Book Tag

I got tagged by my old college roomie Melissa and since I'm not one to pass these things up, here goes. Here's how this tag specifically works:
Find the book closest to you with at least 123 pages.
Turn to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.
Also make a plug about a book you are reading.

The closest books to me are on a book shelf all together. Hmmm, I just grabbed one of my favorites: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Here are the three sentences from page 123:
"I used to ask how on earth Faith can be a virtue- what is there mortal or immoral about believing or not believing a set of statements. Obviously, I used to say, a sane man accepts or rejects any statement, not because he wants or does not want to, but because the evidence seems to him good or bad. If he were mistaken about the goodness or badness of the evidence that would not mean he was a bad man, but only that he was not very clever."

Here's a plug about the book I am currently reading- The Art of the Handwritten Note: A guide to reclaiming civilized communication. A great book I've been wanting to post about anyway:I love sending and receiving fun mail-especially a handwritten note. It's like getting a little present in the mail. This book is helping me polish my note writing skills and also making me regret the times I should have sent a handwritten note and didn't.

If you feel so inclined, I tag: Shelley, Vanessa, Jessica, Autumn and Renee.

Mod Podge: A Beautiful Thing

I've been wanting to learn how to do this and also wondering if it was even possible. That is, mod podge fabric to furniture. If you want to learn too, click here for the tutorial from J. Caroline Creative.

Dude looks like a lady...

Is that Janet Jackson in the backround? Nope, its Johny Jackson.


When the mc asked if there were any rednecks in the crowd Brian immediatly knew his cap was about to get him in trouble, the fact that he hails from roanoke made matters even more hilarious. This one goes out to Brian the redneck...

seriously, dude looks like a lady.
Middle aged women love this shit.
Sweet dreams are not made of these...

out of bounds run.

Esty-Love

Is anyone else overwhelmed by Etsy? I just discovered this great site:Esty-Love. They post cool stuff they find on Etsy so you don't have to look for it. Here are a couple fun finds I thought I'd pass along:

I really like the ruffly collar on this shirt and I don't think it would be too hard to re-create. I think it's about time for me to learn to sew clothing. Shirt by Rose La Biche.


I also like this pretty porcelain jewelry by Sofia Masri.

Fun Envelopes

Who wouldn't love to see a pretty little envelope like this amongst the boring bills and junk mail? Paper Source is a great resource for fun envelopes, stationary and all things paper. (It's also pretty easy to make your own using scrapbook or wrapping paper.)

Surprise!

So this is my third post of the day and it's not even noon yet. BUT rest assured, the dishes are done, the laundry is folded and my children are dressed. I, on the other hand am still in my jammies but you can't have it all, right? This is an actual conversation I had with Jared yesterday regarding his upcoming 30th birthday. (I have no idea what to do!)

Me: Jared, tell me what you want me to do for your birthday. Do you want a surprise?

Jared: You want me to tell you if I want a surprise. Isn't that an oxymoron?

Me: Just because you tell me you want a surprise doesn't mean you'll get one.

Jared: Oh.

Me: See, you never know. The surprise could be that there is no surprise.

Silly Jared.

Crocs

I have been looking at these shoes from Crocs for awhile but I just might pull the trigger. I love comfortable. I love red. And I love mary janes. I'm thinking these could be a more polished version of my very comfortable, but not-so-stylish, tree-hugging Tevas. Any fashionistas out there have any thoughts?

Mini Muscle Man

Meet Romeo. The world's smallest body builder. (He's only 2 ft. 9 in. tall!)

Jared found this article on-line last week and I assure you, it's for real. Click here for the whole story. (I'm assuming half of you reading this are very interested and the other half are really freaked out.)

