dragons coloring book is all mine. The images are single sided on quality paper so I plan to hang a few in Lucas' room when I am done. Alex even asked for one to hang in the garage.

Pac Attack

and Zombies Playing d&d. I couldn't find a title or an image online for this one, even on the artist's site so I took a photo. This is my favorite.

I even showed this one to Dave Tango and Steve Gonsalves. They were standing in line behind us at the art show buying a real painting. Dave said it was cool, he seemed like he was trying to be very nice. Steve was meh, I remember hearing someone on Ghost Hunters say that he was an ex-cop. I can kind of tell. I also saw Amy Bruni at Perks in the Hyatt and Chris Gore wearing a Zorro mask in the elevator hell at the Hyatt. Those Ghost Hunters were all over the place. I saw a lot of other stars at the Walk of Fame but they were behind their tables signing their super expensive glossy photos. It's way more fun to stumble across one of those guys waiting in line or sweating in an elevator like the rest of us. I did get excited and stare a LeVar Burton, Summer Glau, Edward Furlong, and Vork and Zaboo but I refused to pay for an autograph.

I got some new buttons and a new necklace. I've recently read on Apartment Therapy that the Keep Calm and Carry On poster is no longer acceptable decor. I guess that's why I still have mine in the living room :-) I still like it and I liked this necklace and button too. The Say Anything button is my favorite.

I also got a pretty matching die set and a roman numeral dice that I think I am going to carry in my purse for decision making purposes.

Alex got the Vengeance Trilogy box set from an anime dealer and a Monty Python and a Dr Who tee shirt.

I also found these two stickers on a table at the Hilton.

I wasn't cool enough to realize that the ROR stood for raff out roud. I had to look it up. Totally racist but awesome. Alex has dibs on the mooninites.

We brought Lucas a stuffed whale shark from the aquarium. Those whale sharks and manta rays were huge and that aquarium is the best that I've been to.

This was my favorite costume, the rest of the photos are on my flickr page.

We had a great time. Drinks were had, games were played, people were watched, drums were drummed, R2 units were examined, panels were viewed. I can't wait until next year!

challenge FAILED

2010-09-02T02:19:00.000-04:00

Okay, I didn't stick with the 30 day blog challenge all the way through. The last couple of posts would have been boring anyway. I've had a crazy week.
I fell down the stairs at my in-laws and I was sure that I broke my foot. I did go to the doc but only to get antibiotics for this super painful UTI that I have
I made another step toward being that submissive wife that I strive to be by sitting quiet while Alex traded in my fun Jeep Wrangler for a practical and brand new Jeep Patriot. I didn't even go with him, I had no idea what he bought when he came home. I am very happy with the new ride and proud of Alex, he is such a good husband. I'm so used to driving the rough wrangler that the patriot feels very luxurious, it's got heated seats for crying out loud. I'm spoiled.
Lucas knocked over Alex's djembe and busted the head right before the drum circles at dc. I 've been trying to find a replacement but I wasn't able to in such a short time.

We leave for Dragon*Con tomorrow and I leave my sweet baby in the hands of my very capable and loving mama and mom-in-law. I just hope I can stop missing him long enough to have a good time.

Now, I need to finish packing.

hobby, recipe, website, YouTube

2010-08-23T15:24:00.000-04:00

30 day blog challenge 20, 21, 22 & 23/30

I got behind on the blog challenge this weekend, so I'm going to catch up here.

my hobby

I haven't met many hobbies that I don't like, except scrapbooking. The one that I do the most is cooking. I love to cook for my husband and try new foods. I would go to culinary school if I felt like I would be happy with the food industry working environment. I have a little idea that I'm tinkering with that involves food and may also provide a small income. I'll let you know if it works out. I also sew a little, knit, draw silly cartoons, play board games, play video games, work logic puzzles, and read.

a recipe

I picked this recipe because my sister and I were just talking about making these last night. One day I'm going to have a signature recipe. Maybe it will even be a secret recipe, don't know yet.

Potato Cakes

Ingredients

2 cups of mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup ap flour
salt to taste
1 pinch of garlic salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions

1. Combine potatoes, egg, flour, salt, and garlic in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
2. Melt butter in frying pan over low heat, drop lumps of the potato mixture into the pan, enough to make the cakes the size of a pancake when flattened to 1/2 an inch thick. Sprinkle the top with cheese and cover with a little more potato mixture.
3. flip the potato cake over when browned on one side about 7-10 minutes, then brown on the other side.

a website

I've been checking The Daily Dragon a lot lately. Only 10 days to go! I can't believe I am leaving Lucas for four nights! I'm going to miss him so much, I just hope I can relax and have a good time. I really didn't think this would be a problem when I booked the room last year, just a week before he was born. I'm still excited, though!

a YouTube video

I've never been able to get into watching YouTube videos. I have friends and family that watch one thing after another and then want me to watch it with them. I get bored easily. I don't really have that problem when watching television though. I love Tosh.0, I even tried to get tickets to his stand-up tour but all of the decent seats were sold out. This one is old but it is still funny. Poor little guy, I've felt like that before.

Is this real life?

for tomorrow: tickle #4

a talent of mine

2010-08-23T14:50:00.000-04:00

30 day blog challenge 19/30

I don't think I have a talent, but I do have a superpower. My nose, I have the best smeller around. I can always trust it to help me find the stinky, smell smoke, or let me know what's for dinner (assuming I didn't cook it, which is rare). You know how one sense gets better when you start losing one, like Daredevil. I figure my nose works really well because my eyes are really terrible. I hope my nose gets a lot better in case I go totally blind. I need to figure out what on-coming traffic and cliffs smell like.

for tomorrow: a hobby of mine

tickle #3

2010-08-19T16:19:00.000-04:00

30 day blog challenge 18/30

I detest recliners. I believe that they belong in nursing homes. Guess what my husband wants more than anything? Yup, a recliner. I've always managed to talk him out of it, I even talked him into saving the funds for a reclining armchair that I don't love but wouldn't make me want to hurl each day. I finally got new sofas this year and I love their clean angles and straight lines. He sent me a text this morning asking me if I mind if he brings home a recliner that his parents are getting rid of. I haven't replied, but I can't say no. I love him and he works super hard while I stay home and play with Lucas. If he feels like he needs to recline after work, who am I to stop him? I hope the jumbo-sized, round, puffy recliner makes him happy.

At least it doesn't look like this one.

next: a talent of mine

an artpiece

2010-08-17T22:15:00.000-04:00

30 day blog challenge 17/30

I've always loved Japanese woodblock prints. I have a favorite one that is an autumn landscape but I couldn't find the image. This one is very close.

found here.

for tomorrow: whatever tickles my fancy again!

a song that makes me cry

2010-08-16T22:53:00.000-04:00

30 day blog challenge 16/30

This song is the same one that I posted on day one of this challenge. Long Ride Home - Patty Griffin.
so sad.

for tomorrow: An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)

fanfic

2010-08-15T18:54:00.000-04:00

30 day blog challenge 15/30

Okay, I know that I enjoy most geeky things but I can honestly say that I do not have a favorite fanfic. That is not to say that I couldn't get one if I tried, I just think I need to leave this one alone.

for tomorrow: a song that makes me cry

A non-fictional book

2010-08-14T15:15:00.001-04:00

30 day blog challenge 14/30

This is my favorite non-fiction book right now. I especially love the photos and the jars with colorful lids. I think I am starting to hoard jars after buying this book. Now I just need a surplus of food to put up.

for tomorrow: a fanfic (ugh)

A Fictional Book

2010-08-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 13 of 30

I have two fictional books on my bedside table, The Sword of Truth and Under the Dome. I started The Sword of Truth first and it didn't feel like it had been long enough since I watched the Legend of the Seeker so I lost interest and picked up Under the Dome. Now I'm in the mood for some Richard and Kahlan so I'm going to pick it back up.

for tomorrow: a non-fictional book

Tickle #2

2010-08-12T16:18:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 12/30

This website is tickling my fancy all over the place! According to the blogger's profile, she is 19 and man can she bake! I stumbled across the site while looking for birthday cake ideas for Lucas and I think I found it.

TA DA!

She calls it the Super Epic Rainbow Cake. I'm calling it Lucas' first birthday cake.

TAKE THE RAINBOW BACK!

for tomorrow: a fictional book

A Photo of Me Taken Recently

2010-08-12T03:16:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 11/30

I haven't had my picture taken alone since right before Lucas was born, unless you count this goofy cell phone pic that I sent Alex today.

