Self Portrait ... Sunday

Okay, it's been exactly a month since my last post. How awful is that? No matter. I need to focus on the future, not on the past.....
Here's the thing--my Mom said she enjoys reading updates on the kids and the family and my day-to-day life, but what she really looks forward to on my Blog is my actual "writing"... things I put down that are meant to either be me venting or something that's going to inspire you, Dear Reader, to think about whatever I have to say. Well, I don't know if I'm going to get anything so grand written down tonight, but I do mean to get on here and NOT do an update on family.
My cousin, Bridget, used to do weekly posts called "SPT", which I correctly guessed to stand for Self Portrait Tuesday. (Wasn't so hard to figure out after reading her blog a few weeks in a row, noticing that the first one was an actual physical picture of her, and the next two or three were very introspective.) I liked the idea, but have not ever really rolled with it myself. I think she was getting topic suggestions from someone else (I could research that a little further, but that'll be for another entry, if at all). Anyway, here's one I've kind of been thinking of for a while:

Several entries ago, I posted 100 Things About Jim (nice, mushy stuff about Jim) and I got great feedback on it! Before that, I'd posted My 100 Things (just general things about me). I was thinking I should post what I don't like/would change about myself. However, I felt that listing 100 of those things (though not necessarily hard to come up with!) would seem very self-deprecating. So I decided that coming up with ten would be both gentler to my self-esteem and easier on you, Dear Reader.

10 Things About Me That I Would Change
1. I would be more motivated, in general. I have a tendency to want to stay home, do as little as possible, nap frequently, not strive hard to accomplish anything. I could probably be classified as an underachiever.
2. I would listen more, rather than waiting for my turn to talk. Quite often, in little e-mail surveys, I list--as one of the things I dislike about myself--that I interrupt people. Along with that, even when I don't interrupt, I'll find that I'm just waiting my turn to speak, to insert my own little tidbit or anecdote, whether it's necessary or not. I wish I was better at simply listening to people speak and absorbing what they have to say.
3. I would lose weight. I know, the key is to eat healthfully, exercise, and be happy with who I am. But I'm being honest here--I'm happier when I'm thinner. Problem is, I've been quite a bit heavier than I'd like to be for enough time now that I worry my body is used to being this size. (Rationalize, rationalize, rationalize, right?) A big part of my problem is that, for YEARS, eating has been an emotional thing for me. Y'know the saying, "Some people eat to live, some people live to eat." I'm in the latter group. Exercising and eating well are definitely things I'm working on, but I'd like to be thinner, too. Plain and simple.
4. I would be less guarded. I know that sounds strange, considering I'm sitting here, opening myself up on a Blog for all to see. But I truly believe that I hold things back from people. I let them tell me all they want about what's going on in their lives (and seriously, I sometimes feel like I've got the word "shrink" tattooed on my forehead!), yet I rarely tell more than surface stuff about myself. I don't know why I'm like that. It's not like I have these major, dark secrets. I just don't always feel comfortable opening myself up to most people.
5. I would have a better balance of patience and loving firmness with my children. Sometimes, I feel like I can't say "no" to them ever. Yes, you can have a snack. Yes, I'll buy you a "treat-treat". Yes, you can watch TV. Blah, blah, blah. But then I feel like I fly off the handle over the tiniest little infractions. I feel almost mortally wounded when I "slave" over some new meal and nobody wants to eat it. I yell, I beg, I plead, I threaten, and nobody will eat it. Then I get super mad and start enforcing major punishments.... but I'M a picky eater--wouldn't you think I'd be more understanding when my kids don't like something? Things like that... I wish I was more patient, yet more consistent when enforcing rules.
6. I would have gotten a teacher's certificate when I was in college. How dumb was I? Majoring in English, but not going into Education? There was no law that said I'd HAVE to teach, but at least I could have put my degree to some use if I ever decided that I WANTED to!!! (But no-o-o-o, I was going to be "a writer". Wonderful.... How much have I written so far, ever? Nada! Zip! Zilch!) I realized about five years out of college that I would have maybe enjoyed teaching kids at the high school level, but by then it would've cost kind of a lot and taken another two years just to get a teacher's certificate. Dang-it!
7. I would have made more of the time I had in Chicago. Don't get me wrong--I had a great time when I was living there, and I feel like I benefited a lot from the experience. I saw a lot of cool stuff, I had a lot of wonderful visits from friends and family, I did things I would've never been able to do in Nebraska. But my whole reason for going--for joining VISTA--was to help others. I was put in a position where a VISTA volunteer was actually not needed. So rather than ask to transfer to a position where I could be helpful and useful, I just coasted. Sure, I did a few things at the counseling center I was assigned to, but it was mostly stuff like babysitting, re-vamping the resource library within the facility, attending meetings that I had really no business going to, and doing a bit of public speaking. I also watched a lot of movies when the boss was out and the other counselors were free, I wrote a lot of letters (this was before e-mail), I read a lot (well, I don't regret that--much of my reading was done on my commute), and I even took naps at work now and then. Neat. Real impressive. Why didn't I ask to be relocated so I could actually HELP somebody?
8. I would have stuck with band during my last year in high school, so that I could have tried out for the UNL marching band. I said that my reason for quitting was because the marching band didn't have clarinets and I hated playing alto sax (clarinets were added to the marching band, I believe during my sophomore year, but it could've been when I was a freshman), but the real reason I quit was because the new high school band teacher and I DID NOT get along. I should have sucked it up and continued on. If I didn't join the marching band, maybe I could have been in the symphony or something. I really miss playing now and I was really quite good, if I do say so myself.
9. I wouldn't have spent so much money on shoes. I know that sounds silly, but I didn't ever realize that a person's feet grow during/after pregnancy. Maybe it doesn't happen to all women, I don't know. But my feet grew after Lindsay was born--they grew a whole size! I had to get rid of over 30 pairs of shoes, and I was VERY into those shoes. I mean, I didn't spend $400 on Manolo Blahniks or anything, but still, I LOVED my shoes. Giving up that many shoes was painful!
10. I would have picked the right numbers on the Powerball when the jackpot was in the $300 million range. Tee! Hee! I'm mostly kidding. Obviously, we never have that kind of knowledge ahead of time. And what do I need with millions and millions of dollars? It would probably ruin me to have that much money. But it sure is fun to dream about, don't you agree?