Ode to Aldi

I'd just like to give a shout out to my grocery store of choice: Aldi. (Pronounced "ALL-DEE") My sister introduced me to the store several years ago and I've been a big fan ever since. If you are not familiar with Aldi, I suggest you find one near you and start shopping there immediately. If for nothing else, at least go there for the basics...sugar, flour, canned goods, etc. The prices can't be beat! If you already shop at there, you get a high five from me. There is a special place in my heart for Aldi shoppers. It's not that I dislike you if you don't shop there, but I would probably like you better if you did.
Here's what I love about Aldi (in no particular order):

1. Incredible value everyday. Really. Where else can you find laundry detergent for $1.99?
2. A quarter really saves you $$$! Here's how it works. You pay a quarter for a cart but when your shopping is finished you get the quarter back. It is shear genius! You save money because Aldi doesn't pay an employee to go round up the carts in the parking lot and they don't loose expensive grocery carts. An additional perk...no shopping carts taking up valueable parking spots and no dings in your car door. (I said no particular order, but I think this is probably my favorite thing.)
3. The double guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with any product, they will replace the product AND issue a full refund.
4. The store set up. It is small and un-intimidating. Going in to grab a few quick items is a piece of cake.
5. The French Silk Pie. It rocks.

I could go on, but I think the company website can explain it all better. Click here to learn more about "shopping smarter" at Aldi. And if you have something positive to say about Aldi, please leave a comment. (Unfortunately negative comments about Aldi are not permitted on this blog.)

So Close Yet So Far Away

Bathroom update: we have can lighting, a new exhaust fan, new electrical outlets, a nice bright white ceiling, walls painted a refreshing light blue, a new light fixture and a mirror. (You can also see the dark brown sink base in the picture although it's technically not doing anything-just sitting there waiting to be set in place.) All that's left to do is hang the door, tile the floor, build the shelving where the closet used to be and touch up! We're getting close, which is good, because having our bathroom belongings strewn about the house and using the toilet in our cold, unfinished basement is getting old.

Fun Sheets

I have been eyeing these fun lime polka dot sheets at Target for quite some time and now they are on sale for 50% off! Unfortunately they don't sell them in the size I need for my bed but that didn't stop me from buying a set. They were too cute and cheap to pass up! I might give them as a gift or I may just use the fabric for some other projects like a quilt, a slipcover or even an apron. In the meantime, I'm actually just enjoying them sitting on my counter all wrapped up and happy looking. (What is it about polka dots?)


(I should mention these are only on sale in the store, not on-line, if you are interested.)

A Tractor Full of Nail Polish

This is a pretty typical scene at our house. All my nail polish piled into the front loader of Mitchell's toy tractor. When I find stuff like this it always amuses me and makes me glad to have little boys. Especially a little boy who likes trucks and tractors. I'm not sure what I will do if my boys get into bugs. I don't think I can handle that.

Ruffle Rac by Michael Miller

Ruffle ric rac.
I think this just made my day.

Wall Decoration

I am loving these prints created from scrap paper. It would be fun to create something similar using scrap fabric. I'm thinking these would look exceptionally good in a nursery.

Relics...

Whats the best part about this picture? Dans mustache or the awesome Ross "Pirhana" he is sitting on? I say the pink nean complimenting both of them. I was talking to Balls about some old bikes so I deciced to post a few that have been given to me over the past few years.
S&M Mentsrual Cycle (Keith Treaner) from 94-95ish. Videos can make impressionable kids like the dumbest songs. Treaner rode to this crappy "cowboy brown" song in "Bmx Inferno", we would sing this silly song all the time, probably even put it on a tape just because it was in the video.

rear end
S&M Heavy as Fuck. In 2008 bmx has reached the opposite end of the spectrum and S&M now boasts the Light as Fuck and Lighter Than Fuck.
1/2 inch dropouts.
Bully 3. 88-89? with integrated bash guard

Blog Doggie?

Recently Jared (my loving husband) has begun referring to me as a "blog doggie." I'm not quite sure how to take this. While it doesn't sound like a compliment, it does sound like a real combination of words that could be used to aptly describe someone who enjoys blogging. Hmmm, maybe Jared has started something and before you know it, "blog doggie" will be common internet slang. Just remember, you heard it here first.

(Funny note: When Mitch hears Jared say "blog doggie" he says, "ruff, ruff.")

I'll Have a Water: Hold the Fecal Bacteria.

My grandmother e-mailed me this you tube video. You might want to think twice the next time you order water with lemon at a restaraunt.

Worst Nightmare

Last night I had a scary dream that there was a large flying centipede in my house. Since I DESPISE centipedes and large flying insects, this was basically my worst nightmare. Also, this was no ordinary centipede. In addition to its flying capabilities, it was unusually large and it had legs all over its back. (It sort of resembled a flying hairball, with the hairs sticking out all over.) Anyway, in the dream, Jared was trying to kill it but was unsuccessful. Enter my friend Vanessa. She started teasing me with it. You know, chasing me with it and pretending she was going to throw it on me. I was screaming frantically while she and Jared laughed. Then I woke up. I'm not sure how to translate this dream but Vanessa, if you ever tease me with any kind of bug, we can't be friends anymore.

