the end of ponytails??

it's been 8 long weeks since my horrific haircut. for those 8 weeks i have done nothing with my hair but ponytails, messy buns and pigtails. this morning we didn't have a lot going on so i decided to try and actually do my hair. i was surprised to find that with a ridiculous amount of product and time (it took forever) it kind of works. the layers are not quite as fly away as they were, the extra growth has weighted them down a bit. and the extra product keeps the frizzies under control. but, due to the time issue, i still won't be fixing it very often. however, it is nice to know that the option is there should i so desire.

bella took the photos












this is a post that i started a few days ago and got sidetracked. i figured that since it was based on the same theme as this one, i would just combine them together.

i was fixing my hair this morning when a little shimmer caught my eye. upon closer inspection i found the source of the shimmer to be one lonely, stray grey hair. now a grey hair is nothing new to me. i have been pulling them out for years, but i must say that in the last 6 months the frequency of this find has increased tremendously. i proceeded in the normal course of action when this find occurs; quick pull with the tweezers and all is well again. however, unlike it's predecessors this hair was really long. usually they are very short, just starting out. but this one had been hanging around for awhile, camouflaging itself. is that how we turn grey? they hideout growing in secrecy and then you wake up one day and surprise! half your head is grey? now i understand that getting grey's is a part of life, but i simply am not ready for it! i want to remain in denial, thinking that by some miracle it isn't going to happen to me! i'm not ready to try and figure out what highlights and hair color i want to use to cover it all up. and can someone please tell me why they have to be so stiff and wiry?!??! is that what my whole head is going to look like? a mess of steel wool? these are the thoughts that run through my head when these finds occur. these are the stresses that they bring, silly and ridiculous as they are. and why is it that when men start turning grey they look distinguished and women just look, well older than they did before. and of course the most important thought of all....why do i let it bother me??

project runway

recently i have found a new wednesday addiction. project runway. i cannot sew. i am not a "inspired to create something fabulous out of nothing" gal. i wish i were, but it's just not one of my talents. so it amazes me what these designers can do. the pressure, the drama.... so entertaining! last night's episode was especially fabulous. the designers had to make outfits for each other that represented different music genres. this morning when i was blog surfing i found this entry about the show and it cracked me up! it was everything that we said about kenley. i had to link it so that other p.r. viewers could enjoy the laugh as well.

project runway recap

homage to fall

fall is in the air. the air is crisper and carrying the smells of fall. the leaves are changing, some are even falling. making that delightful crunching sound when you step on them. the breeze is chilly, but not enough to keep you inside. the sun warms me just enough, but not too much. yes, i think today is the perfect fall day. now all i need is a hot caramel apple cider from starbucks and the scene would be complete. of course the ideal location to enjoy such a treat would be at this picturesque scene. traveling to japan during the fall is now on my must do list. for me, fall also means that the oven comes back from vacation. i love to bake and make wonderful home cooked meals in the oven, but it's hard to do so during the summer. in my mind it creates a vicious cycle. turn on the a\c to cool the house, insert heat from warm oven making the a\c run even more. don't misunderstand, i do run the oven in the summer, i just try really hard not to do it frequently. last year, we discovered a scrumptious pumpkin dessert, which i also crave at the beginning of fall. we love it so much that i have made it twice in the last two weeks. if you are a pumpkin fan, or even just a pumpkin indifferent, you must try it. i promise you will not be disappointed.

the great pumpkin dessert

1 150z can pumpkin
1 12oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 c sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix
3/4 c melted butter or margarine
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans

in a mixing bowl combine the first five ingredients. transfer to a greased 9x13 baking pan. sprinkle with cake mix and drizzle with butter. top with nuts. bake at 350 for 1 hour. serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

my movie list

for date night larry and i went to the movies. one of my favorite parts of the movie is the trailers. i am always excited to see what movies are coming up and inevitably there is at least one trailer that sparks my interest. but this time all the trailers were so lame! there seriously was not one movie that i wanted to see. i was so disappointed and honestly felt a little bit robbed. so i decided to make my own trailer line up. these are all movies that are coming out in the next few months that i really want to see. some of them have not been rated yet so they might not make the final cut but for now; here they are!
(click on the titles to watch the trailers)


Australia

hugh jackman, nicole kidman, world war II, set in unbelievable australia; need i say more? i mean really....do i need to say more??

