Improving with age

Or so says my eye doctor. It had been four years since I had been to the eye doctor, since the last time I was due I was pregnant. I had also had the same frames for six years (just changed the lenses last time). So, I finally decided it was time to go, especially when I was having trouble reading signs. Looks like I'm improving with age! Turns out that my eyes actually got better. I couldn't see because the lenses I had were too strong! How bizarre. Unfortunately for our bank account, I have my father's skin issues (though not quite as severely as he does), so I have to get the supremo expensive titanium frames (or the plastic ones, which I just do not like, and yes, I did try some). I like them, though. They're taking a little getting used to, since the lenses are so much smaller than my old ones. They are not at all shaped the way I usually like my glasses, and they are much more "hip" than I usually go for. Wanna see? (And please forgive my hair in the second picture!) Hey, I'm wearing red in both pictures (different shirts, though). I didn't notice that until now.

The old me:


And the new me:


Currently feeling: seeing well

2007 Oscars - not too bad

I've certainly done worse! I got 14/24, or 58%, which isn't all that bad really (particularly considering how few films I saw this year). I feel like I've done well if I make 60%, so one more category would have done it (it's all Pan's Labyrinth's fault!). Not as good as the year I managed close to 75%, but not nearly as bad as the year I pulled like a 43%. All in all, I'm pretty happy with my results. And there are really only three categories I might have chosen better if if I'd thought about it longer (did my picks in about 10 minutes before the show), so I'm pretty happy with that.

And yes, Luke did go back to sleep and stay that way through the rest of the night. DH definitely wins the Best Daddy Comforter award. :-)

Currently feeling: completed

Not my intended evening

I'd like to thank the person who invented the DVR for allowing me to see all of the Academy Awards tonight, despite having to get up multiple times and check on my son....

We think Luke has been having nightmares tonight. This is the second time he has woken up crying and very agitated. He is shaking when we enter the room, and he keeps looking at the wall at the foot of his bed like he is afraid of it (there's nothing on it, not even a picture). This is absolutely not normal behavior for him. Usually he mostly sleeps through the night, or if not, he very easily entertains himself or puts himself back to sleep. It is heartbreaking to see him so upset and to not really be able to comfort him. He went back down pretty easily the first time, but not so much this time. DH is upstairs with him right now, reading him a book and rocking him, trying to soothe him enough to go back to bed. I feel really bad for him! I know what it is like to have dreams like that. I had two in one night a couple of nights ago (they were caffiene related for me, but I *had* to take the Excedrine or my head would have split open). They are very disorienting, and it is very hard to get back to sleep afterwards. I will admit that I was very grateful DH was there to comfort me. I just hope this doesn't become a nightly thing because he now realizes we will come and check on him if he gets upset. But let's not invent problems that don't exist. Right now, we still have to get him back in bed.

And the nominees are: DH for Best Daddy Comforter

Currently feeling: soothing

Are movies a waste of time?

I originally had this at the end of the movie meme (see next post), but I decided to cut it out and make it a separate thing.

I think some people are missing (what I think is) the point of this meme. The instructions say

It's been said that allegedly if you've seen over 85 movies you have no life.

It's not that having seen 85 or more movies in general is a waste of time. I think it's saying that seeing 85 of these *particular* films is, in the author's opinion, worthless time. And for a huge number of the films on this list, I agree. (That is just my opinion! You are welcome to yours.) That's why I had only seen 86 of them, with only six others that I'm even interested in but have not seen. I have had more than ample opportunity to see most if not all of the films here. I simply chose not to because I felt they would be waste of time (or too scary for me, depending on the film). 90-ish out of 240-ish sure isn't many. Barely 1/3 ( 92 (86 seen + 6 want to) / 239 = 37.657%, if you must know). And of those, there is at least one I do consider a sheer waste of 2+ hours of my life (Hulk). I didn't find much worthwhile about Meet the Parents or Highlander either (except that it yielded the television series, which I quite enjoyed).

