Saving the World, One File at a Time! 2010-02-07 11:21:00
Noah's question for today: "What is the point of using Jedi mind tricks on stupid people?"
Discuss!
Thank you, Teacherninja, for the nomination.
• Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
• Link the person who nominated you.
• Name seven things about yourself that no one would really know.
• Nominate ten “Sugar Dolls.”
• Post links to the ten blogs you nominate.
• Leave a comment on each letting them know you nominated them.
Finding seven things that people wouldn't really know is rather difficult. I thought that listing that I was a control freak would be considered universal knowledge, so I had to move unto something else.
1. I believe dogs and cats should be spayed, or neutered to help decrease the sad circumstances that are produced by unwanted and uncared for animals.
2. I have fond memories of square hamburgers because my maternal grandmother would drive in to Columbus near the "Bypass" to go to Krystals. She would always put napkins around the salt and pepper shakers because, "You never know who touched them before you got there." I love mustard, dill pickles, and bread. I don't deviate from what I order there, or Subway for that matter. My brother is autistic, but he hasn't cornered the market on repetitive behavior. For example, Subway has a menu that offers so many choices, but I always order: a 6inch Subway Club with pepper jack cheese, toasted with lettuce, sliced dill pickles, tomatoes, heavy on the spinach, and plain yellow mustard (I can't stand the other stuff, which surprises me, yet is absolutely true).
3. I like so many different things and enjoy talking about them without ever having mastered any of the subjects that I come off as a repository for useless and inane facts, but Hey I like it that way. My guess is this tendency has led me to spend an inordinate amount of time watching the series QI on youtube.com.
4. I consistently lose Scrabble games against my husband. He is a master of getting words that count in two directions, while I am looking to make the coolest word. This really is my only strategy because I don't think well on multiple planes. I'm like the triangles in Flatland...one dimensional and dangerous if you bump into me (that is why we stopped playing Monopoly too).
5. My daughter says I'm not funny...maybe I was twice...in her opinion. I sometimes get laughing so hard at something I, alone, find witty that my sides ache. That is a good time, my friends.
6. I will go to the store to buy something and find something incidental on the way. If I continue shopping I will make the case for and against buying the incidental object. Usually not buying wins out (even in the case of chocolate...tell no one).
7. I think the spork is one of the handy dandiest of cool inventions.
:::::::::::Book Review::::::::
Amelia Peabody is tired of the Victorian trappings both ideologically and physically. I think she would burn her bra, as well, but by the author's description of Amelia that wouldn't be a great idea. Amelia is someone who speaks her mind and due to an inheritance can do so without worrying to much about the consequences. The information on Egypt was interesting along with some of the preservation techniques. There were a few times where I would think to myself, "get on with it already" because the author rehashed things a bit too much, but the characters have a lot of potential. There were several pithy lines between the sparring couple Amelia and Radcliffe Emerson. I enjoyed their interacctions. Not an outstanding beginning to a series, but still worth checking out book 2.
:::::::::::::Yearbook Music:::::::
I have been working on the kids yearbook again this year and I'm becoming "snowblind" looking and relooking at photos, but I thought of this song and it made me nostaligic and I just think it's cool:
:::::::::::::Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?
Spongebob Squarepants, as many people know. We had a request from a friend and her daughter to help make a 1 year-old's party a bit more fun in the cake department. I enlisted the help of my favorite creative genius and we used date night to help decorate this birthday cake:
Everyone pitched in. Favihola (grandmother to our birthday girl) baked the cakes, made the tube worm and some sea grass. Michael trimmed the cakes. I frosted and covered them with fondant. Michael made the pineapple the red & orange coral, and the cute pink octopus. Alex (uncle) made Gary the Snail and cut out the flowers, Christina (mom) made Nemo, the jellyfish, sea stars, bubbles and some seagrass. Favihola made Planktons body and ears and I stuck on his eye bits. Richard (dad) made a giant clam with a pearl.
The toothpicks will get pulled out today for the party. Happy 1st Birthday, Eliana!
A Cat with No Name
The torrential rains bring this song to mind:
::::::::::::Book Review::::::::::
The story of an ordinary girl with busy, unaware parents, in an extraordinary house. Coraline is brave and loyal and realizes getting everything you want isn't really what you want at all. The book is creepy, yet endearing. I was especially fond of the black cat with no name. He didn't need a name because he already knew who he was. My daughter, Rachel, recommended this book to me and I really enjoyed it.
::::::::::::::Another Oldie, but Goodie::::::::
:::::::::::::::Conversations with My Kids:::::
On Thursday Noah and Eve were having a discussion and Eve mentioned something about me being mom. I must preface this with a prior conversation that Noah and Eve had where Eve told me to get her water because I was the maid. Noah, vehemently, defended my position in the family as "mom". Eve finally relented and had to ask politely for assistance. Back to Thursday...Eve asked me something and I sarcastically asked, "Oh, I thought I was 'The Maid'?"
Eve replied, "You're THE MOM!"
Noah said, "You were demotted."
Mom: "So, being a mom is a demotion?"
Noah: "No...well yes. A maid gets paid."
Warm fuzzies...people...do you feel them?
:::::::::::::::Chad Vader:::::::
Rachel, Noah and I watched a show I found on HULU.com. Chad Vader,Day Shift Manager, is about the brother of Darth Vader. Chad works at the Empire Market, which is a grocery store. Each show is about 5 minutes long and completely nuts. Check it out if you are a sci fi geek.