That's my kissy face.

for tomorrow (or later today): whatever tickles my fancy

A Photo of Me Taken Over Ten Years Ago

2010-08-10T23:25:00.000-04:00

30 Blog Challenge 10/30

This was probably taken in 1998, I think I was 19. Notice the hemp necklace, black hair, and my lady-like leg position. I am posting this photo of me and Alex for a couple of reasons.
The first reason is that today is Alex's 32nd birthday. He and I spent the day at Carowinds riding roller coasters and having loads of fun, just like we did back when this photo was taken. The second reason is that it was easily available. I'm really tired after all the theme parkin' we've been doing and I don't want to scan anything so I took this from Alex's facebook album.

Happy Birthday Alex! I love you!

for tomorrow: a photo of me taken recently

A Photo That I Took

2010-08-09T16:40:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 9/30

I took this photo while we were lost in DC this past July. Alex and I were both very upset because the phones and GPS were dead, the baby was crying, it was after midnight, and all the 7-11 workers had no idea where they were much less how we could get back to Rosslyn. We were even the targets of a few rude cabby hand gestures. My wonderful husband didn't give up until we were back in our room cozy and comfortable. I love him.

for tomorrow: a photo of me taken over ten years ago and it's Alex's birthday!

A Photo That Makes Me Angry or Sad

2010-08-08T01:31:00.000-04:00

I chose angry instead of sad. Wet dogs generally make me angry. This wet dog in particular digs out of our fence just to get in the muddy creek and track dirt into the house. He also ate a dozen of the softest, tastiest, white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies while we were away today. I really was looking forward one of those.
Grrrrr. . .

For tomorrow: a photo that I took Oops! I was already doing that.

A Photo That Makes Me Happy

2010-08-08T01:13:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 7/30

I've been really busy today and I almost went to bed without posting this. I had to pick it fast but this photo of Lucas eating corn really makes me smile. He kept making yum noises.

For tomorrow: a photo that makes me angry or sad

Tickles

2010-08-06T09:32:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 6 of 30

I have a lot tickling my fancy right now, but the 30 day challenge requires that I post about my fancy five times so I will save the others for later instead of making a list.

This is what I was thinking about last night after reading an article in an old Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine that I was trying to purge.

Being from the area, I have always heard of Thomas Wolfe, especially after his childhood home nearly burned down several years ago, but I've never read Look Homeward, Angel. It's not a wonder that I haven't read it. The book doesn't really seem like my thing. According to the article it caused quite the stink around Asheville when it was written and that interests me. My plan is to read the book and then visit his restored home. Apparently, it was a boarding house and the backdrop for many of the stories in the book. Since this wouldn't be any fun to do alone, I am going to ask Jennifer to join me. It will be perfect since she moved to Tennessee and we've been planning to meet each other in the middle for a visit. That reminds me, I need to ask her. I hope she's down with the Thomas Wolfe Challenge and this isn't another Our Mutual Friend repeat.

For tomorrow: A photo that makes me happy

My Favorite Quote

2010-08-05T09:21:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 5/30

Wow, this is the easiest "favorite" of all! I had it posted on my refrigerator for all the world to see.

"Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants." Esther De Wall, SEEKING GOD: THE WAY OF ST. BENEDICT

and that, thankfully, is the last of the favorites in the 30 day blog challenge. I'm glad, all that decision making was wearing me out.

For tomorrow: Whatever Tickles My Fancy

My Favorite Book

2010-08-04T01:43:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 4/30

Okay, I guess this blog challenge has prepared me to admit that I can't pick just one favorite anything. That may have something to do with my inability to make decisions. Our bedroom is covered in books and picking a favorite one is like trying to pick a favorite child or pet.

When I was a kid, my mama and I visited the library a lot. It was fun for both of us and I really enjoyed leaving with the maximum number of books allowed. My favorites were The Boxcar Children, Anne of Green Gables and Little House series. I devoured any and all Judy Blume, especially the Fudge books, Blubber, and It's Not the End of the World. I also made sure that I had a non-fiction book of some kind. This was usually a craft or joke book. When I was a little older I started reading the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins, just like every other tween in the late 80s and early 90s.
My favorite book from this time in my life was the Sweet Valley Saga. I read it over and over, it was like some kind of pre-teen, historical soap opera. Really sickening and dramatic, right up my bratty alley.

When I entered seventh grade I discovered Christopher Pike and R L Stine. I loved the Remember Me trilogy, what's better than a dead girl trying to find her killer? I amassed quite the collection of young adult horror books. Fast forward to the present and I still enjoy reading these stories the most, just with more adult themes and language. This is where everything gets blurry and all the sci-fi and horror books start piling up and blending together. I still love a good series. I also love the feeling of being upset when a good book comes to an end and the world inside shuts you out. I still throw in some non-fiction every once in a while to keep things interesting. I've always considered the books that make the most impact on my life and way of thinking to be my favorites. The most recent book that I have read that made an impression on me was Into the Wild. It wasn't the best book but reading it, a few years ago, activated dormant rebellious feelings and started me on a new reading path filled with books about wanderlust and anti consumerism.

I'm not happy with this entry and not being able to pick a favorite book. I also wish that I could just list The Bible as my favorite book like a good Christian, but I've always struggled with it and I know that God loves me anyway.

Right now I am reading Under the Dome. It's not going to be my favorite but it is entertaining.

I loved Big Dog ...Little Dog when I was very small. My mama read it to me before I could read myself and now I read it to Lucas. I think I will say that it is my favorite book.

For tomorrow: My Favorite Quote

My Favorite Television Program

2010-08-03T16:22:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 3/30

Again, I can't pick just one but this one was easier since most of the shows I like get canceled (RIP Legend of the Seeker, Firefly, and Dollhouse).

1. Good Eats

I have such a girly crush on Alton Brown. He's smart, funny, he cooks, and hangs out with puppets. What more can a girl ask for? I don't think Alex minds either because AB makes me want to cook and Alex likes to eat. Good Eats comes on everyday and my DVR hooks me up. The show only last about thirty minutes, perfect length for eating lunch or sitting on the couch relaxing while the baby's napping.

2. Dr Who

Every time we get a new doctor, I worry that I won't like him as much as the last one but somehow the geniuses at the BBC have me loving the new doc by the end of his first episode. Dr Who is good, clean entertainment. I don't have to think about it, I just enjoy it.

For tomorrow: My Favorite Book

My Favorite Movie

2010-08-02T01:41:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 2/30

This one is hard too. I can't pick just one favorite movie so I am going to make a top five list. I rarely watch a movie more than once but I have seen all of these multiple times. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Goonies - I wanted to be a Goonie when I was a kid. I'll bet most of our generation wanted the same thing but I'll also bet that no other kid had the elaborate Goonie daydreams that I had. If this list had been my favorite movies as an adult, I'm not sure Goonies would make the cut. "Amy, you Goonie!"

2. Star Wars (original trilogy) - I know it's actually three movies but it's my list so I'm making/breaking the rules. I love all films about space and I have many favorites that I could list but Star Wars is, of course, the best. The worlds, storylines, and characters are so imaginative and endless. I love it.

3. Dark City - This one has moved down the list over the years but it is still visually my favorite. I think about this movie often.

4. Pulp Fiction - This is the most quoted film around our house. I just wish the language was a bit milder so that more people could enjoy it, but then it probably wouldn't be as good.

5. 12 Monkeys - I used to be obsessed with this movie, such a great story. Still my favorite Brad Pitt role, he looks so crazy!

Ok, so my list is a little sci-fi heavy but I have rules about movies. I don't watch things that make me cry. The more realistic the film, the more pointless it is in my book. To me, movies are an escape. I can cry and ride an emotional roller coaster by watching the news.

Phew, this was hard and there are at least three other movies that I feel bad about not mentioning. That's so silly.

For tomorrow: My Favorite TV Show

My Favorite Song

2010-08-01T13:02:00.000-04:00

30 Day Blog Challenge 1/30

I wish that I had just one favorite song.

I didn't have a lot of food cravings when I was pregnant with Lucas but one thing that I did enjoy on a daily basis was classic country music. The Highwaymen, David Allan Coe, June Carter, Merle Haggard, Hank Jr, etc. This is the music, along with various southern rock artists, that was the soundtrack for my childhood and I craved it. For the past year, I've been listening to two songs more than others so I am going to call them my current favorites.

1. Pancho and Lefty - Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

cause I like songs that tell a story

2. Long Ride Home - Patty Griffin

cause sometimes sad songs are the best songs

My husband can't wait for this music phase to end. He hates it!

For tomorrow, My Favorite Movie.

The 30 Day Blog Challenge

2010-07-30T08:59:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try this for August.

