Who's who?

Same age, same outfit, same toy...different expression.
Can you tell who's who?

Memorial Day

Today was a good day. Patrick was coming home from his camping trip with "Ma and Pa". Luke and I finished up a lot of the home improvement projects that we had started recently, and also began a few new ones. When dinner time rolled around, we had our neighbors over for hot dogs and burgers and then went back to their house to swim. Here's Patrick with their daughter Riley. They also have a newborn baby boy named Turner, who is six weeks old today.

After we put the boys to bed, I went outside to water the plants since it has not rained in a loooong time (nothing but beautiful, HOT weather lately). Everything was quiet and warm, and I had that clean feeling that you get when you're fresh out of the pool. Then the fireflies came out and I just thought "Life is good." Thanks to all those men and women who have made sacrifices, both big and small, so I can go to bed feeling peaceful tonight.
Happy Memorial Day.

Cannes Film Festival "Undressed"

Finally, some sustenance for our fashion-loving and celeb-unloving selves!

The Moth, Part II

A few nights after my discovery of the world's cutest moth, I went outside to find this gigantic beast perched on my patio. I believe this is called a luna moth. It is not nearly as well-behaved as the Rosy Maple moth. After I took the picture, it flew at my head like a maniacal kamikaze pilot, causing me to shriek and flail about spastically. I am definitely not a fan of the luna moth. Unfortunately, it was still there the next morning, although it appeared my dogs had chewed on it some overnight. To keep Patrick from playing with it, I had to scoop it up in my dust pan and fling it over the fence. *shudder*

Friday's Feast Anyone?

Appetizer: How old were you when you got your first credit card?
28--I just got it about seven months ago.
*Luke just pointed out to me that this is wrong. I was thinking Visa, Mastercard, etc, but I actually got a Gap card about five years ago and cancelled it about two years ago. I've had other ones, too--NY & Co., Home Depot--but they've all been cancelled, so I forgot about them.

Soup: When was the last time you felt out of place?
I don't know. I'm sure it was a looooong time ago since all I've done for three years now is sit in my house with my kids, and how can I feel out of place in my own house? Okay, how about this...Luke and I went to the Steeplechase with some rich folks a couple years ago, and while we were sitting in the car, we peeked in someone's check book and he had over $800,000 in his checking account!!!!! Yeah, at that point we felt out of place.

Salad: Did you have a curfew when you were a teenager? If so, what time did you have to be home?
Yes. I think it was 11:00 if I was driving and 11:30 if someone else was driving. My parents were strict, but I gotta give them a break since we are talking about driving all over the metro Atlanta area.

Main Course: Name a person from history with whom you feel you have something in common.
Annie Sullivan was Helen Keller's teacher...she too had to deal with an impossible child all day long!

Dessert: When you read a newspaper, which section do you go for first?
The comics! Then I put it down and walk away...

Together at Last

You have no idea how happy this makes me!

Belated Birthday Wishes

Whoops, I got called out for not doing my Tuesday Trivia yesterday...can't do it on Wednesday, but happy birthday to Lisa, my anonymous commenter! Didn't mean to ignore your bithday, I was just a lazy blogger yesterday. But here, I made you a cake. Does that make up for it? I know you like chocolate as much as I do...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA!

I don't know if this counts as a "bloggable moment", but tonight when I was out in the shed with Luke unloading all the stuff we got at Lowe's, this amazing moth landed on our new screen door! It is pink and yellow, folks! Have you ever seen anything like it? If I was ever going to love a moth, this would be the one! (Incidentally, I hate moths...they fly around your head like crazed, out-of-control spawn of Satan and basically give me the heebie-jeebies...however, this one was quite well-behaved.)

So I did a little research, and it turns out this is called the Rosy Maple Moth. Not a great name, unless you are thinking about what it likes to eat (Maple trees). My vote is for Rainbow Sherbet Moth or Cotton Candy Moth. Any other ideas?

P.S. Don't ask me why I could not put a title on this post...you know Blogger likes to have its fun with me every so often!!!

Weekend fun

The big event at our house this weekend was that the county started paving the road that goes past our neighborhood. This was HUGE for Patrick since the dump trucks parked at the entrance to our neighborhood when they weren't needed, and since pavers and rollers slowly drove past all day long. Patrick sat by the fence and watched all day. He even ate his lunch there. Thanks for the free babysitting, county construction crew!

Also, in an extremely cruel trick disguised as a Mother's Day "gift", DirecTV has given us the Baby First Channel free for the entire month of May. This is basically like a Baby Einstein video that plays 24 hours a day. Now, I'm not saying that Ben watched it constantly, or even a lot, but he certainly did enjoy it...a lot.

