Universal Studios Trip

We took the boys to LA last month for a little pre-Christmas vacation. Below are highlights from our trip to Universal Studios.

The boys weren't too interested in having their pictures taken with the roving costumed characters, but they posed with Spongebob Squarepants because their cousin is a huge Spongebob fan.

From the set of War of the Worlds. I'm glad that's not our Mustang!

The Bates Motel with the set of How The Grinch Stole Christmas towering in the background. According to the tour guide, the car parked out front (also used in Psycho) did double duty as the family car from Leave it to Beaver.

My favorite part of the tour was getting to see Wisteria Lane and the houses from Desperate Housewives. Here, Mike the Plumber's house is pictured. I think that's Carlos' Jag parked in the driveway.

Lynette's house...complete with minivan in the driveway.

Susan's house.

Betty Applewhite's house from season two. This same house was previously occupied by The Munsters.

Mary Alice and Paul's house. The same house was used in Leave it to Beaver.

Bree's house.

Edie's house

Gabby's house

No studio tour would be complete without the close-up shot of Jaws.

Thursday 13: The Late Edition

1. Yes, I know I haven't posted since before Christmas. I've been a little busy, but mostly I haven't felt inspired to write anything. Thank you, Ces for giving me a much needed kick-start.

2. I am so glad 2006 is over and done with, never to be repeated. Quinton's illness and extended hospital stay made this a very difficult year for our family, to say the least.

3. We spent a quiet Christmas at home. Q's mom came to visit and she brought her new puppy. In the interest of family harmony, that's the last I'll say about that topic. :-)

4. My New Year's resolution is to drop about 20 pounds. I've started by working out every morning on the elliptical while watching my Knots Landing and Desperate Housewives DVDs. I also quit buying Oreos.

5. In the last few weeks, Q and I have both been fighting head colds. On New Year's morning, Q woke up with a fever. I urged him to double his cortisone dose (as per doctor's instructions) and stay home. I know it's just a fever, but it's the sort of thing that, if neglected, could put Q right back in the hospital.

6. The best part of Christmas shopping is the post-holiday sales. I just picked up 2 scarves from gap.com, regularly priced at $29.50 and $34.50 for $9.99 each. Then there's the obligatory trip to Victoria's Secret to buy clearance pajamas.

7. There's nothing softer than a pair of cotton VS jammies that have been washed about 800 times.

8. I am currently watching Super Size Me on CNBC. Now, I never really cared for McDonalds' food, but after seeing this, I don't think I want to eat there again.

9. Before Christmas, we went to over to southern California for four days of theme park fun (two each at Disneyland and Universal Studios). I was pleasantly surprised that the crowds were minimal, at best. Even the wait for Space Mountain was only 25 minutes. I'll post pictures shortly.

10. After Christmas, I FINALLY got around to redecorating the downstairs bathroom. Again, pictures will be forthcoming.

11. It's January 4th and our Christmas tree is still set up in the family room. Since it's an artificial tree--and therefore not a fire hazard--I'm not losing sleep over it. I'll put it away when I'm good and ready.

12. I'm looking forward to the spring semester starting up. This term, I'm taking Sewing for the Home and Intro. to Architectural Desktop for Interior Design. I wanted to take Modern Architecture and Furniture, but it's being taught by the same instructor who taught Architectural History last semester. No thank you.

13. I hope it rains tomorrow.

ABCs of Living

I got this one from Maria.

A. Are you Single or Married: Married
B. Best Friend: Quinton
C. Cake or pie: Cake
D. Drink of choice: Pepsi
E. Essential item: The Fluffy Pink iPod
F. Favorite color: Do you have to ask? :-)
G. Gummi bears or worms: Worms...the sour kind that are coated with sugar
H. Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
I. Indulgence: Designer handbags
J. January or February: February
K. Kids and/or names: Kyle and Luke
L. Life is incomplete without: The love, respect, and adoration of children
M. Marriage date: October 26
N. Number of siblings: 1 sister
O. Oranges or apples: Oranges
P. Phobias/Fears: Dogs, eating food that has been in the refrigerator too long (when in doubt, throw it out), widowhood.
Q. Quote: "Don't pee on my head and tell me it's raining." (I say this alot. It drives the boys crazy)
R. Reason to smile: When I'm fighting a headache, one of the boys always sneaks in my room and places a cold water bottle on my nightstand.
S. Season: Spring
T. Tag 3 people: Anyone who cares to participate is welcome.
U. Unknown fact about me: I do not like shoe shopping. Comfortwise, I find something wrong with 90% of the shoes I try on. When I do find a pair I like, I buy them in every available color.
V. Vegetable you hate: Mizuna or radicchio
W. Worst habit: Being a bad girl at the mall
X. X-men: Whichever one was played by Hugh Jackman.
Y. Your favorite chore: Running errands
Z. Zodiac: Pisces

A Fluffy Pink Christmas

Christopher posted a meme of his Christmas favorites. And since I have to do everything Christopher does (it's a law...look it up), I'm posting my own. Enjoy.

Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate. Double the chocolate, serve it up in a Fiesta pedestal mug and top it with half a can of whipped cream. Ah, perfection!

Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Wrapped...absolutely. The paper from the unwrapped presents make great weaponry for the wrapping paper battles (the closest thing you get to a snowball fight in Phoenix) that often ensue after all gifts are open. Hint: tissue paper or some other really thin paper works best for wadding up and achieving distance. One year, I bought that mylar wrapping paper, and the fight was a bust.

Colored lights on tree/house or white. White on the tree. It accents the ornaments better, IMO. I can go either way on the house, although this year we have all white.

Do you hang mistletoe? Only if I can find some Boy Scouts selling it outside the grocery store.

When do you put your decorations up? Right after I get all the crap out of the downstairs closet to get to the Christmas boxes in the back.

What is your favorite Christmas dish? Owen Wilson dressed in a Santa suit. Maybe I'll even get to sit on his lap! 8-)~

Favorite Christmas memory as a child? Waking up to find my first little bicycle parked in the middle of the living room. I believe I was 4 or 5 at the time.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember. That repressed memory defense mechanism works wonders.

What tops your tree? Nothing right now. I have yet to find a topper worthy of my decorating style.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We have in the past. But I find that once you start, you can't stop. That means you wake up on Christmas morning to nothing under the tree. How depressing is that? So my answer is no.

What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him? The white chocolate and oatmeal cookies that Q makes...as long as we don't polish them off first.

Snow! Love it or hate it? Love it in small doses. It's a rare commodity here in the desert.

Can you ice skate? I guess I can. I did it once when I took Kyle to a birthday party at the local ice rink. I didn't wake up in the hospital or sustain any injuries.

Favorite tradition? It would't be Christmas around here without stockings full of chocolate coins. Also, we have to watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation at least twice. And then there's the wrapping paper fights mentioned above.

Which do you prefer - giving or receiving? Would it be bad form to admit that I like receiving? Although I really enjoy giving when I know that the gift is something that the recipient really wants and was unable to acquire on their own.

What is your favorite Christmas Carol? Anything from the Charlie Brown Christmas album.

Candy Canes? Only in very small doses...like when you have bad breath.

Wii Are Pi$$ed

Kyle has been saving his money for a Nintendo Wii since before most of us knew what the Wii was. For his birthday last August he asked us not to buy him presents, but for "Wii money". By the time the game console was released last month, he had saved enough money to buy it and a few accessories.

On the morning of the Wii's release, Q took Kyle to Target just before the store opened. Ticket had been handed out to those in line, but they were too late. One guy offered to sell them his ticket for $500. No thank you. In the following days, we tried called stores and even drove around trying to find Kyle a Wii. They were all over ebay, with auctions ending at thousands of dollars--way more than the $250 retail price. In the meantime, I was soothing a lot of crying.

Fast forward to now. Kyle has resigned himself to waiting until after Christmas when we can find one in a regular store for a regular price.

But the Nintendo Wii is not the only item I'm having trouble finding. I won't go into specifics because certain family members read this blog and I don't want to give away any surprises.

Back on December 2, I bought an item at Buy.com. I chose to do business here based on an offer of $20 off a $50 purchase if I used Google Checkout. Sounds good to me. According to the website, the item was in stock. I placed the order and my credit card was promptly charged.

Several days later, I hadn't received a shipping confirmation, so I checked the status of my order. Next to the item name were the words "on order". Translation: "oops...we don't have your item just now!" Well, after navigating through some red cyber-tape, I managed to get the order cancelled, my account credited, and I bought the item elsewhere.

Then there was an item Kyle wanted. We spotted it in Target one night, but I couldn't make the purchase just then since he was with me. When I returned a few days later, they were sold out. No problem. I'll get it somewhere else, right? Wrong! I tried the Toys R Us across the street. I had Q try the TRU near his office. I even checked Wal-Mart. WAL-MART, People!!!!! Yes, I am willing to forgo my personal boycott in order to ensure the look of elation on my son's face on Christmas morning. Anyway, they didn't have it, either.

I ended up ordering it from an online shop that I had never heard of. The price was the same, but I had to pay shipping fees. Oh well...better than sales tax. It arrived on the doorstep last night.

Elsewhere, I was tired of being told that "this item is not currently available, but you might enjoy....(insert inferior or overpriced product here)".

Apparently, I'm not the only one who's noticing these toy shortages. It was a topic on local radio last week. I read an article about it on MSN Money last week. Unfortanately, I'm having trouble finding the link at the moment.

Anyway, here's hoping you're all able to find those special gifts that will dazzle your families and that you don't settle for anything less.

It's Over!!!!!

The fall semester has come to a close, and I aced both of my classes. I can't believe it! My drafting class was easy. I could have done that one in my sleep (and I often did!). In fact, I completed all the coursework 3 weeks early.

My architectural history class was the one I was worried about. I hadn't worked this hard since the philosophy class I took a few years ago. At that time, I told myself that if I got a B in that class, I would be happy. And that's exactly what happened.

