I love Twizzlers

Please don't ever tell me what is in these things. I love them too much!

Movie Love!

Can I tell you how much I dislike the chain video stores?! Everything is the same and the old films are in lousy condition. The last two I rented from Blockbuster, “Fugitive” and “War Games”, were both scratched and we could barely finish the film due to the skipping and stopping. Very frustrating! I drive over there, spend too much time looking for what I want, they don’t have it and I end up leaving with a movie I don’t want and a big bag of Twizzlers. I love Twizzlers. Twizzlers for me, make watching a film a complete experience. Going to Blockbuster is not a good experience. It’s always a hassle, even with Twizzlers.

So… I have signed on with Netflix. I’m so excited. I signed up for two movies at a time and in a mater of minutes picked out 20 movies. Goodbye Blockbuster, Hello Netflix!

I’ll just have to grab a bag of Twizzlers next time I’m at the grocery store and hide them in the pantry until Friday movie night.

This looks like love, yup, movie love!

Post Holiday Blues

I don’t want to go back to every day blahs. I wanna go back to the big city and PLAY!!!!

Spring Break 2008

Just got in from Monterey and San Fran. I forgot how much I love and miss the bay area. Of course had to start at my favorite spot - Monterey Bay Aquarium. Then we scooted up to the City. Stopped by my old place in San Carlos, and showed Little Guy where he was born. Took kids to Muir Woods where we hiked about with old friends, then to Alcatraz (funny - I never went there all those years I lived there!), kids and I walked all around North Beach and China Town and spent a day at the Exploratorium. Whew!


Here are some pics of aquarium and Monterey Bay area:

Really big Dolphin Fish. Also known in the restaurant bizness as Mahi Mahi.




Photo by Big Little Guy



Photo by Big Little Guy - Scared school of sardines, look like they're exploding.



Photo by ~L (These are upside down jelly fish. They swim so they stay on the bottom of the ocean floor, with their tenticles facing up. Their mouth parts are colored green and blue and look like sea grass. Incredibly cool!)






Sea Lions photo taken by Big Little Guy. There are sea otters just beyond the frame of this picture.








The Lone Cyprus on 17 mile rive has become such a land mark (tourist attraction) , that folks in charge are doing everything to keep it perched on the outcropping. Even building it a retaining wall with support wires. I'm glad I saw it before it was "saved."


Here are some pics of Monterey,17 mile drive, and Carmel as seen through the eyes of Little Guy:

Home Day

Its a cold and rainy, stay home day.

It’s a hot tea and honey, soup and slippers day.

It’s a do the dishes and do the laundry day.

It’s a pay the bills and blog day.

It’s a curl up with a book day.

It’s a perfect, stay home day.

~L~

Old Phone vs. New Phone

Got a shiny new cell phone. Sleek, racing red and super duper fancy shmancy. It has all kinds of fun, must have functions. Video, Picture, web access, games, maybe even an editing bay. So it’s a bit complicated. Actually, I don’t understand it at all. Perhaps I’m behind on the learning curve, but I can’t even get it to wake me up in the morning. And well, I miss my old phone. It was a sturdy little work horse. IT was faithful and when ever I needed it, it was right there in my purse or pocket. Yes, it exploded when ever it was handled too roughly, and it had the bad habit of making three or four numbers for one push of a button, but I knew it and it was usually there when I reached for it. Unfortunately, it’s problems continued to get worse and I realized it just wasn’t working out.

Argh! I miss my old phone!

Friends

I am so thankful for the kindness and love from my friends. Something completely knocks the shit out of me and I my friends are there. Their love and kindness gives me peace. They don’t ask questions. They can see it has been very hard, and they freely give their love.

I love my friends.

Chilling out with Little Guy.

One of the great things when only one child gets the day off from school, is that you get major one on one time. Lot’s of talking, ideas, and just hanging out.

The day was beautiful, he played tennis in the morning, we shopped central market for specialty items, then I cooked him up a fancy shrimp and pasta dish for lunch. Then out came the clay. Not kiddie clay from Michaels. I’m talking about the real deal. A 25lb bag of creamy grey clay from Armadillo Clay in East Austin. It was cool and smooth and delightful. It also ended up over a good bit of the dining room table and on us. Which is how it’s supposed to be. He worked on an urn/pitcher/cup creation, I worked on a leaf candle holder for the patio.

I didn’t realize I was humming while working and Little Guy said “ I really like that.”

“What sweetie?” I asked.

He said, “What your doing, and your singing too. It’s really good.”

How great is that. A complement from out of the blue. I couldn’t help but gaze at him and think I’m the luckiest person in the world.

Here is Little Guy’s brilliant creation.

Opera Gala

Mr. Hubby and I were invited to the Opera Gala by some friends of ours. I don't know why a tom-boy like me, who detested dresses and dolls, and preferred riding horses and working around the ranch, now loves getting dressed up and going to the ball. I'm still a jeans girl and would rather go riding than shopping, but something about getting all dressed up and fancy, brings out the inner princess in me. Fortunately, Mr. Hubby obliges and plays his part as my handsome and sweet Prince Charming.

It may be only once a year that we do this, but it's a wonderful fantasy.

Here's us goofing off before leaving for the Opera gala.

Dream House

Everyone should have some type of guilty pleasure. (Keep it clean folks, this is a G rated blog here). I'm talking about the sneaking of chocolate, the splurge on those must have, too expensive shoes. Perhaps you let the kids watch too much t.v., so you can read the trashy tabloid or you spend too much time playing solitaire on the computer. I’ve known more than a few mom’s who have confessed to me in hushed tones that they occasionally sneak into a movie theater, while the kids are off at school (gasp!)
Well, the time has come –Yes indeed, right here and right now, I am going to admit my sins, confess my guilt and cleans my soul. (Halleluiah).
My sin is that I lust after… houses. Yes, several times a week, I slip off to my computer and check out the MLS listings. I know it’s ridicules, because I don’t plan on moving for another year, but I can’t help myself. I just must know, what house has just come on the market, what’s it’s square feet, lot size, pool?, 2 story, etc. Is there anything about the house that’s special or horrid. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small teardown or an opulent mansion, I look at it all. Irrelevant of the price tag, I find myself asking “Would I want to live there?” Some how reality melts away and I see myself sitting on the porch of a cute little 1920’s Craftsman watching the day unfold on Duval street, or maybe I’m having my friends and their kids over to play in the pool, at my sprawling ranchero down in Dripping Springs or maybe I’ve found a terrific fixer upper in East Austin, and I’m just the person to make it shine.
Unfortunately, a problem has come up. My husband warned me this could happen, but I didn’t think it would happen to me. That is, I have totally and completely fallen in love. In love with a house, that can never be mine. From the very first time I laid eyes on it in the MLS section of “Rare Finds,” it has been love at first sight. I don’t care if it’s crummy and broken down on the inside, if the plumbing needs to be replaced, or there are rodents in the attic, I totally love this house.
Just by looking at the outside of it, I can tell you it is the house of my dreams. And that is where it will have to stay. It is so incredibly expensive, I couldn’t afford it in any lifetime. (Also, it’s so expensive, I couldn’t justify spending that much money on a house, even if I was super rich) But I will always hold it near to my heart.


Here is a picture of it and yes it is located here in Austin Texas.