Bambi-isms

So. Until we lost our copy of Bambi, Sadie watched it multiple times every day. Because I'm a bad mom who sometimes lets her do such things.

I think Bambi's dad is a big, fat jerk. Like, he impregnates Bambi's mom, and then doesn't ever hang out with her or Bambi (Yes, I know that is the "way of the forest," or whatever, but it still bugs me). And then Bambi's mom gets shot, and all he does is say, "Your mother isn't with you any more." And walks away. Come on!! Where is the compassion??

But when I really start to hate Bambi's dad is when Bambi is an adult. And he's running away from the hunters, and he jumps over this big ravine, and the hunter shoots him mid-jump. So he's lying there, bleeding (It doesn't show him bleeding, but he obviously got shot. I guess Disney was trying to protect the tender feelings of kids), and there is this man-caused forest fire sneaking upon him. And Bambi's dad shows up. And he starts yelling at Bambi: "Get up! Get up, Bambi! Get up!!" And again, not in an urgent, nice, I'm-concerned-about-you way. In a jerky way. His voice is really harsh.

So whenever that part would come on, I would make fun of him, imitating his gruff, jerky voice: "Get up! Get up, Bambi! Get up!!"

One day, I was doing this very thing, and Sadie looked at me coldly and said, "You NOT funny."

We were talking about Bambi at dinner, and I was telling Ben that Bambi is kind of a wussy name for a boy. I said, "Bambi's mom should have named him Bambo. Like Rambo. There's nothing wussy about Rambo."

Dylan said, "No, she should have named Bambi 'Deer Beer.'"

Random. And cute.

Solo Man in Chelan

One afternoon, Ben wanted to drive around and take pictures around the Chelan area. His company, which he still worked for at the time, had a client for whom they designed airport hangars, and he was considering building an airport in the Chelan area. So Ben volunteered to take pictures of the area to send to the client. Funny how much things change in just a couple of weeks... No more clients. No more designs.

The kids needed naps, and so did I, so I volunteered to stay behind while Ben drove around. But here are some of my favorite pictures that he took.

I think this is on the eastern shore of Lake Chelan:

I love it when the air is so cold that the lake is actually steaming. Another view:

This is an artist's rendering of what Lake Chelan actually looks like:

It's just really long and skinny. And deep:

And I actually took the following three pictures. This is what you see if you look out the side windows of Gloria's house:

You can see the lake just beyond those pine trees.

And here's what you see when you look out the front windows:

Every spare inch of these hills surrounding Chelan is covered with apple orchards. It's so pretty. And here's Gloria's house:

It's more than a hundred years old. Ben built the porch railing himself! It's the neatest house.

Driveway Sledding

We hadn't been sledding yet this winter, because I just hate being cold. Ben's mom has a steep, long driveway, so one day, we decided to sled (Yes, I'm still doing posts about Christmas). We didn't do it for very long, but what a gorgeous, sunny day it was.

Ben and Sadie:

Ben and Dyl:

Me and Dyl (I wasn't wearing any makeup, so I look quite pasty):

Me and Sade:

Sadie was totally cracking me up, trying to walk around with so many layers and poofiness on. She kept saying, "I tan't wott!" ["I can't walk!]:

It reminded me of this scene from A Christmas Story:

We really need to attempt a nice, long sledding day before the snow leaves. So, in early April. Just kidding.

Abstract

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Non-conformist, Visionary, and Independent

21 Abstract, -13 Islamic, -15 Ukiyo-e, 14 Cubist, -4 Impressionist and -36 Renaissance!

Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which exists independently of what may appear to others as visual realities. Western had been underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. It allowed the progressive thinking artists to show a different side to the world around them. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a 'new kind of art' which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. Abstract artists created art that was diverse and reflected the social and intellectual turmoil in all areas of Western culture.

