Mother's Day Giveaway

The ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting a tremendous giveaway in honor of Mother's Day, so head over there and try to win something for your mom...or for yourself! :)

Starring yours truly...

Posting two days in a row! Don't get any ideas from that, however. ;)

I shared this with a blogging buddy today and really didn't intend to put it on my dormant blog, but I decided everyone should have a chance to see what a sweet, talented brother I have. A couple of months ago, I celebrated (really!) my fortieth birthday, and as part of his present to me, my brother created this video to show at the party. He does these for parties, wedding rehearsal dinners and receptions, funerals, etc. as a little side job.



Is he great or what?! :)



Technorati Tags: Youtube, birthday video, Adrian Rogers

Horsing Around in the Bath!

Janice and Susan at 5 Minutes for Moms are hosting another great photo contest with the theme "Horsing Around." The sponsoring store, A Rocking Horse to Love, is offering three $100 gift certificates to their store!

As soon as I read the theme, I knew I had to come out of bloggy retirement and enter this photo of my sweet nephew Thomas. He LOVES his baths and there's always lots of "horsing around" during one. :)



I'd love it if you'd stop over at 5 Minutes for Mom and leave a comment on the contest post, encouraging them to pick Thomas' photo as a finalist! Just mention "Fresh Girl"! Thank you!




Technorati Tags: photo contest, 5 Minutes for Mom

WFMW -- 40th Birthday Party Ideas

I'm still in the midst of (beginning of?) a semi-permanent blogging hiatus, but now and then you just need the help or opinions of a lot of people that can only come from blogging. ;) So when I saw Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer was hosting a Backwards edition of Works for Me Wednesday, I thought I'd put my blogging hat back on.

Y'all, I need help. I'm turning FORTY this November, and my sweet family is throwing me a party to celebrate. The venue is set and reserved (a clubhouse of a retirement complex -- fitting, huh? *g*), the caterer has been enlisted and the menu chosen, the cake (and cupcakes!) have been planned -- I'm doing them myself -- the guest list made out, and my little brother is designing the invitations.

Sounds like we have it all under control, right? Did you notice there are no games or activities or any sort of program in there??!? Ack! I need suggestions at what to DO at the party. There is no theme -- I don't plan on having one, and CERTAINLY not any of those ridiculous "Over the Hill" themes. Forty is not over the hill...it's more middle of the road. Basically, what I'd like is a nice party with friends and family (a little over 60 will be invited, but I'd expect between 30 and 40 to actually come) so we can visit and talk and have a nice sit-down meal. I still think there needs to be some sort of program though. My brother is doing a video for the occasion, and I'm thinking about a trivia contest about me, to see how well people know me, but neither of those would take much time.

So I need suggestions! The party attendees will range from the ages of late twenties to mid-eighties. It's adults-only, with the exception of my sweet nephew Thomas. The crowd is quite diverse. So many things I've thought of, I'd immediately then think, "I can't imagine Person A doing that." I know I don't want anything very physical, nothing involving a Scavenger hunt, karaoke, or anything like This is Your Life.

Now that I've completely limited you... *g* help?!

For more WFMW.



Technorati Tags: birthday party, birthday, ideas, WFMW, Works for me Wednesday, Rocks in My Dryer, 40, forty, fortieth

Your Votes Needed!

Y'all should have known that self-promotion would get me back, if only for one post. ;)

The Memphis Commercial Appeal is putting together a book called Capture Memphis, filled with Memphis-related photos by local photographers. Anyone fitting that bill can submit photos and then they're voted on to see if they make it into the book. I've submitted a few, and I sure would appreciate some votes.








You'll have to register, I think, but it's very quick and easy and FREE! Then you'll click on the "I Dig It" button beside each photo. Hopefully you'll dig it and not "nix it." ;)

And yes, there are real names and faces on there. Shhhhh, don't tell anyone! :-D

TIA!

Life is good, everyone's fine. I've started a new venture that will actually earn me some money. Very little money, but a little's better than none. ;)

"All Good Things..."

