Life in Perspective

Charles Dickens 200th Birthday

2012-02-07T15:46:00.003-05:00

I've decided not to confine myself to reading the books in order...that would just drive me nuts. I have a hard time thinking like that, and I'll give up doing it if I restrict myself too much. Also, there are books on the list that I've already read (Pride and Prejudice, for example- one of my all-time favorite books). I may read them again or I may substitute them with a book that almost made the list...since I'm not doing this to impress anyone, and I'm only blogging about it to keep myself on track, I'm not going to have arbitrary rules.

So, I'm going to start by choosing books I already own. I'm a Nook owner, so I read ebooks now almost exclusively. A couple of summers ago, Barnes & Noble gave away ebook copies of a bunch of classic novels, which means they've been sitting on my nook all this time (hence the decision to read them in this way). I've chosen #20, Great Expectations, as my first book in honor of Charles Dickens' 200th birthday. My friend Rosalyn recommended it as the Dickens book to read first.

Here's the description of the book from the Barnes & Noble website if you've never read it (and, although I know I read it in high school, I seem to have blocked it from my memory):

Great Expectations, described by G. K. Chesterton as a “study in human weakness and the slow human surrender,” may be called Charles Dickens’s finest moment in a remarkably illustrious literary career.

In an overgrown churchyard, a grizzled convict springs upon an orphan named Pip. The convict terrifies the young boy and threatens to kill him unless Pip helps further his escape. Later, Pip finds himself in the ruined garden where he meets the bitter and crazy Miss Havisham and her foster child Estella, with whom he immediately falls in love. After a secret benefactor gives him a fortune, Pip moves to London, where he cultivates great expectations for a life which would allow him to discard his impoverished beginnings and socialize with the idle upper class. As Pip struggles to become a gentleman and is tormented endlessly by the beautiful Estella, he slowly learns the truth about himself and his illusions.

Written in the last decade of his life, Great Expectations reveals Dickens’s dark attitudes toward Victorian society, its inherent class structure, and its materialism. Yet this novel persists as one of Dickens’s most popular. Richly comic and immensely readable, Great Expectations overspills with vividly drawn characters, moral maelstroms, and the sorrow and pity of love.

Here's the link to wikipedia's description: Great Expectations

If anyone's out there and wants to read along with me, leave me a comment. You'll make my day.:-)

The List

2012-02-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

1 The Great Gatsby
2 1984
3 Ulysses
4 The Catcher in the Rye
5 Lolita
6 To Kill a Mockingbird
7 Catch-22
8 The Sound and the Fury
9 One Hundred Years of Solitude
10 The Grapes of Wrath
11 On the Road
12 Pride and Prejudice
13 Lord of the Rings
14 Wuthering Heights
15 Animal Farm
16 Invisible Man
17 Anna Karenina
18 Beloved
19 To the Lighthouse
20 Great Expectations
21 Jane Eyre
22 Crime and Punishment
23 Gone with the Wind
24 Moby-Dick
25 Brave New World
26 The Lord of the Flies
27 Midnight's Children
28 Brideshead Revisited
29 War and Peace
30 Middlemarch
31 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
32 Madame Bovary
33 Heart of Darkness
34 A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
35 Of Mice and Men
36 Don Quixote
37 Brothers Karamazov
38 Little Women
39 Absalom, Absalom
40 Tess of the D'Urbevilles
41 Slaughterhouse Five
42 David Copperfield
43 Prayers for Owen Meany
44 The Trial
45 Emma
46 Mrs. Dalloway
47 The Scarlet Letter
48 A Passage to India
49 Les Miserables
50 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
51 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
52 Nostromo
53 The Sun Also Rises
54 Count of Monte Cristo
55 Things Fall Apart
56 A Clockwork Orange
57 The Wind in the Willows
58 Rebecca
59 A Tale of Two Cities
60 Love in the Time of Cholera
61 Frankenstein
62 Dune
63 A Handmaid's Tale
64 A Farewell to Arms
65 As I Lay Dying
66 Watership Down
67 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
68 Portrait of a Lady
69 The Hobbit
70 The Red and Black
71 Sons and Lovers
72 Vanity Fair
73 The Old Man and the Sea
74 The Stranger
75 Remembrance of Things Past
76 Tristam Shandy
77 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
78 The Stand
79 The Tin Drum
80 The French Lieutenant's Woman
81 Bleak House
82 I, Claudius
83 The Age of Innocence
84 Hamlet
85 Atonement
86 For Whom the Bell Tolls
87 The Divine Comedy
88 Tom Jones
89 The Magic Mountain
90 Winnie-the-Pooh
91 Gulliver's Travels
92 His Dark Materials Series
93 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
94 The Idiot
95 Native Son
96 Under the Volcano
97 The Odyssey
98 Possession
99 Dead Souls
100 The Fountainhead

Starting Over....

2012-02-07T15:44:00.002-05:00

So, I haven't blogged in a really long time, but I'm really excited about a new goal of mine- reading the best books ever written.

So, here’s the deal. I spent the first forty years of my life discovering who I really am. I got married super young to a fabulous man who turned out to be my soulmate and best friend. I gave birth to two wonderful boys who make sure my life is never dull. I felt called to become an elementary teacher, and have gone back to school three times, first to get my teaching certificate, then for a Masters of Education in Reading, and then for a Masters of Education in Learning Technologies and Library Sciences. I teach at a great school, surrounded by wonderful colleagues and friends. I even earned a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Last year, I turned 40. It really felt like a turning point in my life. Not long after, I wrote my first novel, which I am still rewriting and hoping to publish someday. I have always been a voracious reader, usually reading anywhere from 100-150 books a year. I realized, though, that I’ve never tried to read many of the so-called classics. There are a few I’ve read, but not many. So, this is what I’ve set as the next challenge in my life. I’m going to read the 100 best books ever written.

To begin this challenge, I had to find which books were the “best”. I did a search of the internet and found there was no standard list. There were actually quite a few. So, I created a spreadsheet to help me figure out which books I should read. I chose seventeen lists that seemed to cover a wide spectrum. I put their rankings in as they were listed, except for the lists that had no rankings. On those lists, I gave every book the number 1 as their ranking. I then did a count of how many times the books appeared in lists and averaged their respective rankings. This gave me a fairly objective list.

In the next post, I will share the list of books I will be reading.

My Review of Scarecrow & Mrs. King: The Complete First Season

2010-03-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

Originally submitted at WB Shop

Goodbye, PTA...hello, foreign intrigue! Single mom Amanda King leads a quiet suburban life in Washington DC until the day a dashing stranger shoves a package in her hands with instructions to give it to the man in the red hat. In no time, Amanda is dodging bullets, foiling assassination plots – and...

One of my All-time Favorites

By Angie from Dallas, TX on 3/23/2010

Pros: Talented Acting, High Production Value, Engaging Characters, Entertaining

Best Uses: Adult Viewers, At Home, Perfect Gift, Younger Viewers, Travel

Describe Yourself: Movie Buff

I can't begin to tell you how excited I was that Scarecrow and Mrs. King is finally on DVD. Watching the show brought back such great memories, and it really holds up well. The acting is brillant and the chemistry between Bruce Boxleitner and Kate Jackson is evident. I highly recommend this series to anyone. Now....when can we get the three remaining seasons?

(legalese)

Wow- it's February already!

2010-02-20T01:02:00.003-05:00

This year is flying by- we've been really busy- Steve has been sick since the first of January (though he's finally getting better). I've recently joined the Club CK community- and I love it! It's just like the old CKMB used to be. I've been doing a challenge called Scrap Your Nemesis, and mine is finishing all of these BPS classes I've ordered. I've been working through them, and tonight I finished a big one. Here are some of the layouts:

Goodbye 2009

2009-12-30T23:02:00.002-05:00

I can't believe how quickly this year went- it was a good year overall. Here are some highlights:

1. We refinanced our house at a great interest rate- right after we finished Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. I highly recommend that you take this course- it really makes you think about your finances.

2. Josh made Varsity Gymnastics and Jake made District Choir.

3. We took our first long haul trip in our travel trailer to Kentucky- it was an awesome trip!

4. I got my School Librarian Certification.

5. I finally went to the Texas State Fair- I've lived here since I was 12 and have had a free ticket every year that I was in school or teaching, and never went before. It was a lot of fun.

6. I sang in front of my students and my in-laws for Veteran's Day- first time I've sung a solo in public since the 6th grade. And, I sounded pretty good!

7. I finally got a dedicated scrap space set up in our dining room- now I can scrap whenever I want to.

8. I went to my 20 year high school reunion- and didn't recognize anyone! I've actually hooked up with several old friends on facebook.

I hope that all of you had a great 2009, and I hope that 2010 is even better for everyone. Happy New Year!!

