I've Been Tagged

Nice, Ranger, really nice! I will remember you...

And I'm new to this whole tagging business but doesn't it work similiar to a chain letter... I now have to tag other bloggers? Yeah, well, considering you tagged the only bloggers I know... I guess it ain't gonna happen. Oh no, I hope no terrible fates befall me for breaking the tag. Oh and by the way.... my chain letters and emails always go into the trash.

But just to show what a FUN person I am... I will participate and respond to your tagging... :) Can you repeat the question? Oh, that's right... list my favorite bands (this better mean singers, non-bands, as well) in ABC order. Okey dokey...

A - All American Rejects
B - Big & Rich or Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
C - Counting Crows
D - Dan Fogelberg or Dixie Chicks
E - Eric Clapton
F - Faith Hill
G- Garth Brooks
H - Hollies (hey, they sing MY SONG)
I - INXS
J - Jimmy Buffet
K - K.C. and the Sunshine Band
L - Lonestar
M - Montgomery Gentry
N - Nylons
O - Olivia Newton John
P - Prince
Q - Queen
R - Rascal Flatts
S - Smashmouth
T - Toby Keith
U - Carrie Underwood
V - Vanilla Ice... no, how about Villiage People...nope... Violent Femmes
W - Wreckers
X - ??
Y - Trisha Yearwood
Z - ZZ Top

Boredom...

I have been wanting to post but haven't had the energy... nor creativity to do so lately. Old Man Winter has arrived and it is COLD! Windchills were below zero this morning. All I want to do is crawl back into bed and I will as soon as K3 leaves but that is still over an hour away. And nothing but a short nap for me today. I need to put in our GS cookie order via computer this afternoon and since I missed the "training", this means I need to spend time on the phone getting verbal instructions first.

Then as has been normal of late, I need to get K2 from school today. This time it is forensics practice that is keeping her late. Her first meet is this Friday and she has been working hard to fine tune her demo. She missed qualifying for poetry reading last week and then had to switch to Demo. So she has had less than two weeks to prepare for Friday but I know she will be fine... hell, better than I would do. I hated public speaking (still do in fact) and did everything to avoid it. Forensics was never even something that I considered in school.

I haven't been doing much of anything lately. Working... reading... revving (finally!)... being a mom... I really feel the need to do something for myself and can't find the time. J's birthday is Sunday and his mom suggested coming down and going out to dinner with us. Don't get me wrong... I love having them come down but the house has just never been put back together since Christmas and that is a huge project I have ahead of me. But this is good... it definitely needs a good thorough cleaning and with them coming, that will kick my butt into gear to actually do it!

So I apologize that there has been nothing to read lately... hopefully soon. Maybe I will pull an older post from my Yahoo 360 page to share here. We'll see...

The Giver

Having three children, it is very rare to spend time with only one, especially both parents at one time with just one child. Last night we had that opportunity. There is a local children's theatre in town that we have been going to quite a bit in the last two years. Each play has a few adult actors but the majority are child actors. We have never been disappointed in one of their plays yet.

This was opening weekend of The Giver based on the Lois Lowery book. This book was one of K2's all time favorite books and in fact, she pestered me until I read (about a year ago). It is definitely not a happy book and makes the reader think quite a bit about the freedom of having choices. In the book, Jonas lives in what seems like a perfect world. It is not until he is made the Reciever of Memories at the Ceremony of Twelve that he learns of the dark secrets behind his community. The play stayed very true to the book, of course, parts were cut out but nothing that made the story lacking. It was very, very good.

What we really like about this theatre company besides the majority of children involvement is that after each show they have a talk-back sesssion. They take questions from kids in the audience and usually one of the actors will answer. With kids doing the asking, one never knows what exactly will be asked... we have heard some great questions (why didn't I think of that? type) and some hilarious questions. My favorite question last night was of the hilarious nature and it was posed to the stage director... The back wall of the set was white plastic panels cut into triangles and emphasized with dark colored lines for accent. A little boy asked if that was all duct tape holding that wall together! Yeah, go kid!!! Duct tape is everywhere! The unique thing about this talkback session is that Lois Lowry was present. Questions were posed to both her and the actors. I love hearing authors talk especially children's authors.

Normally after a night out at the theatre, J & I would go for drinks or dessert someplace downtown. We decided to still continue this however we let K2 pick where we would go. She chose (finally! took her long enough...) Cheesecake Factory. J and K2 each had a piece and I shared off each of theirs... banana cream and choolate raspberry truffle. Yummy! I love their dessert!

It was a great night!

Out of the Mouth's of Babes

Our railing into the basement has been broken for a few weeks... not completely off the wall broke but rather where it attaches at the bottom of the stairway isn't bolted in tightly anymore. J has known about it but hasn't fixed it yet. This morning we are standing in the basement talking and he says to me, "Why haven't you nagged me to fix this?" Before I can reply, K3 pipes up with, "Because no one has gotten hurt yet."

Yeah, exactly what she said.

I Pee'd My Name in the Snow

NO! Not me... this was declared by my 13 yo son this morning after he returned home from Polar Camp with the boy scouts! Wonderful ... He tried explaining that this was a momentous occasion in a "man's life". Ummm... no, K1, probably not a man's life but a teen boy's life, yes. Well, this is good... he turns 14 next month and how horrible would it have been if he hadn't yet made this rite of passage. I hate to see what else is on his list of milestones to cross. I grew up with 5 brothers, you'd think I 'd have a clue.

