104 in 365

So I started a new blog. Yes, because I am crazy in fact. Don't worry I will still neglect this one as much as I do now, but if you miss my wit and banter and like reading you might like my new blog one hundred&four in three sixty five .

The blog will contain my recap of the 104 books I intend to read over the next year. I know, because adding a blog to my everyday life isn't bad enough now I'm going to cram 104 books into it as well....what can I say, stress helps me lose weight.

If you too like to try crazy things, then join up the 104 Book Challenge on www.goodreads.com.

I will assume that if you do not join the group that you are just to scared of failure to even attempt it. Hang you head in shame now.....hang I said!

Well I am off, I have books to read and a house to clean, in that order.

You Must Read:

The Mortal Instrument Series. City of Bone, City of Ashes, City of Glass.

This isn't a debate, as soon as you are done reading this I want you to go out and buy them, borrow them from the library - not me - or I can even get you the mp3s of the audio book if you like....

I promise you that these books will make you go "Edward who?"

Plus these books will be made into a movie in not so long, in fact the main girl was just cast and you don't want to be one of those losers who reads something JUST because it became a movie....do you? No, you don't. You want to be in on the book love. Be one of the cool kids, there's still room at the table.

When you finish those books by Casandra Clare, pick up Clockwork Angel, which is still kind of apart of this series only taking place several hundred years earlier then the previous books.....

So what are you waiting for....go! Buy, read and enjoy!!!!!

I've Done It....

I've joined a book club.

And it's not one of those stuffy, uptight book clubs where all the books are serious and boring and contemplate life and what it's all about. (who wants to talk about that anyway?!)

No No No.

The book club I have joined is much better then all that. My book club is comprised of all my friends and we don't do any of this sissy crap "read one book between meetings". We are the over achievers of book clubs. We read an entire series during the month between meetings.

Currently we are reading the Vampire Academy series. (Which yes, have very shitty covers that look like something off a bad romance novel and a soap opera commercial and the names are horrid and almost really have nothing to do with the actual book, but surprisingly they are good.)

We sit around, in this book club eating food and laughing until we nearly wet ourselves and even manage to fit in decent conversation about our books.

We call ourselves "The Book Fluffers", keeping your covers hard since 2010. Do with that what you will. I won't explain further. :0)

(hehehehehe)

Losing Your Author Virginity

My birthday party was canceled due to weather, my sitter falling through at the last minute and that rascally migraine creeping back up on me. I wasn't too upset, I mean it's my 31st - not like it was my 21st (aww shit, that was 10 years ago, a decade....*feeling of old settling in*)

Luckily, the night before the party was awesome and helped make up for the lack of partying down. Now brace yourselves, I realize this entry may not make YOU jump out of your skin quite like it did to me but I'm posting it anyway and there will be no humorous stories about my children or situations from daily life explained with an overuse of satire. Should this list of absent items not have made you run off I might be able to further entice you into stayingand reading by noting that this entry has nothing to do with Twilight. Ahhh, see I knew that would catch you.

So, Friday night, yes here we go.

Amy, Nikki and Christy and I set off to Minneapolis for a discussion and book signing with The Merry Sisters of Fate: Tessa Gratton, Maggie Stiefvater and Brenna Yovanoff. (If you don't know who these girls are, it is your duty to go fotrth and buy every word they have written and read. Read damn you, read!)

Amy called this "Losing my Author Virginity" because I had never before met an author. Movie stars, pshhh sure but never an actual, live in the flesh author! Not only did I meet them I spoke to them (with only partially geeking out) and even got their autographs in their respective books. Well except in the case of Tessa, who's book isn't out yet. Amy was smart enough however to print off her book cover and so she's signed that for me instead.

They were all kind enough to take group and individual photos with us and even participated in some general chit chat. It was a great evening, I even learned a lot from the discussion on good critique partners - and to be honest I wasn't sure I'd take anything away from the discussion. Mostly because before I got there I had no idea what the topic was....

Anyway - to visit these ladies individually or all together follow these links.

The Merry Sisters of Fate Live Journal (full of awesome short stories!)

Maggie Stiefvater and her books Shiver, Linger and Forever

Tessa Gratton and her forthcoming book Blood Magic

Brenna Yovanoff and her book The Replacement

School Picture Day...Oh The Terror!