This was not the case with AH. I was not willing to accept anything less than an A. I worked hard searching for photos, writing captions for them, compiling notebooks, and writing research papers, studying PowerPoint lectures, and reading assigned chapters from the text that often didn't get covered in class or on tests.

Many weekends, I didn't leave the house. in fact, I would spend entire days in my pajamas, sequesterd to the family room reading, typing, searching, and reading some more. I would only stop when smiling Quinton entered the room carrying a tuna sandwich.

I tried very hard not to fall apart. Often, I begged the boys and their friends to pipe down because "Mom's working in here". If that didn't work, I would lay down the law and make them all go outside. I was met usually with whines of protest, but I persisted. After all, it was usually around 75 degrees outside...too nice to be indoors. I would have traded places with them in a heartbeat.

I also gained a little weight this semester. Whenever I completed a notebook section, I would reward myself by eating my weight in Oreos or chocolate and peanut butter ice cream from Baskin Robbins. Also, when I was overcome with stress, I would eat. Hey, it's better than alcohol!

So in the end, completed AH class with a very hard earned A...despite the numerous occasions I shot daggers at the instructor. Speaking of which, I patiently waited for an opportunity to fill out a performance evaluation. Well, it never came. We weren't afforded that chance. Oh well, if I can't use my words, I can speak with my actions. I simply won't take any class she teaches ever again...if I can avoid it!

I Did It! I REALLY Did it!!!!!!!

At 6:28 this evening I inserted the last page of the last section of my architectural history notebook into its binder. I'm so proud of myself. Even though the notebook is not due until Tuesday (aka The Last Day of AH) I forced myself to get it done early. It feels so invigorating to have this huge weight off my shoulders.

And I do mean "huge weight". This sucker is 176 pages long. 176 pages of architecture, art, and furnishings dating back from ancient Egypt all the way up to 18th century America. Yes, I arrived at that number by including all the tab dividers, cover sheets, photos, works-cited pages, and other filler. Sue me. The binder is 2 inches think and I printed everything on card stock. As a result, it weighs about as much as a small house pet.

And since the notebook is done, I'm going to treat myself. Yes, tomorrow, I am going to put on real clothes and (gasp!) I'm going to leave the house! There is a 50% off coupon from Joann Superstore burning a hole in the bottom of my purse. And it expires TOMORROW! I think I will go down there and treat myself to that mirror I've been wanting for the downstairs bathroom!!!!

Should I cell out my kid??????

Recently, Q and I were discussing which cell phones we would like to get when our plan comes up for renewal. Kyle took that opportunity to pipe in: "Can I have your old phone?" Well, this was a shocker. I didn't know Kyle was so interested in getting his own phone. After all, he doesn't make or receive many calls on our house phone.

Kyle went on to tell us that "everyone in sixth grade has a phone!" Quinton immediately replied that that wasn't a good enough reason for him to get a phone. Now, I know phones are popular among kids, but I thought it would be a few years before we would have to visit this issue.

Quinton seems to think that Kyle doesn't need his own phone. At first I agreed, but now I'm not so sure it's such a bad idea.

Kyle's getting a older and he's venturing further away from home. A new park was recently built in our neighborhood and the kids like to go there after school. There's no pay phone there. In fact, there are hardly any pay phones anywhere anymore.

Also, Kyle's friend base is no longer limited to kids who live within shouting distance from the house. It would be really nice for me to be able to call him on his phone and tell him that he needs to come home. It's much easier than calling all his friends' homes trying to track him down. I've had more of these awkward conversations than I care to admit to: "Hi, this is Val ____...is Kyle there? He's not. Ok...I'm sorry I interrupted your dinner..."

Now see? If Kyle had his own phone, the number of etiquette faux pas I commit will go way down.

I am not worried about Kyle running up the phone bill. We have more monthly minutes than we ever use. I'm also not concerned about Kyle losing the phone. He has proven to me that he is responsible with his things. I mean, we're talking about a boy who carefully organizes his video games and gets angry when the covers of his paperback books get creased from being jostled around in his backpack. I know he will follow any ground rules we set forth for the phone.

Perhaps my biggest concern is his leaving the phone in the same place he leaves his keys--at home on the hall table. I have visions of myself trying to reach Kyle on his phone only to hear a Star Wars-themed ringtone reverberating from the next room.

Thursday 13: Things Q Always Says to Me

We interrupt irregular programming to bring you today's Thursday 13, which was promised and written over a week ago.

1. "How do you stay awake listening to that music?"

2. "Do you have a___in your purse?" (nail clippers, Chapstick, pen, Tylenol, etc.)

3. (When eating out) "You know, I could cook that for you."

4. "Next time you're at the store, could you pick up some more_____?" (bread, light bulbs, eggs, etc.)

5. "And how much did THAT cost?"

6. "How about FISH for dinner!!!!"

7. "My______hurt." (feet, knees, eyes, etc.)