The 30 day blog challenge.
Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie
Day 03 — Your favorite television program
Day 04 — Your favorite book
Day 05 — Your favorite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

4th

2010-07-22T14:20:00.000-04:00

We took a spontaneous trip to DC for the 4th. I got a great room from hotwire.com for an awesome rate. I posted the pics to my flickr photostream. These are my favorites.

get fit or get out!

2010-07-22T14:10:00.002-04:00

I just googled "has anyone ever died from the Insanity workout". That pretty much sums up my last hour. I bought Insanity for a great price on Ebay a couple of weeks ago, but we went on vacation and came home with colds and decided this would be the week. The workout is really hard for me, probably too hard. I think I completed half of it and my results on the initial fit test were depressing. I've considered shelving the Insanity for something less intense but I really don't want to. I'm going to stick with it until the end or until my knees break. I'll let you know how it goes. Now, I'm off to the shower!

Abingdon, VA

2010-06-29T09:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T20:12:00.002-04:00

My Favorite Fathers

My best friend

The best Dad a girl
could ever ask for

Sweet Papa

Funny Cido

I don't even have a photo handy of my "real" father, which somehow seems sad and fitting.

sweet

2010-06-11T13:15:00.001-04:00

I just decided, after killing a half gallon of sweet tea, that I am giving up refined sugar. I'm not ready to tackle the carbs yet.

Maybe I should have waited until I baked those chocolate muffins that I've been thinking about, finished that pint of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer and got rid of that economy sized tropical lemonheads that I got at Costco the other day for $1.97.

Nope! I'm doing it now. What better time to start than Summer? No aspartame, saccharin, or splenda either. I'm pretty sure that stuff is cancer.

snails

2010-06-03T23:34:00.002-04:00

I working on this new blog layout, but I am slow. The snails are cute though.

B&W

2010-05-26T15:36:00.001-04:00

I was sad to see LOST go. I'm not going to go on and on about how bad the finale was. It was the finale of a great show. They're all bad. I decided after seeing the smoke monster popcorn recipe on the kitchn that I needed to commemorate the end of our favorite television program with a theme meal. We grilled some of Alex's catch and I made this coconut sticky rice recipe along with a small fruit salad. The mangoes made me realize that I don't know how to choose a ripe mango fruit. I need to see if AB has touched on the subject. I made Black and White Cookies for dessert. They are also known as half and half cookies and half moon cookies. I've never had a b&w cookie but I keep seeing them pre-packaged at Costco and they fit the theme so I went for it. I used MS's cookie recipe but after reading the icing reviews I opted for the Hemstrought's Bakery icing. The fudge icing was perfect (although it was brown, not black) but the white icing was buttercream and it just looked sloppy alongside the smooth black. I wish now that I had used Martha's recipe. I'm sorry Martha, I never should have doubted you. The cookie was cake-like and lemony. I liked it, here's a pic that I took today after the neatest cookies were already eaten.

We didn't get to have the smoke monster popcorn because I didn't try hard enough to find ground loomi or nigella seeds. We had jiffy pop though and it was great!

Speaking of popcorn. I really want this.

I'm so glad this site didn't exist when I was a kid

2010-05-21T14:45:00.000-04:00

Shit My Kids Ruined

The Desitin twins are my favorite.

first swim

2010-05-17T13:50:00.001-04:00

Lucas
Originally uploaded by AmySaid

Lucas cooled off in his baby pool yesterday. I posted the photos to flickr.

Aunt Cissy

2010-05-15T11:39:00.000-04:00

My Great Aunt died on Tuesday. My sister and I called her Aunt Cissy, her name was Edna Lucille and Aunt Lucille was too hard for me to pronounce when I was a child. She was one of my Nana's five sisters, now Nana only has one sister left. I feel really sorry for her.

I spent a lot of time with Aunt Cissy when I was a little girl. She taught me how to sew, balance a checkbook, my multiplication tables, and she always kept crayons in a cookie tin for me to color with. We played hi-ho cheerio and I dug in her plants with tiny garden tools. She loved her dogs, Toby, Josh, and Little Girl, and she had an aquarium full of guppies that I tragically overfed once. At Easter, she would make bunny rabbit cakes, one chocolate and one coconut. I still have the quilt that the made me when I was born along with a few other very special handmade gifts including the quilt that she made for Lucas last fall. She amassed the best collection of family photos and records that you could ask for.

This past week opened my eyes to how our family's dynamic really has changed. When I was a kid and someone died my Nana and Aunt Cissy would feed everyone and make sure that everything ran smoothly. Now my Mama does it with a little bit of my help. I don't like getting old.

new tree and free loot!

2010-04-27T19:39:00.001-04:00

We planted a new Japanese Maple and sent the pic in to Figs & Ginger for their second annual Earth Day Giveaway. I tried to post the photo here but I'm having trouble for some reason. I was able to send it to Flickr. The giveaway is over soon. Plant a tree and take a pic before it's too late!

yay

2010-04-24T14:48:00.000-04:00

Alex's brothers and sisters took his Dad on a surprise deep sea fishing trip for his sixtieth birthday. I am glad he is home and really glad that he brought back lots of fresh mahi mahi for our grilling pleasure. I posted his pics to my Flickr stream.

Yummy

Six months

2010-04-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

It's been six months since Lucas was born.

Ir's been six months since I've had a paying job. My plan was to be working part-time by now. I am starting to feel guilty about staying at home and not making any extra money.

It's been six months since I slept through the night without waking up for breathing checks. We just moved Lucas from the cradle beside our bed to the crib in his room. I miss him at night.

It's been six months of diapers and bottles. My hands have never been so dry. I wash them constantly.

It's been the best six months ever.

Smilers never lose and frowners never win.

2010-04-12T12:48:00.000-04:00

I've been singing Frente today. All the creatures in my house are happy and optimistic on this Monday morning. We had a pretty good weekend. Alex, Julie, Lucas, and I took a day trip to Charleston on Saturday. I got to visit an actual Urban Outfitters store, instead of their site, for the first time. I didn't buy anything because we're poor but it was heavenly. We also walked until our feet ached and talked about what it would be like if we lived in a house on the Battery. Then we sang Battery by Metallica. We finished the day with too much seafood at Hyman's Seafood. Their food is also heavenly. Now I am off to browse banana recipes since I have a bunch rotting on the kitchen counter. Charleston pics below

Happy Easter

2010-04-06T10:19:00.000-04:00

Spring

2010-03-31T11:34:00.000-04:00

I feel alive again. This winter was cold and dark. Spring has now sprung around here. Yippee!

chow and a vow

2010-03-19T20:10:00.000-04:00

J+J

My friends Jennifer and Jason were married last weekend. They took off to Jamaica for a week long honeymoon. I offered to babysit Nora for a few days and boy was it an eye opening experience. Two kids are hard! I constantly felt like I was neglecting one of them but I'm probably the only one that was having a hard time. My sister dyed a piece of Nora's hair pink, when she saw it she said that it was "amazing". She has the best vocab for a three year old. We also went to Chuck E. Cheese. When I was a kid, I thought that place was crazy expensive but it was pretty reasonably priced. Now I know that was just an excuse my Mama used so that she didn't have to take us there. She sure didn't mind going with Lucas :-) I feel like superwoman since Nora's been gone. I'm getting all kinds of things done around here but I do kind of miss her.

Wedding Party

Alex, Me, and Lucas

Nora

Chuck, Lucas, and Gangy

Lucas and Gangy

Alex won't let a short air hockey table stop him

the perfect hockey table for Nora

busy busy

2010-03-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

I am working very hard to organize a trip to Washington DC for my Nana's birthday in April. She has told us for years that she wants to go see the cherry blossoms and my mom and I are beginning to feel like we are racing against the dementia to get things like this accomplished. She tells me the same stories over and over. The other day she started to tell me a story, that I already knew, and she began by saying that she just wanted to share as many memories as possible before she forgets them all. I know that I will regret it forever if we don't take this trip. Now I just have to figure out the best way to travel with a not-so-mobile senior citizen and a five month old. We are thinking about taking the Amtrak up there and taking the metro to get around. I picked up this pocket posh sodoku at Costco yesterday. I figured I could work the puzzles on the trip up but now I am wondering how on earth I will have the time for that. I'm starting to stress a little. I also got this Ergo baby carrier last week at a consignment sale for $25! It is still in the box and it was never used! I was about to buy a used one on Ebay for $80. I have a cheapo baby carrier that just isn't doing the trick anymore. This one will be perfect for touristy activities. Child consignment sales are totally the way to go.

hiking

2010-03-03T09:08:00.001-05:00

Since our martial arts fitness class is taking a break this week, Mama, Julie, and I are searching for alternate ways to get moving. I was happy that Mama decided to join us on a hike last Sunday after she made us a giant breakfast. It was cold and we got lost a couple of times but we had a great day. Mama killed it on the trail and reached the top before either one of us. I'm not sure if she was just that motivated or if she didn't want to pee in the woods. Either way, I was proud of her. We finished off the evening by gorging ourselves on Red Robin burgers and fries before heading home to stare at my cute baby. It was a nice day.

swap

2010-02-26T12:54:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to participate in a swap of some kind. I knit a little and I can sew but I can't get far enough ahead on my project list to complete an item for someone I don't know. I came across Postcrossing and I figure I won't have too much trouble sending a postcard even if I don't get one in return. Now, I am on the lookout for some kitschy South Carolina postcards. Maybe I will send one of the Gaffney peach.

