Things Jenny Likes

Playing the Election Glad Game

2008-10-20T14:47:00.003-05:00

When things start getting ugly, there's no better game than the Glad Game. I'm betting that someone's going to win and someone's going to lose. So, instead of spending the next four to eight years complaining, we should start thinking about who we are not voting for and try to play the Glad Game. Neither candidate is pure evil. There are good things about all four people involved and their families. Think of those things so that if your vote doesn't happen to lead to a victory, we can still find a way to get through it.

The Sounds on the car go....

2008-10-11T13:45:00.002-05:00

"te-te-te, clink,clink, DING, te-te-te-te-te-te, clink, DING DING....."

That's kind of the pattern of sounds my car makes while driving down S. 7th. The "te-te-te" sounds are probably because of some missing parts that may or may not be important. The "DING"s are probably from a toy that I can not possible find without taking the car apart but are only heard when we hit a bump. And the "clink"s are a mystery but probably have something to do with the "te-te"s.

Pray for LaLa (Lucy named our car)and that she will make it for a little while longer.

This great fall

2008-09-17T18:46:00.002-05:00

I can not tell you how bad I needed to see this today. Trust me, it gets better with each viewing. I go from laughing to feeling bad about the injuries to laughing harder. It's a roller coaster of emotions that even the professionals can't handle.

The Phelps Minute

2008-09-03T10:34:00.001-05:00

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

LPM

2008-08-24T20:16:00.003-05:00

This weekend I attended Beth Moore Live in San Antonio. It was a very refreshing time to spend with 10,000 other women. The praise was amazing. I love live music of almost any type but when "that" note is hit during a song to God it almost takes your breath away. I wish there was video of that to post but after much searching I have nothing. Right now my spiritual struggle is with my emotions so this was a great weekend for me at least chip away at some things. Beth Moore is in a lot of ways on dangerous ground because she has a following in the Christian women community. It's really easy for us to put people on pedestals and end up worshiping the person that's teaching us about worship. Obviously I don't know her personally but after doing several of her studies and reading her blog I really think that she is grounded. Her personality is not as grounded and she's a tad on the crazy side which under most circumstances would really turn me off but her insight to the Bible is amazing and her relationship with her daughters is really inspiring. She's not for everyone but I think the good outweighs the quirky.

Olympics day 5

2008-08-13T13:49:00.004-05:00

Now that we've found the perfect antenna configuration so we can at least tell what country is in what lane, I can finally start enjoying the Olympics. I missed the big relay a few nights ago so I was excited to watch M.Phelps last night in two races. What's the point of watching when you're going to win by that much? My favorite part was the announcer insisting over and over that Phelps would make the other swimmers look like boys. Speaking of of little ones, we watched the gymnastics with mixed emotions. I would rather have silver and not be torn away from my family. Here is a blog about the scenario that is pretty much exactly what I was thinking and I can't do a cartwheel either. Seriously, they are still pretty amazing.

Things I can rely on

2008-08-08T22:11:00.002-05:00

Here are a few things I can rely on happening.
1) There's going to be someone pulled over near my house.
2) Someone will puke on me.
3) I will cry at the end of Pollyanna.
4) After tailing a car, I will then call the driver and tell them to give me the vacuum in their trunk.

I did not know that all four things would happen in one day and that #1 would include many guns, #2 would include my face, #3 would teach me to be glad yet again and #4 well, it was my vacuum.

Social Experiments

2008-08-02T14:01:00.003-05:00

Well, this weekend was our biannual yard sale. It was a doozy. Not only was it over 100 degrees, we also had a great thunderstorm that ended in us wringing out our clothes. This is my second yard sale in a row that I 'cleaned up' by frantically throwing stuff on a porch. One of my friends (not naming names here) has been known to put some pretty interesting things in our sales. I mean, I'll probably never buy a pair of thong underwear from a yard sale. Somehow she sells it. She has sold more underwear and used bathroom products than I've ever thought possible. So when I saw that this time she was selling ovulation predictors I decided to throw in a box of cheap tampons to see if they'd sell. They sold! I sold a cheap box of tampons for $1 but couldn't sell my old recliner for $5. Something is either very wrong or oh-so-right. You be the judge.

On another note.....I love bargaining as much as the next person...BUT when someone comes up to me and says 'how 'bout I give you $1 for all of these cd's instead of $2 each because I don't even know if my husband wants them' I about lose it. If you don't know if he'll like them then don't buy them but it's not our fault that you don't know if something will look good on you, or if you don't know if your daughter is having a boy or a girl. When a onsie costs $.25 just take the risk. It's a yard sale for pete's sake.

Hopefully everyone knows that this photo is not from my yard sale even though it's felt like that sometimes.

Lars and the Real Girl

2008-07-26T13:34:00.002-05:00

Seriously, watch it. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a while. It's sweet, sad (not too sad), funny and inspiring.

This Song

2008-07-20T15:39:00.002-05:00

After totally crying on the season 2 finale of Grey's Anatomy, I had to get the Snow Patrol song Chasing Cars. Since it was from a cheesy romance-drama, I didn't have much hope in their whole album. The whole thing isn't great but how many are anymore? This song though is on it's third round of being all I can listen to. I really like Martha's voice here but don't like everything that she sings which is the way I feel about her brother Rufus.

Oscar Nominees

2008-07-11T15:19:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I finally watched There Will Be Blood. When it came out everyone kept talking about milkshakes. Note that movie really has nothing to do with milkshakes. I knew that. I believe that you should not be allowed to use a catch phrase until you've seen the movie. So now, many months later I can be all about the milkshakes and I can appreciate this SNL sketch even more than before.

Richard Steven Millhouse Legg

2008-06-15T00:45:00.002-05:00

He goes by Steve and we throw in the Millhouse when we want him to feel more prestigious. This is exactly how he should feel this Father's Day. My dad is known for his line of poems "Ode to...." so I thought I would write one for him today.

Ode to Steve.

What do you get for a man that's no fool?
He has three sheds and owns almost every tool.

He's spent much time out in the forest.
And when he is down all he needs is Chuck Norris.

But that's why he has a dvr and the Dish.
Recording Dallas and Walker fulfills every wish.

Oh, the stories he can tell but most I can't repeat.
If you ever get a chance then you're in for quite a treat.

We can not talk about the upcoming vote.
But I can explain to him the meaning of "air quotes".

If I were there I would toast an O'Douls with him.
But the chances he's still be sober are very slim.

It's impossible to explain what my dad means to me.
There are too many stories to write here, you see.

Some are funny to all. Some are funny to us.
He wants his hair buzz cut so that it's no fuss.

Just thought I would throw that in.
Cause that's what he'd do in that situa-shin.

So to my own, on a day that's for dads
For the last 31 years you've been pretty rad.

Tim Russert

2008-06-14T09:28:00.002-05:00

Oh, I loved this guy. I think that he might have been my favorite person on television. It has been a tradition for my family to watch Meet the Press while we get ready on Sunday mornings. I don't know how this election will be watchable without his whiteboard tallies. I've never seen anyone get so excited about a whiteboard. I can't say much more than what everyone else is saying on tv right now about him.

I loved hearing him talk about his dad. But, for Father's Day here is a clip of him talking about his son. I know that tomorrow is a hard day for everyone that has lost their father.

I hope to be a parent that gets that kind of respect from my kids.

FORGET IT!

2008-06-12T23:12:00.002-05:00

Well, I can safely say that I am not capable of being a vegetarian. At least not at this point in my life. I'll still try to buy better meat and maybe eat less of it but life is too short to give up something that tastes so good.

