swagger wagon

Need I say more?? :p

not a mundane monday

The kids favorite auntie is here. She flew in last night and will be here all summer. She also came bearing treats:


Jo-Jo cookies from Trader Joe's. Their Uncle C brought those cute t-shirts from Salem. She also brought me my favorite Trader Joe's Mango Passion Granola. Why, oh why does TJ's insist on staying away from Utah?!?! Ugh. With gifts this morning and then a trip to the park with their favorite auntie, today is definitely not a mundane Monday.

fanatical friday

This clip from Father of the Bride has to be one of the best moments in movies ever. No one else could've played a better over-the-top father of a daughter whose wedding is upcoming and is slowly unraveling at the seams. Who else could've delivered the line "...so I am removing the superfluous buns!" better??! Enjoy.

a picture of strength

This picture was taken over a year ago. She has accomplished so much but since has been through the ringer. After her second surgery yesterday I am more and more convinced she is one tough cookie. She is my hero. Love you, mom! Soon enough she will be hiking all the trails in the valley and enjoying the pain-free life she has always literally dreamed of.

favorite children's books

I have shared that The Wizard of Oz is Mi-mi's favorite movie. So I decided to take it one step further and start reading the book to them every night.

A friend shared an article about a father who started to read chapter books together when she was young and what an impression that made on her. Though the kids are still really young, I thought we could start with a story both already know. Well, at least I thought they knew. The movie and the book are two totally different stories. Yes, the main characters are still the same but there is so much more to the story than the movie portrays. It has been fun to read and compare. But the most important is how much the kids look forward to reading it. They never forget where we left off and are always anxious for the next installment. I am sure this is something we will continue and soon they will be able to help choose the books we will read. Any suggestions on what we should read next??

snl weekly

The endeavor of a group on Facebook to have Betty White host SNL came to fruition this last weekend and I'm so glad it did! SNL has been slagging a bit and to not only have Betty White host but to have cameos by some of the greats was fantastic! The whole combination made for one of the best shows in a while. Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Mya Rudolph, Molly Shannon and Rachel Dratch really need to just return to SNL all together. I didn't realize how much I have missed them! Betty White brought a new flavor to SNL and shook things up a bit. It just goes to show that no matter how old you are, comedy is still alive and kickin'. If you happened to miss this particular SNL, stop what you are doing right now and watch it. Here is a skit that was left on the cutting room floor and I'm sad because I LOVED Amy Poehler and Mya Rudolph together. They were always so so funny together. This is just a dress rehearsal but worthy of being seen.

fanatical friday

Christian has two new movies coming out and another in production. I am so excited to see him again on the big screen that I want to dedicate my fanatical Friday post to him.

First up:
The Fighter

Christian Bale plays Dickie Eklund, a talented fighter turned criminal who turns his life around by training his younger brother, played by Mark Wahlberg, and puts him on the road to the world championship. Yes, that is Christian Bale on the left. The role required him to lose lots of weight, not as much as The Machinist, thankfully. But it seems he has this weight-loss thing down pat.

Second:
Batman 3

Yes, Michael Keaton was a great Batman but he pales in comparison to Bale's portrayal of the winged superhero. Set to release in 2012, it is already rumored that Johnny Depp will take on the role of The Riddler. Jim Carrey eat your heart out!

Another Terminator movie is in the works at the moment and Christian is said to reprise his role as John Connor. I will admit I'm not SO excited about this one but still, it's Christian. Do you know what I would wish (besides a meet-and-greet with Christian)? I am hoping he will tackle a period piece type of movie. No one could've portrayed a better broken-hearted Laurie in Little Women or a young German stuck in Hitler's world, who happens to love American swing music in Swing Kids. Please, please tackle another role similar to these; something with a little more depth than worrying about Skynet and its demise over a futuristic world where machines take over.

