And It Will Take A Lot of Prayers to Save My Soul

Is it Saturday already? It sure is. It must be, because here I am with my Saturday Scavenger Hunt post. This week's word was chosen by rogue blogger AlienCG over at Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections. The word is....GROW. Very open ended, really. But as I so often do, I am going very literal. Check it out - - -

You can't actually watch your own hair GROW, even though at times I feel I am made almost entirely of hair.

But hair does GROW and here is the proof. This little picture was me with my haircut a little over two years ago. Since then, I've done virtually nothing to me hair. And it shows. Guh.

Here are some much, much cuter examples of how we GROW...again, literally :-)

Those first few months of watching a baby GROW are soooo amazing. Little Prince is coming up on nine months. I see him at least once a week, but sometimes I know he did some GROWing between one visit and the next.

Okay, I confess...this is just a sweet picture I had to post of Miss Personality and Love Bug hugging it out. But it works. This is how much you will probably GROW between the ages of 1 and 4!

What happens when you GROW too large for your beloved swing? If you are Love Bug, you sit in it anyway, just for old times sake. She looks rather pensive, but funny with her longer than baby legs dangling out. Soon, she will have GROWn too big for even a nostalgic rock there. Aw!

Thanks for looking at baby pictures with me. You know you run that risk when you come by here...so I extra appreciate you coming. I know from my own kids how quickly they GROW. And I know from myself how quickly hair GROWs. Also, I hope I can continue to GROW as a human bean, although I wasn't prepared with any sort of photo that might show you that. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Don't forget to check with the Alien and see who he's tagged for next week. Also, don't forget to let at least a little part of you not GROW up. We all need that inner child. *insert dopey new age music here*

Checking In w/ laura b.

I guess I haven't much to say today. So, I thought I'd just share some of my current events.

I have just begun reading Sock by Penn Jillette. It is a mystery whose narrator is a wiseass sock monkey. Pretty unusual...but it is Penn Jillette.


Just listening to "Beth" by KISS. Classic.


In spite of the heat, I smell like Caldrea White Clover lotion. Aren't you glad to hear that? Things could be much worse :-)


Chili dogs for dinner tonight. I make no promises about the way my breath will smell after that, but I know they will be delicious. I've been brewing chili all day long in the crock pot. Yum.


I am feeling sleepy. It is a combination of not enough sleep, duh, but also I think the fact that it is rather warm in here and quiet. The teens are watching a movie in the auditorium. I wish they'd show one everyday. haha!


Also, my feelings are hurt. Just one of those things, I suppose. But this too shall pass.

I'd love to hear all your most current events. If you are so inclined, do feel free to share. I promise not to hurt your feelings :-)

Duck! Ah, You Quack Me Up :-)

Today is two things. Well, more than that I'm sure. But here at What Fresh Hell is This? it two things: 1)Handsome Lad's Birthday (see post below) and 2) Choose and Defend Wednesday (see this post)

This Wednesday's Choose and Defend comes to us as a suggestion from Woman with No Regrets. I'm kind of excited to have received a request :-) As you know, there are many ducks in the world. Here, now, we focus with laser-like intensity on only two of them. Your job is to make a choice between these two esteemed ducks. Choose. Then, your job is to Defend your choice to the group. Easy as pie. Um, eating it, not baking it...I believe that was the call on that little statement, right? Yeah.

So, who's da duck, man? Is it...

Daffy
Or

Donald

Duck, duck...and that's it. Two ducks, one choice. Let's hear it, my fine feather-free friends.

Happy 12th Birthday, Handsome Lad!

I can't believe my baby, Daniel Handsome Lad is turning 12 today. When my oldest son was 12, he seemed so big to me...I think because of the younger kids that I also had...right down to Handsome Lad who was just joining us that year. Now 12 seems a much younger age. They don't call babies of the family "baby of the family" for nothing, now do they? No, Handsome Lad will always be the baby :)

I just want to recognize, on his special day, what a great kid he is. Here are some Handsome Lad facts for you:

- When he was very small he had a very large key collection. And whenever we went out walking anywhere, he would have to stop at any lock he found and try out his keys in it. Sure, it took us longer to get around, but his concentration was unwavering. There was something darling about it.