Gone Baby Gone

2008-06-08T14:24:00.003-05:00

In the past few weeks at church we've been talking about hospitality. Today we focused on our neighbors. We watched the movie Gone Baby Gone a couple of nights ago and I keep thinking about how much of this is what we are talking about. Even though this is just a story, it's still a somewhat accurate depiction of how so many live. In my neighborhood people are addicted to drugs, people are hungry, people are poor and kids are in the middle of it. They are paying the price of bad choices and bad circumstances. So what do we do? Part of me wants to not allow my children to ever play outside without leashes and to have them sleep with us every night. The other part of me knows that we need to be part of a community. We have responsiblities. Who's going to help if we don't? The person that Casey Affleck's character is sitting with at the end of the movie reminded me that we can't change people but we can help them.

I don't know if this video will work or not but it's a clip from the Today Show about a man that was hit by two cars on a busy street and it took over a minute for someone to stop and help. The expert says that part of the reason for this is our lack of community.

Connecting Caring Communities

NOTE: Gone Baby Gone is not a family friendly movie. It's hard to watch or even think about some of the things that happen. I still think it is worth it. The story is challenging and makes you think. That's what a good story does.

Veg challenge

2008-06-01T13:37:00.008-05:00

For the month of June my brother, parents, Kevin and I are not going to eat red meat and possibly any meat. We are all doing it for different reasons so I won't speak for them. I am doing it because of animal treatment. Not in a PETA kind of way but I just wanted to step back for a month and try to think about things. I do believe that God intended for us to eat meat and that we would have to kill an animal to get the meat. I also think that God intended for us to care for animals. If you've ever driven I-5 in California between the Bay Area and L.A. you've probably considered becoming a vegetarian. Knowing where your meat comes from and how that animal is treated isn't just about animal rights as much as it could be about your own health. The hormone/antibiotic-free labels are popping up more commonly now because it's something to be concerned about. These types of meats cost quite a bit more but if you cut the amount of meat that you consume per week you would be able to afford it and the benefits would definitely be worth it.

I don't plan on continuing past the month. I can't imagine a life without steak, Chick-fil-a or hot dogs at a BBQ. But, I am committed to being more aware of what I'm eating. Plus this gives me a good opportunity to get those 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables that we're supposed to be getting per day.
Eating, drinking, breathing and just living are scary things these days. I don't want to spend a lot of time being worried about them but if there are easy changes I can make then why not? I also want to say that I'll still buy food that's not perfect because budgets are tight and choices are slim in this town. Relationships are always more important than anything else so it's more important for us to eat together than to be concerned about what we eat. Also, before anyone thinks I am 'greenier than thou', know that I drank a 44oz coke yesterday and dreamed of a bacon cheeseburger from Rick and Carolyn's. Right now my goal is like it was with recycling. I'm going halvsies.
On a side note, basically this is my ideal way of living. I know, nerdy-hippie.

Two Books and a Movie

2008-05-03T15:01:00.002-05:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifFirst Book: The Power of Play. This book was a great reminder of what my kids really need to be doing. It made me realize that what I really need to do is think back to the things that made me happy when I was a kid and not try to elaborate too much. Since reading the book I have noticed that my two kids are actually much happier riding their bikes or playing in dirt than they are trying to figure out whatever electronic toy I bought them to help them learn the alphabet.

Second Book: Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography. This was a small step up from People magazine but just as addicting. I think that the author had an obvious agenda but the stuff about Scientology, if even 75% true, is pretty scary. Since I have spent most of my younger years with a huge crush on Maverick, I was relieved to have some certain rumors quenched. But, the whole Scientology thing is putting a damper on the volleyball scene I have always appreciated.

Movie: Juno. We loved it! Usually when I have high expectations for a movie I am disappointed. This was not one of those situations. We really, really enjoyed it. I might have to watch it again before it goes back into Blockbuster's greedy little hands.

WITWIML?

2008-05-02T09:02:00.003-05:00

That's short for Where in the World is Matt Lauer? Otherwise known as my favorite week of the Today show. There's other great weeks but this is by far the most exciting. It's over now and it was so great. We incorrectly guessed 4 of the 5 locations so that made me feel super smart and we always learn so much about places we will never be able to visit but who knows? right? So as another great week wraps up with a killer performance by the one and only Niel Diamond I want to say Well done Matt, Well done.

Theme Songs

2008-04-21T11:26:00.002-05:00

There are not many TV show theme songs that you can sing along to these days. These are some of the classics.

Sha-na-na-na

There are too many to list but here is a link to see a list of the top 50 of all time.

Things I'd Like to do today

2008-04-16T10:52:00.002-05:00

1. Get my house clean using some sort of magic.

2. Win any amount money legally.

3. Wrap my kids in Charmin so they could go one day without a scratch or bruise.

4. This....

Adele - Hometown Glory

2008-04-12T14:46:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite song right now. Instant replay. Not sure about the way the video was shot but the song is great. The studio version on Itunes is better so don't be afraid to go buy it.

Living like Ed.

2008-04-03T20:10:00.003-05:00

I am loving this book. It has a lot useful examples of how to live a little greener. Not all of these ideas are realistic for me because of where I live. There are a lot of cities that support this kind of living but ours does not. But there are several great tips and things to think about. Eco-Friendly living is a process and it's hard to get used to in a way. What I really like about this book is that it isn't full of scary facts that make me not want to shop or eat again. There are some realities in it but nothing I can't handle.

I am going to track some of my journey to the "green side" here mostly for my own sake but also to show that if I can do it anyone can.

I started out with recycling. I bought some stackable storage bins so I have one for paper, one for cans, one for glass, one for plastics #1 and #2 and a bag for cardboard (this is mostly cereal-type boxes flattened). It's unbelievable how much trash would have been thrown in the dumpster in just a week had I not recycled it. And that's just me. Then I greened my cleaning by using Method products from Target. Other great products are Meyers, Seventh Generation and even Clorox Green Works which is really affordable. Palmolive makes an eco-friendly detergent that is not much more than their regular product and you would be surprised of the dangers in dishwashing detergent. I have also switched many of my personal items. I bought the Organic makeup by Physician's Formula and I really like it. I have also switched my shampoo, soap, etc. I finally bought canvas bags for groceries. They are only $1 so that is worth not having 500 plastic bags to deal with. My current challenge is to quit buying stuff. I could afford the more expensive good-for-me stuff if I could just quit buying the little things that I don't need at all. We are keeping it simple by buying things used or not at all. It's hard and we still buy some things that we probably shouldn't but it's a process also.

There are so many reasons to change the way that we live. I am doing it for three reasons. The first is so I can prevent disease for my family as best as I can. The second is because I believe that God did not give us the earth to destroy but to use in a healthy way. The third is that once I have learned certain facts, I no longer have a choice but to live different. So it is worth it to check out some books and find out the dangers and the solutions yourself. I am not perfect and still have many things I need to improve (sonic cups being the main offense) but if we all did something little it could equal something big.

The Gazelle

2008-04-02T15:21:00.002-05:00

My big purchase of this past weekend's yard sale was the one and only Gazelle. I have been wanting this little treasure for a few years and when Mr. Kilmer carried it onto my lawn I knew that God wanted me to finally have it. Look out Tony Little! After watching this video, you'll want one too.

