*Went to the dollar theatre to see Megamind yesterday. Funny movie in a low-key kind of way. The kids and I talked about how most of the funny lines weren't quite funny enough to be memorable, but also funny enough that we're frustrated by that because we want to remember. Make sense?
*Our tree is still up. I can't bear taking it down. Plus it's one of my least favorite things to do. We are risking our lives every minute the fire-hazard remains in our living room. I promise to have it down by February 1st.
*We finished reading The Dawn Treader tonight so we're all set to see the movie. Can't wait! I will try not to set myself up for disappointment over the movie's depiction of the Dufflepuds. Because it doesn't matter how much we laughed when we read that chapter. Nope, it doesn't. We'll just take them as they come on the big screen and be supersuperthankful that we get to see a movie. No expectations here at all. Zippo.
*Sophie is working her little hiney off creating a sugar cookie masterpiece for the chance to become Snowcoming Queen. It's adorable. A cute little winter scene complete with cobblestone path and a giant red mushroom. Red mushrooms make things whimsical. So does a little cookie man making snow angels in the frosting.
*OH! Speaking of Sophie...she and I watched a WONDERFUL four-part BBC series on Netflix called Wives & Daughters. Absolutely loved it! We even watched some parts more than once. We also enjoyed some thoughtful chats about the gentility of bygone days. I think I shall try to be more mannerly. I think I shall also try to use the word "shall".
*My Ian giggles so much when he reads Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. It melts my heart in the worst way. *ache*
*I am not one to advocate Little Debbie snacks in any way, but for a moment I would like to take that back and say you simply must try her Peppermint Swiss Rolls. By "her", I mean Debbie because something compels me to treat her as if she's a real person. Who will always be little in my mind.
*One of my Christmas gifts this year was the book Has Christianity Failed You? by Ravi Zacharias. It is blowing my mind ala G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis. I am only halfway through the second chapter and, though it hurts my brain terribly, I totally love it. It's a good hurt.
*My little man Leo has been playing on the Ballard basketball team for the first time ever in his life. SO adorable. He has learned a lot and is just the most enthusiastic little Bomber. I am going to be sad when it's over. He would hate to hear me calling him a "little Bomber". Shhhhhh.....
*Some day I'm going to post the recipe for the Spanish Chicken & Rice that I love so much. At first I typed "Rick".
*I have learned something pretty fundamental about myself when it comes to friendship. Above almost everything, I value openness. I tend to assess (not that I am at all in the habit of doing so with ANY regularity) the closeness of a friend based on how openly we share with one another. Our hearts, our thoughts, our opinions, our joys. All of those kinds of things. But also - and this is where the rubber tends to meet the road for me - our sorrows, our fears, our insecurities, our "dark side". Our imperfect marriage and children. Our frustration with one another at times. Our messiness. Our normalness. That is a treasure to me.
*It is freezing cold in our house. Yowza.
*We have a secret. You already know it, Manda, you just don't know it's a secret. DON'T GIVE IT AWAY. (It's not anything very interesting, but I like having it as a secret. I think. It's actually very silly. Not even any kind of official secret. I am just making it one for now.)
*Trader Joe's makes decent whole wheat naan.
*OH NO! It's potluck Sunday. I just remembered. I need a plan now. I'm going to make one. Right here in this very blog post. Entree: Poppyseed Chicken. Side: *cricket*. I'll come back to this one. Dessert: Snack-Pack Pudding. (Hey, don't knock it. The kids love it, a 12-pack is cheaper than most desserts I make and I have a busy weekend.) Side: *cricket*. Seriously, what is it with cotton-pickin' side dishes that they cause me such distress? Fine. Grocery list: sour cream, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, Ritz crackers, pudding (*pumps fist*), aaaaaand...broccoli slaw, rice vinegar, raisins, red onion and almonds. Because I'm going to make up a salad of some sort that includes those things. Done! Wow. I feel so empowered when I have a plan.
*Here is one clue to our secret: We have a large pickle jar stationed on our kitchen counter. (I don't believe this is really a clue at all since it would be such a shot in the dark, but giving a clue makes it more secret-like and more fun for me.)
*I am adjusting to our Mara being a big city girl. The city girl part is not an adjustment. The part about her NOT LIVING HERE ANYMORE is the adjustment. Oh dear, do we miss her. I am so thankful she has a lovely life. She has pierced her nose. Her hair is black. And green now, too. And she's having her sister design a tatoo for her foot. So if you see her, don't fear that she's gone off on a streak of rebellion. In the words of that Irish guy-singer I saw on a morning show today whose name I've forgotten, her life is "brilliant". And includes alotalot of Jesus.
*I have in my hot little hand (figuratively) over $200 worth of curtains from West End for a mere $33 and some change. Do you know what this means? I will have curtains in my living room for the first time in the history of ever. And want to know something else? They're completely decorative. Totally non-functional. I relish this with great delight for some reason. We are going to be just as exposed as ever. Go ahead. Drive by. At night. When we're having a dance party in the living room. You'll see. Into our living room.
*My non-functioning curtains reminds me of something I find quite annoying about interior design television shows. I find it really unfortunate that things like granite and marble and travertine have become the expected norm in middle-class homes. Really? I would MUCH rather use a standard, laminate countertop and "cheap" hardwood laminate floors to stretch my remodeling/decorating dollars. It could mean I am able to update an entire additional room in my home or replace the worn-out furniture that's going to sit on top of the new carpet or PAY OFF THE MINI-VAN. I hope there are some shows for "cheap" people because I think it's wonderful to put the effort into making our homes lovely and inviting, but not to the tune of four years worth of college tuition for an updated kitchen.
*We already have a paid-off mini-van. I was just making a point.
*I need to get warm now. I'm all tense from shivering. I shall end this blog post now. *curtsy*
