I, I Will Be King

Even though I am all thrown off on my days, I have managed to figure out that today is Choose and Defend Wednesday. Today I thought we'd visit the world of super heroes. They are everywhere...comic books, tv shows, movies...I guess we need them. Now, I am not a particular follower of any of these roving bands of super heroes, but I appreciate the idea of them! So, I thought I'd ask you to Choose and Defend your favorite. I'm sure I've left plenty out, but I'm giving you two big groups to Choose from. 

Who is coming to your rescue?

The Avengers

OR

Justice League

Do you have a favorite super hero? Tell us about it! This Choose and Defend Wednesday has it's dark side, sure...but it is here to help you. Choose and Defend. No thanks necessary.

This Musical Message is For I'll Ask For the Sea

I've Seen Trouble All My Days

Today is Saturday and I am at work. How wrong is that? Especially since this is meant to be a long weekend! Well...it will still be a long weekend in it's own way. I will be happy when Monday rolls around and there is no work. But let's talk about today. It is time for Saturday Scavenger Shots!
Tara, who blogs over at Eclectic Spaghetti, chose the word CONSTANT for this week. Isn't that a fine word? I like it quite a bit. I have been hearing Man of CONSTANT Sorrow in my head all week. Soggy Bottom Boys version :)

For Saturday Scavenger Shots, I am going with a happier kind of CONSTANT though. That which is CONSTANT in my life in the most positive of ways. 

My family, especially my family doing something goofy, is the biggest CONSTANT in my life. I cannot even imagine who I would be without my kids and grands. They are as CONSTANT as the North Star.

I am learning to look at DR as a CONSTANT source of love and support in my life. Sometimes little issues can seem overwhelming to me, but that is mostly about my own bad baggage. I'm going to plan to keep on following him and see where the trail takes us. It isn't CONSTANT fun, but it is pretty darn close :)

Here's hoping that when you look at the things most CONSTANT in your life, the good things far outweigh the bad!

I guess I will just go ahead and pick next week's word while we're here. Let's try....ZERO.

Blue Woman Group

I hate these sorrowful moods I can get myself into. Today is bad, mostly because I am tired I think.

Stayed up late-ish last night to finish watching American Idol. I know, whatever, I still watch it. (She pouted defensively) I was thrilled in an undignified way when lovely Phillip Phillips won over that shrieking child Jessica Sanchez.

He is cute. I like his voice, his style. He seems like a grounded and sweet young man. This is the first time someone I've picked out as my favorite has won American Idol.

Anyway, I was emotional about that for some reason.  In addition, DR and I had had an argument earlier in the evening, which seemed to be settled, but somehow also not. Then I had to get up extra early today to go sell my blood. It is worth it...a pint of blood to this place that designs filtration and delivery systems pays $85! But between not enough sleep, giving blood, feeling unsettled at home...well, I am kind of a wreck.

I guess the moral of this story is...be glad you are on your own side of the screen. If we were together, you might have to watch me cry, and it ain't pretty :)

Tomorrow will be better. *fingers crossed*

Our Voices Will Ring Together

I've dragged my ass to Wednesday somehow...and you have joined me! Yay! Time for some Choose and Defend, which always lights up my little life.  This Choose and Defend is about fantasies. I was thinking about when my children were very young. With my five, there were about 15 years when there was always someone who was 4 or under. Casting my mind back, I honestly believe that my fondest fantasy scenario during that time was someone saying to me "Let me take the baby out for a walk so you can fix dinner without someone fussing at your feet." haha! I'd stand there trying to prepare a meal for everyone, dreamily imagining the evening fusses handled by some imaginary loving partner :) Crazy. 

Things are different now, but of course I have other stresses in my life, as we all do. I kind of assume that everyone has their own 'happy place' that they can escape to for self-calming purposes. I also assume that these soothing, smile inducing scenarios are as varied as there are people in the world.  Still, I thought I throw a couple of things out there and see what most closely matches your go-to happy place. It won't be exact, but probably one will be closer than the other...right? Let's go with that.

Here is your Choose and Defend Wednesday...when you are stressed what is your happy fantasy most like?

Adoring Fans

OR

Relaxing Beach

I think they both have their appeal! Being cheered on by people excited to see you just doing something you do well...yeah! Quiet warmth, peace, beauty...um hmm! So let us here from you, please. What is your fantasy? After you Choose, feel free to tell us more in comments. More is always good :)  Choose and Defend!

My Baby is Not a Baby

A couple days late posting this, but I couldn't let my baby boy's birthday pass without saying something. Daniel Handsome Lad turned 15 (!) on Sunday.

