I got tagged...

Zerodoll got me!

I don't normally do "chain blogs" so I totally don't care if you do this or not...(ditto)

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1) shelly
2) zydeco fish
3) doris
4) zerodoll
5) blah blah blah

Next select five people to tag (Sorry!):
1) jayfish
2) overread
3) I’m lame – I don’t really know anyone else
4)
5)

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I was trying to figure out how I was going to get the wedding I wanted. Z guy had just moved to California and we were planning to get married in August. We didn’t have the money for the kind of bash I really wanted; I was getting very frustrated. Three of my bridesmaids were pregnant and would be between 8 and 7 months in August. Things were just not going smoothly. I was still working at the OSU and in the end, I went to visit him during our spring break and we eloped to Tahoe. I had let my grandmother in on it at the last minute because she was making my dress. She got it done in time and I felt so beautiful.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Same thing I am doing right now, working and planning DD’s birthday party.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1) guacamole (ditto)
2) corn chips & salsa
3) snickers
4) pears
5) pistachios

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1) The Reflex - Duran Duran (i know almost all the lyrics of all the D2 songs, sad huh)
2) Boston & St. Johns – Great Big Sea
3) Everytime You Say Goodbye – Alison Krauss & Union Station
4) My Strongest Suit – Elton John/Tim Rice Aida
5) Lover’s Return – Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:(it's gotta be a multi-millionaire; these days, a million bucks buys a shack in some parts of the world) [ditto - my answers do not change from what zerodoll had writtenJ]
1) quit my job
2) buy a wonderful house
3) provide for my family
4) donate a bunch to charity
5) travel

Five bad habits:
1) I procrastinate about everything
2) When I’m cranky, I don’t often spare the folks around me
3) I slouch – I’ll be an old crone one day
4) I sometimes don't stand up for myself (ditto)
5) I don't call my family enough (ditto)

Five things you like doing:
1) taking a sauna shower for at least 30 minutes
2) watching tv
3) reading a good book
4) pulling weeds
5) driving very fast

Five things you would never wear again:
1) leggings in general – my legs are too thin
2) fluorescent colored anything
3) the teeny tiny bikini I wore on my honeymoon – again I’m too thin for this
4) my hair in the mullet style
5) culottes or gauchos – and apparently they are coming back into style

Five favorite toys:
1) iPod Nano
2) digital camera
3) my computer for using InDesign and Photoshop
4) tivo
5) my little ponies – I’m at a loss here…

I'm Bummed

No real good reason really. Seems like the big corporations are swallowing up the little mom and pop places. Disney bought Pixar. Pthhhht... I feel really let down. I thought for sure they wouldn't cave in but it looks like making money won.

Today at our company meeting, my boss mentioned how we are planning to double our size in the next 5 years. Great, right? For some reason it just makes me feel ill. I have no desire whatsoever to grow this business in the directions they are planning. We have already changed from where we were 5 years ago (and we have doubled since then thanks to being purchased by a bigger corporation). I know in many ways it can be a good thing. It must be PMS. Many things are making me upset lately.

I am not a big fan of change. I know my place and I am most comfortable doing what I already know. It is not fair (those of you who know me may now laugh at this last statement).

I'll be back when I'm in a better mood. I need to reflect on what is really important.

What's Up

1. My computer at home is on the fritz - therefore I am posting from - GASP! - work

2. AB is ready to crawl, still - she's finally getting her knees under her yet she doesn't move anywhere - just rocks back and forth. I took her to the Dr. on Friday for her 9 mo. exam. She is in the 10-20 percentile for weight, the 25-50 percentile for height and in the 75 percentile for her head circumfrence - look at the size of that HEID! (ref to So I Married An Axe Murderer - go Mike Meyers)

3. RaRa is getting worse. Z guy and I are discussing whether or not it is time to put her down. Neither of us want to face that reality or have that kind of power over another individual creature. It is making us cranky.

4. DD is her happy boisterous self. Yesterday she helped me in the yard. We picked worms out of the mud and she made them a new dirt home in an old plastic container. Before we went inside for naptime, we let the worms go. She wasn't so thrilled about this but I explained to her that they needed the plants as well as the dirt. That did not change her mind. She'd have much preferred it if they would have been happy in the box she made.

Poetry Friday

Jo(e) recommended blogging some poetry on Friday. I thought that sounded fun so here is one of my favorite poems (it is also a favorite of my mother).

The Swing

by Robert Louis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

funny thing is that i always thought the first line was: "Oh, how I love to go up in a swing...