Now, if that is what the author of this list is saying, then there are definitely a few films that need to be removed from this list immediately! The Wizard of Oz has been adored by generations and will continue to be for generations. It is a fantastic film, a true classic, and in no way a waste of anyone's viewing time. Star Wars (the REAL ones, not those new fangled things), the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Princess Bride are definitely new classics and will go on to be the Gone With the Wind and Ben Hur and Wizard of Oz of my generation. I have no doubt of that. There are plenty of others that I have watched and will continue to watch many many times, so I obviously consider them worthwile and in no way a waste of my time.

We won't mention the fact that I averaged seeing 50 films a year for at least 5 years, some of which are on this list, but many of which are not. And very few of those were a waste. I own close to 300 DVDs (I think). And believe it or not, I have seen plenty of movies we don't actually own. Movies are not a waste of time. They are a cultural group experience. They are the modern version of sitting around the fire and telling tales. That experience pervades almost every culture on earth! We simply do it differently now. Less personal, perhaps, but still a powerful communal shared experience. And a great escape from the real world! And sometimes, a life-changing event or deeply emotional release. All films aren't worth your time, but the great ones are worth far more.

Currently feeling: preachy

86 out of 239

It's been said that allegedly if you've seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x's by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, change the header adding your number, and post it.

(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
(X) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far: 9 out of 22. Pretty poor showing on my part.

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(X) Harry Potter 1
(X) Harry Potter 2
(X) Harry Potter 3
(X) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(X) The Village
(X) Lilo & Stitch

Total so far: 15 out of 43. Yikes, I'm getting worse! And how did Lilo & Stitch get on this section of the list?!

(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
(X) Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
(X) 13 Going on 30
(X) I, Robot
( ) Robots
( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
( ) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(X) King Kong

Total so far: 22 out of 66. Exactly 1/3.

( ) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(X) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(X) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 26 out of 90. Yikes! Per their criteria, I am doing well. As the Movie Muse, I think I'm doing horribly!!

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
(X) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
( ) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(X) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
(X) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George

Total so far: 31 out of 121. That sure didn't help me much.

(X) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(X) E.T.
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
(X) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
(X) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
(X) Big Trouble in Little China
(X) The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3

Total so far: 45 out of 147. Made up quite a bit of ground there, and I see more "ground" coming my way.

(X) X-Men
(X) X-2
(X) X3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
(X) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
( ) Shrek 2

Total so far: 56 out of 165. Still not sure I'll make it.

( ) Swimfan
(X) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(X) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 65, out of 181. Getting there.

( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
(X) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
( ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard

Total so far: 68 out of 200. It's gonna be close!

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(X) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(X) Waterworld
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
(X) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness

Total so far: 73 out of 220. I don't think Hulk should count, though. If I could take back ever having seen that movie, I would!

(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
(X) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix: Reloaded
(X) The Matrix: Revolutions
(X) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal

Total: 86 movies out of 239. Right down to the wire!

Currently feeling: cinematic

Lots of shopping!

Wow, I feel like it has been forever since I've been here. The Valentine's Day post doesn't really count, since it didn't "say" anything, so that means it has been almost a week. Sheesh! Amazing what happens when you have a barfy toddler. Who is feeling much better, thanks. After throwing up what he ate Thursday, not eating Friday or Saturday, then barely eating Sunday, he ate 2.5 sheets of mini-waffles (10 rounds) on Monday, so he's good to go. Didn't eat much else that day, but still, wow!

Saturday, my parents came up. There was some debate on Friday with him sick, but they came on, figuring they could just stay with my grandmother if he was still ill. Since he was clearly better (though not 100%), they decided it was worth the risk, as it had been 6-7 weeks since they had seen him. We met them at Longhorn for lunch, then the men-folk took the about-to-fall-over tired child home to nap, while the women-folk went shoe shopping! I desperately needed shoes for my BIL's wedding, and I bought these. Okay, so Mom bought them for me, but still. I tried on several, but these were the most comfortable. There was another pair (these) that would have been "better" style-wise for the dress, but not for me to be standing around in for several hours. Had I been simply attending the wedding, then leaving (like a normal guest), then I may have gone for those (though the ones I actually got are more versatile). But, as the best man's wife, I'll be there early and have to stay late, so I needed something comfortable, and the taller heels were not it!