- He's very athletic and coordinated, but he doesn't particularly enjoy team or organized sports. Finally, a couple of years ago, he discovered skateboarding. Now he skates every single day if nothing else gets in his way.

- His performance in school seems to be based primarily upon his interest level in whatever is being taught. I have seen him go all out for teachers he likes and subjects he finds engaging. I have seen completely shut down if there is a personality conflict or an area that doesn't matter to him.

- He likes reading biographies and humorous fiction. When he was younger he wrote a little series of biographies about his favorite wrestlers. They were hilarious. He loves history. Math, not so much. He especially loves art and I am happy to say that he fully believes that art is like anything else...if you practice it enough each day, you will get good at it.

- Handsome Lad can be insanely funny. He is especially adept at prop comedy and odd impersonations. Sometimes when he and one of the other kids get going on something as a team, I have found myself reduced to helpless laughter.

- Maybe because of his position as the youngest, he has a deeply personal and close connection to each person in the family individually. It seems like he has made a special effort to find something to bond over with each of his brothers and his sister. He is also very close to both his dad and I, which has sometimes made him feel conflicted. I feel bad about that, of course, but that is definitely getting better.

- I feel certain that Handsome Lad, equipped with his intensity, his humor, and his sensitivity is bound to lead a full and interesting life. I feel so lucky to know him.

Happy Birthday, Handsome Lad. Next year...the teens.

How is Your Inner Child? You Know You Want to Know...

Your Inner Child Is Surprised

You see many things through the eyes of a child. Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded. You cherish all of the details in life. Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things.

How Is Your Inner Child?

What Primary Color Am I? BlogThings Tells Me.

You Are Yellow

You are bright, vibrant, and cheerful. Your energy can take over a room. You look on the sunny side of life. You are able to avoid stress, anxiety, and burnout. It's hard to get you down, and you've rarely been depressed in your life. You tend to have a clear mind and an unburdened heart. You try to bring as much light as possible into your life.

What Primary Color Are You?

Fambly Time

It was one of those weekends. I worked a very busy Saturday, then had a quiet evening. Sunday was the family brunch for Handsome Lad's 12th birthday, which is actually Wednesday. My dad and stepmom came and took us all out. I had the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich. I know that sounds like a lame thing to order at a restaurant, but I assure you, this one is extra amazing. It has four different cheeses and is served on this cheesy garlic bread. Add a side of onion rings and a raspberry lemonade and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven. Well, that might just be me. Anyway, after the meal we had a little coffee and dessert visit at my house. I think Handsome Lad enjoyed all of that. The best part for him, though, was to follow. Kick Back Dude, Princess Diva, and Girlie Girl took him out to spend his birthday money (another completely equipped skateboard) and then out to Skandia for miniature golfing, go-carts, and other amusements. Of course with KBD and PD leading that charge, someone had to tend the babies and who better than the best grandma in the world? Um, yes, I mean me. We had a good time, the four of us, but the girls don't like to go to sleep when they're away from home. So, when the fun time gang finally returned at 11, Love Bug had barely dropped with exhaustion and Miss Personality was still going. At least Little Prince still sleeps anywhere. The Good Night Show would have knocked me out nice and early, but apparently they don't find it as boring as I do.

Now it is another week. It is hot as Hades here and they are repairing the Library's forced air system or whatever it is...anyway, no air conditioning for the next few weeks and I'm thinking the fans they have sitting around are not going to be so helpful. I usually complain about how cold they keep it...this is my karmic punishment, I'm sure. Also, I am on possible jury duty this week. Every night I have to call in and see if I'm needed the next day. So far, two days down. Keep your fingers crossed that I can make it through this week with no jury duty...and no ugly heat stroke! Thanks :-)

This Musical Message is For Distance

Still My Confession Draws You Near

Welcome to Saturday...or whatever day it is where you are. And welcome to my Saturday Scavenger Shots post! This week's word, FISHY, was chosen by my fun new friend Ananda Girl over at Oodles of Funch. FISHY has been an oddly appropriate word for this week.

-One of my co-workers has been acting very FISHY, in the sense that she is more talkative and more pissed off than usual. It is bugging the carp out of me. Har har!