#103

2010-02-25T12:31:00.000-05:00

I started a fitness class this week at Spartanburg Martial Arts
I'm really not very good at it now. I am looking forward to improving. My favorite part was kicking and punching the bags. My arms are so sore.

We had dinner with the Allens last night. It's great to have them home again even if it's for a short time.

Lucas had an EEG on Tuesday. He's been shaking a little when he falls asleep. It scared me so I mentioned it to the doctor. She thinks that it's probably just an immature nervous system but we did the test just to be sure. Lucas is four months old now and we celebrated by having rice cereal from a spoon. He loves to eat. I don't know where he gets that from. The video reminded me that the window sill in the kitchen is all scratched up from the pups looking outside. I really need to fix that.

books

2010-02-13T12:26:00.001-05:00

A strange thing happened to me recently.
Since before Lucas was born, I've been on a mission to read to him everyday and hopefully instill in him a love for reading. Some of my favorite memories are our trips to the library when I was a kid. I would come home with a giant stack and an ambitious goal to finish them all before the due date.
I kept going back to the catalina magazine rack from Pottery Barn when I was planning the nursery space but it was out of my price range. Jeff made me this awesome reproduction as a gift at our baby shower and I'm filling it with my childhood favorites and any Little Golden Books and Dr Seuss that I can find at thrift stores and yard sales.

Not so long ago, I went to a used book store near my Nana's house and hit the jackpot. I went a little overboard and I ended up leaving with a whole box. I bought several Dr. Seuss books, a Backyard Ballistics book and even some of the Sword of Truth and Wheel of Time series. The guy that ran the store was super nice and I spoke with him about returning to trade books that we no longer need. He was very helpful, he even gave my Mom, Sister, and me little incense boxes as a free gifts. He had a sweet cat named Booker. I was getting organized and preparing to trade my books when my Mom called to tell me a man was shot by the police after robbing a convenience store and she thought it was the book store guy. I looked it up and it was the man from the little used book store. That made me so sad. You never can tell what people are capable of. I'm going to think of that guy every time I read The Cat in the Hat.

rain, rain, go away

2010-02-05T13:04:00.000-05:00

The back yard is flooded, the dogs want to pee but the two little ones don't like to swim. I thought this was funny.

I may have to risk another sports related injury and use the kayak to float out of here. I need summer.

dream vacation goes awry

2010-02-05T12:20:00.000-05:00

I woke up depressed this morning. I had a bad dream that Alex and I were on vacation with his little brothers and sister at a large ocean side resort with elevators that were shaped like the foot statue from lost, except these feet were gold. Alex befriended Seth Green while at the pool. He quickly forgot about spending time with his family and developed a destructive heroin habit. I told Alex that he had to choose between his life with me or his drug addiction and Seth Green. He chose the smack and Seth, I was crushed. I packed our luggage and the kids and we rode the golden foot home leaving my true love in the arms of Seth Green. I woke up and told the real husband that I had a bad dream, I didn't go into the details. He was already dressed for work and he was freezing cold from going outside to warm his car. He gave me a big hug until I forgot all about the failed intervention and being depressed.

Julie

2010-01-29T11:54:00.000-05:00

My Sister was on the cover of the local Link magazine. I waited too late to pick up a copy but I was able to view the photos here. This is my favorite.

Wine Night

2010-01-28T03:24:00.000-05:00

Before I got pregnant, Alex and I always had wine night on Monday evening. I thought of it as a way to learn more about wine, try new types, and to get a bit tipsy after the first workday of the long week ahead. We picked the ritual back up a couple of weeks ago. Now, I've decided that I am adding wine to the list of things that I want to love but really don't even like. So far this list has two other items: coffee and sushi. I want to enjoy coffee, sushi, and wine just like all the other cool kids, but alas, I cannot. So as of right now, I hereby declare Monday nights, LIQUOR NIGHT! Woot!

bad blogger

2010-01-25T14:06:00.001-05:00

December is gone, here's what happened.

1. Mama's 50th Birthday! My mom and my sister share the same birthday. Julie usually gets all the love but this year we gave mama a beer and wings birthday party. There were old friends, new friends, family, gifts, food, and a super chocolaty cake from Strossner's. I hope she enjoyed it.

Mama's 50th Birthday Party
Originally uploaded by AmySaid

2. Jasmine's 18th Birthday! We went to a party for my sister-in-law, Jasmine. Isn't she pretty?

3. Christmas. Ah, it comes every year and I every year I agonize over the traditions. This year, I felt like an extra in a movie or some kind of stand-in celebrator. I bounced from space to space "doing Christmas". I really don't get it. I'm uncomfortable with teaching Lucas that this mindlessness is normal, but I feel like the only Christmas machine that has been deprogrammed.
I decorated, I even photographed the decorations. I haven't decorated in years. I thought that a tree and stockings would jumpstart my holiday spirit, it didn't. Christmas is gone, my gifts were confusion and guilt. What am I going to teach Lucas? Am I depriving him of some kind of childhood right by not teaching him about Santa and showering him with mounds of plastic? Is he going to be that bitter, know-it-all kid that ruins Christmas for all of the other children? At least I have a few months to figure it out.
Lucas did enjoy the lights though.

Christmas 2009
Originally uploaded by AmySaid

inspired again

2009-12-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

For the last few years, I guess since our family photos went digital, I've managed to avoid being photographed very often. It so easy to press delete when you don't like the way your clothes fit or how the camera angle shows off your chin(s). Also we lost a hard drive earlier this year that had all of the photos that I considered acceptable. Since Lil Lou arrived, I've spent a lot of time trying to preserve every waking moment on film-memory card space is probably more accurate. I've also been going through old photos of Alex and myself trying to match up his nose or eyes. It has really started bothering me that I'm not in any of the recent photos. I want Lou to be able to look back at his beginning and see how happy he has made me.

Coincidentally, I clicked a button today that lead me to read about the life of an amazing woman. After a nearly fatal airplane accident that left her with facial burns, she writes about the love that she has in her life, she posts photos of her happy family, and she includes her smiling face.

This really did take a lot of effort but it is only the beginning. Maybe I should have saved this epiphany for my new year's resolution. Oh well, I always have the old stand-by. Stop swearing.

Aye me

2009-12-02T16:18:00.000-05:00

I have a problem. I can't use facebook. I don't know why. I just spent the last 30ish minutes trying to update my status. I couldn't do it so I deactivated my account. I did the same thing not that long ago with myspace. It's probably the social part of the social networking that is difficult for me. I don't mean to neglect friends and family, it just happens. I'm really not sure why, I bet I could dig up some buried psychological reason but that doesn't sound like fun either. I was really looking forward to scanning some old photos too. Oh, well. For now, I am content with sitting on the bed, typing this post, teaching Lou how to use his new dragon wubbanub and planning my mamas 50th birthday party.

Maybe its time to update to a Flikr pro account, hmmm.

Happy December.

Since my last post . . .

2009-11-03T11:12:00.000-05:00

1. We had a baby! His name is Lucas Alexander and he is beautiful. His daddy and I love him so much. Everyone said that things would change once he got here and they have. It's wonderful. He was born on October 15th at 6:49pm. He weighed 6lbs 15oz and he was 19" long. The doctor had me convinced that he was going to be a giant. I was pleasantly surprised. I went to the hospital at 6:30 on the 14th to be induced and only 19 hours later he was here!

The staff at the hospital was so nice. Lucas had jaundice and fluid in his left ear that was causing him to have difficulty hearing. Since we left the hospital, his jaundice has cleared up and the fluid is gone. He is perfect.

DJ Lucas having his infant hearing test

2. Alex and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I love my husband more and more everyday. He is too good to me. My mama and nana came over to stay with Lucas while we went to Texas Roadhouse and to Costco. I know, very exciting. Lucas was only four days old and we couldn't wait to get home to him. I had a margarita with dinner too, it was fantastic. I really missed margaritas while I was pregnant.