We had a nice family lunch out at Peppertree, as we often do on these occasions. I got him a new skateboard, as he requested. We actually went out on Saturday and he picked out all the parts and had it put together, but he asked me to hold on to it until the next day :)   After lunch, we went back to WTG's for cupcakes. It is getting harder for me to be at WTG's house...and that isn't really a bad thing. Following that, I took Handsome Lad out to spend his birthday money. He really did need some new clothes and he always enjoys clothes shopping. I think it was a good birthday for him.

♥♥♥Have a great 15th year, Handsome Lad. Stay hip, hipster.♥♥♥

This Musical Message is For My Skateboarder on His Birthday

I Want to Show You the Outside

Hey, what's up? How's tricks? You alright? I'm good, I'm good...just having myself a Saturday. I come bearing gifts. Well, okay, not gifts exactly.  I come bearing some photos. Because it is Saturday, which means I've got some Saturday Scavenger Shots up in here!  This week's word is TRAIN, chosen by me.  The word appealed to me, because of the different ways in which it could be used.  Take a look -

I think when I first thought of TRAIN, I might have been thinking of all the upcoming TRAINing we'll have to do with the teen volunteers this summer. They will be TRAINed in important skills, such as using a paper cutter and a die-cut machine. I can already feel the excitment in the air!

Here is a little Thomas the Tank Engine rolling down his makeshift track. Thomas and friends are very popular among TRAIN loving toddlers and preschoolers. Personally, their little faces have always given me a bit of the creeps.

Here is a photo that I did not take. I got it off the Wikipedia page . It is actually a picture I've thought about taking for the past 10 years on and off :) I drive by this old TRAIN depot just about every day coming to and from work. It is such a pretty little building. It was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Depot, built in 1926, but closed since 1972. I understand that it is going to be used again when the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension comes through. This project has been going on for years, but by 2015, we may see light rail commuter TRAINs coming through this old depot again!

So, there you go. Some TRAIN stuff just for you. Don't go spending it all in one place now, ya hear? Choo choo!

Friday 5 - Fences

Can I tempt you with some Friday 5?  This one is about where you draw the line, which to me is always interesting to ponder.  I invite you to share your answers in comments or on your own blog. It's fun!

1. What’s something you were unreasonably forbidden from doing when you were a kid?  When I was a kid, I didn't think of my mom as particularly strict. I do remember wishing she let me participate more fully in skating, which I enjoyed competitively. I thought it was that she wasn't that interested, but now I realize it was probably about money.  So when she said no to another lesson or practice it felt unreasonable, but it wasn't at all!


2. In what area of your life would you say you have especially conservative boundaries? I am not a particularly conservative person in a lot of ways.  I guess maybe I have relatively conservative boundaries in what I consider appropriate to wear....for myself mostly, but even for others I can get a little judgey. I mean, save some surprises is all I'm saying. 

3. In what area of your life would you say you have especially permissive boundaries?  I have tended to be quite permissive as I've raised my children. Obviously I don't think of myself as overly permissive, but I am definitely of the mind that even from a young age there are some choices that kids can at least feel like they've made on their own (with guidance).

4. In what area of your life do you routinely go over the line?  I am shy by nature, so I can't think of an area of my life where I routinely go over the line. I can get very silly...maybe sometimes I cross a line of some sort regarding childish behavior. Oh! And the whole getting pissed about being pranked thing I have...I probably cross a line when I get so angry about looking foolish. So apparently, only I am permitted to make myself look ridiculous. Hm.

5. How many keys do you have on your key ring?  Usually eight.  Apt. key, mailbox key, car key, garage cabinet key, work key, three desk/cabinet keys. So, not too unreasonable!  But right now I have...nine because I don't have my car key...I have DRs keychain attached to mine with his car and house key...so nine. Still not too janitorial, right? 

And there you have it, a Friday 5 of fun(ish) facts about me and my fences. Hope you have a great weekend without any boundaries...except, you know, the ones you want :)

Please check back tomorrow for Saturday Scavenger Shots. This week's word is TRAIN. I'm sure your on board for that!  Um, okay.  I'll go now....

String Cheese Theory

Since Tara asked, I thought I'd write a little post about DR's String Cheese Theory...not to be confused with String Theory or  The String Cheese Incident!  It is a fairly simple theory about how the way that you eat a piece of string cheese tells the viewer something about your personality. Specifically, he believes that the tinier the strings you peel off the more whimsical and fun loving you are. People who peel off bigger chunks are more practical and earthbound. If you just take a bite...well, basically you are a course beast.