School pictures were today for Paige. I was pumped because last year her father had her and while she looked ok, little things like her head band not matching her outfit in even the slightest way irritated the crap out of me. Mostly because if I'm shelling out money for these things I want them to look good.

I'm sure she chose the head band, in which case it's great because it makes the photo more "her", but still a little gentle coaxing for a more complimentary color wouldn't have hurt either.

This year I wanted to make school photo day fun. I dreaded it when I was a kid. Like I needed a forever reminder of how stupid I looked in school. So I took Paige to the mall to find a shirt. This is mistake number 1. Telling her she can have whatever she wants with in a budget, that was mistake number 2.

We started in Carter's, they have stuff in her size still that's cute, and she is only 6 after all. After choosing a hideous collection of bright green and purple (no doubt her way of saying she's both a Packers and Vikings fan?) items, I suggested we try another store and if we didn't find anything we could come back for that outfit.

We scurried off to The Children's Place. I can always find something in there! YIKES! While their new line is cute - it is also a sequined mess of black, red and silver and, well not for school photos. Not to mention I wasn't dropping $40 on a "jacket thing" Paige could have borrowed from Michal Jacksons closet...not like he's using it right now.....(okay - bad joke....shut up - you laughed!)

At this point I'm getting worried. I know the next place Paige is going to want to hit is Justice and I like the store but the prices don't like my pocket book. I will have no problem shelling out the money for $50 jeans when she stops growing out of things 10 minutes after buying them. Luckily for me that will also be right about the time she's old enough to get a job and buy the damn things herself. See, and people think I'm stupid....

I suggest Herberger's. Paige says, and I quote: "Ugh. I hate that place" and then drags her feet causing her flip flops to make this flip, shhhhhhhhh, flop combination of sounds. I thought that was irritating enough, I was not prepared for what she was going to do in the store once we got there.

I was unaware until this particular trip that she has a shopping radar built in, and it targets any ugly, loud, and resembling a color-blind-90-year-old-hippies-couch, item there is in a store. She hunted down and gazed lovingly at each item with a smile the size of Texas stretching across her face. Desire flowed from her eyes as she held each abandoned and highly clearanced item like it was a puppy in a shelter looking for a good home.

The really obnoxious items were easy to shoot down, using the "Paige, we're not going to see a lot of your shirt anyway so we don't really want a lot of design on it" this made me wonder why the hell we were shopping anyway, I could have put her in PJ's and called it a day for her photos...but I apparently like making life difficult.

Then she abandoned the idea of a shirt all together and went for these....oh yes - that's NEON folks. I couldn't even justify wasting words on a response so I pointed to the rack they came from then walked away silently praying that God could grant her some fashion sense in the next 15 minutes.

I knew I had no choice left, I asked if she wanted to go to Justice and off we ran. Literally. Mostly because I was scared some of the clothes she had picked up would come chasing after me for having mocked it to it's face.

In Justice, Paige was in awe. Much like me in a book store. She walked around and touched everything hanging. Forgetting now and then we were clothes shopping and wandering over to those damned ZuZu pet things. Luckily for me (read: Alex and the bank account) the whole store was 40% off.

She started grabbing everything that, if it could speak would be screaming at an ear splitting volume. I reminded her of the "not a lot of the shirt being seen" thing and off she went again to hunt. Of course everything I held up was a no. Then there was a SPECIFIC COLOR she had to have. Then her size was out of everything in that color. God help me. Oh and did I mention Justin Bieber is playing over the sound system the entire time, giving a soundtrack to my own personal hell.

I keep looking at my watch thinking we have to get going soon and then it happens. She finds it. The shirt. Something we can all agree on. The entire store went dark and a spot light shown on the beautiful garment in the right color and size. Justin shut his lesbian looking mouth and a choir of angels began to sing.....and just as quickly as it started...the sound of a needle scratching a record sounded and it was over. I looked at the price tag. Mistake number 3.

It wasn't horribly expensive, it was just more then I'd spend on the same shirt for me. And even though I am a crazy clearance shopper for myself, this was still a lot for a shirt for a 6 year old she will wear 4 times and then grow out of.

