SMA Friday already?

I cannot believe that the week is over already! I missed Wordless Wednesday, I didn't blog any really deep, narcissistic thoughts, and I've nearly missed SMA Friday!

Whew! Because a weekend without Hugh is like a weekend without sunshine.

Happy Monday

Because only on a Monday morning would this be AS depressing as it is today:




and, for my foreign friends - especially those who are in the middle of Summer and live by the most beautiful ocean beaches in the world - I give you the Celsius number - just so you KNOW how cold it is here today!


Driving and texting is worse than driving and taking pictures, yes?)

SMA Friday

Don't get tired of these now... Hugh is SMA until next November!

Maybe this one will get Miss Martha on board!

Hey! My husband works for that company!

Fortune just released their list of the 100 best companies to work for in 2009 - and #1 on the list is where Husband works! That's pretty cool, I have to say.

Here is the article if you want to see it:

100 Best Companies to Work for 2009

Wordless Wednesday

"Facebook Flair" beats out "Frank Lloyd Wright"

Well, this is weird... my post about Facebook Flair has had over 25 hits in the last 3 days. Again, as with the Frank Lloyd Wright wasp nest, over half being outside of America.

Don't you wonder why some of your posts generate hits? What's the secret? I've mentioned "facebook" in other posts, and nothing.

Sexiest Man Alive? Draws only my regular readers. Now, you'd think having "Sexiest" in there would bring some hits my way, but it seems to be the word "flair" that does it.

Lets try:
Pomade
Silly Children
Dryer Sheets
Sistine Chapel
Patio Furniture
Inauguration
Crate and Barrel
Dog Treats
Spring Flowers

I'll let you know which, if any, bring attention. I suppose this is why people hide key words in their sites, right? What word would draw your attention?

2008: My version of a recap (of course it's late... have you learned nothing about me yet?)

In 2008 I blogged 179 entries. That is, almost, 15 blogs per month. Some months were lighter in the blogging arena, some much heavier. Blogging picked up during the months including Project Runway... and I have decided that if I ever recap for a reality show again it will have it's own blog space. I think it was a little distracting for those who didn't follow the show. But, I was only 4 blog entries away from an 'every other day' average. Wild, right? Didn't seem like I really had that much to say. Maybe I didn't... but if I was a major league batter with these kind of stats I'd be making the big bucks.

In 2008 my mom died. I miss her every day, and what people told me is very true. It doesn't hurt any less now - but it does hurt less often. I love her, I miss her, I find comfort in knowing I'll see her again someday.

In 2008 I read 22 books, which is far less than my normal - as for months after mom died I couldn't concentrate enough to read an entire book. Between my sadness about mom and my hormone crash from our miscarriage I'd pick them up, read a chapter, and not be interested.

In 2008 my dog, Bo, was diagnosed with cancer twice. Once was a mistake, and the second time was all too real. He seems to be responding to the treatment we have chosen, and we have high hopes that he will be with us throughout the entire 2009.

In 2008 my girls both had their first Disney adventures. They both describe them as "the best day of their life." I feel very fortunate that my kids have as much "wonderfulness" in their lives as they do.

In 2008 I was reminded by the Universe that even if I can't have all that I want, I have an excellent life. I give thanks for my husband, my children, my siblings, my dad, my mom, my in-laws, our pets, the teachers who guide my kids daily towards good decisions, our home, our neighbors (life sans Kravitz is unimaginable), our wonderful friends, our neighborhood pool (which saved my sanity this last summer), my husband's job, my having been able to spend 9 years home so far with our kids, the Assistant DA (who showed mercy towards me during that whole drivers licence fiasco), the former neighbors behind us who looked out their windows at just the right moment and spotted our fence on fire, our Government - who provided my mother with a beautiful final resting place... the list could go on forever. I have a whole lot to be grateful for!

Adios 2008. I, for the most part, didn't love you. But I do appreciate the things you taught me.

At last, something I can use!