Books, Books... Too Many Books

Lately I have had 3 books going at one time... one read aloud with one of the girls, one children's/young adult book recommended by one of the kids and one picked out by me, for me. I normally HATE reading more than one book at a time. The kids do it for school ALL the time and I never understood it. There is usually one book that they are reading as a class. Then there has to be a book that they are reading for fun and sometimes that book stays at school and that means they have to have a book at home for reading. To me that always seemed crazy! However, I am actually doing quite well with 3 books at once. Now to be honest, two of the books are usually recommended by the girls so they are not exactly War and Peace, however, they aren't Dick and Jane books either.

My girls have some great taste in reading material and are actually quite particular. In fact, K2 spent a month trying to read a book that she had picked out and made it as far as page 150 (it was almost a 400 page book). Finally, she begged me to please let her stop (it was one that I had bought for her). She said that while the whole idea of the book was interesting, she hated the way the author wrote. She had such convictions for why she disliked the author's writing so much that, of course, I let her pass on it. You see K2 wants to be an author and is currently writing a chapter book. She knows what she likes and what she doesn't.

K3 and I finished The Tale of Despereaux last week so it was then K2's turn at having my attention for a read aloud book. No problem...except that I was also reading another book myself also recommended by K2. Then K3 wanted to know why I wasn't reading one that she liked? The next book I was going to read was the second in the Silver Sequence series however K2 loaned it to her friend so I get a reprieve and get to try a book that K3 liked... Fablehaven. This book looks very interesting and a bit more dark and scary than K3 normally likes them, but she LOVED this book so I need to check it out and see what it is all about.

I love that my girls have book recommendations for me. I started reading series romance books by 7th grade and missed out on alot of good books. But now it seems like ever since the explosion of Harry Potter, children's literature has broadened and there are so many incredible books to choose from. The only problem is that my own TBR pile is not decreasing by much. Oh well... there will always be time to read and always more books... I don't think a TBR pile is meant to ever disappear.

By the way when I googled Fablehaven, I came across a YouTube movie(it follows below) that a couple of teens had put together in honor of their favorite book. I showed it to K3 and aside from saying that it was cheesy, I did see her smile a couple of times. But when I asked her what "that" was or what "this" meant, all she would say was "Read the book, Mom!" Okay, K3, I will.

Where Does She Come Up With This Stuff?

You would think by now that I would be used to the thoughts and ideas that K3 poses but I swear sometimes the things that come out of her mouth surprise the hell outta me. This is the child who is ultra conservative but not afraid to speak her mind definitely about something she feels strongly about. J and I often say that we may someday see her posing nekkid... no, not for Playboy but rather for a PETA ad.

The other day the kids and I were discussing the incident of the Australian surfer who freed himself from a shark. Originally, we mistakenly thought that he freed himself by stabbing the shark (we later learned that he did it by poking it in the eye). K3 wanted to know if the shark was killed... I responded that I didn't know. K1 then adds fuel to the fire by questioning if that particular shark was an endangered species. To which, K3 replies, "If it was an endangered shark and that man killed it, then he should go to jail." Ummm... sweetie? What about self-defense? It was either him or the shark? "Doesn't matter. He didn't need to kill it." At least I could tell her later how the man really got free and that the shark was probably okay from a poke to the eye.

Then after this discussion, K2 says that K3 thinks people should be paid to shoot other people. WHAT?!?!?! So I ask her what she meant or if in fact she really said this. "Yes. There are way too many people and we are killing the planet." No kidding. I then had to ask her how she would feel if someone chose to hunt her or her family. "Oh, that wouldn't be good." So she is still thinking that one through, she just knows that we can't have this many people on the planet. I am sure she will let me know when she figures it out.

I can't wait to hear what she comes up with next.

Mission Accomplished!

The alarm rang at 5:20... why didn't I go to bed earlier than 1:10a.m.??? But I still made it out of bed... J wanted to know why the alarm was set... where was I going... and WHY was I doing this????

By the time we left the house, it was 6:00 a.m. and a light dusting of snow was falling... but at least the temps were not as nearly cold as they had predicted. We arrived at the store a few minutes later and at first I saw no people... then I scanned the other side of the entrance and there not to be missed was HUNTER ORANGE... one man was actually wearing his hunting gear. Oh yeah, the other fools were out in full force... well, that is if about 15 people equal full force. Next to us in line was a kid that I work with, Jeremy. We talked with him quite a bit and a few other people as well. It was actually lots of fun! Finally just after 6:30 I saw someone that I knew inside the store and told her to tell our boss to come and hand out numbers so I could go warm up. She asked how many people were outside and knowing that we had about 20 Wii's in stock... I said, "Oh about 20." Shortly after the store manager came out and passed out numbers to us... K1 had #11. Finally! Now I could get something hot to drink... our choices were McDonald's and Starbucks. Well, my record for McDonald's has been running since the second week of September (my record for being the last time that I went to McD's so I couldn't go there!)... I was hoping and praying that Starbucks was open. They were at 5:00 a.m!!!! I could've been sitting there warm and toasty and let my son stand outside... oh! if only I had known!!! With an order of Chai (for me), Cinnamon Dulce Mocha for K1 and a blueberry muffin to share we sat down by the fireplace to warm up.