Then we went to Target looking for a new car seat. I know, bad parents! We hadn't replaced his yet. And Target didn't have any that I liked in stock. But they did have this necklace that goes perfectly with my dress for the wedding! I got some coordinating earrings as well, but I don't see a photo of them on the website. Just hoops with small alternating marquis-shaped metal sections and marcasite stones. Oh, and I got a new straw hat for Disney, since my 4-year-old one is falling apart. My straw hats take a lot of abuse (crammed in backpacks, etc), so 4 years is doing quite well! Then, since the child was still asleep at home, we went on to Toys 'R Us to look at their car seats.

So, just for Melissa, since she asked me about it in comments, here is the one we got: Eddie Bauer Laurelhurst Booster Car Seat (in gray, as shown; they had it in brown/tan as well). I still can't believe he is big enough for a booster (albeit still with the harness in it), but it seemed silly to get a convertible that only goes up to 35-40 pounds, when he already weighs 34! And this one does convert from a harness to a seat-belt adjuster type. He just looks so small in it! He seems to like it, though.

That covers Saturday's purchases. Well, except for the movie tickets. We went to see Music & Lyrics. I know, not the type thing we would normally pick with all the other options out there that we haven't seen yet, but let me tell you. We saw the preview before Pursuit of Happyness, and we were *rolling.* It was SOOOO funny! Now, it was even funnier the way they spliced it together for the trailer than it was in the movie itself, but still. If you aren't familiar with 80s music, it is still enjoyable, but probably not quite as funny. Anyway, it was so sweet! It is a chick flick/rom-com, and it does it well and with class, and is completely unapologetic about it. We liked it a lot, and it was just the type of fluff film we were after. And now we both have that song stuck in our heads! "I said I wasn't gonna lose my head, but then POP! goes my heart...." If you'd like to get it stuck in YOUR head, please click here (should be the first song snippet that plays). I think I'll have to get the soundtrack for DH as a joke. But I bet we'll both listen to it anyway! LOL Full movie review for my Movie Musings readers sometime this week.

So, full Saturday there. Sunday, we took my parents to our new little Italian place, Artuzzi's. They seemed to like it, though not as much as we do. We tried Luke on pizza, but he wasn't interested. Not sure if he would be if he wasn't sick or not (he's still pretty new and quite picky about his pizza, and he'd never had it there before). I thought his pizza was really yummy though! LOL And he did eat a breadstick (typical for him). Then we hit the mall, intending to buy new shoes for Luke. How can a $40 pair of kids sneakers not last six months!! Sheesh. And we suspected he needed a bigger size anyway, which he did, but just barely. And the chick at the store could not have been less helpful if she tried (practically had to beg her to measure his foot, didn't want to see if they had shoes in stock in his size, etc), so we just left. We ordered his shoes online at Zappos instead. Their loss! (BTW, when Zappos says overnight shipping, they're not kidding! I ordered them yesterday at 6:15 PM, and they just arrived. It is 3:12 PM, not even 24 hours later.) And while we were out, I glanced through Sears and found a great top for the rehearsal. I have something that would have worked, but I like this much better. It is a very lightweight cream sweater with a cascade of pearl and iridescent beads of varying sizes and shapes cascading down one shoulder and across to mid-sternum, with a small patch of beads at each sleeve end. Mom found it on the clearance rack for $10! How could I not get it? Well, and a camisole to go under it. Then back home, I cooked dinner, we put the still-tired kidlet to bed, and my parents left to go visit Mom's mom in Covington.

Yesterday, daycare was closed for a staff development day, so Luke was home again (4th day in a row). But as I said earlier, he ate 2.5 waffle sheets, so he was clearly all better (or mostly so). We got him a haircut, which was an event. Not thinking that the rest of the schools are also out, there was an hour wait at the kids' salon!! He did extremely well while waiting, though, only getting unruly with about 5 minutes to go before his turn, and even then not nearly as bad as some of the other kids. Came home, Luke napped while DH went to get his hair cut in preparation for the wedding. A pleasantly busy weekend all around. Thanks to Mom and Dad for shopping with us!