Best Husband Ever!

3. Julie and Shane were married on October 24th at Willow Creek Conservatory. It was a beautiful day. We couldn't have asked for better weather. The leaves had just started to change, and we used pumpkins and fall leaves to autumn it up even more. Lucas even wore a special fall outfit that Tainaka gave him at my baby shower. Our family did the twist and my sister jumped in the pond with her wedding gown on. She trashed her dress. It was fun. There was even a candy buffet.

Mr. and Mrs. Shane Williams

Little Lulu and the wedding cake

Julie and Shane

We all danced because the craziest month in my family's history was over!

4. I turned 31. I almost forgot about my birthday after all of the excitement but my family remembered. Mama, Jeff, Alex, Lucas, and I went out for some fish for dinner. I really missed fish too. Mama and Jeff gave me a griddle that I used to make Sunday breakfast and Alex and Lulu gave me a new Gameboy DSi that I am using to waste time. Alex woke me up with breakfast in bed and the sweetest card that I have ever received.

5. Halloween! We didn't have time to carve our pumpkins but we managed to visit our family. Alex and Lucas wore skeleton costumes.

Well, I think that about covers it. October has always been my favorite month and I believe that it always will be. I'm very happy that Novembers finally here.

Thanks a lot full moon. . .

2009-10-06T21:46:00.001-04:00

For some reason I wanted to believe the old wives tale about the full moon bringing on labor, it seemed possible to me that labor and delivery units everywhere would need to staff more nurses to take care of babies popping out of mommies in the hallways because the delivery "suites" were all occupied, at least that's the way I heard it. The full moon was Sunday, today is Tuesday.
Ay, me. 39 weeks today and I have a cold. At my appointment yesterday, the doctor told me to get an H1N1 vaccine as soon as possible. I tried but no one has them yet.

I stopped working last week, it was getting harder and harder to get up in the morning and I pretty much went to sleep as soon as I got home. I was so tired. My sweet husband and the doc convinced me that I needed to rest. I'm glad.

My sister and I have been working on the candy table that we are planning for her wedding. There is so much going on right now and so much to look forward to. We are thinking about making moon pie owls

I hope Alex and I don't forget our 7th wedding anniversary in all of the excitement.

Way more important than healthcare!

2009-09-04T11:27:00.000-04:00

Now, that's change I can get behind! I hope it works out for the guy in the bat shirt. I wonder what the flowchart in the background is all about. I do love a nice flowchart.

hehe

2009-09-01T16:57:00.000-04:00

This tee is so funny. I love ceasar, can't wait till I can eat it again!

#90

2009-08-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

The 10th was Alex's 31st birthday. I made him a marble cake and we went to Miyabi's with my family where he was forced to do the chicken dance. I love it when Alex does embarrassing things. He's so silly and it makes me laugh.

One of my favorite memories was our first trip to the ren faire together. Alex yelled and really got into the jousting match. I was happy that he was having fun and he didn't care about what people around him thought. He was different from the guys that I was used to and I loved it! Now, we have fun when we go places and make the best of our time together. I really wanted to go out of town the weekend before his birthday, since we probably won't have the opportunity again before the baby comes and we were both off of work on Monday, but it didn't work out. Mom and Dad Said went to Alaska and we stayed with Michael, Jasmine, and Jovanni since they are so bad and can't be trusted to be alone. Well, not Jasmine, just the boys. We made up for it by taking a day trip to Riverbanks Zoo last Saturday. It was fun and hot. I'm getting more and more uncomfortable and I have to pee all the time so the zoo in August may not have been the best idea. I was reminded of our very first trip to the ren faire, we made the best of our trip and had a great day! I'm not sure how I feel about zoos now, though. I can see where they do wonderful things with protecting endangered species but I couldn't help but feel sorry for the penguins. They had their backs to us and they were facing a fake horizon like they thought they could wander off into the sunset. The penguins made me sad.

I got Alex some new shirts and a board game for his birthday. I'm going to read the directions now so that I can teach him how to play when he gets home.

Tomorrow, my Mom and I are going shopping for my little sisters wedding shower gift. Her shower is this weekend! I can't believe that we have less than two months until she's married and we have a new Said in the house. Yikes!

#89

2009-08-01T20:25:00.000-04:00

Wow, I didn't post in July at all. I would like to say that I was sunning myself at some oceanside resort or traveling to some new far away place but I wasn't. I was here, just not blogging. *EDIT* I just remembered I went to Tn and Va with my Mom and my sister for the 4th. We ate and shopped too much. It was fun!
We did manage to paint the baby's room. I (Alex) used benjamin moore's brookside moss, inspired by this nursery photo from flickr.

I'm having some major trouble with all of this baby gear. That crap is expensive. Much of it seems excessive and most products are made of plastic, very expensive plastic. I ordered a Irmi-like caboose lamp and an vintage Irmi nursery rhyme mobile from ebay. Both made from actual wood. I feel so much better about that seven dollar purchase than I would have felt if I had bought any of the themed mobiles and lamps from Babies R Us. I had an Irmi lamp, it had a couple of clowns on it with a yellow gingham shade, I think, that's been quite a long time ago.

Why do baby rooms need a theme? I don't like theme rooms, maybe theme colors, but Pooh, safari animals, sports, and bugs all make me gag.
I did find one bedding set at BrU that I didn't hate but I just couldn't buy or register for it. I really only wanted the bed skirt and the bumper anyway. Another thing that's bothering me is the cost of breast pumps and all of the scary stuff online about not buying a used one. I did find a used Pump in Style at a consignment sale today. I'm still not sure if I'm going to use it but it was only $25 bucks and it had some un-used breast pads and storage bags that I will use. Currently, the pump is in a bunch of pieces on the dining room table. I just couldn't understand how milk could get into the motor and I wanted to find out. The inside of the pump motor is as clean as a whistle. I'm not convinced that the warnings aren't just scare tactics used to sell more $280 breast pumps.

Still don't have any names. Alex likes Amir, I like Lukas. Well, I like a bunch of names but Lukas is the only one that Alex cared for. He will probably still end up being a Jr. We'll see.

I'm using the laptop to post this. We lost a hard drive a few weeks ago along with all the photos and some music. It was a major bummer. I even started a facebook but I can't add a pic so it hasn't been used much. I guess we need to have a Amy/Alex/Puppy/Kitty photo shoot soon but I haven't really been feeling the camera lately.

I don't know if I'll have a job after the baby comes, but more on that later. We go to a Caring for Baby class on Monday evening, my in-laws are in Alaska for the next eight days so we will be staying at their house with the out of control boys till they get back, the last scheduled ultrasound is on Friday and my wonderful husband turns 31 next Monday. It will be a busy week, aren't they all?

coming soon. . .

2009-06-22T13:14:00.001-04:00

This made me very happy.

#87

2009-06-13T12:02:00.000-04:00

I can spend hours on the apartment therapy sites. I've made a list of some of my favorite things from the last few weeks. Too bad I'm broke.

1. Tauntaun sleeping bag- I don't know if an adult can fit in this, especially an expanding pregnant lady, but I would love to give it a shot.

2. Oliver's Room- I'd already spotted this cute nursery on Flickr and got the paint approval from Alex. I can't believe he liked it too, that's a first. Too bad we can't agree on a name that easily. I love to watch cute stuff travel around the net. Makes me feel like I'm on the inside. It probably should make me feel like I spend too much time online.

3. Recipes- I've already made our menu out for the rest of the month. It didn't include these soft pretzels or cucumber water, but the second draft will. The menu does feature MS's Gnocchi with summer veggies and slow-cooker chicken tacos. Yum, I hope.

4. Cookware- This post just made me want to give my cast iron skillet more love.

5. unPaper Towels- I've tried to limit myself to one or two rolls of paper towels a month. Not because I am "green" (I really hate the green movement btw) but because I get really pissed off about paying a bunch of cash for paper that I am going to get dirty and throw away. I like the idea of keeping these in a basket by the sink.

I'm sure there are many more that I am forgetting right now. I haven't even mentioned my favorite flickr and etsy finds. I'll save those for future post content.

I had a killer thrifting day last Saturday. Tons of baby gear, clothing, books, I even picked up some vintage pyrex for my tiny collection and this baby sling. Yay.

Oh, yeah. I started a facebook after my little sister and numerous others convinced me. I expect to treat it about the same as the myspace attempt that I made several years ago. Meaning I'll probably never log on or reply to anyone and they'll get pissed off and go away. We'll see, I may dig it.

It's a. . .