At this point I just didn't care, so I grabbed the shirt before I changed my mind, swiped my credit card which made a small crying sound as it passed through the machine and walked away a lot broker then I intended but with a very happy 6 year old.

So help me, I don't know what I'll so when she's 15. Pray for me.

Here's her outfit, never mind the iphone camera quality of the pics....

New Obsession....The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Shiver.

Linger.

In 9 months - Forever. The third and final book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

No. I'm not pregnant are you out of your damned mind! It't a book. Keep up.

Maggie Stiefvater is my new literary hero.

Yes she writes YA (young adult for the door knobs out there) but she's me. You know that sarcastic kick I give to everything. That way I write when I talk to you like you're really there, and you love it I know you do. I could crawl right into her books (and to steal a line from her book) live between the pages.

And it's not just because I live in Minnesota and that's where the books take place.

So "Forever" is due out in July and I'm literally hanging on by a thread to get it. And since there's enough time betwen now and then - order your copies of the first two - and then toss out your order for a LEGITIMATE AUTOGRAPHED copy of Forever by Clicking HERE, here, or even HERE (they all go to the same place, chill out those of you with ADD)

Get it now. When they make a movie out of it - and they are - you want to have been on on the Book Love....not just the movie love.

I Want This...I shall Have it!

I'm going to miss the book tour Suzanne Collins is doing in MN because I have to work. I know right - me? Work? Yeah well I got a job for the weekend helping at a Home Owners Showcase and I really need to money for Christmas so - the work is more important then the book tour....

In a complete sign from God The Hob, offered this contest to win a signed copy of Mockingjay. I would cherish it and love it and call it Jay Jay forever and ever :0) I can just see it on my book shelf right now, a shining beacon of true love for my Hunger Games series.

All I can do is enter, and hope!

The Hob Mockingjay Book Tour Contest

Isn't it PRETTY!!!!??? Just look at it up there at the top of the blog - when you look at it don't you just know it belongs to me!!!

Remembering 30 - The Dawn-Vasion

Before I can really tell you the Dawn-Vasion story I have to tell you another one. Don't worry, it's quick(ish) so cuddle up with a blanket and some cocoa and listen as we take a trip way, way back to 1994 when I was 14....

I couldn't freaking stand Dawn when I met her. She shaved her legs with no soap or water, who did this!? Oh and she never once got razor burn. That just flat out pissed me off! She was like the little sister that followed you around wanting to be apart of everything who you couldn't shake. But I had to be polite, as we were on a church trip, traveling through Europe to Russia and back and weather I liked the only girl younger then me on the trip or not, I was stuck with her for the next 2 months.

I grew to like her after a few weeks. 24 hour bus rides with nothing to do but chat will do that too you, even when there are 48 other people on the bus with you. She had a lot in common with me - neither of us were supposed to be on the trip...we weren't the 16 year old age requirement, but it's called money and that's how we got to where were. When I got home I even missed her. A little.

About 3 years ago I started to hunt down the people I went on this trip with. Not in a sniper riffle sort of way, in the "Hey how have you been" e-mail kind of way. But since all I had was address from 1994 and most had moved, or married and changed names - I turned to the only place I knew fit to search for people = Facebook.

And there I found her, or wait....did she find me? We bonded over a comment about pink duct tape - no terrible pun intended. And I realized adult Amber and Dawn have EVEN more in common then "Our parents hate us, under 16 Amber and Dawn". Bad relationships, Baby Daddies, you name it we had matching everything!

And that settled it - she booked ticket to Minnesota for a reunion 15 years in the making! I was so excited when I picked her up I scratched my husbands new car parking it. I arrived like an hour early then counted every second as it went by until she came down the corridor. Cue bags dropping, full speed running and high pitched screaming! Jump and hug! The people around us looked at us like we were nuts...it's AN AIRPORT, this happens all the time there! It's not like this happened at a funeral or something....because that would be weird!

We spent the next 3 days watching Remember Me, getting drunk, having a huge party to celebrate her arrival. She cooked - hey don't give me that look, A: She offered, and B: remember when I said I wasn't a great cook before...yea...so shut it! She made Dawn-Tacos, Dawn-Tinis and Cake Balls....beast meal ever! We called her trip The Dawn-Vasion.