8. "Anything good in the mail that's not a bill?"

9. (Motioning to the TV) "Are you watching this?"

10. "Can I have the remote?"

11. "Will you ever have enough dishes?" (the answer is NO).

12. "Which shirt goes with these pants."

13. "When I was in the hospital...." (he talks about it like it was Band Camp!)

Bonus 14. "Hey, is that the guy that was in that movie with that one girl who was in the show about those people who live in a neighborhood...." (Names, honey. I need NAMES if I have any hope of knowing what you're talking about.)

Off The Air

The blogging will continue when my workload subsides.

My Weekend Project: Before and After

Most years, our Thanksgiving weekends are spent partaking of home improvement or redecorating projects. This time seven years ago, we painted the master bedroom. That project took the entire weekend--mostly waiting for paint to dry...and making several trips to Home Depot to buy more masking tape. Now, since the house is mostly painted and--save for the kitchen--decorated the way I like, projects like this are getting fewer and further between.

I had been wanting new bedroom furniture. I even told Q that's what I wanted for Christmas. There's nothing wrong with the stuff we've got. There's just not enough of it to hold all our clothes. So instead of doing the unthinkable and paring down my wardrobe, I started looking for a new chest of drawers.

Then Wednesday night, it hit me. We have this nice alder wood TV cabinet in the den that was being under utilized. . Aside from being far too big for the 10 x 8 foot space, it was being used as a storehouse for boatload of junk: a broken TV...phone books that we never use (who needs the Yellow Pages when there's Google?)...along with an electric pencil sharpener, cell phone chargers, check blanks, and miscellaneous office supplies that can all be housed elsewhere.

Since the den is Q's work space, I asked him if he had any attachment to keeping the armoire in there. He said no and when I mentioned moving the piece up to our bedroom and using it for additional clothing storage, he was thrilled. He was about to save some money. And I was so excited about this project that I bugged Q to help me with it first thing Friday morning.

It took several false starts, but we got that bad boy moved up our narrow staircase. It was after the first try that we realized that removing the doors would really lighten the load. I also removed all the pictures from the wall before we tried again.

After we got the armoire right were we wanted it, it was time to figure out how to convert it from a TV cabinet to clothing storage. We thought about installing shelves on top of which we would set plastic bins or wicker baskets. There would be some carpentry work involved there so I set out seeking alternatives.

On the Target website, found these great stackable storage drawers. They're see-through so I can see what's in the drawer before opening it. I arranged my shirts according to color, but we'll see how long it stays like this. I also bought and installed the hookrail on the inside of the door to hold my belts and scarves.

The bottom part of the armoire remains empty, but I have that space earmarked for Q's jeans and sweatpants.

Scrooge Wears Pink

Ok, I admit. I am not looking forward to the holidays this year. I can't really pinpoint one single cause. Instead, it's just a bunch of little things. For one thing, the house is a cluttered mess. Nobody wants to help me and Q clean it, and yet the boys are p!$$ed that we aren't having people over.

We always have people over. After all, we do have the big house and Quinton loves doing the cooking. This year, I told him that I just wanted to spend a quiet Thanksgiving day with just us and the boys. Knowing the stress I've been under, he replied: "Whatever you want, Dear." I knew there was a reason I married him.

And it worked out for the best. Quinton ended up overdoing it. He was dog tired and his legs were hurting by the end of the day.

And speaking of stress, there's the matter of the architectural history class from Hell. I'm going to be spending much of the Thanksgiving weekend working on a notebook and a major presentation for that class. A few of the girls working on the project with me have informed me that they are having trouble finding non-Internet sources on our topic. I'm not going to know a moment's peace until that thing ends on December 12.

We still have a few medical bills hanging over our heads. It will probably take some fighting on our part, but they will be covered by insurance. In the meantime, I can't bring myself to go out shopping for presents for people who don't want anything...don't need anything...want only expensive items...or are impossible to buy for.

Quinton, on the other hand is looking forward to the holidays. He spend last Christmas as a weak, overweight man, who could barely walk without feeling pain. He then spent most of this year cooped up in the hospital or enduring a slow, tedious recovery at home. For this, Q is happy about the holidays. It means that 2006 is almost over. We can wipe the slate clean and this can go down as the worst year ever. For this, I agree with him.

13 Things I Say to Quinton Everyday

1. "Honey, have you seen my____?" (sunglasses, keys, book bag, etc.)

2. "Did you take your afternoon cortisone dose?

3. "Which car do you want do drive today?

4. "Do you have any requests from___? (Frys, Target, Linens 'n' Things, Schwan's, etc.)

5. "You know what else would look nice in our remodeled kitchen...."

6. "How does my hair look?"

7. "When was the last time you checked your blood pressure?"

8. "The____is making a weird noise." (air conditioner, car, pool motor, major appliance, etc.)

9. "How could we be out of_____?" (garbage bags, vanilla ice cream, dishwasher tablets) "I just bought some!"

10. "It's cold in here!"

11. "It's hot in here!"