Old Movies

2008-04-02T07:20:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I was watching the 7th season of Gilmore Girls with my sister-in-law when Laurelei and Christopher were watching Funny Face. So on my weekly trip to the library I happened to see Funny Face on the shelf and decided to give it a try. I am not a huge Audrey Hepburn fan. I may be the only person that doesn't really like Breakfast at Tiffany's. To my surprise I liked this movie. I didn't love it but I enjoyed watching it. If you have ever seen Gilmore Girls you know that it is overflowing with references to movies and music in a way that I could never catch up with but I decided that there may be a lot out there I am missing. Next on my list was Funny Girl. Again, not a Streisand fan but I loved this movie. Maybe I am now. Here are some recommendations.

The Philedelphia Story, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Bringing up Baby, That Touch of Mink, The Glass Bottom Boat, Funny Girl, Funny Face, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, His Girl Friday and An Affair to Remember.
Obviously I like Cary Grant.

Any Suggestions?

The Snuggler

2008-03-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

Mr. T

2008-03-04T09:34:00.002-06:00

This goes out to everyone I know. I wish I could pop-up video this one. Please note two things in particular: the dancer on the left in the church dress and Mr. T's shorts. That being said, how sweet is he about his mother?

As a disclaimer, I am finding these little treats on www.bestweekever.tv.

My new football team

2008-03-03T15:02:00.002-06:00

Kevin is a Colts fan but I've never really committed to an NFL team. That is, until now. I officially declare my love for the Los Angeles Rams. Please don't tell me it's too late.

BTW, give this video a chance. It takes 14 seconds to really get started and once it does, your day will be so much better.

On the radio

2008-02-25T07:28:00.002-06:00

Besides being a great song by Regina Spektor, the radio this morning gave me some little gifts. I was on my way home from a killer workout when I turned to 98.1 and what do I get? Pearl Jam Black. I basically wanted to call everyone I knew from my freshman year of college. That is my favorite Pearl Jam song. After a stop at the grocery store I change to the pop station and get a little R. Kelly which made me want to call Jaime but it's too early. Then I am stopped at a light and hear the classic from "the year 2000"(I am saying it Conan style but it's up for interpretation), Creed's Arms Wide Open. A strange thing happened. Just as I was making fun of Creed in my head, exaggerating his already exaggerated voice, three white birds flew above the power lines with the sunlight glowing under them. It was like they were gliding to the music, telling me to lay off Creed for a few seconds. I'm thinking it should be the next video on the Trinity Broadcast Network. If you haven't seen the videos on that channel then you are missing out on the guy with the super-perm mullet and a lot of sunshine.

I think that today will be a good day. "And not just because of that yogurt that makes you poop." -Tina Fey

Too much

2008-02-23T21:25:00.002-06:00

Many times there is nothing to blog about. In an unexpected twist, I have found that I have too much to blog about. So much that I haven't done anything about it. So, here are some random thoughts.

I watched a video called An Introduction to Scientology today. I decided that I couldn't make fun of Tommy any more if I didn't know what was up with the craziness. It's not totally crazy. Well, except Mr. Hubbard's view on the mentally insane. The quote "they already failed" comes to mind. If that peaks your interest and you want to watch an interview with someone that talks in a very strange manner then you need to check it out.

I've been reading a little more than magazines but not enough to be in a book club. In the last 24 hours I finished two books I have been working on. The first was Celebrity Detox by Rosie O'Donnel. Along the same lines as the scientology video I thought that it would be interesting to see what was really going on with someone that I generally like and says some controversial things. It was a great insight into her life and how she has an addiction to being a celebrity. I enjoyed it. It made me understand why she is the way she is a little bit more. The other book I finished was Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. This is just the beginning of our financial makeover. Let the money diet begin.

Several nights ago Kevin and I were playing an innocent game of Skip Bo in our kitchen. We were startled by what sounded like gun shots next to our house. They were indeed gunshots. Makes me a little nervous about the Monopoly game we are about to start here soon.

I'll have to do another post another time. Kind of the point of blogging.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T18:38:00.001-06:00

Old Spice and Will Ferrell

2008-02-11T21:14:00.000-06:00

Let's face it, Will Ferrell is pretty much the same character in all of his "sports" movies but that character really never gets old for me. Here are some Old Spice commercials he did as his character from Semi-Pro. Funny.

Green Cleaning

2008-01-30T19:08:00.000-06:00

This post is in direct relation to my belief that I poisoned my lungs this weekend with bleach. All of my cleaning products are green. But, I didn't know what to do with my two bottles of bleach. Saturday night I decided to take some extreme measures and bleach my bathtub due to some unsightly things that I couldn't take any longer. Instantly I had a headache and so I opened the window and tried to get everything out as quickly as I could. Sunday morning I woke up feeling like I had the black lung (the Zoolander version, not the real thing, it's actually quite bad). I've been trying to figure out why I am sick and not the kids. I usually only get sick from them so this is my conclusion. It was confirmed (at least in my mind) tonight as I was re-reading Green This! by Deirdre Imus. This book is so great at explaining why the products we usually use are bad and some really good (and cheap!) things we can do to replace them.

I could go on about the dangers of all the things we are cleaning with and the things that we are feeding our kids but it's really better if everyone makes this decision on their own. But, if we really want to keep our kids safe, we'll at least make researching this a priority. Many of these things are just things we don't even think about and are really easy to change.

Amazing people

2008-01-30T18:59:00.000-06:00

I have been blown away by this story over and over again. There is nothing I can say that would tell it better than this site. There have been several people that have made a difference helping these kids but these kids are so inspiring. They were on the Today show the other day and then I looked on Mike Cope's website and he talked about them also so I thought I would let anyone that didn't see either of those get the opportunity.

NKOTB

2008-01-27T15:06:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't heard the awesome news....The New Kids might possibly, maybe, most likely be having a reunion soon. If that's not the "right stuff" I don't know what is. If you click on the link please make sure to read the comments. It's worth it to know, for example, that a fan has corrected the writer on the actual ages of all the guys. And, someone is a big Joey fan and will defend his reputation by arguing that he would never degrade himself by being on Big Brother 9. Seriously, he's got a rep to keep. I will have to have my mom ship me my NKOTB sheets and life-size puzzle (unopened, it's going to be worth so much money now).

And now for your viewing pleasure...

If that's not enough for you then you can borrow one of the live concerts on vhs.

God

2008-01-23T11:03:00.000-06:00

I love God. I totally believe in him, his love, his grace, his mercy and his desire for everyone to live with him in heaven. Because I believe he loves everybody, I won't say what I want to about this church and their desire to picket Heath Ledger's funeral. I linked this site because I didn't want to traffic anyone to their actual website. It is a sad day when this is how "christians" show God to other people. That isn't the God I believe in. Let's pray that the people that are a part of this church will soon know that God even loves people that pretend to be gay. And though there is a hint of sarcasm in that, I believe it to be true.

Let's also remember that just because someone is a good actor, it doesn't make their death any more tragic than the thousands of other lives that ended yesterday. Every life is important.

DIY meets WCS

2008-01-20T14:21:00.001-06:00

This video is like if the DIY network got together with the Worst Case Scenario series and had a baby.

Good Music For Kids

2008-01-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

Nothing against the Wiggles (I actually don't hate them) but there are only so many kids songs that we can take, right? This Website has some really great choices from artists that normally make "mommy and daddy" music. This is great for any parent, aunt or uncle that likes cool music and wants their dearest nieces and nephews to have cool music (ahem, Uncle Brandon) also.

