A Pleasant Encounter

I'm not sure where it came from, but the other day this was waiting for me as I left the house. A little pleasant encounter.

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A Photo that Makes you Smile: 30 Days About Me

This photo was part of an assignment where an egg was used as the subject of the photo. I took a lot of photos of that egg, many of which were probably more "artistic" than this, but I love this one. I love the way William is holding the egg, the gentle way his hands are caressing it. Of course, he's my sugar bunch so I love everything about him, but I just love his little hands. He was thrilled to be part of the shoot and I still can see his smile as he holds the egg and the photo is taken. I love my little boy and I love this photo.

Yesterday I did a video for my post but I can't get it uploaded on my phone. So stay tuned, folks, and I'll post my clog post as soon as I can.

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My Favorite TV Show: 30 Days About Me

I couldn't narrow this one down to one. There have just been too many shows that I have loved throughout the years. The first is quite cheesy, every made fun of, but I just LOVE it and when I run into episodes of it I have to watch!

I love when Peter pretends he's older to go on a double date with Greg. And Marsha's broken nose. And the cursed Tiki necklace. And Jan's whining. I love it all. And why can't I have an Alice?

I would come home from school when I was a pre-teen and watch Dr. Who. Every day, without fail. I wanted a K9 and who didn't love Tom Baker? He's the reason I learned to knit (or at least the scarf is. When the new series came out, I couldn't contain myself. I had lived too many years without The Doctor, my husband had never seen it, I thought I would burst I was so happy. I thought Christopher Eccelston was perfect in the role, and was sad to see him regenerate, but then we got David Tennant, and what can I say? I loved him, his quirkiness, reminiscent of Tom Baker, the friction between him and Rose, and how he could go from seemingly insane to kick-ass in the blink of an eye. And who doesn't want a Tardis?

I was totally obsessed with Twin Peaks, taped every episode (still have them and occasionally watch them - they hold up well and don't seem dated). It is a show that alternately thrilled me, appealed to the quirky side of me, made me laugh at the most bizarre things, and scared the hell out of me. Can you imagine if BOB actually existed? And we all had to know who killed Laura Palmer (I figured it out early in the second season - but you never really knew). And then there was the whole teenagers in desperate love element and Sheriff Harry S. Truman (yum!). The end of the series, however, was the most unfulfilling ending of any series EVER on television. How could the possess Agent Cooper with BOB? I'm still angry about that one!

I love this man. His disaffected, dry sense of humor, the intelligence that he brings to the whole travel show genre, and his take on the countries that he visits. My favorite current show.

I was late to jump on the Battlestar Galactica bandwagon. My husband spent the entire day watching SciFi and I just couldn't deal with another sci fi show. Until EVERYONE I knew kept harping on me to watch it, so I caved. And I think I started to watch the most brilliant television show ever created. The human interaction, the constant struggle of the Cylons and their identity as creatures that are at the same time man and machine; the show really had very little to do with the war between the two of them and more with the complexity of soul and God and belief. The acting was superb (and I loved Edward James Olmos and Dean Stockwell way before the show debuted), and I was completely riveted. I keep wondering when a show that is as good as Battlestar will debut on television again, but I don't hold my breath. Oh, and unlike Twin Peak, the end of the show was the most satisfying ending I have ever seen, and the implications of it left me reeling for weeks. Were 6 and Gaias angels? What exactly was Starbuck? Man, I miss that show.

So that's it! What are your favorite television shows?

My favorite Movie: 30 Days About Me

30 Days about me is sponsored by A Daily Dose of Toni.

This one is easy for me. My mom had to talk me into watching it because it is a musical and I was in high school and thought musicals were lame. But then I watched "An American in Paris" and I had to tell mom that she was right. Set in post-WWII Europe, Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) is a ex-GI painter who decided to stay in Paris. He quickly falls for Lise (Lesli Caron), who happens to be engaged to cabaret singer Henri Baurel (George Geutary), who happens to be friends with Jerry's friend Adam (Oscar LeVant). Along the way, Jerry is discovered by Milo Roberts (Nina Foch), who is interested in Jerry for more than his art. When I took my good friend to the Ohio Theater to see it on the big screen, she and the audience were stunned by the overt sexual innuendo in a movie written during the "puritan" 1950s. The dancing is spectacular, and by the end you feel that Jerry and Lise simply MUST be together or the entire world will end. Oh, and all of the music is by Gershwin. Good, good, superb stuff.

