Dec

Barely in time for Chanukah, but will arrive in plenty of time for those of you who celebrate XMas! %-)

Two versions … the collage went inside the handmade cards I made …

And this was the all-in-one that I sent to everyone else. No offense if you got this version … most people did! I only hand-make cards for family members … there are only so many hours in the day! I actually really like this one, and may do away with hand-made cards altogether next year.

Whatever you celebrate this time of year … Merry Everything!

  

Jan

This week’s topic is things I want to do in 2009. I like this better than the New Year’s Resolutions … ’cause they’re more specific, and they can just be for fun (which most of mine are).

1. Be a good coach – I got conned into coaching BOTH kids’ basketball teams this year! I have pretty low expectations performance-wise – only one kid on each team has ever played basketball before. My goal is to teach them to love the game, and hopefully make sure they know which goal is theirs! In all seriousness, my kids have played enough sports that I’ve seen a lot of coaches – some great, some absolutely awful. Even if I can’t be great, I hope I always am able to find something positive to say to each kid after the game, and to make sure they have fun, regardless of outcome.

2. Cosmo challenge – this one is for Craig, he knows what it means!

3. Watch either Kentucky or Vanderbilt win the NCAA championship – based on pre-conference play, this one doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell, but you gotta dream! In the case of Kentucky, a follow-up to this one is that I’d like to watch a press conference where the UK athletics director fires Billy Gillespie.

4. Go on another sisters weekend with my sisters – girls, we’ve been talking about this for TWO YEARS, we gotta get our acts together and just do it!

5. Enjoy celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary

6. Join (or start) a book club – again, this is something I’ve talked to several people about, and just need to get my act together and do!

7. Be better about keeping the web page/blog updated – Facebook is great, and I have been doing more of that, but I know some of you want more details!

8. Go somewhere I’ve never been – that’s on my list every year!

9. Submit at least 5 papers for publication, and two grant proposals – need to kick my work up into a higher gear, and now’s the time.

10. Have a Passover seder or Rosh Hashanah dinner at my house – we have gotten out of the habit of entertaining, but I really like having people over, and holidays are an easy way to get back into that groove.

Will try to check back in over the course of the year to see how well I do!

  

May

Haha

Craig turned 50 yesterday! The kids and I planned an adventure-filled day with him … 50 things to celebrate being 50. The day started with a special breakfast we made, but the breakfast was at 7:00, so we could make an 8am soccer game! The day improved dramatically after that!

I made a photo-blog of his day: http://www.teamkirith.net/TeamKirith_Tidbits/Craigs_50th_Birthday.html

By the way, to those of you who sent in your “Craig’s List”. Those were the highlight of his day!!! He got tears in his eyes when he read them.

  

Dec

1. Get in shape.
2. Be more organized.
3. Be more patient.
4. Be more productive.
5. Do a better job of staying in touch with people.
6. Focus more on spirituality.
7. Read more novels.
8. Walk at least 10,000 steps each day.
9. Get more scrapbooking done.
10. Make fewer resolutions…

Notice how not many of them are tangible, measureable, etc. This pretty much means they’re doomed to fail! %-)

  

Dec

Disclaimer: I do not celebrate Christmas, so, if my list seems a little jaded, that’s probably why. Oh, and also, I’m grading exams…

1. To be allowed to vandalize at will the property of any individual who feels the need to put his/her Christmas lights up right after Halloween and leave them up until Valentine’s Day.
2. For Christmas to become VASTLY less commercial and all-pervasive in our too-materialistic culture (and, yes, this applies to me, too).
3. For my children to stop thinking Santa Claus is a cool concept.
4. For my children to stop telling other children that there is no Santa Claus – not that I care, but it tends to make the other kids’ parents angry! %-)
5. For the radio station here that plays non-stop Christmas carols from December 1 – December 25th to go out of business.
6. For the colors red and green to never be displayed together again – seriously, who thought up this color combination?!!
7. For people to stop thinking that if they use the word “holiday” instead of “Christmas”, it makes everything okay.
8. For anyone who fights with another human over the right to buy a toy to be permanently barred from all public establishments for the rest of their natural lives.
9. For no child who celebrates Christmas to be without a gift on Christmas day, no matter how small – never is the vast gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” in our society more pronounced than at this time of year.
10. For people in my tradition to stop feeling like Chanukah has to compete with Christmas.