Currently feeling: spendy!

Happy Valentine's Day 2007

Happy Valentine's Day 2007

Font is Hobby Horse

Papers and Heart Ribbon from Love Notes Sample by Jan Hosford, a Friday Freebie from Digital Freebies

Grunge frame by Seebee's Freebies

Template by Lori Imel, a Daily Download Freebie from Digitals

Completed January 29, 2007

Currently feeling: loverly

Broken carseat

Please don't ask me how we managed this, but Luke's carseat is broken. The styrofoam that is the padding on the sides snapped. I remember when we heard a pop a little bit ago, but we never could find what had popped. Now we know. I discovered it yesterday. It just amazes me that it is even possible. Just one more unexpected expense for the month. ::sigh::

Currently feeling: idiotic

Does this make me a "real" scrapper?

I bought a paper trimmer. Guess I'm a "real" scrapper now? No one get excited. I'm not converting to paper scrapping. I bought it to trim my two very late CD calendars, and all I can think is "WHY didn't I buy that sooner?!" It was so way much easier than trying to trim by hand with scissors. But now I have it for next year's calendars. Oh yes, there will be more. They were such a huge hit, and I couldn't be more pleased.

I've had a couple of people say they have difficulty imagining how the CD calendars work. Here are the instructions I included with each one:

CD Case Calendar Instructions

Carefully remove the lid from the CD case, making sure you do not snap off the holding tabs.

Turn the bottom of the CD case upside down, and reattach the CD case lid with the inside facing away from you.

Insert the appropriate monthly calendar page and enjoy!

And here is a picture of one all set up (I removed the black "holder" part of the case before mailing the calendars):


Currently feeling: scrappy

One of those days

Blinkie by: Pinky Blinkies

Today was just "one of those days," you know? I was up late last night working to get a critical project finished (I wasn't behind; I was brought in late in the game). Which of course lead me to oversleep this morning. So to earn myself some good karma, I decided to let in a truck pulling a trailer who had pulled into the center turn lane. Turns out, he needed to be three more lanes over! Well, if I'd known that, you could have waited! Sheesh. I had to sit there behind him for *two* rounds of the light, with everyone behind me honking (and what precisely would you like me to do about it?!), which is only making me more late. For some reason, DS decided to fuss today about going to daycare; didn't want to get out of the car when we got there, but he was fine once we were in the building (weird child).

Finally get home and the garage won't close. It gets almost all the way down and then goes back up, like it senses something in the way. So I spend 10 minutes outside (driving my neighbors bonkers, I'm sure) watching the garage door go up and down, trying to diagnose the problem. You know the wheels that sit in the track? They are held on by these metal brackets, and one of them has fractured. That is causing the wheel to come out of alignment and tug on the door as it tries to go around the curve. When the door feels the resistance, it goes back up. I have no idea if that is a part that can be replaced (because you know how handy DH and I are (not!)), or if we now need an entirely new door!

Finally make it in the house and turn on my computer, only to discover that a meeting has been scheduled for 9:30 (hey, better than 8:30, or I would have been quite late, seeing as it was now about 9 AM) to discuss the work I had done the previous night, and all I can think is that there must be some major flaws to warrant such a sudden meeting. Did I mention I have PMS, which is making me even more tired and cranky than the lack of sleep can account for? Turns out the meeting was just to review my work and to praise me in front of my boss, which was nice, but the meeting also lead to them asking me if I could do a slightly different version of the same report to facilitate some other project. Sure, I can, but this one took hours to do, and the revamped one will take 4-6 hours by my estimation, and they want it by COB today. That shoots the nap I was planning to take at lunch (hey, I was working last night when I should have been sleeping; I think a little sleep instead of work today is justified). They also ask me to attend another data meeting at 11, further cutting into my time to work on said data today. 11 AM meeting goes fine, except that I keep dozing off. Turns out there wasn't anything I could do, but that was an hour I could have been working.