The theory makes sense until you consider how I eat string cheese. I like a fairly substantial chunk because I want some satisfaction. On occasion, I have been known to bite right in!  And I am very fucking whimsical!  haha! Okay...maybe I'm not...I just like to think that I am. *sigh*

So...what do you think? Is DR's String Cheese Theory accurate?     

Milk and Stereo, Stereo, Stereo

Today is Wednesday, which means it is time to play Choose and Defend.  Let me get started....people have a lot of theories about food. Theories about what foods people like and even theories about the style in which food is eaten. DR has a string cheese theory in which he claims to be able to tell a lot about a person based on how they eat a piece of string cheese. Of course it is complete malarky...or not ;) But he isn't the only one with a theory!  I have one based on the kind of cartoon monster cereal you prefer.  So, I must ask you....which do you prefer, and why? Choose and defend!

Boo Berry

Count Chocula

OR

Franken Berry

Finally, here is your chance to defend your love for cartoon monster cereal! Alternatively, here is your chance to tell us how horrid they all are, but at the same time coping to a preference for one above the others.

Choose and Defend Wednesday!!!!!

Whiz Bang

Just wanted to do a quick post about my weekend. It was busy and went really quickly.

I worked on Saturday and it was a fun day because I presented a "Mothers Are Special" program. I really enjoy program days. Time flies by and it is very rewarding to provide a bit of entertainment for kids and their parents.

Everyone enjoyed a game where they tried to guess what you call the baby, mom, and dad of different types of animals. I think out favorites were the Opossums, which are called Joeys, Jills, and Jacks :)

After the stories, songs, games, and a short video, we got to everyone's favorite part of the program...the craft. I got some 16 oz heavy cardboard food containers with lids, a bunch of art supplies, and let them go to work decorating a little container for mom to keep her mom-things in! I reassured the kids that if their mom was there it was okay...by tomorrow she would have forgotten all about it and would be completely surprised when it was presented. I think most of them were satisfied with that :)

On Sunday, Mother's Day, lunch was at Chez laura b.  My mom's last day of work before retirement was Friday, so we also celebrated that! I made two different kinds of chili with all the fixings, including plenty of cornbread.  DR made cupcakes for dessert...they came out delicious. He concocted cherry and lime frosting, as well as the more traditional chocolate and vanilla.

After lunch we just sat around visiting while the little kids spun themselves into their little frenzies of activities. Luckily Auntie Girlie Girl was kind enough to take them out walking for a bit, plus she painted the girls' nails. Most of our guests left by mid-afternoon, but Kick Back Dude and the kids lingered. They actually ended up staying on until it was time to eat again...so we got some pizza. It was a delightful Mother's Day.

Here is Miss Personality who took part in an Auntie Girlie Girl fashion show. Here she sports a short dress that Girlie Girl wore to some dance or another. On Miss Personality, it was more long and elegant. She walks disturbingly well in high heels. haha!  You can see my sister in this picture, and Girlie Girl, who has lost her head in the glare of the sun coming through the window. Such a pretty day!

I hope you all had a good weekend too.  The first part of this week will be jam packed for me, as we are doing a bunch of teen interviews to get our helpers in place for this summer. We're hoping we can get together about 35 or so kids to help us run the Summer Reading Program. That will be here before we know it....and for...what? The seventh (?) year in a row, you can read all the teeth gnashing and shenanigans that go along with that.

Also, notice the word this week, if you please. It is TRAIN. Lots of ways you could go there, right? Bet it makes you want to play!  OK TTYL XOXO



This Musical Message is For Sometimes I'm Just Happy I'm Older

'Cause Everyone Listens When I Start To Sing

Thank you for the MUSIC...today's Saturday Scavenger Shots word, chosen by Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti.  Who doesn't love MUSIC? I mean, I'd have to maintain that you have some serious character defect if you don't enjoy some kind of MUSIC!   I feel like my taste in MUSIC is fairly eclectic, although the scope of my actual knowledge about MUSIC is rather limited. I don't have any sorts of MUSICal talent, but I certainly admire those who do. It seems like such a wonderful gift.

For today's photo, I decided to show you where I listen to MUSIC most often -

This is the little stereo in my car. It is just your basic am/fm/cd player. My car is older, so no built in port for an iPod or anything like that. The speakers are just what came with the car, as far as I know. But when I am driving, I am always listening to MUSIC. 

BTW, I think this picture is pretty bad...you can see my hand reflected  from when I was taking the picture with my phone. Also, especially when it is embiggened, you can see my car needs a good scrub. The cup holders sit right below this area and I see there is some residual splash going on amidst the primitive dials. Ah me.  Maybe I will write a song about what a slob I am....I can do the lyrics...who will write the MUSIC?

