Me...some more Me...and a little more me. (blame Melinda)

That funny lady, Melinda, from across the bloggy world at Bloggin' It From the 'Burbs is demanding that I tell you more about myself.  I'm not sure if I like her anymore.

Let it begin...

What's your current obsession?  Birds!  in design, that is.  I don't have much love for actual birds...you read about why here.

What's your weirdest obsession?  Stuff in my toes!  I've been a toe-picker since I was a kid...and apparently i've passed it to my kids, because both Ethan and Hannah will stop in the middle of a crowd to pick a blade of grass out from beneath their toes.  How come neurotic is a genetic trait?

What are you wearing today?  Uh...HULLO!  SWEATPANTS!!  You think the title is for kicks?

Why is today special?  Marty's off!  Yay!  

What would you like to learn to do?  The worm.  You know, the break-dance move where you gyrate your body across the floor, thus imitating a worm?  That would be sweet.

What's the last thing you bought?  A new handheld vacuum.  I killed our other one.  Apparently 6 years of repeatedly sucking up everything known to man and rarely taking the time to empty it will do that.  I blame my kids.  

What are you listening to right now?  America's Next Top Model.  I'm a little ashamed of admitting that.

What's your favorite weather? Sunny, 65-70 (light sweater, jeans, and flip flop weather)

What's your most challenging goal right now?  Losing this fat surrounding my stomach, and butt, and thighs.  Funny how I have ample fat in my butt, but none in my bra.  Figures.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?  Melinda is HI-larious.  Her pictures are lovely, her blogging is real without being dull, and she seems like a top-notch gal.  

What's your favorite guilty pleasure?  Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Eggs.  It is a seriously good thing that those are only around at Easter time.

Favorite vacation spot?  I bet it would be Disney World...but since we've actually not been as a family...I'll pick Colorado.  I lurve Colorado.  (even those tree-hugging liberals)

What would you like to have in your hands right now?  My new little niece Hazel.  And an iPod Touch.  And a Mac Mini.  and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Egg.  (If I had little Hazel in my arms I totally wouldn't even be thinking of any of that other stuff.  Except the egg.  It is forever on my mind.)

What would you like to get rid of?  The bumps in my carpet...we seriously need to have it stretched.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?  Well, I'm hungry, so James Coney Island in Houston, Tx.  Oh sweet chili-cheese coney, how I love and miss you.

What language do you want to learn?  I'd like to learn English well enough to beat my friend Trista at Scrabble on Facebook.  (and I majored in it...not good, people).

What super power would you like to possess?  The ability to create time.  (I can already destroy it...I'm a chronic procrastinator)

What your favorite thing about the city you live in?  I seriously never in a million years thought I'd say this...but...I like the small-town feel with the big-city advantages.  I grew up in Houston, so I'm used to everything being very close.  Owasso is close enough to be bearable...but I've learned to enjoy the quiet pace of life.

What's your favorite piece of clothing in your closet?  My scarfs.  I'm totally into the "wrap a scarf around your neck regardless of the weather" trend.  It makes me feel sophisticated.

What's your dream job?  Supreme Court Justice.  It's been a dream of mine since High School.

If you had $150 now what would you spend it on?   I'd save it towards my Mac Mini.  

Do you admire anyone's style?  I know I sound like a total copycat here...but Audrey Hepburn as well.  I also love Coco Chanel and Reese Witherspoon.

Describe your personal style.  I'm a jeans girl.  I like jeans with flip flops in the spring/summer.  Jeans with cute flats for Piggies&Paws galleries.  Jeans with red high-heels for nights out (yeah, like that ever happens).  

Who's fashion show would you want tickets to?  Vera Wang.  I've a weak spot for wedding dresses.

Who's closet would you like to raid?  Reese Witherspoon!

What are you most proud of?  My husband and kids.

If you could choose one person who had passed to have lunch with who would it be and why?  My great aunt Vel.  I just want to see her again.

RULES:  If you're tagged...get to answering!  Copy the questions and tag some of your friends just to tick them off!!

1. The Froggy Bottom Blog

2.  Hautemama of 2

3.  {let my lifesong sing}

4.  Keeping up with the Wedemeyer's

5.  Dawn's Diversions

I'm in a baby kinda mood

Little Miss Hazel's arrival has put me into high spirits!  And since I like to share the mood...