On another note, while I have been typing this I have seen a Vanessa Hudgens commercial for some gold shoes 8 times. I know that High School Musical has all the ingredients of a perfect Jenny treat. But I cannot seem to embrace this series with the kind of love that the rest of the world has. I mean, this is coming from someone who adores Grease 2, Valley Girl, Xanadu, Bring it On... Ahh, 9 times, the commercial just came on again. So, why can't I love this? I think that (most everyone I know needs to close their eyes) Zac Ephron looks like a lady and I am offended that he is doing a remake of Footloose. I am offended that anyone could doubt the perfection of the movie Footloose. There is nothing that can be done to make it better. Is nothing sacred?

The Magic Bullet

2008-01-14T12:39:00.000-06:00

Like so many others I know, I've seen the infomercial for The Magic Bullet several times and at many different hours of the day. It's a treat to watch them whip up some alfredo sauce while blending 4 different types of margaritas then within 5 seconds they've also added a great chicken salad out of nowhere. It's almost unbelievable. I am now a proud Magic Bullet owner and apparently it takes practice and a little bit of Red Bull to do what they do. Still, I can get our shakes made within a few minutes. The best part is that I blend our shake right in the cup and when I am done I just rinse it out and throw it in the dishwasher. It's so simple and for only 3 payments of $19.95 it can be yours. BUT WAIT! If you call in the next five minutes........

Watching, Listening, Speaking

2008-01-11T07:57:00.000-06:00

Watching. Christmas brought an answer to my 'what to watch' dilemma. Big Love Season 2, The Office Season 3, Northern Exposure Season 4, Flight of the Conchords Season 1 and Friday Night Lights Season 1. All great. For those that have forgotten, or never heard of, Northern Exposure, it is such a great show. It's not fast-paced but it is so enjoyable to watch. I love shows about quirky small towns, i.e. Gilmore Girls, Everwood, Twin Peaks, etc.

Listening. A Fine Frenzy, Sugarland's Stay, The Be Good Tanyas and Flight of the Conchords.

Speaking. I am talking about....scraping the crazy texturing off Lucy's walls (depending on lead test), Beth Moore, sending "Happy New Year" cards that will eventually turn into "Valentine" cards but hopefully not "St. Patrick's Day" cards to family a friends.

When Christmas is over

2008-01-05T21:47:00.000-06:00

I love Christmastime. It's so great with the lights and the food and songs and the things of that nature (Say that Arnold style-it's funnier). I also love the meaning of Christmas and agree with most that the true meaning should be celebrated all year. But, as soon as it hits January 1st I am done. No more caroling, no more decorations and no more blow-up snowglobes of Santa in the yards. Lucy doesn't get this concept yet and so she innocently sang Jingle Bells 20 times in a row while in the car today never knowing about the Grinch in my head. I will try to be patient with those who insist upon carrying Christmas through the new year but I am done. Having said that, I should probably take down the wreath on my front door.

The Olsen Twins Conspiracy

2008-01-05T21:44:00.000-06:00

I really liked the video on my last post and am sad that it is no longer available. I am also too lazy to go to YouTube to find another matching video so chalk this up to another way the Olsen Twins are mysteriously mysterious.

The Olsen Twins

2007-12-18T21:10:00.000-06:00

So, this is what my daughter was watching before bed tonight. Although this is not a good lesson for kids nutritionally, it is a catchy little tune. Seriously though, if this is the kind of talent you have to have to become itty bitty billionaires then I am totally going to exploit my kids. I feel some stage-mommin' coming on.

This commercial

2007-12-05T11:09:00.000-06:00

I thought I would celebrate my return to this blog with a really catchy tune. Seriously, if you hear someone singing this song would you laugh or help get them to a toilet asap?

How far we've come...

2007-11-11T19:35:00.000-06:00

This video from CollegeHumor is "24" in the year 1994. Could Jack Bauer do it without a cell phone and high speed internet? mmmmm. It cracks me up how I didn't even use the internet when I was in college, or should I say 'the world wide web'. It's only been 10 years.

By the way, I love how he looks like the guy from Soul Asylum which I saw in 1994 with the Spin Doctors. I'll be humming Runaway Train all night now.

a clean schedule.

2007-11-09T11:22:00.000-06:00

I have finally finished Alias. My schedule is now open for a new show. Here are my thoughts if I can find someone with the dvds. 1)Boston Legal 2)The West Wing 3)Sports Night 4)Veronica Mars 5)Lost(hesitantly). Any suggestions?

The Magic Eraser

2007-11-07T11:13:00.000-06:00

Seriously, if you haven't bought yourselves one of these you are missing out on how easy it is to clean up after your kids. I had to use mine on our bath tub yesterday after Lucy drew what looked to be an entire map of the world in pencil. You couldn't use an eraser so I busted out the eraser. Not only did it clean off the pencil craziness it also cleaned what I thought were stains on our tub. I have scrubbed with 3 different types of cleaners to get that off of our tub. Now I need a magical person to clean the rest of my house.

People with similar opinions..

2007-11-05T07:20:00.000-06:00

...On Kobe Bryant. I never have and probably never will like Kobe. He is so selfish as a player that I think I would have to turn on my own Blazers if they ever ended up with him. This is just another article of how Tim Duncan is so much better. There are not enough of those.

Bet you didn't know I could fit basketball in with my demanding TV schedule.

Big Love

2007-11-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

So after the great Oprah show of '07 dealing with polygamy a couple of friends and I decided to rent Big Love. It's a show on HBO about a 'plural family'. It is fascinating. Seriously, there are pros to this situation if you could handle your jealousy issues. Though I don't think that you get to be lord of your own planet because of the number of wives you have. bummer. You would have free babysitting. Is that on my mind enough right now to even consider the postives to adding some wives?

World Peace

2007-10-20T20:54:00.001-05:00

Who knew that surfing could bring reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians?

Alias

2007-10-20T19:51:00.000-05:00

I don't like to get caught up in shows with a lot of hype. But when I figure out why they have the hype I regret my decision to avoid the bandwagon. This is one of those shows. The best part is that now I just like speaking in CIA lingo. Everyone will have a call name by the time I am done with all 5 seasons.

My latest trip to the Abilene Public Library

2007-10-18T16:12:00.000-05:00

I am sure that people make fun of me all the time for how much of my conversations include something about the public library. That's okay because I am becoming smarter and cooler by the minute thanks the APL(that's the insider lingo). I thought I would share my current list of check-outs with everyone with star ratings up to five being highly recommended.

1.green this! by deirdre imus. I will probably have to buy this book because this will be something that I will need for a reference regularly. It talks about the dangers of cleaning and household products and extremely affordable and natural alternatives. I give it *****.

2.Juice Alive by Steven Bailey and Larry Trivieri. My parents gave me their juicer recently and so I needed to figure out some recipes. This is one that will be useful but not as enjoyable at first. Not a big carrot and beet juice fan but I'll give it a try.****

3.Three birthday party idea books that were all worthless. No stars given.

4.The Puppini Sisters (CD)Betcha Bottom Dollar. I always liked the Andrew Sisters and this is kind of an updated version.****

5.Third Day (CD)Chronology. I don't love,love Third Day but some of the songs are too good to not like.***

6.Barlow Girl (CD)Another Journal Entry. I liked this more than I thought I would. I am thinking that this is a keeper. ****

7.Maroon 5 (CD)It won't be soon before too long. I don't really like Adam Levine.***

8.Stevie Nicks (CD)Cyrstal Visions..The very best of. Landslide is one of my favorite songs ever but I like her better with Fleetwood Mac.***

9.Ludacris (CD)Release Therapy. Oh my little ears need the radio edit versions. Or no more moneymaker-shakin' Luda.*

10.Vince Gill (CD)The Reason Why. With all the great guest vocalists, this is pretty good country music.****

11.Bruce Springsteen (CD)Magic. I'll work for your love is a good song. It sounds like Bruce to me.****

12.Mark Schultz (CD)Broken and Beautiful. There were a couple of good songs.***

13.Nichole Nordeman (CD)recollections The Best of...****

14.Disney Sing Along Songs (DVD)Perfectly Princess. Lucy gives it *****

15.Nature Baby - not yet reviewed by Mr. Owen.