Any good Star Trek: The Next Generation geek will know by that title above what's coming. "All Good Things..." was the title of the final episode of the series, and it's true -- all good things must come to an end. Blogging has been not just a good thing, but a great thing for me, and some day in the future, it may be again, but for now, it's time to put it aside to pursue other things.

I've taken hiatuses and toyed with the notion of giving up blogging several times, but my week spent at Union University pretending to be a student again showed me one thing. Actually, it showed me many things, but in regards to blogging, it was very clear that I did not miss being able to do it that week. Even after coming home, I wasn't hopping on the ol' Dashboard, and the relief I felt of not having to post regularly was palpable. So I think that's a clear sign I'm no longer getting out of it what I once was. And that's okay -- we need different things at different times in our lives. Right now, I'm at a place where I need something else. My time at Union drummed that point home, and now I'm on a path to figure out what that is.

I'm leaving the blog up, because I know better than to say I'll NEVER be back, and I'll still be reading and commenting on my favorite blogs. I've enjoyed that too much to give it up. :)

So, before I sign off, a brief update of the last three weeks since I posted --

-- I will never be able to describe what the six days I spent at my alma mater, Union University, meant to me. It truly is a second home for me, and walking those halls and seeing precious staff and faculty who I remember from my days as a student felt like diving into a ocean of love. The high point, of course, was staying with my friend C. and her husband. Staying with them feels like going home, too, and if I didn't hate to do it to them, I'd have begged to stay permanently!

The week wasn't just a chance to visit with them, but to sit in on an intensive week-long class -- Hispanic Short Stories. Nine to five every day. Yikes! It was intensive, all right, and I spent the first three days scared to death. Ten years is a long time to be away from a language and then be thrown into a graduate Spanish class. And I WAS rusty, but not as much as I feared I would be, and C., was very gentle with me. If you didn't know her, you might think she would have just let me sit in the class and observe, but noooo...she treated me like the other three students in the class. I went home every night and read until I couldn't stay awake any longer, was called on in class and expected to respond, and gave two oral presentations. It was GREAT! :-D I did draw the line at writing a 15 - 20 page paper for her though. At least, I have so far...

I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow blogger, Tim Ellsworth, who is also Union's Director of Media Relations, and the author of the newly released God in the Whirlwind: Stories of Grace from the Tornado at Union University. Tim and I were actually students at UU at the same time for a couple of years, but we didn't know each other then. He was kind enough to spend a few minutes talking with me during my visit, which I appreciated.

By the way, if you want to read a great book and have your socks blessed off by the power, provision, and providence of God, head to Christianbook.com and order God in the Whirlwind. It doesn't matter if you have no connection to Union -- these stories are amazing and inspiring for anyone.

I was so thrilled to see the reconstruction of the new dorms. The progress has been amazing, and they're expected to be finished in time for the Fall semester. You can see how well things are going if you click on this photo to make it bigger:

Photo by Wayne Holmes

-- The day after I got home from Jackson, sweet little Thomas gave me a welcome home present by deciding it was time to walk. He was sixteen months, and we were all getting a little worried because he had steadfastly refused to walk alone, and when he did walk around holding onto things, he was ALWAYS on his toes. Then the Sunday afternoon after I got back, he took off across his Nana's living room like it was just time. That was good news! We weren't entirely anxiety-free, however, because he did it by walking on his toes. It's hard to picture unless you've seen it, but somehow, he carried that little body around strictly on his toes. Must have calves of steel! ;)

He was still walking on his toes -- truthfully, he resembled a drunken sailor -- when we got him for his weekly sleepover, but I'm happy to say that by the time his parents picked him up the next day, he was walking normally with his feet flat on the floor. Yay us! :)



-- I haven't been doing as much cooking lately, but I did make a recipe that I got from one of C.'s Spanish cookbooks. I plucked it off the shelf and opened it to the middle to thumb through it, and the book fell open to a recipe for one of my favorite things I ate while in Salamanca, Spain -- Empanadillas de atún y tomate (little fried pies with tuna and tomato). I have searched all over the internet for a recipe that sounded like what I remembered and have found several that were vaguely similar, but not close enough. THIS recipe, however, was the one, I just knew it. So I copied it and tried it out as soon as I got home. The results were perfection --



-- My favorite place to be at my friend C.'s house is her back patio, which comes complete with tons of flowers and plants, and a Koi pond designed and built by her husband. Photos don't do it all justice, but here are a few anyway --






Can anyone identify this flower?