Now, lest anyone reading this think I am a total ogre, here is a list of things I actually LIKE about Christmas:
1. The lights – they’re beautiful, even when left up (way) too long.
2. Mistletoe – what a very cool concept (moreso when I was single, but still…
3. Extended shopping hours at all my favorite stores.
4. Parties, parties, and more parties – I love dressing up!
5. The semester ending – I love my “holiday” break!
6. Sales, sales, and more sales – combined with #3 (above), this can’t be beat!
7. The fact that people at least pretend to be nicer and more giving than at other times during the year.
8. The weather – crisp, cool air, and (sometimes) snow. Fabulous in a place where people often have run their air conditioners 10 months out of the year!
9. It is near Chanukah, which is a wonderful holiday.
10. Did I mention the sales? %-)

Oh, and while I’m on a list-fest, I’ll go along with the spirit of how this week’s Ten on Tuesday was intended, and list out the actual gifts I want for Chanukah (yes, in my house we *do* allow the holiday to compete with Christmas, even though we grumble about it! %-). This is the actual list I sent to my husband – we’ll see how it turns out. Chanukah begins this year on Christmas, which is kind of weird. Anyway, here goes:

1. A cute little carrying thing-y for my iPod: http://www.myrebe.com/shopexd.asp?id=271# . I like the blue and pink ones, or the purple.

2. There’s never enough scrapbook stuff! This is a link to my friend Lola & Kathy’s store: http://www.scrappuccino.net/ . A gift certificate from there would be awesome! If you want to get specific things, I’d like the new Simple Scrapbooks guide to digital scrapbooking, the Adirondack alcohol inks, a melting pot, …

3. Almost anything from this website: http://dontblamemeivoted4kerry.com/.

4. A massage (or spa package! from Blue River Canyon.

5. A small copper saute pan for making sauces: http://www.creativecookware.com/copper_sauce_pans.htm . Amazon.com, William Sonoma, etc. also carry these.

6. A real Kitchen Aid mixer. I specifically want the one that is copper & chrome. I’ve been coveting this forever! http://ww1.williams-sonoma.com/cat/pip.cfm

7. A mother/child necklace. There’s two that I like, I’m linking to both. In either case, remember, two kids!

http://www.redenvelope.com/re/gifts/product_display/product_information.jsp?nc=6198&BV_SessionID=@@@@0259775088.1134274519@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdaddghdgegjfcefecefedfgfdfmf.0&refPg=%2fproduct_display%2fgift_results.jsp&bct2=shops&bcp2=1&bcm2=1%24%24-8193&bct4=jewelry+%2B+accessories&bcp4=3&bcm4=1%24%24-8203&bct5=necklaces&bcp5=4&bcm5=29$$%2Fshops%2Fjewelry+%2B+accessories%2Fnecklaces@@30$$-10310@@35$$10310&catOid=-10310&oid=12564072&nc2=1

http://www.personalizedboutique.com/charms.html (go down to the “family pendant”)

8. A crepe pan, it needs to be made of steel to be authentic! Interestingly, the steel ones are also less expensive than the fancy ones. %-) They’re cheap enough you might be able to spring for a crepe cookbook, too: http://fantes.com/crepe.htm .

9. The new iPod alarm clock. Here it is at SmallDog’s new iPod site: http://www.podjungle.com/product/36220 . Also, I want the windshield mount thing-y from there, too!

10. Last but not least, I *still* want the bath caddy I’ve been asking for *forEVER*!!! They have it at Bed, Bath & Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13382999&RN=182 .