When I watched this scene as a teen, I used to yearn for someone to love me the way they obviously loved each other. It's still my favorite scene. You can watch it here.

What is your favorite movie?

My favorite song: 30 Days About Me

I've decided to participate in 30 Days About Me Sponsored by A Daily Dose of Toni. If you'd like to participate, just know that I'm a day behind, but you can click on the link above and join in!

So, when I read the first question, I thought it would be nearly impossible to answer. My favorite song? Of the gajillion I like? Then it hit me so hard up the head that I couldn't believe I didn't think of it immediately. When I was a child, I played my mom's "White Album" by The Beatles constantly. And I played "Blackbird" so much that my mom bought me my own copy of the album for fear that I would destroy hers. To this day, whenever I hear it, I stop in my tracks. The song is beautiful, the words send me:

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

all your life

you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise,

You were only waiting for this moment to arise,

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Incidently, my favorite Beatle is George. With the exception of this song, he wrote all of my favorites (Here Comes the Sun, et al), and I think he's a little dreamy, in a 70's sitar-playing hippie sort of way.

Yellow Makes Me Happy

When I moved into my current abode 10 years ago, I painted every wall in every room yellow. Very pale yellow, and all kinds of different shades. Yellow makes me happy. I feel like I am living in eternal spring, my favorite season. I love yellow.

William talks about "lellow" frequently, and seemingly for no reason other than he loves it. He would wear his yellow robot shirt every day for the rest of his life if that were possible. His Hot Wheels are the greatest toy ever invented, but the yellow ones trump all. He is a compulsive dandelion picker, and seems to consider them the greatest gift he can give me. He won't let me check to see if he likes butter.

Ephemeral

-adjective

1. lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory

2. lasting but one day

The ephemeral nature of things; the transitory.

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:: A candle flickering flame

:: That whisper of perfume as she passes you

:: Those first blushes of love, so all-encompassing and consuming

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:: The lily, the spiderwort, the iris, the violet

:: The pinks and purples streaking across the twilight sky

:: A spoken word; there, and then gone

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:: That cloudy sailboat, or hippo, or castle in the sky

:: Waves that ebb and flow, and the footprints they wash away

:: That perfect snowflake; crystals formed by God's hand, melting away as they hit the earth

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They Make Me Happy

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When Will says "backaroni and cheese, please"

The constellations in the winter sky. Orion is my favorite.

Seeing fields full of Canadian geese resting during their migration

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Warmer days that follow chilly nights

Grape hyacinth buds peeking through the frosty ground

Cuddling in bed with my men, Tim and William

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A coat of fresh paint on an previously dingy wall

Feeling the sun on my face after the frigid weather of winter

Knowing that the cherry blossoms will pop in just a few weeks

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Sheep extra fluffy with their winter coat

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream - extra soothing for dry, knitty, winter hands

Waking up to find that I'm being held

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They Make Me Happy

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:: Veggie Tales Silly Songs (check out "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything")
:: The smell of lavender
:: The heirloom china that my great grandmother painted


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:: Singing loud and dancing around with my iPod
:: Messy, casual braids
:: Blowing bubbles


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:: Converse sneakers. Yes, I love my Chucks.
:: Daydreaming
:: Cool office supplies


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:: Bald eagles, which are no longer endangered and nest along Columbus's Olentangy River.
:: Kitties in windows
:: Spotty baby birds


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They Make Me Happy

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:: Watching Will twirl his hair while he drinks his chocolate milk
:: Vintage keys
:: While Will twirls my pony tail while drinking his chocolate milk


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:: Cabotine perfume and it's beautiful bottle
:: Those cult classics of the 80's: Red Dawn, The Outsiders, Better Off Dead (ah, John), The Breakfast Club, and SO many others
:: Endless refills on Diet Coke


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:: The smell of lavender
:: Sweater weather
:: Whirligigs, except in my gutters


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:: The crunch of leaves underfoot
:: Putting on dry clothes after a drenching rain
:: Pony tails held together by ribbon bows


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They Make Me Happy

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:: souvenir Eiffel Tower statues
:: stained glass windows in old churches
:: glittery nail polish


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:: old button jars
:: candlelight - everything looks more beautiful in it
:: Krispy Kreme glazed donuts hot from the oven


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:: vintage prom dresses
:: Indian summers
:: that TOMS shoes has now donated 1 million pairs of shoes.