12. "How about pizza for dinner?"

13. "Could you please turn that TV down?!?!?!?!?" (I use much stronger language if he's watching the Fox News Channel)

Next week: 13 Things Quinton always says to me.

Ms. Val's Bargain of the Week

During our trip to Tempe, I wandered into Urban Outfitters. Since it's in Tempe, it's not a store I get to very often. Too bad because Urban Outfitters has so many great things. It should--it's owned by the same company as Anthropologie.

Anyway, during my requisite stop at the clearance rack. I found these two tops. I couldn't decide which one I liked more: bright colors or pastels. But priced at $12.99 each, I felt no guilt about buying both.

Ms. Val's Day Off

On Sunday, we took the day off from housework and homework and spent the day in Tempe.

Our first stop was Tempe Town Lake, where we rented a couple of kayaks. Incidentally, this is the boys first boat ride that wasn't on a ferry or tour vessel. This was strictly DIY.

The weather was perfect. The temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. It was breezy and the waters were a little choppy, but I think that made it more fun.

The only drawback is that the kayaks have holes in the bottom. If I had known this, I would have had everyone wear swimming suits. Instead, we walked around all afternoon looking like we peed our pants.


Afterwards, we went over to downtown Tempe and Mill Avenue. We wanted to show the boys that a real downtown is more than just sports arenas and parking garages. We ate lunch at Fatburger. Not an ideal choice if you're trying to drop a few, but it's what Kyle wanted and I did share fries with Quinton and Lucas instead of getting my own. Afterwords, we walked around, did a little sightseeing, and I picked up my Bargain of the Week, which I will post shortly.

%&#*! Homework!!!!

I am so fed up with this architectural history class that I am going on strike. I am not doing homework all weekend.

That's all I've been doing for the last three weekends: homework. For this ONE class! Because the ditzy little teacher has a Napoleonic complex that has her believing that her class is the only one that matters. And she assigns homework and projects accordingly. We had two large projects due and a test last week. And we have two even larger projects due shortly after Thanksgiving recess.

It's so aggravating because this is the best time of the year to be in Phoenix. Daytime temperatures are in the 70s and 80s. And I have wasted many beautiful weekends compiling data for and creating architectural history notebooks. Well, %&#* that $#!T! I'm taking my family sailing today.

Homework aside, the instructor for this class is such a piece of...work! Our latest assignment is a group project. We have to profile a historic furniture designer. Topics were assigned by drawing little slips of paper with the subject's name on them. When I doubted the spelling of our guy's name, she responded in a snippy, high pitched tone: "Yep! That's the right spelling!" I put my hands on my hips and looked down my nose at her: "Really?" I said in my best skeptical Alexis Carrington voice, "We'll see".

Am I to believe that every single solitary research website is wrong and the Allison Sugarbaker of college instructors is right? I wanted to ask her that, but I was too big of a chicken $#!T. Besides, I have to tolerate this insufferable woman for a few more weeks.

Sort of. According to the spring course catalog, she is teaching the modern architecture class--a class I need for my degree. NOOOOO!!!! I have grappled back and forth as to whether I should take the class. I have decided against it. There are other classes I want to take more, anyway. And if I'm lucky, a different instructor will be teaching that class a few semesters from now.

I'm really looking forward to the end of the semester...especially the part when we get to fill out performance evaluations on our instructors. My mouth is watering just thinking about that one. I plan on commenting about her lack of empathy toward a student who couldn't afford the $100+ textbook (he ended up having to drop the class.) I will comment about her incessant whining about the slowness of the computer (all her lectures are on PowerPoint). I will rant about how slow she is about getting the PowerPoint slides installed onto the student server (we need to study these for the tests). I will gripe about how she's nonchalant about her own mistakes but openly dresses down the class for theirs.

I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, when and if Miss Allison asks me if I'm taking the modern architecture class, I'm going to smile and say: "Not if you're teaching it!"

I No Longer Care

I no longer care that my shoes don't have brand cache. They look decent. They're very comfortable. And that's all that matters.

I no longer care that I haven't had time to rearrange the Fiesta display in months.

I no longer care that the cars haven't been washed in weeks. One of them is gold so it hides dirt very well.

I no longer care what people think about my wearing my pajamas to the mailbox...or even the grocery store, for that matter.

I no longer care that Lucas hasn't had a hair cut in two months. He can wear it as long and messy as he wants. After all, it's not my hair!

I no longer care that the living room carpet is hopelessly stained.

I no longer care Kyle's shirt and pants don't match...or they match too well.

I no longer care that the top of the picture frames haven't been dusted in 7 years.

I no longer care who gets the last Pop Tart.

I no longer care that the pool pump makes weird noises. That's Quinton's responsibiltiy!

I no longer care that my cell phone battery won't hold a charge (we're eligible for new phones in a few weeks).

I no longer care that Kyle's bedroom is the neighborhood Petri dish. I just wish he'd bring his dishes down to the kitchen!

I no longer care that Lucas won't put his clean clothes in his dresser. If he wants to live out of a laundry basket, fine.