Thanks for stopping by for a bit of MUSIC talk and one grotty MUSIC photo. Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so to all you mamas out there, Happy Mother's Day! And to all of you, have a fantastic weekend :-D

Well I Wait So Long For My Love Vibration

Okay. You are going to hate me and that is fair enough. But let some remenants of affection that you might feel for me allow you to humor me in this self-indulgent Choose and Defend Wednesday.  Um...so...you know that I watch Dancing with the Stars. I just do. Twice a year it comes on for a couple of months and I watch it. Sue me. I guess the bad part is when I try to involve people I care about, like you guys. For that I apologize. But look....we're down to the Final 4. Semi finals next week, finals and done the next week. So since we are already here hanging out and talking and stuff....who do you pick to win?

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver

Operatic Pop Star Katherine Jenkins

Actor / Model William Levy

OR

TV Host Maria Menounos

They are all pretty, so no harm, no foul here, right? Just look at the pretty pictures and tell me who you think will take home the coveted mirror ball trophy on May 22? Don't be shy and don't think you're so cool you can't play along! Don't be like that, come on, yo! Choose and Defend. Thanks!!!

This Musical Message is For All We Need is Candlelight

It's Only in Your Head You Feel Left Out

"See the piggy,/See the puddle,/See the muddy little puddle./See the piggy in the middle/Of the muddy little puddle." from The Piggy in the Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz


Saturday Scavenger Shots, yo! What up? I chose this week's word, MIDDLE, because...I'm not sure. I think I probably had our new Middle School area at the library on my mind. Apparently this is our hot new demographic that I kind of wish the Admins would just shut up about...but don't let me get all negative here! The MIDDLE can be a good thing, as I shall demonstrate here :)

Here is my MIDDLE child, Social Animal. He is shown here in the MIDDLE of a hiking adventure.

Here is my oldest child's MIDDLE child, Love Bug. She is also shown in the MIDDLE of a hiking adventure. You'd think we were the most hikingest family ever, based on the past couple of Saturday Scavenger Shot posts....

Anyway, I know MIDDLE children are supposed to be in a notoriously difficult position, but these two manage it will enthusiasm and grace! They are the forces of balance in our lives....so yay for the MIDDLE!

I hope you find yourself in the MIDDLE of something nice this weekend. xox

PS -Tara, you're it again, if you're into it.



Friday 5 - Take Out

Can I interest you in some Friday 5?  I mean, what else is going on? Oh lots I guess...but spare a moment, won't you? "Take Out" seems like an especially appropriate theme. Since DR hasn't been feeling well, we have become a take out family again. I want him to feel better...so that he feels better, of course! But I won't deny it...I am looking forward to the return of his home cooking  Yay!  Here you go -

1. What was the last thing you took out of your microwave oven? A plate with half a patty melt and some fries on it. It was DR's second go at dinner a couple of evenings ago.

2. What was the last thing you took out of the washing machine? A load of Girlie Girl's laundry. Wednesday evening also, come to think of it. I was on a take out frenzy on Wednesday, apparently.

3. What was the last thing you took out of the trunk of your automobile? I don't have a trunk exactly...hatchback. But I took something out of there when I got to work this morning. It was my baglady bag with my lunch and book and stuff inside of it.

4. What was the last thing you took out of your mouth? A spoon, which had delivered some chocolate pudding into said mouth.

5. What was the last thing you took out of an envelope?  I'm not absolutely certain, but I believe I can say it was something that will cost me money. *sigh*

Hope you have a great weekend! Please remember to stop back by and check out Saturday Scavenger Shots. The word is....MIDDLE. Now, take out! I mean off...take off!

But For Tonight, Forget It

Sorry I'm a bit late with it, but Wednesday Choose and Defend is here at last! And how about this? I am looking for a little romance. The magic. The heart-lifting, stomache-dropping rush that leads to some bump and grind....  Now what is your favorite way to get in the mood? Actually, I guess that is a silly question...who needs to get in the mood? Maybe more like...what is the nicest enhancement to the mood?

Barry White

OR

Candlelight

See what I did there? Yeah, I'm a poet :) Anyway, just let the love flow and while you're at it...Choose and Defend. Personal stories are welcomed and encouraged! I love you, for reals baby.

Kidney Stones?

Been a bit distracted the past couple of days. DR is ill and we're not sure what it is. He has pain in his lower back that isn't relieved by different positions, and it is accompanied by nausea.  He doesn't have a fever. Kind of seems like maybe a kidney stone. He's really just waiting it out, as he has no insurance right now. He says if it is that, it will pass... But it worries me.