Defiance

i love movies that are inspired by true events. especially ones that involve people doing extraordinary things. defiance is about three brothers living in nazi occupied poland during wwII. to escape certain death, they flee to the forest where they fight for survival against the nazis and the elements. what begins as their struggle quickly becomes the struggle of thousands as others join them.

The Secret Life of Bees

this movie is based on the best selling novel of the same name and is set in south carolina during the civil rights era. the story revolves around a young girl who is on a difficult journey of self discovery and the family of bee keeping sisters that help her get there. i think i'm going to need a box of tissues for this one.

Twilight

last, but certainly not least, twilight. i really cannot wait for this movie. i am not ashamed, even though i probably should be, of how much i love this series of books and hope that the movie is able to capture the essence of the story that we all love. i use the word "we" loosely but i know that there are many of you out there that are just as excited as i am for this one.

sunday funnies - not the newspaper kind

sunday's are a great source of entertainment for our family. it seems like there is something about that particular day of the week that turns our kiddos into slightly crazy people. today was no exception. we got to church a little late and had to sit on the back pew. in our church, the back row is seperate from the other pews. there is a huge space between the pew in front of us and behind us is the sliding partition. to lily this "space" meant that she had freedom to roam where ever she wanted. this of course included walking behind the pew and pushing on the partition. and since there is such a huge space between the pews all of her activities are in clear view. next time we are late and the only spaces available are those, we will just sit in the foyer. at the end of church lily was missing her sweater. i went to the nursery to pick it up where they informed me that she continually tried to strip and kept asking everyone to "please take my clothes off". nice. let's hope she outgrows that phase soon. she strips at home all the time but that's the first time we have had a problem in public. thank goodness i put her in a dress with a lot of buttons! oh well, at least she provided the entertainment in the nursery today!!

which sports car are you??

i am a porsche 911

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite, and you know it.

DISCLAIMER!! i just think this is a fun little quiz but i don't agree with it at all! when it comes to the lastest technology i am practically inept and don't consider myself elite in any way, shape or form. just had to clear that up. now take the quiz and see if you agree with what it says or not.

take the quiz and see Which sports car are you?

relinquishing control - sort of

brooke's first preschool homework assignment is due this week. it's a fun project called about me. last year they did a similar thing where they made mini me's. at the meet and greet a few of the parents were discussing the project and how last year it was impossible for most of us to just let them do it. i think all brooke got to do on her's was color this one little area and i finished the rest for her. i decided that this year i would be better. i would let it be her project, she could do all the drawing, coloring, etc. and i started out well. when she drew all of us with purple hair and no bodies i didn't say a thing.

but then when she went to draw chick-fil-a and it turned into a swirly purple blob i..... just....couldn't.....take it.....any....more. a little intervention is ok right?? and if i personally don't do it for her then i'm still letting her be in control?? so i enlisted bella's help. brooke told her what she wanted and bella drew and colored it for her. at least that way you can tell what the picture is supposed to be.
PLUS it made for some good ol sisterly bonding time. they had a great time working on it together and it still has a childish feel to it that makes it endearing. of course the bad part of not doing it for her is the fear that she will be the only kid there with an unpolished masterpiece. although, i don't think that's something that they even pick up on. it's just something that we parents care about.
in the end brookes favorites are:

color - pink

food - fruit loops

animal - mokey

place - chick-fil-a

to do - go to the zoo

when she grows up she wants to be a ballerina

if she could have one wish she would wish for a pony

week in review

here it is.....the end of another week and i feel like it should only be wednesday. where or where does the time go?? our week started with another visit from our furry, obnoxiously destructive neighborhood rascals. i just happened to look out the window and there this guy was fishing around in the pond. it is so hysterical when they show up because larry practically leaps up the stairs to grab the guns. pellet and paint ball that is. he would love to grab the 22 but something about firing a gun in city limits with neighbors that are practically on top of you deters him. the plan of attack was to hit him from both sides, one going out the backdoor and one going through the gate. they actually got him with the pellet gun pretty well but then it jammed and he got away. again, sorry if this offends any of you. if they would stop eating our fish and tearing up our pond pump i would gladly leave them alone. until then......game on!!

the picture is hard to see because i was afraid if i opened the window he would run off before the guys could ambush him and i couldn't get the flash to turn off. still trying to figure my new camera out.

brooke had a very exciting week because it was the first day of her last year of preschool. that is how we phrase it around here because she was extremely sad when she didn't get to go to kindergarten this year (she's only 4). we explained to her that she had one more year and then it was time for the big k. so when our friends asked her if she was ready for preschool she told them yes, but that she was more excited for kindergarten after preschool. super cute! she had a great time though and loved seeing all her friends again. it's hard for me to imagine that this time next year she will be in kidergarten. time just goes by way too fast! bella had her last week on track and started a three week break on friday. for once, she wasn't anxious to track off. while she is home i am going to try and give her piano lessons. she really wants to learn so we are going to dive in and get started. brendan had his first baseball game today and he was so excited! i was really bummed because i had already committed to a church thing so i had to miss it. and larry was even more bummed because that meant he had to take all four kids to the ballpark by himself. but, they survived and brendan enjoyed playing so much! i wasn't sure if he was going to like baseball, but so far he loves it. he didn't even care that they lost 14 - 1. yep. that's right. 14-1
as for lil's; she kept me busy as always. the gate between the kitchen and the dining room has been driving her crazy for months because it's the one thing she can't climb over. but alas! once again she has found a way to conquer. nothing will keep her from getting what she wants. so that means 3 broken glasses, one bowl and one freshly scrubbed floor times three. the problem is she is so quick. she can be over the gate and onto the counter in no time. so it's official, i now have to take scheduled potty breaks. how sad is that?? is that what my life has been reduced too? it's just a good thing she is cute, because otherwise......well really that's just an empty threat but you get the general idea! and we all really enjoyed the cooler weather. fall is my favorite season and i am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. i'm sure it will get warm again because that's how the weather is and that's what we expect and love about living here. but i certainly have enjoyed the little taste of fall mother nature gave us this week.

Is It Music - Or Just A Bunch Of Noise??

I am a HUGE music fanatic. All types of music appeal to me so it is not uncommon for my music library to contain everything from classical Broadway tunes to alternative. Lately my musical ear has been tuned in to the group Muse. The other night I was working on the computer, enjoying a few selections when Larry came in and asked me what on earth I was listening to. Instantly déjà vu settled in and I was pulled back in time, having a "you call that music?" conversation with my dad, except he was disguised as my husband. Disapproval heavy in his voice with no appreciation for the absolute genius of it. I was convinced that it was just that particular song so I played a couple different ones for him expecting him to get it. Imagine my frustration and disappointment when he still didn't! How can this be I wondered?? Had my musical taste drifted a little too far this time? Surely not........ So I implore you to listen and tell me what you think. If you don't like it, that's cool, no hard feelings. And if you do like it, then I know I'm not totally out in left field all by myself. This is my favorite Muse song, but I will admit that the video is a little bizarre.

"Time Is Running Out"

On a completely different note, the first twelve chapters of Midnight Sun were leaked on the internet. Due to the leak, Stephanie Meyer has postponed the completion of the book indefinitely. However, she has the "chapters" available on her website. It's a good read.

click on the "" to listen and read