A Teenager

2009-11-27T17:39:00.002-05:00

It seems like just yesterday that I became a Mom. It certainly doesn't feel like thirteen years, but it has been. My baby boy (seen pictured at 3 months old) has turned 13. We've entered the teenage years (though we've had the attitude for a little while now). It seems strange that I have a son who is the same height as me, with bigger hands and feet. But, I do. At least, I still have Jake, who still acts like a kid. :-)

Life has been Busy

2009-10-26T20:49:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's been a month...but life is hectic. I last wrote the day before Jake turned 10. Well, the day after Jake turned 10 he came down with Swine Flu. We were pretty scared there for awhile, but we have a wonderful doctor who put him immediately on Tamiflu as well as the rest of us. So, we survived with no lasting problems. We had a Tae Kwon Do tournament where both boys placed third in sparring. I had my twenty year high school reunion...where I had more high school friends (3) on the deceased list (One died right before graduation, but I don't know when the others did) than were at the reunion (0). Of course, there were a thousand in my graduating class. I have, however, found a few on facebook. Then, we've had several Children's Chorus performances. And, sadly, Emmy's dad passed away last week. He had been sick for awhile, but it was still unexpected. She is, of course, devastated.

It's amazing how much can happen in a month- if you had told me on September 23 that so much would've happened. But, then, that's life.....

My Sweet Baby Boy

2009-09-23T23:05:00.002-04:00

It is very hard for me to believe that as of tomorrow, I will be the mother of children who are both in the double digits. Time just flies way too fast now. It really seems like only yesterday that Josh was joining me at school as a kindergartner, and now he's about to be taller than me (and his hands and feet are already bigger than mine). It seems like only yesterday that Jake was crawling around, and now he will be ten and is a student in my class! He is my school baby. I had him my second year of teaching fourth grade, and now he is one. I am so proud of both of them. But, I'm also sad that childhood is quickly on its way out.....

School and the boys

2009-08-22T19:28:00.003-04:00

I can't believe summer is over! School starts Monday, which means I've been back at work for a little over a week. I'm excited about this new school year, and a little sad. Jake will be joining me in fourth grade, and I will be his Reading/Writing teacher. I'm excited, because I really enjoyed teaching Josh when he was in fourth. But, I'm sad, because this means my baby is about to be ten. Jake is my school baby. I was pregnant with him during my first year of teaching. Which means that my first set of fourth graders are in college now. It is so strange to think of that. Josh is starting seventh grade. At the beginning of the summer, he was several inches shorter than me. Now, he's just below the top of my head. It seems really bizarre that my baby boy is about to be taller than me. Double digits and teenager are not far away. Time flies too fast.....

Summer is Flying By

2009-07-27T16:32:00.005-04:00

Well, July was gone in a blink. We've been so busy, I haven't had time to check in here. We went to the ranch for the fourth again and set off fireworks. Then we prepared for our Tae Kwon Do promotion- we are now Red Belts (that's two away from Black!). Then we set off on a road trip to Kentucky in our travel trailer. It was a wonderful trip- we visited the Louisville Slugger museum, the Corvette National Museum, Abe Lincoln's birthplace, Mammoth Cave and several bourbon distilleries. We stayed at My Old Kentucky Home State Park, in a region that is known for bourbon. It was a great trip and the weather couldn't be beat- it stayed in the 70s and 80s. That is heaven to Texas folk! Now the kids have left for church camp, and I have the house to myself until Friday! (FYI- the first picture is sunset at Natchez Trace State Park in Tennessee, the next is Josh at the Corvette Museum, and the last is Jake at Abe Lincoln's birthplace)

Jake in First Place!

2009-06-20T22:05:00.001-04:00

We participated in a HUGE Karate tournament (which by the way are very different from Tae Kwon Do tournaments). Although Steve and Josh did not win anything (though they both did great), Jake ended up winning first place in sparring. The trophy is taller than me! He is so proud!!

I'll post a picture soon!

It's Been Awhile....

2009-06-18T18:35:00.003-04:00

since I posted anything, but life has been SUPER busy. School ended, baseball ended and I've been cleaning house. Since we decided to stay put in our house, I've been rearranging and going through things. We're almost done with the refinance, and then we're going to start painting, and updating. I'm very excited about it. Most of all, I'm excited that I finally have a scrap space again. I took over the dining room- moving all of my scrap stuff (except what's in my closet). It is so fun now to be able to scrap whenever I want. I've updated the kids school albums, and I'm now working on completing online class stuff that I never had time to do before.

The first weekend in June, I finally got to spend the day with Emmy at the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington. I totally broke my no-spend rule, but I got some great stuff. Emmy had an extra Bind-It-All, so she gave it to me and I bought the wires and stuff to go with it. I didn't go overboard, but bought things I thought I would actually use.

Finally, I have discovered the funniest video on youtube. If you haven't looked up "literal videos" yet, you are missing some fun. The best are "I'd Do Anything for Love" by Meatloaf and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. Here's the latter:

Teacher Gifts

2009-05-21T22:19:00.003-04:00

I've always tried to give the boys' teachers something worthwhile, especially since I've always worked with them! Now, instead of 1, 2, or 3 teachers, I have 9 to prepare for! That could get really pricey, so I made the gifts this year. These are little legal pads that I covered. As a teacher, I know that having a SMALL notepad is a great thing- to keep on your desk, to take to meetings, to carry around the building. I had a lot of fun coming up with the concept and making them. Let me know what you think!

Bluebonnets and Baseball

2009-05-07T19:57:00.002-04:00

One of the best parts of living in Texas is the annual blooming of Texas Bluebonnets. There is nothing prettier than these flowers. This past weekend, we took the boys to a local patch and took their picture. Since we are dead in the middle of baseball season, we went while they were in uniform (both had games, though Jake's was rained out). This is one of the many we took, because the boys were not in the best mood for picture taking. :-)

Save Chuck!!!

2009-04-27T18:15:00.002-04:00

One of our favorite shows is in danger of being cancelled- we already lost Pushing Daisies. I've never, ever been one of those fans to send crazy things into companies to get them to save a show. But.....tonight we went to Subway and bought 4 footlongs in support- the manager looked at me like I was crazy, but I sent a customer feedback email to Subway.

So.......Save Chuck!!!!!

Amazing Grace

2009-04-17T20:55:00.002-04:00

This has always been my favorite hymn, and now I love the Chris Tomlin version much more.

I've discovered some amazing families through Jody Ferlaak's blog. If you click on the links to the left, you'll find out about them. Please keep Stellan in your prayers. His family needs them.

Wellness Journey

2009-04-09T18:37:00.003-04:00

I began a new class at BPS today, called Wellness Journey. My weight loss hasn't been going so well- I just haven't been focused. I'm hoping this class really steps it up.

On the brighter side, I have gone 3 months without purchasing any scrapbook supplies beyond necessities (adhesive, photo binders for my pictures). This has brought about a great thing- I've had to be creative in my assignments for the (now)3 scrapping classes I'm taking. The pictures are my version of a 6x6 album for the Wellness class- I used a lunchbox I've had forever, and used the file pages for the album pages. It's turned out great- and I feel great for keeping to my goal.

Busy Baseball has Begun

2009-04-06T22:28:00.002-04:00

Every year, I look forward to spring. It is my absolute favorite time of year- the weather is nice (most of the time), the flowers are blooming, and school is almost over. But, most of all, spring means baseball. We are a baseball family. Everything takes second place (even Tae Kwon Do) once baseball season starts. This year, both boys like their teams and have friends on them. The only bad part about baseball is that we become unbelievably busy and life becomes frantic. We have practices and games, and everything else. But nothing beats sitting at a baseball game and seeing your son (either one of them) playing to the best of their ability and having the time of their life.

Cookbooks

2009-03-27T18:40:00.002-04:00

I love cookbooks- I can't pass them up. Well, this week, I've been going through all of them (and I do mean all of them). I took a composition book and divided it into two sections- Recipes We Love and Recipes to Try. I'm always trying to remember where a loved recipe is within my many cookbooks. By dividing the first section into sub-sections, I think I've solved that problem. The other section is also divided into sub-sections, and here I'm writing down the recipes I want to try- I've already cooked one- Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole- from a cookbook Emmy gave me a few years ago (Bank of Texas). If I don't find any recipes, I put it for sale on Amazon. If I find recipes, I add it to my LibraryThing account.

I feel like I've accomplished a lot! When I cover the notebook, I'll post a picture.

Classic Novels

2009-03-22T22:27:00.002-04:00

So, since I've finished grad school, I thought I would try to read some classic authors. As you know, I am an avid reader- can't go anywhere without a book and I read absolutely everyday (seriously- I even took books on my honeymoon and in the hospital with both kids).

I thought I would give Tolstoy a try- I was in Barnes and Noble over Christmas, and Steve told me to buy $25 worth of books as a graduation present. So, one of the clerks recommended The Kreutzer Sonata and I bought it.

Well......let's just say I don't think Tolstoy is for me. I read the first short story, Family Happiness, and it was stilted and boring- supposedly about marital happiness. I began Kreutzer, and it is about a man who kills his wife. Couldn't even get into it. I discovered that Tolstoy was a bit unstable in later life, and decided that everyone should be celibate- even in marriage.

So, now I'm reading Inkheart- next up, I'm going to read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas- another classic (but I'm cheating, I've read it before and loved it!)

Chickasaw

2009-03-20T23:47:00.005-04:00

For Spring Break this week, we took the trailer to Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Steve's parents and his aunt and uncle took their trailers as well. It was a fun trip (not counting yesterday when I was sick all day- not too fun in a trailer!). The downside was that, because of drought, the springs at the park were dry, except for a sulphur spring at the front of the park. Both kids were brave enough to taste the water (at the drinking fountain) and hated the taste! Still, it was a lot of fun.