I had brought a book in with me figuring I would have some great reading time... however, my son surprised the hell outta me by leaving his mp3 player in the van. We sat for an hour having some great one on one, mommy and son time. This rarely ever happens! What a wonderful morning this was turning out to be!

At 7:55 we returned to the store so he could stand in line again to get inside. It was his turn to purchase and since he had gotten games and accessories at Christmas, he didn't need to buy anything else (one person ended up spending twice the amount my son did by buying games and controllers, etc - OUCH!!). Our morning excursion was over and it was time to go home and try this thing out.

Was it worth it? There had been a couple of numbers left at 7:55...so yeah, we didn't have to get up quite so early but if we hadn't then I would've missed a wonderful morning with my son! So yeah... it was definitely WORTH it for me... I mean, heck all it cost me was a $10 Starbucks bill.

What was I thinking????

After reading the following story, you will either realize just how much I love my son or else you will realize how stupid I am... or maybe it is a little bit of both.

This sumer when Nintendo announced that they were releasing the Wii, K1 researched it intently. He knew he wanted it. I had told him that we had bought one game system that worked fine and that we were not buying another. If he wanted it, he was going to have to buy it himself. From that point on, he started saving with one purpose in mind. He did jobs both for me and for his dad at the office. He saved and saved. The Wii was released in November but unfortunately it was not until December that he had enough money to comfortably buy it - that is purchase the Wii yet still have money left. Well, the Wii's were mighty poplular. We have actually had PS3's in stock at our store while anytime Wii's came in they flew out the door. K1 has been unable to find one anywhere. He even contemplated buying one from Ebay just so he could actually have it. I convinced him to wait.

This past Wednesday while unloading the truck what should come down the line but 6 boxes of Wii's. I was ecstatic!! I asked my boss if I could buy one in the morning when I left. I was already imagining K1's face when he saw what I had for him. Unfortunately they were going to be in this Sunday's ad and therefore, the Wii's that came in had to be stored away until Sunday morning. I was crushed! However, my boss said that I could come on Sunday morning and purchase one then but that I might want to come early to wait before the store opened. Did I really want to do this?

That morning I found myself telling K1 the story of how they arrived in the store and why I wasn't allowed to buy one. Then I found myself offering to take him to the store early Sunday morning if he wanted to. Of course, he jumped at the offer. So now it is Saturday night and I must set my alarm for 5:00 a.m so I can have my son at there by 6:00a.m. What was I thinking???? Well, I guess I was thinking that I loved my son and wanted to do this one small thing that would make him so very happy. It's not going to cost me anything but a litte bit of sleep... and since I have to work tomorrow night, I will take a nap in the afternoon anyway. My only fear is that we won't be there early enough... or maybe that we will be there too early... and that I could have slept another hour!! Well, we will see tomorrow... stay tuned for details.

Reading with my Girls

When the kids were younger... much younger... I read to them regularly. As they grew and learned how to read that part of our life seemed to drift away. K1 did not take to reading as readily as the girls so I ended up reading to him much longer (into 3rd grade) however, the girls loved - LOVE - reading and took off with it starting around 1st grade. They didn't need me to read to them to be exposed to fantastic stories. However, realizing how much I missed it, I asked K3 earlier this month if she wanted to read a book together. Her response was a resounding "Yes."

We decided to read, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillio. In this wonderful story, we learn of how Despereaux, a very tiny mouse, risks everything to save the beautiful human princess, he has fallen in love with, from the evil plans of a nasty rat and a dim witted serving girl. It is not a happy, happy story... there are very sad events that happen in it. And it is this that I found intriguing. Ms. DiCamillio does not assume that children need only happy, formula scripted stories. While there is a realtively happy ending... it is not the standard "happily ever after". She also uses language that may be new to many of the readers. With some words, she will outright ask the "reader" if they know what the word means, and then proceed to either define it for the "reader" or else she will tell them that they should be able to infer what is meant by what has just happened. She is an intelligent writer with a very creative mind... writing for intelligent, creative children. Kudos to her!

It took us about two weeks to read this book (not every single night) which was just about perfect. The chapters were wonderfully sized ranging from 3 to 6 pages. For the most part, we alternated chapters... I read one then K3 read one. It was a great way to spend some one on one time with her. However, in reading to her, I discovered that K2 missed those read-aloud sesssions as well. I had to promise her that we would do a story together after I was done with Despereaux.

I am so sorry that we fell out of this habit. It was wrong for us to make the assumption that just because they could read - and read very well - that they no longer needed or watnted us to read to them. I hope this is one tradition that we continue.

Now I am off to read The Kingdom Keepers with K2.

Trip to the Eye Doctor

On our trip home from J's family a few days after Christmas, we stopped to eat lunch at Subway. It was while we were sitting at a table that K3 asked about the price of her sandwich. Her dad told her to read it on the menu board. She shocked us all when she said she couldn't see the prices. With knowing looks, J and I knew she needed an appointment with an Optometrist.

Finally after two weeks, I remembered to make an appointment for an eye exam for K3. I made the call this morning and got her in for the afternoon. Her vision is not horrible however she does need some assistance for distance, so glasses it is. The doctor recommended her keeping them on in the classroom but otherwise, she does not need to wear them all the time.

