www.allmyfavoritesomethings.typepad.com/brookaloo I swear this is the one and only last time you will ever see me move my blog. in a few days this one will be gone, so check over at the new one.
bookmark it because i'm never leaving there again. it took me forever to finally get a half way decent banner, needless to say, i don't think i have a future in banner design.
don't forget to bookmark the new page, this one will be deleted soon!
here is my horoscope via Mr. Jonathan Caniner for yesterday, i quite like it:
Draw a line. Make a stand. Put your foot down. Lift your hand up. Hold out your outstretched palm. It's time to stop something. Enough is enough. Things don't have to carry on in the way they did through too much of 2006. You can't call all the shots in 2007 - nor would you really want to. There are, though, some laws you can lay down, some boundaries you can set and some agendas you can seize control of. The more decisively you act, the more you'll influence the outcome of other processes too.
i'm not one to get all into horoscopes and that, but this one rings true. i love the saying "put your foot down", mainly because that's the one that shawn likes to use when he "means business"....."brooke, this time i'm really putting my foot down!". what a brute, really. actually, it's hard not to to start laughing since he's so rarely has a temper to begin with. i on the other hand, well, i am a natural born redhead.
well, the stopping something i have already done. no it's not a bad habit, i have no bad habits really. unless you count coffee or alcohol, no mother, you cannot count either of those! all in moderation. but i did dump some excess baggage in the friendship area, that's a relief. i'm also going to a "naked lady party" on friday to rid myself of some extra clothing baggage as well. then there are all the toys and junk i was able to rid our home of before christmas.
We had a lovely time yesterday at the Toledo COSI museum. they had a Japanese culture exhibit that was really sweet. i loved the giant Totoro and the Kitty bus. That is one of my favorite Miyazaki movies.
The rest of the break, if i survive, will be pretty laid back. i'm trying to not be a tv control freak, since i know that the more i tell them "no" the more they will bug me to watch. i'm also going to take some time to try and teach them a new skill, such as the bedazzler perhaps, or maybe we can make some of those Amy Sedaris eye burritos. oh, good news, the hamsters died! both are now secure, awaiting burial in our freezer. whew, what a relief. Happy New Year.
where's the snow? where's the holiday snow!!! my backyard is depressing, it's gloomy and gray. not even the dog wants to go out there, and i can't blame her much. i'd take a picture, but it would depress you. so what can one do to cheer ones self up on such a gloomy day.....shop? eech, no. watch movies? hmmmm, did that yesterday, BTW "Hard Candy", not so good, "The Notorious Betty Page" is excellent. there's not a lack of hard labor to do around here, but i'm beyond help in that area, not with the girls going on xmas break starting this afternoon. lord help me. i think i'll start on my cookie baking. every year i make a list of cookies that i'm going to make. there are the staples: gingerbread, sugar cut-outs, peanut butter blossoms, and fudge. One year shawn and I went "international" and wanted to make some pepperkake. we ended up taking them to christmas eves at mom's house. it was fun watching people eat them and make this disgused face. i liked them, but they haven't made it onto the cookie list since. i'm going to keep it simple this year. thumbprints, candybar cookies, and perhaps a macaroon of some sorts. I'll be listening to our favorite christmas song while doing so.
Chloe has a knack for sewing. she loves to sew patches onto skirts and
dresses, cut up her clothes, and write on her pants. since we get
almost everything from the thrift store, i don't really care what she
does to her clothes as long as she doesn't go the hoochy route, which
thank you very much we have not.
so she was working on the sewing machine this past weekend. it's a
kids sewing machine that lils got for xmas a few years ago. she won't
touch the thing for fear that she will get her fingers cut off or
mangeled. chloe loves it.
this is the sweet little flower broach she made. she cut it all out
herself, then I showed her how to sew it through. then she picked out
a button and popped it on as well.
it's a crappy photo, i know, but it's been crappy out lately, so i'm by the only half way sunny window we have. i'm just so proud of her and how much skill she has developed. i must say i'm a terrible teacher. i have 0 patients when it comes to teaching my own children anything crafty. once i got all pissy because lily wouldn't pay attention when i was trying to teach her how to knit. shawn walked by and said " i thought this was supposed to be a fun project", to which i replied "she's not going anywhere until she learns how to do this!", well she was 5 at the time, and well, i've since given up on forcing my children to take on my own crafty passions. bad mommy!
oooh, i got my first Edith Collins bag the other day at this adorable antiques store in downtown ypsi called Bowerbird Mongo, they are only open on Friday and Saturday nights. It's located right accross from our knit night coffee shop, so i checked it out.
