Favorite Media

My sister, Becky had a great blog post where she wrote down her top 7 or 8 favorites on various categories of media. It was so fun to read hers, and sounded like fun to write my own. So, here they are (in no particular order - mostly)!
Books:
1. Anna Karenina - it taught me so much about marriage, loyalty, family, and happiness. It was truly inspired!
2. Les Miserables - Again, an inspired book of repentance, forgiveness, and love. I love the characters!
3. These is my Words - because I have NEVER cried harder in a book!
4. 1000 Splendid Suns - because it was a huge reminder of how big this world is and how blessed I am.
5. The Alchemist (or Siddhartha) - these two books have similar themes and really made me think about what I have to offer this world and what I am working towards
6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - taught me that sometimes you just have to take a chance, as well as some great little pieces of advice I've carried with me.
7. Wheel of Time series - My first book of fantasy that I fell in love with (until book 7) - it was my escape as I worked through graduate school.
8. The Baby Sitters Club - I know, LAME, but how could I leave this out when I read the first 27 books all in order in the 3rd and 4th grade?

Music:
1. Curtis Stigers - My favorite singer in the 2nd grade, and yes, I still have every word and breath he takes memorized from that soundtrack!
2. Les Miserables (broadway) - My family spent many an hour singing these songs, and yes, even acting them out.
3. Sinead O'Connor - Collected all her c.d.s in High School and often fell asleep listening to her as a teenager.
4. Newsies soundtrack - I love that music!
5. Shania Twain - When "Any Man of Mine" came out, it was a huge hit for sure!
6. Neil Diamond - my Mom's favorite that I also grew to love, and because I will always be "Forever in Blue Jeans, Yea!!"
7. Classical Music for Babies - These C.d.s have been my sanity many times as I've paced floors with screaming Elsie and after stressful afternoons with rambunctious cub scouts.
8. Hymns - their words and spirit have come to my rescue a few memorable times

TV shows
1. Quantum Leap - one of the few tv shows Mike and I both grew up watching and loving
2. Fox 13 News - great time to slow down in the evenings, and because it comes on earlier
3. Star Trek, Next Generation - Because Captain Jane Way can run a great ship!
4. Judging Amy - this wasn't on very long, and I only saw a few episodes, but I really loved them
5. Oprah - When I watch it, and it's appropriate for my children as well, I can laugh and cry with her.
6. Regis and Kelly - I think Kelly is hilarious!
7. Saved By the Bell - I must admit, there was a short time that I was a faithful watcher.

Movies - this was the hardest
1. Sound of Music - how can you go wrong! It's great in every way!
2. Anne of Green Gables - I think I relate to Anne's temper, and I love the romance.
3. Pride and Prejudice (A&E version) - it's great to spend 5 hours getting lost in a great romance!
4. Avatar (3D, of course) - Love it, love it, love it!
5. Princess Bride - I've had it memorized since I was 10, I'm sure!
6. Out of Africa - Beautiful scenery and story. I've never cried harder, even a week later while I was vacuuming!
7. The Secret of Nimh - because a mother can do amazing things for her children
8. The Dark Crystal - Here's one for the puppets!!!

I'm an expert!

So, this may be a little personal, but it is so dang funny, I can't help but blog about it. A few days ago I was in the bathroom while Peter was finishing a job of wiping himself. So, as he's in the process of doing so, he says, "I think I'm just going to leave it in there for a while."
My reply, "That's kind of weird Peter. We don't do that, take it out."
"Oh....So, we only do it to our noses." He responds
I explain, "Well, only when our noses are bleeding, Peter."
Another lightbulb goes on for him and he says, "Oh... so only when our bums are bleeding!"
I'm trying to keep a straight face at this point, and I explain that we never leave toilet paper in our bottoms, ever.
One more lightbulb goes off for my cute 4-year-old as he says, "Oh... so you're an expert, huh Mom!"
Well, as a mother, I guess I'm an expert of quite a lot of things, actually. I don't think they would be resume worthy, however.

Laundry Tuesdays

Oh, if only it weren't for Tuesdays. I could skip climbing my Mt. Everest every Tuesday. Laundry is a battle that will never be won. If only it were more socially acceptable to stink a little bit or something. Sigh.

A first time for something

At the beginning of December Mike and I bit the bullet and bought ourselves our first piece of furniture that came from a real store! It was so fun to pick out and everything instead of taking whatever has been available at D.I. or Craig's list. I'm not complaining though, we've gotten some great buys for sure, but it is fun to get something NEW every once in a while. Due to a mix-up, the couch didn't arrive until last week. So, here it is!

Elsie's Birthday!

Elsie turned 2 on the 21st! We decided to celebrate it that Saturday (a couple days late) for a number of reasons, but she really enjoyed herself! She loved opening all the presents - it was a girly birthday for sure. Here is a little highlight on Elsie with some of her favorites as of late:
Book - a homemade padded nursery rhyme book
Movie - Winnie the Pooh
Color - Pink (of course)
Toy - Whatever Peter has at the time
Song - tie between "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam" and "I'm so Glad When Daddy Comes Home"
Hobby - coloring (she's game any time!)

In the morning I baked her cake, so she had batter for her first course of breakfast. Ummmm. She naturally really enjoyed it.

The results....a pink butterfly cake! She really liked the looks of it, but when it all boiled down, her serving remained untouched and she went for seconds on the ice cream instead.


Present time! She loved this part! I was so proud of Peter, he was so excited for her and didn't get jealous one bit.

However, he is asking for a RED tutu for his birthday in July. Hmmm. We'll see.


Elsie caught on really fast as to what a girl's supposed to do with a tutu.


My mom had a beautiful cupcake quilt made and Elsie loves it (almost as much as me)! It is the cutest blanket I have ever seen and the perfect fit for our spunky Elsie!

Exhaustion

My little Elsie runs hard whatever she is doing. But when she crashes, it could be anywhere. Hmmm, I guess I kind of relate to that.

My little problem solver

I try very hard to be aware of Elsie's hunger pains. When she gets hungry, she either yells in my face, "FOOD!" followed by a tantrum, or she takes matters into her own hands, as the pictures below show.

my first thought, what is she doing?

Oh yes, the 4 hour old cold cereal that has been sitting in the sink!

Notice how she is turned away from me while she puts the spoon in her mouth. I think she must have known she was being disgusting.

Oh well, isn't she cute?