Friday
Jul022010
Tuesday
Jun292010
maybe . . .
June 29, 2010 Just finished reading a link a friend posted on Facebook.
Have your kids trashed your car?
The short answer is yes, but I won't place all the blame on them. Another theme of the article is Suzy Orman alledgedly stating that people with messy cars are also messy with their money. Which may or may not be true. Suzy doesn't have any kids though, so I wonder if she has first-hand knowledge of the damage they can do . . . regardless of how messy or managed their parents' money may be.
???
But really, the topic of the article, while interesting, is not what I noticed first. What made me giggle was the tagline . . .
Have your kids Trashed your car?
from Maybe Means Probably Not
Ian has me figured out. Just the other day he asked, "So when you say 'maybe' mom, you really just mean 'no', right?"
Uh . . . well . . . uhh . . . not exactly. It just means that I have good intentions, and I really wish that I could do/give/take you everything/everywhere that you want to do/have/go . . . but I'm kinda lazy (and messy with my money) so we'll see how it goes . . . but yeah, probably not.
"Maybe" is so much more . . . succinct.
L
P.S. Just for the record, I am capable of saying "no" to my children. As a matter of fact, I've already taught them the immortal Rolling Stones lyrics, "you can't always get what you want" (they prefer I just say them and not sing them). Just saying . . .
Wednesday
Jun232010
worth a thousand words . . .
June 23, 2010 Par for the course, I started out organizing something and then went off on a stray tangent. Today it was Flickr. I've had an account over there for three years, but I haven't uploaded anything and I can't remember how long. So I decided to clean up a bit (which means I deleted all my old photos and sets).
I should have left it at that, but no . . . I had to explore. And I was reminded, again, of what a goldmine of inspiration Flickr can be.
Here are a few photos that caught my eye today.
1. DC100320-S13694AC-Georgetown-Cady'sAlley, 2. lemon cupcake ~ 3, 3. Carrots & Beets 4, 4. lemeifot4, 5. Girl sketch, 6. P1000190, 7. P5070527, 8. a (4), 9. Ausby - Space Oddysey #4, 10. HDR Farming those blackfly again, 11. Fly me to the sun, 12. yellow rose
L
Friday
Jun182010
under the sea . . .
June 18, 2010 I signed Emy up for a short theater workshop over the summer break. The plan was to perform an abbreviated version of The Little Mermaid. She was really excited about the play until she got the part of Scuttle and read her lines for the first time. Or, I think what she actually said was, "I CAN'T EVEN READ SOME OF THE WORDS I'M SUPPOSED TO SAY!!!"
Tears ensued.
Jamie and I promised her that everything was going to be okay, and that we'd help her memorize her lines. There was no need to panic. It took a good 20 minutes of sobbing and continued reassurances from us through dinner for her to calm herself down and finally say to me . . .
"Let's practice."
And practice we did! She memorized four of her lines that first night. Including one that contained the phrase, " . . . an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over!" I was very impressed.
So after eight days of practice, last night was their big performance. I was so nervous for her, but all for naught because she did fantastic! I have to admit that my baby girl has got one big mouth on her. She actually projected better than most on the stage, AND she remembered her lines. Whew!
The cast in action!
We're all so proud of our Emy! And I especially love that she had so much fun she wants to do it again next year.
L
in Emy, Photo Collage, Summer
Emy, Photo Collage, Summer Friday
Jun182010
Thursday
Jun172010
Wednesday
Jun162010
Tuesday
Jun152010
the worm factory . . .
June 15, 2010 I saw this over at Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest, and I really want to try it: The Worm Factory
Unfortunately, Jamie and the kids think I'm crazy. I may still try it though. But before I do, I have to figure out how to get rid of it, just in case things don't go well. After all, I'd have a bunch of little worm lives to think about.
Jamie is almost finished building the boys' bunkbed, so it will have to wait until after we get the kids' rooms situated. We're planning to turn the collosal closet in the boys' (soon to be Emy's) room into our storage space. And that's where this thing will have to reside.
I thought about using the recycle closet by the front door to hold the farm, since it's so close to the kitchen. But I think that functions pretty well already. And it was hard enough to train the kids on where they were to throw paper and plastic, so its probably best not to move it.
Anyway, I haven't decided if this is a go or no-go just yet. Maybe I should wait until we have some more plants to feed. Just a thought.
L
Monday
Jun142010
a royal viewing . . .
June 14, 2010 We watched The Young Victoria this weekend.
Actually, I watched it a couple of times. I was very surprised when the kids sat down and watched it with me Saturday morning, they sat through it and told Jamie and my dad that it was very good. Sunday afternoon I settled in with Jamie and my dad for the second viewing.
