Christmas

Some Christmas pictures

Our tree broke and fell over, so we just left it leaning against the wall.

A and R:
Quotation of the day: "I promise not to shoot you in the head and throw you in a hole."  --Jerry H., to me

photo shoot

Here are pictures from Aubrey's first official modeling photo shoot.

I saw Yes Man recently.  I really enjoyed it.  It was nicely brainless and funny.  And I love Zooey Deschanel, who really held the whole thing together.  Isn't she beautiful?

anxiously engaged

I put some brown stripes in my hair, see?

Quotation of the day: "I was so anxious to do what is right, that I forgot to do what is right." --Edmund in Mansfield Park movie, 1999.

the whole fam damily

Thanks to Carolyn for long ago giving me the title to this post.  And this post is dedicated to George, who will like it the most.

no barnacles

Here is a pic of Jennifer and me in front of the infamous Roses's in Chestertown, Maryland where I used to live. I went there to see said Jennifer, who is lovely in every way.

Jerry and me, at the ward Christmas party

• Quotation of the day: "I don't want to eat barnacles." --Rebekah H.


• Headline of the day: "Cooling trend illustrates how fast the world is warming" --Drudge Report


• I love House. This show has us sitting on the edge of our seats just waiting for a half smile, a single kind word from a villain of a main character. And I am digging House and Cuddy's impossible, inept attempt at a relationship. Hugh Laurie’s acting never gets old or predictable.

within my grasp

Aubrey and I were skipping school and work, respectively, to go to Aubrey's doctor appointment. Afterward we felt like getting manicures, so we did. I suppose I am a bad mother, contributing to truancy, but it was so much fun! Funner because we were being bad. It's my philosophy that you learn the rules well, in order to know when it is appropriate to break them. This was only my third manicure ever in my life, and I made it a French one. Now my lifelong dream of becoming a hand model is finally within my grasp, so to speak.

not enough snoop

• Quotation of the day: "Snoop Dogg is all dogg and not enough snoop." --Rebekah H.
  
• Second quotation of the day: "...explaining what you believe isn't all that easy.  If you say that you believe something to be true, you might mean one of two things--that you're still weighing the alternatives, or that you accept it as a fact.  I don't logically see how one single word can have contradictory definitions, but emotionally, I completely understand.  Because there are times I think what I am doing is right, and there are other times I second-guess myself every step of the way."  --Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper.  Interesting book.  Heavy, sad, very easy to read.  Well written.

bums make their own gravy

Quotation of the day: "Bums make their own gravy." --Adrian Monk on USA's Monk. Love this show. Stay tuned for a theater movie that will top off of the 8-season series.

he's maybe kinda oldish

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Sorry I pulled all your hair out.

consumer reports

This Perrier is good.
This lotion is good. It is thick and makes for suppleness and is found behind the pharmacy counter and is not expensive.

This is a package of electrical tape. It says it is "STICK SYSTEM ROLLER COVER". What?

the runs and such

Rebekah hiding in the Christmas tree box:

I had stomach flu, but I ran the 5K anyway. It was hard. I swear it was uphill the whole way. I'm proud of myself. Here is before, with Rebekah:

Here is Aubrey before the race, just because she looked cute all sleepy and such:

Starting the race, halfway back among hundreds of people:

At the finish line, taken with Rebekah's cell phone because the camera battery had just died:

After the 5K my day was sleeping, punctuated by "runs" to the bathroom. So I didn't make Thanksgiving dinner. Jerry had to go out and get takeout at the only restaurant he could find open. We basically failed at Thanksgiving. But this morning (the day after Thanksgiving) I got up feeling better and made a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. We ate it at 7:45 AM. Here we are:

big bird

• Quotation of the day: "Canned peas are so fluffy and moist. These are just wrinkly." --Rebekah H., while eating peas that were originally frozen but had been warmed up.
• So I saw Twilight with a big group of women and girls. I was not a fan of the books; Bella bugged me. But I liked the movie. It was so fun to scream for Edward with the rest of the estrogen-driven, high-pitched mob in the theater on opening night. There were whole chunks of the movie I couldn't hear because of screaming, which was just fine, because the cacophony was just as entertaining as the movie. My mom was visiting at the time too. Here is a picture of my mom and me in the theater, then a picture of superfriend Tate-opotomus, Rebekah, and me.



• This picture, courtesy of April, appeals to the vegetarian in me. Note the cookies on Cookie Monster's plate. He's got the right idea.

elusive hot flash

• Quotation of the day: "You just can't start up a good hot flash when you need one." --Kimberly's mother while experiencing Virginia cold weather.
  
• Here is some footage of Rebekah on the day she first got most of her cheerleader uniform.
  

Bones spoiler

Okay I found this clip, from last night's Bones episode, to be cute. Especially how she blinks behind those glasses and is so brilliant but totally clueless. Love this show. It has its own slightly altered state of reality.

i feel like dancin'

Here are my new shoes. I find myself always looking down today.

A bore

• Rebekah, a freshman, made the varsity cheerleading team/squad/group. We are astounded.
• I don't like Fringe anymore. What a bore.
• I'm bored and boring myself. Boredom is boring into my soul.
• I am reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.  It's not boring I guess.
• I got new black '20s flapper type mary jane pumps.  They are not boring I guess, and I rock them when I wear them.  Everyone better look out tomorrow at work.  I will stare down at them severely.
• Poor House.  
• Booth's brother sucks.  So did Booth's father.
• I am watching One Tree Hill season one straight through.  Nicely brainless soap opera with a few compelling characters.  Occasionally boring.
• In England, instead of saying season one of a TV show, they say series one of a TV show.

Rebekah

Aubrey and Rebekah:

Some flowers I got, that I love:

Rebekah's 14th birthday was Saturday.

This is Rebekah's new chinchilla she got for her birthday. His name is spelled Cwi[bubble]. It is pronounced like "quip", but the p sound is more like a bubble popping.

The tree in front of our house.