Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Feb 24 to Mar 1

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• Feb 24, 2017 - An evening in my (local) happy place, sans child.
• Feb 25, 2017 - The boys, looking much more like each other than usual. L: Kylo, R: Finn
• Feb 26, 2017 - A beautiful tree in bloom. It's awfully "springy" for only February!
• Feb 27, 2017 - I was literally only out of my chair for 3 minutes. (Why are they so big?)
• Feb 28, 2017 - A wonderful (school!) night on the town in Atlanta. First Phantom for Luke.
• Mar 1, 2017 - Not where I planned to be today. Luke rolled his foot yesterday, so we're having it checked out. What we thought might be a twisted ankle turned out to be a possibly fractured foot bone! If it's not better by Friday, he'll have to have x-rays.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Feb 18 to Feb 23

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• Feb 18, 2017 - We all really enjoyed Newsies: The Musical this afternoon! It took Luke until nearly intermission to figure out that he already knew Jeremy Jordan (he's Winn on Supergirl).
• Feb 19, 2017 - I bought these monthly pads years ago. They still make me smile.
• Feb 20, 2017 - Kylo in the box! (picture by Luke)
• Feb 21, 2017 - In case you were wondering, my nails do not always look perfect.
• Feb 22, 2017 - I love our parquet floors. It is one of my favorite features of this house.
• Feb 23, 2017 - Three years makes a big difference!

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Feb 12 to Feb 17

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• Feb 12, 2017 - We enjoyed the LEGO Batman movie! Not as good as the original, but still fun.
• Feb 13, 2017 - Master P handed this to my husband when picking up L today. Hint hint?
• Feb 14, 2017 - My very special Valentine's Day sleepwear! Very romantic, don't you think?
• Feb 15, 2017 - This may be the most amazing red nail polish I've ever seen! Isla by Zoya.
• Feb 16, 2017 - I am being closely supervised while working this morning.
• Feb 17, 2017 - Pretty backlit daffodils on my (very late) walk this evening.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 1 to Jan 6

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• Jan 1, 2017 - Happy New Year! A new-to-him movie (Star Trek IV) and a lap full of kittens.
• Jan 2, 2017 - New Sherlock! So happy! (After watching, I take it back. Not happy.)
• Jan 3, 2017 - My evening: putting together a Christmas money purchases. I love it already!
• Jan 4, 2017 - Christmas gift from my parents: large Calphalon pot (to replace my rusty enamel one). Didn't think the strainer lid would actually work, but I drained these noodles with no trouble at all!
• Jan 5, 2017 - Sneaker Survivor! Winners: blue/white New Balance and first ever pair of Brooks.
• Jan 6, 2017 - Luke's reaction to discovering Siri (voice activated controls on the iPad). I think we've created a monster!

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Dec 20 to Dec 25

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• Dec 20, 2016 - Christmas week grocery list, before and after.
• Dec 21, 2016 - Not exactly Santa paper (no actual Santas on it), but too perfect to pass up.
• Dec 22, 2016 - Hold on Mommy! I see you were trapped in the guest room. I will rescue you!
• Dec 23, 2016 - Running a fever while watching his first James Bond movie.
• Dec 24, 2016 - Whole family movie outing with Nana and Papa. We all really enjoyed it!
• Dec 25, 2016 - Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Dec 14 to Dec 19

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• Dec 14, 2016 - Prototypes for this year's ornaments. Cheap, unbreakable, physically inedible.
• Dec 15, 2016 - Ready for tomorrow. I hope it is as good as they say. We're all going together!
• Dec 16, 2016 - Not as good as we hoped, though we seem to be the only ones who think so.
• Dec 17, 2016 - I'm so happy you're home that my tongue is out! (Tiny, but it's there.)
• Dec 18, 2016 - I think our waitress thought Luke was pretty cute!
• Dec 19, 2016 - I see my husband has been bringing contraband into the house again.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Dec 8 to Dec 13