Globe Collection

Seeing this globe collection makes me want to turn my dream of having a similar collection into a reality. I'm going to start perusing E-bay for some good buys.
Collection by Lovely Design.

Simple Arithmetic

+

=

A Bad Combination

Called to Serve

This past Sunday we had the opportunity to say farewell to our nephew, Luke, who is leaving to serve a two year mission for our church. He was called serve in Madagascar. (An island off the southern tip of Africa, in the Indian Ocean, in case you've never heard of it.) Seriously, if anyone can handle living in Madagascar for two years, it's this kid. He is the most mature nineteen year old I have ever met. (He makes Jared and I look like junior high goof offs.)
I'm trying to figure out a way to get his parents to raise my children so they'll be as sweet and well mannered as Luke!

bmx and fire play

saturday a street jam went down, the whitewalls got shut down by tons of kids, it quickly turned into everyone just jumping the hell out of the wall with all kinds of wild manuevers: trains, whips, no handers, nofoot can, 180, 360 it ruled and fun was had by everyone. afterward we cooked out at pucks new house and dug a fire pit soon after i discoverd how to use my shutter on my point and shoot and had a little fun with it. the weather is slowly getting better lets shred. oh yeah and dont forget the AWESOME GRIND CHALLENGE coming up march 2nd 12pm at the White Walls. 5th and Cary, downtown.

gap to wall

rock to street.

He's On a Roll

At his 4 month well visit a few days ago, Spencer rolled from his stomach to his back. After all the poking from the doctor I think he was just mad enough to do it. It's amazing what physical feats can be accomplished when someone has rage flowing through their veins. But to Spencer's credit, he repeated the task when we got home. Rage free. Go Spence!

Urban Date Night

Since Jared and I spend most of our time rockin' the suburbs, we decided to venture out for our date night on Friday. We were also kid-free for several hours so we opted for a restaurant on North High Street called "Mozarts: European Piano Bar and Bakery." We really liked it. There was no wait for a table. It was quiet and quaint. It wasn't expensive. The service was friendly and they had a bakery case full of all manner of deliciousness. I enjoyed a curried chicken salad sandwich and Jared had the restaraunt's specialty: chicken schnitzel on a homemade croissant.
For dessert we had this:
It was definately a nice break from the crowded, noisey chain restaraunts we normally go to. After dinner we headed to OSU campus to check out the Wexner Center for the Arts. We strolled through a couple galleries and even popped in on a hip-hop open mic night taking place. Interesting. All in all, it was a good evening. Full of lots of cultural activities you can't find in the 'burbs.

Claire Forlani

Née d'un père italien, Pier Forlani, et d'une mère anglaise, Barbara, elle entre à onze ans dans une école d'art à Londres (Arts Educational School), où elle suivit des cours de comédie et de danse pendant six ans. Après quelques représentations dans des pièces de théâtre, elle décrocha son première rôle à la télévision anglaise en jouant dans la série Gypsie Eyes.

En 1993, pour l'aider dans sa carrière, ses parents décidèrent de s'installer avec elle à San Francisco où elle ne tarda pas à trouver les rôles qui lancèrent sa carrière, notamment Police Academy 7 : mission à Moscou. C'est en 1996 qu'elle commence à faire parler d'elle en jouant dans le blockbuster The Rock puis dans le film indépendant The Last Time I Committed Suicide. La même année; elle prend le risque de se désengager du projet Un cri dans l'océan réalisé par Stephen Sommers, estimant que ce rôle pourrait ruiner sa jeune carrière.

En 1998, elle obtint le rôle qui la rendit célèbre dans Rencontre avec Joe Black, interprétant Susan Parish qui tombera amoureuse de la mort elle-même, incarné par Brad Pitt.

Depuis, elle enchaîne les tournages en privilégiant toutefois les films d'auteur (Northfork en 2003), ce qui ne l'empêche pas de participer à des films plus commerciaux, comme Antitrust en 2001 ou Le Médaillon en 2003 avec Jackie Chan.

