Fab Feb

Well, I'm feeling majorly bummed tonight, so I thought I'd work on another post.

I don't want to go to bed, since my dreams are usually confusing and frustrating, so here I am. I took a Sunday afternoon nap with Oliver today, and dreamed that the pipes under our kitchen sink were spouting water everywhere and ruining the wood. In the same dream I was sleeping next to the box of chocolate chip cookies I was planning to give (in real life) as part of a birthday gift to my nephew. My warmth rubbed off on the cookies and made them all misshaped and soggy. Then someone alerted me to the fact that there was a topless picture of me on my Facebook page. I couldn't get online to delete it fast enough.
Geesh. I think I'll skip the nap next time. The dream sequence felt so real, when I woke up I had to check under the sink for any leakage. I was relieved to see the box of cookies on the counter where I'd left them, safe and sound. I didn't have time to check Facebook before rounding up the family to go eat dinner at my mom's, so let me know if you see any topless pics of me floating around on there.

Since Feb is ending, I'll throw in a few pics and highlights from the month.

Here's what our tub looks like most of the time. If it were up to Oliver, he'd be in there twice a day.



Here are some pics of my V-day cookies that I took to family dinner on Sunday the 12th.



I wish I'd had a few more hours to decorate. I had to rush on about half of them because I didn't leave myself enough time. For me, it's all in the details.
I didn't have as much cookie deco time because I decided to go to choir practice that Sunday for the first time. I'd been meaning to go for a while. I know I'm a slacker, but they used to have practice in the a.m. before one o'clock church, and I could never quite get there. Now that we have early church, the practices are at two, which is much more doable. It made me feel good when the director and others seemed genuinely happy to see me show up. One good brother told me he was glad I could make it and said, "I bet you have a nice voice." That didn't make me blush or anything.

I think the pic below was taken Sunday the 5th. I was playing some hymns after church for a while, and Ryan must've felt like he needed evidence that I was actually playing the piano, since it very rarely happens, so he grabbed the camera.

Little did I know, a few weeks later I'd get a new calling to play piano in Relief Society. This is in addition to my calling as a Wolf Den Leader.



Five 500-piece puzzles we assembled.
Right around Christmas time, Ryan and Cora started putting together the sea turtle puzzle. All five of these came in a set. Over about a month and a half, Cora, Ryan and I all worked sporadically on these until they were done. I like puzzles. They're kind of relaxing for me, and I love the feeling I get when the pieces fit together. Even when I resort to using a hammer to make them fit. ;)
We left them out on the table for a couple of weeks, using them as placemats at dinner. Then I got sick of them being on display, so I took them apart and put them away.

On Friday the 17th, I got to go to dinner and a movie with my sisters and mom. We went to Don Diego's to eat, then to see The Woman In Black. It was just scary enough to be entertaining to watch, but not scary enough to carry a case of the willies home with me. It was a fun night out.

While on the topic of movies, a few weeks ago I took the kids to see The Muppets with my mom and Fletcher. We loved it. It exceeded my expectations. So cute. The only other movie I've gone to see lately was Hugo. Ryan and I took the kids to see it in the cheap theater. It was really cool.

I read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand this month. It's about a WWII survivor. He basically went through years of hell and somehow lived to come home and tell about it. The things he endured were beyond comprehension.
I'd never read anything like it. It seems like most of the stories that I'd heard from that war were about concentration camps, and people hiding out and such. This book was a completely different angle. I don't want to give too many details, so as to not ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but it was an almost unbelievable story. I'll never forget it. It was heartbreaking, terrifying, and inspiring all in one book. And there are some happy parts to help offset the crappy parts.
Anyway, it was an amazing true story. Read it if you can.

I'm going to sleep now. I hope I can have a nice dream about eating candy or something. It's no wonder I never want to go to bed.

Fancy Pants Head Downtown

February 10th was a Friday night kind of like the good old days. Back when evenings were spent dressing up in an array of the most wild and unlikely apparel, then either going to a movie or starring in our own phenomenal home movies. There were bunches of "us" in high school and the years leading up to when everyone went and got married. There are three of us remaining in town now.

Now it's just Maria, Renee and me. This month was the first time we tried anything like this in well over a decade. We agreed to meet at Maria's, bringing with us any interesting articles of clothing. We'd devise outfits, put them on, and go somewhere to be seen.