She went home too soon and then we began planning my trip to LA to see her in June.....Best Friends forever. She's stuck with me now....weather she likes it or not!

Mommy, What's A Hooker?

This morning, while sitting in the car waiting for the nice school lady to come around and let Paige out of the car for drop off, we were listening to K102. A normal choice in our family, when the iPod isn't on I choose this because in general it's more kid friendly then KDWB - who the hell knows what's going to come flying out of their mouths on that station in the morning, and the last thing I need is for my daughter to go to 1st grade talking about "shaky things" (KDWB's code word for vibrators..) Or whipping out words to Ke$ha during recess (yes, I used the dollar sign....don't judge me.)

So, anyway Toby Keith was playing quietly in the back ground, "I Love This Bar" to be exact. For those of you unfamiliar with the song, it talks about the different types of people you might meet in a bar. Harmless enough really. The second part of the song begins......

"We've got short skirts, I've seen high techs. Blue collar boys and rednecks"

Paige and I are still talking... something in my brain is warning me that maybe I should turn the radio off, but lack of coffee is getting in the way of my fully processing this request. So I ignore it. Song continues:

"And we got lovers, lots of lookers, I've even seen dancing girls and hookers"

(so much for this station being more kid friendly today!)

Shit.

Mentally I begin to kick myself. About the exact second I remember that word was coming, I also realized it was way to late to change the station before Paige heard it.

I start to rationalize in my head.....Maybe she missed it, we were talking. The radio was pretty quiet. Plus it's not like it's a word she knows, just one I don't want her to know. Okay, be cool mom. If you act like it was a big deal she'll think it was a big deal.

The car goes silent, and then it happens.

Paige: "Uncle Cory is a Hooker"

*trying to cover up a laugh, as Uncle Cory is the furthest thing from a hooker there is. Plus can guys even be hookers?*

Mom: I'm sorry, what? (being sure not to look at her so she can't see the smile I'm fighting with every nerve in my face)

Paige: Yea, we were fishing once and he got a hook in my thumb (sticks thumb in my face) see, mom right there you can still see the little white spot where it was. So he's a total hooker"

*At this point I deserve a freaking EMMY for not busting out into uncontrollable laughter. My kid just used the phrase "total hooker" for cryuing out loud*

Mom: Ohhhh. I see, yeah I remember that.

(At this point I have let the hooker word go. I figure since that's what she thinks it means, I'm going to let her think it. It can't do any harm she's not going to tell any one at school right?)

Paige: I can't wait to tell my friends that my Uncle is a hooker! *huge smile on her face, as if she knows..."

Double Shit.

I quickly turn around and look her in the face, and say "Paige, hooker doesn't mean someone who hooked your thumb. So we shouldn't tell the kids at school Uncle Cory is one." I'm totally grasping at straws at this point, I am not prepared to explain this. She may have just as well asked me where babies come from.

Paige: Oh? Well what does it mean then?"

Mom: It's just a grown up word that kids shouldn't use and if you do use it you will get in trouble, especially at school so forget you heard it today ok?

This seemed to tide her over. Normally it being a "grown up" thing is enough to scare her off it. However I will not be surprised if I get an e-mail or phone call today about the fact the whole 1st grade class was chanting Hooker because of something Paige said......

Someone revoke my mom card please....

My 3 Obsessions

Alright, I caved and I got one of those Tumblr accounts all the kids have these days. Never heard of them? Oh don't worry, I wouldn't have the slightest clue if I hadn't seen links on Twitter all day every day. Don't know what Twitter is? Better you just go home.

This new account is good for you, and you can find out why by looking just slightly up, no not that far....not over the computer....see the tabs I now have....okay click on My 3 Obsessions. WAIT! Not yet. Finish reading this first.....okay go ahead.

I Have Been Inspired...

Okay, not so much, more like I was reminded that I haven't posted about something that I was intending to post about. The wondrous "rkmama" who writes the blog My Super Kaduper Life (PS check it out she is my idol - if you like my dribble, she will make you laugh twice as hard! And she uses grammar and punctuation properly!) has begged and pleaded, NAY! She has DEMANDED I write about the Hunger Games.