I REALLY liked it, but was disappointed because I think it was too short. It's like the director just got tired and decided to stop and fill in the rest with notes about the remainder of her reign. I know it's called "The YOUNG Victoria", but for goodness sake, having one child (which is where the movie ended) doesn't make you an old lady. I think they should have at least covered up to Albert's death when the Queen was 42. That's still "young" enough if you're talking about a woman who lived to be 82 and reigned as Queen for 64 years.
Watching the movie has prompted me to pull out my biography of the Queen, which I started reading 20 years ago and never finished. It's not a very thick book, but the pages are really, really thin . . . and the type is really, really tiny. I hope to get through it before the end of the year, but considering it's impossible to read and follow without constantly referencing the family tree (which happens to look like this = >> BRITISH MONARCHS' FAMILY TREE), I think you can see why it's slow going.
In it's favor . . . it's pretty interesting. And now that the Internet has been invented, I can get lost in all sorts of tangents while looking up more information about some the characters in the book.
I think, actually, I may never finish . . . so it's a good thing I watched the movie, eh?
L
Monday
Jun142010
shuffling about . . .
June 14, 2010 So I decided to get up off my lazy butt this weekend and take care of some things around the apartment that needed to be done. Top priority on my list was the kitchen. I wanted to organize it a little better, because I've been spending more time in there and I really need everything just so in order to feel comfortable.
I didn't get to the food stuffs . . . just the dishes, pots/pans, baking paraphernalia and appliances. Most of these things reside underneath the cabinet. I wasn't too keen on getting down on my hands and knees to clean out the cabinets, so I held the edge of the counter as I squatted down while I emptied and wiped them out.
There were a couple of things I completely forgot about in the process of doing this chore. One, that I'm almost 43 and terribly out of shape; and two . . . squatting is actually an exercise! D'oh!
So today I'm shuffling about as my legs refuse to move quickly or even be lifted very far from the ground. I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to keep up with the squats or walking stairs, or revert to my lazy alter ego. Time will tell.
L
Friday
Jun112010
remember when . . .
June 11, 2010 Remember when you were five?
I officially love this commercial. I didn't remember it at first, but Ian reminded me that we saw it first at the theather when we went to catch a flick. He remembered it. It made him think about when he was five, and that's when he decided to start calling me "mommy" again. :misty-eyed:
I don't know how long the name change will last, but I'll enjoy it while it does.
L
P.S. And here is where I heard the commercial's song for the very first time . . . Pure Imagination sung by the effervescent Gene Wilder in the original Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.
Wednesday
May122010
texas scrapfest 2010 . . .
May 12, 2010 Texas Scrapfest 2010 News
I know some of yall are wondering what is going on with Texas Scrapfest in 2010. Well, I plan to do things different this year. I am not planning to have a physical crop, but I do plan to continue the tradition of our cyber crops.
The 2010 Texas Scrapfest iCrop will be held everywhere there's an internet connection the last weekend of July. So mark your calendars for Fri/Sat/Sun, July 30, 31-Aug 1, 2010. Expect a lot of the same that you would find at past Texas Scrapfest events . . . challenges, t-shirts, prizes, and fun for both paper and digi scrapbookers.
A portion of the proceeds from this year's event will benefit the Teegan Wynn O'Neal Youth Fund. More details about the event to follow.
L
Friday
May072010
Friday
May072010
happy birthday . . .
May 7, 2010 To my all time favorite musical artist extraordinaire!
Peter Tchaikovsky would be 170 today. I found my favorite of his compositions on YouTube, which is awesome because I've never been able to figure out how to add a music player to this damn blog. Argh. But I digress.
Click over to my September 2007 post to hear Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no. 1. It's divine.
L
Thursday
May062010
book lovers . . .
May 6, 2010 I love that my kids love books!
I grabbed some photos from a January trip to the new library when the kids got their first public library cards. I have to watch how many books they check out because they tend to get them mixed up with their school library books and they get turned into to the wrong place. Oy!
Lesle
Supplies: Misty Cato - Chatty, Font - Repent
Thursday
May062010
peace on cinco de mayo . . .
May 6, 2010 We decided to have some yummy tostados for Cinco de Mayo. We love them!
Dinner was interesting. Emy always makes us giggle with her silly story telling.
L
Wednesday
May052010
show time . . .
May 5, 2010 Saturday, Jamie and I went to a show at the 18 Hands Gallery in the Heights to see my coworker's contribution to the event. There were several gorgeous pieces I would loved to have bought, but unfortunately my pocketbook said, "No."
Luckily, I already own several pieces from Paula . . . so it's like I have my own little gallery at home.
Another one of my favorites from the night was Todd Van Duren. He had the most adorable little houses and miniture clay plaques with birds carved into them. I made sure Jamie got a good looksee at those, since you know, Christmas is just around the corner.
L