I no longer care that the windshield is always streaky. I can see the road. That's all that matters.

I no longer care that I have only two pairs of jeans that fit good.

I no longer care that the white washclothes are dingy and threadbare.

I no longer care that our laminate kitchen countertops are warped.

I no longer care that the kids put their feet on the furniture...as long as they take their shoes off first.

I no longer care that my black clothes are covered in Jango fur.

I no longer care that Quinton currently weighs less than I do! OK...that does bother me.

I no longer that the yard gravel keeps getting kicked in the driveway.

Thursday 13: The Fiesta Edition

1. Covered casserole
2. Sauce boats
3. Carafes...one of which is SAPPHIRE
4. Relish trays
5. Retired mugs
6. Large disk pitchers
7. Assorted bowls
8. Pedestal mugs
9. Assorted vases
10. Fruit bowls
11. Jumbo bowls and mugs
12. Pieces of persimmon
13. Salad plates

6 Blogworld Road

Ces and a bunch of other bloggers have moved to Blogworld Road. The first time I stopped by, I fell in love with the neighborhood. So, I decided to take up residence here as well...before all the good houses are taken and the prices go up.

I live in the Spanish style house at 6 Blogworld Road. My house is the one with bikes on the driveway and kids playing on the lawn and climbing trees.

My freezer is stocked with popsicles for the neighhborhood kids (Kyle is their alpha dog). I usually have fresh-baked cookies at the ready, but if not, there's always microwave popcorn made with Luke's special recipe (extra butter and cinnamon sugar).

The inside of my house is always under construction. I am always painting, unpainting, and repainting the walls. Also, there are shopping bags everywhere, all filled with clothes, dishes, and accessories. For all of it, I spent less than $30.

Christopher lives nearby, and he's always coming over to borrow tools from Q, and fluffy pink accessories from my closet. He always returns these items promptly and in better condition than issued. The boys to do odd jobs in and around his house. Kyle rakes leaves while Luke climbs to the highest depths of his fruit trees and picks off all the rotten apples. Christopher usually pays them in Fiesta and iTunes downloads, but the other day, Luke brought home a VHS copy of Mommie Dearest. I know I'm crazy, but I'm not THAT bad. :-)

Every week, we host pizza parties. Christopher, Ces, Papa, Mark, WW, Maria, HE, Irene, KJ, their families, and all their blog friends stop by and and eat Daddy Pizza and visit around the bar of our newly remodeled kitchen. No paper plates here. Everyone gets to eat off their favorite Fiesta color...although the last sapphire fan to arrive might have to eat their pizza out of a cereal bowl...or fight Lucas for the dinner plate.

Everyone always contributes their favorite topping and a drink.

He Does All His Own Stunts, Part 4

I would like to know what pattern of behavior occurred to make Lucas think that standing on the newel post was a good idea. That post is only a 4 1/2 inch square. Also, he's holding the champagne flute to emulate the Statue of Liberty.

Cotton Candy

Lucas refers to this song as "middle age sex music"

Ms. Val's Bargain of the Week

I picked up this t-shirt for Kyle the other day. Never before has a catty novelty shirt fit someone's personality the way this one does for Kyle. It's a little hard to see, but it reads: I'm multi-talented. I can play video games and ignore you at the same time." I bought it for $4.99 at Kohls.

Our First Orange

We have had this orange tree in the ground for six years. It has grown to over 10 feet tall, but has never born any fruit (unlike our lime tree, which produces enough to make margaritas for the entire neighborhood). Well, finally, our tree is growing her first orange. It's still quite small, but we're hoping that this isn't some fluke and we'll be drinking fresh-sqeezed juice from home-grown oranges by late spring.

The Bald Baby Brigade

It's a wonder any of us ever grew hair.

Thursday 13

1. When Q and I were in Palm Springs a few weeks ago, I listened to a lot of Muzak. And I liked it. And I don't care who knows it.

2. There is nothing "average" about me.

3. I love carrying expensive designer handbags, but my favorite shoes come from Famous Footwear. They are very comfortable and cost about $30 ($20 if I get them on sale).

4. I also wear $10 sunglasses from Target, but that's because I'm always losing or damaging them.

5. About 7 years ago, I got food poisoning from eating fish tacos at a place called Kokopelli Grill (yes, I'm naming names). I was sick for a week. And because of that, I absolutely refuse to ever eat fish tacos again. Of course, whenever we drive past Rubio's, Q will pipe up: "Hey, Val...look! 99 cent fish tacos! You wanna stop?"

6. I should point out that just about everything else at Rubio's is good.

7. My favorite place to study and do homework is the family room. No TV there! But I do have the distraction of ogling at my Fiesta in the neighboring kitchen.

8. I am trying to drop a few pounds. I bought the boys strawberry ice cream since I am in no way tempted by it.

9. There's been a lot of yelling in our house lately. Not bad yelling, really. Just everyone trying to hold conversations from 1 or 2 rooms away: "Kyle...don't forget your keys!" "Mom, do we have anymore pastrami?" "Val, have you seen my wallet around here?" "Someone, please answer the doorbell!"