-When I was eating my dinner last night, my friend Milly was chatting with me on Google and telling me about this antibiotic she'd been taking called Avelox. She made a joke that it contained no salmon and I was just all whoa! Fish have come up again. FISHY.

Well anyway...on to my FISHY photos.

Here is a FISHY meal that I had earlier this week...Wednesday maybe? As you can see, it is an order of fish and chips from Jack-in-the-Box. Notice the malt vinegar packets. Malt vinegar makes this meal. FISHY, eh?


Here is a far superior FISHY meal that I had last night. I was on my own for dinner, pondering what was in my freezer, and I recalled this mahi mahi. Someone among you can cook like a maniac. See if you can figure out who it might be. Anyway, this fellow blogger suggested a complete meal including all you see here...mahi mahi, noodles, and sugar snap peas. I was given excellent instructions and my meal came out perfect. The only thing FISHY about this meal is the fish :-)

I'm glad to have hooked you here within this FISHY post of mine. Swim by anytime. Ananda will tag for next week, so make sure you stop by her blog and see what's what and who's who. Glub...glub...glub....

Friday 5 - Spices

I got this little meme from Friday 5 as I like to do time and again. The past couple weeks haven't rung my bell, though, so I traveled through the blog...back in time...to last year! I found this one and it seemed very appropriate for me since I just got some new spices today. It had to be done, as for the past year, I have had only salt and pepper in the house. Seriously. Yeah, I know.

1. How do you feel about spicy food? I LOVE spicy food. I won't say the spicier, the better...that isn't always true. But I do like it when something has a kick to it.

2. What kinds of condiments do you add to food in order to spice things up a bit? Hm. Well at home, until recently, I had salt and pepper :-) Hot sauce, pepper sauce, barbeque sauce...flavorful sauces can spice things up.>

3. Not counting salt and pepper, what’s your favorite flavor enhancer when cooking? You won't want to kiss me...or even talk to me...but I'm going with garlic. I love me some garlic.

4. What’s the spiciest food you’ve ever eaten? Hm. I'm not sure what they are flavored with, but there are some hot wings at Wing Stop that are ridiculous.


5. In what way might some other aspect of your daily life be spiced up, and what’s keeping that from happening right now? Well..let's just say that probably my life would be a bit spicier if I weren't a mother with two children still at home. Enough said, yes?

If you'd like to share something spicy with the group, please feel free!

Finale Time

It is that time of year again...season finales galore. Of course with tv being scheduled the way it is nowadays there will be new shows coming on to replace them. It isn't like the bad old days of a whole summer of pure reruns and stuff like Circus of the Stars...
Anyway, tonight it is the season finale of Gray's Anatomy. Girlie Girl and I are so excited to watch it and cry. Next week both American Idol and Dancing with the Stars (do you ever read my column?>>>>>>) end. :-( Sad face. But luckily, So You Think You Can Dance begins!
Life is wonderful when you are a simpleton like me. Let me go with that... for me, a simple pleasure of life is these tv shows that engage and entertain me. Tell me about your favorite simple pleasure. I'm sure they'll be a little less simple than mine...uplift me! What's your pleasure?

Dear Mr. Vernon....We Think You're Crazy...

Time to Choose and Defend. Because it is Wednesday. Choose and Defend Wednesday. I woke up feeling nostalgic...you know how that happens from time to time...so today I have prepared a super 80's edition Choose and Defend, just for you :-) Because it is a 'super' edition, you will even have more than the traditional two choices! Is your head spinning yet? Well, wait until you see your choices...

Welcome to The Breakfast Club. Are you...

The Brain


The Athlete


The Basketcase


The Princess

Or

The Criminal


Yes, I saw the movie...many times. I know that they point is that they were all all of these things. Very nice. You aren't though. At least not today, not here. You are one of these things. Which one? Choose. Why? Defend. It's sort of social. Demented and sad, but social, right? :-) Go.

Just In Case You Need More Time Suckage

I have a crew of six who work hard to bring me all the funniest and time suckingest stuff on the web. Now, I bring some of my favorites to you. Please to enjoy.

Awkward Family Photos Perfect for when you are feeling bad about your own family photos. Or anytime you just want a smile...an awkward smile.