2009-05-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

Boy! At first, I thought we were having a boy and then after a bunch of strange dreams involving forgetting to feed my little girl until she was eight years old and then she hated me and kicked me every time I tried to get near her, I decided that we must be having a girl. I was wrong. The little dream girl was blonde anyway. I should have know she wasn't ours. I'll probably just forget to feed someone else's little blonde girl one day.

It's a little baby boy and he is super cute, at least he seemed cute on the scratchy little ultrasound pic. I will post one later. His lips are huge, maybe he'll grow into them.

Alex is happy. He didn't say anything before but I think he really wanted a boy. Something about making more Said's, I guess.

Oh, the doctor said no traveling more than an hour away after 34 weeks so there goes DragonCon *sniff*. No biggie, I have lots to keep me busy and take my money. I'll get there in 2010.

aww man!

2009-05-13T19:22:00.001-04:00

The doc's office called this afternoon and rescheduled the BIG U/S to the 27th! Ugh, I can't wait two more weeks. I'm trying to remember that there are tons of people that don't want to know the sex of their baby until it's born. I'll just try to think like one of those people.

I think I've also decided that I don't need to go to DragonCon this year. I'm still going to ask the doctor if she thinks it's a good idea, just in case she says-sure, why not. I checked out the calendar last night and I will be 36 weeks at that time. I got scared after googling "travel at 36 weeks". I'll wait till I ask the doc before I give my hotel reservations away to some lucky con-goer. sigh.

#84

2009-05-12T18:59:00.000-04:00

Okay, I've been seriously busy. I'm so busy that I can only list the things that I've been doing, in no particular order, and hope that one day I will be able to form my agenda into some sort of entertaining narrative.

1. Crying-Jennifer's Mother passed away last Monday. It was very sad, and I don't feel like there is anything that I can do to help her feel better. I am also extremely hormonal so I can't really get in the car or take a shower without finding some reason to shed tears.

2. Sweeping- My sweet husband pulled up our old carpet and put down a new wood-ish floor with Shaylan's help a couple of weeks ago. I haven't really got everything back in order yet. I decided to move every piece of furniture from its original location and purge a few hundred items. So far these things haven't made it out of the door but they are in nice little stacks in the middle of the room. I'm sweeping because my dogs are shedding and apparently the carpet just absorbed the dog hair or something, the new floor doesn't. The floor is beautiful and I can't wait till everything finds a home so that I can truly enjoy it.

3. Watching the Doctor- I've spent a ridiculous amount of time watching Dr. Who. I can't get enough except I've seen all that is available and now I have to start watching Torchwood.

4. Shopping- I got a new floor and Alex got a new TV. This is a nice flat one that fits above the fireplace. One day, all of the components will be hooked up and I will actually be able to watch it.
I took a trip to Ikea Charlotte with my mom, Julie, and Amber. I was disgustingly frugal, I only purchased some spoons, a napkin holder, some cheap rag rugs, a little bib/bowl set, and a rabbit driving a carrot rattle. I couldn't resist the rattle. Who's ever seen a rabbit driving a carrot? I have, that's who. My Mom bought us a highchair. I told her that we weren't going to have a highchair because I didn't see the point and she kind of freaked. She said something confusing about the kid hanging on the side of the table having it's butt sniffed by one of my dogs. When I said that I thought this one was cute, she recognized the opportunity and snatched it up.
I bought some maternity clothes online. I was pretty disappointed because they are huge! They should have cost a million dollars for all the fabric that was used. I hope I don't grow into them.
I also spent $5 at a yard sale a couple of weekends ago. It was an anything-you-can-fit-in-a-box-for-five-bucks sale. I filled my box with a bunch of children's books (little golden books are my favorite), a Nirvana unplugged CD, some bibs, a board game, and one of these. Alex and I couldn't stop playing with it, I finally had to put it away so that we could get some work done.

5. Eating- I've been eating several Wendy's sour cream and chive baked potatoes a week. They are about the only thing that doesn't give me gastroesophageal reflux disease and they're super cheap. We made a low country crab boil to celebrate Mother's Day last Sunday. It was delicious. I'm going to figure out how to scale it down and make a less expensive version of it for dinner instead of waiting for special occasions to enjoy it. I'll probably have to substitute the crab for more shrimp in the non-special occasion version. We are definitely going to have to invest in some seafood crackers if we keep doing this. I knew that my family was on the edge of being full-blown S.C. rednecks but I didn't realize the extent of it until I saw my sister trying to break open her crab legs with a pair of pliers! Hehe, it was a good day.

6. Making lists- I keep finding to-do lists in my pockets. People to call, websites to check out, chores, groceries, baby names, goals, I've even made a list of random facts about myself just so I will be prepared when I get one of those memes. The baby name thing is really a stumper. We can't agree on any boy names and only a few girl names. We are considering a raffle, just for family and friends, they can pay a dollar for a chance to name our child and we will make some money and won't have to make a decision. I figure family and close friends won't try to ruin the child's life with some crazy name like Han Solo, oh wait Alex has already tried that one. Maybe this isn't a good idea. Anyway, we have the BIG ULTRASOUND next week, maybe well see something and we'll both agree on a name. Peter? hehe.

7. Waking up- I've never had trouble sleeping, until now. It's really taking a toll on me. I'm grumpy and I want to sleep at all the wrong times, like during the new Star Trek film that I had to beg Alex to take me to last Thursday or during an unusually boring phone call at work. I think I am going to stop drinking anything after 8:00 and see if that helps.

8. Saving- I'm trying to save money for DragonCon. Alex and I decided to pass on DC this year when we found out about the baby and that my company is no longer required to offer FMLA but now I am super depressed about it and I have to find a way to go. I booked a room at the Hyatt last October before all of the host hotel rooms were taken. We should have been using the last few months to stash away cash for DC, but we didn't so I have some catching up to do. I have a few ideas. I will have to add ebaying and counting change to my list. Going to DC while eight months pregnant shouldn't be too bad, right?

I'm sure I am forgetting something. I will post about it and pretend like it's something exciting and new if I remember it later. I have lots of photos to upload to Flickr. The Greek Festival is this weekend, so everyone should come downtown and have pastitsio and grape leaves or a gyro and beer. Beer reminds me of the margarita that I missed out on Cinco de Mayo. Dang, I really want a margarita.

cake

2009-04-06T22:38:00.000-04:00

I got this email today with a recipe for a 5-minute chocolate cake that is baked in a coffee mug. I was grossed out so I deleted the message (after forwarding of course). The strange thing is, I can't stop thinking about going to the kitchen and making a cake in a mug. I've even been wondering if I could mod the recipe a bit to include a molten chocolate center. mmm. . .

Ingredients

4 tablespoons cake flour (plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (you can add more or less)
1 dash vanilla

Directions

Add dry ingredients to a coffee mug and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips and vanilla essence, mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minuter at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little and you can tip onto a plate if you want.

Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.

2009-04-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

It's the Monday of a short work week. What's better than that? I'll tell you. I didn't remember that it was a short week until last Friday. Surprise! I didn't even have to wait around and count the days. I also have a doc appointment on Wednesday to check out BtB and I have to go to court for the car accident. My car's not fixed yet and I am thinking about ordering this book. Oh yeah, it's cold again. I had to bring my plants in because it may freeze tonight. Yes, freeze. Did I miss my move up north? I thought I lived in the south where people say ya'll, drink sweet tea, and I don't have to wear coats in April. I can't wait for summer.

Birthday Boy

2009-03-21T21:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Jeffy! I'm sorry that I missed your party, sounds like you guys had a great time. I hope you have a terrific year! It was great to see you all!

bye bye Galactica

2009-03-21T21:32:00.000-04:00

I just watched the last episode of my most favoritest show ever and it didn't disappoint. I had to TiVo it since I was in Asheville yesterday watching a decrepit man entertain a billion rednecks at the Orange Peel. Note: even the hillbillies in Asheville smell like patchouli.

I really should have waited for Alex to come home before I watched it. We really like to get our nerd on together, but I couldn't wait. I guess I'll have to watch it again in a couple of hours, darn.

Pierre Chang. . .

2009-03-21T21:04:00.000-04:00

is haunting my dreams. I've been having some strange ones lately, but last night Pierre Chang (the Asian Dharma scientist from Lost) was trying to tell me something. I don't know if I was dead or not but I was lying on a gurney covered with a white sheet when I realized that there was a small television between my feet. I looked under the sheet and Pierre Chang told me that I was on my last ride! Hopefully, he meant that it was my last gurney ride. Anyway, it creeped me out so I drew this pic because I couldn't stop thinking about it. Please excuse the poor artwork.

been a long time.

2009-03-17T21:01:00.000-04:00

It's been a while. I will try to sum up all that's occurred.