After her vision test, we went out into the store to find frames. K3 was resistant at first and a few discreet tears were shed. She did NOT want glasses. I told her as she really needed them, either she picked some out or I would. K1 was there trying to help (HA! as much as a big brother can anyway.) Eventually she narrowed it down to one or two frames and since theywere having a sale of 2 for $99... I bought them both. This way she can leave one pair at school and have one for at home.

Her glasses will be ready tomorrow afternoon. I hope that K3 will let me take her picture in them... but I am not going to hold my breath on that one! She really does look good in them. I hope she can come to see that (HA! HA! pun intended!! *snort*) some day.

Let's Hear it for the Monkeys!!!

You Were Born Under:

Full of spunk, you are the original party animal. You bring fun, activity, and stimulation to any event. Self-control is not one of your strong points; you have been known to over indulge. Cheerful and energetic, you can turn the most boring thing into something fun. You are most compatible with a Rat or Dragon.

What Year Were You Born Under?

My Visit to the Vampires

For approximately 8 years (off and on at the start), I have been a plasma donor. My blood is AB- which apparently is a universal donor for plasma so they love me at the Blood Center. And before you ask because someone always does... I am not that hard up for money! I have never been paid for my donations (see the word as defined by Websters... donation - a free contribution). I don't know why but someone ALWAYS asks "do you get paid?"

Back to my story.... Today was my 40th donation. Back in November, I had asked the receptionist how much have I given so far. She said that equates to 8 gallons. It's kind of impressive to think of 8 milk jugs filled with my plasma going to help others who need it. Seriously, I don't mean to toot my own horn but giving blood or plasma is really such a simple easy thing to do to help others out. During national tragedies like 9/11 or Katrina, people come out in droves. But during the rest of the year or normal times, the donations drop off. I know it happens to me too. If I don't make my next appointment at the time of my current visit, I forget and then get the reminder call... "We could really use your help." Giving blood is easy... you are probably only there 30 minutes and can donate every 8 weeks. With plasma, the time is longer... approximately 1.5 hours and you can donate every 4 weeks. But really the time isn't that bad. I take my mp3 player with me and a magazine, then just sit back and relax for that time. Come on, all you moms out there... trust me... 1.5 hours with no kids clammoring for your attention - IT IS HEAVEN!

So I will step off my soapbox now... but seriously consider it.

It's actually amazing that I have kept going. My first plasma appointment ever, I was there for 3 hours! The machines were brand new at that location and training was taking place. Since then I have gone home more than a few times with large bruises. I have been told that I am not an "easy" stick. My veins are deep and tend to move. There are two ladies (although I was just told that one moved to CA) who could get me... the others are hit or miss and there are 2 who I absolutely do NOT want touching me!!!

Today the Debbie was lucky enough to get me. The last time we were together... my vein moved and she tried getting it with no luck. One of my favorites was called in and presto, she had me. The first words out of Debbie's mouth, "So are we going to get a good stick today?" I told her I was surprised that she remembered me. "Oh, yeah. I remember," she laughingly replied. After doing the prep work, Debbie went for it and voila! it went in... no problems! I had thought about it throughout my session and after my draw was done, I asked Debbie if water consumption helps. "Absolutely!" I told her how this week I have been pushing myself to drink more water (HEY! I am taking in about 80 oz a day now! AND I know I am doing well, because my urine has lost its color.) She said that is wonderful and that it definitely helps. I need to keep at it or at least make sure I do it for a day or two before my appointments. Damn! Another good reason to keep on flooding myself.

So today was a good day... minimal bruising, an easy stick, and 1 hour in the chair reading.

My Little Girl

On the topic of songs and soundtracks for a life, this song is one that I have heard on the radio for awhile but it wasn't until I saw the movie Flicka that I knew that this Tim McGraw song was meant for K3. Sure, it’s a song that could pertain to both of my girls but I’ll tell you why it fits perfect for her. First, read the words…

Gotta hold on easy as I let you go.
Gonna tell you how much I love you, though you think you already know.
I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft and warm.
You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born.

Beautiful baby from the outside in.
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again.
Go on, take on this whole world.
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl.

When you were in trouble that crooked little smile could melt my heart of stone.
Now look at you, I've turned around and you've almost grown.
Sometimes you're asleep I whisper "I Love You!" in the moonlight at your door.
As I walk away, I hear you say, "Daddy Love You More!”

Beautiful baby from the outside in.
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again.
Go on, take on this whole world.
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl.

Someday, some boy will come and ask me for your hand.
But I won't say, "yes" to him unless I know, he's the half
That makes you whole; he has a poet's soul, and the heart of a man's man.
I know he'll say that he's in love.
But between you and me. He won't be good enough!

In the movie, Flicka, Katy and her dad were so much alike yet butt heads continuously. This is exactly like K3 and her dad. While K1 will just shut down and K2 will usually end up crying when their dad yells at them, K3 will fight back. She will be in his face (just like he is in hers) telling him right back why she’s not wrong but he is. She can list the reasons why she is right. (Hmmm… maybe I hear future lawyer here.) Oh, the fights they can have! They don’t happen often, but when they do…look out! I dread the clashes headed our way as she heads into her teenage years (and those are still 5 years off!).