Turning in Papers

2009-03-12T21:58:00.004-04:00

One of the biggest problems I tend to have is keeping up with who hasn't turned in work. I finally came up with a great plan. The bottom picture shows the procedures students follow in order to turn in work. I lay it out very specifically so they know what to do. In the middle is where they turn the work in. I have three stacks for each subject I grade. When work is late, they are given a hot pink sheet they must fill in- I write in what work they owe. When it's finished, they paper clip ALL of the work together and put it in the late box. I've been doing this for several weeks and it is working beautifully!

My Name is America

2009-03-12T21:53:00.001-04:00

Books are my passion and I like to help people, especially young people, find the perfect book for them. As the mother of two boys, I've found over the years that boys' literature is either tacky, gross or adaptations of comics, video games or all of the above. Not exactly what a Reading teacher wants to fill her house with!

One series that I've found is called My Name is America. This is a series from Scholastic that is comprised of "journals" that tell the history of America from the point of view of a young man. So far, I've read two- The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds, which tells the story of a settler who is a member of the Donner party, and The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins, which tells the story of a young American GI who is a part of the Normandy Invasion. Scholastic has good parent/teacher guides available for your use as well.

Let me know if you've read any of these books or if you have any recommendations for young readers!

Just Checkin' In

2009-02-18T17:54:00.004-05:00

February is crunch time for me- the Writing TAKS test is coming in two weeks, which can cause me to go slightly insane. Jake has his Reading test that day. So, I'm pretty busy.

Baseball practice has begun and I am in the midst of re-taking Library of Memories- maybe I'll actually finish it this year!

More Stuff

2009-02-08T22:12:00.002-05:00

Seems to be a trend for me lately. :-)

1. I'm single parenting it this week- Steve had to go to California for a business trip, which he complained about all weekend- including after he got there! But, I'm not going to complain, because I love that I have a husband who wants to be with his family. :-) My big thing about his trips is that things always seem to happen when he's gone. Almost three years ago, he went for a week to New Mexico- I had a blowout and had to replace two tires and Jake broke his arm. Steve has gotten really sick on trips, causing me to have to locate Preferred Providers wherever he happens to be. I'm sure you get the picture! So, I approach this week with a lot of prayer and a little trepidation!

2. I started my Financial Peace University class at church this week. Steve and I decided to give Dave Ramsey's class a try after I finished Total Money Makeover (he's still reading it). The guy has some seriously good ideas. We both want to get better at saving, so we enrolled in the class our church started tonight. The first class was great and we're off on Baby Step One (if you want more info, click on the button that says My Family Tree is Changing).

Have a great week!

Stuff

2009-02-06T18:25:00.002-05:00

I have a couple of things to talk about today- not at all related. :-)

1. I just signed up for Library of Memories as an Alumni. I can't wait (especially since I get to take it for free this year!) If you are completely overwhelmed by your scrapbooking or just want to learn a great way to NOT feel guilty about your scrapping, this is the class for you. It is well worth the price! If you are interested, click on the link to the left that says Library of Memories. I promise- you won't regret it!

2- The picture you see is from my 2002 5th grade class (I started teaching this class in January). The boy in the middle of the back row is Jeramie. On the second row, second from the left is Denzel. They were great kids. Both have grown up to be a wonderful young men who have been playing football for South Garland. I haven't seen Denzel since he left Heather Glen, but Jeramie is now dating a friend's daughter, so I've seen him more recently. This week both were signed to full scholarships for college- Jeramie to Baylor. Here's a link to the pictures. It seems like only yesterday they were 5th graders- it's like seeing my own kids grow up. That's the wonderful part of being a teacher- I will forever be a part of their lives, and they will forever be my kids.

Ice Day!

2009-01-28T10:10:00.003-05:00

In Dallas, we hardly ever have snow days, but ice days tend to be at least once a year (or every couple of years). School is closed- ice is on the ground- and we are still in pajamas at 9 a.m.

Of course, being Dallas, it will probably all be melted by the afternoon. And, we have to make up the day later on (probably giving up Good Friday). Still.....I'm going to enjoy the mid-week day off, catching up on TV shows I've DVRed and maybe some scrapbooking. :-)

Great Books

2009-01-20T21:11:00.004-05:00

I've been reading a lot of great books lately- those who know me well know that I absolutely can not go a day without reading- seriously. (I took books with me to the hospital both times I gave birth- and read them!) I could give up a lot of things, but not books.

Anyway, I've been rereading Susan Cooper for the last week. If you haven't read her books, you are missing a rare treat. The books I have of hers are called The Dark is Rising sequence. They are young adult books that were written in the late 60s, early 70s. They would appeal to anyone who likes Harry Potter. They center around Merriman Lyon, the oldest Old One, and Will Stanton, the youngest Old One. Last year, they made a movie out of the second book and called it The Seeker. I highly recommend these books- my favorite is the Grey King, which won the Newbery Medal.

Also, this weekend I finally read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. I was told to read this book by my very favorite professor, Dr. Vaughn, back when I was finishing my first master's (yes, I totally love saying that!). I just never got around to reading it. Well, I decided to this weekend. This book is amazing. Although the second half I skipped because it's just about his psychotherapy called logotherapy, the first half is about his life in Nazi concentration camps- specifically Auschwitz. It doesn't hold anything back- very blunt. But, the man theme of the story is that no matter how bad things are (and, believe me, he describes horrific things), man can rise above these. It's very inspirational.

I'm also reading Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey- the first money book I've actually been able to read- I tried to read Suzy Orman but just couldn't.

By the way- I've discovered a new show (Mom, you're going to love this)- Bones. Yes, my mom has been telling me how great the show is. TNT started the show with the first episode last Friday so I'm taping the old episodes every day. I really like it so far!

Interesting Week

2009-01-15T22:36:00.002-05:00

I feel like I'm a grown-up teacher now. I've been teaching for ten years, have two masters degrees, been a mentor to 7 separate teachers, and taught around 600 kids (wow). But, this week, I was given a great opportunity I've never had before. I have a student teacher. This sweet girl, Linze, will be with me for the next twelve weeks. Over this time, I will gradually be giving her all of the subjects that I teach, and try to help her become a good teacher. I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders- I really want her to have a great experience, and I want to make sure that I help her become a great teacher. It is an awesome responsibility- to teach someone else how to do my job. Wow.

Also, I just found out that my favorite scrapbook magazine is folding. Simple Scrapbooks, to me, is the perfect magazine. It fits me. I like Creating Keepsakes, but it was always more of an inspiration- Simple Scrapbooks was more my style- I could do the things in there. At least there is still Big Picture Scrapbooking. But, I am sad.

And, Emmy, I hope you start feeling better soon- next time, call and let me know you're okay. :-)

Genealogy

2009-01-11T21:32:00.003-05:00

I have been interested in genealogy since I was thirteen, when my step-aunt Carol Ann, introduced me to it. When I met Steve's parents for the first time, I also met his grandad, who was also an avid genealogist. Through his grandad and me, Steve got interested.

Over the years, our research has fallen to the wayside- kids too small, moving, job stuff, grad school. Well, the jobs are going great, the kids are older, we aren't moving any time school, and I'm done with grad school.

One of our goals for this year is to get back into our research. It's always been something we enjoy doing together. Right now, I'm trying to figure out the best software to use- we've been using Family Tree Maker since its inception in Windows form (around 1995), but it's getting too tied to Ancestry.com, a subscription website we just aren't interested in. So, I'm researching several others. I've also found some great websites that are really helpful and a couple of blogs (I've added these to my blog roll).

Just so you'll know- the above picture is my grandfather when he was 2 (1917).

Supernatural

2009-01-06T18:21:00.003-05:00

New Year, New Goals

2009-01-03T14:01:00.002-05:00

2008 was an amazing year- I completed most of my goals, graduated, and did a lot that I wanted to do.

Except for one thing.....

I have been talking for a very long time about losing weight. It really bothers me that I have become the weight that I am. I never thought I would EVER weigh this much, and yet I do. I've played with losing weight for the past few years- say I am going to do something, but somehow it never happens.

This is my one goal for the year. Yes, I am going to scrapbook and try to finish albums and so on. But, my health has been getting worse- I have a headache that never seems to want to go away, I have difficulty sleeping, and I seem to have developed acid reflux.

I will be 38 this year. It has been 20 years since I graduated from high school. I want to look and feel better. My single goal for this year is to get healthy.

Want to join me? Let me know what you want to do for your life.

Stuff

2008-12-29T16:30:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. Santa brought the boys Guitar Hero World Tour and rip sticks (two wheeled skateboards), Josh a digital camera and Jake a new bike. I got my own DS (yes, I am a gamer at heart). We were able to spend time with both families. We were going to the ranch today, but decided to put it off until Wednesday.

I saw so many movies this weekend, I don't know which one to pick for Movie Monday, so here's my opinion on each one:

1. Kung Fu Panda- so cute- great message- love it
2. Tropic Thunder- even funnier the second time around
3. Astronaut Farmer- interesting film, though not one of my favorites
4. Best in Show- hilarious
5. Mummy 3 (can't remember the whole name)- really good, though not the best of the series

I was given PS I Love You and The Women, but still haven't watched them. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a great New Year!