She's Heeereee!

Everyone (or, like, the 5 of you who actually read this blog), I'd like to introduce you to my new favorite little niece.  This girl is going to be getting a buttload of cute little shoes from her Aunt Julep!  

Isn't she sweet?  Hazel Eveline...born early this morning...8 lbs 14 oz.  

*sigh* I think my ovaries just skipped a beat.  Can't you just smell her head from here?  And just look at the armpit fat...ughhhhh.  That's my favorite fat on a baby.  Oh, and the thigh fat....the thigh fat is the sole reason we even have two children.  Once you squeeze it, you just never can fully recover.

That's my lovely sis-in-law Amy with little H.  

And do you remember me telling you how cool my brother, Dennis, is?  Well...here's more proof.  When Isaac was born (the adorable boy below), Dennis designed shirts for everyone that said "I like Ike".  We wore them at the hospital when he was born.  

For Hazel...he really outdid himself.  The shirt is below, on my ridiculously cute nephew...

Oh yes...I'm definitely a Hazel Nut.  And I'm going to get my butt to Dallas asap to see her!

Potty Training a Boy: AKA "Adventures in Hilarity"

So we've started really focusing on potty-training Ethan, who will be 3 in about a month-and-a-half.  For the past few months we've been laying the ground work:  talking about the poo and the pee a lot; making him tell us everytime he poo's or pee's in his diaper; and telling him that, even though he was allowed to poo and pee in his diaper, he is only allowed to do so IN the bathroom, because that is the ONLY room any of us poo or pee in.  He's been very willing, surprisingly enough, and we often see him make a beeline for the bathroom, hear him do some grunting, and then return to the living room to say to all of us "I pee'd.  Change me."  

By golly, I think he's ready.

So tonight he was in "big-boy underwears" for a while.  Spiderman ones.  At one point in the evening, Marty looked Ethan in the eye and said: 

"You better not pee on Spiderman.  He'll get mad and fling his spidey-webs at you.  (cue re-enactment of Spidey flinging webs from his wrists, complete with detailed sound-effects.)

And I tell you what...I haven't seen Ethan freaked out by a comment like that in a good while.  He stared at Marty for a while, then down at the Spiderman graphic on his crotch, then back up at Marty.  

"I-I-I-I not pee on Spiderman.  I not.  I no want his webs." 

He then looks down and addresses his crotch..."No Pee...no webs."

MQ Answer

Yesterday's quote is from...you guessed it...FINDING NEMO!  And to truly get the effect of how funny this quote is...please enjoy the video below...

MQ...and this one's tough

Allright...today's is a toughie...but it's one of my favorite things to say (just ask Marty). 

Here we go...

"Manna from Heaven! Sweet nectar of life!!"

Good luck...you're gonna need it!

MQ Answer

I just looooooove this movie.  My dear friend Julia (when together we would hold two fingers by the upper right portion of our foreheads and say with excitement 'Jules Squared') loved this movie with a passion...and as we would watch it together, we'd QUOTE THE WHOLE MOVIE!  I'm sure it drove everyone around us mad.  

Such a great story...Netflix it if you haven't seen it.  

MQ

Today's quote: 

"Have fun storming the castle!"

Now...Impress me!

MQ Answer

Take your pick!  The overwhelming number of answers were for Spiderman...which is correct!  But, if you were thinking that MAYBE that quote could have come from somewhere else...You're also right!  This quote has been in Spiderman, X-Men, and Bruce Almighty.  

But who first said this quote?  

Winston Churchill once said (in a minor, mostly unknown speech) "The price of greatness is responsibility."  However, he isn't the originator of this quote.  Want to know who is?  He's a good friend of mine...smart guy, funny, imaginative...

Jesus said in Luke 12:48 "For to whom much is given, much shall be required."  

That Jesus...man...talk about 'before-his-time'!   I just love that guy.

MQ

Today's movie quote is.....

"With great power, comes great responsibility"

Leave your answers in the comment section!

The Sign of the Cross

*The following is from Charles Stanley's Pathways to His Presence Devotional series*

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

Crosses.  We see them dangling from people's necklaces, on car bumpers, and printed on T-shirts and coffee cups.  Crosses are everywhere.  The Christian cross is such a familiar symbol that we can easily trivialize its significance.  But it's what took place there--the death of Jesus--that lays the foundation for the Christian faith.