16.The Illusionist (DVD) will watch by Saturday.

17.A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (DVD) Kevin is watching this as I type.*****

18.Some Angelina Ballerina Movie.*****

19.A couple of Baby Einsteins*****(I'm getting tired of typing)

If you are not using the resource of the public library, you are missing out. I sit in my house and reserve everything on line and then they send me an email to tell me when it is in. It's easy and free.

random facts

2007-09-24T17:59:00.000-05:00

Did we need to know this?

I guess that means that Jemaine will have more offspring than Bret.

shows that allow me to not watch shows

2007-08-23T17:24:00.000-05:00

I love shows like Best Week Ever on VH1 or The Soup on E!. But since I don't have cable I have to settle for the online versions which are great. I no longer have to miss watching any of the guilty pleasures because I can see the part that I would like most being made fun of on these shows in the same way I would have done myself had I actually wasted the time to watch it. For example, my last post about the Hoff.

The Hoff

2007-08-23T17:21:00.001-05:00

Is it too cliche to compare David Hasselhoff to a fine bottle of wine that just keeps getting better with time? Here you can see why we still love him. I am totally going to go rent Knight Rider this week.

Answers to my questions

2007-08-18T08:22:00.000-05:00

1. Why are local commercials so bad?
Here are some Abilene examples: a plumbing company working to the tune of "Holding out for a hero", a portable shed salesman dressed as a caveman, a giant, white-haired, cross-eyed man standing on a huge stack of mattresses on top of Ed's Friendly Beds roof (he looks like a great grandpa, though). There are many more but I probably go to church with some of these people so I will quit here.

2. Why will Michael Vick most likely serve more time than Mary Winkler? I like dogs, but I like dads more, even if they are bad husbands.

3. Why was Arrested Development cancelled?

4. Why do I lose my remote control capabilities when given the option of MTV? All day marathons of Laguna Beach, The Hills and My Super Sweet 16 is why I can't get cable.

5. Why do I hate dinosaurs so much? Jurrassic Park, Baby, Barney (that's a given) and all 100 Land Before Time movies.

Many more questions to come.

Flight of the Conchords

2007-08-09T11:59:00.000-05:00

This is a folk/comedy group from New Zealand. They have a show on HBO that looks like a mix of sketch comedy and their songs. Pretty funny stuff. This one is called "The most beautiful girl in the room".

Crippets

2007-08-04T19:19:00.000-05:00

Let me clarify. I hate crickets but I like it when Lucy calls them crippets. I think that people that live in the northwest have never seen anything like these stinky, creepy crippets. It gives a small glimpse as to what a plague may have resembled.

Boundaries

2007-07-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

I consistently see a correlation between boundaries and blessings. I have been struggling to figure out these past couple of years what it means to live the life that God intended. I am not even close to the answer but I have definitely come a long way in my journey, at least mentally. I have yet to put a lot of the things I believe into practice. Why is that? Here are some examples...
1. If we know that good nutrition and exercise help us to live longer and have a greater quality of life why do we choose unhealthy foods and fight exercise. Being overweight and unhealthy feels gross and it is a choice for most people.
2. If we spend more money than we make, we will owe someone money. Living in debt feels gross and it is a choice for all people.
3. If we continue to treat the earth poorly we might have a hard time finding a parcel of land to live on (watch An Inconvenient Truth to see about the choices we can make and decide this one for yourself)
4. If we treat people poorly no one will be at our funeral. I actually don't know that to be truth but it is always in the movies. It is true that we will be alienated from the relationships that exist to let us know God better and to be encouraged.

When we live this way we are unable to see the gifts that God intended us to have.

Why do we continue to ignore the boundaries and insist on living a life that is mediocre when we could could be living one that is extraordinary?

Summer theme songs

2007-07-19T23:01:00.001-05:00

So, I mentioned that 'Achy Breaky Heart' was my first summer theme song. It's true. My memory was pulling the truck up in front of my High School where I was meeting my friend Rooster (nickname) and rolling down my window to talk to him. He handed me a mixed tape that included a little Billy Ray and asked if I wanted to go with him and his friend to Eugene to watch them get a tatoo. Since I had a huge crush at the time on his friend this was pretty much one of the best days of my High School career. I will never forget that song. There is nothing better than those songs that make you want to roll your windows down on a sunny day and drive until the song is over. These are not necessarily good songs, just the kind that sound different when the sun is shining. Here are some of my summer theme songs. Remember that summer theme songs are almost always defined as Guilty Pleasures.

1993- Whoomp! There it is, Rump Shaker, Nuthin but a "G" Thang, I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)
1994- Anything by Salt n Pepa and the Reality Bites soundtrack
1995- Gangsta's Paradise, everything by TLC and Mary Chapin Carpenter
1996- C'mon N Ride It (That Train), No Diggity
1997- Da Dip, Mmmbop and all Puff Daddy
1998- Gettin Jiggy Wit it, I'll Be, Sock it 2 Me
1999- Save Tonight, Where my Girls At?, No Scrubs, Genie in a Bottle, Kiss Me
2000- Bye, Bye, Bye, everything by the Dixie Chicks, Steal my Kisses, Fast Car (played for 3 hours while Kevin and I talked)
2001- Rollin', Ms. Jackson, Country Grammar
2002- Hey Baby, whatever Britney Spears album came out (I'm not proud of this)
2003- Hey Ya!, Bring me to life, Crazy in Love
2004- Drop it like it's hot, The Reason, This Love
2005- Hollaback Girl, Gold Digger, everything by the Killers
2006- Temperature, Crazy (Gnarls Barkley), Too Little Too Late, S.O.S.
2007- Party Like a Rock Star and I am bringing back Ice, Ice Baby

I'm thinking a future mixed cd is on this list.
Go to www.musicoutfitters.com to find the top 100 songs of each year.

UPDATE: Just to clarify.....The songs above are good for the car and cleaning house. I don't usually listen to rap on a regular basis. Even though I would prefer folk and easy listening I like to mix it up. A little Air Supply, a little Outkast. Everything in moderation right?

Independence Day

2007-07-19T22:33:00.000-05:00

Picture it. 1992. Tri City, Oregon. It was July and I had just turned 16. I was a licensed driver and my best friend's parents were out of town. They left us the keys to the '77 brown Buick. They had one of the coolest houses in town. A full basketball court, a pool, a hot tub and it was all ours for a week. We referred to this for many years later as "The Best Week Ever" way before VH1 ever got a hold of the phrase. We found a rubber hand in the trunk that was making the "hang loose" sign and a stuffed leg. So we put the hand in the rear window and hung the leg out of the trunk and rocked 8-tracks for 7 glorious days. We went to the county fair, laid out by the pool, shopped for different 8-tracks....it was so much fun and we didn't even have the predictable parents-are-gone party. The next week I inherited my dad's white Ford pickup for 8 hours a day while he was at work. It was in this truck that I remember my first summer theme song(see next post)......Achy Breaky Heart. That's right, Billy Ray Cyrus. Here are my favorite of the Top 100 songs from 1992. (I took off a lot of Amy Grant, Mariah and Celine) BTY, this is the summer that I went to a Color Me Badd concert. Tick Tock You don't stop.