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• Dec 8, 2016 - Sparkly holiday collars! The kittens have outgrown their kitten collars.
• Dec 9, 2016 - Luke didn't know Finn was in the chair until Rey lifted her head!
• Dec 10, 2016 - Finally taking Luke to see Fantastic Beasts. We all really liked it!
• Dec 11, 2016 - Luke helped with the front door Christmas lights from the ladder this year.
• Dec 12, 2016 - My Big Lots lights and bow from Dollar Tree ribbon still look pretty good!
• Dec 13, 2016 - The back door. Literally just for us, since no one else can see it.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Dec 2 to Dec 7

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• Dec 2, 2016 - The child will be gone from 9 PM to 8 AM? Plenty of time to see a movie!
• Dec 3, 2016 - Better late than never! One day, I will actually get this done before Thanksgiving.
• Dec 4, 2016 - Put the tree up today. Had to take it down after just 2 hours. This is why.
• Dec 5, 2016 - Always "fun" when the vampire visits at the doctor. No worries, just routine!
• Dec 6, 2016 - First ever band concert! Trying not to faint over how grown up he looks.
• Dec 7, 2016 - Science project done and turned in! (Thank goodness that's over.)

Mid-November 2016 - Movie Marathon

So my first "real" post since turning 40 will be about (what else) movies! We took advantage of shipping the child off on a camping trip to spend the better part of 24 hours at the movie theater. And we had a great time! I have honestly been rather disappointed at the movie theater of late, so to find four films so very different from each other that we wanted to see, and then to have all four of them turn out to be, at worst, quite good, was quite a (pleasant) shock!

Doctor Strange was good, though not great.The visual effects were extremely well done and were used very effectively, but I had seen them all before in various forms. These may have been "cranked up to 11," but they are not really new or innovative. Still nifty to see, though I would only recommend 3D if you know you can handle it. (I could barely handle parts of it in 2D!) Tilda Swinton was amazing, though, and I'm not always a big fan of hers. Worth seeing, on the big screen if you can, but not in the top 5 (or even top 10) of my favorite Marvel films.

We didn't really have any intention of seeing The Magnificent Seven, though I was intrigued when it came in with a PG-13 rating instead of an R rating. I am a huge Denzel Washington fan, though not generally a big Western fan. I definitely did not care for the original of this movie, but when we looked at the movie times for the day, it worked out easily to see this one first thing in the morning and still get the others in well before dinner. It is the kind of movie we would have gone to see just for the heck of it in our pre-child days, so we gave it a shot, even though we weren't expecting very much from it. And I'm so glad we did! We actually quite enjoyed it, much more than I anticipated. It was fun! And funny! (Though it is not a comedy in any way.) And the James Horner score (his last before his death) is hauntingly beautiful. In this case, I will single out Ethan Hawke's performance. Truly amazing to watch, particularly how he wears a Southern accent completely convincingly, something few actors can pull off at all, much less this effortlessly. Another one worth seeing, though this one can easily wait for home viewing, in my opinion.

I knew going into it that Sully was right up my alley, but even then, it was so very good. It reminds me of Apollo 13 in all kinds of good ways. To paraphrase my brother, "it was very Clint Eastwood, in all the good ways." I loved the weaving in and out of time, and I adore movies that are very suspenseful even when you already know the story. Wonderful performances all around. Kudos to the entire cast! Definitely worth seeing, though again, would be fine for home viewing.

Arrival was the movie I was most curious and concerned about. Given how cryptic they were being in the previews, I figured this was the kind of movie that it was best NOT to know much about before seeing it, and I was right. So if you're interested in seeing it, stop reading about it! Yes, including this review! (Though no spoilers here.) #1 thing to know: this is not an action movie in any way. That's not a bad thing (or it's not to be), as I enjoy well done deliberately paced films (I don't want to call it "slow" due to the negative connotations that go with that when discussing movies). I was also afraid it might be scary or creepy; it was neither. Very different and refreshing, very good, definitely worth seeing.