People that chose abstract art as their preferred artform tend to be visionsaries. They see things in the world around them and in people that others may miss because they look beyond what is visual only with the eye. They rely on their inner thoughts and feelings in dealing with the world around them instead of on what they are told they should think and feel. They feel freed from the tendancy to be bound by traditional thought and experiences. They look more toward their own ideas and experiences than what they are told by their religious upbringing or from scientific evidence. They tend to like to prove theories themselves instead of relying on the insight or ideas of others. They are not bound by common and mundane, but like to travel and have new experiences. They value intelligence, but they also enjoy a challenge. They can be rather argumentative when they are being forced or feel as if they are being forced to conform.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Sucrets Sound Bites

Sadie was sick all last week, and one night, she kept asking for a "Sit Sutter." I could not figure out what she meant. Then I realized she was asking for a "Sick Sucker." I finally figured out that is what she calls Sucrets - Sick Suckers. Cute.

Dylan was sick the week before Sadie, and one night he asked me for some cigarettes.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"I want some cigarettes. You know... those red things that come in a box, and you suck on them, and they make your throat feel better..."

"Ohhhh! Sucrets!!"

"That's what I said. Cigarettes."

Chelan Shenanigans

I've just got a bunch of random shots of everyone from our time in Chelan during Christmas.

Here is Gloria, making some yummy pies. You can bet I ate a lot of her pie dough. Yum:

Greg has this head massagey thingey:

It looks really sharp and uncomfortable, but I'm telling you, it feels like heaven to have your head massaged by that.



Here's Dylan, with Grandma's theraband thingey:

You're supposed to kind of take sideways steps; this works the muscles in your legs, butt, and hips. Dylan was having sooo much fun with it:

Gloria didn't have a high chair, so to feed Micah, one of us would hold him while the other one fed him. But then Ben came up with this ingenious idea:

We tied him to the chair. I smiled to myself, because it reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs:

I wish I had the book with me to scan the specific page I'm thinking of; maybe some other time. My mom still has that book, and I would love to buy a copy of my own to read to my kids at home. Anyways, the kid in this book has a grandma and a great-grandma. The great-grandma lives with the grandma, because she's old and feeble. Her bedroom is upstairs. So the kid calls her "Nana Upstairs." And the other grandma kind of hangs out downstairs, so she is called "Nana Downstairs." Nana Downstairs has to tie Nana Upstairs to a chair when she wants to sit up, so that she won't fall out. So the kid has Nana Downstairs tie him up in a chair as well, and he and Nana Upstairs sit there and eat ice cream together. So cute. So Micah being tied to the chair reminded me of that.


There is a place just outside of Chelan called Blueberry Hill, and it has the most amazing burgers and shakes in the world. We went there one day for lunch, and the devils that run the place have all of this candy lining the walls for buying. Of course, the kids were begging for candy the whole time we were eating lunch, and we obviously didn't have any money to buy anything for them (Do we ever have money? No!!). Well, right before we left Blueberry Hill to go home, Gloria, whom we have nicknamed The Spoiler, bought the kids some enormous lollipops. Dylan's "before" shot:

And the "after" shot:

We didn't take a picture of Sadie eating her lollipop, because a few seconds after she started licking it, she said, "I hate dat," and didn't touch it again. She is so fickle.

Here is Micah, practicing his sitting:

I'm extremely excited to say that he is finally sitting by himself, something he just barely mastered! He's a lot happier, now that he can sit up and look around. Now we need to get him interested in crawling. He's been observing other kids his age and thinking about it. We shall see.













Dylan, with a bubble-blowing bottle that looks like a rocket:

And I wish we could have gotten a better video of the following. Gloria lay down between the kids every night and sang them these old songs that her mom used to sing to her when she was a kid. Our camera died when Ben tried to video it, but we got a teeny clip of her lying down with them and trying to decide what to sing to them:

Even though she is The Spoiler, she is a fantastic grandma. Very hands-on. Always playing with the kids. I have amazing in-laws.

Just Hanging Around

When we were in Chelan for a week during Christmas time, we just did a lot of lounging around. Which I loved. Lots of games; lots of movies. We slept in, we took naps, and we just enjoyed being lazy.

Here are Dylan and Gloria (Ben's mom), playing checkers:

Here is Mr. Grumpy:

He's starting to get annoyed by my picture-taking, I think. He yelled at me last night when I was trying to take a picture of him doing a Pilates video. It was just so funny! But he didn't think so. He full-on yelled at me. Maybe he'll be less grumpy when he gets a job. I know it would help with my grumpiness...