The End.

blessings

These pictures are a good example of what kind of relationship Mo and Mi-mi have. They get along so well and Mo loves being a big brother. He loves helping out his little sister. Most of the time she will go to him for help instead of coming to the husband or I. Yes, they do have their days but for the most part, they are the best of friends. It makes me so happy and I pray their relationship will always be that way.

not a mundane monday

Even though the weather outside is less than agreeable, inside we are keeping warm and having fun:





For Christmas I got a KitchenAid mixer. January 1 I took it over to my mother-in-laws house and had her teach me how to make bread. I have not been successful in my previous attempts and was an anxious learner. I am proud to announce that I have been baking bread ever since and I find myself still surprised when it turns out. I had a couple of very scarring experiences before. Plus, they grind the wheat for me and happily share it. I couldn't ask for a better set-up.

I love being able to bake bread and have the kids in the other room coloring and entertaining themselves. And staying in our jammy's well into the late morning.

Not a mundane Monday at our house.  :p

home

It was tough to say goodbye. One never knows how much time will pass between visits. It had been so long since I last saw these cheeky nutters and I definitely don't wish for that to be repeated. As you have seen in my travelogues, I had an amazing time and truly lived it up while I was there. I did so much in such a short period of time but it was only a fraction of what England has to offer. Hopefully I will be able to return sooner rather than later and maybe the husband will be able to join me. If I let him...  ;)

Here I am saying my goodbyes:




I just realized the excess of make-up I had on that morning gives me away. I was a bit nervous about the impending flight and transfer. Plus my bags were stuffed to the brim with souvenirs and goodies. 50% of my carry-on was HobNobs, Digestives and Cadbury sweets. Do you know how much all of that weighs? Was it worth the sweat and stress of making it fit in those 5x5 overhead bins? A resounding yalp! (YES!)

After my goodbyes, I was then on my own to get to the tube station and ride back to the airport. I honestly wasn't worried except that when I stepped outside it was pouring rain. Guess who came to the counrty of rain minus an umbrella? I waited at my sister's flat for as long as I could and even debated hailing a cabbie. The expense would've been too much. So rain it was and I made a run for it. 15 minutes and a gallon of water later, I was at the tube and sitting uncomfortably wet on my train. I somewhat dried by the time I got to the terminal. I met up with my good friend, who was also flying out that day on business. We chatted it up for a bit and he was even nice enough to buy me a hot cocoa to warm me up. I soon was on my plane and headed back to the good ol' US of A.

The husband and kids were excited to see me. I was sure they were having as much fun as I was and they had forgotten I was even gone. Of course they weren't really looking forward to having me be home to ruin their fun. But they did miss me and couldn't wait for me to come back.

Mo said, "You said you were going on a trip but didn't say you would be gone that long!"

It is always fun to see their reactions; realize how much I am loved and was missed! As a surprise and a welcome home present, the husband cleaned the whole house and even did the laundry. It was the best present! For me, doing laundry is a nine-step process:

1. moaning and murmuring
2. separate the clothes and start the washer
3. putting said clothes in the washer and then whining because of the strain on my arms
4. waiting 30 minutes for the clothes to finish washing and "accidentally forgetting" I even put clothes in
5. moving said clothes to the the dryer 2 1/2 hours later and then moaning because of the strain on my arms AND my back
6. very patiently wait for the clothes to dry and pat myself on the back for actually finishing a load
7. next day, toss it in a basket where it waits patiently to be folded
8. survey load of un-washed clothes waiting to be clean and debate on whether or not my arms and back can handle the strain
9. decide there are more pressing household duties that cannot wait and resign to attempting another load of laundry tomorrow

As you can see, the fact he folded all the clothes AND put them away made my heart skip-a-beat. Obviously it doesn't take much to impress me! No fancy diamonds or presents need apply. Just fold the laundry and put it away...I'm yours!! Well...and a trip to London but we can discuss that later...  ;)

Here are the kids with their loot:


Dear England,
Do you miss me yet? I sure miss you. I don't miss the rain and cold. And constantly being cold. But I do miss you.
P.S. I am fresh out of chocolate covered Digestives and Maltesers. Care to hook me up? I knew I could count on you. Cheers!