So, 4 out of 4 on the "worth seeing" scale! An excellent weekend indeed. Let's see if the rest of the year's films can keep up.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Nov 8 to Nov 13

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• Nov 8, 2016 - I voted today, for the first time ever!
• Nov 9, 2016 - Beautiful fall colors. No idea what tree this is, but it is a brilliant yellow.
• Nov 10, 2016 - Because today absolutely needed some glitter.
• Nov 11, 2016 - The child is off camping, so we're heading to the movies to see Dr. Strange.
• Nov 12, 2016 - Getting caught up. Yes, four movies in one weekend (including yesterday).
• Nov 13, 2016 - Everyone is doing their homework, even Rey, who is "helping" me.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Sept 27 to 0ct 2

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• Sept 27, 2016 - Pretty clouds today.
• Sept 28, 2016 - Why does such a tiny prick hurt so much?! (routine iron check)
• Sept 29, 2016 - The easiest way to thread a ribbon; use a toothpick as a "needle."
• Sept 30, 2016 - Not how you want to wake up, to a major gas leak next door!
• Oct 1, 2016 - Luke got creeped out and had to leave Miss Peregrine's half way through.
• Oct 2, 2016 - Star attempts to hide from the kittens. (It didn't work.)

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Aug 17 to Aug 22

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• Aug 17, 2016 - Three siblings, 9 weeks old, two boys (black) and a girl (gray). All ours!
• Aug 18, 2016 - I love this view down our street. It's like a natural cathedral.
• Aug 19, 2016 - Star is not so fond of her new siblings/minions. She's been up there for days.
• Aug 20, 2016 - Saw Kubo and the Two Strings. Visually amazing, interesting story.
• Aug 21, 2016 - Rey, Kylo, and Finn like to snuggle for nap time. So tiny!
• Aug 22, 2016 - Needed some comfort food. Nothing like homemade mad and cheese!

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - July 24 to July 29

I first tried Project 365 way back in 2009, and I really enjoyed it. I did okay on my second attempt in 2012, though a lot of the pictures were posted after the fact. All attempts since then have not done well.

However, I have made a firm commitment (to myself) to document my Fabulous 40 year with a picture a day. (Can I just say how much high quality cell phone cameras help with this! So much easier.) I'll be posting a new "six pack" every six days (more or less, once I get caught up with the back-dated posts). Hope you enjoy this window into my year!

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• July 24, 2016 - My 40th Birthday! Yes, there really are 40 candles.
• July 25, 2016 - Pretty new cross stitch fabric
• July 26, 2016 - The cursed glasses! We had lots of trouble getting the lenses to stay in.
• July 27, 2016 - Boning up on film classics, before it's spoiled for him.
• July 28, 2016 - Kitty making sure Luke is doing it right.
• July 29, 2016 - Star wants to know why the stuffed cat was featured before she was!

How to Simultaneously Succeed and Fail as Parents

DH: "Whose hat is that?"
L: "Adam's" (meaning Adam Savage, of Mythbusters)
Us: [facepalm]
Currently feeling: not sure if we're doing something right or something wrong

What Lies Beneath

Wow! I just learned something incredibly interesting, and I stumbled on it completely by accident. Did you know that the movie What Lies Beneath was written by Clark Gregg? Yes, *that* Clark Gregg, as in Agent Coulson!
Currently feeling: shocked!

Operation MCU Catch Up

Image from FernbyFilms.com

We want to try and make sure that Luke has seen all of the necessary Marvel Cinematic Universe films by the time Avengers 3 hits theaters in 2018. He should be old enough to go to PG-13 movies sight unseen by then. We saw Ant Man in the theater last week and figured that would be a good one for him, but we had already discussed that Captain America should be his first Marvel film, and I really had my heart set on that (Cap is my personal favorite). So, I guess it's time to get that ball rolling. Tonight, Operation MCU Catch Up will commence with Captain America: The First Avenger in 3... 2... 1....
Currently feeling: ready to avenge

How Old Is Han Solo?

For one brief but horrifying moment today, I thought I was older than any film incarnation of Han Solo that we have seen to date (remember, Episode VII doesn't come out until December!). Nope, he was 41 in Jedi, so not quite yet. Whew!
Currently feeling: wait, I'm how old?!

Wordless Wednesday - June 17, 2015

Currently feeling: enjoying summer movie season so far

May 2015 Reflections

From the 2011 Year of Memories Brag Book by Dani Mogstad

Read, Listened, Watched

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I finally started Hound of the Baskervilles, which I don't think I've read since high school. I'm rereading the entire canon (probably reading some of them for the first time, actually), and I didn't want to watch the Sherlock episode based on it until I had reread the novel, so we've been stuck half way through season 2 for months now. Soon, though!


