all about Josh
Hey feed readers, I think you’ll have to click over to see the video!
I’m embracing the mom blogger in me today. (I still can’t bring myself to say mommy blogger though.)
This idea is stolen from Kat because the best memes are the stolen ones! I changed it up a little, just for fun. Feel free to steal from me too.
This is an interview with my boy Josh. (I don’t think I’ve ever said his name here before but I don’t think it matters anymore since I no longer use an alias.) His answers are in bold and worded exactly as he told them to me, and my comments are in italics:
1. What’s your favorite TV show? It’s hard to decide. One of my favorites is Power Rangers. (Unfortunately our local ABC station isn’t airing the new season. Bummer.)
2. What’s two plus two? 3 uh 4! (It’s so easy it confused him!)
3. Favorite knock knock joke… do you know any knock knock jokes? No. (Bad mommy. I’ve been slack in my teaching skills. Mostly cause I can’t tell a joke to save my life.)
4. What do you want for your birthday? One more Bakugan then my set would be complete! (Dang, now I have to go shopping again. I thought I was done. And he told me to put the exclamation point.)
5. If you could have one wish, what would you wish for? Anything that I like. (Dude, me too.)
6. Favorite color? Blue, green, red, in that order.
7. How do you make cookies? Take some cookie dough from Shaw’s and bake the cookies, but before you bake it you have to put chocolate chips. Which is my favorite part! (Yep, he’s my boy.)
8. Why do we exercise? To be healthy. (Right on!)
9. What’s your favorite food that’s good for you? Grapefruit. (No, really. He’s been known to steal grapefruit right out of my hands.)
10. What’s your favorite holiday? Christmas. (Duh.)
11. What’s your favorite animal? Cat. That’s cause we have a cat. (George!)
12. Who’s a better driver – Mommy or Daddy – and why? Mommy, because you bring me to school. (And you better not forget it.)
13. What’s your favorite book? I think it’s Narnia. The second one – the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. (DH read the entire series to him – it took almost a year to get through them. By the time they were done, he was reading entire pages by himself. He’s not yet 6.)
And in other news – he’s finally learning to ride his bike without training wheels! Yay! The video is only 16 seconds so you won’t have time to get bored. 
Josh’s bike ride from Damon Kiesow on Vimeo.
We had gorgeous weather this weekend, sunny and in the 40′s and 50′s. There was lots of snow melting, but unfortunately we’re going to get a fresh 3-6 inch coat of the nasty stuff tomorrow. At least we truly had a breath of fresh air to combat the cabin fever.
6 things that make me happy
I know I’m a very bad blogger. I have owed a meme to Liz for way over a month now! Liz is a sweetheart, she’s a great writer, and she has a fantastic blog design! If you’re not reading her, you should be.
This is one of those memes that I really wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to approach it. (Liz set the bar a little high with the Buffy drawing!)
I’ve been told that I haven’t had enough pictures on my site lately (~ahem~ Cluckers) so I decided to do my “Six Things That Make Me Happy” in photos – of things around my house that I love.
First, of course, is my boy, but especially when I catch him reading.
It makes me happy that he’s learning to love books as much as I do.
Just above that sofa is something else that makes me smile. It’s an oil painting made by my father. He has become an amazing artist in his retirement and my house is full of his paintings. Here is the oil and another that I love.
I can’t remember if this one was done in watercolors or acrylics, but it is a print of the original. All of his kids loved it so much he made just enough prints for us to each have one. That’s what you call a limited edition!
I actually picked these two because they are the only ones that aren’t under glass so they’re the easiest to photograph. It was the only way I could choose what to post out of all the painting I have of his.
The room these two particular paintings are hanging in is my favorite spot in the house, there’s no tv in there, just a stereo, a piano, lots of sunshine, and my cactus collection. These cacti make me very happy.
This is my very favorite houseplant. It’s a huge Christmas Cactus that is so old it was originally owned by my father-in-law’s grandmother. (I hope I remembered that right!) Until I was given this, I never knew that plants could be passed down from generation to generation. I can’t tell you how happy this cactus makes me, especially to see the new little sprouts growing out of the old trunk.
I love to sit in that room in my Canadian rocker and look at those paintings and plants with a cup of coffee in my hands. And when my coffee is done right, it makes me very, very, happy.