  

Oct

I have a love/hate relationship with scary movies – I am absolutely addicted to watching them, but I do get scared very easily. So in listing out “scariest movies I’ve ever seen” for this week’s challenge, these are actually movies that haunt me, truly. I’ve watched each of these movies over and over again, but always with my eyes covered during the scary parts!

1. Nightmare on Elm Street – honestly, the part where the kids are singing the song “one, two, Freddie’s coming for you…” makes my blood run cold. Even typing that scared me! Not the whole movie, but somehow that particular part just totally creeps me out.

2. Halloween – the first true boogeyman, and still the best; the scene where he stands up behind Laurie in the closet – yikes!

3. Rosemary’s Baby – amazingly well-made…the tension builds & builds…even though you suspect, you still can’t believe it in the end

4. Scream – refreshing take on the whole genre, offers some genuine twists; I STILL can’t watch this movie alone

5. The Omen – the scene with the nannie hanging herself saying “Damien, it’s all for you”; again, I start tripping just thinking about it.

6. Alien – enough said. AWESOME movie, start to finish. The monster was amazing, and it was so refreshing to see a heroine do more than scream; Sigourney Weaver kicks serious butt!

7. Deliverance – yeah, this is why I’m a city girl…

8. Jaws – again, kind of quintessential scary movie thing, and of course the music…

9. Misery – who knew having someone adore you could suck SO MUCH?!!

10. Carrie – okay, high school might’ve been bad, but it couldn’t POSSIBLY have sucked for you as much as it did for poor Carrie; I know the end is supposed to be the worst part, but the scene in the beginning where she gets her period and all the other girls make fun of her…THAT is horrifying

11. Open Water – truly, worst nightmare. I think the anticipation would kill me way before a shark did!

12. Pet Cemetary – the book is WAY more scrary than the movie, but the kid turning psycho and the ending where the wife comes back…very wacked

13. Poltergeist – this one, I don’t even know why, but it totally creeps me out

14. The Shining – okay really only the “All work and no play…” thing, but still, imagine if that were YOUR husband?!!

15. Single White Female – imitation sometimes is NOT flattery, not by a mile

16. The Vanishing – BURIED ALIVE?!! (obviously, my claustrophobic tendencies come out here)

17. Urban Legends – I know, I know, not a great quality film, but the IDEA of it, someone taking urban legends and making them real, and just seeing images of all those campfire stories you’ve heard over the years … very, very creepy.

18. The Last Supper – scary because it is probably everyone’s potential

19. Saved! – given the current cultural climate, this movie is in NO way funny to me, just very VERY frightening

20. Child’s Play – I’m ashamed to admit it, but it’s true…Chucky scared me

21. The Hitcher – THIS what your mom meant when she warned you not to talk to strangers…

22. A Clockwork Orange – disturbing both because of the initial violence itself, but also because of the “reform”; it’s too believable that our society would end up here.

23. The Amityville Horror – the original, not the remake! The idea that evil voices could come out of nowhere and turn you into a murderer … very not cool to an 7 year old girl!

24. Helter Skelter – I saw this as TV miniseries when I was a kid, it totally terrified me. I’ve been skeptical of hippies ever since!

25. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest – scary commentary on society, especially given the political climate these days.

I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t consider Seven, or Silence of the Lambs scary – just very intensely suspensful. Psycho – same thing. Also, Excorcist doesn’t scare me, just really weird. I should also note that I have never seen “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”, “The Thing”, or “The Ring”.

By the way – my kids were so adorable tonight! Sami was a fairy princess and Eli was Micky Mouse.