Yea, so that didn't happen either but whatever. I'm blogging about something which means no one can complain I stopped...ANYWAY - The Hunger Games book series it is...

You would think that between Supernatural, Twilight, Harry Potter, My children, my husband (not necessarily in that order..... no seriously...come on..... I like Twilight WAY more then Supernatural....oh...shit....) I wouldn't have any more room in my little brain for another obsession....well, you my friend are wrong.

The Hunger Games book series by Suzanne Collins has wedged it way in there near the top right between Twilight and Supernatural. The coolest thing is I get to be apart of all of the "book love"! And no that's not some weird form of sex with books....book-a-phelia....okay now that's just wrong and I'm off track...."book love" is all that fun you have discussing and wondering about what will happen when said books become movies. When you are apart of the group of people who loved it before some hottie was in the lead roll and it was making millions at the box office. The Hunger Games is set to be made into a movie in 2013.

*CHOIR OF ANGELS*

Oddly, I was just dragging about the house in my I Heart Vampires t-shirt toting my copy of Deathly Hallows not 2 months ago horribly distraught over the fact that both Twilight and Harry Potter would be ending in 2013 and what , OH SWEET GOD WHAT would I do then!? Then POOF like a gift from the Obsession Fairy this blessed little trilogy has landed in my lap.

*Content sigh*

Sure I could just devote my life to my children and husband, and learning how to cook something with out burning it but really what kind of example would I be setting if I wasn't following through with my hard core obsession. My children would see me as a failure. Sure they would be better fed, but really. I have priorities.

She Shoots, She Scores....She gets a New Toy??

Sometime around high school I began to dislike organized sports. I didn't want to participate in them, I didn't like the cliques they made in my particular school and I thought that the parents were...well let's hold off on that group of colorful words for right now.

It stands to reason, since I dislike organized sports that I wasn't exactly rushing to the athletic department to sign Paige up the second she was old enough to kick a soccer ball. (I didn't need to, her dad did) Now, all my personal issues with organized sports aside, I do like that she's learning to work as a team and know the sense of accomplishment that you can really only learn from sports. Plus, I've made sure to encourage her both when she's doing really well and when she's not doing so great. Let's face it the kid is so sensitive if an ant got trampled during the game she'd burst into tears for a week, last thing I need is for her to think she's failed me because she couldn't get the ball away from the monster sized girl on the opposing team (seriously, I think some of these kids have fudged birth certificates because I'm fairly sure I saw that one at the bar last week....)

I have categorized the parents I have encountered at these games into 3 neat little sections....there is first the group that I am in:

The "Encouraging Parent" - These parents are never upset their children lose or miss a shot. We praise them after every game and time in on the field. Always point out the positive of the bad situation and encourage them by reminding him or her that the harder they try the better they will do, practice makes perfect and all that other happy, cliche type stuff...(I also like to call this "The Worlds Most Perfect Parent" but that makes me seem obnoxious....)

Then there's the

"Meh Parent" this one shows up but is more then likely on a business call the whole time or working on a lap top or iPhone. The only people cheering on their child are the other parents around them. Taking their kid to the game is the equivilant of walking the dog....just another chore that gets in the way of work.

As much as I hate those types, there are not many that I see - instead we are over run with the absolute most lithesome parent of them all.

The "My Kids an Olympic Star At The Age Of Six" parent. This mom or dad (or worse, for the love of GOD - both) yell and cheer louder then any other parent, which wouldn't be a bad thing if it wasn't phrases like "knock her down", "rip her head off" and other things that make the thought of a lion ripping the head off a gazelle pop into mind. This parent will do ANYTHING to get their kid on the field more and to make their kid try even harder....case in point...last game I was at parents were BRIBING their children to score goals, and were actually proud of themselves for coming up with this brilliant idea. The goal itself was not enough of a reward, the pride and joy you feel when you achieve that - no, no this child also requires new zu zu pet or baribe for each goal....

If your ever curious where those obnoxious, cocky, think they piss glitter and the world revolves around them people come from....look no further then these parents.