My favorite coffee, my favorite creamer, and my favorite humongous mug means life is good.
My coffee pot isn’t the only kitchen appliance that makes me happy. I love my kitchen aid mixer, my bread machine, and this:
My favorite of my four (yep four) crock pots. Making my own chicken stock in a slow cooker makes me very happy.
Last, what could make me happier than my cat hanging out with me and letting me take cute pictures of him?
Why that would George in my lap, purring his little heart out while I scratch behind his ear.
What makes you happy? Tell me in comments, or if you decide to do this meme, make sure you leave me the link to your post so I can read it!
Filed Under meme, photos Tagged family, houseplants, life, meme, photos, the boy, the cat
taking the lazy way
Yeah, yeah, if you’re a Facebook friend you’ve already seen this…but I did all that work to come up with these I figured I might as well use it twice!
This is is the 25 random things meme that’s going around like the plague. I was tagged four times before I realized I was just going to have to do it and get it over with.
Forgive me if you’ve heard any of these before.
1. I’m the youngest of 7 kids. Contrary to popular belief, this does not make me spoiled. My older siblings may beg to differ.
2. My kid is so much like me it’s scary. He looks like me, he talks like me, and he’s sarcastic, just like me. God help me.
3. I’ve been married for coming up on 14 years. It still feels like yesterday.
4. Pregnancy was the worst experience of my life. Motherhood is the best.
5. My cat was my first baby. Cat’s are NOT good practice for a real baby. Although he does follow me around all day. And he wakes me up at 5:30 in the morning most days. And he’s trying to lay on my computer while I type.
6. I’m a contract photo editor. I find the perfect pictures for book manuscripts, mostly science books for children. I love my job, and I have the best client in the world.
7. I work far more than most people realize. Just because I do it at home, doesn’t mean I’m not working!
8. I was almost an electrical engineer. Until I realized I hated math. Then I thought about being a lawyer, but I’m too nice. So I got a degree in US History. That was a dumb idea.
9. Sometimes I snort when I laugh. I can’t help it. My kid is practicing so he laugh like me too.
10. I’m obsessed with the weather. If I could do it all over again I’d be a storm chaser.
11. I love to cook, and I’m pretty damn good at it.
12. I lived in Virginia for 7 years. I loved it there but I love being in New Hampshire more. Except for the snow. When you live away you forget about the snow.
13. My all time favorite TV show is Stargate SG1, and I still haven’t forgiven the SciFi channel for canceling it.
14. I love gardening but I’m pretty terrible at it, and by mid-summer I tend to forget about the garden. I think I just love the idea of gardening. This year I’m sticking to potted plants.
15. I hate to be hot. I keep my house around 63 in the winter. Wear something warm if you come visit me!
16. My favorite film genre is disaster movies. The worse the better. Top of the list is Twister and Dante’s Peak!
17. The best way to interact with me on FB is to start a Scrabble game with me. I am addicted.
18. I am noticeably, but not quite completely, tone deaf.
19. Five years ago I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Recently I was told I was probably misdiagnosed. That pissed me off and I’m ignoring the whole thing.
20. I have a talent for making wheel thrown pottery, but haven’t had a chance to do it in a very long time. I compensate by crocheting, but it’s not quite the same.
21. I almost always cut my own hair, because every stylist I’ve ever been to has tried unsuccessfully to blow it out straight even though I tell them I hate that. It’s like a challenge to them, so I gave up. I cut it better anyway.
22. Aspartame (NutraSweet) gives me migraines. It took me years of suffering to figure that out. I haven’t had a migraine in almost 10 years now.
23. I’m becoming a pretty good photographer. But I’ll always be better at editing than shooting.
24. I ~still~ wear black almost everyday. It’s a habit I just can’t break and don’t really care to anymore!
25. I love my friends, and I don’t forget any of them, even if we haven’t talked in a long time!
And the one thing I didn’t say but will add here just for my bloggy friends: I have met more great people through this blog than I can even believe, and I appreciate you all as much as any of my other friends! xoxo
moments I love
My friend Megin tagged me for this meme because she knew I’m stuck for things to write about. Lucky for me it’s a good one. It’s one of those memes that’s been twisted around a bit and it’s now become the “5 moments I love” meme. Perfect!
- That moment when I completely finish the last loose ends of a project. When I send off the final email or drop the package in the FedEx drop and I know it’s done and I did a good job. I love that moment.