F My Life Sometimes NSFW, but almost always quite humorous. Misery loves company. Funny company.

Birthday Calculator Find out more than you've ever wanted to know about the day you were born. Then do your friends, your enemies, your cats, etc. The fun never ends.

Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century I can't remember if I showed you guys this one before. But apparently looking at mustaches from the past never really grows old for me.

Alright. Feel free to enjoy these links if you have some time to waste. Or even if you don't. Also, feel free to share your favorite time sucking links with me in comments. I'm into it. Thanks, man.

Oh Mother, Dear, See Here, See Here!

My Mother's Day celebration started early. Friday evening after work Kick Back Dude, Princess Diva, and Girlie Girl surprised me with an evening out. They planned it all and whisked me off for their version of a perfect "mom" evening. First, some fine dining at the Sizzler. I had shrimp skewers, baked potato, and the endless salad bar. I know I am missing the point of Sizzler by not getting a steak...but one time I got a pretty nasty piece of meat there. Surely nothing could go wrong with shrimp, right? haha! Well, this was good anyway. After dinner we went to a movie. We saw The Soloist, which I hadn't realized was based on a real life Los Angeles Times reporter and a man he actually wrote about and befriended. It was really well acted. I love Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx was outstanding as the schitzophrenic cello virtuoso. Good choice, kids :-)

Saturday was such a pretty day that Girlie Girl, Handsome Lad and I spent most of it in the park with the Kick Back Dude family. We had lunch and enjoyed the warm weather. A nice relaxing day.

Now I will provide photographic evidence of my nice Mother's Day on Sunday...Here are my lovely tulips. They were delivered to my work on Thursday. All the libarary ladies get excited when flowers come...but these were from my dad and step-mom. That doesn't make them any less pretty, just less romantic for the gals. haha!

Our family barbeque featured daqueris. They were extremely mildly made. Mine, seen here, was mostly just strawberries and ice. Given my extremely low tolerance, that is my kind of adult beverage. In addition, we had burgers, hot dogs, my world famous chili (um, okay, hyberbole rules!), and many side dishes.

Me and Miss Personality, BFFs.

After all the hard working of being nice boys, some basketball and sleep were needed. Social Animal can apparently sleep with a cat in his face. And there is Kick Back Dude in the background. In fairness, he did do all the barbequeing and deserved a rest.

Hope you all had a good weekend as well. Now I am all refreshed and ready for another week of Library adventures. Are you ready for your week?

This Musical Message is For Mothers and the People Who Love Them

Watchin' X-Files with No Lights On

This week, inspired by the Colonel no doubt, Dmarks assigned us the word CHICKEN for our Saturday Scavenger Hunt. I wasn't sure what I was going to take pictures of, as I don't know any genuine CHICKENs! So, instead, I thought I'd show you how I can make a little paper CHICKEN. No, not origami. I suck at that. But even a doofus like me can make a little paper CHICKEN with the right equipment!

Ready? Here we go...
Here is the CHICKEN diecut.

Here is the AccuCut all ready to go.

Here she is after her trip under the rollers...

Ta Da! Say hello to our Little Red Hen. Our very own paper CHICKEN. Get yourself some other diecuts and create a whole barnyard scene :-)

Thank you for not being too CHICKEN to stop by today! I am looking forward to seeing everyone else's depictions of CHICKEN. Check with Dmarks and find out who he will tag for the week to come. Cluck!

Once Again, the Heat is On

Just thought you'd all want to know how hot it is around here this week. I know weather talk is fascinating. It feels good to me, especially when it is dry. When I'm cold my whole being sort of tightens up and there is a feeling of tension, even when I am not actually tense. But heat, although it can be tiring, makes me feel kind of pleasantly limp and relaxed. When I look at it like that, I get the feeling that hot, hot, heat is the lazy person's weather. But I'm generalizing :-)

Anyway, on Tuesday morning there was even a fire in one of the businesses right across the street from the Library. There is this little strip mall sort of thing and apparently Cute Baby Beauty caught fire sometime early in the morning. Oh, and I don't know what to say about that name...there are many businesses around here that seem to be clumsy translations from Mandarin or Cantonese. Okay, so apparently that one shop was pretty well destroyed, but the fabulous fire fighters kept it contained and no other business were harmed. Also, no injuries. Yay! And honestly...anything called Cute Baby Beauty is bound to burn down eventually it seems.