Off to read.
This Lack of Posting Has Been Interrupted to Say…
The Noahism of the Day:
Noah: "Why do kids have to wear warm clothes?"
Mom: "So you want freeze your butt off."
Noah: "I will some day freeze my butt off to have that exact discussion."
Stay frosty!
Happy Surprisavversary!!!
Michael surprised me for our 20th wedding anniversary by taking me to a bed and breakfast in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Martha's Mountain Magnolia Inn & Retreat
We stayed in the Buckeye Room:
The footbridge into town:
Breakfast Day 1
Breakfast potatoes: russet potatoes with sweet potatoes and carmalized onions
coddled eggs with parmesan cheese
whole grain toast
biscuits
bacon
chicken sausage
plain yogurt
hemp nut granola
fruit platter:strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, honeydew
Dinner:
Seared Filet Mignon in
Demi glaze
sauteed spinach
Chocolate Mousse
Breakfast Day 2
Organic scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese
raspberry and white chocolate scones
apple cinnamon scones
baked cinnamon apples
Oatmeal
raisins
walnuts
cranberries
bacon
sausage
whole grain toast
orange juice
biscuits
The dinner and breakfast chefs are amazing!
We took a couple of pictures of Michael loitering because we wanted Rachel to laugh. It is a Brian Regan joke:
"Shovels and rakes and other implements of destruction"...
::::::::Grove Park Inn:::::
Michael drove us over to see the Gingerbread entries. Here are several of my favorites:
::::::
Michael took us to the Biltmore (Builtmore) House. We liked the decore in the servants quarters, the bowling alley and pool. The rest leaned to a house of ill repute decor.
:::::::::For My Dad:::::
see more Epic Fails
Smiles...
Victoria
My Day
I finished yanking most of the stuff out of the boys' room so I could steam clean their carpet. Best laid plans went a rye...so the boys furniture is in the hall and in our room until I can get the steam cleaner repaired/rent one/or my mom will replace my old machine with a new one for her that I can borrow. Either way it will get done.2. I took photos for the yearbook, again today, of High Touch, High Tech. This program is an in-school field trip. Eve's class was there today. I was able to see her with the bugs, which was the theme.
3. I was also the library volunteer for the afternoon. I really dig this opportunity to talk books with kids and adults.
4. Made a pan of baklava for my Aunt Loly's Christmas present. My mom will deliver it on Saturday. Made up the fixin's for another pan for Thanksgiving at my dad's house. I just need to buy some more honey.
5. Laughed, but though it wasn't a bad idea, when Michael said that if a movie was ever made of his life he wanted the role to go to Tim Roth.
******Current Personal Reading Book***
I'm enjoying the insights.
*********Book Reviews*******
I recommend this book to all tween girls and their older counterparts. I enjoyed the twist on the fairytale stories. There is a lot of bumps and bruises on the way to true love and the fairytale ending, but it kept the story lively. The part of the story with the leprechaun, the computer gremlins and Ding Dongs was quite amusing. Oh how I do appreciate shampoo and a good bath too after reading this book. It's fun read...give it a try.
A girl trying to figure out who she wants to be and trying to be comfortable in her own skin. This is a so so book for girls who feel a bit out of sorts becoming a tween.
I ended up reading this book on my walk to the park. I was supposed to return the book to the library because Rachel had already read it. I'm interested in the books she reads. She likes some of mine too. She will be reading The Help after she finishes My Fair Godmother. I actually read My Fair Godmother before she did because I saw it on Kim's shelfari.
*******Amazon Delivery that caused the most excitement at the house:
These new books will be our up coming family night reads:
We will actually read this one first.
:::::::::::NCIS...Power Down:
Check out the show if you have time . There is even a Dr. Who reference, which made me laugh. A Kojak reference too. I watch/watched both shows.
Happy Birthday, Jessica
My sister, Katherine, called me last week and asked if I would make a topsy turvy cake for her daughter, Jessica's, 21st birthday. I said sure, so she and my stepmom, Alice, drove up and we shopped for the ingredients. We purchased French Vanilla cake and Strawberry cake mixes. We also got pink petal dust and rose gel coloring to use with the fondant. I mixed up the buttercream frosting for the cakes on Saturday. I put seedless raspberry in the middle of the French Vanilla like I did for the last cake creation. It seems to be popular.
Rachel and Eve wanted to help so they got to apply the luster dust to some of the stars and all of the fondant ball border. I spent the time quite amiably by listening to Pride and Prejudice playing on the television. Rachel wanted to watch it and I love the Kiera Knightly/Matthew McFadden version. It was great reciting lines from the movie while rolling, cutting and applying fondant decorations.
This is Eve helping put petal dust on the dimensional stars:
This one is Rachel putting petal dust on the balled fondant border:
This one is me making the pink bow to go around the top tier:
Rachel requests a slice of cake:
Michael says that it tastes good:
Jessica, Rachel and My sister Tracy:
My funny and cute niece, Haley:
Did I mention funny?
A satisfying outcome and a lot of laughs with my sisters. BTW, Katherine refused to be allow her photograph on the blog. She is beautiful, too. Her story of the homeless man that stopped her in traffic got funnier with each telling. Life is truly an adventure and isn't it lovely that cake is a part of that!
Smiles!