I won't use it until the spring, so now i just happily display it.
So once upon a time, Shawn and I used to make cards for
eachother. it's been awhile sincei i've made anything for him
except for dinner, and lately that's even been lacking. i mean we
had pizza rolls the other day, pizza rolls! the kids were
thrilled, i was not so happy. So i thought i would make him a
xmas card.
very funny, and even thought the Residents kind of scare me, (we went to one of there shows years ago, it was waaay to much dayglow for me) i think the timmy videos rule.
Here are some more of my holiday decorations
Last year I got my hands on some excellent vintage Christmas goodies via the new Sal's Army. I love Holt Howard santas and this big planter reminded me of just that. The two little santas are actually bells, and the train is a piggy bank.
Here's the last little cubby I'll post tonight, the girls are holloring at me that ATL is on, and it's our time to bond over who will be the winner. I'm voting Caridee.
I then set off to find some nice clothes for shawn. he is lacking in the dress up clothing area. he doesn't have to worry about clothes too often, maybe for church or the occasional wedding, but we have a christmas work party to go to, and he wanted to look spiffy. i got him a great j-crew suit jacket and some sweaters, a few button up shirts...etc...i don't know much about men fashion, and I hate all that messy trendy crap like at american eagle, urban outfitters. so i think i found some do-able ensambels for him, not that he tends to care much, dude just doesn't really get into clothes.
the shadow art fair is happening this weekend. yeah ypsi! i hope to score some christmas gifts there, i'm shopping all local this year, atleast when I can. since we are not going home this year, i might have to do some online shopping, but i always find that more relaxing anyway.
I really want this for myself, along with this. i love the playmobil stuff. last year, i told thier grandma to get them a dollhouse. i secretly wanted it for myself!
Shawn is in the diningroom hand chopping pecans for the pie he is going
to make. I've debated telling him that we have a mini food
chopper that would make it so much easier, but I don't have the heart
to get involved. he gets really really obsessed when he bakes,
especially pies. ok, i just had to go ask, he said that he had to
have 3 different grades of choppyness, each finer than the other.
and he added this way it was made with more love. ahhhhh.
now he's worried that he's doing it wrong. let's see, it's 7:30,
he has 2 pies to make, i think he might be finished by midnight.
According to Chloe, daddy's change earrings the best. I can't disagree with her, since my stubby little fingers can't get ahold of the backings too well. Today is her 7th birthday. I couldn't of hoped for a sweeter 7 year old, that is unless you count her sister, who was just as sweet at that age. I dropped off some cookies in her classroom this morning, thinking about how much I loved to bring cupcakes and goodies on my birthday to school when I was her age. I didn't have time to bake anything for school, but I have a buttermilk cake in the oven for later. She requested orange chicken and potstickers for dinner, and we had a special birthday breakfast of waffles and bacon. we kind of celebrate everything with food around here.
It's allready november, and I'm feeling the urge to put up my christmas
tree allready...it's sick! part of me is like this is a joke, i
know, every year it seems that christmas creeps up on us earlier and
earlier, and we all complain about how fast the stores display their
christmas wares etc. But I really really love my christmas tree,
and i have so many adorable christmas decorations just sitting in boxes
downstairs that don't get out enough. i must resist the urge!
I'll post a late halloween photo of the girls and their friends from last week.
Chloe was a bat witch this year. He costume was a hand-me-down from a friend, it was such a relief since she can be so picky and she actually loved it.