And since I literally cannot keep my eyes open, I decide take a 20 minute nap for lunch instead of eating. And what happens in those 20 minutes? DH calls to see if I was going to take a nap or if he could go play ball (um, I'm *trying* to nap!), and then the speech therapy lady finally decides to call me back after a week. I can't remember if I've talked about this here, but no one takes our insurance for speech therapy. Apparently, our HMO does not have many they do cover, mostly either the place that doesn't want to treat him if he has any fluid in his ears, or a place that is 25 miles away. I was at least considering the 25-mile away place, until she called today. This is going to sound like a bad joke, but I swear to you, it is true. She has a studder. A bad one. Maybe this makes me a horrible person, but I just cannot send my child to speech therapy with someone who studders! Maybe she is wonderful at her job and I'm missing out, but there just seems to be something *so* wrong with that. Combined with the fact that it is so freakin' far away, and the fact that she only has appointments at 10:30 AM on Tuesdays or Thursdays, which would essentially cost me a 1/2 day of work every week plus interfere with Luke's naps (and if you've ever seen him nap-less, you know why that is *bad*), I just could not say yes. So I guess it is back to Children's Healthcare. Joy.

I finally get the work done right at 4 PM, just in time to go pick up Luke, since DH is playing basketball. Get to daycare and discover a nice purple goose egg on Luke's forehead that no one seems to know anything about. Several separate sources verify that it was not there at 3:30 when they went outside (it is now close to 5), so it must have happened on the playground, but he didn't ever cry (which I really do believe), so no one knew anything about it. Guess that shoots the idea of me getting photos made next week. I am just not up to cooking tonight, so we go to Wendy's, where a group of 8 very hungry men are ahead of us in line and take *forever* to order. We waited 20 minutes in line just to order. While Luke thankfully wasn't fussing, he also didn't want to stand in line, so I was trying to let him wander without him getting into trouble, which was quite an interesting feat, but we managed. He even more or less stayed in his chair (he's decided he doesn't need a high chair at fast food type restaurants now). Get home, and he's upset that DH isn't here, so nothing else will make him happy and he fusses on and off until DH arrives.

Get Luke put to bed, and then go outside to check on the garage door. Our first idea, just removing the wheel/bracket is a disaster. Neither of us noticed that it was supporting the door, so that side buckled as it tried to go down and nearly jammed. Thankfully DH caught it in time. He pushed on that panel while I pushed the button to get it to go back up. Guess it's time to head to Home Depot to see if they sell a replacement part. We were smart enough to check the other brackets, and the one on the exact opposite side from this one is showing the same fatigue. The others seem fine, so I don't know what it is about the next to the top one that is getting all the stress, but it is happening on both sides. (Sometime in here, we notice that the door to the house is open, and we freak out thinking one of the cats got out. Took us a few minutes to find her, but we did.) So that's where we stand. DH is on his way to Home Depot to see if we can find someone who knows what they are doing and can explain it to someone who can barely change a lightbulb (and I say that with all love and affection, because I am exactly the same way). Anyone want to take bets as to whether or not we need a new garage door? Sheesh!

Tomorrow is Friday. DH is home, which means if I am really tired....

LIVE UPDATE!

DH just walked in the door, returning from his trek to Home Depot. They don't sell our brand of garage door opener, but the lady in the garage section had a bucket of spare parts that she flipped through first. Found two new wheel mounts that are the same size and configuration as ours, and she gave them to him for free since they were spare (i.e. not really for sale). Told him to take them home and try them, and if they didn't work, to come back, ask for her, and she'd work on finding some in the parts department that would work. Maybe I did earn a bit of karma today after all. We'll find out shortly. DH is attempting to install them right now.

Anyway, as I was saying, DH is working from home tomorrow, which means if I really need him to, he can take Luke to daycare in the morning and let me sleep. We'll see how I'm feeling. I still have a couple of spare hours to burn, so I see a long lunch somewhere yummy in our future tomorrow. Let's hope it goes better overall.

Sounds like it just might. The garage door is closed! YAY!