Then there’s the line in the song about the little girl saying, “Love you more”. For years, when I have tucked K3 into bed at night, she has always said, “I love you most.” I can count on this. It used to drive her sister nuts but I know what K3 is saying and it isn’t that she loves me more than her brother or sister, but that she loves me the most that she can. And just that simple phrase, makes me smile deep whenever I hear it.

I think there’s a special bond that develops between a parent and the youngest. Now this doesn’t mean that I love any of my children more than the others but this bond is there all the same. There would be no more babies to hold after the last… no more little first discoveries. And whether or not you know that your baby is truly your last at the time it is happening, at some point you come to realize that this is indeed your last child and there will be no more. And whether by choice or not, it still is just a little heartbreaking to realize this is it. With the older kids, it is fascinating to watch them grow and explore and it is with the youngest as well. It’s just that while you’re excited for them at the same time you’re thinking this is it, this is the last time we will do this.

I can’t wait to watch and see the person that K3 develops into. I just hope that she discovers who she is and what it is that makes her happy and then sets the course for going after her dreams. But no matter where her life takes her, whether it is across the street or across the country, she is stuck being our baby. And she always will be… my little girl.

Need to Get Back on Track

This whole fitness thing drives me crazy! One week I have a good week; the next it's very minimal. I need to find a routine but that just doesn't seem to work for me with my work schedule. Well, at least I can say I got my cardio in for today... 1.5 hours of shoveling snow should count. Especially since the snow was 3 days old and had been driven over numerous times! I had to get the ice scraper out and pry it off the driveway first. I'm not sure how much of a workout my legs got but lord knows that my arms, shoulders and abs are feeling it.

As far as my BodyRev, I love doing the legs, abs and arms routines from the Essentials DVD but I absolutely detest the cardio portion. I always feel like a bull in a china shop doing it. And while the Christmas tree was up... forget it! There was no way I could do it...lack of space and terrified that the tree was going to come falling down on me. Well, now the tree is gone (still need to put ornaments away) so I have lost that excuse! I don't know what I can do to motivate myself to do it. I have the BR Bootcamp DVD but I heard that one is an hour long. I have a hard enough time doing cardio for 15 min... I think I'd die if I had to do it for an hour. I really need to sit down and evaluate what my goal is, how I am going to acheive it, and what do I really need to do to get it done.

My friend, Janet, made a great post on the BB today about water. Another area where I am sorely lacking. Alden says that we should be drinking 10 - 10oz cups of water. I am lucky if I am doing half of that!!! I am not sure how to put more water inside of me. Today I drank a 10 oz glass before my two meals and downed a 16 oz bottle of Propel and another glass of water with dinner. But so far that is only 46 oz and I feel like I am floating. I still have tonight and work to get thru so another 40 oz will probably be consumed. But trying to do that much on days when I don't work... not sure how I am going to manage it.

One thing that I have been putting off and have finally done is took my measurements. I really should've done this when I started the whole thing 3 months ago but I let fear stop me. At least that is done and I will eventually be able to monitor my progress that way as well. I think that up to this point the pounds have literally been melting away and it's been easy so far. But after losing 30 lbs and I would assume in another 10-20 lbs the weight isn't going to change as drastically as it has been. So I am worried about how I will react when that time comes. I really need to set up a routine and start better habits (ie, water drinking) to help get me through when that happens.

My family, the DH and the kids, have all been extremely supportive of me. Last night as we curled up in bed together, J said that he had forgotten how much weight I had lost. He could "feel" the difference as he held me. That is nice to hear. I know I am in a smaller size pair of jeans but sometimes I forget and it's nice to be reminded. I know I can do this... I have to do this... but I just don't want to give up when it gets harder. Hence, the need for a "plan of action".

What is your Superhero Profile?

Interesting little bit of info... but how did they know I was from The Dairy State???

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Cosmic Squid Your Superpower is Dance Dance Revolution Your Weakness is Itching Your Weapon is Your Dark Bazooka Your Mode of Transportation is Cow

What's your Superhero Name?

Songs for My Life's Soundtrack

If there were a Soundtrack of your life made, what songs would be included? I have a friend in the Brigade who has this great talent for ending emails and bb posts with an identifying song (usually an obscure one that you don’t tend to think about) to match the topic or point of her post. She will simply say “Soundtrack – Flight of the Bumblebee”, etc. And then I re-read her post and I swear to God, I can hear that song in my head the whole time reading. She is usually dead on, too. After listening to quite a few songs in my head, courtesy of her, I began to think about the soundtrack of my life. What songs would I have?

I’m sure you all have them… At least one song that you hear that just touches you, or reminds you of someone or someplace or of a special day. Music does that for me. And even though I am far from musically inclined, music has always meant something special to me. In fact, a song played an important part in my first days of life. I was named after a song… CarrieAnne by The Hollies. Then there are other songs that remind me of people long gone… Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield always reminds me of my Grandma O. (she loved him as Noah Drake on General Hospital). And Hello, Darlin’ by Conway Twitty will always remind me of my Aunt Marion. Songs from occasions in my life… The Lady in Red makes me think of my wedding day. J wanted that to be our first dance song and I refused. The song was later played during the reception and we did dance to it. And for the birth of my children, I had a Nature cd with ocean waves and cello music playing during the birth of all three.

Then there are the songs that the words just seem like they were written for me, whether it be just a verse, the chorus or the entire song. For me, most of these songs tend to be country. Maybe it is the fact that I primarily listen to country music, but I really believe that country music is better at storytelling. And some of those stories just seem to hit home.