I found this on the internet, someone searched my name in Google and this was from one of the links:

"Ani L’Dodi V’dodi Li" ("I to my beloved and my beloved to me") is the well known verse from King Solomon's Song of Songs.

My nickname means "beloved". My real name, Dorothy, means "gift of God".

I? Am a beloved gift of God. You just watch and see how quickly I throw that one at Husband next time we have a disagreement!!

SMA Friday!

Yes! It's FRIDAY!!!

To celebrate this week's SMA Friday, I give you a veritable plethora of Hugh.



Sigh.

Why being a high school principal is perhaps the WORST job ever...

OK, I saw this on a gossip site today and it is so funny! It's a clip from "truTV" (which I guess is the old CourtTV, IDK, but this show is called "Principal's Office"), and these two guys are really quite funny. Even though you want to slap them, they make you laugh. And, even though I was laughing, I was sitting here thinking, "See? THIS is why I could never be in education." I would have come un-glued.

I'm not actually posting the clip, since you know - I'm all G rated and such. (Except for naked Doogies, which don't really count.) BUT THE LINK IS RIGHT HERE! (I would suggest you don't watch with your kids around.)

I'm going to have to sniff around that site and see if it's any good. I'll report back with my in depth critique once I get the answers.

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday: Memory Lane - Remember these??

(They were Kool-Aid's competition MANY years ago. I remember we had some of those mugs, too. Check out the oh-s0-very PC names on the drinks! In 1966 Chinese Cherry was changed to Choo Choo Cherry and Injun Orange was changed to Jolly Olly Orange. There was Goofy Grape, rootin tootin raspberry, Freckle Face Strawberry, Lefty Lemonade... come on! You remember these, right?)

Nine years old is....

Too old for Gymboree, too young for Justice.

Ipods that still have Disney music on them, some princess songs are still OK for now.

Long hair in your face, mom's suggestion of "Wouldn't a ponytail with a bow be cute?" are met with hostile stares. She might wear that out of the house, but it won't be on her when she gets home.

Her thinking she is old enough for a cell phone. Mom and Dad telling her that MAYBE when she starts middle school.

Her sneaking both lip gloss and Littlest Petshop toys to school in her backpack.

Two or three years until I am officially the most embarrassingly awful person on this planet... as in "do NOT let people know we are related." Sigh.

Hopefully a couple of years left before she gives up our GoodNight Snuggles.

Still happy when Mom shows up at school and pops her head in to say "hi".

Sleeping peacefully with stuffed animals, and McDonald's toys are still small treasures.

Seeing glimpses of what kind of friends she is drawn towards, and knowing this still has time to change before she will be "labeled" as part of a group.

Another few steps away from us - towards who she is going to be. God bless her, I hope she always knows we're here - even if someday we are the most God awful, embarrassing, stupid, hopeless parents she ever has.

Today? We still have the answers, she still loves to be around us, and she welcomes us in to her life. I'm going to spend her year of Nine trying to remember that, cherish it, and not think about what is coming our way when our Little Girl is not so little anymore.

Dooce in Denver!

Yea!!! Another Blogger that I love has written a book - and she's coming to Denver during her book tour!

If you don't know DOOCE, you should start reading her now. She's wonderful to read, she was one of the first professional "mommy bloggers" (meaning she really does make a living from her blog, so successful is she that her husband quit his job to manage the business of the blog with her.) THIS BOOK is her memoir about her having to deal with post partum depression after the birth of Leta, her (now) 4 year old daughter. I'm sure it will be poignant, honest, and surprisingly funny.

She is here in Denver (well, Highlands Ranch. I don't think we need passports to travel all the way there yet!) on April 6th at 7:30. I think it would be a fun Mom's night out!

TGISMAF!

(Thank Goodness it's Sexiest Man Alive Friday!)

Looking a bit "Harry Potter" here, but not enough to ruin the sexy.

Sigh. Tracey and I are two very lucky women!

Asked DD2 about the toys...

