7QT Vol. 6

1. First post in a while... easing back in with some Quick Takes. It's almost midnight and I'm watching Hello, Dolly! for the first time, not grading like I should be (it's pretty universally acknowledged that teachers procrastinate as much as/more than their students, right? Great. I'm good then.), blog surfing, and generally engaging in behavior I will no doubt regret tomorrow morning.

2. Fact: the only reason I'm watching Hello, Dolly! is I love Wall-E. Since it's featured so prominently in Wall-E I've always wanted to see it. So far I love it (*note: that might be the residual Wall-E love and crazy over the top costuming talking). Question: was it standard for turn of the century New Yorkers to wear a 1960's cut crease eyeshadow?

It feels a teeny bit anachronistic.  Just a hair.

3. I've been spending too much of my late night procrastination time lately reading up on Will and Kate's visit to Australia/New Zealand. I just love them. I have an incredible weakness for all things British, and those two (three now with Prince Georgie Porgie chubby cheeks) are the best.  My dears Heather and Jessica (the Fug Girls; not actually my real friends) (though I wish they were) have been extensively covering the trip and their complete archive is here.

4. I took some shots of the kiddos recently and a few of them just devastated me. They look like teenagers. To wit:

I mean. I just. Did I not realize it was a GQ shoot?

Hi, we're here for high school orientation. Thanks. 

5. I've been using the Sleep Cycle app for about a month now, and it is very enlightening. I have never been a good sleeper and I'm a terrible night owl, so when it tells me I get bad sleep it's not shocking, but it's fun to compare the data night by night (turns out Thursday nights are my worst night of sleep; perhaps it has to do with the aforementioned late-night procrastination?).

6. Aw. I'm up to this part of Hello, Dolly!

7. I discovered these Google Virtual Field Trips today, and they seem like an awesome resource for homeschooling families. Just passing on the info, in case you haven't seen them!


Happy weekend to you!

7 QT Vol. 5(?)

Some questions: Did they shoot this at Sears? What's with the crushed velvet backdrop? Also, is Chris holding a watch? Why? 

1.  (I'd love to link to the moment, but there are no decent Youtube vids available. What kind of fascist state are we living in??)
Listen, I know I'm supposed to be up in all kinds of arms about Mileygate, but I honestly couldn't get through 30 seconds of that awfulfest, so I skipped it. I've read some lovely essays and analyses of the cultural momentum we are riding that led to that, but mostly I'm just disgusted by the 50 year old executive(s) that undoubtedly agreed to and vetted the whole mess. The only reason I even knew the VMAs were happening was because in my heart I am still 16 and wearing sparkly blue capri pants and an ill-advised amount of glitter to my first NSYNC concert and that girl would smack 29 year old me for missing their (very short) comeback. I loved every bit of it and I may have done some Wade Robson choreography in my living room in a fit of joy.

2.  We are sort of not doing dessert right now and these are seeing us through. They are currently selling them at Costco and Stephen and I are totally obsessed. They come in little 100 calorie packs and are the best dessert if you're not really having dessert. SO delicious.

Disclaimer: not my work.

3. I've been trying to journal lately, and a combination of these fine point Sharpie Pens (in lots of colors!) and the awesome selection of journals at Target has me very motivated (I have these for little things and these for the journaling). I'm a terrible, terrible scrapbook/memory book person, but I thought I could manage a bit of a journal for each of my kids. We shall see.

4.I love and want these earrings. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded and L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe
Together these two make a very easy, very pretty natural eye look that lasts a reasonable amount of time. I toss on some mascara and look reasonably polished, which is the most that I can ask for from my makeup on the regular.

6. Is it obvious this post started as a five favorites until I realized that not only is it not Wednesday, it's almost Friday (!) and I turned it into a 7QT?

7. We started "real" dance this week (Juliana was in a "Wiggles and Giggles" class last year, but this year she is in a real class with real leotards, tights, ballet shoes and buns) and it is the cutest darn thing in the whole wide world. I took way too much video of the first class, but I just couldn't help myself.

I told her to dance. This is what I got. Sammy wanted to join. 

Go see Jen for many, many more takes!

Quick Takes Friday

1.  I have been known to declare (dramatically, with great self-sacrifice) to anyone who will listen once I finish any sort of project that I'm not going to blog about it because I just don't have the time: I can either do the project or blog about doing a project, but not both.  This, while mostly true, is maybe also an exaggeration, so I'm working on trying both for a bit just to see how it works out (if my hero, P-dubs, can homeschool four children, assist in the running of a ranch, star in a cooking show, write two cookbooks and two children's books, make dinner every night (while blogging about it) and still post like 5 times a day maybe I can manage a couple posts a week.).