I have always wanted to do a scrapbook simply based on the songs for my life. But I can never seem to find the time to scrap at all. However, I am doing a lot of blogging these days. My plan is to periodically show how some of these songs that I would want included in my Soundtrack.

What about you? What songs would be played if your life were shown simply thru music?

Just Because...

I am a nut, and love this movie! And I am practicing my skills at posting videos. The trailer for Pride and Prejudice (2005).

Pride and Prejudice

Hi, my name is Carrie and I am a Romance Addict.... hmmm.. could be because I don't have any in my real life! Books and movies in the romance genre are definitely at the top of my favorites lists. In my DVD collection, I have quite a few romantic movies, Bridget Jones Diary, The Wedding Date, Love Actually and the king of romance, Pride and Prejudice. There are many times when I will just pop one of these in and sit back and enjoy.

I have been on a HUGE Pride and Prejudice kick of late. The BBC production of it from 1995 is one of my favorite DVDs of all time. Sometimes when I need a pick me up or when J is travelling, I will pop it in and just enjoy! I never thought I would see another version that could satisfy me the way this one does. I mean Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy - yummy! Then the the newer version came out late in 2005. I never thought that it would even compete with my favorite version. But oh was I wrong! When the Keira Knightly version came out, I did see it in the theatres, of course, I had to. And I was pleasantly surprised with it. I liked it so much that I did buy the DVD when it came out. But it wasn't til this past month and I started blogging that I had renewed my acquaintance with it.

How does blogging fit in with watching a movie? Lately, I have had to do my computer time on J's laptop at the dining room table since he has taken over the regular computer for a big presentation that he is preparing for. Sitting in the dining room, I have access to a TV however, watching TV and trying to be creative tend to be at odds with each other. Rather than turn the TV off, I decided to pop in a DVD of a movie that I had seen. This way I wouldn't have to concentrate on the movie but instead it would be comfortable background noise for me. Well, I had just read Darcy's Story so I decided to pop the newer version in only because it was shorter than the BBC one.

In watching it, I began to fall desperately in love with Matthew McFadyen's portrayal of Darcy. I don't know what it is but just the dark hair and those eyes. They mesmerized me. I enjoyed watching it so much that I put it in again the next night while I played on the computer some more. Twice in two nights! Yep, like Elizabeth Bennet I was definitely falling for this new Darcy and new version of Pride and Prejudice. Now not to cast aside my old "friend", I naturally had to watch that one again. It took me two nights to watch.



Now I am torn... I don't know which is my favorite. I mean look at these guys... they are both playing the same character and very well too... but yet they are so different.



One of my biggest gripes about the new version is how they had to cut back on some of the plot lines but to fit it into a 2 our format that is understandable. The other thing I really dislike about the new version is the portrayal of Mr. Bingley. He comes across as some doofus. However, Bingley is not the reason that I love Pride and Prejudice anyway so it doesn't really matter.

Since I am not sure which or who is my favorite there is only one thing to do... keep on watching them both until I decide. Ah, such a hard task I have ahead of me!

Reading...

Last year I fell way behind in my reading... in fact, for most of the last 6 months I barely read anything. This is amazing from someone who could read 1-2 books a week. I really don't know what happened. I honestly can only remember reading a handful of books in the last 6 months of the year. And in fact, I can remember more than just a few titles that I started to read and put down... not because they weren't expected to be enjoyable just that I didn't have the time to enjoy them. And the sad thing is that I have friends, wonderful friends, who have sent me lots and lots of books... and they sit.

So this year, I have set a goal of trying to read 50 books.. that is just over 2 per month. And not only is it my goal to read that many books but I would also like to vary my reading choices. I have generally read romance, some mystery... but there are so many other good books that I am missing out on. I created a list on another website of books that I would like to read and books that I have read so far. Some of these books I already have in my possesion others I will need to find at UBS or the library. Also, added to my book reading list are books that my daughters have said, "Mom, you have to read this book!" My daughters both love reading and it only encourages them to share their love of books with me if I sometimes read their favorite books either with them or separately. So some of my TBR list contains recommendations from them.

So far for January I have read two books and am working on another. It's just a matter of making the time and telling myself that I am going to read for at least 15 minutes... which thankfully turns out to be more. I believe that at the end of each month I will do a blog entry detailing the books that I have read that month. Maybe that will help me continue on my mission.

My rants on family...

Now that the Christmas season is officially over... I can finally let loose on those things that happened this year that either upset me or pissed me off. At the forefront of all this would be the actions of my parents. My parents did not come to our family Christmas this year. They had left for South Carolina just two days before. Was there some dire reason they had to leave? Quite frankly, no. You see, the real reason is that my mom detests my SIL that was hosting Christmas this year. And honestly, none of us like her very much, she is bitter and cold. But 11 of my parents grandchildren were going to be there... how could they let petty differences get in the way of that. The other part of this that upset me is that no one would tell me that she was, in fact, not coming. I called one of my brothers, the one who definitely knew, and left a message on his VM asking him if they were going to be there. My brother ignored my phone call and me. Then two days before the party, I had to call that brother again for the cell number of another brother. This time I was able to ask him directly if mom and dad were coming... he stammered a bit and said that he didn't think so, in fact, he thought that they might be leaving that very day. HA! The jerk knew... see at the party, my brother brought out a gift bag for each of the granchildren present. Apparently, my parents arranged to drop them off with his wife that day that I had talked to him. Lies and secrecy... nice little addition to Christmas.

