Tuesday, March 17, 2009

fotodialer

My parents and nephew are in this commercial -- and my niece and her kids are in the others.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Sorry!

I have a confession to make:  I have a problem --- a subscription addiction.  I like to subscribe to magazines.  I  have willpower when the cost is exorbitant, but when I start getting offers for $20 for two years or even $7 for one, well then, I think, I can certainly splurge a little bit and spend seven measly dollars!  I love when a new issue arrives in the mailbox.  The cover is shiny and the binding smooth.  The front picture is always an enticing picture of what the coming months will bring -- September and October with pumpkins and gourds; November bedecked with Christmas trees and garlands; December and January full of organizational tips and helps for fulfilling resolutions;  February and March bring hope of Spring....  aaah.  I love to wait for a quiet moment to curl up in a chair and wade leisurely through the pages.  Slowly and carefully I read each sentence then close my eyes and think of how I could translate it to my house.  Often, I excitedly pull out a page or two thinking how fun it would be to make flower arrangements with the girls or make a yummy dessert with Charles.  Somewhere along the way, however, my problem has turned into a PROBLEM and I have piles of magazines everywhere!    Literally years worth.  I do not have time to curl up in said chair and I certainly do not have time to do anything slowly and carefully.  No sooner do I bring a fresh magazine up to my bedroom then the baby has viciously torn the lovely cover in two and then without a pause he heartlessly turns to the back as well.  Who wants to read a limp, old, crumply mess anyway?  So in an effort to stem the clutter and stop the tide of mail, catch up on the piles I already have and turn my attention to more important things, I, with extreme self-control and utmost effort, have refused the renewal notices coldheartedly.  I turn my back on them and say, "No!"  Last year, I stopped my subscription to House and Garden and it has gone out of business.  I stopped my subscription to Home and it has gone out of business.   I stopped my subscription to Country Home and it has gone out of business.  I stopped my subscription to Cottage Living, a publication full of great ideas for my lovely, old house, and it has gone out of business.  I stopped my subscription to Domino, a wonderful new magazine that I really enjoyed,  and --  it has gone out of business!  I just wanted to take a break, regroup, and so forth.  I was considering subscribing again at a later date.  I thought it was fine for other people to be reading them while I wasn't.  I felt secure knowing they were in the world somewhere if I needed them.   I had no idea the impact my decisions had on the world, but it looks as if I have single-handedly toppled the magazine industry!  And I feel kind of bad about it.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

#942

It is 21˚ outside. Reason #942 for being a teensy bit tired of winter:

Not seeing nearly enough of these beauties! (the legs, not the diapers as lovely as they may be)















And I think they are the cat's meow!

And another pic just because he is gorgeous.



Monday, March 9, 2009

Think Spring

We had a flower birthday party for Lucy last weekend. I kept putting off journaling about it because my computer was upstairs and as we well know, my camera couldn't make the trek that far to upload the photos, and the photos were a must. We gave everyone a flower to put in their hair at the door, painted flowers on t-shirts, ate flower-shaped sandwiches, and decorated flowery cupcakes because we just cannot wait for Spring! When Lulu first mentioned that she wanted to have a party we were sitting on the floor of her bedroom surrounded by the superabundant, overflowing amounts of recreational matter that fills said chamber. It is completely and utterly ridiculous how much stuff they have! It is difficult for us to get rid of it because the girls really do play with all of it. They need to have 25 dolls because they regularly hold church services and want to have a sizable congregation. They need to have one cupboard full of Polly Pockets because they set up an entire amusement park on a regular basis. They even need 5,678 stuffed animals so they can have a fully attended school. I groaned as I imagined even more toys marching into my house hidden inside brightly colored gift bags. "Could we please have a party without any presents?" I asked tentatively. "Maybe we could even ask them to bring something for someone else that doesn't have anything?" I thought this would be a hard sell, but to my surprise, she immediately said, "Sure!" And never looked back. We had fun getting everything ready for that part before the party and then between all of the flower activities we spent some time putting together hygiene kits to give to a local shelter. They all really got into it! It was strange going straight to the candle blowing without any present opening and I must admit that I was really second-guessing myself that whole afternoon. How could I take away the best part of a birthday party from a nine year old? After it was all over, I asked her, "Was it okay that you didn't get any presents?" She quickly replied, "Oh, I liked it better that way. I really love to give things to other people. It was like Christmas!" Christmas?  I thought that was about getting gifts, too.  Apparently it is about giving.  How marvelous!  I often think that I don't deserve my kids.




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