- That moment at night when I get in bed and put my head on my pillow and my whole being completely relaxes and I let the day drift away from me. I love that moment.
- That moment when we start a fire in the fireplace and it starts to roar to life, I hear the first crackles and hisses and pops of heating wood, and I can stare into the dancing of the light. I love that moment.
- That moment when I go in to the boy’s room in the morning, rub the back of his neck and watch him awaken to a new day, all warm and fuzzy headed, with pillow creases on his face. I love that moment.
- That moment when a new email notification appears in the corner of my screen. I check it in anticipation, and yes! it’s a comment! I love that moment.
I had such fun with this one, thanks Megin!
Now I know I’m supposed to tag some people, except I’m not gonna! If this one speaks to you, consider yourself tagged, and let me know if you do it so I can read it!
the 6th picture
I just had quite possibly the most boring weekend of my life. It rained all day yesterday so we cleaned instead of the raking that we’d planned.
It was nicer out today, but do you know how hard it is to rake wet leaves? Lots and lots of wet leaves? Ugh. Yet we had to get it done, because we may not get another chance before, dare I say it? Before snow flies. It’s supposed to get very cold here in the next few days, and even if it doesn’t flurry, it’s even harder to rake frozen leaves than wet ones. Trust me, I know!
Anyway, rain and raking = boring, so I’m stealing a meme from Motherbumper instead. All you have to do is this: Go to your Sixth Picture Folder then pick your Sixth Picture. Oh, you know there’s supposed to be tagging and all, but since I wasn’t, I’m not going to. 
Well, the sixth picture in my sixth picture folder was this:
Okay, okay, I know I’ve posted a lot of baby pictures lately – sorry about that! And this one was blurry – but hey those were the rules! And, geez, he was cute, can you see the dimples on his hand? Nom, nom, nom.
This photo really brings me back. I took it when the boy was only a few weeks old and this was my very first solo trip out into the world with him. I’ll never forget how scared that I would do something wrong! Oh, and yes, that is a tie-dyed outfit, given to us by the nurses at the hospital. I loved it but he grew out of it really fast. Sigh. The story of our lives, eh?
Anyone else need NaBloPoMo fodder? Go for it. Just leave a link if you do it so I can come see!
10 must read books
I love books, (you know I love books!) so when I was tagged by my friend Erin for the 10 Books You Must Read Before You Die Meme I knew I had to take my time and really think about it. I admit I’m getting kind of meme’d out, but I really like this one!
Here’s my list of the 10 books I think are must reads, in no particular order:
- Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott – this is the the book I read over and over and over again when I was a kid. It’s been awhile since I’ve read it now, but it’s still the perfect book to pick up when you need a good cry.
- Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen – I love all of her books but this is my favorite. Mr. Darcy is the swooniest character ever created. Oh, my.
- The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien – all of them together really make one book, don’t you think? You can’t really like SciFi without liking this classic.
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – no I’m not kidding. As hard as it is to read, there is just no way to get around it, they’re all good. If I had to choose just one play though, it would be A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- The Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder- again, I can’t really split these up, they just have to be read together. I’m currently reading the whole set to my kid and as always the one that has the most impact on me is the one we’re on now, The Long Winter.
- Magician by Raymond Feist – not a classic in any way, but my very favorite Science Fantasy novel. It’s usually published in two parts, Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master.
- Animal Farm by George Orwell – some argue that 1984 is a better book, but Animal Farm spoke to me and that’s what’s important here. The first time I read it was in high school, and honestly, I got the irony of that right away.
- The Iliad by Homer- I was fortunate to read this (along with The Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno) in college for one of the best professors I ever had. It was a very tough class but she really helped me break it down and make sense of it. Honestly though, it’s a toss up which of the 3 is better.
- The Plague by Albert Camus – um, eww, yet completely fascinating.
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank – I know you’ve all read it, you don’t need me to tell you why it’s one of the most important books ever written.
Okay, that was harder than I thought it would be! It would have been easier to have a list of twenty – there’s so many books I wanted to put here like Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide, Burnett’s The Secret Garden and Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago but they didn’t make the final cut!
Rather than tag anyone, I’m going to let you decide if you want to do this meme! So what are the 10 (or 20!) best books you’ve ever read?