Here are some pictures, that I did not take, of the fire...and the people who show up at fires:



Alright! I hope you all have a hot weekend, in all the right ways :-)

laura b. Prefers....

Heard it from a friend AlienCG, who heard it from a friend David in DC, who heard it from another...well anyway...i couldn't resist a meme! Please feel free to make your own choices. You know how I enjoy your choices.

Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate - Dark Chocolate...my true love. haha!
Nestle’s or Hershey or Dove or Munson…’s - Hershey, a classic.
Scotch or Bourbon or Vodka - Meh. Can I have rum then?
Road Bike or Mountain Bike or Hybrid - Road Bike.
American League or National League - National League. Dodgers! Um, but about Manny...guh.
Hitting Pitchers or Designated Hitters - Hitting pitchers!
Ketchup or Mustard - Ketchup
Ice Cream or Sorbet - Ice Cream
Downhill or X-Country - Downhill, I suppose...
Mac or Windows - Windows
Horns or Synthesizers - Both!
White Wine or Red Wine - Either. I barely know the difference.
Aisle or Window - Window!
Non-Stop or Stopover - If I ever went anywhere I'd be so excited it probably wouldn't even matter :-)
Root Beer Float or Ice Cream Soda - Root Beer Float
Creamy or Chunky - Both. They each hold a place in my peanut buttery heart.
Smoking or Non-Smoking - Non
Plane or Train - Hm. I like them both. Can I have both?
Sailboat or Motorboat - Sailboat...but I'll get seasick on either.
White Gold or Yellow Gold or Platinum - Not a big jewelry fan...but white gold or platinum would be my preference.
Rocks or Neat - Huh. In for a penny, in for a pound...neat.
Dog or Cat - Aw, hard to choose. But I will. Cat.
Candybar-style or Flip-phone - Candybar-style
Steam-room or Sauna - Either. I like getting hot.
Tea or Coffee - Coffee
Sugar or Splenda - Sugar!
Fiction or Non-Fiction - Fiction, for sure.
Burned to a Crisp or Bloody as Hell - Medium, baby, medium.
Martin & Lewis or Amos & Andy or Laverne & Shirley or Ralph & Norton - Oh, hm. Girl power...Laverne & Shirley it is.
Flats or Heels - Flats. My feet need to feel loved too.
Pants or skirts - Pants, usually.
Army or Navy - Um. Neither?
Dark Meat or White Meat - White meat
Sauce or Dry Rub - Dry Rub
Automatic or Stick Shift - Automatic
Bar Soap or Body Wash - Aaahhhh...body wash.
Set Menu or À La Carte - A La Carte
Dressed Salad or Dressing On The Side - Dressing on the side.
Cut To The Chase or Shaggy Dog Story - Shaggy Dog story! Go for it. Spin it. Let's hear it...
Long Hair or Short Hair - Long hair
Driver or Passenger - Passenger
Coder or WYSIWYG - WYSIWYG, because I'm unedumacated.
Crossword or Sudoku - Crossword.
Chess or Go or Backgammon or Cribbage - Chess, the game of Kings! Right?
Boxers or Briefs - Boxers
Now or Later - Both
Indoors or Al Fresco - Al Fresco whenever possible.
Coke or Pepsi or Seltzer - I'm a Pepper and insist on being recognized as such.
Betty or Wilma - They both creeped me out a tiny bit. Well...Wilma, I guess.
Ginger or Maryanne - Maryanne

What are your preferences?

Can You See Me Now? Gooood.

Welcome to Choose and Defend Wednesday here at "What Fresh Hell is This?" This week I was inspired by my youngest son, Handsome Lad, who has just gotten his first pair of glasses. All of my children, with the exception of the always super Social Animal, wear some form of corrective lenses. Secret Agent Man and Girlie Girl actually have really poor vision. They can thank their father for that. Social Animal, like me, has perfect vision. Yes, thank you, we are very proud of that. haha! My boys wear glasses, my daughter wears contacts.