Well, that's all I can come up with, luckily. I suppose I should have said I'd list nine things, but I enjoy putting that fluff one at the end.
By the way, I see that Bridget is still doing SPT... if you clicked on the link to her Blog (above) you'd see that too. Thanks, Bridget, for once again being my inspiration!
Until next time,
xoxo
tt

Candy Suicide

I've been eating way more of the kids' Halloween candy than I should. I'm trying to lose weight, for goodness' sake. Why do they throw all these FOOD holidays at us right when it gets so bloody cold outside that all I want to do is stay inside and nibble all day? It's just mean and inconsiderate. They don't have any sort of salad or crisp veggie holidays. No, it's got to be holidays were we focus first on candy (Halloween); then on turkey, potatoes & gravy, and PIE (Thanksgiving); then there's more candy, cakes, and cookies, cookies, COOKIES (Christmas)! Top it off with New Year's, where I'm tempted to drink myself into oblivion--those empty calories in booze are such a waste, and then I'm punished with a hangover?!? Forget it!

I've got to make a change. I had placed all of the girls' candy into a gallon Ziploc bag (which it filled, even after a week of all of us--minus Donovan--snarking away at it every chance we get), with the intention of hiding it somewhere, so it's out of my sight. The girls can still eat it, I just don't want it sitting out anymore. However, I did have to pull out a few pieces that I know the girls won't eat: Twizzlers, Butterfingers, Snickers, Baby Ruths, etc. Those, I hid in a different spot. And I ask myself, why? I mean, it's not like I won't know where THOSE are! Why bother hiding them? In fact, why don't I just eat them right now? In FACT, why don't I just eat it ALL right now! Just open the hatch and dump ALL of the candy in, barely take time to even chew it. Eat all of the stuff in one sitting, so that I get so completely sick, barf my guts out, and then I'll never want to touch a single piece of candy again. It's the perfect plan! Of course, I may die doing it, but is Candy Suicide such a bad way to go?

I am way behind on blogging now. I can't even believe it. I'm hoping I'll add an entry today and then maybe do some catch-up entries in the next couple of days

Let's see.....

Lindsay just wrapped up her season of Girls on the Run. It was two months of training, finishing up Sunday with a 5K. She ran in the Pumpkin Run a few weeks before, and that was 1 mile, which was the furthest she'd ever run. So Sunday, doing a 5K (3.1 miles, I believe), it was a huge deal. Yes, she did walk a bit, but she ran a good chunk of it, finished and got an awesome medal! Jim ran with her, and I'm glad he did! We're both so proud of her!!!

Girls on the Run

Pumpkin Run
Josie is almost catching up to Lindsay already in the reading department. She reads everything she can get her hands on, provided the words aren't longer than four letters! It's especially nice when she reads Donovan's board books to him, like "Baby, Come to Church" and "How Do Dinasaours Clean Their Rooms?" We just got done with Fall Break, and Josie was lucky enough to have TWO playdates with her friend Olivia! She's a great friend! We also decorated pumpkins, did our annual Boo at the Zoo, and went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch, near Omaha.