1. End Of The Road, Boyz II Men
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot
3. Jump, Kris Kross
4. Save The Best For Last, Vanessa Williams
5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
6. Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton
7. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
9. All 4 Love, Color Me Badd
12. To Be With You, Mr. Big
13. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
14. Black Or White, Michael Jackson
15. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus
17. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
18. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
22. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough, Patty Smyth
24. Jump Around, House Of Pain
25. Diamonds and Pearls, Prince and The N.P.G.
27. Masterpiece, Atlantic Starr
32. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
37. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, Boyz II Men
38. Move This, Technotronic
39. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
40. Tennessee, Arrested Development
44. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, P.M. Dawn
45. Stay, Shakespear's Sister
46. 2 Legit 2 Quit, Hammer
60. One, U2
65. Warm It Up, Kris Kross
66. In The Closet, Michael Jackson
72. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
73. Blowing Kisses In The Wind, Paula Abdul
75. Rhythm Is A Dancer, Snap
87. Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
100. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt

Go to musicoutfitters.com to find the top 100 songs of each year.

Places without "Cricket Season"

2007-07-17T19:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have been a pretty good Abilene citizen these past 2 years. I have had an above average attitude concerning west Texas considering my Oregon roots. I have tried to appreciate and at times admire Abilene with its dirt and flatness. But, seriously, cricket season?! I don't care what Miss Spider tells her Sunny Patch Friends but crickets are gross. They are really concentrated around campus and various strip malls throughout town. Now, I know that 2 years ago it was much worse but I will never get used to large bugs jumping around on the floor while I am shopping or trying not to step on a smooshed one. What purpose do these annoying bugs serve?

Felicity

2007-07-13T18:46:00.000-05:00

Well, it was bound to happen I suppose. We don't have cable and so I watch a lot of tv on dvd. A friend brought over the first two seasons of Felicity and I was moderately excited. Even though I could not stand this show when it was actually on tv, I have contemplated watching it this past year. The only reason I even considered it is because it is the summer and I needed a fluff show to watch during a nap time here and there or when Kevin worked late. If Felicity and I could have only kept that relationship going it would have been fine. I was Ben and she was, well, Felicity. I wanted something fun and no pressure. She wanted every hour of my day. I am addicted. It took a while to know if I liked it because it made me feel older and like I was too mature to watch it. Then, out of nowhere, Bam! I felt like I was back in college again with all the drama and more. I use every excuse to be able to get to the next episode. I'll bring all the toys in the living room or I'll find some "chores" that have to be done while sitting on the couch. It's like when I have cookies in the house. Instead of just rationing myself to one a day I go with the theory that I need to just get them out of here as soon as possible. I think this is just a general problem with watching shows on dvd. You can get instant gratification of knowing what will happen next by just pushing the button. Maybe I should just get cable.

To Know.....

2007-07-08T20:49:00.001-05:00

Is it buck naked or butt naked?

Exercise

2007-07-04T09:47:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so I started exercising more regularly by joining a group (Forever Fit) that some friends from church started. Nearly every muscle on my body has been sore for the past 3 weeks. It is starting to get better (Thank you, Jesus!). This video from Saturday Night Live is more what I was looking for, but oh well.

The songs of my youth

2007-06-26T18:25:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows how great it is to hear a song on the radio and have memories rushing back that you that you can almost feel. Yesterday I heard Disarm by Smashing Pumpkins and I saw rooms filled with friends from almost 15 years ago. I could picture and feel almost everything. It was crazy since I probably couldn't have hummed it 1 minute before. Of course I could go on for hours about every song I've ever known and the memory with it but how exciting would that be? Maybe later.

Mr. Rogers

2007-06-23T23:17:00.001-05:00

"In order to express our sense of reality, we must use some kind of symbol: words or notes or shades of paint or television pictures or sculpted forms. None of these symbols or images can ever completely satisfy us because they can never be any more than what they are - a fragment of a reflection of what we feel reality to be."

-Mr. Rogers
from the book, The World According to Mr. Rogers

T-Shirts

2007-06-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

There is a sad day coming. It is very likely that by the end of the year I will have to throw away almost every t-shirt that means something to me. Between working at a plywood mill, having babies and the fact that most of them are at least 10 years old, my precious t-shirts, filled with holes and spit up stains are at the end of their journeys. No more Cascade College Soccer (which I never played,btw), no more Lambda, no more Sierra Bible Camp. It's not that these shirts are cool looking it's what they represent. It's the shirts that reminded me when I was plugging away at sheets of wood that I had some diverse experiences that many people in that mill never had. When I was covered in spit up they reminded me that at one point in my life I was sort of cool and that I was capable of doing other things than changing diapers and nursing babies (not that those things aren't important). And now that I am about to be 31 they are reminding me that it's been a while since I was a college student and a camp counselor. I know that anyone seeing me in these shirts are taking up a fund to replace them but they probably don't know how special they are. I know that there are other shirts waiting to become special to me in the future and I am looking forward to that but no shirts will replace these memories. Maybe I will keep them in a special box and one day they will be vintage.

The things that stick in your head

2007-06-18T00:24:00.000-05:00

Someone at a church we worked with a few years ago asked me if I would eat a brownie knowing that there was poop in one of the corners of the pan. He wanted to know if I could honestly say, "the brownies were good except that there was some poop in a couple of squares." The idea being that could we honestly say that a movie was good except that it had the f-word a few times, or it was good except for the nude scene. Could we say that a love song was good except for the part about promiscuity.....Can we? I have been saying that a lot lately with especially the movies I have watched. I have watched some really moving and thought provoking movies in the past couple of months but they have all had a few "excepts" in them. Are they still good movies? hmmmmm.

UPDATE: I reread my post after several comments (most not written here) and decided that the brownie theory is relative. It depends on the movie and it depends on who you are recommending it to. Some of these movies are not for my grandma but that doesn't mean that they aren't worth watching. I think that a lot of these movies, mostly dramas, have given me insight and compassion to worlds that I don't see very often. It gives me a little wake up call that I am in a bubble and there are things going on in the world that are kind of poopy.

Method products

2007-06-06T07:48:00.000-05:00

So in my latest attempt to go greener (I'll probably never be totally green), I have started using Method products from Target. Let me just say that eco-friendly or not, the mop is the best mop I've ever used. And when you're done you just toss the mopping pad in the washer and use it over and over. It also has swiffer-type cloths. With two kids that will eat off any surface, it makes me feel better to know that my floor is chemical-free enough to eat off. I also like the shower/tub cleaner in hopes that it helps with Lucy's sensitivity issues. I just bought the dryer sheets so it's too soon to rate them.
I was at a point where convenience was trumping safety and the importance of our earth. I am far from reaching environmentalist awards but I will try to at least start going halvsies. I'll try to recycle half of my plastics and glass, getting my groceries bagged in plastic as few times as possible, repurpose things that I would normally throw away so I at least get a little more use and don't have to buy or use something new.
Here are some of my examples...when I do get plastic grocery bags, use them for trash bags in the bathroom. Use egg cartons for holding finger paints. Cover cans with scrapping paper and use them for vases. Don't throw electronics in the trash. Any other good ones?

Jesus Camp

2007-05-30T18:04:00.000-05:00

This has been a blog in the making over the past couple of weeks. It has taken me that long to even begin figuring out my "upsession" with this movie. I am upset because of so many reasons and for all those reasons, I am obsessed. I would love to hear what anyone has to say about this movie. It is a documentary of a pentecostal church camp for kids. It's not about that as much as it is about the war going on between the religious right and the rest of the world.
I am so proud to be a Christian but so embarrassed to be grouped in the category of evangelicals right now. There is a really fine line between being sold out and being sinful. Or is there? Maybe I'll update this entry when I have some things figured out and watch the movie again. Check out Mike Cope's blog for a related topic of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Here's the trailer.