I know I'm biased but...

...this face is to die for!

Feast on it and forget it...

Appetizer: What is the last thing you had to have repaired?
The furnace...and for some reason, I never got the bill (!!!!!)

Soup: If someone gave you $2,000 with the stipulation that you had to spend half of it on yourself and give the rest to charity, where would you spend the $1,000 and which charity would receive your remaining $1,000?
I'd spend the first half at Old Navy (duh!) and give the rest to my poor school's floundering mortgage debt. Unfortunately, it wouldn't even make a dent.
*After reading Katie's comment, I change my answer to a trip to Greece. But I'd spend a little bit of my share on clothes for the trip!

Salad: What is one of your favorite songs from the 1980s?
It's a tie--C'mon Eileen and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Main Course: You enter a pet store. Which section do you go to first?
I don't go to pet stores. I think they're cruel.

Dessert: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how athletic are you?
Five. What a bland dessert. I want some chocolate! (hence today's color selection)

WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Yesterday was Patrick's last day of preschool. I'm not too sad...yet. No, seriously, I'm trying to think positively about the long stretch of empty summer days ahead of us!!! Here's Patrick with his teacher Mrs. Marjorie. As I've said before, we LOVE Mrs. Marjorie. It takes someone really special to work with six 2 and 3-year-olds and not lose your cool, but she's totally got what it takes.

Mrs. Marjorie wouldn't smile with her mouth open in this picture because her teeth were green from the snow-cone she had just eaten. I was mean and made Patrick get a coconut-flavored one because it was clear, but he didn't care...he loved it! It was really good...tasted like a Pina Colada, without the booze, of course.

This is Miss Jennifer, the student aide in Patrick's class. She is so sweet to those kids...Patrick really loves her, too.

Thanks for a great year Mrs. Marjorie and Miss Jennifer.
We will miss you this summer!

Mr. Pitt

Patrick likes to put on these rimless sunglasses and rock his best Brad Pitt look.

But I thought if he really wanted to look like Brad, he needed to be carrying a baby.

Tuesday Trivia--What's in a Name?

Today's trivia is on one of my favorite things in the world--FLIP FLOPS!

The flip-flop is known by many different names:

• In New Zealand, they are known generically as jandals (Japanese Sandals), a name used by one manufacturer. However intellectual property law prevented the term Jandals being used when sold in other countries.
• In the USA, they are generally known as flip-flops, thongs, zories or go-aheads (especially rubber thongs).
• In Croatia, they are known as sandale (sandals), but usually as japanke (japanese woman).
• In Australia, they are known as thongs or pluggers.
• In South Africa, they are known as slops.
• In Hawaii, flip-flops are known as slippers.
• In India, they are referred to as chappals.
• In Japan, they are referred to as beach sandals, or gomu zories (rubber zories).
• In Mexico, they are referred to as chanclas.
• In Peru, they are referred to as sayonaras or slaps.
• In the Phillipines, they are called tsinelas.
• In Argentina, they are called sandalias, ojotas or, less formally, chancletas.
• In Russia, they are called Vyetanmki ("Vietnamese")
• In Paraguay, they are called Zapatillas
• In Malaysia, they are called Selipar (slippers)
• In Czech they are known as vietnamky ("vietnamese shoes" or "vietnamese women").

For more information on this great invention, click here.

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Love

Her love is like an island
In life's ocean, vast and wide
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind, the rain, the tide.
'Tis bound on the north by Hope,
By Patience on the west,
By tender Counsel on the south,
And on the east by Rest.
Above it, like a beacon light
Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;
And thro' the changing scenes of life
I find a haven there.

--Author Unknown

BFF (Becky's Friday's Feast)

Appetizer
What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Death by Chocolate--available at Kroger's

Soup
What are 3 things you would like to put in a time capsule?
I don't know...when is it going to be opened? Howsabout bootcut jeans, a digital camera, and my wedding album.

Salad
Name something you are 100% sure of.
Katie Holmes has lost her mind and Tom Cruise is wrong, wrong, WRONG.

Main Course
What is something you do to calm yourself when you're stressed or upset?
Chores. It gives me something to focus on.

Dessert
If you could receive an invitation to any important event, what would you like it to be?
A royal wedding might be fun!

Cuteness

More problems...

Can't post pictures again today.

Blogger, why do you torture me like this!?!?

Tuesday Trivia

Today's trivia is on...Katie's birthday!!!!