Hey, while we’re talking books, are you on GoodReads yet?
the writing on the…
…post it note.
I saw this first at Flutter’s place a couple days ago, then at Slouching Mom’s and again at Jennifer’s yesterday. What can I say but that I’m a follower. Wouldn’t you follow them too?
I do think your handwriting says a lot about you. Mine says that I seem to have forgotten how to actually use cursive. Do schools even teach cursive anymore? I hope so.
It also says that I’m just as messy as my house.
I suppose now that I have my scanner hooked up, I probably ought to scan some stuff I need for work, eh? Hmm, or maybe I could dig out my old photo albums…no, must not get distracted…ooo look a shiny pretty thing….
Psst, now go check out my Editor’s Pick up on Blog Nosh today
food fact meme
I owe Kaza a meme and you know I only do memes when I’m in work hell. So it’s meme time! I think Kaza started this meme accidentially – she wrote this post and her bloggy friends took it upon themselves to do it with her – then she tagged me! Ya’ll need to know how much I heart Kaza – not only is she my blog twin in so many ways, she calls me her “fairy blogmother” – so really, how could I not adore her!
Five Facts about my Foodie Self
- As far as I’m concerned coffee isn’t right unless it’s super strong and it tastes like a candy bar. Think caramel mocha. Yep, that’s my drink of choice if I splurge on Starbucks. At home it’s French Vanilla New England Coffee, with fat free French Vanilla creamer. Yum.
- I love my popcorn with Parmesan cheese. From the green canister. With plenty of butter for it to stick to.
- I don’t consider myself a great cook, but others have told me I am. I just think their standards are low!
- I don’t like pizza. I try, but it’s always kinda meh. Frankly, I think it’s the crust. Is that heresy?
- I can’t eat raw vegetables. No really. I mean I can but it’s a baaaad thing when I do. I have Ulcerative Colitis and most raw veggies do a number on me, so I have to cook them all. Worst offenders: cucumbers and iceberg lettuce. Least offenders: spinach and tomatoes. You’d think it would be the opposite. I haven’t had a big, ice cold, crunchy salad for four damn years. Just try to imagine that. You can’t can you?
If you’re reading this and you’re a bit of a foodie, consider yourself tagged.
ps. I dare you to google Ulcerative Colitis and click on the wiki definition. Eww. Even I didn’t need to know that much!
saturday is a good day for a meme
I’ve been slacking – I was tagged almost a month ago by Jungleswife for the Four Things Meme! Oops! I thought today would be a good day to do this so I don’t have to think too hard
Four Jobs I’ve Held
- Glorified insurance salesperson (That means I was the receptionist that also had to sell auto policies. I was really bad at it.)
- Alumni association fundraiser – this was a summer job and god help me, I had to call alumni of the university I attended to beg for money. see above. Funny thing though – I once got my own parents on my call list – my father went to the same school as me – so I got to call home on work’s dime and time.
- Gas station attendant – I think that says it all. Oh and I was 16.
- Bank receptionist – I had to take all the phone calls from irate customers of a third rate credit card company – you know the kind where you have to put a deposit down to get the credit card. Yikes.
Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over
- Twister – I’m a sucker for disaster movies, the badder the better
- Pride and Prejudice (the 6 hour BBC version) – 2 words: Colin Firth
- You’ve Got Mail – also a sucker for romance, especially if I need a good cry
- The Sound of Music – yes, I know all the words, and sing them loudly
Four Places I Have Lived - and no I don’t live in any of them now
- Portland, Maine – I wish I had appreciated it more when I was there
- Leesburg, Virgina – that was my keeping up with the Joneses phase
- Belmont, New Hampshire – yep, right near the racetrack
- Jay, Maine – don’t ask
Four TV Shows I Like - only four???
- House
- Top Chef
- Workout
- Clean House
Four Favorite Foods
- Lobster – yeah I know it’s a cliche
- Risotto – my new favorite food, mmmm imagine lobster risotto….
- Ribs – nuff said
- anything someone else cooks
Four Places I would Rather Be
- on a beach
- asleep
- shopping
- at a Red Sox game
Four People I am Tagging - goody, a chance to tag some of my new readers! and I’m tagging more than four because I can
Stay at Home Mom – well you aren’t really new here…but I’ve never tagged you
And anyone else who wants to do it too!!