Gilmore Girls

2007-05-15T23:25:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the Series Finale of one of the best shows to ever be on television. I have a sad face.

Mixed Tapes

2007-05-13T14:04:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes you hear that someone died (usually older and famous) and you are like, "Ahh, how sad". But really you thought they died a long time ago. That's what happened yesterday when I found out that the cassette tape will no longer be manufactured, blank or otherwise.
My first cassette purchased was Tiffany. My last cassette purchased was Acappella "Conquerors" yesterday at the youth group yard sale. The thing about tapes are that they really aren't that great. The quality stinks compared to CD's and downloads and nothing will ever be as romantic as a record. But - the mixed tape is priceless. I loved my dual cassette player. I loved the skill it took to hit pause at just the right moment before the next song started. I loved the excitement I felt when I handed the tape to a friend (or a special friend) and knowing they got the best of the best in that little case. I also loved decorating the tape cover. I could get elaborate here and usually used cut outs from Soap Opera digest or Tiger Beat. Ah, good times Mr. Cassette. I miss you, even though I thought you were already dead.

theme songs

2007-05-11T23:51:00.000-05:00

I really like theme songs. If you can remember the words to a theme song from over 20 years ago, it's a good one. This one, my friends is a good one. Let's just say it's Fergalicious.

A few other greats...
Growing Pains
Family Ties
Cheers
Saved by the Bell
WKRP in Cincinati
And, yes Dad, Dallas

Lowered Expectations

2007-05-07T23:22:00.000-05:00

Something I have noticed lately is that I usually enjoy things more when I am not as excited about them. If I have high expectations then I am usually disappointed. When I am really looking forward to something like a restaraunt or a movie then I end up picking it apart until I hate it. If I am dragged, I usually end up being able to say "it was better than I thought it was going to be", which is a good review. Try it out. It could change your life.

mom jeans

2007-05-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

Just an idea for a gift, Kevin.

That Passions is going off the air soon

2007-05-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been 8 years in the making but Passions is finally set to go off the air sometime soon. I knew I had to write about this when I turned on the tv a little early for The Rachael Ray Show and saw Sheridan in prison wearing a fake beard so she could be with Luis. Seriously. I am all for a guilty pleasure but I can't take any more. I have gotten sucked into this show before but it was because of the little guy in the clip above. Those were the good days. When people were drinking Martimmis and all was right in Harmony. May Timmy rest in peace.

Garage Sales

2007-04-29T21:37:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love garage sales.

We had literally the Best Yard Sale Ever! this weekend. We had 12 different families participate in one heck of a sale at our house. I have yet to recover. Two straight days of making deals and keeping kids from falling down the porch steps. Exhausting and yet so worth it. We were money making machines. It is ridiculous to think about how much stuff we have that we don't even need. But it feels so good to clean out the house. The sad thing is that this was our third yard sale at this house and we haven't even lived here a year. It's not just selling stuff though. We had a lot of fun hanging out with some friends for two days and having our kids run around laughing (and crying). It's been a good way to get to know people better (by hanging out and by seeing each others junk) and we made money doing it.

I also like going to garage sales. I used to be embarrassed by this a little because I felt like I was cheap. Then it was addicting because I started finding these unbelievable deals. I am a bargain hunter anyway so it's just my nature to never pay full price for something and I have come to terms with that. I have recently started to try going "green" in some areas of my life and realized that buying second hand is a way of doing that. I am recycling by buying and selling used things. That has turned me from being embarrassed to being an uppity enviromentalist. It's my Oregon roots.

The thing that anyone who has ever been to our house must congratulate us on is that we are getting a new couch with our yard sale money this week. You will no longer have your buns go numb or hit your funnybone on the wood sticking through the arm of our couch. Your Welcome.Haha.

Sweet Tea

2007-04-21T16:17:00.000-05:00

Almost every restaraunt in this town serves sweet tea, even Taco Bell. Kevin and I have given up sodas for this year which we thought would be impossible and I am sure many others thought it was impossible for us. But we are almost 4 months clean. Kevin made it through a whole semester without a DR. Pepper. I am so proud. BUT....we did this for health reasons and that has become fruitless since we have replaced it with Sonic's sweet tea and, for Kevin, Cherry Limeades. When I was on the sauce I used to think that Sonic's tea could knock me out with the sugar. Now it is flowing through my veins like the blood once did. I like unsweet tea just fine so why am I so obsessed with the sweet stuff? If I cut out all sweet drinks I don't think I can make it through the day. Sweet tea was the back up for the soda. If I was craving soda then I could satisfy that with sweet tea or peach tea. Now I am at the same point with tea as I was with soda. What am I going to do? This is nonsense on many levels.

PCD

2007-04-17T23:47:00.000-05:00

There are people that shovel 8 straight hours a day. There are people that work 48 straight hours or more saving lives as doctors and nurses. There are people that deal with horribly behaved teenagers all day in classrooms for too small of a paycheck. There are people that risk their lives to put out fires and to save others. But apparently being a Pussycat Doll is what defines "hard work". I mean, I never realized how much "hard work" it took to look, dance and sing like a PCD.

We record Gilmore Girls every Tuesday and this was on right after. What a treat. I think this might beat out America's Next Top Model and Flava of Love. If I think about the show for very long I will get too sad for them. So I will enjoy it and not give it another deep thought until after I watch the season finale next week.

Feeling like I've done something

2007-04-16T23:45:00.000-05:00

You know that there are days that go by and you think "what did I even do today?" I have a lot of those. It's dumb because I know that when I make a list the night before I always feel better. Yet, I let too many days just happen. I don't want to be too organized because then I wouldn't be me. But, I want to be more purposeful about what I am doing. This is especially important with my kids. On days that I play hard with them we all get along better. On days that I keep working on a project long enough to say that it's done, I feel like I accomplished something and that is such a great feeling. My house is not exactly clean right now but it doesn't feel so bad because we had a full-on Zoo in my living room this morning with a snack bar and I priced 7 boxes of garage sale things. I played with my kids and finished a project. It's a snowball effect because now I have spent the last hour emailing and finally updating my blog instead of playing Gin Rummy on my computer. Look out world! I am on a roll. Or, maybe I'll just play a couple of games and go to bed. Let's not get carried away.

I Tunes

2007-04-16T23:22:00.000-05:00

Even though I dabble with the occasional Top 40 on the radio, I have been out of the "good music" loop for a few years now. I have been relying on Beyonce and Sean Paul to meet my music needs and let's just say that those needs haven't been met. I mean, I love having those guilty pleasures but it's like eating junk food all the time. Not good Nelly.
It took me a few months to get the hang of I Tunes but now that I have, it is my good friend. Just the weekly free downloads alone have been the nutritious music that I have needed to remind me that there is more to life than bringing Sexy back(although I don't mind it's return).
Looking back on the CD's I have owned I realized that I only really like maybe 4 or 5 songs on each one. There are very few that you can listen to all the way through. That's the beauty of the $.99 song. It's wonderful.
Here's what I am buying....
1)Brandi Carlile. I HEART her. Love, Love, Love and Obsessed.
2)James Morrison. I like every song. Very rare.
3)Eighties Music. Rock me Amadeus. Seriously great stuff. Come on.
4)Ray LaMontagne. Reminds me of Van Morrison. I love the raspy voice that can make a meaningless run in a song mean everything.
5)Amy Winehouse. Although her lyrics are a little questionable, the melodies in her sound is really unique.

