Gobble Gobble

Today I am thankful for my little turkeys and my sweet hubby. Thank you Blogger.com for being an outlet for expression and a place to capture memories...like Dylan's Thanksgiving pre-school production.

The following song (to the tune of I'm a Little Teacup) has been sung in our home 50 million times...

I'm a little turkey fluffy and brown. My feathers flip flop as I turn around. I've got lots of feathers on my back and a big orange beak that goes clip clap. Gobble Gobble!

Steppin' Out with My Hubby

Today marks a day in our family history. My husband went Christmas shopping with me! We didn't get it all done, but that's o.k. I enjoyed his company and appreciated his opinion.

I figured since he took a leap I should do the same and let him choose lunch. Being the loving, thankful wife that I am I compromised my health and ate at Five Guys. I feel like a huge grease ball but my cheese burger sure was scrumptious.

We also have different tastes in music so we took turns (fought) over the car radio. Hubby wanted to listen to his favorite jam bands like Phish and Yonder Mt. String Band that play 40 day long songs. I was hoping for more poppier (is that a word?) tunes from the likes of Alicia Keys and Jason Mraz. However, there was one music genre upon which we agreed...OLD SCHOOL RAP!

Sirius Radio has a great station called BackSpin that plays Biz Markie, Digital Underground, Warren G., Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre, etc. Oh, yeah...it took us back and we sung out loud like no one was watching...until we approached a stoplight and then we toned it down a bit.

My charming other half still knows every word to Humpty Dance. Impressive, huh? This is definitely one shopping trip that will go down in the books..."Stop what your doin' 'cause I'm about to ruin the image and the style that you're used to."

This and That

Sweet little faces are snoozing away in my bedroom. I wonder what they are dreaming.

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The hustle of the holiday season has begun and I pray to remember to take deep breaths and enjoy it all. Usually I am done Christmas shopping by now but not this year. I guess having two children makes it tougher.

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We had a BIG weekend. It started with Dylan's preschool Thanksgiving party. He was a cute turkey and lunch was fun. Old family friends spent Friday and Saturday nights with us. Saturday we shopped and dined out. It was nostalgic catching up and in perfect timing with the holidays. Sunday we went to church and then lunch at Grandma's. Hmmm, bbq chicken, potato salad, deviled eggs, collards, hush puppies, slaw, and 50 million desserts. Can't beat it! We were too full to eat supper so we watched Alvin and The Chipmunks and popped popcorn.

It's Snowing!

My husband, also known as The Weather Dork, jumped out of bed this morning at the first sound that our son was awake. This action is very rare...but he knew the possibility of winter precipitation.

As if he had won the lottery he bounced back into the bedroom. "Look Girlfriend," he said as he pulled open the blinds. "It's snowing!"

Thoughts of hibernation and the good-life of bears loomed under my comforter. Ahhh. Sleep all winter. How dreamy!

His excitement then spread to our son like a bad cold...then to our baby. Our household had the unstoppable "It's Snowing!" energy before 7AM.

Hot cocoa anyone?

Cloud Nine

Still basking in my delightful weekend without kids I've taken a new approach to housework. I'm not going to do any. O.K., that's a big fat lie but I'm not going to feel guilty if it doesn't get done today or even tomorrow. I'm going to switch that guilt to writing. If I don't write something I may just be slightly disappointed in myself.

I'll leave the window for writing very wide, as not to be too drastic. Hopefully I'll free write or work on a poem everyday but a blog, letter, or long email will allow me to at least check it off my list.

A great point was made at the writing conference...
"You make the effort to exercise your body why wouldn't you take the time to exercise your creative self?"

Amen.

Writing and More Writing

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the NC Writers' Network 2008 Fall Conference. I was in over my head, for sure, but luckily they provided life jackets...the bright orange ones that you feel slightly silly wearing but are so very thankful for their ability to float.

Writing as a hobby will always be a part of me. I'm somewhat terrified to take it seriously so I don't think I can yet call it a passion. Not like the Artists I learned from the past few days...you know the ones who can make you laugh and cry and love and hate in a matter of minutes. My creative basket is full and I'm pretty sure I've never uttered those words. Too early I woke up this morning and immediately began smiling. I have so much to write...thank yous, short stories, poems, blogs, prompts, and revisions.

Doggy paddling will do for now. It'll get me there, I hope!

Hey You

If you could talk to your 17 year old self what would you say?

Would you tell you to lighten up or study more? Eat healthier or enjoy those fries? Get more sleep or watch the classic movies? Practice makes perfect or perfection is subjective? Be more kind or grow thicker skin? Devote more time to God, to your family, to your friends?

I've envisioned my conversation going something like this...

"Hey you! I'm so happy to be you. I know you haven't given me much thought, yet, and I think that's worked to our advantage. I would, however, like to tell you a few things. Give your mom a break, she's human and she loves you more than you'll ever know...at least until you meet Dylan. No, not 90210 Dillon. You'll see. Stop laying in the sun with baby oil. Try SPF 30. OK, I'll take SPF 15. Wear your shorts as short as you can...you won't have those thighs for very long. It's o.k. to fall in love. No, not with him. Wait a few years. It's o.k. to cry. It's o.k. to cry in front of people. You are smart, even if you can't spell and have a bad sense of direction. Spell check and MapQuest are on their way. Just because someone is wealthy does not mean they are crooked. Jesus should not freak you out, just read the Bible and decide for yourself. Stop smoking...that's just gross and you look ridiculous, not mysterious. Share your poetry. Share your feelings. Soak in your athletic experiences...the friendships, the victories and losses, the bus rides, and thank your coaches. Thank your teachers, especially your Algebra II teacher. Moving this final year of high school is preparing you for college. You have a really good attitude about it but stop using it as leverage. College is going to be trying, remember who you are...be kind to yourself and your body. What? Oh, you have to go? Everyone is meeting at the courthouse, I understand. Have fun!"

Trailers and Reviews

I am a sucker for movie trailers and book reviews.

We have an HDTV channel that frequently plays 30 minutes of trailers. I looooove it! Also, I get antsy when going to the movies with a new friend because she may not understand my passion for what comes before the main attraction. Popcorn will wait.

Amazon.com just sent me their Top 10 Book List for 2008. Ahh, the joy. I have read the blurbs of the first three and am looking forward to reading the remaining seven. Oh, and don't get me started on how long it takes me to update our Netflix que.

Why do I find the short renditions so appealing you may ask? I asked myself the same question just before I started this post. Maybe it's from my generation's quest for immediate gratification (I know that's why I like to iron) or because it takes me entirely too long to read a book (hence, Wicked). Maybe it's my fear of commitment (I used to have one before I met my hubby) or a touch of grown-up ADD (caused by the Noggin channel).

With two young children I no longer read books in a day or watch movies back to back. That's o.k., I know my movie and book mojo will return in due time. Until that glorious moment I can get my fix with trailers and reviews.