I finally had a chance to upload graduation pictures. :-)

Movie Monday, Christmas Style

2008-12-22T20:46:00.005-05:00

I am in the midst of Christmas preparations and dealing with an inner ear infection (I had to go to the doctor again today- last Wednesday she put me on a Z-pack and I am still dizzy. Now, I am on steriods, Claritin-D, and a prescription strength antihistimine). So, I am reviewing a movie I already did last year, but in my opinion, it bears repeating!

While You Were Sleeping has to be my all-time favorite movie. This movie is fun and light and has everything you could ask for in a movie- romance, comedy. I just love it. I first saw this movie with Steve when we were first married. We had decided to go see Muriel's Wedding (Steve thought he'd like it because of the Abba music- he didn't, though I did). After the movie was over, the manager of the theatre came in and said they had a sneak preview of While You Were Sleeping and we were welcome to stay. So, of course we did (I can never turn down something free!). We both loved the movie, and it has been my favorite ever since. I love Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman in this movie- Sandra is her perfect, comic best and Bill is great as the brother of the coma guy. Watch this movie- it will make you laugh- any time of the year.

Movie Monday

2008-12-15T19:58:00.003-05:00

This week's feature movie is a new find. Let me give you a little background....about 3 years ago, Steve and I were up super late and found This Is Spinal Tap on tv. We ended up watching it and couldn't stop laughing. I even bought both Spinal Tap CDs for Steve. I kept meaning to find more of Christopher Guest's "mockumentaries", but with everything else, just forgot.

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Big Lots and glanced through their dollar movies (usually a complete waste of time). I hit it big- I found A Mighty Wind. Steve and I finally watched it this weekend- and it is fantastic! I thought I wouldn't be able to stop laughing at Catherine O'Hara's ode to incontinence products- seriously. Steve doesn't know it, but I've ordered 2 more Guest movies- Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show- for him for Christmas (and he never reads this, so keep it a secret!)

Science Fair

2008-12-13T00:55:00.003-05:00

We survived Science Fair again- Josh won first place again. Which means we'll be headed to the Regional Science Fair again.

Okay, so I am REALLY proud of my boy- Steve helped him, but they came up with a really unique project (testing whether non-point source pollution affects the growth of plants).

Next year, we will have to do 2 science fairs- yippee!

Tagged Again!

2008-12-13T00:36:00.003-05:00

Emily tagged me with her holiday questionnaire. I recently got this as an email at work, so I thought I'd do it again- I don't really have anyone else to tag (I emailed it to all my friends from work). :-)

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay,here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Tag as many people as you want to....Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I do both- depends on the size of the gift. I do like wrapping the kids' presents (except from Santa- they are always out of the box and ready to play with, mainly because we leave right after breakfast for Houston).

2. Real tree or Artificial? Always a fake. I grew up with fake and Steve grew up with real. Unfortunately, I seem to be allergic, so I won. Funny thing- now his sister and parents have fake trees, too. Poor Steve!!

3. When do you put up the tree? I aim for the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but it's usually a little late- ours finally got up this past Tuesday.

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day.

5. Do you like eggnog? Hate it- don't know why, but YUCK!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably my doll house- I got it when I was in the 3rd grade. My dad spent all night putting it together for me. My parents still have it. :-)

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad- usually ends up being a Home Depot gift card. Most of the time, Steve picks something out for him.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Josh and Jake- they have so many things they want, it's usually hard to not buy too much!!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have two- one is a porcelain one I bought a few years ago. The other one is a creche I bought at Michael's in college with Fontinini figures- Jake adores this nativity. The figures are made of plastic, so he plays with them and acts out scenes. So much fun!!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards. Mail- I always want to make cards and did last year and the year before that, but with my practicum and the paper, I had no time. So, I went with the Walmart picture card- they were great. And, I've already mailed them- yeah me!!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A weird sweater my grandmother bought for me- never could wear it.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I love Christmas movies- they are second only to wedding movies in my book. Here are my top 3- While You Were Sleeping (top movie of all for me!), The Family Man, and The Holiday.

13. When do you start shopping? December- I always want to do it sooner, but it never happens!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I'm sure I have, but I can't remember right now.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cranberry Jell-o Salad with sour cream dressing- I eat this for breakfast at Christmas, too!

16. White or color lights on tree? colored and blinking- love it!

17. Favorite Christmas song? Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (from another favorite movie, Meet Me in St. Louis)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? both- We do Christmas Eve with Steve's parents, come home, open presents, have Santa presents in the morning, go to Steve's parents for breakfast, then drive to Houston for Christmas Day with my parents. I love that the kids get to have Christmas with both families- I never got that growing up.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? On Donner, and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blintzen (know Rudolph song by heart!)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel :-)

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both- see travel explanation above :-)

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? too many people in stores- and they all get testy and rude- I hate how people forget the reason for the season. The other thing I hate is trying to ignore or not use the word Christmas.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love snowmen and angels for decorating around the house. The ornaments are from my childhood and gifts from other people. I'm not a theme tree kind of person. All of my ornaments have meaning.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Steve's fried chicken from the turkey fryer- you think fried turkey is good? Try it with chickens- it is unbelievable!!!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A Nintendo DS (yes I am a secret gamer at heart)- my parents gave me Weight Loss Coach for my birthday, and I never can get the kids to give me their DS (and I found out today that Steve ordered me one- he couldn't keep it a secret, 'cause he ordered from my Amazon account.)

Merry, Merry Christmas!

I'm FREE!!!!!

2008-12-08T20:11:00.002-05:00

I turned in my paper and am officially DONE with school. Here's the deal- when Steve and I decided to get married, he wanted to wait until I graduated from the University of Houston- he really believed if we got married, I wouldn't finish (and he was probably right!) Fifteen years later (since we got engaged), I am graduating on Saturday with my SECOND master's degree- yay me! I have learned a lot in my master's work, but I can honestly say I am soooooo tired of going to school. If you count all of the years I've been in school- 12 years of public school (I never finished Kindergarten), 5 in college, 2 in post-baccalaureate teacher certification, and 5 combined in graduate school, that is 24 years!!! Good grief! I've been in school forever (strange, I know, for a teacher to say- but, believe me, it is a totally different experience being a teacher than a student!!!)

I'm FREE!!!! And anyone who EVER hears me say I need another degree, please lock me up! :-)

so so so so so busy

2008-12-03T22:00:00.002-05:00

I can't even begin to describe this week- Josh had a play (so funny); Steve goes to the ranch tomorrow; we have our super cool remodel of the Heather Glen library Friday and Saturday (we even have a Disney artist painting murals right now!). Add to this writing sub plans for tomorrow- I'm going on a field trip with Josh; Josh's science fair due Monday and my 20+ page paper due by Monday so I can graduate a week from Saturday.

Anyone want to trade lives for a bit????

Tagged!!

2008-11-26T21:05:00.002-05:00

So, Emmy tagged me- I don't know that I have 7 people to tag, but I'll answer the questions.

The Rules:

Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. *

Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 RANDOM/WEIRD FACTS ABOUT ME

1. I am totally fascinated by natural disasters. I love watching tv shows like The Wrath of God and movies like Armaggedon. I don't know why- maybe because it's a long standing joke that I repel natural disasters. I've never been in one, but they seem to hit not long after I move away from a place.

2. My favorite guilty music pleasure is 80s hair bands. You know, like Poison, Winger, Warrant, Def Leppard. I was so excited a few weeks ago when XM and Sirius merged their lineups and Hair Nation was added to my lineup- woohoo!! I even taught the boys when they were little to say "80s hair bands" when anyone asked them what music they liked.

3. I am completely addicted to Amazon. I check it all the time, add new things to my lists, check my recommendations. I don't know why- I just do.

4. I love watching General Hospital. It used to be that I watched several soaps. Now, it's just General Hospital. I tape it every day. I fast forward through some of it, but ALWAYS watch Jason and Elizabeth. There really is some great acting on this show and it is a great escape from everyday life.

5. I am a complete Anglophile. I love all things British- their television, their movies, and ESPECIALLY their actors- specifically Colin Firth, Ewan McGregor and Hugh Grant. I even started drinking hot tea because it's British.

6. My biggest pet peeve is when people mispronounce words. For example, when people say "supposably" instead of "supposedly". I cringe at this- as well as when signs are misspelled. This is probably how I ended up as a Language teacher.

7. I hate shopping. I really do. If I can avoid the mall, I will. I don't mind window shopping with friends, but if I have to go shopping by myself, I will avoid it at all costs.

So, there you go. Instead of tagging other bloggers ('cause I can't think of anyone), I want to invite anyone who reads this blog, but doesn't necessarily comment to add anything about them. I would love to know who reads this!

Twilight

2008-11-26T17:32:00.003-05:00

Steve and I took the boys to see Twilight today. It was fabulous!!! I've heard mixed reviews, but in my opinion, I thought it was great. I thought everyone was perfect in their role and it totally fit the book. The one bad thing is that I can't wait now for the sequel- which hasn't started filming!!! If you haven't read these books, do!!! If you have, go see the movie!!!