2. I have to use my time wisely, right?  For instance, right now the hubs is going to watch The Walking Dead. I can't watch The Walking Dead (seriously I don't know why they'd make a show that is unwatchably gory) but I like the storyline.  Blogging while not-watching The Walking Dead is a perfect use of my time and resources (what's that? "Laundry?" No, I don't know anything about that.).

3. New favorite mascara alert (don't get too excited, this is a bi-monthly event): Maybelline The Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara.  It is GREAT.  My "HG" ("holy grail" for those of you who don't spend time watching YouTube makeup tutorials. I know, I'm cool.) is Clinique High Impact mascara, but I have to go to the mall to get it, and I don't go to the mall much these days (they're not double-stroller friendly).  This is a very good substitute.  

4. I have many projects floating around in a half-completed state over here, but lately I have managed to finish a few.  At one point we made a frame for a poster I had and wanted to frame, but it didn't work out (we couldn't figure out how to safely mount it with glass/plexiglass so we just had the poster framed professionally).  Anyways, we have a very large (maybe 3'x4'?) very light frame that I want to do something with, but I'm not sure what.  I was thinking one of those frames-within-a-frame projects I keep seeing on Pinterest, but I haven't quite worked out anything.  Any thoughts?

Not quite this busy, though.  Via Pinterest.

5. Ugh maybe I can't even listen to The Walking Dead. The sound effects are hideous.  But the plot is extremely compelling!  Perhaps I should just read the comics.


6. Baby picture time!  Juliana loves these "blue ice popsicles."  They're actually Pedialite pops.  I figure they're slightly better than Otter Pops? Maybe?  Sure!

7. And here's Sammy because he's cute.

We play in the playpen in the backyard so the dog will give us some room.  Otherwise he'd be licking Samuel while beating me with his wagging tail and scratching Juliana.  He's very friendly.

Go see Jen at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes Friday

1

I loved this essay by Pat Gohn on developing a practice of praying with others.  That is NOT something I am generally comfortable with outside of a relatively structured church/pre-meal grace/bedtime situation.  Nope.  But I have discovered something lately (this is a real revelation, so get ready): I'm pretty sure God didn't put us down here for comfort.  I know, right?  Mind-boggling.  That truth has been ringing across most of my days lately, though, so I figured I might as well embrace the discomfort a bit and try to provide some grace to those around me at the same time.  So, uh, we'll see how it goes?  

2

I've started reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess which has only been reinforcing the discomfort thing.  That is not a comfortable book.  Has anyone else out there read it?  

3

Lest you think I'm starting to become very holy and impressive (she says), the thing I've been most excited about this week is the new eyelash curler I got.  It's heated.  It's amazing.  

4

Since Hallie posted about visiting Grace and mentioned something about Simon's being funny, and since I just recently discovered Grace's blog, I just fell down the rabbit hole of Simon Says posts.  Oh. My. Gosh.  I was laughing out loud at work, ya'll.  I mean it's slow around here so no one cares, but that kind of behavior isn't exactly promotion-worthy.  Worth it.  

5

Sammy hasn't had much play on the blog yet.  Gratuitous baby photo ahead.  

Yes, that is spit up.  Look we can't all be clean and hygenic ALL the time.

I love this baby stage.  They're so cute and squishy and milky but also all big-eyed and cooey.  Yum.

6

This weather in Southern California is weird.  Hot, humid rain.  It's like Florida's climate decided to take a little jaunt Westward.  I'd like it to go home now.

7

Have a wonderful weekend!!!  Go visit Jen for more Quick Takes!

7 Things That Made Me Cry This Week

--UPDATE--

I'm adding an eighth because Becky made me cry today too.

--END UPDATE--

Listen, it doesn't take a whole lot to make me cry. I can think of three things just today that did it (Note: this has not always been the case. Getting married nudged me in that direction and having a baby pushed me over the edge. I now cry with almost no prompting). Most of these are sweet, happy things. I actually think things that are sweet and happy make me cry more than sad things, which probably says something about me but I'm not sure I want to figure out what.

~1~

This video:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnVAE91E7kM]

~2~

Simcha's post on Robins.  I understood it so well, and I've only had one, and that one only for six months!

~3~

There is an older woman whose home is adjacent to the parking lot I use at work.  The area is a beautiful "old town" with 100 year old homes and huge trees and antique stores.  This woman's home was once beautiful too, but has fallen into disrepair.  She has many, many (many many) cats running around her property and a good deal of broken down stuff in her front yard (imagine a scene from "Hoarders."  It's like that.).  The house gives off a smell that makes me think it isn't ever cleaned.  Maybe not in a decade or two.  She is cheerful and always says hello when she's outside, but isn't outside often.  The last couple of days I have noticed a dumpster out in front and today as I was walking to lunch I saw that all of her things were being piled up on the sidewalk and a man (who looked like a city worker, not a relative) was busily sweeping and throwing things away.  She was sitting on her rocker, looking scared and sad.  It was so heartbreaking.  I hope very much that she is getting some help, as I think she needs it, but it was so hard to see.

