Sunday, November 30, 2008
The boy loves his trains
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Melia's stocking
Friday, November 28, 2008
Nick's birthday
Thursday, November 27, 2008
The Unknown Stuntman
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Old Oaken Bucket day: the good, the bad, and the ugly...
The bad: It was freezing. FREEZING! Poor Nicklas and Seeger... they were so cold, they spent most of the time in the car with the heat running. Also bad, IU lost. Actually, they were creamed. It was a sad, sad game. (Luckily, I'd had all the drinks to numb the irritation a bit.)
The ugly: There are no words to describe. I'll let you see for yourself. Check out the boots in the last picture. They provided much entertainment for everyone.
Twilight thoughts
I understand the movie was done on a pretty low budget and I'm trying to take that into consideration. And I guess for being low budget, they did a pretty good job.
(But really, why low budget? It was so clearly, plainly obvious that this was going to be a huge hit. I have a hard time believing they couldn't get the monetary backing they needed to do it all proper.)
1) Overall, I thought the movie was okay. There were parts I liked and it followed the book fairly well. But there were also parts I didn't like. I really thought the script and acting didn't delve enough in to the characters. But hubby (who hasn't read the books) saw it with me and he picked up much more than I would have thought. So I guess my expectations were high going into it.
2) I hated the music. HATED it.
3) I hated the special effects. What was with the weird speeding up of the Cullen's walking? I realize as vampires they are fast and it's important to show this but I don't think the effects really showed this. I would have preferred to have the Cullen's disappear and reappear.
4) I don't think Kristen Stewart did a good job portraying Bella.
5) They didn't show enough of the vampires "special skills".
6) Jasper freaked me out. I know he was supposed to struggle to restrain himself around Bella but really, the 3 second blip they showed of him almost made me laugh aloud. And he didn't look like a beautiful vampire. He looked like a freak.
7) Edward wasn't nearly as glittery as I would have thought. And they were supposed to be in this beautiful meadow with full on sun shining down on him. Not a random break in the trees.
8) The tracking scene was way too short. You didn't get the sense of despair and fear Bella was feeling. And the fact that it was really tough for her to get away from Alice and Jasper wasn't played out.
9) I know I'm getting nit-picky but Bella wasn't nearly clumsy enough.
10) I'm all for a multicultural cast but really, the demographics in Forks were not realistic.
11) The girls sitting behind me in the theater were annoying. They kept laughing at inappropriate moments. I'm not sure they were even watching the movie. (I know this isn't really related to the movie but it definitely affected my overall experience.)
Things I liked....
1) Robert Pattinson = Edward Cullen = Awesome.
2) The movie really captured the dreariness of Forks.
3) Charlie and Carlisle. When I first saw Carlisle, I wasn't convinced but the more they showed him, the more I liked him.
4) Jacob Black. I can't wait to see more of him. (I may have to change to Team Jacob in the next film.) Oh and Billy Black too!
5) Alice, Alice, Alice. Ashley Greene did an awesome job with her visions.
6) The tree climbing. I thought it was a great portrayal of the magnitude of power and ability Edward has.
7) The ending because it definitely left me wanting more. Despite everything, I'll be excited to see New Moon when it comes out. (And knowing how quickly they'll play everything out, I'm hoping I won't have to endure months and months of annoying "Oh woe is me" Bella. Skip that and get the juicy Jacob stuff.) And I can't wait for more Rachel LeFevre. I've been a fan of hers and she wasn't show nearly enough in this first movie.
8) Did I say Robert Pattinson? Oh, I did? Well, it's my blog so I'll say it again.
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008
High water times
You may know that he gets himself ready in the morning. He has to be on the bus at 7:10 but I don't leave for work until 8:00. So he gets up on his own at 6:15, showers, gets dressed and ready. Sometimes I get up with him, sometimes I sleep until its time to head downstairs for breakfast. Today was a sleep-in day.
(Cuz hubby and I went to a concert in Indy last night and didn't get home until 12:30. What? I need my beauty sleep!)
So once Nicklas was ready, we made our way downstairs in the dark. Seeger was still sleeping and I didn't want to wake him by turning on the hallway light. Nicklas was seated at the counter before I turned the lights on so I didn't even notice what he was wearing. He had his breakfast while I watched for the bus to come. And when it did, I stood at the door and handed him his coat and back pack. And as he was running down the driveway, I thought something looked funny about his pants. At first, I thought he'd accidentally tucked the leg bottoms into his socks.
(He's not the most observant dresser. Seriously, the kid put his shirt on backwards every day until he was six. But then, I often do the same thing so I'm not one to make fun. But at least I realize it and fix it. Anyway....)