TV Tuesday/On My Desk

2008-11-25T16:57:00.003-05:00

I am sooooo behind! Steve was in West Texas all last week, and that threw all of our schedules off. I did, however, take pictures of my school desk (of course it was a week ago). What you see are STAR parent reports that went home in my kids' report cards. These tell the kids what their reading level is. You can see I have some pictures on my desk- one of the four of us, and one of the boys when they were little. I took a cheap metal frame and used some pretty paper to dress that up. I also have a chipboard book that I covered and added a beautiful flower to it. I keep note paper in there. I like for my desk to be clean- it makes me feel organized. I am also posting other pictures of my classroom in the Reading Corner.

On to TV Tuesday- I haven't posted movies in a couple of weeks, but wanted to share one of my rituals. Every year, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I rewatch the entire series of Friends. This is my all-time favorite show. They always did a Thanksgiving episode, so I always like watching it at this time of year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Reading Corner

2008-11-09T18:39:00.001-05:00

I've started using my other blog again- check it out at www.mrsarey.blogspot.com. I'm highlighting Young Adult/Children's Literature. :-)

On My Desk Saturday

2008-11-08T14:14:00.004-05:00

I know- I can't do this on the same day. But, at least I'm doing it! :-) So, this week was a long, crazy one. I spent some time watching a great movie- The Trouble with Angels (cover on my desk). I found two class pictures I've been looking for- apparently, I stuck them in my nightstand 3 years ago and never looked back- oops! My speaker for my MP3 is there to remind me to charge it and that cute bag? That's from my scrapbook retreat. I've found a new Stampin' Up lady- she's who invited me on the retreat. She made us each personalized stationery with candy- it's a really cute bag!

Last night, Steve apparently ripped calf muscles- I know, when DOESN'T he get hurt at Tae Kwon Do? He was in serious pain, but the doctor said it should heal on its own. He has to wear support hose, though, and I'm totally ragging him on that one! :-)

Michael Crichton

2008-11-05T19:33:00.003-05:00

Today I found out that one of my favorite authors passed away. Michael Crichton was only 66, and apparently had been suffering from cancer. I first discovered his books after watching Jurassic Park. His books are incredible- he put so much information into them, it was like a mini-course in science. My favorite of his is probably Timeline, which is about a way to go back in time.

I highly recommend his novels.

Photo Album Scrapbooking

2008-11-04T18:34:00.006-05:00

This summer I learned something that hit me with the thought, "Why didn't I think of this???" It was while I was taking an online course from Stacy Julian, called Have More Fun. She expanded on something she brought up in Library of Memories, which is called Photo Album Scrapbooking. She talks about this on her blog today (just click on the link under "Altogether Too Happy").

I used this idea when I was at Hobby Hill House. I bought a kit for the boys school albums, but didn't want to put all of the pictures in the albums. So, I used Photo Album Scrapbooking to use the wealth of pictures I possessed. I made an album for each grade, created a "highlights" page and added the pictures. To make the photo albums match the scrapbook, I took out the cheap covers, and used matching paper, ribbon and bookmarks to make them cute.

I really love how they turned out!

Movie Monday- Presidential Style

2008-11-03T21:09:00.003-05:00

For this Movie Monday, I thought I'd give you some of my all time favorite presidential movies.

1. The American President- I adore this movie! I am not a Michael Douglas or Annette Bening fan, but this movie is great. It's got great writing and great chemistry. It's not hard to believe this led to the show West Wing (though I like the movie a LOT better!)

2. Dave- Kevin Kline is great as the guy who looks exactly like the president, so when the real one has a stroke, Dave is picked to take his place. Kevin Kline is so adorable- I love this movie!

3. American Dreamz- This is a bizarre little comedy with Hugh Grant playing a Simon Cowell-like person and Dennis Quaid as a president who is a caricature of George W. Bush. It is hysterical (and a very black comedy!)

4. Protocol- Goldie Hawn is hilarious as an exotic dancer who saves the President by getting shot in her behind. This is a straight 80s movie, which is probably why I love it.

I am a politics junkie (though, frankly, I am sooooo ready for this campaign season to be over), so tomorrow night, I will be parked in front of the TV watching the political coverage. Anyone who knows me knows who I'm rooting for!!!!

Movie Monday and more

2008-10-27T19:01:00.002-05:00

I didn't post last week because it was quite a week. First, let me tell you about my WONDERFUL weekend. I went to Hobby House Hill for a relaxing weekend of scrapping. It was a total blast- I got so much done. I completely updated the boys' school albums and finished Jake's preschool album. I also made some mini-albums. (I'll post pictures later this week).

Second, I traveled to Commerce this afternoon to take my Master's Comps. This is a test or discussion that you must pass in order to graduate. Well....I passed (thank goodness), so I will graduate in December with my second Master's Degree. And then I'm DONE. No more college for me. I've been in class longer than I've been out, and I've had enough.

Finally, here's a movie for you---- Housesitter. This is a cute, funny little movie with Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin. This is one of my favorite Goldie movies. She completely takes over Steve's life in a weird, funny way. Steve is also as his comic best. I highly recommend it!

TKD Tournament

2008-10-19T15:11:00.003-04:00

Well, we survived our tournament, but not without injury. Josh earned a silver in sparring (he was robbed!), Jake earned two bronzes- for sparring and forms, Steve earned a bronze in sparring, and I earned two silvers for forms and sparring. Yes, that's right, I sparred. And guess who got injured??? That's right.....me. I got kicked square on the nose. I made it through the match, then my team had a doctor come see me. The doctor said I'm fine, but it is still sore today. I guess I really earned my silver this year!

On My Desk Thursday

2008-10-16T22:12:00.002-04:00

I liked doing this last week, so I'm going to continue it. I still haven't taken my camera to work (this week was much too stressful), so I snapped this picture of my home computer. This week, I have a coke reward code to enter (love this!), my new book To Hold The Crown to enter into LibraryThing (great book about Henry VII of England- first Tudor king), and my CD of Stephenie Meyer's playlist for Breaking Dawn (it took two CDs)- I downloaded all of the songs from her playlists and have discovered some great bands- love that!

Well, we're off to Fort Worth for the weekend- all four of us are competing in the annual tournament there. I have a really bad sinus infection and Steve is suffering from side effects from the flu shot, so this should be really interesting!

Movie Monday :-)

2008-10-13T22:25:00.004-04:00

Look at me, posting on a Monday- and you should be suitably impressed because I had parent conferences until 6:45 tonight! Anyway, I want to tell you about a movie that I really like, but you've probably never heard of it. It's called People Will Talk and stars Cary Grant and Jeanne Crain. It is the story of Noah Praetorious, an unorthodox doctor who is being investigated by a jealous colleague (played by Hume Cronyn). This movie is an embarrassment of riches- besides Hume Cronyn, there are appearances by Margaret Hamilton (you would know her as the Wicked Witch of the West), Finlay Currie, Jack Kelly (he was Bret Maverick's brother, Bart) and Walter Slezak. This story also examines unmarried pregnancy and attempted suicide- not too common a topic for the 50's.

On My Desk Friday

2008-10-10T17:38:00.002-04:00

Okay- Emmy, this is for you. This is my home desk (I'll try to remember to take my camera to work next week!). On my desk right now I have a book I just reviewed for library thing (Queens of England by Norah Lofts- very good book- contains stories about all the Queens of England from Boadica to Queen Elizabeth II), a book by Suzy Orman I keep trying to read, the instructions for a mini album that I made for my cousin's wedding, my MP3 player- I need to fix some songs on it, and a Star Wars finger puppet that Jake thought I needed on my desk! Normally, my desk looks cleaner- it's been a long week!

Movie Tuesday

2008-10-07T20:23:00.002-04:00

In Garland, we get a long weekend the first weekend in October (officially, Fair Day). So we headed off to the ranch. The weather was beautiful, but my allergies developed into a cold, and the mosquitos loved me a little too much. Needless to say, I'm living in Benedryl land right now. I did spend some time working on my digital picture files (I'm trying to organize 16 years of pictures/negatives- I'll explain it all when I've finished- it's pretty cool!). While doing that, I watched The Philadelphia Story, one of my all-time favorites. How can you go wrong with Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant? Cary Grant is one of my absolute favorites. This is also the movie I remember that got me hooked on older movies. It is hilarious and Jimmy Stewart is funny. If you've never seen this movie, run to the video place, Netflix, whatever, right this minute- you won't regret it!

Movie Monday :-)

2008-09-29T18:32:00.004-04:00

Look at me- I'm actually back on this. To be honest, I've missed it over the last month. I recently bought Made of Honor on a whim (something I do too often, but that's another story). I admit that I am a total sucker for wedding flicks. I didn't see this in the theatre because I had heard it was a male version of My Best Friend's Wedding (which is one of my favorites). And, to an extent, it is. But, it is really a cute little movie. I'm not a big Patrick Dempsey fan (shocker, I know- I don't even watch Grey's!), but these movie is cute and sweet and all the things a wedding movie should be. So, my opinion- good movie! :-)

I also just read Nights in Rodanthe. I am an occasional Nicholas Sparks fan. I love Walk to Remember and The Notebook, but nothing else. This was a good tearjerker, but not as good as the other two. I don't know that I would read it again- it was pretty predictable and obvious, too much for my taste.