These are the people I don't want my daughter to hang out with, let alone become. So I take mental note...remember which mom has a crazy competitive streak and keep Paige from going over to their houses. I don't need an unfortunate Hi Ho Cherry Oh! incident to ruin Paige's ability have fun for the rest of her life. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against self confidence and a healthy dose of competitiveness - but these are the parents that get into fights into stands and stab other parents with hockey skates (do you remember that story from like 10 years ago!?) and I don't believe there is a place for this in CHILDREN'S or HIGH SCHOOL sports.

I'm proud to say that I am proud of my child no matter what the outcome of the game is. Nd I really wish more parents were like that.

There Are No Words....

I had a different, equally sarcastic and disturbing blog to post today, until my sister called and asked if I had heard the newest fashion craze for adults this Halloween. I like to think I'm hip, I'm with it, I'm down with the kids....but this I had not heard of. Infact I'm having trouble getting the horriblness out of my mind as you read.....

I figured, before she even told me what it was, that it was going to be really dumb, I would laugh then forget about it. Intsead what she told me was a Bloggers dream come true. Something SO stupid, ignoring it would be going against the code of sarcastic writers everywhere!

Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Halloween craze of 2010 for adults everywhere.....

Sexy Sesame Street!

Do the people who make this crap realize they are sexualizing the last tiny bit of innocence our children have left in this world?

Are they assuming Sesame Street falls on A CORNER!

And when they finished that first Big Bird costume did they all go - "Nothing screams OMG you're so hot like a huge stuffed bird head"?

The ONLY thing I can imagine this being good for is if there is Muppet Fetish group out there - they are seriously in heaven!

I give this a GIGANTIC thumbs down! My brain hurts from trying to understand what this market group was thinking.....where the advil.....

A Few Short Clips:

I tend to take a lot of useless video now that I have an iPhone that allows it, so here's a few cute, and short videos of Ellie and how she dances....unfortuantly we can't get her to do it for more then a minute so like I said - the clips are short....

Remembering 30 - The Bobby Long Files

For my first installment of Remembering 30 I give you - The Bobby Long Files

My sister in law called me last October to tell me that Bobby Long was coming back to town the following November and that he would be staying with my in-laws for one or two of the nights he was in town.

Now, I'm used to knowing where he's staying because some good friends of mine used to house him and Phil while he was here, but hearing that he was staying with my in laws left me a little shocked. I had only briefly met Bobby and a small gathering after his show the previous September in MN, same as my sister in law so it was odd to have this information in my head to process....how it happened to this day I'm still not entirely sure.


So, November rolls around Bobby and Phil are in town, and we head to my in-laws with baby Ellie to have breakfast with everyone and so I can make some sausage rolls for the boys. Phil was especially excited about these! I however was terrified because I had never made them before and the night before this, at Sam Bradly's show I told Phil and Bobby I would make them....now I'm not the worst cook, but you would never find me on the Food Network either...so needless to say I was praying all the while they would be edible! Last thing I needed to do was make Bobby ill from my cooking before his show and be the reason it was canceled. *cue angry mob, light torches....*

Just before I got started on the cooking, my favorite moment of the whole weekend happned. I was sitting talking to Bobby, holding my daughter Ellie and Bobby asked if he "could get a hold of her", then sat around talking to her for 20 minutes and even took a phone call saying only "I'm going to have to let you go, I'm holding a baby" and click - hangs up phone. The phone call was especially funny because he had to stand up to get his phone out of his pocket and he had to do this holding Ellie and looking a bit terrified he might drop her, but was pretty happy with himself when he managed it all just fine.
All the while, Ellie sat perfectly content, but then again until this time in her life all she ever heard to calm her was Bobby's music, it was all that worked. She could have been screaming bloody murder, you put on Dead and Done and she's in a trance! Something tells me she knew he was the man with the voice.

After all the baby holding, everyone headed to my sister in laws for a promised "red neck" good time (LOL!) A little 4 wheeling, gun shooting and Coors Light in the back 40 at my sister in laws land. I hung back at the in laws to finish up the sausage rolls, but when I arrived Bobby was pulling up to the house on the 4 wheeler dressed like Elmar Fudd. No, seriously....he was in a red flannel jacket and hat with those ear flap things on it...now that would have been fine if he didn't match it with those fancy brown leather shoes he's always wearing and a pair of skinny jeans. I jumped on the back of the 4 wheeler for a ride down to where all the fun was going on and made sure to tell him who I thought he looked like...obviously he didn't take offense as he referenced it at his show that night! LOL

So this was the first awesome thing I got to do after I turned 30, hang out with Bobby and Phil for a couple days. Now if we could just get him to come back to Minnesota so we can enjoy his music live again then everything would be great!