-- I have been having too much fun racing Mario Kart. If you have Mario Kart and you're able to race wirelessly and you'd like to be able to run over me in a race, email me your Mario Kart code and I'll send you mine. It's always more fun to crash into someone you know. ;)

-- The day before yesterday, Monday, marked one year to the day since our family's lives -- actually, the lives of three families (four if I can muster the grace and generosity to consider one in particular, something I'm not proud to say I can't do on a consistent basis yet) -- were forever changed in heartbreaking ways. On that day a year ago, I couldn't see how any of us would ever be happy again. I looked ahead and saw divided holidays, visitation schedules, and ruined lives. Thankfully, God is not so short-sighted. A year later, families that He put together are still together. Relationships have been and are still being healed. Trust lost is being earned back slowly, one day at a time. I'd appreciate your prayers that things continue to heal and even thrive. :)

And I think...that's all she wrote. Literally. ;) Thank you to all of you who regularly visited the blog and commented. That's what I'll miss most of all, I'm sure. Pray for me as I try to figure out my future -- some things are going to have to change, and I'm hoping for doors to open in that way.

Take care, all! :)



Technorati Tags: Tim Ellsworth, Union University, God in the Whirlwind, Christian university, walking, baby, cooking, flowers, photos, tornado, Jackson, TN, Tennessee, Empanadas, Spanish, Spain, Empanadillas

Estoy feliz!

That's "I'm happy" for you monolingual folks out there. ;)

Christmas, my birthday, and Flag Day have all come early for Fresh Girl!! Well, not Flag Day...it was right on time. I was offered a treasured chance this afternoon to do something I didn't think I'd ever get to do again. I can't possibly convey how excited and grateful I am.

Monday morning, VERY early, my dad is taking me to my alma mater, Union University, and leaving me for a week, or at least until Saturday. I'm going to be staying with my friend C. and her husband, and for five glorious days, I'll be able to sit in while she teaches a class called the Hispanic Short Story. The class will be in session from nine to five every day -- yes, that's a semester crammed into one week. Yikes!

It's been fourteen years since I've been able to sit in one of C's classes and soak up her teaching, to hear her speak Spanish...and understand her! The thought of being a student again under her, even if it's just for a week, has me just this short of bouncing off the walls. The years I spent in her classroom were the best, and I am so thrilled to be able to experience that again. I fully expect to be completely lost, mind you... ten years of not speaking or hearing the language isn't a recipe for fluency, you know. ;) But she's promised she won't embarrass me, and that's not something I would expect from her anyway. Mostly I hope she forgets I'm there. hee!

So, I'll be gone for the next week, but I'll have my laptop with me, and given there will be something actually going on, I might even have something to blog about for a change. Next time you hear from me, I'll be a non-paying college student again! :)