Okay, enough of the blah, blah, blah! But it was all leading up to my question for you this week. A really easy one at that :-) For vision correction which do you prefer?

Contact Lenses
Or

Glasses

I'm sorry, I am not offering laser surgery this week. You can have contact lenses or glasses though! Maybe you use one or the other or both. Maybe you have no need. But...you have a preference. I know you do and I want to hear it. Choose and Defend!

What Kind of Fast Food Are You?

You Are a Burrito

You're not a picky person. You're able to go with the flow and really enjoy life. You have a taste for the exotic, and you're quite adventurous. You're willing to try almost anything. You're very low maintenance. You don't mind getting a bit messy if it means having fun. You aren't superficial or easily impressed. Someone has to be the real deal if they're going to impress you.

What Kind of Fast Food Are You?

Thrillingly appropriate for Cinco de Mayo! ¡Olé!

English Major Humor

These crack me up, because I was an English Major. I say "was", but once an English Major, always an English Major. It is a permanent state of mind.





Are you laughing? Do you have a joke about your education or your job or yourself in general? Share it with the group!

This Musical Message is For Fools Everywhere

Pissing the Night Away

Time for our weekly Saturday Scavenger Hunt! Many thanks to K_Sra for choosing this week's word, UP! In general, an optimistic word. Things are looking UP! Movin' on UP! I guess growing UP can be kind of a mixed bag. And pushing a boulder UP an incline for all eternity would be discouraging.

Anyway, it seemed I could only conceive of the word in the most literal sense. I just sat down at my desk, looked straight UP, and took this picture:Looking UP indoors can be very exciting...like, say you are at the Sistine Chapel. Or somewhere with a dome, or skylight, or even an interesting lighting treatment. Here, we get the tile ceiling, emergency lights, and a vent that blows frigid air directly on me at inconvenient times. Now you know better than to look UP around here :-)

Here is a loving portrait of my morning coffee. It is a real pick-me-UP. It comes from 7-Eleven, as you can plainly see...but what you can't see is that around here we call it Gucci Coffee, because it is fancy enough for us. Strictly UPper crust.

And one more...because I can hear you all asking...what about the children? Where are the children? Um, right? Well, whatever...Please enjoy Little Prince sitting UP and giving us his cutest smile. Doesn't that lift your heart UP? Yeah!

Thank you for meeting UP with me here. I always, always appreciate your visits. Have a great weekend and make sure to check with K_Sra to see who will be tagged for next week.

Friday 5 - May 1

I saw that Tara had done the Friday 5 and it looked like such a fun one that I had to join in. I hope you will feel free to as well, either on your blog or in comments :-)

1. On May First, 1738, King Kamehameha I was born. What are your impressions of Hawaii? I have never been to Hawaii. Many series like to send their characters there on vacation...I often recall the Brady's and their exciting trip. Watch out for that evil Tiki god!

2. On May First, 1873, Dr. David Livingstone died. When did you last presume something erroneous about someone or something? Wow, I wish I could say this didn't happen very often, but it actually happens all the time. It often involves my not yet fully formed self-esteem, wherein I become hurt when no harm was intended.

3. On May First, 1876, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro debuted. How do you feel about Disney’s animated classic Pinocchio? Figaro...the cat, right? Cute. I love Disney's version of Pinocchio. Recently I spent a car ride teaching my granddaughter the little song - I've got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret or make me frown. I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me! Yeah, it is our personal anthem :-)

4. May First is Walpurgis Night in Sweden and other parts of northern Europe. When did you last sing in front of an audience? Wednesday morning, twice, for my Toddler Times. They are a very kind audience because my singing voice, I assure you, is hideous.

5. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a punk rock cover band. What song’s cover version do you like better than its original version? Oooh, tough one. My first thought was Nirvana's version of Man Who Ruled the World, because it is my favorite Nirvana song. But then I listened to Bowie's version since I hadn't heard it in so long...and damn. It was hot. So...I guess I will go with Cake's version of I Will Survive trumping the Donna Summers' version. No disrespect to Ms. Summers, but the Cake version is awesome.

And there you have it. Me talking about stuff vaguely related to the fact that today is the 1st! I enjoyed it.