Who cares if most of the people who were fortunate enough to spot us thought we were off our rockers? It was fun, and that's all that really matters. Life seems too long to keep doing the same mundane things all the time.

We wanted to dress up in a way that would make onlookers question whether or not we were serious. Here's what we came up with.

Me, Maria and Renee before heading to dinner. (I'm listing us in order from left to right. I realize it looks more like bad grammar than orderliness.)


(All fancy pants and the fur vest Maria's donning are from the exclusive Shannon Collection.) It's hard to tell, but my pants are leopard print velour beauties. I borrowed Maria's animal print flats and gold costume jewelry to "match".


Don't we look snazzy?


We didn't mean to coordinate so nicely. It was just a handy coincidence.

Maria's husband had the honor of photographing us, then we decided to go to our favorite spot--downtown. We tried to act normal as we parked and strolled to our restaurant destination. Maria and Renee did a lovely job of keeping poker faces. Me, not so much. I couldn't help but smirk.

Of all the eateries downtown, we thought we might be welcome at Cafe Ole'. We couldn't have been more wrong. One eyeful of our ensembles and the hostess escorted us directly to a booth in an uninhabited corner, where nobody would see us. The tables around us remained vacant during our entire dinnertime, though it wasn't a slow night for business. As we sat engrossed in our menus, we heard other eaters laughing and enjoying the company of what sounded like a thousand friends. Some of the merriment seemed a little forced. Our trio wondered what could possibly be so funny. The "party" was behind us, and our backs were surrounded by the walls of our tall booth. We couldn't see anyone but ourselves, and nobody could see us. The hostess had made sure of that! Occasionally, we took turns standing and peering over the top of our seat to see what the cheerful commotion was about. Nobody seemed to notice us. Then again, they had no idea what we were wearing.

We ordered nachos and mini chicken chimichangas to share. We dined alone in a bustling restaurant. Each time an employee attended to us, it was a different person. It was as though the whole crew was gathered in the kitchen, drawing straws to determine who would have to go check on us next.

After we finished, we decided to casually exit through the cantina. The waitstaff probably had security ready to take us down if we caused any trouble.

It was past 11pm when our walk around the block began. It wasn't too eventful. We did notice people looking at us, which was exciting and unnerving at the same time. Either way it provided a small rush of adrenaline. We stumbled into Edwards for a minute, and some chick said something to the effect of, "Hey, cool pants!" That was encouraging. =)

We didn't stay out long since it was a tad chilly. But we didn't leave without stopping to take pictures in front of a certain store.






Right after this shot, my camera announced to Maria that its batteries were depleted. Dangit.
We returned to Maria's house and didn't stop chatting until half past three in the morning.

It was a much needed fun night with two of my favorite people. We didn't let the lame Cafe Ole' staff rain on our parade... too much.

We've already chosen three summery frocks from our winning inventory to be worn next time, when the weather warms up.

My Buddy

I'm glad I have a little guy around to make me smile so much. I don't know how I got so lucky. He really is a good, sweet boy. He's typically agreeable, fun, and oh so huggable.

I love his soft cheeks.







He's such a clown.



I told him to make a "wonderful" face, and this was his interpretation of that request. =)




The perfect little raspberry.

He was wiggling around quite a bit, as evidenced by his shirt creeping up his back.


Now, sleeeeeep....





Well, since I posted some pictures, I'll also take the opportunity to give a little verbal update about my boy Ollie.


Oliver has been a bit sick the past few days with a fever and stuff. He was coughing the other day, when I interrupted by releasing a window-rattling belch. Totally shocked, he asked, "Eww, are you sick too?" In a way, son. In a way. . .

Not too long ago on a busy morning, I was rushing around to get Cora and Jane ready for school. Oliver had asked if I'd get him some cereal. I told him to hang on a minute. When he asked again, I still wasn't free to get him his breakfast, so I said I couldn't do everything at once! He thought about that for a few seconds before realizing aloud, "If you did everything at once, that could be funny!"