Tonight, I will be spending the evening taking care of my two boys. The boys had their well child appointments (and thank goodness for doctors who let me schedule them both together!). Josh had FOUR shots- chicken pox booster, meningitis, DTaP and flu. Jake had TWO- chicken pox booster and flu. Needless to say, we're lounging at home. The boys are thrilled, though, because their FAVORITE show is back tonight- Chuck. This is one of the three shows we all four watch (the other two are the Office and the Soup). Have I mentioned that I have the coolest kids????

YouTube Video of Ike

2008-09-23T18:32:00.001-04:00

My sister-in-law, Laura, made this video of what they went through. Thank goodness it wasn't worse. Everyone has power now, and life is beginning to return to normal.

Another Update

2008-09-16T22:40:00.001-04:00

As of 7:45 tonight, my parents have power again- and boy are they happy! They lost all of their freezer and refrigerator food, but they are okay with that. My brother got his phone line back, but still no power.

Update

2008-09-15T18:19:00.002-04:00

My family made it through okay- my parents had no damage, but are still without power. My brother lost all of the shingles on his roof and now has severe water damage, along with no power and no phone. Everyone is safe, though, for which we are all truly thankful. Watching all of the footage this weekend made me realize just how fortunate my family truly is. Thank you for all of your prayers.

The Great Storm

2008-09-12T19:35:00.003-04:00

I've been glued to my computer and tv for the last day, watching Ike come towards my former hometown. It's been weird seeing places I used to walk with regularity faced with certain destruction. I've been fascinated with the Great Storm of 1900 ever since the first time I went to the Strand on a date with Steve. I've read Weekend in September and Isaac's Storm. The similarities between that storm and Ike are startling. A little while ago, I heard Erik Larsen (author of Isaac's Storm) talking about how the footage is like watching a video recreation. Ike is following the same path as 1900.

Fortunately, my parents (who live in Sugarland) and my brother and his family (who live in Pearland) seem to be okay. Both are staying put, as they were not under mandatory evacuation. I'm keeping in touch with them as the time goes on.

It's just another reminder of how insignificant we humans truly are.

Life in Perpetual Motion

2008-09-10T22:25:00.002-04:00

I told you I was not going to be checking in as much as I'd like. Life just doesn't seem to slow down lately. We took the house off the market, because frankly, we just can't keep up with the show readiness of it all. My day doesn't really end until bedtime (and then it's usually later than I'd like). I realized as I was looking at my blog that I totally forgot to post about purple belt- we are there- which means that we are now considered advanced students. Now, we won't be advancing as often- only eligible every four to five months. We are also working on a Weapons Form with Nunchakus- totally fun, by the way. I haven't even watched a movie lately- I've been finishing my Angel DVDs- halfway through Season 5. I also finally finished the Twilight series- so awesome (and a LOT of the reason for the late nights). I'm stressed and flustered, but life is good and we are starting to get into the feel of our new schedule.

So Busy

2008-09-02T23:16:00.003-04:00

So, with a week of school behind me, I can promise you that I will not be updating as frequently as I would like. I don't even have a movie for this week. First week of school went great- Josh loves middle school, Jake adores his third grade teacher, and my class is going well. I'm having to work in the library every day, and I am in a rush most of the time. I turned the big 3-7 on Sunday (and got lots of goodies- including Wii Fit, which came today and is SOOO much fun).

I've been in a DVD heaven, with the Office, Supernatural and House all released and I bought the first season of One Day at a Time.

And, I just finished Twilight and am reading New Moon- fabulous- Mom, you will definitely like these vampire books.

Finally, my parents celebrated 40 years of marriage yesterday. Wow! I thought 14 was a long time...... :-)

Movie Monday on Tuesday :-)

2008-08-26T22:48:00.003-04:00

Okay- you really didn't expect me to blog on the first day of school, did you? I was exhausted and so were the kids. Josh survived the first day of middle school, and so did I. :-) Once we get the routine down, I think we'll all be fine.

So, this Saturday, Josh and Jake spent the night with some friends, so Steve and I went to see Tropic Thunder. This has to be the funniest movie I've seen in a LONG time. Definitely keep the kids away though- there is some real adult humor. But, I haven't seen Steve laugh so hard since Talledega Nights- probably harder! I am a HUGE Ben Stiller fan, but this has to be one of his best. Jack Black is hilarious. The one that got me, though, was Tom Cruise. No one can accuse me of being a fan, except for Jerry Maguire. However, I LOVED him in this- I never thought he would ever play a character like this- Steve didn't even recognize him. The best part of the movie? The fake trailers at the beginning. I HIGHLY recommend this one if you want a great laugh.

Music From Another Room

2008-08-18T23:34:00.003-04:00

Today's choice is a movie I taped last week on The Movie Channel. Music From Another Room is a movie I forgot about, but once I watched it, I remembered how much I really like it. It's a sweet little romance about a boy who helps a girl get born (seriously), then grows up thinking it's fate for them to be together. Okay, so it sounds bizarre, but trust me- it's awesome. This must be one of Jude Law's first movies- he looks so young. Gretchen Mol is the girl. Then, there are the supporting actors- Jeremy Piven (who I love), Jennifer Tilly, Martha Plimpton, Brenda Blethyn, Jon Tenney, and Jane Adams. It's quirky, it's sad (be forewarned- think Family Stone) and it's sweet. A great 90s flick!

Well, I'm back at work, so life is somewhat stressful. But, I am excited about the new year.

One Word Answers

2008-08-17T00:11:00.002-04:00

Emmy had this on her blog, so I thought I'd play along- here are the rules from her blog "you can only give ONE WORD answers - its tougher than you'd think! Feel like playing along? Post a link to your blog in my comments section so I can read your list." I did this at 11:30 at night, so here are my answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Where is your significant other? recliner
3. Your hair? cut
4. Your mother? reading
5. Your father? sleeping
6. Your favorite thing? boys
7. Your dream last night? nothing
8. Your dream/goal? peace
9. The room you're in? bedroom
10. Your hobby? crafts
11. Your fear? insomnia
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? skinnier
13. Where were you last night? shopping
14. What you're not? boring
16. One of your wish list items? London
17. Where you grew up? America
18. The last thing you did? Uno
19. What are you wearing? pajamas
20. Your TV? on
21. Your pet? Tillie
22. Your computer? HP
24. Your mood? tired
25. Missing someone? Mom
26. Your car? scattered
27. Something you're not wearing? shoes
28. Favorite store? Target
29. Your summer? sick
30. Love someone? absolutely
31. Your favorite color? green
32. When is the last time you laughed? Uno
33. Last time you cried? Friday

Movie Mondays

2008-08-11T23:51:00.003-04:00

I have gone back and forth about watching this movie. I debated ordering it on pay per view. Then, this weekend, I saw it for sale for only $9, so I figured why not. It turned out to be really cute. I thought it was kind of a take off of Runaway Bride, which it is. But it really is a great movie- I really liked Katherine Heigl, even though I don't like Grey's Anatomy. The other actors are great, and if you are an Office fan (like me), you'll love seeing Melora Hardin as an editor (that's Jan to us). Give it a try!

Dallas Disaster

2008-08-11T23:42:00.004-04:00

Since we didn't go on vacation this summer, Steve took a few days off. We decided to go to Dallas today and show the kids some of the tourist sites. We rode DART downtown and started with Dealey plaza. Then we went to the Sixth Floor Museum. The kids thought it was neat, but got bored. Then, we decided to walk to Reunion Tower. Unfortunately, it's closed for renovation. So, we decided to go to the Plaza of the Americas to ice skate (Jake's been dying to do that for a while). Well, they were closing the free skate in 30 minutes- so no dice. Jake was upset, but we decided to soldier on. So, we went to the Spaghetti Warehouse and ate in the trolley. That was fun, but our waitress was new, and it took 1.5 hours to eat (we saw several other parties come and go while we were there). The good part was that we were finished in time for the next free skate (which Jake didn't know about). So, we headed to the rink again, and the kids skated for over an hour. It seemed like everything was against us, but we still had a great day!

Tae Kwon Do Champions

2008-08-11T23:38:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, the boys competed in a local Tae Kwon Do tournament and did very well. Josh made 2nd place in forms and 1st place in sparring. Jake made 1st place in forms and 3rd place in sparring. They both did great and were so proud of themselves!

Movie Mondays

2008-08-04T22:31:00.004-04:00

I had a great Saturday spending the day with my BFF, Emmy, at North Park Mall. We had a fabulous day (head over to her blog to see the pics and details on what we did). It was so much fun- we haven't had the chance to do that in a looooong time! So, in honor of her, my movie pick for today is Serendipity. This is a cute little movie with John Cusack and Kate Beckingsale about soulmates. The title comes not only from the word serendipity (which is discussed quite a bit in the movie), but also the sweet shop Serendipity in NYC. While we were shopping, Emmy and I came across Frozen Hot Chocolate (made by Serendipity) at Williams-Sonoma. It made me think of this movie. I love the quirkiness of the film and the friendships between Kate and Molly Shannon and John and Jeremy Piven. I recommend you watch this with your BFF!