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New Movies:

• The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Very good, enjoyed it a lot, on the whole; did have a few issues here and there, but any film with this much going on is bound to have some
• Invitation to the Dance - Gene Kelly's personal labor of love; 3 segments of dancing only (no narration or singing), think Fantasia of dance (instead of animation); Ring Around the Rosy segment was my favorite (I love intertwining stories), and ironically featured the least Gene Kelly
• Tomorrowland - It's hard to figure out exactly what to say about this movie, other than it did not live up to its potential. One review said it was "less than the sum of its parts," and I tend to agree. It had all the right pieces, and it had its heart in the right place, but it just didn't really work, for reasons I can't fully articulate.
• Red 2 - We saw the original way back when, and found it a bit disappointing. This one seemed to have tighter writing and more fun throughout.
• Godzilla (2014) -  Eh, it was okay. Felt like it was just sort of there, which is the ultimate sin for an action movie, in my opinion. Was also a bit distracting seeing Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen playing husband and wife after just seeing them play brother and sister in Avengers 2.

Old Favorites: Monsters University, Sky High, Dick Tracy, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, Gattaca, The LEGO Movie, Edge of Tomorrow, Robin Hood, The Neverending Story, Peter Pan (2003)

Fun with Family and Friends

The beach was fun, as always, until stupid me didn't put sunscreen on the tops of my feet and got burned. Normally, it's not a problem, but we were there at least an hour later than normal, so the sun was more intense. I just feel like an idiot, since I know better!

And it's summer movie season, woohoo! Here was my Avengers-inspired manicure.

Milestones, Holidays, Special Events

We had a lovely Mother's Day with my mom and grandmother on Saturday. Here's our picture of 4 generations.

DH and I have officially been together for 20 years! Hard to believe.

We visited my parents and my mother-in-law over Memorial Day (see beach pictures above). Luke went fishing for the first time; my parents took him to a party at their friends' house while we went on a date, and they have a small fish pond. Apparently, he loved it. I have NO idea where he gets that from (DH and I both *hate* fishing!).

The Everyday and Routine

"The Everyday and Routine" is over for now! School's out, and none too soon. (And he even grew this year!) We are all quite burned out, especially after such an intense April preparing for a new standardized test. Ugh! Looking forward to some relaxing. (Remind me I said all of this in 3-4 weeks when I'm ready to send him back to school! LOL)

The Good, The Bad, The Unusual

He made A and B honor roll, and we weren't sure if he would given that he had a C for two consecutive progress reports.

He was also named as a 5th Grade Patrol for next year, though he won't serve until the second 9 weeks. He has literally wanted to be a patrol since he was in Kindergarten, so he is very excited!

I had my eye exam and I've changed almost a full diopter in my right eye. I'm trying not to be concerned about it, but that is a pretty serious change. I still need to get new glasses, though (it was a busy last 2-3 weeks of the month!). I had a physical with my regular doctor the following week and everything looked good, including my labs (both cholesterol and triglycerides were down!).

In other news, I now own my first pair of open-toed shoes since before Luke was born, not because I didn't like them but because I couldn't find any that fit! I even painted my toes for the first time in many months just for their public debut.

Progress on Goals

I put a couple of strands in one of the dessert mandalas the last day or two of the month, not really enough to post a picture. I didn't stitch any at all on my Mirabilia fairies. For eating at home, um, er, but, but!!! I have made a meal plan to try to get back on track with cooking, but most of that will take place in June, so I'll report on that next month. I have started tracking my food again, but only for a couple of weeks, so not much progress to report yet. I do have a get-together scheduled with my local friends for June as well! Very excited to see them. I think it has been 3 years since I've seen these ladies.

Prompts by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: ready to relax this summer

Marvelitis

This is why I love my friends so very much. The following is a slightly edited Facebook conversation transcript, with names changed to protect the "medical privacy" of the victims. In case anyone considers it relevant, all participants in this conversation are female.