Currently feeling: need a break

All I hear is blah, blah, blah

Okay, look folks. I watched this year's Super Bowl for two reasons. #1: The commercials, which were not worth the time. #2: Because the first part of a 2-part episode of Criminal Minds is showing immediately afterward. But only if the CBS people will ever SHUT UP!! Okay, the game ended right at 10, and we had to present the trophy. Fine, I get it. That was 10 minutes ago, and they're still yapping. The game is over, the trophy is gone. Let it go!! And get to the good stuff already.

Currently feeling: irked

January 2007 Round Up

Blinkie by: Pinky Blinkies

Let's see if I can actually start a monthly feature here on the blog. And even though the inspiration comes from a scrapping blog, it is not directed at scrapping in particular. The questions are fairly generic and apply to most everyone, so feel free to play along.

Katie the Scrapbook Lady does a monthly round-up on her blog, and I think it is really neat, so I've decided to try and do it as well. Though this first month tells me I need to take notes! LOL So I may not be able to answer these questions really well this month, but I'll do my best.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Not much. I'm almost done with Inkheart, and I can't remember if I finished the last Black Jewels book in December or January. I don't get any magazines anymore, since I don't really have time to read them. I am considering subscribing to one, though. And I do get the Kraft recipe magazine, but I think it is quarterly.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

TV: High Stakes Poker has started up again with its new season. Yay!! Other than that, just the usual on TV: House, L&O: Criminal Intent, Mythbusters, Criminal Minds, CSI:NY, CSI, Shark, ER, and Numbers. I have somehow become hooked on watching Murder She Wrote at lunchtime, and I think The Closer will be starting back up again soon as well.

Movies: I'm pretty sure the only thing we saw in the theater was The Pursuit of Happyness, which I did review for my Movie Musings readers, but I have not yet put up on the web. I don't recall seeing anything new at home.

What special days did I celebrate and how?
None, really. We did stay up until about 12:05 AM at New Years. My family was still here from Christmas, so that was nice. And we sent my MIL a family portrait and some cards for her birthday. Nothing else really comes to mind.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
I made a layout for my brother of his new puppy. Not sure if that counts. And I received a lovely skein of Waterlilies silk (Arabian Nights, which is just beautiful) from Charisse.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
By the new year, I was finally over my bronchitis, but Luke came down with a double ear infection. And I came down with his latest cold, which as of yesterday (this should really go in February's list) is officially something worse. I have some OTC measures to try, but if I'm not better by Sunday, I already have a prescription for antibiotics, just in case.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Nothing. Are we sad or what? My family was here through Jan 1, which is always fun. We went to the local park (see pictures), but nothing particularly special about that.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
Artuzzis! I think that was a January find. It is a new Italian chain restaurant, sort-of like Pei Wei's or Mama Fu's. Better than fast food, but not a real "sit down" type place. Nice varied menu, excellent Alfredo, and fabulous garlic breadsticks. Also closer and cheaper than Olive Garden. Not quite as good, but definitely more convenient. I really should have tried a new recipes, but I didn't. I did pick out a few to try in February, though.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Braves Spring Training tickets!! I have those all ready to go for our March trip. Should be great fun. Technically, it won't be Luke's first baseball game, but he was only 5 months old last time, so that doesn't really count. Also picked up some PhotoBlast actions to try and help with some of my pictures. I'm disappointed in two of them (I can actually do better by myself, generally speaking), but the other two are amazing and invaluable.

What were this month's disappointments?
My weight. I have finally gotten fed up, and I am starting to do something about it. Also, the fact that Luke is getting further and further behind in his speech, though he seems to be trying more this last week or so. I think we just about have him squared away to start speech therapy, though, so maybe that will improve.

What were my accomplishments this month?
I scrapped a ton! Something like 14 layouts, I think. Let me go count. Oh, I underestimated; it is actually 18. Now, 12 of those were for the same brag book challenge, but still. I can't really think of anything else. I haven't even taken down the Christmas decorations yet! (This weekend, I promise.)

Anything else noteworthy to record?
My 1999 Toyota Camry flipped 100,000 miles! Took 7 years and 3 months (and yes, for those doing the math, we bought it (actually, leased bought at end of lease) in November of 1998).
Currently feeling: sick (again)