I think it's cute that he uses a "Y" sound instead of "L" because he can't quite pronounce that letter. For example, I'll miss it when he stops saying he wants an enchiyada for yunch. Or when he tells me not to yeave him in the room by himself. He doesn't yike that. =)

He still wears his Superman pajamas, with the accompanying cape, any chance he gets. One time he was about to cough, so he wanted to pull his cape in front of his face to cough into. He said that's what Superman does. Maybe it's just me, but that's a pretty amusing thought. Superman coughing into his cape...

One Sunday before church, there was a discussion about neckties and, I suppose, Batman. I can't remember precisely what the conversation was. All I remember is Oliver casually pointing out that, "Batman wears a tie... to church." =)

He sure knows how to make me laugh. I'm happy that I get to spend so much time with him. He makes an excellent little buddy.

I kind of wish I hadn't used the term "buddy". Now I can't get the song from the My Buddy commercial out of my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j2xEwEHbrE

Cupcakes and Karaoke

January 20 was my sister Erin's 2nd Annual Cupcakes and Karaoke Party. It was a bunch of fun!

The refreshment table. Along with cupcakes, someone brought a bag of yummy Snapea Crisps with dip, and I brought some chips and salsa con queso. I can't eat many sweets before I need something savory, so I had to make sure there was something other than just cupcakes to eat.


Erin made chocolate chip cupcakes topped with malt frosting and Whopper pieces, and Maren made some banana Heath ones. Both varieties were oh so tasty!


I fixed cherry chip cakes from a box mix with the canned cherry frosting. It's a longtime, family-wide favorite.

Megan in purple, and Erin's friend Amy in stripes.


Megan mid-sentence.

Erin debating about what to snack on.


Something hysterical is happening. I can't remember what.


Maren and Erin sharing a cupcake chuckle.






Meg and Amy at the mics again.


I invited Maria since she loves karaoke so much, and since I love her so much! She was the life of the party, and Erin said she's officially invited to all future karaoke nights.


Maria and Amy likely in the middle of one of their tricky hip-hop selections. They were truly astounding!


The whole group. Take a look at Erin's super cute haircut! (She's front and center.) It a was new 'do that week. The two blondes in black are Erin's friends, Wendy and Melissa.

We had such a fun time singing and prancing. I don't wanna have to wait until next time.

Silly Lunch Songs

In honor of Valentine's Day, I have compiled a load of syrupy love songs. These are well-known ditties, some old, some newer, but all of them become funny (and yummy!) when the word lunch is used in lieu of the word love. (This really only works when love is a noun.)

Who wants to cry when a sappy song comes on? Not me. I'd rather have a little chuckle as I automatically change it into a lunch song.

This trick never gets old, at least not for me. I learned it from a guy I liked right after high school. I don't want to take the credit for such a brilliant idea. To think of all the giggling I would have missed out on over the last 15 years if I'd never met him. I've mentioned it before in my blog, but only listed a few song examples, so over the last while I've been intently listening for new or forgotten ones to add to my list. If you don't think it's entertaining, I'm very sorry, but pretty much anything that makes me smile this much earns a spot on my blog.

With not much more rambling, I'm going to share my hearty menu of "lunch songs".
(For the sake of time, I'm leaving out quotation marks, and I may or may not list the song title, depending on whether the lyrics within are more relevant than the title alone.)

-You give lunch a bad name. (Bon Jovi)

-Give a little bit of your lunch to me. (Goo Goo Dolls)

-All you need is lunch. (Beatles)

-You've got to hide your lunch away. (Beatles)

-And in the end, the lunch you take is equal to the lunch you make. (Beatles)

-Your lunch is my drug. (Ke$ha - sorry...)

-Lunch is a battlefield. (Pat Benatar)

-Once I had a secret lunch that lived within the heart of me. All too soon my secret lunch became impatient to be free. (Doris Day)

-Fooled around and fell in lunch. (Elvin Bishop)

-Home, where my lunch lies waiting silently for me. (Homeward Bound, Simon&Garfunkel)

-You got the moves that drive me crazy. And on your face I see a trace of lunch. (Rock Me Gently, Neil Diamond)

-When you make lunch, do you look in the mirror? (Love Bites, Def Leppard)

-Lunch Bites. (Def Leppard)

-Reflections of the lunch you took from me. (Diana Ross and the Supremes)

-Just throw me down hard and drown me in lunch. (Come On Get Higher, Matt Nathanson)

-So this is lunch... (Cinderella)