At the center of our faith is the cross.  It is symbolic of the place where Jesus forever changed history, the place where our sin was forgiven.  The cross and the death that occurred there bring life, joy, and hope.  In Mark 10:45, Jesus said that He came to serve, not to be served.  Jesus' death on the cross was the place in history where the debt for sin was paid in full.  God demanded retribution for the sins of the world, and Jesus paid for them in one act with His own life.  

For all the signs and wonders that Jesus did while He walked on earth, it was what He did hanging from the cross that brought about the beautiful gift of salvation, which isn't limited to just a few, but is available to all.

When we think upon the Cross, we should do so with great awe and reverence.  It is the heartbeat of our faith, the place where our sins were paid in full by the most sacrificial act ever done by one man.

"Sweetly Broken" by Jeremy riddle

To the cross I look, and to the cross I cling

Of its suffering I do drink

Of its work I do sing

for on it my Savior both bruised and crushed

Showed that God is love

And God is just

At the cross You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees, and I am

Lost for words, so lost in love,

I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life

Have I been given

Through Christ crucified

You've called me out of death

You've called me into life

And I was under Your wrath

Now though the cross I'm reconciled

At the cross you beckon me

Draw me gently to my knees, and I'm

Lost for words, so lost in love

Sweetly broken, Holy surrendered

In awe of the cross I must confess

How wondrous Your redeeming love and

How great is Your faithfulness

Good Friday

"Thief"

Third Day

I am a thief, I am a murderer

Walking up this lonely  hill

What have I done? I don't remember

No one knows just how I feel

and I know that my time is coming soon.

It's been so long, such a long time

since I've lived with peace and rest

Now I am here, my destination

I guess things work for the best

and I know that my time is coming soon

Who is this man? This man beside me

That they call the King of the Jews

They don't believe that He's the Messiah

But, somehow, I know it's true. 

And they laugh at Him in mockery,

and beat Him till he bleeds,

They nail Him to the rugged cross, 

And raise Him, they raise Him up next to me.

My time has come, I'm slowly fading

And I deserve what I receive

Jesus, when You are in Your kingdom,

Could you please remember me?

And He looks at me still holding on

and tears fall from His eyes

He says 'I tell the truth

Today, you will live with Me in paradise'

And I know that my time is coming soon

And I know that my time, my time is coming soon

And I know paradise...paradise is coming soon.

2 Reasons why I need a BB Gun NOW

It's Killing time here at the Colburn Household.  I am on the hunt for both feline and fowl...and blast if I won't shoot on sight.  

During the winter I noticed that some filthy, stinkin' cat had been using the kids sailboat sandbox as a litter box.  Just the other day I noticed that, apparently he has grown bored with the sand and has moved to crapping in my rubber mulch...MY EXPENSIVE RUBBER MULCH.  I promptly went out and bought some cat food and laced it, ever so carefully, with rat poison.  

Not really...but that only because I think pegging it with a BB gun would bring me worlds more satisfaction.  

And then today, after torrential rains, hazardous winds, and hail...my hubs came and got me from the office (where I'd been working on prints) to show me this:

At first I didn't know what he was trying to show me...until I saw the suspicious substance peeking from underneath the lid of the grill.  

What is that?  Does that belong in a grill?

Closer inspection confirmed my fears:

In case anyone is keeping tabs...I now hate Cats and Birds.  I now want to kill both the cat and the bird  that are trying to domesticate in my space.

And you know what?  I think it's some kind of conspiracy.  The Cat, got with the bird (showing great personal restraint, of course) and told him to help  in tormenting the human.

Cat:  Hello bird...you smell awfully nice. (salivating).  I've got a proposition for you.

Bird: (trembling in terror) Please don't eat me.

Cat:  The human that lives in this house has a short fuse, and it's a riot to see her all red-faced when she sees the lovely piles I've made in her sandbox and nice mulch.  

Bird: Please don't eat me.

Cat:  You could help me with my evil plot to bring about her ultimate demise.  Why don't you build your nest in the shiny silver object on the patio.  She's been very excited about the warmer weather...she seems to enjoy cooking things on it.  It would be such a wonderful surprise for her to see your nest built inside of it.   Oh...and please poop as much as birdly possible to make the cleanup absolute hell. 