The other incident involved my MIL. Now to be honest, I get along fairly well with my in-laws, in fact, I enjoy spending time with them more than my own parents. However, every now and then one or the other will do or say something that usually sets me off. My in-laws usually save their Christmas shopping til the last week and do it all in one stop. At one point, my MIL said how hard my kids were to shop for(in fact, my kids have fairly extensive gift lists with ideas from clothes to books to games to electronics). So after looking at the gifts I had purchased for my kids, I called my MIL up to offer her a game that I had for my son. At this point, she said "thank you" but that she was buying clothes for all of the kids (which at this point I was sure when she said all the kids, what she meant was MY kids and not all of her grandchildren). She then went on to mention that she was also giving them money.... for COLLEGE... F-O-R --- C-O-L-L-E-G-E.... (I wish that I could have an audio of the way in which it was said... for she dragged it out and it came out rather snidely). At this point, she then asked... "They do have college funds, don't they?" I was surprised at how it was said and that it was asked at all. I didn't know what to say except that yes, in fact, they do. The phone conversation bothered me for a few days and especially so after she called me after their shopping excursion and said that she wanted to take me up on my offer of the gift for my son. I told the kids that part of their gifts from grandma and grandpa was money but that it was supposed to go into their college fund. I did this so the kids knew that they shouldn't consider it part of their everyday savings and announce it as such. (Although I have to admit it was rather funny when K#2 asked me "but what if I don't want to go to college?" But that is a story for another day.)Well, it wasn't bad enough that she said it to me in such a way but on Christmas day when she handed the kids each in envelope with their $20 she stressed and accented with a finger point to each of my kids... "For C-O-L-L-E-G-E!"..."For C-O-L-L-E-G-E!"..."For C-O-L-L-E-G-E!" Why should this upset me I am not exactly sure... as a gift, it is certainly her right to request how the money is to be used. But it was the manner in which it was said to me and my kids.

So despite my frustrations and agitation over both incidents, I am glad that I had some time to stew about them. I was able to work my way thru them and not blow up. My mother is who she is and will continue to do and say things that alienates herself further from my affections. However, no matter my feelings I would never intentionally keep her grandchildren from her. However, if she is going to purposely avoid opportunities to visit with her grandchildren then I am not going to bend over backwards trying to accomodate her. As for my MIL, while I do love her she has always felt free to voice her opionions. For the most part that is fine. However, on some occasions when she has conveyed her feelings, some of her opinions have been hurtful (our wedding and K#1's baptism). Why she felt the need to stress it not once, not twice but three times, I do not know. But rather than cause a rift on Christmas, it seemed easier to let it go (okay, I am still working on it). The only thing that I can do is to learn from these incidents. Try to remember when my children are grown with families of their own how to act, react and phrase questions and concerns.

One last one...

Christmas gathering, that is. When my Grandma was alive, my extended family got together on Christmas Eve each year. But after she passed in 1986, there were those (my mom at the forefront) who wanted it changed to a different date. For awhile it was moved to the weekend after Christmas, however, that was generally a busy weekend for some as well, so the date was moved to January, usually at the discretion of the host/hostess. This year my Aunt S was the hostess, which was nice not only because it is the closest for us but also, my Aunt knows how to throw a party.

Besides S&D, D&J and L&J were there. As for cousins, Shelli, Shannon, Debi, Lisa and even Don were there. Two of my brothers were there with their families as well. My parents, of course, were not there having left for South Carolina in December. The most surprising of all was Don. I rarely get to see my Aunt J's kids... Dede because of distance (she lives on the east coast although to be fair, she is the one that I have probably seen the most in recent years), Don sometimes puts in an appearance but usually a short lived one while Denise has not come to one in years. Don has always appeared as aloof and indifferent to family. He mainly shows for his mother's sake, I have always assumed. However, this time he not only showed but did not leave until we did after 1:00 a.m. It was great to not only talk with him but to enjoy it as well. Turns out he is quite the renaisance man... funny yet philosophical.

At our family gatherings, there is food, drink (This year I downed a shot of Goldshlagger - UGH!) and a gift exchange. For the gift exchange everyone who wishes to participate is asked to bring a $15 generic gift. We then sit in a circle and the gift is passed either to the left or the right. The direction is determined based on a story that my Aunt J writes based on information regarding each family member. Whenever the word "left" or "right" is mentioned, then the presents are passed in those directions. The story usually brings great laughter and this year was no different.

The best thing about parties at S&D's house is that we usually end up staying late, laughing and talking. This year was no exception! Most people left by 9:00 p.m. however a few of us stayed longer. Five of my cousins, the DH and myself and of course, S&D. We sat laughing, drinking (some more than others... DEBI! ) We finally left at 1:15 a.m. after waking up the kids who had fallen asleep long before. It was a great time!

Do You Suffer From a Phobia?