Lindsay, Josie & Olivia

Lindsay & Josie with their Jack-o-Lanterns

Josie (vampiress), cousin Corbin (ninja), Donovan (vampire), cousin Sara (pirate), and Lindsay (demon)

At the Pumpkin Patch--the girls love these faceless frame things!

Donovan, my 10-month-old boy (can you believe he's that old already?) is now walking, as of last week -- when he was still only 9-months-old. It's a Tibbels Family Record! (At least, for THIS Tibbels family!) He's got four teeth showing through very well, and there are about three or four more trying to poke through. I weaned him to formula about two months ago, which was great for both of us! He weaned himself off the pacifier not long after, as it bothered his sore gums. (Great--one less task for Mommy and Daddy!) Aside from walking all over the house and chewing on everything, our latest challenge is dealing with severe diaper rash. Josie had problems with it when she was a baby, and we discovered it was because she could only handle a certain brand of diapers. I'm thinking that's the same problem with D--so far, it seems to be better if we stick with Pampers Cruisers (no Luvs, no Huggies, no Pampers Baby Dry, NO Target brand, which is what started the whole problem!). Like Josie's way back then, Aquaphor won't clear it up. Neither will Desitin, Arbonne's Diaper Rash Cream, or even the all-powerful Boudreaux's Butt Paste (which we all love simply for the name). Actually, the latter three are all zinc-oxide based, and Aquaphor and Eucerin are both petrolium jelly based. The only thing I've found to work is scorched or fried flour. It worked on Josie, and it's slowly working on the boy, as well. (Baking soda baths, and then letting him air dry for a while, helps.)

Goin' commando!

Little vampire

Other than that, we're just gearing up for Halloween, then looking forward to Thanksgiving, our niece's wedding, Christmas, Donovan's 1st birthday, etc., etc. Hope this autumn is going well for you all and that it's just as beautiful where you are as it is here for us!

Game Face

I can't seem to keep up with all the pictures we've been taking lately! And I'm definitely having a hard time just keeping up on current events. The girls are enjoying school--Lindsay's in 3rd grade, which seems to be much harder, but I think she's adapting well--Josie's in 1st grade, so it's her first time going all day, every day...she seems to love it! Lindsay is in Girls on the Run this fall (she'll end up participating in a 5k road race!), and she'll be starting this year's session of Brownies soon. Josie just got signed up for her own Brownie troop earlier this week, so hopefully, she'll start going to her own meetings soon! Keep us in mind when you're looking for Girl Scout cookies!!! Both girls also got to be "cheerleaders for a day" when they participated in a Booster Bash for Southeast High School (where they'll eventually go).

Lindsay is standing, 2nd from left.

Josie's sitting, far right.

Meanwhile, Donovan is growing, as they say, like a weed! He's only got two teeth right now, but I believe he's got a couple more coming in--he drools absolute buckets every day, and when he eats, he sometimes has a hard time with it, though I can tell he's hungry. Poor guy! He crawls very quickly--he's into everything--and he is already trying to walk along by holding onto furniture or someone's hands. He's long and (cough) full of muscles! We haven't decided yet if he's going to play football for the Huskers, or if he'll go off to Chicago to play baseball for the Cubs! Either way, he's a winner in our book!

First Day of School

Donovan and the girls, ready for the first day of school! Lindsay's going into 3rd Grade and Josie's going into 1st Grade. They're so excited--and Donovan's excited about 'alone time' with Mommy!

New Hairdo's

Here are a couple of pictures, in the last days of summer, with the girls in their long hair. They're both sporting some new outfits, as well. While they couldn't wait for school to begin, they were more excited about chopping off their long hair and going "short". I made an appointment with my hairdresser of about fifteen years, Wendy. The girls have gone with me several times when I've gotten my own hair done--Wendy's salon is in her house. So the girls got ready.....

...and off we went to their first hair appointment....

The result..... Simply STUNNING!!!

Thanks, Wendy! You did a great job, as always!!!

You WIENER!!!

Back when my oldest, Lindsay, was a baby, we were taking her to my sister-in-law's for daycare. It was a fantastic arrangement! Lindsay got to spend time with her godmother and cousins, we got a very good price on daycare, and we were so very comfortable with how our baby was being taken care of while we were at work. I remember when Lindsay was approaching her 1st birthday, Jim asked Mary (my sister-in-law) how we were supposed to get her to stop taking her bottle (we had switched from breastmilk to formula around 5 months, seemingly with no problems). Mary replied, "You wean her!" like it should be obvious. (Really, it should have been, but we were new at parenting and hadn't probably put much thought into it.) At first, Jim and I looked at each other with perplexed expressions. "Wiener?" we asked Mary. "No, no, no. You WEAN her." Oh... we got it then. But we've always loved remembering how we'd thought she had called Jim a wiener.