Happy birthday Katie...here is your cake:

Now for the trivia: Katie was born in the 1977, in the year of the snake. She was born on a Monday, which makes her fair of face. She shares a birthday with Candice Bergen, Albert Finney, John Corbett, Billy Joel and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. As I write this, she is approximately 915,176,215 seconds old and counting. Now 29 doesn't seem like such a bad number!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Inspector Gadget

I think Ben is going to be one of those kids who love gadgets. I have already told you about his favorite toy. This morning I saw him giggling at the phone on the kitchen wall. And forget about typing with him on my lap!! He's all over the keyboard! This is great, though--from now on I won't have to worry about pesky problems such as my hard drive crashing--Ben will just fix it for me!

Banquete de Viernes (Happy Cinco de Mayo!)

Appetizer: From which country(s) are some (or all) of your ancestors?
I'm mostly Portugese, but I've also got a little bit of Anglo and French Canadian in me. I am very proud of the Portugese part, because it's somewhat uncommon.

Soup: How would you describe your sneeze?
Normal, as oppose to Luke's (which is eardrum-shattering, especially in an enclosed space, like a car).

Salad: What is the last thing you cleaned?
Myself. I just got out of the shower.

Main Course: Who made the strongest first impression on you?
That is a tough one...I am going to take the shallow route and say that I was pretty much blown away by my husband's looks the first time I laid eyes on him.

Dessert: Name one thing you want to accomplish in your lifetime.
Visit the Greek Isles!!!! This may not be considered an accomplishment, but I really want to do it!

Oh, THIS is blogworthy!!!

Okay, Katie and I were having a small discussion about the Purple Pie Man from Strawberry Shortcake. Yadda, yadda, yadda...I find this web page. I think this is FABULOUS! I swear to you, just looking at this stuff made me remember how crazed with Strawberry Shortcake I was!!! God bless my mom, she even decorated my room with it. I literally could smell those little dolls heads looking at these pictures.

Now my question to you. Does anyone (and when I say anyone, I mean girls in their late twenties) care for the "new" Strawberry Shortcake and friends? They all look like a cross between those Japanese cartoons and Debra Messing! No thank you, I say...keep it vintage!!!!

Undressed!

Whoohoooo! It's time for our weekly dose of bad celeb fashion!

I Heart Gardening

I was not going to blog today. I had a lot of free time (!!!!) and it is a beautiful day, so I hit the potting soil. I've been doing this a lot lately. Luke and I have been working on our yard almost every day since the weather got nice, and the results are so well worth it. It was only today, though, that I realized how much I have enjoyed doing it. You know how people say "There's just something about digging in the dirt?" Well, I guess for me, there is. It's just so therapeutic for my weary old battered soul!!!!!

I never enjoyed it before, but I think that was because I was set up for failure at my old house. Planting in disgusting red clay, no shade whatsoever (a new neighborhood--trees were not allowed, you know?), minimal landscaping--this was my starting point. I could never make anything look pretty, or even grow for that matter. But now, since we moved out to the country (well, sort of), I have a beautiful yard...lots of tall shady trees...dark, rich soil...and maybe best of all, a relaxing front porch to sit on and admire my hard work.

I know I am really waxing poetic here, but it's so nice to have a hobby again. For the past three years, my hobby has been my kids--not always by choice--and it feels good to do something for me again. Right now, my favorite kind of gardening is container gardening, because it is so simple and gives instant results. I really like hanging baskets and windowboxes...they are so romantic. Plus, no weeds! I did my windowboxes out back today, but they are not quite finished, and I am working on a rock garden in our side yard. Here's a picture I took this morning of the planters and baskets on my serene front porch...

Tuesday Trivia

I am starting my own thang here...

TRIVIA: The average person eats four to eight spiders in his lifetime. We have all heard this...what do you think? Click on the link for some very intelligent observations on the matter. I also think that people sleeping on dirt floors in third world countries must boost the average. However, I took out my Better Pasta Pot last night to make spaghetti, and just as I was about to fill it with water, I noticed a very small spider, with almost invisible legs and a body the same color as the non-stick coating crawling around inside. Hmmmmmm....I could have very easily eaten this spider. It would've been boiled to death, but who cares? Yuck!

Maybe there's some truth to the matter...

Strike a Pose!

I had another reason for snapping this photo, but after seeing how Patrick vogued it up for the camera, I believe the picture is all I need. I thinks this shot is hilarious, he looks like he's trying to be a Calvin Klein underwear model!!

Happy May! I can't believe how time flies...my little baby is closing in on six months...woohoo!