~4~

This song:

I am so late to the Mumford and Sons party.  I love this album, though.  Total roll-down-all-the-windows-and-sing-loudly music.

~5~

PW's post about her boys at Universal Orlando.  Okay, this is an older story, but I cried lots when I read it the first time (and I just read it again and I misted up so it counts for this week!).

~6~

My hubby and I watched Pride and Prejudice last Friday (he lost a bet) and I cried.  Can't tell you how many times I've read that book and watched that movie and I still cried.  The end gets me every time (and several parts in the middle, but that's neither here nor there).  I'd link to it, but I can't find it, so just go and watch the last five minutes of the 2005 version.  I know that version gets a lot of hate because of no Colin Firth and all, but I still love it and the (admittedly somewhat cheesy) ending.

~7~

This picture:

I mean, what is she, three??  Five and a half?  Voting??  Going to college??? (at least I'm not dramatic about it, am I right?)

That was fun!  Cathartic, anyway.  Go see Jen over at Conversion Diary for other 7 Quick Takes that hopefully won't be about crying.

7 Quick Takes Friday - Volume 4

--1--

I just finished Bossypants by Tina Fey and it cracked me up.  She is extremely funny (not shocking), but also obviously very thoughtful and a great writer (also, by the way, totally fine with f-bombs.  Just thought you should know before running out and reading it to your five year old or something).   It is written as a series of connected essays, and I found myself reading several of them out loud to my husband or sending them to my mom and sister.   A fun, quick read.

--2--

I understand the Kindle opposition; I too LOVE the smell and feel of books, but I was over the moon yesterday when I discovered my dear Anne Shirley Blythe can be gotten for free for the Kindle.  Now she goes with me everywhere.  I love her.

--3--

 My newest home idea is to paint my kitchen thusly:

I kind of have a wild hair that I want to do it this weekend.  Which, check back with me on Monday because we will see.

--4--

I just read Pioneer Woman's official confirmation that she'll have her own show on the Food Network soon.  Wow!  See how blogging can pay off?  Two book deals, a potential movie deal, and your own tv show.  Way to be awesome, Ree!  I am sure I can anticipate the same for myself in the near future.

--5--

Today I found a recipe for cinnamon rolls that doesn't require proofing or rising?  What?!?  I am going to try immediately.  Also, on the exactly opposite end of the spectrum, chocolate cookies with yeast.  My whole world is flipped, turned upside down.

--6--

Is the song in your head now?  One of my favorite bizarro phenomena of the modern era is that anyone of my generation (early-mid 80s babies) can sing every lyric of that song with almost no prompting at all.  It's universal (alright, United-Statesian).

--7--

Gratuitous baby cute:

Who said I wanted to wear a bunny hat anyway?

This was taken the day she started getting roseola.  We thought she was just grumpy but she was on her way to sicky.  She's all better now, though!

Thanks to Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes Friday - Volume 3

--1--

I am planning on teaching J sign language now that she is getting closer to six months.  She has been very chatty since she was little-- around six weeks-- and at times it seems like she is really really trying to speak English but just can't.  It seems like the likelihood is high that she will become very frustrated as she gets older and is unable to speak yet, so I thought sign language might help.  I am planning on chronicling her progress here.  If anyone has any tips/advice I'd love it!

 

--2--

One of hubs's coworkers' friends is making these awesome hats this Easter:

It is the cutest thing ever, no? and is obviously very high quality.  If anyone is interested in buying one send me an email: forgottheflour@gmail.com.  I'd totally recommend them!

 

--3--

Made these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies today.  Delicious!  I think, more than anything, that cookies are my downfall.  First I eat the dough, then I have to try them when they're out of the oven, then I have to have a few for dessert after dinner, then they're still there in the morning and I mean how different is a cookie from a muffin, am I right?  It's a slippery slope.

 

--4--

Photo from How Sweet It Is

Also, and maybe this is too much food-related info but it's too late now, I made this for dinner tonight, substituting ground turkey for ground chicken.  So delicious!  A couple tips:  1) Don't burn your onions.  2) Definitely use the flat, skillet side of your grill pan to cook the burgers (as they suggest).  The grill pan side was too much for the soft burgers before they set up.  3) Add avocado!  It was super tasty.