And as he made his way to the bus, I realized the pants weren't tucked in the sucks. They were just too short. It took about three seconds of my just waking up mind to realize why. I think my 8 year old is wearing size 5 pants. I wouldn't be as convinced except he did comment this morning that some of Seeger's underwear were in his dresser. There must of been a switcharoo when their clothes were last put away. I'm blaming hubby. He was the last one to do the laundry. (Poor guy, he's all awesome cuz he did laundry and now I'm making fun of him in a public forum. I love you hubby!)
I briefly thought about dropping off some new pants for him change in to at school. But I decided it would be a good life lesson for him to walk around in his high waters. (And so what if his teacher and the other parents think he comes from a destitute family that can't afford new clothes.)
Knowing him, he won't even realize it.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Busy weekend and no time to write
I have so much to do at work today and tonight hubby and I are going to see Susan Tedeschi in concert. (And I just found out Seeger has some sort of weird rash so I'm taking him to the doctor.) So the only real reason I'm posting is because of my NaBloPoMo commitment. I hope to write a "real" post tomorrow. Must get to work - cheerio!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Seeger's haircut
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Beauty and the Beast
Here's photo of the boys with their Grandma. They insisted on making funny faces. (I can't wait for them to get over that stage!)
Friday, November 21, 2008
Barnes & Noble book fair
I did some cheek painting...
(Apparently just painting a picture on the cheek is NOT facepainting. Who knew?)
Nicklas hung out with me most of the day.
He was happy to see his friend Hayden.
The first graders performed songs from their Veteran's Day program.
Lafayette city mayor, Tony Roswarski even stopped by to read to the kids.
All together, we raised $700 for Edgelea. Yay!
It almost makes up for the $160 I spent replacing my car tire which was flattened after running over something while driving to the book fair.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Golf and tacos
(For example, last year he invited his entire class to the movie theater. We spent less on that party than any other year. And 18 kids came!)
So I decided to cut back. The boys get a birthday party every other year. On their off years, they can invite a friend to spend the night and we'll take them to dinner and a fun activity. This past weekend, Nicklas had his birthday activity. He choose Monster Minigolf as his activity.
First, the silly pose...
This is much better!
And guess what he picked for dinner? After telling him he could choose anywhere, he narrowed his list down to Texas Roadhouse, Sonic, and Taco Bell. (Hubby was secretly rooting for Mountain Jack's.) He picked Taco Bell.
TACO BELL?!?! Don't get me wrong... I like me some taco's every now and again. But if I could choose one meal for my birthday, I'd come up with something much better than Taco Bell!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Project updates
I also started a new quilt top. I should probably finish quilting the Kaffe Fassett quilt but I needed a break. I'll finish it before the new year though. The stashbusting contest is nearly over so I need the points!!! Anyway, now I'm working on a Bulls-eye quilt. Several stashbusting friends have done them and I thought I'd give it a try. You cut out several different fabrics in three different sizes.
Then you sew them (on top of each other) on a large block. You leave a quarter inch seam around the circle which will give the block a frayed look.
That's as far as I've gotten but once the blocks are complete, you cut them into fourths (smaller blocks), mix up the blocks, and sew them back together. So you end up with your circles again but each quarter is different. You end up with 12 different primary fabrics and four different background fabrics.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Not feeling well
What did I get myself into?
Yeah...
Okay....
Alrighty, then.
So it's a good thing I practiced. I was a little better the next day. (But not much!)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Flat Stanley's first trip
Dear Nicklas:
Thanks so much for sending me down to Florida. I had an awesome time. The mailman
delivered me just in time to take part in all kinds of fun activities. One of the first things I did was go swimming and I soon found that I liked riding on the surfboard the best.
Soon after swimming, I spent most of my time playing with two huskies. One of them is named Alexander and the other has the same name as you only he spells it differently(Nicholas). Below is a picture of Nicholas and me. I understand you have met these huskies before. They certainly remembered you.
I heard a rumor that your Dad’s favorite hockey team is the Detroit Red Wings. Well, guess what? The Detroit Red Wings were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning during my stay, and since Tampa is not too far away from Orlando, I went to the game. Although the Red Wings came out sluggish and quickly fell behind 2 to 0, they soon started doing better and ended up winning the game 4 to 3.
Another highlight during my stay in Florida was seeing the space shuttle launched into orbit. It was launched at night when it was dark outside and even though I had my picture taken with the shuttle in the background, it was too dark to see anything. Since I wanted you to see what the space shuttle looks like when it launches, here’s a picture of a shuttle launch that happened about a year ago. Trust me, it is much more exciting to see in person than in a picture.
Of course, no trip to Orlando would be complete without making a visit to Disneyworld. I had so much fun at Disneyworld that I sure hope you can go down and visit it again sometime. I know you really like it.
However, I am so happy now being a Jayhawk that I proudly wear a Jayhawk sticker on my shirt and have decided this is where I am going to go to college! Hope you consider going there someday.