Technorati Tags: Union University, Spanish, alma mater, classes

Thursday Thirteen #45

Thirteen Things I Would Like to Be Doing

1. Sitting under a grape arbor in La Huerta de Calixto y Melibea (the garden of Calisto and Melibea) in Salamanca, Spain.
2. People watching from a table as the sunsets behind the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca. (Basically I wish I were in Spain! ;-D)
3. Cradling a baby while translating for her mother and the doctor examining her in a little medical clinic in the Honduran mountains.
4. Having a cup of coffee and a long talk with my friend C. in her sunroom.
5. Just one more time, sitting in our church's sanctuary and soaking up the preaching of my precious late pastor, Dr. Adrian Rogers.
6. Walking on a quiet beach under an overcast sky and feeling the wind blow off the ocean.
7. Hugging my Aunt Audrey. She's been gone 23 years today (June 12) and I still miss her.
8. Teaching at Union University.
9. Eating an entire turtle cheesecake and not worrying about it because researchers have discovered that cheesecake is essential to healthy living.
10. Watching the upcoming X-Files movie with three of my closest friends in an empty theater so nobody will care that we're talking back to the screen. (Will July 25 NEVER get here?!)
11. Baking cupcakes and decorating them.
12. Watching a breaking news report announcing the mayor of Memphis has decided to step down immediately for the good of the city. (Next there would be a report on flying pigs.)
13. Going on a shopping spree with a boatload of money someone sent to me with instructions to enjoy myself (So far no one has, but I live in hope...)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Technorati Tags: Thursday Thirteen, meme, Salamanca, Spain, X-Files, XFiles, I Want to Believe, Adrian Rogers, Union University

Monday Meanderings

Some days just call out for a list. After the weekend I had, today is one such day. ;)

1. Our annual carport sale is over, though we're thinking this year it may be a semi-annual sale, with one later this fall. I think it went pretty well, and I was pleased with my share of the two days' take, but we had a lot fewer customers on Saturday than we expected, definitely a lot less than we had on Friday. There were a couple of factors that worked against us -- one is that our carport is in the back of our house, so though there were some items sitting at the top of the driveway, in view of the road below, most everything was invisible to people just driving by. We had a sign on the mailbox, but when you're driving by quickly, it would be easy to miss. And the other negative factor was just true on Saturday -- people down the street were also having a sale, and I think they were reaping the benefits of our newspaper ad. We guessed that people turned on our street at the bottom of the hill, looking for our house, and encountered the other sale first and then just never went any further, thinking they'd found what they were looking for.

2. All in all though, I think everyone was pleased. We all got rid of stuff and all had more money at the end than we'd started with, so that's a good thing. ;) Mine is safely tucked away in my July fund, for use when three of my friends come to visit and we hit the stores and restaurants.

3. It sure was HOT the whole time we were setting up and having the sale! Maybe in the fall it will be a little better. Besides me and my mom, my brother and SIL were here working like dogs. Thursday while we set up and all day Friday, Thomas was also here, so we passed him back and forth like a hot potato. He was so good and cooperative on Thursday, but Friday he got up on the wrong side of the crib and wasn't the happiest camper until after his nap. Saturday, his Nana had him, but they stopped by for a visit around lunch time and ended up eating with us. I stay so thankful that all of us live within 25 or 30 minutes of each other, that both sets of grandparents are happily generous in sharing this sweet boy, and that his parents are so willing to give all of us our time with him.

4. I loaded my Mario Kart Wii game to the kids a week ago, and I miss it. : ( I miss running into people and knocking them off the road, chucking red and green shells at them, doing tricks on my bike off jumps. Boy, I hope they bring it back today when they bring Thomas. hee! But if they don't, I'll have a new game to amuse myself. The other night after the sale was over, I went to Amazon.com, intending to buy the game for the kids (yes, so they'd give mine back!), but both Amazon and Best Buy were sold out online, so instead, I bought myself the Dancing with the Stars Wii game. hee! It was a lot cheaper than any of the Mario games, too.

5. Got a bee in my bonnet yesterday afternoon to do a little baking, but being out of frosting, I went the cookie route. First I baked some Oatmeal Raisin cookies, and with half of them, I dipped them in melted chocolate. It would have been better if it had been dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate, but it was still very yummy! And then, because that bee was still buzzing around in there, I made some peanut butter cookies. They were good - the dough was fantastic! -- but they weren't quite as good as the first kind.




6. My brother hardly goes anywhere without his fancy camera, so of course he brought it to the sale. Friday when they went home, he left it with me and told me to "fall in love with it." We've talked about him upgrading to a better camera and then giving me a good deal on the one he has now. That will absolutely NOT happen for at least a year. First, I can't afford it right now, and most importantly, he's coming off four months spent depleting their savings while he was out of work. If he buys anything expensive any time soon, he may be looking for a new place to live, if you know what I mean. ;) But just a couple of days with that camera did have the desired effect... I could get very used to having a nice camera. His is a Canon EOS 20D, which means absolutely nothing to me, but maybe I'll learn.