There are so many different phobias these days, in fact, one for just about everything imaginable. There are phobias such as Acrophobia (fear of heights), Dentophobia (fear of dentists), Technophobia (fear of technology) and Philophobia (fear of phobias). Like millions of other people I, too, suffer from a phobia however, do you know what is worse than having a phobia... having a phobia that is not named! Yes, it's true... I searched the internet and could find nothing on it. Since I can find no tag for my phobia I have named it myself. It is postophobia. Yes, that's right. I suffer from a fear of post offices. Now this should not be confused with the postal carriers because in fact I love my mailman... well, most of the time. It is actually just post offices that I have a fear of. At least I must have because I can never seem to get myself to one to mail packages! Last year I had a package for a BB member who was being hospitalized. Do you know how long that package sat here? Three months! I finally opened it all up and dispersed the contents to other recipients. (BTW, that ill BB member received flowers instead after her treatments were completed.) It happened this summer as well. I would buy tons of stuff to send to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, however, so much of the stuff sat here either still in their Target bags or in shipping boxes. I did brave the post office a few times to send some out but so much of the stuff just sat. It was sad really.

Well, in July my brother-in-law, "J" was deployed. He spent his first 3 months of deployment in the States before heading for Kosovo. I promised him that I would send him packages and that I had some friends who would love to send him stuff as well. I knew that I could brave the post office - I mean really... this was my BIL! Of course, I would send stuff. Well, from the moment he touched down in Germany, I started shopping. I bought fun stuff, and snacks, DVDs and magazines. And... it sat! Finally, in December, 1 month after "J" arrived in Kosovo, the DH asked if I was ever going to do anything with all the stuff in the Target bags. So we sat and filed up 3.5 boxes of stuff. I taped them up and then... they sat... this time in boxes...but still they sat! Now so I don't sound like quite the heartless sister-in-law, I did mail cards to him and some included ITunes G.C.s but those were easy. I could either give them to the mailman or drop them in the box outside the post office.

Now while I was cowering in fear at the thought of going to the post office, my friends had sent cards and packages to him. One of these even included a cute little Charlie Brown Christmas tree. And what had I sent... well, no packages anyway! So this week, I knew... I just knew that I had procrastinated... errr.. I mean, been afraid for far too long! I needed to suck it up and force myself to the post office. I had made one earlier attempt but had forgotten to bring along "J's" address so even though I made it inside that time, I had had to turn right around and go back out. So on Thursday, I had all 3 of the boxes, a large envelope bound for Canada and 7 letters (one was a belated birthday card, that hadn't been late if only I had found some stamps). I walked inside and thank gawd it wasn't crowded so I couldn't use that as an excuse. I tried to find my "happy spot" as I battled the demons of fear and stood in line. Soon it was my turn at the counter and not a moment too soon.

"J's" packages were first.. well apparently I was too vague on his customs forms. Apparently writing toiletries and snacks was not enough... I need to write what types of these items are in there. So I gave her more detailed info... it didn't really matter as it was all lies anyway. Well, not completely, but really, I bought the stuff over 2 months ago and packaged it last month. How was I supposed to remember details. Well, except for the one smaller box that contained bottles of Lemonade Vitamin Water - liquid, a definite "no-no" in shipping. However, this little bit of info I figured they didn't really need. Next up was my envie to Canada... apparently that needed a customs form too... imagine that! However, at that point the postal clerk started making additions and adjustments to my parcel. Now it wasn't as if I wasn't already trembling, trying to reign control over my fear but after having been reprimanded (okay, maybe it was more of an informative telling) and then she pulls out her big red marker (umm... black pen) and starts making corrections (BTW, did you know that Canada post (or was it customs?) prefers all CAPS when addressing their envelopes?. I managed to get thru it, bought some stamps as well and had all packages, envelopes and cards taking from me and sent on their way. I then raced out of there as if the hounds of hell were biting at my heels. But I had done it! I had braved the post office and finally, yes, FINALLY! mailed off packages to "J".

So until my phobia is recognized I must continue to be brave and tough it out... or really just get off my lazy ass and get to the post office sooner!

The Real Reason Rummy got fired!

I love this one!

What have I done??

My other blog is on my Yahoo 360 page... that one was fairly easy to set up. This one I fear is going to take a bit more time. I've tried reading thru the set-up options but it all looks like Greek to me. Not sure if it is the fact that it is after midnight or the fact that I am not exactly techno savvy as I'd like. Right now it looks so plain and if I am going to have one, I would really like it to at least look half-way decent. I may have to go to the Brigade's resident blogger expert for assistance.

Then there is also the privacy issue. My Yahoo 360 blog is viewable by invitation only. There I have pictures of friends and family, talk about everyday family life and because I can control who views it I don't worry too much about posting names of my family and friends. With this blog, I would like to keep it for public display but then I have to be careful and put a tighter reign on the info I provide. Well, since so much life involves my kids it is inevitable that I will be talking about them here. However, I really don't wish to post their names here. So how to do it? One friend, Lemon Stand, refers to her daughters as DD#1, DD#2, etc... Another friend, Ranger, gave all those involved stage names...yet another alternative. But seeing as I am not that creative, I will probably go with the more straightforward of the two... unless I should get struck by a bolt of creative lightning. However, it is the middle of winter and no lightning storm in sight.

Here we go again

It's not as if I have enough time to keep the family blog up to date.. I have now added a second one to my life. But what the hell, why not? This one will be for the stuff I may not always want to post on the other and yet sometimes something will just be so damn good that I will post the same to both.

The way my life is going right now I am going to need more duct tape!