I'm just getting ready to try weaning Donovan from breastmilk to formula. I honestly don't remember having problems doing that with Lindsay, and it was actually a good thing for both Josie and me (we made the switch when she was five weeks old--breastfeeding didn't go well with her). However, I've gone much longer with Donovan, so I'm a little nervous that he's going to resist it.

It just seems to be the right time for me, though. We're going to Canada in about a month, and I think it'll be easier to have him on formula. I know--logically, you'd think it'd make more sense to keep him on breastmilk, since I have that with me wherever I go. But D has become a very, um, sensitive eater. He's very particular about his surroundings when he nurses. If the setting isn't exactly perfect--quiet, comfortable positioning, zero distractions--he gets fussy, doesn't stay latched on, cries and squirms, and ultimately, he bites. I really don't want to mess with any of that (especially being bitten) on an airplane, so I'm hoping to get him to take a bottle with ease before that. Plus, I've got a few physical reasons why it'd be a good time to wean him from breastmilk.

I'm not ready to wean him 100%, and he's not ready for that either. But I am thinking about that "wiener" comment a lot anyway. It helps me make light of the situation when I start getting stressed out. Thanks, Mary!

The Pope-a... he's a-so nice-a!

I had kind of an interesting experience yesterday and today: apparently, there was a rather major announcement made by the Pope, to the effect that Jesus established "only one Church". My old friend from high school, Jill (with whom I've only just recently re-established contact), sent me an e-mail, saying, "I just wanted to ask you a question since I know you are still Catholic. Do you believe what the pope is saying here? Just interested in your take on this article. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19692094/"

I clicked on the link and tried to read the article. To be honest, I found it somewhat cryptic. So I asked Jim what he thought, and he agreed that it's not the best written article ever... it's not very clear.

This morning, I got up bright and early to do my usual daily workout, and I spent an hour researching this article and formulating an answer, instead. Here's what I wrote back to my friend:
Wow--you really gave me some food for thought!
1.) The article you linked me to is a bit confusing... it was poorly written, in my opinion (and hubby's--I asked him for feedback, to see if it was just me having a hard time with it, and he agreed). I mean, it's hard to understand, from this particular article, what exactly is being talked about. What did the Pope actually say? What's the actual point of the article? I did a little research to see if I could find more info on what was being discussed, but in a little more clear language. Here's a link to what I found:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070710-1255-pope-otherchristians.html

And I like the language of this article even better--I feel it's even more clear: http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=24660

2.) You asked me if I "believe what the Pope is saying here", and what my "take" on it is. I guess I'm assuming you mean, do I agree with the Pope? (You said, since I'm "still Catholic".) Based off of my understanding of the articles I've read (the one you sent me and the ones I've linked above), then yes, I agree with the main point of discussion: I agree that the Catholic Church is the "one, true Church". Obviously, it's not THE ONLY Church out there; rather, it is the one church founded by Jesus Christ himself. To my knowledge (based largely off of my Catholic school education), other churches basically split away from the Catholic Church and its exact teachings when they (the newly split churches) came up with teachings (or perhaps practices) they preferred. Yet the Catholic Church remains the "one, true Church" in that it is (and always will be) the ONLY church Jesus himself founded, directly through St. Peter. Any other Christian Church was founded by someone, years later, who was not an apostle of Christ, living and breathing during Christ's time, following Jesus' direct instructions. Know what I mean?

3.) I feel it's important to note that there is clarification in all three articles (it's best explained in the 2nd link I've added, I believe) that the Pope is not saying other churches aren't valid. The word "ecumenical" is thrown around a lot, and I'm embarrassed to say, I had to look it up. I wasn't sure what it meant (actually, I didn't know at all what it meant). Here's what I found:
ecumenical
1. general; universal.
2. pertaining to the whole Christian church.
3. promoting or fostering Christian unity throughout the world.
4. of or pertaining to a movement (ecumenical movement), esp. among Protestant groups since the 1800s, aimed at achieving universal Christian unity and church union through international interdenominational organizations that cooperate on matters of mutual concern.
5. interreligious or interdenominational: an ecumenical marriage.
6. including or containing a mixture of diverse elements or styles; mixed: an ecumenical meal of German, Italian, and Chinese dishes.

Ecumenical, then, as I understand it, means trying to be inclusive of all Christian churches.
The Pope was basically clarifying, in his statement yesterday, that while the other Christian churches out there are valid and are viable means for attaining salvation, there is only one Catholic (i.e. established by Christ himself) Church. So while "ecumenical dialogue remains one of the priorities of the Catholic Church" (i.e. the Catholic Church wants to be on the same page as other Christian churches, basically), such dialogue must be founded on "not just mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith" (i.e. we've got to recognize that Catholicism was the only religion/church actually founded by Christ himself).