-We found lunch in a hopeless place. (Rihanna)

-Don't throw our lunch away. (Baby Love, The Supremes)

-You ask me if there'll come a time

When I grow tired of you
Never my lunch
Never my lunch

You wonder if this heart of mine
Will lose its desire for you
Never my lunch
Never my lunch

What makes you think lunch will end
When you know that my whole life depends
On you (on you)

Never my lunch
Never my lunch

You say you fear I'll change my mind
And I won't require you
Never my lunch
Never my lunch (The Association)

-So I'm saving all my lunch for you. (Whitney Houston, RIP)

-The greatest lunch of all is easy to achieve. (Whitney Houston)

-As I look back on a lunch so sweet, I cry like a baby. (The Box Tops)

-Lady Willpower, it's now or never. Give your lunch to me. . . One thing you can be sure of, I'll take good care of your lunch, if you will let me give you mine. (Gary Puckett)

-Lunch and marriage, lunch and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage. This I tell ya brother, you can't have one without the other. (Frank Sinatra)

-There's nothing up my sleeve but lunch for you. (Drive By, Train)

-Rock the cradle of lunch. (Billy Idol)

-Might as well face it, you're addicted to lunch. (Robert Palmer)

-Lunch stinks. Yeah, yeah... (that song from Wedding Singer)

-Lunch hurts, lunch scars, lunch wounds, and marks. . . (Nazareth)

-It must have been lunch, but it's over now. (Roxette)

-We did it all for the glory of lunch. (Peter Cetera)

-I need your lunch. God speed your lunch to me. . . Oh my lunch, my darling, I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time. (Unchained Melody, Righteous Brothers)

-The look of lunch is in your eyes. (Dusty Springfield)

-When we're hungry, lunch will keep us alive. (Eagles)

-Lunch shack! Baby, lunch shack! (B-52's)

-Tainted lunch (Soft Cell)

-You act like you never had lunch, and you want me to go without. (One, U2)

-A hunka, hunka burnin' lunch! (Elvis)

-Traces of lunch long ago that didn't work out right. (The Classics IV)

-I can't give you anything but lunch, baby. That's the only thing I've plenty of, baby. (various jazz artists)

-What the world needs now is lunch, sweet lunch. It's the only thing that there's just too little of. (Jackie DeShannon)

-Lunch is an anger that builds up inside. As the tears of frustration roll down my face, why does lunch always have to turn out this way? (I Wonder Why, Curtis Stigers)

-Endless Lunch (Lionel Richie)

-I'll never trust your lunch again. (John Lee Hooker? I'm not familiar with this song/artist. I stole it from an online love song list.)

-Lunch Takes Time (Mariah Carey)

-Vision of Lunch (Mariah Carey

-Don't make me wait for lunch. (Kenny G with Lenny Williams)

-Lunch Lifted Me (Kenny Rogers)

-Lunch Is Strange (Mickey and Sylvia)

-I'm in the mood for lunch. (Nat King Cole)

-I'm Through With Lunch (Nat King Cole)

-This Can't Be Lunch (Nat King Cole)

-We got a groovy kind of lunch. (Phil Collins)

-I need lunch, lunch, to ease my mind . . . You can't hurry lunch. No, you just have to wait. She said lunch don't come easy, it's a game of give and take. (Phil Collins)

-Share Your Lunch With Me (Kenny Rogers)

-True lunch waits. (Radio Head)

-Lunch gets me every time. (Shania Twain)

-Sowing the seeds of lunch (Tears For Fears)

-How deep is your lunch (Bee Gees)

-We'll be making lunch under the boardwalk. (The Drifters)

Okay! That's about it for now. I'll be pleasantly surprised if anyone "devoured" the whole list. If you did, congrats.

"You'd think that people would have had enough of silly (lunch) songs. But I look around me and I see it isn't so. Some people wanna fill the world with silly (lunch) songs. What's wrong with that?" -Paul McCartney

I don't know about you, but now I want some lunch.

Long live lunch songs. And lunch. And songs. And I suppose love.