Depuis 2006, elle revient aux séries TV en étant la guest-star d'un épisode de Les Experts : Manhattan et de Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Carmella DeCesare

Carmella DeCesare est une playmate, désignée playmate de l'année 2004 et playmate du mois d'avril 2003 par le magazine Playboy.

Carmella DeCesare est née à Avon Lake et elle a grandi à Westlake (Ohio, États-Unis). Elle est diplômée du Magnificat High School, une école catholique pour fille, en 2000. Elle travailla par la suite dans une grosse société dans les environs de Cleveland.

C'est dans cette ville qu'elle répondit à une annonce du magazine Playboy : « Qui veut devenir une playmate playboy ? ». Elle a été finaliste du casting. Elle a été élue playmate du mois en avril 2003.

En 2004, elle participe au Raw Diva's Search (concours de recherche de Divas à la fédération américiane de Catch WWE). Elle termine finaliste, mais s'incline face à Christy Hemme.

Cristina Scabbia

Cristina Adriana Chiara Scabbia est la chanteuse du groupe de metal-gothique italien Lacuna Coil. Elle est née le 6 juin 1972 à Milan, en Italie. Elle a deux frères et une sœur. Influencée par Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Type O Negative, Depeche Mode et la musique traditionnelle italienne, c'est au milieu des années 1990, alors qu'elle est encore serveuse, qu'elle se lance dans l'aventure Lacuna Coil.

Autumn Reeser

Autumn Reeser est une actrice américaine née le 21 septembre 1980 en Californie.

Elle est apparu dansthe O.CTaylor Townsend dans la série Newport Beach . Elle y sera créditée pour la quatrième et dernière saison.Elle a aussi joué dans "the sauvage"

Alessandra Ambrosio

Alessandra Ambrosio est une mannequin née le 11 avril 1981 à Erexim (Brésil).

Dans ce pays, les concours de mannequinat sont une véritable institution et Alessandra, dès l'adolescence, se lance dans l'apprentissage du métier. En 1996, suite à un concours, elle est repérée et devient mannequin pour l'agence Elite. À partir de ce moment, la machine s'emballe et Alessandra est demandé au quatre coins du monde pour prêter son image à diverses marques de prestige : Christian Lacroix, Byblos, Fendi, Issey Miyake, Kenzo, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Revlon ou encore Victoria's secret. Selon le magazine américain Forbes, elle est le 5e mannequin le mieux payé au monde, avec 6 millions d'euros par an[1]. Si Alessandra laisse son image autour du monde sur les couvertures de magazines ou sur les affiches des campagnes publicitaires, elle garde pour autant la tête froide et envisage de consacrer son temps après sa retraite à suivre des études universitaires. Elle réside actuellement entre New York et le Brésil.

Winter Stinks

I must say I am beginning to feel like Jack Nicholson in The Shining*, when he goes crazy all holed up in that hotel for the winter. I'm one red marker away from writing "REDRUM" all over my unfinished bathroom** walls. (If you haven't seen The Shining, then you have no idea what I'm talking about and that is good.) While I haven't gone that far off the deep end, I do have the worst case of cabin fever I've had in awhile and I was seriously considering painting the larger part of my house yellow yesterday. But anyone who knows me, knows I despise winter. January and February have been two very long, grueling months for me for as long as I can remember. Reading through my old journals is a testiment to this. I don't feel I've left much valuable information for my posterity since most of my personal history includes pages and pages of complaining about winter coupled with an annual countdown*** until spring. For example, if my great grandchildren want to know how many days there were until spring on February 1, 1989...look no further than my personal journal. But what about January 14th, 1995? Don't worry, that's in there too.
I'm pretty sure my dis-taste for winter is increasing as I get older. Afterall, as a kid at least I got an occasional snow day or a class valentines' party to off set the winter blues. I'm thinking this increasing dis-taste with age must be somewhat normal though. Why else would retired folks move to the sun belt? They have had enough! By the time I'm 65 I think I will for sure have had enough. Quite frankly, I think at 27 I have had enough.
-----
*This post is in no way an endorsement for this film. It is quite possibly the scariest movie I have ever seen and it is rated R.

**Bathroom update: It looks the same as it did last Saturday. The drywall guy is supposed to come today so we can get this ball rolling!

***There are 33 days until the first official day of spring. But who's counting?