4.) I do agree with this and believe this all to be true--I agree that the Catholic Church is the one, true Church, in that it is the only one founded by Christ. However, I agree, as well, that members of other Christian faiths may still obtain salvation. It seemed, when I was growing up, that there was a misunderstanding about this, and most of my childhood priests taught that only Catholics would get into Heaven--the articles above clarify that the Pope is debunking that idea... however, I do feel that he's implying that, while non-Catholics can get into Heaven, their best path would be through the Catholic Church, since that was the Church founded by Christ--after all, who would have a better idea of how to get there? And we know that the Pope is infallible in matters of the Church, so his teaching or directives with regards to the Church must be true and accurate.

5.) What do YOU believe? What is YOUR take? You make it clear to me that you're not "still Catholic" and I believe your MySpace said something about you being "Christian - other". Does that mean you've switched to some Protestant church? (Presbyterian? Lutheran? Methodist?) Or have you been "Born Again"? Let me know where you are with all this--I'm intrigued. The only other friend of mine who has left the Catholic Church, but remains Christian, considers herself "born again". (I think, for her, she's got an even stronger Faith than she did as a Catholic.)

Anyone out there reading this, I'd be interested in what you have to say. I haven't gotten my response back, yet, from Jill. I would love to know what any of you think, as well. I am definitely no expert, and I'm basically just regurgitating back what I've read online, with my own opinions thrown in for good measure. Still, it's fun to hear other people's opinions... Either leave me a post or e-mail me. Thanks! -tt

p.s. I want to clarify that the MSNBC article omitted part of the statement that was made, thereby making the Pope sound as if he's completely excluding other Churches. Please be sure to read all three of the articles I've linked, as the verbage is a bit different in each. Also, as Jim pointed out (and as each article states, I believe) this statement by the Pope is basically just clarifying what was stated in Vatican II forty years ago--he didn't just all of a sudden come up with this stuff yesterday, or even back in June. Rather, he's clarifying a point that was made years ago. Again, I welcome any comments--this is interesting to me! :) -t

Addendum to Concert List

I missed a concert--figured I would. Anyway, I'll add it to the real list, if you're interested in going through the archives to see the whole thing. The concert I'd forgotten (go figure) was Aldo Nova, here in Lincoln. Don't know who opened. Probably nobody. I just remember the one song Aldo Nova was famous for: Fantasy.

Interesting side note: Take a look at "Aldo Nova". Drop the first two letters of his name and add the letter 'n', and you've got MY SON'S name! Isn't it amazing that I forgot about this concert? I mean, seriously--Donovan is on my mind all the time--you'd think Aldo Nova would've been the first concert I'd have remembered! Sheesh! :)

Turn Around, Bright Eyes

I heard "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler the other day, and I had to laugh. Well, for one thing, it makes me think of the way it was 'covered' during the wedding scene in the movie "Old School". Hilarious! But it's funny to me, too, how I actually enjoy hearing that song just because it's so old and it takes me back to when it came out (1983). It got me thinking about how certain songs will stir up whole memories.... like this song: we went to spend a weekend, as we often did, at my Grandma's in Columbus. A lot of times our parents coordinated those weekends so that we'd be there at the same time as my cousin Bridget's family. I loved that, because Bridget and I really had a good time hanging out. (Can't say how much fun it was for my older brother or her younger sister, and my little brother and her littlest sister were just toddlers back then, so they wouldn't probably care as long as they were fed and entertained.) Anyway, "Total Eclipse" reminds me of one of those weekends, because Bridget was way into that song, and I hated it--I was into Michael Jackson and "Thriller" at the time. (I know, I know.) So all weekend long, she kept singing that song (or maybe even playing a cassette tape of it?), and it was driving me nuts. I just thought "turn around bright eyes" was especially creepy because of Bonnie Tyler's wacky eyes and how they looked kind of spooky in the video. Well, we ended up all getting stranded at Grandma's for an extra two days because of this horrendous blizzard! I know it probably drove all the grown-ups nuts, just because the house wasn't that big, and a weekend was usually enough time to spend together as it was. (Or maybe it was just the fact that the beer usually ran out by Sunday afternoon, and our folks couldn't go get any more!) But I was especially going crazy, hearing that song over and over and over again for an extra two days! It was fun, though, playing in the snow at Grandma's house and calling in to school from Columbus, telling them we weren't coming, etc. Quite the adventure.