Please feel free to share any songs I may have missed! Heck, maybe I'll buy lunch for whoever comes up with the best addition(s) to my list. =)

Brain Luggage

I have a stack of tattered paper scraps on which I've scrawled assorted thoughts. When I come up with something to add to my awesome blog, I snag a pen and jot the contents of my mind on any available piece of material, whether it be the backside of a receipt or a sticky note. Later I add it to the expanding pile, and that pile waits until I get around to formulating a new post. And then I have some sorting to do. Long story short, this is why I tend to have such random posts.


By the way, my blog turned a whopping 2 years old this January. How very special.


In other computer related news, it was 3 years and 3 months ago when I unwittingly signed up for Facebook. I literally had no idea what it was until I joined. I don't think I'd even heard of it before. Having recently moved back to Boise from lovely Chubbuck, one of my friends there sent me a message encouraging me to join so we could stay in touch. I think she just wanted me to quit sending her personal emails. =)
So, I have her to thank for introducing me to the monster that is Facebook. Over the years (holy crap, that makes it sound like forever!) I've found it to be entertaining, informative, and sometimes eye-opening (still other times monotonous). I continue to check it most days to see what everyone's up to. I think of all the things I'd never hear about if not for trusty Facebook.
I enjoy making comments, and naturally I "like" receiving feedback on my stuff. I feel that it enriches relationships in ways that otherwise wouldn't be probable. I like that it's possible to make smart remarks among friends and family in the middle of an ordinary day, online, at each participant's convenience. It's cool that my cousins I'd never really interacted with (because they grew up in Arizona) and I can, through the miracles of computer science, occasionally give a cyber thumbs-up to one another, when in "real life", sad but true, I'm sure we wouldn't keep in touch.
Some people see Facebook as a substitute for actual human interaction. That's not true for me. If anything, it inspires me to keep making plans with folks I can't get enough of online. I like people. (People who neeeeed people...)

I like being silly. My life would be so boring without the wacky things that parade through my mind. It's no secret that I keep myself entertained. But sometimes I wonder if I'm taking undue credit for the things I think up. Are they really the product of me, or are the funny thoughts that frequent my head actually being whispered to me by ghosts? We often give credit to spirits for urgent thoughts-- Why not funny thoughts? I have to wonder...

I also wonder...
Why do people put underwear in the top dresser drawer? It would make more sense to store it in the bottom drawer.


Commas. I don't know how I feel about them. I often find myself not knowing where to use a comma and where to not use one. I start sentences and then reconstruct them until I'm practically positive about whether I do or do not need a comma here or there. I consult Google for guidance. That tactic usually just adds to my confusion. I do my best, until all I can do is shrug and make myself try not to care so much about commas. When it all comes down to commas, I think I tend to overdo it. When the words are said in my head and I come to an inflection, I want to add a comma. Like I just did. But then I read a novel and see no comma where I would have put one. I don't know what to do. Give me apostrophes any day; I have those down. (I'm still a bit sketchy on semicolons, too, since pretty much nobody uses them, which makes me feel silly trying it.) But commas? I just spend too much time trying to figure out where the dang things go. I don't like being wrong. I live in fear of making a big blog boo-boo. I guess I can't be a stellar speller, grammar guru and a punctuation pro all at once, right? Does anyone even care?


I think my ears are growing more sensitive to sounds that drive me absolutely crazy. It's acute hearing at its ugliest. I don't know what to do. Everyday interactions are becoming more and more unbearable. But it's only with certain people, so don't be self conscious if I'm listening to you talk. Unless you speak with a mouthful of frothing spit. Swallow already! To me, this audio experience is worse than listening to someone enjoying a bowl of cereal.


I'll conclude on a more upbeat note. About a week ago (Should there be a comma here?) I was at WinCo with Oliver, and a woman walked past me. I was looking at something, so I didn't notice that she stopped a few feet away from me. "Has anyone ever told you you look like Kelly Clarkson?" she asked. I only knew she was talking to me because somebody had told me that before. The mom of one of Jane's friends a couple of years ago. The WinCo lady said she did a double take when she saw me. I acted casual about it, reporting that one person had mentioned it before. Starting to feel a bit awkward, I quickly added, "I wish I could sing like her!" She smirked knowingly, I thanked her, and that was that. But it kind of made my afternoon. =) I'm not saying I think I look like Kelly Clarkson, but there must be a tiny resemblance. Maybe the nose or cheekbones... or something?

Anyway. . . Have a nice, random week.