 

--5--

Cooking and baking blogs are my favorite thing lately.  I think it's because it's sort of DIY (in a way... I mean I am "doing it myself") but I can actually do it, rather than just look and wish I were that talented and/or had a sewing machine.  There's so much instant gratification when I find a recipe and make it that night or the next night. I just love finding new cooking blogs and scrolling through their recipes... there are SO MANY talented people out there!  If you have one you can't live without let me know!  My favorite is obviously PW, but that's kind of like saying my favorite sea mammal is a dolphin.  Kind of a given (don't bother arguing for Orcas.  They're pretty but they're way scarier than dolphins and there has never been a talking Orca on a primetime sci-fi television show).

 

--6--

On that note (cooking blogs, not SeaQuest), I have a bad habit of always making something I've never made before when we're having company over.  I sort of awkwardly cover myself by saying "well I've never tried it before, I hope it's good!," but why do I put myself in that situation in the first place?  Not a good idea.  And it's not like it always comes out perfectly either.  I have a particularly vivid memory of having J's godfather over for dinner and cooking chicken just terribly.  He powered through, but it was definitely a low point.  I kept halfheartedly pointing out "it's a new recipe... first time..."  So sad.

 

--7--

Tonight I went to a jewelry party at my sister-in-law's house.  It was quite fun.  At an earlier party for this same line (Lia Sophia) I bought these earrings:

They're really light and pretty and out of my normal comfort zone (some sort of stud I leave in for six months at a time) but very me at the same time.  At the party tonight I bought a very similar pair in gold.  My husband teased me for being so unadventurous, but I say buying the silver ones in the first place was adventurous; now I'm just continuing on that adventure.  Or something.

 

Thanks to Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting Quick Takes Friday!

 

 

7 Quick Takes Friday- Volume 2

--1--

I am pretty sure that blogging is supposed to include more than just Quick Takes, but the last two weeks have not been blogging-friendly.  Oh well, carry on (as Uncle Tim would say)!

 

--2--

I have a problem: I am completely addicted to Kindle samples.  It's really a problem.  I think I've downloaded about 10 books and about 30 samples.  Anytime anyone mentions a book, in any situation, I immediately go on Amazon and download the sample.  It works really well because I have sort of a "reading to-do list" on my Kindle at all times, but it is also contributing to my shortened attention span, I fear.

Here are a few of the many I have on there (most of which I really want to read to completion):

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century

Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

The Hiding Place

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story

There is a lot of non-fiction in there, now that I look at them together.  Usually that's not so much my bag.  Interesting.  If anyone has any suggestions for other books that I need to download (a sample of), do let me know!

 

--3--

This here?  This is a problem too.  Lots of problems around here, apparently.

That is an empty non-decaf coffee at about 3:30 yesterday.  I specifically requested a decaf, and much to-do was made about making it a decaf, but it was most definitely NOT a decaf.   For other, regular humans this might not be an issue, but I am not a regular human. My super-(sub-?)human caffeine sensitivity is well known hither and yon.  Anyways, my insane hyper chatter made my coworkers and then husband crazy for the rest of the day and I think I finally passed out once the caffeine had exited my system around 3am.  No more McD's coffees for me.

 

--4--

This is J's newest face.  No further comment.

 

--5--

I have two cooking posts coming up this week!  My poor husband has had to put up with my taking pictures of every step of our dinners for the past week or so.  He's such a good sport.

 

--6--

We're working our way through my birthday present: the ENTIRE series of I Love Lucy.  I had forgotten how much I love this episode:

I do love her.  She cracks me up.

 

--7--

No seven!  Can't think of anything and I don't want to pull a "high school junior" and BS the last one!

Thanks to Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting Quick Takes Friday!

7 Quick Takes Friday

 

-1-

This is my very first Quick Takes as a new blogger. Feels good.

-2-

Are they supposed to be that short? Jen's are never that short.

-3-

...

-4-

Alright, I can do this. We're having a bocce ball tournament for the hubs's birthday on Saturday. I plan to win and win big.

-5-

The baby has been super gassy the last few nights. I read so much conflicting information about whether what I eat has any effect on her digestion that I haven't really spent time charting what happens to her when I eat certain foods. Is there any reason a four month old would suddenly have an increase in gas?

-6-

I had thought I would struggle finding topics to blog about given that I don't have a very clear-cut "theme" here (it's not specifically a mommy blog, or a religious blog, or a food blog), but that has not turned out to be the case. I have a list of posts I want to write and the list keeps getting longer. This Quick Takes is not included in my inspiration rush, obviously. I just noted I wanted to write a Quick Takes post, but didn't indicate what I might include therein. I think we can all agree this was a mistake.

-7-

Phew! Made it to 7. Has anyone seen The Adjustment Bureau? I really want to see it for some reason but have heard no word of mouth and haven't gotten around to reading any reviews.

Happy Friday to everyone! I, for one, am thrilled for the weekend (I'm all about controversial and rebellious statements like that. It's how I roll.)!