The Greatest Show on Earth

2008-08-01T10:49:00.002-04:00

Yesterday morning, we took the boys to see Ringling Bros. It was the first time Steve and the boys have ever gone (my parents took my brother and I to see it when I was in 1st or 2nd grade- I'm pretty sure it was when we lived in Florida!). It was so much fun. When Josh was born, Ringling Bros. was giving away a free ticket, so we had one already, but we had to go to the box office to purchase the other three. As we were walking down there, a lady asked us if we needed to buy tickets, then handed us a coupon- we got 3 $30 tickets for $7 each- isn't that cool? We thanked her profusely! By getting there an hour early (we wanted to make sure we could get tickets), we were able to go on the floor and meet some of the circus folk. This was the coolest thing- the performers talk with the kids, autograph programs, and get the kids involved. Jake got to juggle with a clown- so cool! The show was amazing- Jake and Steve loved the tiger show, while Josh just loved everything. If you haven't been to the circus in awhile, or ever- go!

Here's a bonus- Steve took the boys to the ranch without me today (I have an ATPE luncheon I need to be at), so I'm hoping to scrapbook for the first time in awhile. Of course, if anyone wants to go out to dinner- I'm totally up for that too!

Movie Monday Double Feature

2008-07-28T23:02:00.002-04:00

This week's choices are two great adventure movies. I watched The Mummy and The Mummy Returns this weekend with my Mom (happy birthday today, Mom!), Josh and Jake. The boys spent last week with their grandparents and had a blast. So, Jake loves The Mummy and is chomping to see the next Mummy, which is released this Friday. These movies are such fun (though there are a few disgusting scenes involving beetles). I love Brendan Fraser in these movies- he's so sarcastic. If you haven't seen them, do- they are great fun.

TV Tuesday

2008-07-22T21:37:00.002-04:00

Okay, this week I missed Movie Monday and I am coping out by making it TV Tuesday (though anyone who knows me knows that TV is an everyday habit for me!) But I have several reasons- 1. Steve left work early yesterday and we went to the ranch- no internet. 2. I have been sick since my root canal. For some reason, I have always had super bad luck with my teeth. In recent years, this has meant a mean dentist and one who told me he was retiring during my first visit to him! Well, I finally found a good one, and had my root canal. Wednesday the pain was pretty bad, but I had my Vicodin and Amoxycillin to help out.....or so I thought. Thursday, I woke up and felt nauseous. This got steadily worse until I had to get Steve to come home and then I threw up. Apparently, this was a bad reaction to Vicodin. So that went bye-bye. The nausea got better and I went to bed......or so I thought. Apparently, the Amoxycillin caused me to have anxiety and restlessness which meant that Steve slept on the couch and I literally paced the floor of my bedroom....all.....night....long. I got 1.5 hours of sleep. My parents came on Friday to a zombie daughter who still had trouble sitting still. Everything finally wore off, but I'm still recovering. Apparently, the Z-Pack I'm on now makes falling to sleep difficult (though I do get to sleep).

So, why TV Tuesday (if you are still with me1)???? Well, whenever I feel sick, depressed, bored, whatever.....I love to watch Friends. This is my all-time favorite show...one I still wish was on television. I have all ten seasons on DVD, plus 4 compilations- don't ask why- it is a sickness. Friends makes me feel good. I still laugh at every episode. And, I am one who thought the great couple was always Monica and Chandler. Watch them again- even if you only catch them in reruns. I guarantee you will laugh at something!

Fourteen Years

2008-07-16T18:01:00.003-04:00

It's so hard to believe that Steve and I have been married for fourteen years. We actually celebrated last night by going to eat at Fish City Grill. This is a great local place, at Firewheel Mall. It was really good. We celebrated early because I had a root canal done today- Steve took the day off to take care of me (though he and the boys have left for Tae Kwon Do now!). I'm hurting pretty bad now, but the dentist said it will be better tomorrow. Anyway, it seems like only yesterday that we were getting married- time sure flies! I had a baby at my wedding, who is going into high school this year, and my junior bridesmaid is getting married in December!

Movie Mondays

2008-07-14T16:36:00.003-04:00

This week I want to highlight one of my favorites, Operation Petticoat. I can't think of a better combination than Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, two of the great ones. I have always loved Cary Grant- so debonair, but willing to laugh. This is the story of a submarine in WWII, which has to take nurses on board an all-male ship. Then, the sub is painted pink. It really is funny- you can also see some TV favorites- Mrs. Cunningham from Happy Days, the second Darrin from Bewitched and Captain Stubing from the Love Boat.

Movie Mondays

2008-07-07T17:17:00.002-04:00

Today's choice is an older movie, but one of my favorites. American Dreamer came out in 1984. I guess I like it best because it is the story of an American housewife who wins a writing contest and gets a trip to Paris. When she's there, she gets hit by a car and wakes up thinking she is the character in her favorite mystery novel, Rebecca Ryan. This is a fun romp through Paris. Tom Conti plays Alan, the man she thinks is her counterpart, Dimitri, and he follows her around trying to keep her out of trouble. I just got the DVD from Amazon. I love this movie!

Fireworks

2008-07-06T19:32:00.002-04:00

We spent the weekend at the ranch, and we had a great time. The boys got to set off fireworks, and I got some great pictures. I also got some funny video of Steve running when setting one off. I had a lot of fun playing with my digital camera- it has a setting for fireworks, so I tried it- I got this cool picture of the Roman candle Steve was holding.

Movie Monday/Josh off to Camp, Again

2008-06-30T15:27:00.002-04:00

Today's movie is a creepy one. The first time I watched this movie, I was scared to death. Even now, when I know the ending, it still scares me. If you haven't seen it, watch out! It will scare the pants off you!

Also, Josh left today for his second church camp. This time, he's not too far from home, but he wasn't sure about going. Steve had to take him, since I had my last class. He'll be back on Thursday, then we're off to the ranch for the fourth. The kids are so excited because they get to set off fireworks!

Blue Belt

2008-06-28T11:34:00.004-04:00

Almost exactly a year ago, we started Tae Kwon Do. I was very nervous, since I was completely out of shape and not exactly the thinnest girl in the world. But I stuck with it- and even though I haven't lost a lot of weight, I have a lot more muscles and flexibility. Last night, the four of us promoted to blue belt, which at our school is the half-way mark to black belt. We each broke two boards in a combination, and I sparred without losing my breath. I am proud of myself for sticking with it- and I love it!

Last week, both boys were in a karate tournament- Jake got first place in forms and Josh got third place. They had a blast!

Movie Mondays

2008-06-23T22:53:00.002-04:00

Today, I finally saw the movie I've been waiting to see for a very long time.....Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Steve and I took the boys tonight to see it, and it was great. It fit perfectly with the franchise- I loved that Karen Allen was back- she's always been my favorite "Indy" girl. If you love Indiana Jones, I highly recommend that you go see it soon!

Movie Mondays

2008-06-16T22:21:00.003-04:00

My pick for today is Sweet Home Alabama. I love this movie for two reasons- I love Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas, they both had real Southern Accents and great chemistry. The second reason is how much it reminds me of Alabama, my home away from home. For most of my childhood until I was in college, my family drove to Alabama almost every summer from wherever in the States we lived to visit my grandparents. Sweet Home Alabama reminds of that- the food, the double wides, the people- and these are great memories. The music is great, too. Here's the classic song. :-)

Josh Goes to Camp!

2008-06-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

I'll post pictures later (I'm actually in my ETEC class right now, waiting for it to begin), but Josh took off for camp at 7:30 this morning. He was so excited, ready to go- of course, I almost started crying- I'm thrilled for him to have the experience, but it always hits me how grown up he is becoming. Anyway, he and his buddy, Caleb, were ready to go.

Jake is thrilled for him to go, too. He gets a week with undivided attention from Dad and Mom, and a promised trip to see Kung Fu Panda. He'll also have the PS2 and Wii all too himself- what more can an 8 year old ask for????

By the way, this is my 100th post. :-)

Tim Russert

2008-06-13T22:10:00.002-04:00

I find it so incredibly sad that Tim Russert passed on today. You know, he is the face of political journalism to me- I began watching Meet the Press in the 90s, not long after he became the host. He always seemed so fair-minded- the epitome of what a good journalist should be. I always loved that he was not shy about his faith or his love of family. I can't imagine what the presidential election will be without his presence.

Movie Monday Double Feature

2008-06-09T23:13:00.003-04:00

I missed last Monday due to a baseball game (Jake's), so to make up, I'm going to write about two movies, and they are related. First up, is a recent release (still in theatres) that we all went to see a couple of weeks ago. It is Prince Caspian, the second in the Narnia series. I went into the movie blind, for once not having read the book first (I plan on reading the entire series this summer). I thought it was brilliant- loved the characters, especially Caspian. This film is also darker than the first but fits nicely within the Narnia aspect. If you haven't seen it, go right now!

In keeping with Narnia, I also want to talk about the first movie, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I grew up with the cartoon version, and that white witch creeped me out! Well, the more recent release was wonderful. I loved the scenery and the actors. Edmund was soooo....Edmund. And, the white queen creeped me out even more in this version.

All in all, I highly recommend both movies. From what I understand, Voyage of the Dawn Treader is next up, though I am not sure when it will be released.