Another, similar memory, also involves Columbus, strangely enough. I told Jim the other day, as we heard the tail end of "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent on the radio, that the song reminds me of one trip we made to Columbus, for my family's bi-annual (is that the right word? every other year?) family reunion. After that reunion, we were going to continue on to Norfolk, where we'd spend the rest of the weekend at Jim's folks' house. The fun (I use that word lightly) thing was, Jim was DJ'ing at the time (weddings, mostly), and he'd agreed to do a wedding for some friends of his family. So, in order to do the dance, he had to bring all the stereo equipment, speakers, lights, crates of CD's, etc., in his little Mazda 323 all the way from Lincoln. The car was about as big as a bathtub, so that meant he had to pack the stuff in part of the way, then have me get into the front seat, then pack the rest of the stuff around me. I'd gone to a few dances of his in Lincoln that way, and it was just kind of funny. (I imagine it was even funnier for someone on the "outside" to see me climbing out of that car after he'd partially unpacked it.) But for the two hour ride from Lincoln to Columbus for this family reunion (the last weekend of July was when they always have it, and Jim's car either didn't have AC, or it didn't work very well), it was not particularly comfortable. We spent a few hours in Columbus, outside in the heat at that park by the river, then he packed me back into the car with the stereo equipment, etc., and we went the rest of the way to Norfolk. We heard "Stranglehold" on the way to Columbus--I think it was on a tape Jim had made, because I remember hearing it again on the way to Norfolk. I don't remember the trip back from Norfolk to Lincoln... I just remember the trip up there. It was not exactly pleasant, but considering all the stuff we have to pack nowadays for kids, it wasn't that bad. (Of course, I don't have a ton of equipment on my lap and poking me in the back and all around my legs, etc., but still... it still seemed quicker, to me, packing and unpacking all that stuff, versus packing stuff for our kids!)

That's all--no pix this time, just a goofy post. C'ya! -t

Can't Get You Outa My Head

Okay, that's a song by Kylie Minogue, but the song that's really stuck in my head right now (and will probably be stuck in yours as soon as you read this) is the song "I Love Trash" by Oscar the Grouch. "Oh I LOVE trash... anything dirty or dingy or dusty... anything ragged or rotten or rusty... I love it because it's trash!" I've been dubbing some old VHS tapes onto DVD, and I recorded an old Sesame Street video (their 25th Anniversary--guess when THAT came out!) for Donovan... thus, that song has been in and out of my head for a few days now.

I guess I was thinking of Oscar's song now because I look around the TV room in our basement as I type this, and I see little bits of paper strewn all over the place, magic markers with their lids off, and a few stray pieces of Scotch tape lying about--then I look up on my computer desk and see the stack of printer paper is quickly dwindling... These are all things I've been scolding the girls about lately--when they use their "safety scissors" to cut, they either cut up a million pieces of paper and then leave them, or SOMEbody decides it's time to cut their clothes, their blankets, pillows, etc. Ditto for magic markers. And I've had to replace more rolls of Scotch tape and printer paper in the last year, just because of my little artists. I shouldn't complain, though. I guess, when it's a rainy day and they can't go swimming or to the park or the zoo, I should just be glad they're not beating each other up. (At least, not until about 8:15 tonight--then they finally let loose on that, too!) I came down here at one point today, to download the 12 pictures from our camera that we'd taken yesterday and a few days ago... there were actually 110 pictures on my camera!!! I'd say at least five of them were of the TV (Max and Ruby was on at the time, I believe), a couple were of the insides of the girls' mouths (what is THAT all about), and then we had a few pictures of the afore-mentioned artwork.... Mostly, though, were self-portraits. The girls have learned to take pictures of themselves, in addition to taking them of each other. I hate to discourage this for three reasons: one, it kept them busy; two, with a digital camera, I don't mind them taking all the pictures they want--I keep a few and delete the rest (like those inside-of-the-mouth ones!); and three, a few of them are actually kind of neat, in an abstract/artsy way. Here are a couple I like:

Josie's chin and neck.

Josie's toes.

The Play-Doh tub.

Magic marker tower (with the top of Lindsay's head... for perspective?).

Some of the pictures they have taken in the past are actually quite good, I think, as far as being creative, etc. It's just the weeding out process that's a little tedious.

I can't sign off without adding a few nice ones of my babes, though. (The ones of the girls are self portraits.)

Lindsay's Self Portrait.

Josie's self portrait--there were actually a few that were cooler, but this was the only one of her smiling.

Donovan says, "Mommy, come over here--see, I saved you a seat!"

Playing catch-up!

I am SO far behind on my blogging, it's not even funny. I'm going to make an attempt to get everything into one blog. (Just a few things I've been wanting to put in here, that is.) And then I'll do another one tomorrow or sometime soon with more current stuff.