She was with me when I was checking my comments, and said, "Hey, that's my pets!" So, seeing an opportunity to explore inside my child's brain, I asked, "Yes, they are your pets. How come they're backwards?" DD1: "Some are upside down and backwards." Me: "But what are they doing?" DD1: "They're getting their books out of their lockers."

And, if THAT is what she is noticing when she watches High School Musical? She can watch it every darn day! Here I was worried she'd want to dress like Sharpei, or learn about having crushes on boys... and she noticed the coolest thing was they got to have lockers. I love her being six! She's so good at it.

Wordless Wednesday: Nine years ago today...

And the curious treatment of the toys continues...

It's possible that there was an attempt at Mutiny and most of the Littlest Pets my daughter owns are being punished. (I especially like the ones that are hanging upside down... they must have been the ring leaders. And what's with the hamster in solitary confinement up there?)

Perhaps that folding table is like some sort of Guantanamo Bay for tiny terrorist pieces of plastic?

Maybe they are like Somalian Pirates that take over other toys in our living room - and the coast guard has rounded them up for interrogation?

I don't know, every time I let my guard down around here I am greeted with some sort of weird toy display. At least I can be thankful they are all of the same toy type, and the Polly's aren't in there acting as aid workers or something weird like that. Right?

(Note: No, I don't actually think she is insane or dangerous... she likes lining things up - it's one of her quirks. It's just that the weird stuff catches my eye, as opposed to the 15 times she lined them up facing forward, which didn't seem nearly as funny.)

Follow up on Ugliest Photo Contest

Hey, did anyone ever take any truly hideous pictures at holiday time? (Pictures of my ass don't count, MARTHA!) Let me know if you got anything good. I didn't.

Facebook Flair

OK, so according to my stats there are like maybe 12 people who read my blog with any regularity. (Having sifted out those who find me by doing a Google search on "Frank Lloyd Wright" - whose name appeared in a post ONCE - and still leads people here for a 5 second peek. Also not counting my one reader in Manitoba, who lurks here on and off. Although I'd like to know who it is, I don't have any idea... they have never commented. But I'm sure it started with a Frank Lloyd Wright search.) Once I narrowed it down, I figured out that most of you (except Nana B) are on facebook. A site that I frequent often (hahahaha).

Facebook's greatest draw for me isn't finding friends, because I suck at that part of it. I am unable to find anyone from my past. I'm not kidding - no one. One person found me, so I can't count that as a victory for myself since she did all the work. I'm the only one at the gathering of the neighborhood coven who doesn't get to wonder, "How do I lurk on an old boyfriend's page without getting caught?", or "I found {insert name here}, who I thought was such a bitch in high school..." , or my favorite "I had to close my facebook account because there were just too many people wanting to be my friend..." because I can't find any of them. (And, perhaps worst of all? They certainly aren't looking for me.) I can only assume that I am too old for past associates to be tech savvy enough to use Facebook, OR they're all to tech savvy for me, and have figured out a way to cloak themselves from me. Either way? I have like 9 friends on facebook. Nine. Some of you have hundreds, I have nine. Not even Tom from Myspace has managed to find me, and I thought I could always count on Tom!

Anyway, my point - and I do have one - is that Facebook's GREATEST draw for me, since it isn't the social networking mecca for me that it seems to be for everyone else on earth, is Flair. I love flair. Love. Love. Love. It cracks me up... so I'm going to share you my four favorite pieces of flair to date. (Hoping that this will entice my other 3 readers to join facebook so I can have a couple more friends. I had no idea that it was so competitive out there for friends!)



...and if you don't get why flair is so great? You probably have more "friends" than I do.

Correction: I have 18 friends on facebook. EIGHTEEN. Beat that! (Oh, I see all of you already have.)

SMA Friday!

Starting the year off with our Sexiest Man Alive....




Oh wait... thats Doogie Howser. It's so easy to get them mixed up! (Nude Doogie! That was a surprise, right? Can I point out that with Doogie being gay and a celebrity and I expected a bit more manscaping.)



Here is the real SMA!


Ahhhh... that's better!