I did have fun taking pictures with it --




Okay, Blogger, or maybe it's Google, is being an absolute bear and has forced me to cut my meandering short. And I still had stuff to say! I'm not waiting all day for photos to upload though, so maybe I'll meander some more tomorrow.

CONTESTS: Win! Win!! Win!!!

There are several great contests right now for YOU (or ME) to have a chance to win! Check these out --

• Lori at My Wooden Spoon is giving away some giant Wilton muffin tins, pretty dish towels, a wooden spoon, and a coupon for a free goodie. To see all the different ways you can have chances to win and to enter the contest go to the prize page.
  
• An Ordinary Life is giving away an awesome prize -- a Dyson DC25 vacuum! Go here to enter the contest.
  
• Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer is giving away a whopper of a prize -- 20 copies of WOW Hits 1, a compilation CD of music from Christian recording artists. Read more about how to win here.
  

Technorati Tags: Dyson, contests, giveaway, prizes, free stuff, WOW Hits, Rocks in My Dryer

Happy Yard Sale!

What do you mean there's no such thing as a celebratory yard sale cake?! If you're having a yard sale, you have to have cake!

And that one looks like it belongs in a yard sale, now that I ponder it. It actually looked like a pretty good cake when it just had a border at the bottom and a border of stars at the top, but then I had all this frosting left over, so I kept making stars on top...until I ran out of frosting and was left with what you see above.

Oh well, it may not be pretty, but I'd say it probably won't be here this time tomorrow night after my brother and SIL come over to help me and my parents get set up for the yard sale on Friday. ;)



Technorati Tags: yard sale, cake, chocolate, cake decorating

How do you spell relief?

J-O-B!

In early February of this year, my brother found himself without a job, therefore without insurance for his little family. I don't think any of us were TOO worried as we, especially he, thought he'd be able to find work quickly. But the weeks and then months started to creep by, and he was coming up empty, though not for a serious lack of trying. It's just a crummy, cruddy economy out there and not the time to be out of work.

They had some savings to tide them over for a few months while he was job hunting, and between the two sets of grandparents and other family members, it wasn't like they were going to go hungry or ever not have a roof over their heads, but the more time that passed, the more anxious things got. They were very blessed in that Thomas has been a very healthy boy and never *needed* to go to the doctor, since they would have had to pay for it out of pocket.

Plenty of people were praying that a door would open somewhere... pretty much ANY door would do by the time June rolled around. ;) Monday he got the answer for which we were praying -- a job starting in two weeks. A job with health insurance! What a tremendous relief for all concerned.

Not that this means I'm going to stop cooking them a meal or two a week to take home. I like keeping my little family fed. :)



Technorati Tags: economy, jobs, unemployment, job hunting

Clay Aiken wins honors

Every year, coinciding with the Tony Awards, which honor the theater, Broadway.Com hosts the Audience Awards, giving the theater-going public a chance to cast their votes for their favorite plays, musicals, and the performers who bring those to life. This year Clay Aiken was nominated for the Favorite Replacement (Male) Award, for the actor taking over a role from another actor, and he won! He'll receive his award at a reception June 3, along with his co-star Hannah Waddington who also picked up an award for her role as Lady of the Lake in SPAMalot and the entire cast who was named Favorite Long-Running Broadway Show.

For a role that only lasted four months, it's nice to see his work acknowledged.

And I'd imagine Clay was pretty honored Sunday night when he got to sing for President and Mrs. Bush at the Ford's Theater Gala that's held every year. He was in the company of greats like Hal Holbrook, Maya Angelou, and Trisha Yearwood, who performed songs and spoken word pieces from the award-winning Broadway musical The Civil War.



The show is typically aired every year around the Fourth of July on one of the major networks or PBS, so be on the lookout.



Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken, Broadway, SPAMalot, Audience Awards, Civil War, President Bush, Ford's Theatre Gala, Broadway.com, Tony Awards, Hal Holbrook, Maya Angelou, Trisha Yearwood, Hannah Waddington

Refreshed

Well, long time no see me, huh? ;) I've said this before after blogging absences, but I really didn't mean to be gone this long! When I last posted, I warned that I might be scarce while working on a birthday present for a good friend, as I get obsessed with these things and just HAVE to keep working until they're finished, to the exclusion of just about everything else. And that did take up a week's worth of time, but the ABC scrapbook got done, and I was very pleased with the results. So pleased, in fact, that I couldn't wait until shortly before her birthday in early June to send it, but instead shipped it off a full two weeks early. Ironically, she was out of town when it arrived, has continued to be out of town and will be until nearly the middle of June, so I could have taken my own sweet time. ;)

After I finished that project, life started getting quite a bit busier, and much to my surprise, I found not blogging was a relief of sorts. No pressure at all. As the days went by and I kept having more than enough to fill them, it got easier and easier not to even go to my blog's email account, and I even took a break from reading them. I was enjoying living life too much to write about it. And I think that's how it should be. At one point I'd decided my blogging stint was over, that I would be a better reader and commenter if I didn't have my own to worry about. That lasted a couple of days, and right now I'm in the wait-and-see mode. At any rate, I have a few posts stored up in me that'll keep me going. :)

~~~

The biggest time suck lately has been for an event that's five and a half months away -- my fortieth birthday. :) I couldn't think of anything more I'd like for my birthday than a party with my friends and family, so my parents are very generously throwing me a big bash. We've spent the last few weeks finding a venue (a free one, no less!), making out the guest list and revising it (and revising it again), addressing and sending out save-the-date cards, coming up with tablecloths, dinnerware and silverware, and the biggie -- deciding on a menu with a caterer.

There were way too many choices to choose from, but we finally narrowed it down to the following:

Salad
Roast beef with gravy, sauteed with mushrooms
Spinach-stuffed chicken breast
Oven-roasted potatoes
Garden rice
Green bean casserole
Ginger baby carrots

There will be a small cake, with cupcakes for each guest. And yes, I'm baking and decorating them myself. ;) Not only will it be less expensive, it'll be fun! I'm very excited about the cupcakes, as I already know what the design will be, but I'm less sure of the cake design.

We've looked at party stores for decoration ideas, and I think we have a general plan there. What we're really lacking is possible activities, games...something to do after dinner. My talented brother is going to be making a video montage as his present to me -- he does this semi-professionally. He's made them for anniversary parties, graduations, birthdays, wedding rehearsal dinners and receptions. The possibilities are endless. But there needs to be something else. Any ideas there?

One thing that will not go anywhere near this party is the theme "Over the Hill." I HATE that. No, I'm not in denial that I'm getting older, but these days, forty is hardly over the hill. I like to think of it as "Middle of the Road." You've traveled a long way, but there's still a long way to go. :)

~~~

Of course we've continued to have Thomas at least once a week. He's still a sweet, sweet boy. He's not a walking boy, however, here at 15 and a half months old though, and I'll admit I'm concerned. What he does is walk on his knees. I don't mean he crawls, though he still does that, but he WALKS on his knees, not putting his hands on the floor. We can stand him up and hold his hand, and he'll walk a little ways, but he does so on his toes. Stands on his toes beside furniture, walks on his toes when he's walking around something and holding on to it. Only now and then will he put both feet flat on the floor, and it's not while he's being made to walk.

I just hope he doesn't wear his little knees out before he gets old enough for them to go to pot naturally. :-/

It's been a while since I've put up a picture of him...



Isn't that the sweetest little rat's nest you've ever seen? ;)

~~~

Another thing keeping me away from blogging has been the acquisition of Mario Kart for Wii. Oh my goodness, too much fun! And all I can say is that it's a good thing I don't drive in real life because if I did, I would be a MENACE on the road, no two ways about it. The best thing about Mario Kart is that if you have a wireless network, you're able to race friends or even strangers all over the world. And let me warn you now, those racers in Japan? They are LETHAL!

If you have a Wii, get Mario Kart, and be sure and get an extra Wii Wheel and remote so you can race other people in your house at the same time. I am SO BAD at this, but I laugh myself silly the whole way through anyway.