Gloria, playing Rummikub:

I had never played Rummikub before, and I really liked it. I had a roommate who played Rummikub with her boyfriend constantly.

Greg, playing Rummikub:

Greg is Ben's stepdad. He is soooo funny when he plays games. He just sits and thinks... and thinks.... and thinks.... At one point, I said, "Greg, should I go get my book to read while it's your turn??"

Ben also dusted off his old slot car racing track. He wanted to buy one for Dylan for Christmas so badly, but they're like sixty bucks, so it didn't happen. So he was really excited about his old one still being in the basement. He and Dylan had a ball playing with it:

Morning Breath

Ben was talking to Dylan one morning, and Dylan goes, "Your breath smells like poop." Hahaha! Dude, Dylan is the pot calling the kettle black. His breath is hardly ever pleasant. I make him rinse with Listerine before school. He's already The Kid with the Boogers; I don't want him to also be The Kid with Bad Breath.

Casting by Kar

My cute friend Kara did this on her blog, and I couldn't resist. So I tagged myself, once again. You are supposed to put the pictures of actors/actresses that you would cast as your family members if there was a movie based on your life. Oooooh, this is going to be fun!

Okay. As Ben, I would cast David Morse, of The Green Mile:

He is big and tall, like Ben. And he's not bald, but his light hair kind of reminds me of Ben, when he grows his hair out. And he has a quiet way about him, like Ben.

Dylan's casting choice was tough. But I chose David Corcoran. If he was still young like this:

He was the annoying little brother on The Swiss Family Robinson. He doesn't look like Dylan at all, but he alone could capture the constant gibber-gabber that is flowing from Dylan's mouth from the second he wakes up in the morning until the second he goes to bed at night.

As Sadie, Susan Olsen of The Brady Bunch. Again, if she was still young:

She even has the cute speech impediment, and everything. Though I just read in Here's the Story that Susan Olsen didn't have a speech impediment and hated that Cindy had one. Interesting, huh? Susan Olsen also felt like the writers made Cindy seem stupid. I can see that.

On to my dad. Michael Keaton, hands-down:

I've always thought Dad looks like Michael Keaton. Especially in the forehead. I've had tons of people come up to me and tell me that, too.

Mom's casting choice was also tough. I went with Doris Day:

That's mom's smile, right there. Exactly. And they're both blonde. And Mom loves Doris Day.

To play Nat, the incomparable Amy Adams:

The porcelin skin and strawberry blonde hair are perfect.

To play Nat's hubs, Pete, we've got Steve Buscemi:

Pete was the one that first pointed out that he looks kind of like Steve. I think it's in the mouth.

For Beads, Angelina Jolie, especially as she is in the Lara Croft movies:

Brianna is a total bad-arse. Every time I watch the Lara Croft movies, I think, "Angelina Jolie looks just like Beads!" Brianna would have done such a better job with all of the fight scenes. Angelina looks silly trying to fight....her little stick arms flying about awkwardly. Brianna would have been the perfect choice. She can kick some major butt. She's one tough gal. And really pretty like Angelina.

To play Beads' hubs, Spence, Josh Herdman, who plays Goyle in the Harry Potter movies:

The first time I saw him, I was like, Holy Crap! He looks like Moose!! Again, I think it's in the mouth.

Lex's was hard for me, too. I decided upon Rachel McAdams, when she was blonde, in Mean Girls:

Long, blonde, straight hair, perfectly beautiful. That's Lex.

And now for me. Drumroll, please...

Christina Ricci:

She looks really great in this picture, and I don't deign to say that I look that pretty. I've just been told by a million people that I look like her. I think it's the big forehead and the big eyes. And this is my favorite picture of her that I saw. She looks like a ballerina, and I like that. I once even dressed up as the character of Wednesday (from The Addams Family) for Halloween, because she played that role. I'll have to upload the picture. It was a very good costume, I must say.

See how fun that was? Tag yourselves! I want to see who you would cast!

TV Land

Nat and Pete did this, and I tagged myself. :) They listed their favorite and least favorite TV shows, and why. I loved reading theirs, so this is my two cents' worth.


