Friday, December 31, 2010

Ring in the New

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

-excerpt from Ring Out Wild Bells by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Sunday, December 26, 2010

And it missed us by a mile

Literally (a mile):

Big green hole = the DC area and our house.

*Image from NOAA on 12/26/10

Monday, December 20, 2010

Cool new Google Labs Tool

Google Labs recently came out with a tool that lets you scour digitized books from way back when to 2008, using whatever words in whatever timeframe you want. After thinking of all the bad words that I could put in there (because that's ALWAYS the first thing we think of putting in these things - even though some of us won't admit it!), I added the names of my family. You'll see that Tom shows up most frequently, and I'm barely a blip on the screen:

And if you go through you'll see some cool things like:
In the mid-1700's the REALLY liked dogs more, but only for a very short time.

Espresso still beats latte, but latte is gaining on espresso (in the books at least - I'm not a fan of strong coffee at all).

Between all of the colors in ROY G BIV, Red wins.

Texas is written about more than Oklahoma or Louisiana. Yes, I went there.

People call it the television when they write about it - not the TV really.

Regardless of what you look up, the Google Labs Books Ngram Viewer is a really cool thing to play with! (And yes, for the record, the "S" word tops the list of the ones I typed in, and we swear a lot more in books in 2008 than we did even in 2004 or 1996. And we swear a whole hack of a lot more than in the early 1900's. But we talk about our donkey's less...

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Fiskars Cuts + More (MUCH more!)

I'm a scissor junkie - have a ton, always want more. Never though have I looked at a review of a pair of scissors online - never until today that is. I stumbled on this video review of Fiskars Cuts+More Scissors, and not only was I laughing at the end, but now I'm in serious want of these scissors. Five in one, six in one, whatever. Any scissors that has this particular feature on them NEEDS to live in my house. It's the last feature he demos, and you'll see why I want it at the very end!


So, it's off to hunt up one of these great tools and you KNOW I'm going to enjoy my new purchase with a cool beverage (with adult supervision of course - the scissors, not the beverage)!

Friday, December 17, 2010

The day Aunt Sue came to lunch


I really should let Sam tell you this story, but it's late and he's in bed. He was SOOOO excited to have his Great-Aunt Sue in town over Thanksgiving. And he was even MORE excited when she came joined him for lunch! He asked her to come have lunch with him, and since her flight didn't leave until later that afternoon she did! He was jazzed to have her there, then he talked about it for a few days after. So cool that something as simple as popping in for lunch delights him so much!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Trumpet Master Max

Max - rocking the trumpet at his band's holiday concert at Barnes and Noble. Well, as much as you can rock out Jingle Bells and other holiday standards! He IS the trumpet master!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Winter Hat Hair

Not so fun to have the winter hat hair, but hey, it's the winter. And hey, it's hat hair. Nice.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Getting Closer!

Lucy has been putting on her cool brown boots by herself for a month or two now - actually since she got her new boots to replace those that were lifted at Chick Fil A (but that's a story for another time). But recently she started putting on her sneakers by herself too! She's getting pretty good at it, but she's still hit or miss on getting the shoes on the right feet! She's getting closer every day though - we're up to the jacket and even sometimes shoes on the right feet now!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Brrr...

First there were the star lights over the fireplace:

Then there was the tree:

Then we got a dusting of snow:

And then it all headed south and today we froze our butts off:
Feels like 6 degrees? Really???!!!!

So tomorrow is a new day, and it can't get colder - can it?
DayNight


Partly Cloudy / Wind
High
31°F

Precip
20%

Wind:From WNW at 22 mph
Humidity:38%
UV Index:2 Low
Sunrise:7:19 AM ET
Avg. High:49°F
Record High:66°F (2001)



Mostly Clear / Wind
Overnight Low
18°F

Precip
10%

Wind:From W at 19 mph
Humidity:46%
Sunset:4:47 PM ET
Avg. Low:28°F
Record Low:8°F (1962)


Oh, wait...it can.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Gotta love it!


He's only 15 and pulling in performances with big names already! ;)

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Coveting

Is it wrong to covet a pair of boots - snow boots to be specific? And is it wrong to want a second pair, even though the first pair is also very cool? Oh my. Same general price as the first pair, second pair ON SALE. Does that even matter in the land of coveting? And can I wear snow boots in the NOT snow and avoid looking like a big dork? Or do I really care if I look like a dork wearing snow boots in the NOT snow? What a dilemma...but they are pretty:

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Gingerbread Spice TEA???!!

I bought it only because I absolutely love the Sugar Plum Spice Tea. I had no idea that I'd like this tea even more than the Sugar Plum flavor. Oh my. I think I'm going to buy up all of the boxes I can find. Celestial Seasonings comes out with Holiday Teas every year, and every year as soon as I see them I buy them. But this year there was one on the shelf that I didn't recognize. It is called Gingerbread Spice, and I think I'm in love. I like teas that are fruity or thick, but this one has a completely different taste. It's not only good by itself, but with a wee bit of milk it sends the flavor right over the top. Super yummy! So, back to the store for me - gotta get some more of this before it's gone for the season! ;) Gotta feed my newest addiction!


Monday, December 06, 2010

Here Comes Science!

We LOVE TMBG! The band that brought us Particle Man and Birdhouse in Your Soul (which is currently my ringtone) ventured into children's music a while back and has been nominated AGAIN for a GRAMMY!!!! Yes, They Might Be Giants is in the running for one of our favorite albums - Here Comes Science!


We listen to this in the car all the time. Funny thing though, Sam didn't quite get the lyrics to this song right when we first got the album. He heard "motion, direction, acceleration" without the "D" at the beginning of that middle word. Yes, say it out loud (as long as you aren't within earshot of any kids), and you'll why we had to stop playing the song for a short while. He'd sing it in the car, but he'd also sing it in the store, the bank, the vet, and at school. So sweet little Sam was singing this song, minus the "D" at the top of his lungs, all the time. So we took a hiatus from Here Comes Science and that fixed the problem right up. That, and we worked on the whole DIRECTION thing. ;)

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Beautiful Fall Colors

Seen recently:


LOVE the Fall!

Friday, December 03, 2010

The Sharpie strikes again!

Now, to double back and fill you in on something I learned a few weeks ago. Sharpies and two year olds don't mix. Or at least they don't mix well:
Laundry room sink, walls, washer, dryer...
then the front door and front entry wood floor as well.
At least it wasn't the carpet....

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Robots are taking over

In case you're wondering, the robots are taking over the planet. But they'll be wearing gloves. Yes, gloves.