First is Bunko. (I really prefer to spell it B-U-N-C-O, but everyone else I know writes it B-U-N-K-O, so I'm going for consistency.... not like it matters.) I absolutely LOVE playing Bunko. I may have mentioned that in a previous blog entry--not sure. The time before last (this would have been the April game), our hostess decided to go with a Luau theme. It was such a riot! She was brilliant about it, too, because she even took pictures. I was especially excited, because I got my sister-in-law, Anne, to come join me as a sub, and she even won a little $$$ that night!!! We had such a great time!

Anita after getting BUNKO!

The money coral.

Here I am with my winning BUNKO.

Vicki's hula dance. (Are those coconuts a bra? Or shoulder pads?)

Trish doing the hula. (Notice how well the coconuts fit her!)

The following month, May, I got two BUNKO's in a row, followed immediately by a Baby BUNKO. I was so pumped, I about jumped off my chair! Can't wait to roll 'em again!!!

The other thing I wanted to mention was Lindsay's Brownie Tea Party. Her Brownie Leaders, bless their hearts, came up with the coolest activities for their troop this year. I should know--I was a troop leader last year! It's tough, not just spending an hour and a half with 11 or so screaming, giggling girls, but also coming up with new and exciting ways to entertain them while earning Try-It patches. Anyway, to celebrate their great year and to hold an awards ceremony, Marcy and Karla (the leaders) came up with the idea of an old fashioned Tea Party. Mothers and grandmothers of the Brownies were invited. Both my Mom and Jim's Mom came, which was so nice. A few of us wore hats, and we were all dressed up prettily. I even saw one woman wearing gloves. (Die hard Tea Partier!!!) At the Tea Party, we all got to do a craft, along with chatting it up with our table-mates, taking a few pictures, and watching the awards ceremony. I think both of Lindsay's grandmothers enjoyed themselves--I surely did!

Isn't she lovely?

Donna, Tracy, Lindsay, and Kay.

We had a great Mother-Daughter day! Thanks, Lindsay!

Perfume

I just HAVE to post something about perfumes. My very dear friend, Jodi, makes her own perfumes and has started selling them. Actually, she's been selling them for a while. She made one for me, gosh, almost two years ago now, when she was first starting out. She just gave me one of those little sample tubes (like you can get at Dillards or Younkers, etc.). I used it once in a while, then I forgot about it. I found it again about six months ago, rolling around in the back of my drawer. Jim loved it as much as I did. So I ordered some more from Jodi. She made me a nice sized bottle of it, and I just LOVE it!!! It's not something I wear all the time, as I like to savor and enjoy it. (I'm the kind of person who wears a different perfume every day, depending on my mood--only on Fridays do I wear the same thing for sure--and as you know, that would be Patchouli.) But when I do put on my new fragrance from Jodi, I am always surprised by how delightful it is! I wish you would check out her site (click on the picture), as she's got some interesting scents available. Her prices are fantastic, too!

Concerts

I'm not much into the "self portrait" thing that some folks are doing on their blogs these days. But I did do a little introspection over the past few weeks or so, and I've come up with a list of concerts I've been to over the years. I challenged my brother, Kyle, to tell me which ones he'd been to, and he was disappointed to come up way shorter than I did. (Seems natural to me, considering how many years I've got on him!) He said he figured he was probably forgetting some... well, duh! I wouldn't be surprised if I was forgetting a couple as well. Check out my list, and you'll see why I could forget some. I doubt if my list is the longest ever--there are many people out there who've been to more than me. What I find amusing is the dichotomy there--from Nitzer Ebb (sort of dark, industrial/techno with electric drums) to Carmen (hard-core born-again Christian artist--I was "lucky" enough to witness someone speaking in tongues at that concert, they were so moved by it... Yikes!). Anyway, if anyone out there wants to list theirs, please let me know so I can check it out! (Oh, and by the way, I had originally NOT put numbers by the concerts and I had originally listed each artist/band separately, but my brother didn't think that was fair, as it made it look like more concerts! Tee! hee! I still have about 30 on him!)