I'm Free

2008-06-05T11:29:00.003-04:00

Sorry that I missed Monday (I promise to make up for it next week!), but anyone who knows anything about school knows that the final week is the busiest. I've closed up my classroom, packed stuff away and brought less home this year than I have in recent years. On top of that, Josh had his fifth grade graduation yesterday. Have I said how proud I am of him? He received several awards- A Honor Roll for the year, Grand Prize Science Fair, Top 5 AR Goalmaker for the year (he was actually number 2), and he received the President's Award for Educational Excellence Gold. This is a prestigious award, and I am so proud of him. It seems like just yesterday he was beginning kindergarten, and now he will be moving on to middle school. Time flies......

We've Entered New Territory

2008-06-01T22:21:00.004-04:00

Yeah- I have a new phone! The nice AT&T man was able to download all of my numbers into my new phone (for those that don't know, my phone has been broken for a month, so I was only able to call Steve, home, my parents, Steve's parents and Emmy, as I haven't memorized any other numberss!). Steve also entered the 21st century with a new phone....and we added Josh to our line. This is the new territory---our tween is connected----with many warnings about using the phone, only calling certain numbers, etc. Texting is blocked on our phones, so I don't have that worry (yes, I HATE texting- why type when I can talk???) We all got the same phone- Josh's is black (of course), Steve's is green (he's threatening to camoflage it), and mine is PINK!

The song "I Wanna New Drug" has been going through my head with the word phone replacing drug for sometime.....

Movie Mondays

2008-05-26T17:40:00.002-04:00

This week's entry is one I introduced Steve and the boys to this weekend. We spent the last few days up at the ranch in our new travel trailer (we had a blast!). Last night, all four of us piled into the queen bed (which, surprisingly, is an actual queen bed- most trailers say they are queens and are actually doubles) and watched 13 Going on 30. My favorite type of movie is romantic comedy and this fits right in. It's the story of Jenna, a 13 year old in the 80s, who wishes that she was 30- and her wish is granted. This is a great movie on so many levels- first, it has Jennifer Garner as a believable 13 year old in a 30 year old's body, second Mark Ruffalo is great- I really like him. Great 80s music and music videos (it shows my age that I remember MTV as a great video channel- what happened?)- this is a great fun movie. And, Steve and the boys really liked it (Josh liked it the best.)

Happy Memorial Day- for those of you counting- I have 7 days left of school- June 4th is going to be a very emotional day- Josh's last day of elementary school!

New American Idol

2008-05-24T00:47:00.002-04:00

Yes- I'm a few days late- but I am so excited by this year's American Idol- kind of makes up for Chris Daughtry not winning in Season 5.
This is my favorite- when I realized just how good he was and how different from the rest of the bunch.

Movie Mondays

2008-05-19T17:50:00.003-04:00

So, I thought I'd start something new with my blog- Movie Mondays. I am the ultimate movie addict. I love all genres from drama to animation to romantic comedies. I thought I'd take this space to introduce you to some really awesome movies you may not know about! For my first entry, I would like to tell you about How To Steal A Million. This movie stars two of the great ones, Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. Audrey is the daughter of an art forger, who sells a forged Cellini sculpture to the Louvre. Peter appears to be a thief, so Audrey hires him to get the sculpture back before her father is discovered. It is a light, frothy, fun romp through 60s Paris. Watch it!

On a sad note, one of my shows that I really liked this season has been cancelled- Women's Murder Club. It had such potential, but I think the strike killed it. Oh well.......

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T18:16:00.002-04:00

My boys made today special as usual- Jake gave me a cookbook his class made, with his favorite recipe of mine in there- Queso. I was really surprised he didn't say Dump Cake, so I asked him that- his answer, "that's my recipe, not yours". I love how he thinks! Jake wrote a really funny acrostic poem with my name- my favorite line? "Grades papers positively, not like a man"- I bet Mr. Bryant (his language teacher loved that!). Yesterday, we went and bought my present- a Cuisinart Toaster/Convection Oven. I've wanted a convection oven for a long time, and this lets me get rid of the Black & Decker under the counter one I've had for almost fourteen years (wedding present). Isn't it a beauty???

I gave my mom her Mother's Day early- the complete Angel series- a show she loved. Now, Jake wants a copy. :-) To all you mothers out there, I hope you had a wonderful day!

Library of Memories

2008-04-20T16:57:00.003-04:00

As you know, I've been taking this class. Well, today I finished making the library albums and started deconstructing some of my earlier albums- I'm putting the layouts in my new albums. I really like how it's going! Also, I made a layout of my connections pictures- I like how it turned out.

Also, yesterday I got my April package from my SSC- I hope you're jealous of my goodies!!!

The Power of One

2008-04-19T23:28:00.002-04:00

Well, I was upset that I missed the Office on Thursday due to the awful weather. Then, I got angry Thursday night when Channel 5 said they weren't re-broadcasting. So, Friday, I went to their website and voiced my displeasure (I was diplomatic). Well.....when I got home from work yesterday and checked my home email....they had emailed me when they were going to broadcast it!!! Now, I realize a bunch of people probably also emailed, but still- I felt it was due to me! So....watched the episode today and it has to be one of the best!!!

Thank God it's Thursday

2008-04-17T19:11:00.001-04:00

It's been a really, really rough day.....thank God it's Thursday and another new Office!

The Office is Back!!!

2008-04-10T21:25:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to finally have new Office shows starting tonight- this video is hilarious- enjoy!!!!

Connections

2008-04-08T18:54:00.004-04:00

I had a really rough weekend- bad, bad headache on top of baseball and open house stuff. I've also gotten behind in my Library of Memories class I'm taking over at Big Picture Scrapbooking (by the way, this is an AWESOME class- it will change the way you think!). So, for the last few days, I've been trying to catch up. In lesson 3, you go through photos and find a connection- and I found these. The first picture is of the boys when Josh was about 7 and Jake was 4- his first year in T-ball. The second picture is from last year. Time really flies. I'm going to scrap these.

Christopher Walken

2008-03-22T18:38:00.000-04:00

Abhorsen Trilogy

2008-03-22T14:09:00.002-04:00

Over the past month, I have been reading a really unique trilogy. The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix is unlike anything I've read before. The first novel, Sabriel, concerns the young girl, Sabriel, and her search for her father, the Abhorsen- a magical man who helps the Dead rest in a world where the Dead come back to life and are on the side of Evil. The second novel, Lirael, concerns a different girl who doesn't fit in with the Clayr, a group of women who can See the future. The final novel, Abhorsen, is a continuation of the story begun in Lirael (which takes place 14 years after Sabriel) and culminates in a fight between good and evil.

These novels are pure fantasy. They are reminiscent of other novels, but are completely different from everything I've read. If you like fantasy, I highly suggest them.

Poor Emmy

2008-03-12T20:34:00.002-05:00

Emmy got sick last week and this past weekend, broke her arm at her elbow! She blacked out in the bathroom (dehydrated) and hit it. She's fine now, but I know she has to be hurting. I can't even go visit, because I have so much going on this week. At least next week is Spring Break- maybe I can go spend time with her then. Em- if you are reading this- know that I am praying for you and hoping you heal quickly. I'll bring Coupling when I come over so we can laugh!

Green Belt

2008-02-29T23:32:00.001-05:00

We made our green belts tonight!!! So exciting---- I actually sparred (haven't done that in a while) and I broke two boards- one with an axe kick (a kick that you raise your leg above your head) and one with a hammer fist (bring your hand down like a hammer). I am so thrilled that I actually did a hand strike- who would've thought someone like me would now be 6 belts away from black belt???? My goal is to have my black belt (and lose a lot of weight) by my 20 year high school reunion.

Music and Lyrics

2008-02-29T23:29:00.003-05:00

A really quick post- have you seen this movie???? If you love the eighties, (and let's be honest, who doesn't???) This is one of my favorite Hugh Grant roles- he plays an 80's has-been singer from the group Pop! (think Wham!). Drew Barrymore is the neurotic girl who ends up helping him to write a song for a Britney lookalike. Cute, fun, light-- just the kind of movie I love (and the soundtrack is great- who knew Hugh Grant could sing???)

Favorite Shows

2008-02-20T17:40:00.002-05:00

I am currently enthralled by the new season of Project Runway- I so hope Chris pulls it off! This show fascinates me- I have watched all four seasons and can't wait for more. I bought Tim Gunn's book and it is great- it reads just like he sounds!

Top Chef will be returning after Project Runway- another big favorite of mine. This season will be in Chicago!

American Idol- a guilty pleasure. The boys love this show, so we have it set to tape all week. I'm personally pulling for Jason Castro. He's from the area where I live and one of my co-workers has played with him at a local church. I think he's very talented!

Finally, Steve and I have added a new show to our huge list- Eli Stone. If you haven't watched it, do! It is really good- and the acting is superb. It has my old favorite, Tom Cavanaugh, from Ed on there- so how can you go wrong?

Monkees

2008-02-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that, while in high school, I discovered the Monkees via MTV. In fact, my very first concert was a Monkees reunion concert at Arlington Stadium. I loved this show then, and still do. Micky was ALWAYS my favorite- still is. It is one of my mindless, guilty pleasures. When Steve and I were first married, I purchased all of the episodes on VHS. Recently, they were re-released on DVD in the coolest package- it looks like an old portable record player. Well, I had to have them, and now I'm selling my VHS on Amazon. My boys have discovered the Monkees now as well- so much fun!