10. I stop at Jamba Juice no fewer than three times a week. I always get the regular Mango Mantra smoothie with the Burner and Fiber boosts.

11. I am enjoying this new trend of long, tunic-style shirts. When paired with a cool belt, they flatter my figure more than shorter, regular length tops. Now, I just wish the rise on ladies' jeans would climb a little higher.

12. I have spent the better part of the week working my @$$ off on three assignments for my architectural history class. If I am not sleeping or attending class, I am creating notebooks outlining the various styles of the European Renaissance or writing a report and designing a presentation board on Japanese architecture. I no longer have a life. As a result, the house is covered in paper clutter. The kitchen is overrun with dirty dishes and groceries that never got put away. And the laundry is laying around in various stages of doneness: unwashed...washed, but not dried...dried, but not folded...folded, but not put away.

13. I have noticed a disportionate number of students have been dropping the aforementioned class.

5 Things--People Collection List

Maria tagged me to post a meme to write 5 profane or mundane (propane?) things about myself. I've been reading these from other fellow bloggers all day. I just hope my list can measure up...

1. I like to dip my pizza crust in either ranch dressing or wing sauce.

2. I make funny mnemonic devices out of the letters in license plates. Before we went personalized, one of our license plates included the letters GNR: "Guns N Roses", I called that one. The other plate's letters were PAM. Q came up with: "Persistently Anxious Mom".

3. I have the following sign hanging outside by the pool. We behave accordingly.

4. I always use a pink toothbrush

5. A few years ago when my mom and I were shopping in California, we went into a store that had some really cool embellished jeans. I wanted to try them on, but couldn't find a dressing room. I asked a sales clerk, and she confirmed that the store doesn't have one. Mom asked me: "What do you want to do?" I motioned for Mom to follow me to the back of the store. We went behind a stuffed clothes rack, where I had a full view of the store. I handed Mom my purse and she acted as my look-out person while I dropped trou in the middle of the store. If this place wants to sell me jeans, they are damn well going to let me try them on! Oh, and I did end up buying the jeans.

Ok, now I have to tag some people. This is going to be hard since most of the people on my blog list have already done this or have been tagged to do it. In fact, that only ones left are Mark, Papa, and Homo Escapeons.

Tag, you're it...

Girl of the 70s

You were a little girl in the '70s if....

You wore a rainbow shirt that had half-sleeves, and the rainbow went up one sleeve, across your chest, and down the other.

You made baby chocolate cakes in your Easy Bake Oven and washed them down with snow cones from your Snoopy Snow Cone Machine.

You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked.

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it and the tassels on the handles.

You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.

You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!)

You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island.

You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.

You had either a "bowl cut" or! "pixie," not to mention the "Dorothy Hamil" because your Mom was sick of braiding your hair. People sometimes thought you were a boy.

Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.

You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.

You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.

You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits.

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.

You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color.

You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle). You also had a pair of salt-water sandals.

You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson!

You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink.

Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it "pretty" with the comb you kept in your back pocket.

You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.

You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic.

You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazard was your boyfriend.

Every now and then "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the movie, "Annie" will pop into your brain and you can't stop singing it the whole day. Damn you!

You had Star Wars action figures, too! It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizard of Oz" would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!

You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: "Who will I marry. Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or Rick Springfield?"

You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album.

You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage, or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom. Pot holders - I believe they were called "loom loopers"

You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your T-shirts!

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.

You couldn't wait to get the free animal poster that came when you ordered books from the Scholastic book club. Double score if it was a teddy bear dressed in clothing.

You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books.

You thought Olivia Newton John's song "Physical" was about aerobics.

You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs.

You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.

You had a Big Wheel with a brake on the side, and a Sit-n-Spin.

You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat. You spent all your allowance on Smurfs and stickers for your sticker album!

Ms Val's Bargain of the Week

I wish I could take credit for this one, but it was all Q's doing. While out walking, he happend upon several garage sales. At the first one, he found a pair of rollerblades for Kyle. The lady quoted him $1. Sold! Down the street at another sale, he found a pair of skates for Lucas. He picked those up for $3.

He Does His Own Stunts, Part 3

The Official Stuntman of The Fluffy Pink Blog is at it again. This time, he's climbing the lime tree in the backyard. I am personally afraid of that tree because it's very thorny. I get scratched up just from picking one lousy lime to fix margaritas!

When he did come out of the tree, Luke had about six of these guys.

Cotton Candy

Taking a page out of Christopher's book, I'm starting a blog feature that mimicks his Weekly Cheese. I'll use this feature to post chintzy fluff videos along the same vein as those at Trading Faces. Also like the processed Cheese, Cotton Candy will have no nutritional value whatsoever. Also, I won't make it a weekly thing. Cotton Candy will be a special treat, served up only when and if I feel like it.