-I used my new mixer, really enjoyed it.
-My favorite neighbor, Mark, moved away. I miss him, but he's doing great in his new digs.
-My favorite friend, Jennifer, doesn't work with me anymore. I miss her too. It's not the same.
-The snap peas that I started for the CAF Snap Pea Challenge are growing like crazy, no blooms yet.
-I spent a Saturday night at my in-laws while they were out of town. We had to watch Alex's little brothers because they're crazy teenagers that can't be trusted. I took a really nice shower, ate spaghetti, and watched the UFC.
-We ordered new board games, Pandemic and the Battlestar Galactica game, can't wait to try them. Maybe I'll get to this weekend.
-I missed the Ani DiFranco concert that I bought tickets for months ago because I wrecked the Jeep. . .again. This was a big one. I have whiplash and a bunch of scrapes and bruises. I got t-boned on Wade Hampton. Lucky for me, my Jeep is taller than that little Nissan. Not so lucky for the other guy. He's okay though, I checked while we were in the ER. For now, I'm driving a tiny rental car. I don't feel very safe, I need to drive tank.
-I've been sleeping all the rest of the time because I am 10 weeks pregnant. Yep, pretty shocking. I don't know when you are supposed to blog about such things so here ya go. I guess now we'll have to tell all of our friends and family.

Meet Bob the Blob

mmm. . .baked goods

2009-02-15T12:42:00.000-05:00

Alex and I don't usually celebrate Valentine's Day much, but I have been hinting (by hinting I mean begging) for a stand mixer for ever so he bought me one for V-day. I really wanted the green apple mixer since it matches absolutely nothing in my kitchen so it had to be ordered. Yay, nothing says love like an overpriced kitchen appliance. I love you, Alex!

multi-tasking

2009-02-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

I managed to bake, do laundry, and upload photos to flickr this morning. Yay for me! I made cupcakes for an old friend that's having a birthday party this evening. The "old friend" is a double entendre because I have known him for a long time and he is getting old. Hehe. Just like when Hannibal Lecter said that he was "having an old friend for dinner" but different.

The chocolate one is from the super easy Self-Filled Cupcake I recipe. The green one is a margarita cupcake, the recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I'm not a vegan. I think if I de-vegan the recipe next time, I may be able to get a little more height from the cake. I regret that I only had green crystallized sugar. It doesn't look much like a salt-rimmed glass but that is what I was going for. I love my sweetie pie plate and I can't wait to use it each February. I picked up some of the cute owl valentine stuff from Target last weekend. Alex told me that it's beginning to look pretty girly in the kitchen. It must be a phase. I hope it stops before I beg Alex to let me get this cute pink fridge Well, I'm off to be productive.

soundtrack for Saturday morning: Bad Boy Bill - Bangin' the Box vol. 3 (cause it keeps me moving and it reminds me of my sweetie)

Envy

2009-01-30T18:57:00.000-05:00

I check out the Cold Antler Farm blog everyday. I lurk. I read about Jenna in an article in BUST and I was instantly jealous. Her post today titled "Let's Bring Back" made me very happy. I can't wait to take a pic of her book with my Jeep. I probably won't send it.

Why couldn't I be something fun, like the acrobat?

2009-01-29T16:24:00.001-05:00

Your result for The Pop Culture Archetype Personality Test...

The Druid

Ninja, Monkey, Punk, Cowboy

Druids are filled with a dramatic sense of wonder, viewing the world through rose-colored glasses as they watch everything come to life, from flora and fauna to mundane objects. They see the good in almost everyone and everything, yet struggle with the idea of ethical perfection (or lack thereof). They tend to turn away from the world and toward essence and ideal, and while they are concerned with all people and creatures, those things are valued only in that they are part of a greater whole; in this, they often struggle to find their place in things, and need to feel a part of whatever they are involved with. Fluent with language, they are keen to pick out patterns in people and things, although their somewhat otherworldly focus on the larger picture can lead them to seem somewhat absentminded. Nevertheless, they have a knack for explaining complex things quite simply.

Druids are often beset by Histrionic behavior, craving attention, reassurance and praise in everything they do. Emotionally exaggerated and often sexually charged, they become concerned with physical appearance, and grow uncomfortable when they are not the center of attention. Their emotions are subject to rapid shifts, and their actions are entirely self-centered, with no tolerance for delay in getting what they want. Their speech often lacks detail as their shallow emotions carry across into their dealings with others.

Famous druid types include Homer, Shakespeare, Dick Clark, Jackie Onasis and Julia Roberts.

Take The Pop Culture Archetype Personality Test at HelloQuizzy

just stopping in quickly to say. . .

2009-01-28T11:01:00.000-05:00

CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS IS THE FACE OF BOE!

I didn't see that coming. Crazy addictive BBC programming, you shocked me.

cough, hack, sneeze

2009-01-25T11:26:00.000-05:00

Beware, there are germs in the hills. Seriously. My parents came home with some dreaded illness a few weeks ago and now I am following right along. Yuck. My house is a mess, my dogs are stinking, I'm out of clean underwear, and there's so much that I need to do-but I just can't.
I did manage to make this cake.
I totally used the orange dish towel to cover up the floury mess that I made on the stove top. I've also overloaded on the television this week. Dr. Who, Lost, BSG, the Food Network (inspiration for the cake). I hate that I long to watch these programs. I pine to live in a television-free home. I picture myself having a surplus of time that I can spend enriching my life. Crafting, conversation, baking, playing with the animals. Who am I kidding, how will I play xbox or wii without a TV and I'm sorry but Battlestar Galactica and Lost are fraking awesome, not to mention the bloody Doctor! Maybe I can just get rid of cable again. That's a step, right?

I wish I would have made this cake. Maybe next time!

random soundtrack courtesy of iTunes: It hurt so Bad- Susan Tedeschi

#71

2009-01-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was our annual trip with Alex's family to Tennessee. We've been going up there for the last few years to spend time with Alex's brothers and their families. They live in MD and VA and we don't see them very much. I had fun, we played games, ate good food, watched movies, and had interesting conversations. I like hearing Dad Said's take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since he is from Jerusalem. I don't know if I necessarily agree with him but he definitely shed some light on the situation for me.

I would like to say that it was a relaxing trip but it really wasn't. Somehow, we had to share a room with our nephew and Alex's little brother, Michael. It was loud, smelly, and kind of awkward. I didn't get a lot of sleep, I crashed yesterday and slept for hours after we got home. Hopefully, we won't have to do that again. I'm not really sure why we were stuck in a room with other peoples children, especially since we don't have a family of our own (pets weren't allowed), but we made the best of it. Alex and I always feel like the adults at the kid table. (At least in his family, everyone acts like children at mine). I used to consider this a bad thing but I'm beginning to think differently.

The cabin had a great view of the Smokey Mountains and it snowed a lot on Monday. It was lovely. I would feel privileged to wake up to that view every morning.

Oh, I just remembered there wasn't any Wi-Fi! Booo!

I am listening to the inauguration on the radio as I am writing this. It feels way more like history-in-the-making listening to it rather than watching it. Besides, this computer at work won't be able to stream the video with out blowing up. The NPR correspondent keeps mentioning Michelle Obama's yellow dress, I guess they are just trying to offer a visual but I can't imagine why someone listening to the event on the radio would really care about such things. I didn't vote for Obama but I do hope that he does a good job. I really wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now. I can't even imagine the stress involved with the escalating conflict in the middle east and the crash of the world's economy. I am surprised that there aren't more presidential suicides. I guess some people are just made for that sort of thing. I'm not one of those folks. I am enjoying the fanfare, though. We really are blessed that power is transferred so peacefully in our country and that no one had to kill W to get him out of office.

I was going to post a pic from my weekend but I haven't unpacked the camera cable yet. I am feeling pretty lazy so I probably won't do it today. I may not upload the photos until February, since I have already used 99% of my 100 MB Flickr limit this month. I really need to stop being such a cheap ass and upgrade to a pro account.

soundtrack for the homebody that doesn't want to leave again anytime soon: Home Again-Carole King

Frustrated, Inc.

2009-01-12T19:07:00.000-05:00

This computer is driving me bananas! As I am typing this, windows are popping up, fans are whirling, and my music is skipping. Alex needs to get home soon, I don't know how much more I can take of this. I guess I could charge up the notebook and use that but it's just not the same and I don't have a USB mouse. UGH! Using the touchpad makes me feel like I got my hand cut off or something. Oh no, one of the pop-ups is talking to me! I give up.

worst week ever

2009-01-10T12:37:00.000-05:00

This week I went with my Dad to the ER because he is very ill and no one really knows what's going on with him (other than his usual problems), I watched the story of how Rose Tyler "died" on the season two finale of Dr. Who, I discovered that I have cysts on my ovaries and that I am going to have a "procedure" next week to examine them, I had to go to Wal-Mart, and I sliced my hand open with my new super sharp rotary cutter-it won't stop bleeding.