What's in your I Tunes?

Abilene

2007-02-28T20:49:00.000-06:00

So it has taken me a while to like something else. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Sorry. I really do like a lot of things. They just aren't all that interesting.

Now, I am not ever going to agree with Sonny James. Abilene is not the prettiest town I've ever seen. BUT.......It's not that bad. When we lived here 6 years ago we were engaged and working like crazy so we didn't really even do much in the town. I honestly didn't even know that most of it existed. When we found out we were moving here again two years ago I was pretty disappointed. I was not exactly thrilled with leaving the beautiful northwest for the "brown town". So, here are the things that have grown on me the past almost two years to make me include this city on my list of likes.
1) Even though the population is around 120,000 it really seems like a small town. There are enough places to shop (but not too much) and there isn't any traffic. The town is really family friendly with several parks and activities for kids.
2) The churches/ACU. Abilene Christian University plays such a big roll in the town. It is an amazing gathering of talent, knowledge and ideas. We used to look forward to the Lectures at Pepperdine to see a few people speak and now we go to church with them and one is our preacher. Our church is around 1750 in size. That is around the size of the town I grew up in so we have a church that is literally a community. It's amazing to have such a large, great group of people surrounding you. This kind of a tough one to explain but it is just a really great feeling to have a family like this that has similar values.
It's also totally acceptable for someone to be a Christian, which is very different from the northwest. They talk about it on the news, in the paper, etc. It's really been a culture shock.
3)The culture. I love that I can see a man standing outside Joe Allen's BBQ on a Sunday afternoon with a large toothpick hanging out of his mouth and a gigantic cowboy hat, looking like he's eaten there a few too many times. It was one of those "I really live in Texas moments". I like that people wave when they pass me while I'm on a walk, even when they have no idea who I am. I like that there is a pumpjack in the drive-in movie theater. Why not show a couple of double features and pump oil? It's great.
4)It's not always ugly. It's true. There are some pretty parts of town that aren't bad to look at. When I would get a little depressed about living here at first, I would just drive down Elmwood. It's my favorite neighborhood. The houses are beautiful, big and brick. That is something that is different here. Most of the houses are brick. In Oregon brick isn't used much except for the really expensive houses. The people from down here don't really get that but everyone that has been here from Oregon has been amazed by it.
Well, there are a few reasons Abilene isn't that bad. We have grown to really like it here and are a part of a wonderful church family and group of friends. Maybe it's the people that we have met that have started to blur the brown. I don't know but it is going to be a hard place to leave when the time comes.

To be alone...

2007-01-25T13:22:00.000-06:00

There are certain things that I like to do alone. For example - I like to be in the bathroom alone regardless of what I am doing even just brushing my teeth. It's rare for that to happen but when it does it usually only means I am alone in the room. There is most likely a little one waiting outside. It's either Owen crying and scratching on the door or Lucy asking what I am doing in there.
Another thing I like to do alone now is shop. I like to either just go do what I have to and get it over with (which is possible without others) or look at my own leisure (like reading the label on every type of hair or face product). I like to go on a shopping trip that doesn't include bribery or a trip to the play area at the mall.
Even though it's not totally alone time, I like to talk on the phone when I am the only one in the room. I like having conversations with people and not interrupting them to say "Yes, Lucy, I'll have another glass of rubber ball" or "Owen, don't touch your poo poo."
I know it seems selfish and very unlikely that these things will be done alone for a few years now, but it is nice to dream.

Eating Out

2007-01-11T23:41:00.000-06:00

I love to cook. I like trying new recipes...I like having people over.....I like it the most when other people like it. But there is just something about going out to eat that is special (even if you have 2 kids with you). I like that once you get to the right restaurant you don't have to worry about pleasing everyone. You can have what you want. You also don't have to do the dishes or pick up everything that Owen and I drop on the floor.
Even though we sometimes set aside time with just our family to go out, we really like to go with friends. Our first going out to eat friends (as a couple) were John and Renee who now live in San Diego. We lived in the Bay Area and we could always rely on them to want to eat out as much as we did. When we lived in Myrtle Creek we could always count on my parents and many of our friends to be at El Paraiso on Friday or Saturday night and Pizza Palace on Sunday. We have several couples and families that we go out with now but when we first moved to Abilene James and Kami Yasko introduced us to a few places. They are the heroes by taking us to The Home Place in Tuscola, Texas. So far this is my favorite place to eat. It is a family style restaurant that has the best home cooking around. When anyone comes to visit or we have a special occasion, that's where we end up. Of course, in Abilene there isn't much to do but eat out.
I have so many good memories though that don't include food. It's like each stage of my life has a food place to represent it. Abby's Pizza during High School. The Taco Bell on Stark in College (along with many others depending on the person). Chili's when Kevin and I started dating. Krispy Kreme when we lived in Fremont (along with all 20 other places around it). El Paraiso when we moved back to Myrtle Creek and the Home Place now.
I also have a place that I think of with each friend I have. Too much to list. I could go on for hours...your turn.

Television

2007-01-06T00:20:00.000-06:00

I thought that by not having satellite or cable we would cut back on TV. I was wrong. We have been Netflixing everything. Now I am even more addicted because I can just watch one after the other. We do get the main networks with an antenna and that is also providing much joy in television watching and if you miss that, you can watch it online. I think that there are more shows on right now that I like than ever before. Maybe I just need to get out more, I don't know but here's my list not in any specific order...

Grey's Anatomy - Me and the rest of the country, ridiculous

Studio 60 - I really like Matthew Perry and at first I was offended by the Christian slamming but I actually have found it to be interesting and challenging to know what others think of us. The Christmas show was really good and you should check it out online if only for the version of O Holy Night.

30 Rock - It's wierd to have two shows on the same channel about the backstage of an SNL type show but this is a really funny show. I have decided that Alec Baldwin is officially one of the funniest people right now.

Arrested Development - Only in reruns and DVD. We aren't through the first season yet but have loved this. It deserved all the awards. Very funny.

The Office - Both versions are funny but I really like Steve Carrell and so I go with that one.

Friday Night Lights - I don't know if it is because I live in West Texas or what but this is my new favorite. It's a really good show that has funny and serious. Just when I think that it is over the top I think back to my own memories of High School and it's not that far off from the characters. In fact, some of them are very similar. It's not all about football. Which is why it is possible for me to like this show even more than Kevin.

Gilmore Girls - Okay, this 7th season is not that great but I am faithful. The first 6 seasons though are really, really good.

Scrubs - You can watch this as much as you want on sindication (along with some other favorites -Friends, Raymond) but the new episodes are good. We watch this one randomly but I never realized how funny this show is. I know Priscilla is watching this right now.

These are what I like the most at this moment in time and I realize that many will say "Where is Lost? 24? The Housewives?Heroes?" Well, I have too much on my plate right now and thanks to TV on DVD I can feel safe knowing that one day I will be able to watch these if I choose.

ADD IN : I wasn't going to put this on here but I might as well admit that I am dabbling in Days of Our Lives again so now it's out there.

Maybe it'll work, maybe not

2007-01-06T00:15:00.000-06:00

Well, I have decided that I need a blog that is all about what I like. I already have one about what I like the most - my family, of course. Now I am just going to use this as my personal blog. Maybe I'll keep it up better because it won't have to include pictures or maybe I'll run out of things I like to talk about. Doubt it.