These are not necessarily in chronological order... I'm doing my best to list them as I saw them, but it's a little fuzzy anymore! They're listed with the Headliner first, followed by the opening band(s)... if there's no opening band(s) listed, there either weren't any or I can't remember who opened for the Headliner.
1) RATT, Poison- Omaha

2) The Beastie Boys, Fishbone - Lincoln

3) Iron Maiden - Omaha

4) Great White - Omaha

5 & 6) AC/DC (twice) - Omaha

7) Motley Crue - Omaha

8) Bon Jovi - Omaha

9) The Rolling Stones, Living Color - Ames, IA

10 & 11) R.E.M. (twice) - Lincoln, Omaha

12) George Thorogood & the Delaware Destroyers, Brian Setzer - Omaha

13) Dee Lite - Omaha

14) The Smithereens - Omaha

15) Modern English - Omaha

16) Acapella - Omaha

17) Carmen - Omaha

18) Hat Trick, Zwarte - Omaha

19 & 20) Nine Inch Nails (twice) - Omaha

21 & 22) Cheap Trick (twice) - Kearney, NE and Lincoln

23) The B-52's, Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers - Kansas City, MO

24 & 25) Indigo Girls (twice) - Valparaiso, IN, and Lincoln

26) David Bowie - Denver

27) Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb - Denver

28) Depeche Mode - Chicago

29) U2 - Ames, IA

30) New Order - Chicago

31) Duran Duran, Terrance Trent D'Arby - Chicago

32) Sting - Denver

33) Prince - Chicago

34) Grateful Dead, Sting (this is hilarious--NOBODY went into the arena until Sting was about 3/4 of the way through his performance!!! What a riot!) - Chicago

35) INXS - Chicago

36) The Millions - Lincoln

37) Melissa Etheridge, Matthew Sweet - Ames, IA

38) Matthew Sweet, The Millions, Lie Awake - Omaha

39) Allman Brothers Band, Rusted Root - Lincoln

40) Pink Floyd - Kansas City, MO

41) The Eagles - Kansas City, MO

42) Huey Lewis and the News - Kansas City, MO

43) Crosby, Stills & Nash - Omaha

44) White Zombie - Omaha

45) Son Seals - Lincoln

46) Steely Dan - Kansas City, MO

47) Violent Femmes, 311 - Omaha

48) KISS - Omaha

49) KC and the Sunshine Band - Lincoln

50) Smoke Ring - Lincoln

51) James Taylor - Lincoln

52) Joan Jett - Lincoln

53) Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Average White Band (AWB) - Omaha

54) Pat Benatar - Lincoln

55) Aldo Nova - Lincoln (actually went to this concert way before a bunch of these, but I don't want to mess with bumping all the numbers down!)

55) Smoke Ring - Norfolk, NE

Another bunch of fun mail!

The other day, this batch of movies came. In case you can't read them all, they're "The Warriors", "Jaws", "My Fair Lady", "Caddyshack", "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", "Twister", and "Over the Hedge". All but two of these movies are DVD replacements for movies we had on VHS. "The Warriors" and "Over the Hedge" are new to us. I've been a member of Columbia House for years, and have been such a "great customer" that they let me cancel my old membership and start a new one--the point being, I got six movies for $.49 each, no S&H charge, plus one of the first movies to fulfill my requirement was only $9.99. I'm a total bargain shopper! The whole lot of them ended up costing just over $12!!! That's mail I LOVE getting!!!

Here's a book Bridget had said she'd pass on to me. I know I'll see her Saturday when she's in town for the marathon, but I'm thinking she sent it in the mail simply because she's got a great appreciation for fun mail--and I'm still riding off the high I got from the last fun mail she sent me! **First one who posts a comment or e-mails me that they'd like to read it after me, it's yours!**

The book Bridget sent will fit right in with what I've been reading lately. For Christmas, Jim got me a Chick Lit desk calender--it's got excerpts from all these fun chick lit books (an example is the one sampled for today, "What a Girl Wants"). It's one of the best Christmas gifts I have ever gotten! I've been checking a bunch of these books out from the library, though my library doesn't carry them all. The book Bridget sent me isn't one of the books they profile in this calendar, so it's a bonus--plus, it arrived just as I'm about to finish my current book. Thanks, Bridget!!!

Benefit for Don Sohl

Last night, we were in Norfolk to go to a benefit for Don Sohl. We knew that SmokeRing would be there to perform, and despite the fact that there would be no Hupp representation IN the band, we had to go! We knew we'd be seeing our good friends, Brad & Michelle, and we hoped to see Dave & Joey as well. The bonus was running into several of MY family members! Here's a great picture of me with my cousin, Terry, just before he decided to call my Dad and tell him we were together. (Sounds kind of like something Jim would do!)

Me with my cousin, Terry.

Brad, Dave, Joey and Jim.

Dave, Jim, and Brad.

One of the biggest attractions of the night was Max Carl (formerly Max Gronenthal). He's originally from Nebraska, but he went on to superstardom! (He LOOKS like a superstar, doesn't he?) He played for a while with .38 Special (among other bands) and even wrote and sang their only #1 hit, "Second Chance". He's currently with Grand Funk Railroad, but clearly, he's not above coming back for special occasions in Nebraska.

Max Carl with Brad.

Brad won a bid on a guitar, and he was having several musicians of the night sign it. Here he is, getting Max Carl's autograph.