Party Planning

DD's birthday is coming up. I've been debating whether or not to have a 'party' for her since November. We have only one relative in town who could attend and only a few other friends most of whom do not have children. Well I decided last weekend, Saturday in fact, that we would have a party and invite some of her friends from day school. Because our dog is having some problems, we would not have the party at our house. So to Chuck E. Cheese we go. We took DD on Sunday to see if she'd like it and she did. I went online to reserve a party space and tentatively set the number for 4 children. I made some invitations with PS using My Little Pony characters and then started thinking of whom we'd invite. I asked DD who she wanted to invite from school. She's an outgoing girl but I really didn't expect her to name practically EVERY SINGLE KID in her class. She also wanted to invite a few friends from other day care homes that she's attended. I know, I could have nipped this in the bud but I got caught up in the excitement. I am now inviting 14 children.

I asked my husband to get the names of the kids that she plays with the most from the teacher when he dropped DD off at school. He only got four names. I thought this was a little odd because they were only girl names and DD had mentioned several boys, one J in particular. So when I picked DD up at school we gave invitations to the four previously mentioned and to four more that DD recommended to me personally, right there on the spot. We go home and I tell Z guy what I've done, quite proud of myself. Z guy gets mildly upset that I didn't just stick to the four but mostly that I gave an invitation to the little boy J. He tells me that DD is scared of J because he chases her and yells at her. But she told me that she wanted him to come, I say. Then I turn to DD and ask if J is a nice boy or if he mean. She tells me that he's mean. I'm really surprised and upset. I ask her if she wants him to come to her party and she says no. Now I'm really upset (Glines syndrome approaching...). I'm just sure that she's saying this now because Z guy has just mentioned that he thinks J is mean. I'm so confused. Z guy and I confer trying to decide whether or not we should try to take back the invitation (I'd left them late in the day with the teacher so the children/parents wouldn't get them until the morning). Z guy decides if he gets there early enough, he will take back the invite. I'm really mortified about this. I just think it is so wrong.

When he gets to school in the morning, J's mother has already dropped him off and picked up the invite - GASP! What are we to do! I calm down after a bit thinking that maybe it won't be so bad. It is only one day and one little party at a very crowded place. Perhaps no one will notice a little hellion terrorizing my beautiful daughter - Oh dear. When I pick DD up after work, I ask her teacher if J is really bad and if he and DD play together. She tells me that he is a handful but that yes they do play. She says he's quite intense so much so that generally he is the life of the party to the other kids. Whew! I feel much better.

When I get home, I check my email. I have one RSVP already. It is from J's mother. He won't be attending. It is Super Bowl Sunday and they have prior arrangements. For some reason I feel both relieved and disappointed.

Too True

You scored as Peter Pan. Your alter ego is Peter Pan. You are a child at heart. Anything you believe is possible, and you never want to grow up. Peter Pan 81% Cinderella 69% Sleeping Beauty 56% Donald Duck 50% Goofy 44% Ariel 44% Pinocchio 38% The Beast 31% Snow White 25% Cruella De Ville 25% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

I'm Back - Trivia Time

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Mendi!

1. Mendi is worth her weight in gold - literally.
2. Mendi is the only one of the original Seven Wonders of the World that still survives.
3. Birds do not sleep in mendi, though they may rest in her from time to time.
4. Duelling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are mendi.
5. 68 percent of all UFO sightings are by mendi.
6. All swans in England belong to mendi.
7. The average duration of sexual intercourse for mendi is two minutes.
8. Until the 1960s, mendi was not allowed to enter Disneyland.
9. A lump of mendi the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court.
10. When mendi is swallowed, she will enter the blood stream within twenty minutes.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

As seen on Overread and Fishfood

Four Things Meme

Four Jobs You've Had in Your Life
Sales Associate (I hated this job the most – sold ‘reseach’ services)
Laboratory Technician (the best job overall)
Clerk at Drug Store (RevCo)
Food Service (McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Frontier City Amusement Park, Bowling Alley)


Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
The Empire of the Sun (I’m not sure why I love this movie so much – the song that the boy sings haunts me)
Fiddler on the Roof
Indiana Jones (either the first or the third but definitely not the second one)
An Affair to Remember

(Four Movies I’m Currently Watching Over and Over and Over and Over…
The Goofy Movie
Toy Story
Care Bears: Big Wish Movie
Stitch the Movie)


Four Places You've Lived (I don’t get around much)
San Ramon, California
Montclair, California
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Edmond, Oklahoma