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:: rose petals
:: soft kitty bellies
:: Chinese lanterns


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They Make Me Happy

First of all, I want to say to each and every one of you that you are amazing and SO supportive people. I usually respond to everyone's comments but I just haven't had the time. So when I can get back to doing that, I certainly will.

Yesterday we did a workshop on co-dependency which TOTALLY explained my issue from the last post. I feel so relieved to know how I developed my quirks. So I'm feeling much happier about that. And, about these things:

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:: Living in the Midwest, where I can watch the leaves change color in the fall

:: Having two teenagers that can rake said leaves when all 13 of our trees decide to drop them.

:: Magazines. I just LOVE magazines

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:: People who have enough moxie to wear horn-rimmed glasses

:: Paisley. In fact, if I were to ever get a tattoo, the permanent thing on my body, it would be a paisley design.

:: Will sitting next to me watching while I write my blog (many Hot Wheels are involved).

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:: Peanut butter. I eat it by the spoonful sometimes from the jar.

:: Vintage crocheted oven pads.

:: Wild rabbits skittering across the yard.

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:: Malted waffles. The flat kind like they make at Waffle House.

:: Pedicures. With garish red hail polish.

:: Champagne (so that you can feel giddy like Marilyn Monroe or as elegant as Audrey Hepburn).

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I Love (ie. They make Me Happy a little early)

I have received such support in the last few days. I am here to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm still a mush head, but it's not that difficult for me to put together these lists, so here's a new one. And the number one thing I love this week are my readers. I feel like I've known some of you forever. And you don't hesitate to share your support, wisdom, and love.


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:: When creativity hits (you will hear about this one in a few months - lots of work involved)
:: Colored pencils
:: Finding pieces of paper with my grandparent's handwriting on them


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:: The way my 3-year-old calls cartoons "toon toons."
:: Feather pillows and feather beds
:: Beignets - I think they are what heaven tastes like

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:: Musty book shops
:: When Will comes to me for magical kisses that "make it all better."
:: The Hermes Kelly Bag (my birthday is the 18th, so anyone who wants to get me one is more than welcome)


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:: My grandfather's piano
:: Odilon Redon's pastels
:: St. Denis, mostly because after he was beheaded he picked up his head, walked six miles preaching a sermon the entire time, and then cleaned his head off in a fountain. And he's the patron saint of headaches (I think he more than earned that distinction).


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:: That fall chill in the air
:: Long naps holding my William
:: Um, did I ever mention that I love cats?


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They Make Me Happy

I know I promised this yesterday, but Roadrunner decided to stop working, so I am now sitting in Starbucks while my good guy Will plays with cars and eats a chocolate mini donut (which is about all I've been able to get down him today). Also, my husband took my camera and left it at his friend's house, so some of the great pictures that I had to share with you are not in my possession right now. Nevertheless, They Make Me Happy:

:: Brown-eyed Susans
:: Those perfect blue jeans - worn in, maybe a little thread worn, and make your butt look fantastic!
:: Old gnarled jade plants (have you ever seen one in full bloom?)



:: Will running full speed toward me for a hug
:: Seeing bloggy friends in "Artful Blogging"
:: Getting "that look" from the one you love - and your knees turning to Jell-o
:: Hummingbirds flitting about the Solomon's Seal



:: Unspoiled views that you just happen upon
:: Goldendoodles. I really want one.
:: Cranking up your favorite song on the car radio and singing really LOUD.


You can buy Emma's "muriel" here

:: The crochet of Emma Lamb
:: Woolly worms
:: The magic of tiaras



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Unless otherwise noted, all photos property of Erin Wallace