Oh and a little adivce for you - if Phil Taylor every tell yous he's a crap shot with a gun and challenges you....NEVER take it! That boy could shoot a fly off the back of a bird from 200 yards away!

REMEMBER - check back, I'll be doing awesome stories like this up until my birthday in October...in my Remembering 30 series...

Remembering 30 - Intro

About this time last year I was dreading turning 30. Literally crabby, pissy and trying to hide from it in every way possible. The only thing that was making it better was the fact I was throwing the coolest Twilight party ever for it, and even then I refused to call it my 30th...it was just simply "my birthday"

Now that my 30th year is rounding out, I realize I have done more in this year then the past 5 years (possibly 10) all together. So either I have had a really boring life the past 5 (or ten) years or I got to actually do some extraordinary things...(I'm going with the latter one, mostly because it makes me feel like less like a loser)

So in honor of my 30th year, and in an effort to stop thinking about turning another year older in just over a month... I am going to post a series of blogs that covers my favorite things I've gotten to do over the past 365 days - as sort of a count down to my October birthday....so starting tomorrow we will cover everything from Twilighgt, Dawn-Vasions, 4-Wheeling with Bobby Long and a trip to California....and a whole bunch of other things....

Shit - 5 months! Sorry!

Woah, five months since my last post. I really suck at this blogging thing. Don't be shy, go aheadand let me know. I'm really hoping that with school starting and Ellie, walking, running and screaming all the time I will have many more things to talk about that won't put you to sleep at the mere thought of my blog.

Here's an update on us: Paige is 6. Yes, still. I swear it takes a whole year for a birthday to come around. Lame. She has started the first grade and was very excited to know that her teacher was Mr. T. No, not the man with the fro-hawk from the A-Team, sadly. Just another guy with the same name. She really liked him until day 3 of school when he made all his students write in their journals that they hope the Vikings win the upcoming game. Funny to me, Paige's dad - no likey. (I'm still laughing)

I am fully convinced that if I can bottle the energy Ellie has I could be rich. She never stops moving. Unless of course I put on Barney. I know....Barney. I don't like it anymore then you do but when I need nothing more then to get the laundry changed and pee (not at the same time) I will gladly poison my childs mind with that giant gay purple dinosaur!

Ellie has 4, count them 4 teeth. She is 16 months old, and I love her to death but those top two teeth - well let's just say the rest better come in a push them together because you can fly a small airplane through them at the moment. Cute for a baby, and maybe Madonna...not many others can pull it off though...


Alex is the same, working and working...bringing home the bay-con! As for me, well I'm coming up on the end of my 30th year and surely have crammed a lot into the 365 days that filled it. But all those things will have to be other blogs....

(photos taken by and property of http://suzannejean.blogspot.com/)

I suppose it's time to post....

Okay it's been long enough - I have neglected this blog for months I'm sure. But as I have said in the past, I have 2 kids so I'm allowed to fall off the face of the blogging planet as needed. Also - most of you are my friends and family who see me on Facebook daily and really how much of me can you really take. That's what I thought....

Where to begin.....

Paige turned six on the 1st of April. I'm not sure where the time went, but man it went fast! She's dressing herself in her signature dresses with jeans look. She enjoys wearing two different socks to school at all times and is a very good "mommy" to her American Girl doll brood she has acquired since Christmas.

Paige's birthday party was at a local roller rink that I used to go to as a kid. It's kind of a joke of a place once you hit 5th grade or so, and she will not be going there after that age for damn sure. In the great words of my friend Mare - "Pretty sure I know about 7 girls who got pregnant there" LOL luckily her party was during family time there and it was only young kids and birthday parties there. Phew! Paige's dad, being from Wisconsin doesn't know these wonderful things about said roller rink so.....I'll break the news to him soon enough. She's still at the age where we go with her on her schools party night they have once a month - so she's safe while in elementary school! But Junior High....yeah, no more roller skating for her! Hahahaha!

Well that was all off topic huh? LOL....