I have this theory that odd years are bad, or at least bad for me. 2007 was pretty awful but 2008 was lots o' fun. 2009 is starting out kinda rough. This odd year theory may be all in my head, it really doesn't work well with all of the 2012 stuff that's out there. I am going to try to disprove my hypothesis starting now.

Oh wait, one of the dogs just pulled an old general tso's chicken container out of the garbage can and made a mess all over the floor.

Okay, odd-years-aren't-bad testing starting over . . .now!

no soundtrack today, iTunes hates me, sigh.

12/31/2008

2009-01-03T16:36:00.001-05:00

12/31/2008
Originally uploaded by raae
Happy New Year! I hope your New Year's Eve was more
wholesome and orderly than mine.

I ♥ games

2008-12-29T18:29:00.000-05:00

Alex and I played games with the Upstate Boardgamers a few times, we really enjoyed it but life got in the way and we haven't been back for a month or so. We hope to start up again after the new year. Wendy at work told me about a new book store in Greer, The Silver Chair, a while ago and I've been meaning to stop by but again- life in the way as usual. I also picked up a copy of the store's zine The Revenant Culture at O-Cha one day, it peaked my interest even more. They seem to have some pretty good stuff going on, mainly I am referring to a program that they call BookLove and that they are selling board games. It sounds like they are selling GOOD board games and they are in Greer. How awesome is that? They describe BookLove as " . . . basically a book club that smells of leather bindings and community hipness. Subscribe to the program, and every month receive one or two books selected by Joffre and his team. . . to meet your interests and tastes." Doesn't that sound wonderful? I think I need to conquer the bloated mass of books in my bedroom before I add to the queue, but I am going to keep this in mind. I love the smell of leather bindings.

Well, anyway before I scatter my bullets any further, I saw a post that one of the guys from Upstate Boardgamers did an interview for the The Revenant Culture podcast. I liked what he had to say about games and why we play them. I also like the Agricola joke and the use of SAT words like eschaton and zeitgeist. Ah. . .Thank God for spell check!

This has motivated me to 1) finally go to this bookstore and 2) finish reading the rules for 1960

Since I'm thinking about games, I thought I would document that I lost TI3 this weekend. Shaylan won. . .grrrr. I had a good plan, it just took me too long to get my act together. Damn Imperium Rex card! Alex did pretty well too. We did manage to win two games of Last Night on Earth while playing the Heroes. We haven't won with the Heroes ever before. I'm pretty pleased.

Soundtrack for the motivated gamer: White Winter Hymnal-Fleet Foxes and $1000 Wedding-Willie Nelson

Lurking. . .

2008-12-23T18:10:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make, I am a lurker. One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2008 was to stop lurking and start posting. It didn't stick. Recently, my friend Roxanne considered taking a break from posting because she didn't think that anyone was reading, but I was reading! This got me thinking about all of the other people that bring joy to my life through their blogs. I am going to start showing my appreciation, maybe I will even post on a forum! I lurk on some of those too.

The other resolution was to stop cursing. Those who know me, know that didn't stick either. 2009 is right around the corner, I think I will try again.

soundtrack for self-improvement: Pink Moon - Nick Drake

never drinking again

2008-12-21T15:33:00.000-05:00

I felt my age this weekend. I drank too much on Friday and I can't seem to shake it. It is the end of an era. On the upside, I had a great time. Our friend, Tim, got a break from his Army life in TX and came to visit. I was very happy to see him! Other than that, I don't remember much. This is probably a good thing.

I made some snowflakes and taped them to the kitchen window. Loud-Neighbor-Mark made some comments about our lack of decorations. This leads me to believe that he has noticed that we are the dark house in the neighborhood. If they only knew :-)

Soundtrack for the 2nd day of HO recovery: Nouvelle Vague and a little Velvet Underground

43 Things

2008-12-16T19:12:00.000-05:00

In an effort to post more, I am now copying email forwards for content. Rebecca sent this to me.

43 Odd Things about you!

1. Do you like blue cheese? mmmm. . .Yes but feta is betta!

2. Have you ever smoked? Yes, but I didn't understand the point

3. Do you own a gun? We have a pellet rifle and a crossbow, we need a real gun to take with us when we
run to the hills :-)

4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favourite? Grape

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes, mainly because I think I will have something
bad wrong with me and the Dr. won't find it.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I like them with chili and slaw but the hot dog itself grosses me out if I
think about it too much.

7. Favorite Christmas movie. Charlie Brown Christmas

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? OJ w/ heavy pulp

9. Can you do push ups? don't push me, push a push-pop (that was for you Alex) and No, I can't.

10. What's your favourite piece of jewelery? wedding ring, did a Canadian write this?

11. Favorite hobby? Oh, I've tried SO many! Currently, sleeping, listening to music, hiking (although I don't
get to do it much and I am not very good at it)

12. Do you have A.D.D.? probably. I know I don't have ADHD, though.

13. What's one trait you don't like about yourself? jealousy, I am kind of a sore looser.

14. Middle name? Genell

15. Name 3 things you are thinking about right now? dogs, this email, I'm kind of thirsty

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? water, cranberry juice, OJ

17. Current worry? the economy

18. Current hate right now? how easily people are brainwashed by the media

19. Favorite place to be? in my bed

20. How did you bring in the New Year? I don't remember, it must have been great!

21. Where would you like to go? Tokyo

22. Do you own slippers? What kind of slippers? Yes, they are pink and fuzzy

23. What color shirt are you wearing right now? it's polka dotted and the dots are all different
colors (orange, brown, blue, yellow)

24. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Yes! They stay cool all night long, I want a purple set!

25. Can you whistle? Yes, my Nana says that it sounds like I've been eating chicken when I whistle ?

26. Favorite color? Purple

27. Would you be a pirate? a music/software pirate? 'fraid so. a eye patch/peg leg pirate? not so much.

28. What songs do you sing in the shower? I make lists in the shower

29. Favorite Girl's Name? Ruby

30. Favorite Boy's name? Alex

31. What's in your pocket right now? chap stick and a post-it with the name of a song I heard today
on wncw

32. Last thing that made you laugh? Some guy saying my last name on the phone.

33. Best bed sheets as a child? clouds, there are two questions on here about sheets?

34. Worst injury you've ever had? herniated disk and I fell out of a moving car when I was three,
I don't remember much about it though.

35. Do you love where you live? Not at all, my neighbors are CRAZY!

36. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2

37. Who is your loudest friend? MARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

38. How many dogs do you have? 3

39. Does someone have a crush on you? I don't think so, does my husband count?

40. What is your favorite book? It's too hard to think of just one, I am really enjoying the 2009 Ikea
catalog right now.

41. What is your favorite candy? Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

42. Favorite Sports Team? Team Quest

43. What song do you want played at your funeral? So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! not really

Monday all day long. . .

2008-12-15T19:07:00.000-05:00

I purchased tickets for the Ani Difranco show at The Orange Peel in March, yay!

Monday is over, double yay!

My dogs are stinking up the kitchen because it's been raining every time they go out-but we are in the middle of a terrible drought so triple yay!

I can't think of a fourth one.

missing something

2008-12-14T12:08:00.000-05:00

Christmas has been kind of strange for me since we stopped gift giving. I've been forced to think about why we observe the traditions that we do and how I want to celebrate Christmas in the future. I don't want to stop doing anything at all but I don't want to fall back into the mindless perversion that is Christmas. I think I need to examine all winter traditions and maybe pick something else after I figure out what they are all about and how they came to be. I miss the sweet smell of an evergreen trimmed with lights and hand-me-down ornaments. I guess I can go buy a candle.

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door

2008-12-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

The moon was HUGE last night, as I was driving on 29 home from work. I read this today. It sounds like it will be the same tonight, I am setting a reminder on my phone now to go out and take some photos.

If I every have children, I am teaching them french

2008-12-08T18:44:00.000-05:00

I guess I have to learn it first. Oh, and I am going to read them whatever they've been reading to this kid. I could listen to her all day!

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

I found this here

people disappoint me

2008-12-06T17:18:00.000-05:00

I was attacked by an atheist last weekend, it has bothered me all week. Not because I am angry with this person but because he is so empty and depressed that it makes me very sad. I think I've decided that there is no such thing as an atheist or at least there is no such thing as bitter, hateful, oppressive atheists. I now believe that those people are just mad at God.