Shows I Love:
1. What Not to Wear:

Clinton and Stacy are hilarious. When they see their "projects" revealed at the end, with cute clothes, hair, and makeup, they often hit each other and gasp. So cute. I love gay guys. My favorite part of the show is when they do hair and makeup. Such transformations!!


2. Seinfeld. Whenever I see that a rerun of Seinfeld is on, I automatically go there:

I love that Seinfeld is about silly things, like "close-talkers" and not being able to find your car in a parking lot. Hilarious.

3. Pushing Daisies, which I'm mourning (it got cancelled):

It's kooky and Edward Scissorhands-ish, and I like it.


4. The Office, of course:

Such dry humor. I love the muted acting style that most of the actors adopt for this show. As Spence says, it's a show about uncomfortable situations. Which makes for lots of giggles on my part.


5. The show my dad calls, "Your Dirty Little Show" - Sex and the City:

Sorry. I shouldn't like it, but I do. Not so much the sex parts (and TBS does a really good job of deleting most of those). But the parts about the friendship between the four ladies, and their attempts to find love. It wasn't so long ago that I was in that same boat - just trying to find the right guy. It's a very relatable show. Except I can't afford Manolo Blaniks.


6. Medium. Oooh, I get so excited when I think about this show:

I love it so much. I love how she gets her impressions in different ways. Like, once, she had a song blasting in her head during the whole show. When she figured out that a girl was killed while she was listening to her iPod and jogging, the music finally got out of her head. Very creative.


7. Friends:

I love the writing on this show. Soooo funny. People in real life don't banter that wittily, but it's still fun.

8. Gilmore Girls:

It took me a long time to give this show a chance, and I'm really glad I did. It was completely addicting. The best writing on television. Again, normal people don't talk like that, but it was so fun for me to catch all of the literary and pop allusions they threw out there during their million-miles-per-minute banter. Oh, and Alexis Bledel is a horrible actress. But it didn't matter, because the writing was amazing.

9. Burn Notice:

I love this show. I think it's really funny. It's kind of like, "All the stuff that spies hate." Like, he goes off on this internal monologue about how much he hates those bags that bad guys put on your head when they drive you to their lair, because they don't want you to know where it is. At one point, he was like, "Have you cleaned this head bag recently??" And the cinematography makes me want to live in Miami. And it's a really good show to jog while watching, because you just watch skinny, buff people, and you think, I want to be skinny and buff, so I'm going to jog those extra ten minutes!!
10. Las Vegas:

Ben and I have been fans of this show for years. It's really, really funny. I adore the characters. And two of them just hooked up last season, so it will be fun to see what happens. And they just added Tom Selleck to the cast, which is all the more reason for me to tune in.

11. Cold Case Files:

I love true crime shows. Dylan calls them "Dead People Shows." I narrowed it down to one, though there are like four that I love. These shows are more like documentaries, and they are about real people and real detectives, which I think is awesome.

12. Arrested Development:

Another one whose cancellation I'm still mourning. It's the only show that makes me laugh so hard that I cry.

13. 30 Rock:

I fell in love with this show when the characters all sang "On a Midnight Train to Georgia." I was hooked. So stinkin' funny. Or when they did the scene making fun of Bodyguard. Classic.

Now on to the shows that I hate.

1. How Stuff Works, on Discovery Channel:

I don't know what that's a picture of. It was just on the Discovery Channel web page, under "How Stuff Works." This show makes me want to gouge my eyeballs out. I'm just not that curious.

2. Heroes:

Talk about a glorified soap opera. Nothing HAPPENS. Two characters talk, and they look meaningfully at each other. Skip to the next two characters. They walk through a field, talking. Then they look meaningfully at each other. Skip to the next two characters. On and on and on. I can't take it anymore!!

3. Family Guy:

The creator of this show is so creative and so funny with his references to pop culture. It's the blasphemy I can't stand. There was one show where Jesus was in a bar, trying to pick up on the ladies. Come on. That's just not right. Every time I watch this show with Ben, I feel like I'm going straight to hell. So I avoid it. If he's watching it, I go downstairs and read.

4. Eureka:

I think it's on the sci-fi channel. Stupid plots. Bad acting. Dumb, dumb, dumb.