Me: I'm pretty sure I'm coming down with Marvelitis. I believe Joss Whedon has developed a treatment for it that involves viewing sequenced images on a giant screen for approximately 3 hours. They are expecting a large outbreak, so they will be treating patients en masse at the movie theater. I think he can squeeze me in for an appointment on Friday afternoon. I'm sure I'll be feeling much better afterwards, though I expect an annual relapse during the first week in May for several years to come. Anyone else showing symptoms? #‎AvengersAssemble‬
LF: Um, yes. We are making plans to stop on our way to DC this weekend to catch the movie! #obsessedmuch #didisquealduringagentsofshieldthisweek #yesyesyes
AW: Yes!!! Sadly I have to delay my Joss treatment until Sunday due to being in CA an extra day for work.
Me: An extra 2 days of suffering? Hang tough!
AW: I suspect multiple treatments may be needed this month
AWC: Saturday afternoon with my boys. EP has Grad Bash on Friday night and has been warned to be up and dressed by 2.
WC: Yes, me too. My appointment is shared with 12 of my friends and will be next Friday at 4 pm.
Me: Unfortunately, as a contractor, I don't get sick days. Thus I have to be very careful so that I can afford (the time for) screen treatments for various ailments (like Jurassicitis) I anticipate having this summer. Consequently, repeat treatments are generally out of my (time) budget. Weekends are also typically out due to my chronic condition called "child." ::sigh:: L does already suffer from Marvelitis, but he is currently too young for treatments. He should qualify in the next year or two, though, which will make scheduling future treatments much easier. (I might be having a little too much fun with this! LOL)
JC: I have a similar chronic condition that is preventing me from seeking treatment at this time. I'm concerned because I think not being about to get treatment this weekend will prevent me from being about to watch a program about the inflection that helps with my symptoms.
Me: We were in the same boat last year, JC. We could not continue with our weekly low dose home remedies because it took us either 3 or 4 weeks to have our full Captain-flavored treatment. It was torture watching them pile up on the DVR!
JL: It's a pandemic. Massive breakouts here as well. Which reminds me, I need to go make our group appointment.
AS: I've got the shakes regarding this. Unfortunately, with other things barring my ability to resolve this situation (because I could resolve it around 7:30 this evening, if I didn't have to bake 5 quarts of cookie dough for something tomorrow evening), I won't have a cure until Saturday morning.
MS: We are planning on Friday night or Sunday, depending on how awful Friday is at work.
JC: We are actually thinking of crossing state lines to be able to get our treatment sooner. But driving 1.5 hrs one way seems a bit much for dealing with our chronic condition.
Me: Depends on the severity of your symptoms.
CP: Alas, I know not when I may schedule an appointment for treatment. This weekend is filled with construction related tasks. Next weekend is consumed with moving children from college to their summer endeavors. And the weekend after that, I shall be in Vegas at a work conference. This puts me on a four-week delay for treatment. I may not survive. Pray for my recovery.
AS: We shall have to all watch multiple times to make up for CP not being able to see it for awhile, and hope that the soothing vibes of our treatment reach her.
VK: Agents of SHIELD is making me regret our decision to see it next weekend instead of this weekend...
JL: Sounds to me like JC has an advanced case. Drastic measures must be taken to ensure her safety.
Me: For those who cannot seek immediate relief, we shall pray to the Allfather in Asgard that the strength of Thor will sustain you until you receive proper treatment. (I was trying to get Stan Lee and/or Jack Kirby in there, but I couldn't make it work. I guess I could have gone with "The Creator.")
LH: I have it !! I have been trying to keep it at bay by watching everything in order.
KS: I am scheduled for treatment with my boyfriend for date night on Saturday.
KW: I will be waiting until Sunday for treatment. Wedding shower at lunch then a little horse race in Kentucky will occupy my Saturday.
Me: By the way, this just proves what I've always known. I have the best friends EVER! Thank you all for playing along.
BB: DH and I had our appointment this evening. We are feeling much better now.
LK: Isn't it nice to know the disease and the cure?
BB: Warning. One of the side affects of early treatment is anxiety while you wait for others to get treatment so you can discuss it.
Me: Truth!

Currently feeling: in need of treatment