  

Jan

Happy 2002, everyone!!! What a long, strange 10 (and a half, but who’s counting? %-) months it has been since Sami was born! I have no real excuse for why we haven’t kept the web page more up to date…we just haven’t. Yes, we’re busy, but so is everyone else, right? Anyway, one of our New Year’s resolutions is to stay in better touch with people. So, here goes…

Rather than try to go back and re-create the last few months, we’ll just jump right into where we are now. Sami is growing like a weed – 98% for her age in height! She also has an amazing disposition. People tell me that you have to have two kids before you start really believing in personality; I didn’t, Sami made a believer out of me all by herself. She is *so* much nicer and more plesant than either Craig or me!!! Clearly, her personality is *not* something she inherited from us – she is her own person! She is constantly smiling, even when she’s sick. And when she gets upset about something, she can be cheered up pretty rapidly, and is smiling again before we know it. She loves to dance, and she’s very into anything that makes noise. She is right on the cusp of being able to walk – she “cruises” (walking holding on to furniture) constantly, and she likes to hold our hands and walk across the floor. She can also stand without holding onto anything for about 30 seconds or so now. But, she hasn’t quite gotten brave enough to take that first step. As for talking, there is some debate among us – Craig thinks she is talking already (“mama”, “dada”, and “byebye”), but I still think it is wishful thinking on his part. She understands a lot of words now, but I haven’t heard her say any. Wanna guess what her first word will be? Vote in our Sami’s 1st Word poll!

Okay, time to take a break and go watch Survivor (yes, we are still TV addicts). More later…

  

Dec

I am now 30 years old. I still can’t quite believe it – not so very long ago I though that was *so* old. Actually, I still do think 30 is old – thus the problem. I’ve been dreading this for months (maybe even *years* , and now it has finally happened. Even now that I’ve had a couple of days to get used to it, I still haven’t.

Let’s start with the positive – how did I “celebrate”? First, Craig’s family sent me a *beautiful* bunch of flowers, which was awfully nice of them since when Kathi turned 40 last year, we sent her black roses! The flowers arrived just before Craig and I left for a little get-away, so we took them with us. We went to my parents’ house and spent a fun night playing the new game “Moods” with my parents, Dayna, and her boyfriend Ben. This game is hysterical, and if you’ve never played it we can all *highly* recommend it! The next day, Craig gave me my present a bit early – an exquisite necklace with 3 diamonds, representing the past, present and future. Then we went to BelTerra, a resort/casino near where my parents live for two nights. Terra and her boyfriend Chris joined us on the first night, and we had a fabulous dinner at the steakhouse in the resort. I played a little blackjack, and won about 60 bucks, and we all stayed up late having fun. The next day was the eve of my birthday, and we had brunch with Terra and Chris, then they headed back and Craig sent me to the spa – hydrotherapy, a facial, and a massage…DIVINE!!! That night we had dinner in the seafood restaurant, which was also really good. Played some more blackjack (won about $50 this time), and had a few too many Cape Codders (cranberry/vodka), increasing in number as midnight approached. Craig was very supportive, especially in my endeavors to drown my sorrows! %-) The next morning we slept late, then gorged ourselves on the brunch buffet before going back to my parents’ house. Sami was glad to see us, but she had (of course) been fine while we were gone. Since my dad is working nights again, we all had a late lunch together to celebrate my birthday before he went to work, then played “Moods” again that night (though it wasn’t nearly as funny without my dad, who was truly awful at it! %-).

Now we’re home. All in all, it was one of the best birthday celebrations I’ve ever had! Still, now I am thirty. To really depress myself, I made a list of things I always thought I would’ve accomplished by the time I turned 30, but that turned out to not be so bad, since I had actually done many of them. Then, to amuse myself, I made a list of 30 ways to celebrate being 30 (all of which I’m DETERMINED to do before the year is out). I was going to make a list of 30 things I’ve done that I never thought I would but, well, most of them weren’t really for public consumption! I did include a couple at the bottom of the other lists and made an “On Turning 30″ page.

After all that, I felt a little better. Craig is (naturally) mystified by why turning 30 bothers me so much, since his view is that you either get older or you die, getting older being the preferred choice. I can’t explain it, really – it just feels like suddenly my youth is gone. But, there’s something to be said for having a bit of maturity and a little more perspective. Right?!! %-)