Ellie is 10 months old next week, and moving around like no other. Blowing past miles stones faster then I can get them into her baby book. And all ahead of time no less. I was really praying for a late walker, I know this sounds weird but Paige walked at 9 months, and not Ellie is doing the same she took her first two unassisted steps last week....
Ellie's making noises and trying to talk. Some sounds we can't figure out how she's making them, she's like that guy from Police Academy!!! Still no teeth for her, I have a feeling I'll go in one morning to get her and she will just suddenly have a full set.

As for Alex and I, things are pretty much same old. I'm still obsessed with Twilight and planning a few trips coming up related to them. Some concerts are coming up as well for Bobby Long I'll be driving to since as of now there's nothing scheduled here in MN for him. I've also been devouring book afer book lately and going to see more movies with the my gal pals.

Alex is trying to make the best Juicy Lucy he can (burger with the cheese inside) and made a 1lb version the other night with his buddy Dan. Those two should not be left alone for too long, they just come up with stranger and stranger things to cook!

That's all folks. Though I'm sure Nora is the only one who really reads this any more and if she is reading this - GET A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT! :0) Love you!

PB&J's for The Wedding reception!

It would be impossible to find two more selfless and wonderful people on this planet. Look. I dare you to prove me wrong!

Will Nicholson, one of my husbands best friends and his fiance Leah Bogen who recently got engaged, have begun planning their June wedding. Where most couples would be penny pinching to make it the best day possible and not willing to sacrifice anything for their big day, Will and Leah have decided to donate 25% of their budget, which was for their reception - to the crisis in Haiti. Even stating they will be serving PB&J instead of the traditional meal choice to make this donation work for them.

The Pioneer Press had this to say about Leah & Will and their conversation about making this choice:

"She totally blew me away," said Nicholson, a University of Minnesota Duluth graduate. "I'm still in awe. I was very impressed. How do you say anything but yes to that? It's such a selfless and thoughtful thing. It's hard to get excited about planning a wedding when other people are having such a terrible time.

She [Leah] made a decision right then and there to donate the money they planned to spend on the reception dinner — 25 percent of their wedding budget — to people in Haiti. Her fiance didn't need any convincing."

To read the full store please CLICK HERE

I am so proud to call these people my friends, and will gladly help them make PB&J's for their wedding reception! As a mom, I have mad skills in that department!

To make your donation to Partners in Health, the orginization chosen by Will & Leah, CLICK HERE even if you can only spare a dollar, every little bit helps!

Photo by Kari Layland www.kariphotography.com

Scrappin' Away!

Initially, when I thought about scrap booking for Ellison I was turned off at the idea of doing it digitally. There was just something about it that wasn't "right" to me. I put hundreds, even thousands into Paige's scrap book. It's so big it barely closes, each little element chosen for each page sepreatly....it was a labor of love.

As Ellie's 7th month approached I realized soon I was going to be totally out of time to catch up on her pages, and money being tight as it is dove into my files and folders filled with digi-scrap items and started on her scrap book, still with a bad taste in my mouth about the manner in which it was coming to be.

After the first page however, I was pumped! It looked AWESOME! I started whipping out pages left and right. This is so much faster, and it's still just as personal. Each Paige is color coordinated to "flow" through out the book and has a simple layout that focuses on the photos and not the scrap elements. Here's the first 3 pages! Let me know what you think!

I'll post some more of them over the next few days :0) They are really looking good, in my opinion anyway. And soon my first printed 12x12 page will arrive so I can check color and quality. I'm trying 2 different places for printing www.mpix.com and Creative Memories, as my aunt has an account with them.

Updates.

Things have been crazy busy around here, I let the blog slip entirely. We are all alive and well so no worries on that end! Here's what's new from us.

Ellie is now 7 months old, almost crawling and just your general very happy little girl. She's eating baby food, but not liking some of it, and prefers her Farley's Rusk that Nanny got her from England. Here's a few shots of Ellison over the past few weeks:

Paige has also been doing well, loving school and Girl Scouts and Gymnastics. She's looking forward to turning 6 in April and asked for a Wizard of Oz birthday party.

Over the next few days I'll post the scrapbooking pages I have made for Ellie so far and get up some more photos! :0)