ASPARAGUS: It's doesn't just make your pee stink...

Much thanks to my bloggy friend Melinda over at Bloggin' it from the 'Burbs for posting about this EXCEPTIONAL idea last week of using asparagus in a less-than-traditional way.  This was incredibly easy to do...and looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.  And I do say so.

I couldn't hunt down a rectangular vase at the Walmarts (all of the renovations they are doing to ours is driving me CUH-RAZY!)...so I just used a plain-jane circular one.  It doesn't work near as well as an angular one would...but it's alright.  

I got some Gerber Daisy's (my fav), and Tulips while I was at the store; Asparagus is on sale for Easter, so Jackpot!  And I used some stock ribbon I had in my office (it's a freakin' scrapbook store in there right now because of Mother's Day/Father's Day season for Piggies & Paws.)

You can get the instructions from Melinda's blog HERE.  And...oddly enough...I just noticed that we used the same ribbon on our arrangements!  Bizarro!   What is the saying?  Incredibly stylish rockin' moms with wonderful ideas and the ability to copy said ideas, think alike?!  I THINK SO!!

Do it.  Go gitcha some flowers and asparagus.

Goodbye, Goodbye, Walk away, it's time to say Goodbye

So, I don't know if anyone caught the ER Finale last Thursday, but I've been so weepy about the whole darn thing that I haven't been able to post about it until now.  

Well...not really.  But nearly.

I've watched ER since the Pilot episode 15 years ago.  15 Years, people!!  I was 11 when I first saw Carter, Benton, Lewis, Ross, Hathaway, and Greene.  What a show that was!  The excitement was palpable.  

It really was the show with everything going for it.  Spielberg was involved, Michael Crichton was the writer.  And not to mention to of the most important words in the English language:  George Clooney.

I consistently watched for the entire 15 years it was on the air.  It had ups and downs after the original season...but I continued to watch.  And now it's gone.  And I'm sad.

What on earth am I going to do at 9pm on Thursday nights?  It's like my standing date has suddenly upped and abandoned me.  I've been left sitting at the table staring at an appetizer I can't possibly finish by myself.  (I resort to food analogies when I get depressed).

Anyone else out there have an ER shaped hole in their chest?

(Psst...can anyone name the song/artist the title to this post belongs to?  Serious cool points to anyone who can.)

MQ Answer

Can you believe that The Little Mermaid is 20 years old this year??  I was 7 when this movie came out...and it is one of the few crisp and clear memories I have from my childhood.  I remember EVERYTHING...especially the fact that my Dad cried in the last scene of the movie.  You know...where Ariel kisses her Dad, King Triton, and says "I love you Daddy."  Cue theatrical music.  

He cried.  And if you know my Dad...he is SO not a crier.  Just not that type of man.

Neither is my Husband (though I've heard tell that he cried when he saw The Lion King.  It's one of the few triumphs of my life.)

MQ

What's this from?

"Now the snarfblatt dates back to prehysterical times when humans used to sit around and stare at each other all day.  Got very boring.  So they invented this snarfblatt to make fine music."

MQ Answer

*sigh*  

That's really all I can do when I think of this movie...*sigh*

I love every single thing about this movie.  EVERYTHING.  

If you haven't seen it...SEE IT NOW!  Especially if you have a mom.  So, like...that's everyone.

MQ

And without further ado...Today's quote:

"They should name a gender after you.  Looking at you doesn't do it, staring is the only way that makes sense.  And trying not to blink so you don't miss anything.  And all of that and you're YOU.  I mean...Look, forgive me.  It's just you are DROP DEAD, CRAZY GORGEOUS! So much so that I'm actually considering looking at you again before we finish up here."

MQ Answer

Bama Leigh and Melinda had it right!  The Usual Suspects was the movie quoted yesterday.  My favorite movie of all time...I love everything about it!  (well...maybe not the plethora of F-Bombs...but this movie is so good, it is incredibly easy for me to overlook them. )

If you haven't seen it, and you don't mind gratuitous language, and a little violence...Get it...and watch it.  And then thank me later.

New quote coming soon...