Again, thanks for sending me to Florida.
Flat Stanley
It MUST be Monday
At school, he's working on a project about Ben Franklin. He brought him his research this weekend and spent Sunday reading it. But I realized this morning that he didn't touch the book he has from the library. He was complaining about not having enough facts to answer the required questions and I reminded him about the book. I asked that he read it on the bus this morning instead of Harry Potter. He complained and said that at school, he's only allowed to read Accelerated Reading books. I emphasized that I was talking about the bus, not school. He told me I must be seeking revenge on him. (I'm not sure why I would need to seek revenge, but whatever.) I told him that I was simply trying to make sure he did his required school work. He left in a huff.
Five minutes later, Seeger asked for some cereal for breakfast. I gave him a bowl filled with Life and milk and he freaked out on me because there wasn't the proper mix of dry Life on top of the milky Life.
I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to going to work this morning.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Playing favorites
I already feel like I've lost Nicklas. He's consumed with sports lately. All summer, he kept track of the records for each MLB team. He religiously reads the sports page and he spent Sunday flipping between football games. He's so INTO it. And it's something he and hubby have in common. He rattles off random statistics and historical facts and I have to pretend like I care, like I'm interested. But I'm not. I could care less. (Luckily, he doesn't realize it. Yet.) I don't have the ability to sit and watch sports on tv. (But hubby does.) I try but I don't enjoy it. (But hubby does.) If it's a live game, I'm into it. (But hubby is even MORE into it.) But I have to have the right atmosphere. (Hubby doesn't care about atmosphere.) If not, then I get bored. (Hubby never gets bored watching sports.)
So I've lost Nicklas (although I'm secretly hoping it's a phase he'll grow out of. That happens to boys and sports, right? Oh, I guess not.) and now I'm losing Seeger. I suppose losing is the wrong word. It's just that I'm no longer as important in their world.
I told hubby the other day that it was either time for another baby or we need to buy a puppy.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
It's bucket time...
Friday, November 14, 2008
They grows up and they grows up and they grows up
Hubby and I spent Sunday raking and blowing the remaining leaves from our yard.
For the first time this year, we let Nicklas and Seeger stay in the house while we worked on the yard. In the past, we felt like they weren't old enough to be alone in the house. After spending the morning blowing and raking (and blowing and raking and blowing and raking) we went to fix them lunch. As they were finishing their macaroni and cheese, I decided to try an experiment.
"Nicklas and Seeger, dad and I are going to go back outside. When you're finished with your lunch, I want you to put your dishes in the sink and wash your hands and face. Okay?"
I heard a mumbled yeah and sure so I continued.
"When you've done that then you'll be ready for Seeger's quiet time."
(We don't really make Seeger nap anymore but we have him go to his room for quiet time. Sometimes he plays with his toys, sometimes he lays on his bed sucks his thumb with Baby Bear. And sometimes he falls asleep.)
"Okay," the boys replied.
"So Seeger, when Nicklas says it's quiet time, that means you need to go upstairs with him. He'll get you Baby Bear and give you kisses. And Nicklas, you need to be nice to Seeger and help him get ready for quiet time. Okay?"
Hubby and I headed outside. About ten minutes later, Nicklas came to report that Seeger was refusing to go to quiet time.
"He says he wants to stay downstairs and watch Spongebob instead," Nicklas complained.
"Nicklas, tell him that if he goes to quiet time, he can maybe watch Spongebob after. But if he doesn't go to quiet time with you, tell him that mom said he won't get to watch Spongebob for the rest of the day."
That must have worked because Nicklas never came back outside. And when we finished around 2:30, Seeger was upstairs in his room for quiet time.
My boys are growing up.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Barnes & Noble book fair
Stick figures and scribbled tummies and Baby Bear
FYI, Seeger insisted on having Baby Bear be in the picture.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Mouse
And he LOVES it.
I asked him what the mouse's name was. "Mouse," he said like I was silly for thinking otherwise.
He carries Mouse around with him everywhere. He talks about it's blue body and red nose and black eyes and he asks everyone to tell him how cute it is. He carries it in his pocket (and sometimes he wants me to carry it in my pocket.) He's very proud of it. He wants to show it to everyone. The other night, we went out to eat and he told the server all about the letter M, and the mouse that Beth gave him and how he was going to take it to school for the letter box. (The poor server just wanted to take our drink order.)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Long live the Cullens
Monday, November 10, 2008
Stanley is flat - again
Each student in the class was asked to send their Flat Stanley's to two people. By Thanksgiving, the class will receive their Stanley's and in December, they will learn about his adventures. Nicklas chose to send his Stanley's to my aunt in New York and Mike's cousin in Orlando. He's eagerly anticipating Stanley's return!