Four TV Shows You Love To Watch (this is a revolving list because I watch way too much TV)
Medium
Desperate Housewives
Stargate SG-1
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (so sad to see it go but will still watch in syndication)


Four Places You've Been on Vacation
Maui, Hawaii
Caracas, Venezuela
San Salvador Island, Bahamas
Seattle, Washington


Four Blogs You Visit Daily (well almost daily – i’m still a newbie at this)
Overread
fishfood
Phantom Scribbler
Writing as Jo(e)


Four of Your Favorite Foods (only four!?)
Mexican Food – if it has refried beans, chips, cheese and sour cream, I must have it
Baked Potato with butter, cheese, sour cream, ham and chives
Big Juicy Filet Mignon – medium rare please
Cinnamon Morning Bun from Betty’s – the bomb!


Four Places I'd Rather Be
At home playing hide & seek with DD
A warm quiet beach
At Café Du Monde in New Orleans sipping café ole with my Mom
In Seattle with my two girlfriends, drinking Guinness and watching Great Big Sea


Four Albums You Can't Live Without (This is a hard one, there are so many to choose from – I’ll just give you four – that’s what you asked for, right?!)
Nanci Griffith – Dust Bowl Symphony
Gino Vannelli – Live in Montreal
Garth Brooks – Double Live
Great Big Sea – Road Rage


Four Vehicles I've Owned
1976 Silver Anniversary MG Midget – White (my first car)
70-something VW Bug – Beige
90 Geo Storm – Blue
80ish Pontiac Firebird - White

as seen at Overread

Earning Our Keep

bbb: DD, would you like to help daddy feed Rah Rah?

Z Guy: Yeah, DD, would you like to earn some money for your piggy bank?

DD: Yes!

Z Guy: How much would you like to earn?

DD: [holds up both hands with all fingers extended.]

Z Guy: Ten? Okay, Help me feed Rah Rah and BK (our lovely orange kitty).

[animals get fed and it is time to collect the cash]

Z Guy: DD, here you go [he holds out one small dime]

DD: [throwing herself on the floor, wailing] NOoooooooooooo!

Z Guy: What? DD, what is it? You said you wanted ten, and this is ten cents.

DD: [in between fake sobbing] It's...only...one...I wanted...ten

bbb: [laughing hysterically from the kitchen table] Ha ha ha - I knew it! DD, why don't you see if you can help daddy count out ten pennies.

DD: Ye-yah [sniff, sniff]

Z Guy: Here you go DD, one...two...three...

There, the world is all better now.

AB eating crackers

She's grown so much. Her 9 month birthday was just a few days ago. She's ahead of her sister in weight, getting teeth and eating some solids (cheerios and crackers). It makes me very sad. I want her to stay a baby forever but at the same time I love to see her grow. She almost idolizes her older sister if one can do that at this young age. DD can make AB smile almost every time. AB has a beautiful smile. She is extremely ticklish to and can giggle so much. The happiness is balanced by her sadness, or the expression of it when she is upset. DD never cried this much. Since AB is the baby, she is certainly getting spoiled.

She can also wave and is quite proud of her newest acheivement.

Sugar Before Bed

Last night DD finally finished most of her dinner so we offered to let her have some cake. She’d gone with me to the grocery earlier in the day and we had picked out a small cake to have for dessert. She called it her birthday cake (she knows that her birthday is coming too). She cleaned the cake of all it’s icing – obviously her favorite part. I believe she did take one bite out of the cake part but then she was done. We’d had dinner late (again) so it was practically time to get ready for bed the moment she finished eating. I let her play for a bit though – good thing, bad – I don’t know. Twenty minutes later we began the bedtime ritual of teeth brushing, potty time, pjs and story time. DD never likes to get ready for bed but due to ingestion of sugar, we had an even more enjoyable time – duh! All in all, there have been other times that were much more difficult to get through though.

And We Have a Tooth

AB has a tooth! The lower left incisor has broken through. The incisor next to it is soon to be here. She seems to be handling it okay save that she doesn’t want to sleep more than 3 hours by herself. She is being transitioned to the crib as well. I am not doing a very good job here. I’ve tried to let her cry a bit to see if she‘ll go back to sleep but if she cries longer than 5 minutes I go get her and just bring her to bed with me. I don’t get good sleep but I get a little. I know, I need to let go of her. She is just the sweetest little thing. So is DD. I am so blessed

Yeah, Bunny!

it's all about me. deal with it.


Who's Your Happy Bunny?
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