~~~

Lots to look forward to this summer, beside staying inside pressed up against the air conditioner, which is pretty much what I intend to do until October. Tomorrow my brother is taking me downtown to meet up with a friend for lunch. We've been friends for eleven years but I've only spent time with her in person once! So we're looking forward to being together tomorrow.

In late July the X-Files: I Want to Believe movie is coming out. Woo hoo! With it will come three good friends from out of town. We're getting a hotel room and planning to spend a weekend movie-going, eating, Wiiing, shopping, and laughing ourselves silly.

Oh yes, and next weekend we're going to torture ourselves by having a carport sale in ninety degree weather. I think I'll be the one staying inside to make sure the animals don't get into trouble. ;)


I think that's about all the news around here, in a greatly condensed form. I'll be back before quite as long, I promise!



Technorati Tags: Mario Kart, Wii, Nintendo, video game, baby, walking, walking on toes, X-Files, XFiles, I Want to Believe, fortieth birthday, birthday party, Draper's Catering

Monday Meanderings

Happy Monday, everyone! Boy, I didn't mean to take the entire weekend off from blogging, but you know how it is when you get wrapped up in a project -- sometimes it's just hard to tear yourself away.

At least that's how it is for me. I have a HORRIBLE time starting something creative, coming up with the idea, you know (as evidenced by my plea on here a few days ago), but once I have it and I actually start working, it's like I'm compelled to keep at it until it's finished. I can't stand to do anything else! So, consequently, there may be more days in the next couple of weeks when I don't blog. It's not an official bloggy break, just a heads-up that if you don't see me, it's because I'm working furiously, surrounded by photos and scraps of paper and embellishments.

And THANK YOU to those who sent me ideas about what I could give my friend for her 60th birthday next month. Tina at Golden Goodness emailed me several terrific ideas, one of which I very nearly went with... thanks, Tina! I'm going to file those away for some other birthday, as I find myself in a pickle for ideas frequently. In the end, it was an idea from an Anonymous commenter who lit the light bulb over my head. She suggested --

Don't know if you have time enough, but I have seen mini scrapbooks that started with A-Z with a scripture not necessary beginning with the letter but capitalized that letter even if it is in the middle of the word. Each page has a different letter and scripture.

That in and of itself is a fantastic idea, though I ended up tweeking it. I AM doing an A-Z scrapbook, but it's of qualities about my friend that I admire.... Ambitious, Brave, Cheerful, etc. Of course, X-Y-Z are proving to be a real bugger bear. Over the weekend I did E, F, G, I, L, N, and W. Today's A, K, and T at least. ;)

~~~

I'm missing my sweet Thomas today. He and his parents and much of his mommy's family are at a beach in Florida, having a fine time. We weren't too sure how Thomas would take to the beach, because week before last, they thought they'd getting him used to sand by filling up the sandbox he got for his first birthday and putting him in it. Oy. I only saw two photos from the experience, but that was all this aunt's heart could handle. Poor little Thomas looked like he was being tortured by just having his feet in the sand. And in one photo, he was leaning over on his Nana's chest, clutching her shirt in his hand and crying like his little heart was broken. :-(

Standing him on the beach for the first time produced similar results, but after that, his parents started taking his pack-and-play down there so he could be with everyone and not have to touch the evil sand. After that, the photos showed a happy surfer dude in some rockin' sunglasses. ;)

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Hey, the trailer for The X-Files: I Want to Believe is now up for viewing! Looks nice and creepy. :) But is it just me or is David Duchovny really showing his age? He looks positively doughy. As a friend of my suggested, maybe Mulder's been sitting around being a house husband and eating cheese doodles too long. ;)

If you're up past the late news tonight, my pretend boyfriend Clay Aiken will be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I'd imagine he'll perform his first single, "On My Way Here," off the new album. So make Fresh Girl happy and watch! ;)



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