Today's clip is a rare diddy from 1982. Great song--one of my favorites, in fact--but the video was obviously made at a time when nobody knew how to make a quality music video. This one is so bad that you'll laugh your black beater shirt off.



I have rather vivid memories of watching this video almost every hour on Channel 61. I'm sure a few of my local readers might remember Channel 61. It was a low-powered UHF video channel that tried to fill the void caused by the fact that MTV--and the rest of cable, for that matter--was a limited commodity in Phoenix during the early 80s.

With Channel 61, 80's childen of the desert suburbs got to watch "I Ran" by Flock off Seagulls no less than a dozen times a day. We stared in awe as tried to figure out whether Boy George was a man or a woman. We were exposed to Spandau Ballet. And if you were really lucky, the rabbit ears on your family's TV were big enough to get a clear signal. The channel was at least half static. That's probably why it folded after about two years.

Halloween Pictures

I wanted to post these yesterday, but each time I tried to upload a photo, Blogger would give me the Internet equivalent of a blank stare.

The hard thing about giving out glow bracelets is having to preassemble and crack them open. Here, Lucas is helping me install plastic connectors and activate the glow.

Here's a close up shot of me attaching a connector. Now, imagine having to do that--and twisting the stick into a bracelet--400 times. My fingertips were red and raw by the end of the night, but it was worth it when kids would stop by and say "Oh, cool! Are you giving these away?" Or the group of teenagers who enthusiastically told me that my treats are "the best in the neighborhood."

Anakin Skywalker (Kyle) is cooling his jets because it's only 5:30 and I won't let him leave for until it gets dark, which happened a little after 6.

Quinton dressed up as himself 8 months ago. We put this costume together at the last minute. It was easy considering the numerous bags and boxes of medical supplies we have leftover from when he was getting home health care. I forget the technical names, but I found a little plastic tubey thingie that I taped to his arm. He stuck an additional 60cc catheter syringe in his pocket for good measure.

Looking at this picture, the cane and medical gloves make him look like a sick vaudvillian.


Here's a closeup of the syringe full of fake blood. I rigged this recipe up at the last minute. I used red ice cream sugar sprinkles mixed with water and heated until the sugar dissolved.

Thursday 13--The Music Edition

Some of my favorite lyrics to some of my favorite songs. Enjoy!

1. "I can't complain, but sometimes I still do." "Life's Been Good" by Joe Walsh.

2. "She gets her way just like a child." "Strutter" by KISS.

3. "Our mum, she's so house proud. Nothing ever slows her down and a mess is not allowed." "Our House" by Madness.

4. "Music is a world within itself; in a language we all understand." "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder.

5. "Life it ain't real funky. Unless it's got that pop. Dig it" "Pop Life" by Prince

6. "He sang as if he knew me...In all my dark despair...And then he looked right through me...As if I wasn't there." "Killing Me Softly With His Song" by Roberta Flack. (By the way, that was the #1 song in the country the day I was born.)

7. "But let me tell you I got some news for you. And you’ll soon find out it’s true. And then you’ll have to eat your lunch all by yourself." "Already Gone" by the Eagles

8. "Worn-out phrases and longing gazes won't get you where you want to go." "Words of Love" by The Mamas & The Papas

9. "Money only pays the rent." "The Glamorous Life" by Sheila E.

10. "Rainbows and waterfalls run through my mind." "Strawberry Letter 23" by the Brothers Johnson.

11. "I dont care...What you do...I wouldnt want to be like you" "I Wouldn't Want to be Like You" Alan Parsons Project

12. "You will or either you won't now. It's up to you. I've had my say." "Love or Let Me Be Lonely" by Friends of Distinction

13. "It's 12 o' clock; I gotta rock." "Detroit Rock City" by KISS

Happy Anniversary to ME!

A few people have inquired as to whether I got the Coach handbag that had been drooling over. No, I didn't. But it wasn't due to Quinton's usual inability to take a hint. He took this one. And he had every intention to get me the bag. But plans changed.

On our way to Palm Springs, we stopped by the gi-normous outlet mall in Cabazon. Our first stop was the Coach store. They didn't have the bag I wanted. No worries. We'll pick it up one of the Phoenix stores...it'll just cost a little more money.

Later, we wandered into the Burberry store. There before me was a rack of handbags. There were various sizes and shapes, but all were in the candy check pattern (read: pink). Oh, and did I mention...? They were all on sale!!!! Q had to ask the saleslady to get a mop for my drool mess. Just kidding.

It didn't take me long to decide that I'd rather have a pink Burberry than a black Coach. The hard part was deciding which one to get. They had slings, clutches, shoulder totes, and a little satchel that looked like a doctor bag for a toddler. Decisions, decisions... Q knew this was going to take awhile so he retreated to a bench in the front of the store.

It took a lot of hemming and hawing on my part, but I ended up choosing this small barrel bag:

I love my new bag. It's cute...the shoulder strap is neither too long, nor too short...it's comfortable...and it's the perfect size. But best of all, it's pink. Because I can't possibly have enough pink handbags. Seriously...